Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 209 Poison Deep into the Bone
"Lord Yan, what do you want to do?" Physician Zhuang asked bluntly, then added, seemingly afraid of being misunderstood, "Don't misunderstand, I see that you young people are very sincere. I'm just an elder who is worried about the younger generation taking risks."

"I understand, Physician Zhuang." Yan Mingzhang was very humble, addressing him only as a junior.

"The affairs of the court are too complicated. I am old and do not want to get involved. But..." Imperial Physician Zhuang hesitated, unsure whether he should offer advice. "But is this Second Prince really as good as you all see him? If you help him ascend the throne, aren't you afraid of being discarded like a dog after its hunt is over? I see you as upright and polite. Why would you risk your life for him?"

Yan Mingzhang was taken aback, but then he immediately understood. It seemed that Physician Zhuang had seen them bring Lin Yunze to the hospital and, because Lin Yunze was working for the Second Prince, he had assumed that they were also on the Second Prince's side.

Yan Mingzhang lowered his head and smiled slightly: "Thank you for your guidance, senior. However, you must have misunderstood. We are not working for the Second Prince."

Yan Mingzhang explained the whole story in a few words, and Physician Zhuang finally understood. He clapped his hands and laughed, "That's good, that's good! I was just lamenting that a pearl has been covered in dust, what a pity!"

"However, why would you say that, senior? Do you know something?" Yan Ming was perceptive and keenly picked up on some information.

After a moment's hesitation, seeing that no one was around, Imperial Physician Zhuang hardened his heart and said, "It's alright to tell you this. If you ever cross paths with him in the future, you should know exactly what kind of person he is! Do you know how the Crown Prince died?"

"Huh? Wasn't it said he died from a fall from his horse?" Yan Mingzhang was very surprised. He was still young at the time and had only heard a little about it.

"The Sixth Prince... he's terrifying. I've never seen such a ruthless person. Ruthless to others, and even more ruthless to himself..." Imperial Physician Zhuang recalled the past with a sigh. "This child is intelligent, but he comes from such a humble background. His mother was ill, and I took pity on him, so I prescribed medicine for her. One of the ingredients was ephedra. That day, I happened to pass by the horse farm and saw the Sixth Prince feeding the horses alone. Since he had previously fed the horses for the grooms in exchange for feed, I didn't pay much attention. Later, the former Crown Prince fell from his horse, and I went to treat him. I found the horse restless, convulsing, and eventually unconscious. It was then beaten to death. I found this strange and went to check. It turned out that the horse's stomach contained a large amount of ephedra! Later, I heard that the night I prescribed the medicine for the Sixth Prince, his mother passed away, so the medicine must not have been used up. Can you believe there are so many coincidences?"

Yan Mingzhang frowned slightly, pondering, "But there's no direct evidence to prove it!"

"Yes, so I can't say that back then he was just a vulnerable child whom everyone could bully. If it weren't for him, he probably would have been beaten to death. However, at this point, perhaps you can go find someone, because... because he was traveling with the Crown Prince at the time, and I always felt that he knew something. But, after several attempts to probe, he always avoided the topic..." Physician Zhuang sighed deeply, "Later, he somehow gained the Empress's favor, and you know what happened after that. He was raised under the Empress's wing, and his status rose rapidly!"

“He’s definitely a formidable character!” Yan Mingzhang nodded.

"In recent years, His Majesty has suddenly become obsessed with cultivating immortality and refining elixirs. He used to be diligent in governing, but now he neglects state affairs and doesn't attend court every day. But do you know where these alchemists come from?" Imperial Physician Zhuang took a puff of his pipe and said slowly.

"Could it be... the Sixth Prince?" Yan Mingzhang felt a chill run down his spine. He had only thought that this person was not simple, but he did not expect him to be so meticulous and scheming. He was really quite frightening.

"To survive in this cannibalistic palace and climb to such a high position, there are no simple people..." Imperial Physician Zhuang concluded, "Lin Yunze... has been obsessed with medicine since childhood, to the point of being somewhat fanatical, and his personality is a bit extreme. I always thought I could change him, but it was all wishful thinking on my part. I warned him long ago that the Dream Eater Flower is extremely poisonous and should not be touched. Before the Sixth Prince went to Medicine King Valley, an antidote for the Dream Eater Flower had not actually been developed."

"Huh? If there's no antidote, why wasn't the Sixth Prince affected by the Dream Eater Flower and didn't lose his memory?" A clear voice rang out from behind Yan Mingzhang. He turned around and saw that Rong Wanyin and the others had woken up. It was Rong Wanyin who had spoken. Rong Wanyin braced herself against the window frame with her right hand and jumped out. "Hey..." Yan Mingzhang glanced at her, then at the door beside him.

Rong Wanyin glanced at Yan Mingzhang, stuck out her tongue, and realized that she had just "not thought things through."

Unexpectedly, Mo Yun, who was behind her, also jumped out of the window, bracing herself against the window frame.

Yan Mingzhang: “…”

Physician Zhuang laughed heartily, looking at Rong Wanyin and the others: "Young people are so energetic!"

"So, Imperial Physician Zhuang, how exactly did the Sixth Prince manage to do that? He wasn't poisoned by the Dream Eater Flower, and he didn't lose his memory?" Rong Wanyin asked, her eyes full of doubt.

"It's less of an antidote and more of a poison developed to fight poison with poison. The poison Yunze developed is even more potent than that of the Dream Eater Flower. Once ingested, one will be unaffected by the Dream Eater Flower's toxicity and will not suffer amnesia. However, not suffering amnesia does not mean there will be no damage to the body." Imperial Physician Zhuang's face paled as he recalled the horrific scenes of those who were used for experiments.

Recalling the Sixth Prince's increasingly grim expression in Medicine King Valley, and his near-death experience from the poison, everyone suddenly realized what had happened and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a ruthless person!"

"Master! Master! Senior brother is awake!" Yunzhi hurriedly came out of the room, his face beaming with joy.
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Lin Yun slowly opened her eyes. Her complexion was no longer as pale as before; it had improved and was slightly rosy.

Lin Yun looked around blankly at the people gathered around the bed, but her pupils suddenly contracted when she saw Physician Zhuang: "Master? What are you doing here? How... how did I get here?"

Yan Mingzhang stepped forward and explained, "You collapsed from the poison just now, and we brought you to Physician Zhuang for emergency treatment. That's when we found out that you were actually his apprentice."

Lin Yun suddenly turned her head away, her tone stubborn: "He is not my master. I severed my master-disciple relationship with him a long time ago."

Physician Zhuang silently puffed on his pipe, not uttering a sound.

Rong Wanyin couldn't help but say, "Is there some misunderstanding between you? When you were poisoned, your master was very worried about you..."

Lin Yun's eyes flickered slightly, but she still kept her neck stiff and sneered: "What does my life or death have to do with him? He'd love for me to die! He's afraid that I'll use the Dream Eater Flower to make a medicine that can reverse aging and steal his title as the Great Zhou Divine Physician!"