The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 81 - 80
Chapter 80
Eastern Palace, Basui Region.
Several days ago, the royal court sent people to clean and tidy up the Eastern Palace, which had been abandoned for many years, in preparation for Lu Jiu to move in and assume his rightful position as the Crown Prince. Since the day the Emperor summoned Lu Jiu for a private meeting, he had remained secluded in the palace without any movement at all.
In the innermost study of the palace, a tall figure sat behind a large desk, reading documents with a serious expression. Over the past three days, numerous strange and unprecedented events had occurred incessantly. Although Lu Jiu had indeed kept to himself in the palace, he was actually working to understand everything that had happened. He was reviewing information on the shifts in power within Basui Region over the six years he had been away and investigating the recent rumors of bad omens.
Judging by the widespread rumors, it was clear that the mastermind was deliberately targeting him. Otherwise, the timing of these events wouldn’t have coincided so perfectly.
Coincidence?
No...There were no coincidences in this world, only people shaping their own destinies!
It seemed his enemies had already started their attacks against him...
As Lu Jiu focused on reading the documents carefully, a figure dressed in black entered the room, clasped his hands, and bowed before reporting, "Your Highness, our men have reported back on the investigation!"
"What have they found?" Lu Jiu looked up from the documents, his gaze fixed on his personal guard, who had been sent to investigate the ominous events that had occurred these past few days.
"Our men report that the abnormal events did not occur uniformly within a ten-li radius of the capital. These events only happened in the northern and southern outskirts of the capital. Upon investigation, it was found that the evening before the incident, all the plants and livestock were still normal. By the next morning, everything was as seen, Your Highness."
"The northern and southern outskirts?"
Lu Jiu frowned slightly. If these events were merely unfortunate occurrences without any reason, why did they only happen in the northern and southern outskirts of the capital? Why not in the eastern and western directions, or just in one direction instead of both?
He lowered his gaze to ponder silently for a moment before saying, "Continue."
"The villagers’ livestock all died in the same manner, that is, suddenly collapsed, their hearts failing. There were no prior signs or warnings, so no one noticed anything amiss until they found the bodies. No doctor has been able to determine the cause of death, Your Highness."
The more Lu Jiu listened, the more he felt surprised. His suspicion that this matter was extraordinary grew even stronger. He was quite confident that it was the work of humans. The difficult part was investigating and finding evidence for the root cause of all these misfortunes. Both the livestock and crops were affected in the northern and southern outskirts of the capital?
What connection was there between the north and south?
While Lu Jiu was deep in thought, the silence made the guard reporting the news feel uneasy. He could only stand quietly with his head bowed. Suddenly, Lu Jiu had a revelation. His sharp eyes gleamed momentarily. He stood up from his chair and quickly walked to the bookshelf in the corner of the room. His large hand searched for something until he found a large rolled-up paper. He took it back to the table and spread it out, revealing a detailed map of the outskirts of the capital from all directions.
He scanned the map until he saw a drawing of a river flowing from the large northern mountains, winding around the capital, and continuing south. The map showed a river running from the north to the south of Basui Region.
"This is it...the connection." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Lu Jiu smiled slightly. Both the villagers’ livestock and crops relied on water from the river for sustenance. The villagers in the northern and southern outskirts used this river water, causing the planting areas and the livestock to have the same problems in both areas simultaneously!
It seemed someone was tampering with this river!
"Prepare yourself. Inform our people and bring along a skilled doctor. We are heading to the source of this river," Lu Jiu ordered calmly. The guard acknowledged and quickly left to carry out the instructions.
With Lu Jiu alone in the room, he walked to the window, leaning against the sill and looking out at the dim outline of the mountains in the north of the capital. If his enemies wanted to frame him, he would use this opportunity to turn the tables on them!
The next morning, Lu Jiu and his followers secretly left the capital. They rode the horses towards the river’s source in the northern mountains, several hundred li away, without stopping for even a day. The situation was becoming increasingly severe, and the Crown Prince’s reputation in the capital was deteriorating daily. Time was running out, putting pressure on Lu Jiu and his team.
