The court was already in session before He Yu arrived. His presence was announced and he walked in slowly but calmly. His skin was pale and combined with his dark robes and the soft smile he had on his face, he seemed like an easygoing sick prince.
He went before He Jingcheng and gave a bow, "greetings, Your Majesty"
"Imperial uncle, spare the formalities", He Jingcheng said.
He Yu rose and stood at his position.
"Ministers, what do you have to say?" He Jingcheng asked looking up at the ministers.
Li Changsheng, of course, stepped out first.
"Your majesty, the grand prince health condition has improved. I think this is the right time to handle the Wu army issue", he said.
"Regarding the Wu army token, the First Prince wants to learn. Imperial uncle, what do you think?" He Jingcheng directed the question at He Yu.
They had a long eye contact before He Yu responded, "I have long been frail. Although I have learned military tactics since childhood, I can't keep up. Since First Prince wishes to learn, I have no objections" He Jingcheng nodded and He Yan was relieved that He Yu had not gone back on his word.
"In that case, it is settled. He Yan, are you sure you can take on this task?" He Jingcheng asked He Yan.
"I am willing to help protect the peace of the people", He Yan bowed.
"That's good"
He Yan turned to He Yu and bowed, "Imperial granduncle, I look forward to learning in the same place as you did"
He Yu gave a slight nod of his head acknowledging him.
"Speaking of learning, First Prince does not have a teacher yet, does he?" He Yu asked.
"He does not. His teacher must be someone trained and exceptional in military tactics", He Jingcheng confirmed, "does Imperial uncle have any suggestions?"
There was a short pause and ministers discussed among them without reaching a definite conclusion.
After a while, He Yu bowed slightly, "I do know of someone"
[Yanxue Hall]
If anger had a face, at that moment it would be He Yan who was seated on his work table with his fists tightened. He had never expected He Yu to have played such a big move against him. Whether it was on purpose or unintentional, he couldn't tell. After all, he had had the negotiation with Lingxi not He Yu. Was it Lingxi who truly played him and not He Yu? He Yu was known to be the easygoing grand prince who always went with the flow. Either he was hiding his true nature or he was being completely sincere. What was real and what was fake? But that was not the worst part. He had given the Phoenix Archive Token to He Yu and now he had no full rights over the Wu army token. He felt stupid. What if He Yu was not aware of the token and he was played by Lingxi instead or was He Yu the one secretly manipulating the scenes? The 'teacher' He Yu mentioned was Qin Yan who was Lingxi's personal bodyguard. Who was the real snake - the one who made the suggestion or the one who owned the suggestion?
"Eunuch Wang?" He Yan called.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Eunuch Wang answered from his side.
"Summon Guard Qin Yan", he said. Eunuch Wang bowed and went to relay the message.
'I would like to see just how capable this Qin Yan is', he said to himself.
[Changning Palace]
"He wants to see me?" Qin Yan asked on seeing the invitation Lingxi passed to him.
"Yes, are you going?" she asked.
"No", Qin Yan answered immediately. He wasn't one for private chats.
"He wants to get to know you better. Don't you also want to know him better?" Lingxi asked.
"People like him don't need to be known. They can be understood at a glance and I've already had that", Qin Yan responded.
"But he wants to know you, what do you think about that?"
"There is nothing to know about me", he paused, "would there be a problem if I don't go?"
Lingxi thought for a while, "not really. You would just be disrespecting the first prince but nothing would happen because you are my guard"
[Wei City]
He Rui and Liu ying stood outside facing the three biggest pharmacies in Wei City.
"These are the three biggest pharmacies in Wei City. They are known for supplying herbs to smaller pharmacies", Liu ying had done her homework.
"Let's go", He Rui said walking into the middle pharmacy.
They read the name on the plaque. It read, 'Hall of Everlasting Harmony'. They walked in.
"Welcome, young master, young miss, are you here to buy herbs or medicine?" the shop clerk, Ming Yuan asked with a smile on seeing them.
He Rui and Liu ying were dressed rather informal so even if they held swords, the shop clerk was not afraid. After all, there were many swordsmen in Wei City.
He Rui did not pay much attention to him and went to look around the different herbs and medicines. Liu Ying approached him instead and struck a conversation with him.
"How should I address you?" she asked. "My name is Ming yuan. I am the shop clerk. You may call me Clerk Ming", he answered.
Liu ying nodded, "I am Qiuyue and that is my brother, Qiulan", Liu ying used a fake identity.
"Miss Qiu, what can I do for you?" he asked.
Liu ying sighed, "Actually, Clerk Ming, I am not from Wei City. I came here in search of a medicine"
"What medicine?"
"I am not quite sure if you would have it. I have searched many pharmacies, Liu ying looked worried.
"That's impossible. Our pharmacy is the top one in Wei City. Trust me, you will definitely find what you want here", Ming yuan assured her.
"My young master back at home was born sickly but just recently, his condition got worse. He is in terrible pain", Liu ying had already prepared what she was going to say.
"What kind of condition does he have?" he asked.
"I don't know but as long as I can remember, he was always like this", Liu ying answered. Her eyes were already moist.
"In that case, what medicine did his physician ask you to find?"
Liu ying paused for quite some time before responding, "our young master suffers from severe pain and is constantly restless. The physician asked us to find a medicine that would make him feel little or no pain and keep him from moving around so that he does not hurt himself and others when restless as he has violent tendencies sometimes"
Ming yuan looked uncomfortable.
[Gu Manor, Wei City]
Gu Wenxiu was sweating all over with fear as he watched the young men before him.
It was supposed to be a normal day for him but unfortunately, he heard news that someone had broken into his main hall.
He had rushed in to see who was so audacious daring to break into the Registrar of Wei City's Manor but his knees went weak as he saw the two men before him.
One was Lu Qian who was standing with his hands folded and his face indifferent while the other was Lv Chi who was seated on his chair and was in the mood of sharpening his sword.
He fell to his knees, "My Lords, what bring you to my humble abode"
"Lord Gu, you are too polite. You are the cousin of our Noble Consort Su, how can you kneel to mere judicial officers like us? Please get up and have a seat", Lu Qian said.