novelraw Chapter 689 Medicine Man
Chapter 689 Medicine Man
Chapter 689 Medicine Man
Lu Qing watched coldly from the side for a while. Seeing that the situation in the courtyard was getting more and more outrageous, he guessed that if things continued like this, Zhu Yu and the others would soon be unable to keep up the act.
Looking at Lan Wang again, it was clear that he had lost interest in talking to him and was focused on the people in the courtyard outside.
So he cleared his throat and said apologetically to Prince Lan, "I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's hospitality today, and I am also grateful that Your Highness does not find the things I brought distasteful."
We've been traveling a long way, crossing mountains and valleys, and we're quite exhausted. We only had a few drinks, and we're already feeling a bit weak..."
Upon hearing this, Prince Lan gestured for the steward to come over, and then said to Lu Qing, "In that case, you may rest here in my palace for the time being. I am indeed very interested in what you brought. We can discuss it in detail tomorrow when you are well-rested."
Upon hearing this, the steward immediately stepped forward, gesturing for Lu Qing to come with him. He then turned and called Zhu Yu and the others, leading them away from the courtyard. After several twists and turns in the corridor, they arrived at a side courtyard.
This side courtyard is quite spacious, with many rooms around it, but most of them seem to be occupied.
"Gentlemen, we don't have many guest rooms available in our manor, so we'll have to make do with you all." The steward spoke politely, but his tone left no room for negotiation. As he spoke, he led them to a corner of the courtyard, where there was a room that looked to be the most spacious in the entire side courtyard. "Gentlemen, please rest."
After saying that, he ignored the others and turned to leave on his own.
With the manager gone, the talisman masters and others who had been pretending to stagger and be unsteady no longer needed to put on an act and could stand there steadily.
Zhu Yu looked around and found that there seemed to be a lot of guests in the Lanwang Mansion. This one side courtyard was almost full. Along the way, there were many forks in the road, which obviously led to other similar side courtyards.
Right now, most of the houses in this courtyard are occupied, some with their doors half open, and you can see people sleeping soundly on the beds inside as you walk by.
Some people sat dazedly at the door, looking somewhat confused and disoriented, yet they had a ruddy complexion that Zhu Yu and the others recognized all too well.
Lu Qing pulled Zhu Yu aside and pointed to the room the steward had arranged for them: "It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."
The eight people entered the room and found that it was a suite. The inner room was a little small and the outer room was a little large, but it was spacious enough for the eight of them to stay comfortably.
Fu Wen, along with Liao Yu and the other three, naturally sat down in the outer room without hesitation and put down their belongings.
Lin Kun seemed a little conflicted. He looked at Chang Yu, then at Lu Qing, and after a brief hesitation, he said to Lu Qing in a low voice, "Master, if you ask me, the room inside is small, but the room outside is big. So we servants will sleep outside, and you and my young master can stay in the inner room. That will be more convenient."
Clearly, he was afraid that if Chang Yu lived in the outer room with other guards, it would diminish his status as the young master and make Chang Yu uncomfortable and unable to rest well.
Lu Qing glanced at Zhu Yu, who shrugged. She didn't care; in a place like this, one couldn't expect to sleep soundly. Everyone slept fully clothed, so there was no question of convenience.
She had previously slept in the Imperial Guards' barracks while with Lu Qing in Situ Jing's Lizhou camp!
So she nodded to Lu Qing.
“In that case, let’s decide it this way.” Lu Qing glanced at Chang Yu. “You will stay in the inner room with me and Chief Secretary Yu, while the rest of you can rest in the outer room.”
The others naturally had no objections. Although Fuwen and Fulu felt that Chang Yu was somewhat of a hindrance in the inner room, he was, after all, the direct grandson of the Prince of Lan. Judging from the situation, he was basically the only remaining bloodline of the Prince of Lan's family. It was indeed inappropriate for him to squeeze into the outer room with the others, so they kept quiet.
Lin Kun was somewhat surprised after hearing Lu Qing's words. He knew that Chief Secretary Yu was highly regarded, but he did not expect him to be so highly regarded that even the Imperial Censor would not let him sleep in the outer room with others!
The position of Chief Secretary is not a particularly important one, so to be so highly regarded must mean that the person is a true confidant.
Zhu Yu was unaware of Lin Kun's surprise. She was filled with relief at escaping the banquet. After following Lu Qing into the inner room, she plopped down at the round table, letting out a big sigh of relief. She said to Lu Qing, "It's fortunate that you talked to that imposter until you were tired and wanted to rest. Otherwise, with the increasingly outrageous behavior of those people in the courtyard, we probably wouldn't have been able to keep up the act for long!"
Chang Yu was also still in shock. He was not very old to begin with, and had always been protected in the mountain stronghold by loyal guards like Lin Kun. This was the first time he had experienced anything like this outside.
Just now, seeing the extravagant and chaotic scene at the Lanwang Mansion, he felt an indescribable anger.
Although I was only a few years old when I left here, and I don't remember many things clearly, I vaguely remember that my father was diligent and cautious in his words and deeds every day, and the whole Wangfu was definitely not like it is now.
The thought that someone had impersonated his grandfather, persecuted so many members of his family, and was now doing bad things in this way, ruining the reputation of the Lanwang Mansion, made him feel a fire burning in his chest.
Lu Qing seemed to see through Chang Yu's thoughts. He walked to his side and patted him on the shoulder lightly a few times: "The more you resent and find it hard to bear, the more you must endure and remain calm, otherwise great things will be difficult to achieve."
Chang Yu was taken aback. After hearing Lu Qing's words, he also felt a little uneasy and nodded solemnly.
“Those people outside must be more than just ordinary retainers, right? Including those at the banquet earlier, they are all drugged people brought in by that imposter.”
"I noticed that their complexions weren't quite right, and their breathing was uneven." Zhu Yu recounted to Lu Qing the dancer's actions of scattering flower dew earlier, as well as the reactions of those people.
Lu Qing nodded. He had been focused on dealing with the Prince of Lan's questioning and hadn't noticed what the dancers were doing. By the time he realized something was wrong outside, the guests at the table were already behaving very unrestrainedly.
He could tell that something was amiss. After all, the imposter Prince Lan was quite interested in the reactions of everyone in the courtyard, and there must be a reason behind it. Only after hearing what Zhu Yu had said did he realize that the trick was actually in the flower dew that the dancers had sprinkled.