If they didn’t quickly find a solution and resolve this issue, the enemy might use the tarnished reputation to pressure the royal court into stripping Lu Jiu of his title as Crown Prince!
When Lu Jiu and his team arrived at the river’s source in the mountains, he ordered them to spread out and search for anything unusual. Along the riverbanks in the woods, they found the carcasses of animals, both small and large, no less than ten for each kind. They all died in similar manners, which was, their hearts failed suddenly. Additionally, the plants along the riverbanks were withered and dead, just like the crops of the villagers outside the capital. This confirmed Lu Jiu’s suspicion that all the problems originated from this river...
"Your Highness, over here!"
A shout drew everyone’s attention. Lu Jiu, who was searching for clues, immediately changed direction towards the call and found that the riverbanks ahead looked like a connecting point.
Upstream, the riverbanks were lush and green, while downstream, where they had been investigating, the grass was withered and dead. Both sides were completely different.
"Search the entire area!"
Lu Jiu ordered sternly, scanning the bushes nearby. If this spot was where the problem began, it was likely that the enemy had introduced something into the river here, causing the downstream disaster. He searched the bushes for a while and soon spotted a greenish powder scattered on the ground. If not for careful observation, it would have been easy to miss. Lu Jiu crouched down to examine the powder closely before calling out,
"Doctor Zhang, please come and take a look at this..."
The elderly white-haired Doctor Zhang, who had been resting by the river, immediately approached. Seeing the green powder that Lu Jiu pointed to, he touched it with his finger and brought it to his nose to sniff, scrutinizing it closely.
"What do you think, Doctor Zhang? Is this the source of the problem?"
"Your Highness, I’m not entirely sure yet. Please give me some time to test it,"
Doctor Zhang replied with a confused expression. He took some tools from his bag and began testing the green powder to determine what it was. Lu Jiu did not rush or put pressure on him but stood up to continue examining the area. As he reached the second bush, he found a small porcelain bottle discarded beneath it. He picked it up and opened it with surprise. Once he saw a red powder residue around the rim, he suspected it was related to the green powder.
"Doctor Zhang, take a look at this."
Doctor Zhang took the bottle and examined it further, sniffing the contents. His eyes lit up immediately. "Your Highness, I have discovered the cause!"
"Previously, several parties investigated the cause of the sudden deaths of plants and livestock, but they couldn’t find a definitive reason. They only knew that the plants rotted instantly, and the animals’ hearts failed. Now, I know it was all caused by Holy Moon powder..."
"Holy Moon powder?" Lu Jiu repeated the name, puzzled, as he had never heard of it before.
"Yes, Your Highness. Holy Moon powder is made by combining two types of herbs, one green and one red. Individually, they are common herbs, but when mixed and dissolved in water, they become a potent poison that gradually seeps in and destroys from within."
"This is why the villagers’ crops rotted. They used water from this river, which was contaminated with Holy Moon powder. When the crops were watered with this river water, the poison seeped into the roots, causing them to rot within two days. The livestock that drank from the river suffered internal damage, leading to sudden heart failure!"
Doctor Zhang explained with a troubled expression. The person using this poison was exceptionally ruthless, as it affected not only plants and animals but people as well...
"Furthermore, if villagers used this river water for cooking or drinking, the poison would accumulate in their bodies. If it reached a certain level, it would cause their hearts to fail, leading to death..."
Hearing this, Lu Jiu’s face instantly turned icy. This time, the enemy had resorted to such cruel tactics, using innocent lives to frame him. If this situation continued, the enemy’s next step would likely be to let villagers die from accumulated poison and then blame it as a bad omen that happened because of the Crown Prince’s return!
"Is there a way to counteract this poison?"
Lu Jiu asked in a stern voice, his sharp eyes flashing coldly, making those around him shiver. Doctor Zhang nodded quickly and explained.
"Holy Moon powder can be neutralized by dissolving Holy Fire powder into the river. This will cleanse the poison from the villagers’ bodies and from the soil, allowing them to resume normal farming."
"Then do it," Lu Jiu nodded, signaling Doctor Zhang to begin the antidote process and then turned to his trusted guard. "Send out our men to gather information on the movements in the herb trade. If the enemy could dissolve Holy Moon powder into the river on such a large scale, they would need a significant amount of herbs."
"Investigate all purchases and transportation of herbs and track down those behind the scenes and all involved as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, Your Highness,"
The guard replied, then quickly led several dozen men to carry out the orders. Lu Jiu gazed at the surrounding forest and sighed deeply. The enemy had orchestrated a grand scheme, making their task quite challenging.
It seemed he must repay this effort in kind...
After Lu Jiu’s men dispersed to carry out his orders, Doctor Zhang successfully prepared the Holy Fire powder. He and his team dissolved the antidote in the river at the same spot, letting the current carry it downstream. This method proved effective. Within three days, the villagers experienced no further issues. The crops did not rot, the livestock did not fall ill and die, and the people remained healthy. As a result, the previous rumors did not escalate further.
Lu Jiu’s personal guards managed to gather some evidence, though not without difficulty, as the enemy had destroyed much of it. They had to exert extra effort to find enough proof to apprehend the culprits. This event involved an extensive list of officials and it could connect to the real mastermind: the Right Side Chancellor, San Yan!
Unfortunately, although they could establish a connection, there was no definitive evidence to conclusively incriminate the culprits...
As Lu Jiu read the documents in front of him, a cold smile formed on his face. So, the Eldest Prince’s faction was behind it all. Even if he couldn’t drag the Eldest Prince and the Right Side Chancellor down into the mud, he was confident he could cripple his enemies temporarily because the evidence he had could sever their limbs!
"Your Highness, our agents infiltrating among the villagers and scholars in the capital are ready,"
A guard reported firmly. Now, everything was set. For the past five days, rumors about the Crown Prince’s innocence had spread like wildfire. The people were accusing him of being the source of the ominous events, causing great discontent among both the commoners and the scholars.
Some even banded together to file petitions with the Scholars Office, urging the learned scholars to speak out and pressure the royal court. The populace largely believed in spirits and omens, particularly those that instilled fear and panic.
The resulting turmoil had persisted for seven days, putting significant pressure on the royal court. Many officials had submitted petitions to the Emperor, but His Majesty had ignored them, which only fueled the fire, prompting many officials to unite and prepare to pressure the Emperor in the throne room the next day.
"Good. When the time comes, instruct our people to act immediately. Also, inform Commander Du’s men to proceed as planned,"
Lu Jiu ordered with a mocking smile. His eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness that looked intimidating. Everything seemed to be going according to the enemy’s expectations. If his guess was correct, the enemies would surely use the people’s dissatisfaction to question his suitability for the position in the throne room tomorrow morning.
If not, they would likely try to force him to prove his abilities to dispel the rumors, but proving the ability was probably another backup plot to take his life!
While he wanted to toy with his enemies for longer, there was someone waiting for his return. Thus, Lu Jiu couldn’t afford to waste time playing with his enemies. Resolving the matter swiftly, crippling his enemies, and then destroying them all at once was his initial plan. The sooner he dealt with the situation, the sooner he could return.
Although Lu Jiu had many enemies, and the confrontation was intense, he was confident he could handle them since they were out in the open. On the other hand, he was deeply concerned about Mu Yingying. Before he left, the latest report mentioned the appearance of a mysterious enemy in the dark. Even though Lu Jiu didn’t know who that person was, his intuition told him he was dangerous!
It seemed he needed to resolve his own problems quickly...
Lu Jiu looked up and gave a final order to his personal guard in a chilling voice, "Prepare the evidence and witnesses. Tomorrow, we will catch the cat in the bag!"
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