The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter 744 Doubts

Mo Bai smiled but didn't say anything.

"Your Highness, this is my Uncle Qu and Uncle Zhang. We are very grateful to them these past few days," Du Juan introduced to Mo Bai.

"Yes, I saw it when I arrived, it was indeed done with utmost care." At this moment, Mo Bai naturally wouldn't hold Du Juan back, and took out a small jade bottle from his pocket: "I didn't have anything else on me this time, but this is the Rejuvenating Powder that I refined. It has a remarkable effect on various internal injuries and blockages. You two should keep it for when you need it."

"We are unworthy of this!" The two declined for a while, but eventually accepted it.

Mo Bai's medical skills are renowned throughout the land, so the medicines he produces must be of exceptional quality.

In this dangerous situation, who would complain about having too much of something that can save their life?

"His Highness and I have something to discuss. I'll trouble you two uncles." Dujuan bowed to the two men.

The two men naturally accepted the order and left.

After they left, Du Juan personally refilled Mo Bai's tea. Once they were seated, Du Juan spoke seriously, "The special train exploded; Your Highness, were you injured?"

"Don't worry." Mo Bai shook his head and recounted what happened that day.

Du Juan was finally relieved, and then said with a solemn expression, "Your Highness is right. It was my oversight. I had no idea that the Qi barbarians would attack Your Highness at this time."

Mo Bai shook his head: "It's not your fault. I don't understand this either. Logically speaking, it would be advantageous for them if I arrested Fang Youqun. It would be unwise for them to target me at this time."

"Your Highness should be more careful in the future. Judging from the situation, Your Highness is the biggest threat among the Qi Man people," Du Juan said in a deep voice.

Mo Bai nodded: "Never mind them. How's it going over here? After the special train explosion, the governor of Jinhai drove the Qi Man out of Jinhai. Have the Qi Man made any major moves here?"

"No, after the incident, the Qi Man only sent more troops here as a threat, but they didn't actually take any action. It seems that the Qi Man really isn't going to waste any more time with Commander Fang, and they're showing signs of launching a southern offensive," Du Juan said.

Attack south?

Mo Bai pondered for a moment and said, "They've already marched on Lin Huayao?"

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"Not yet. News from Mingzhu says that the Qi Man are still sending reinforcements to northern Jiangsu, and at the same time, they are constantly transporting grain to northern Jiangsu. If it were just about attacking Xijiang, with their strength, they could already start fighting. Moreover, with northern Jiangsu as their backing, they can easily stockpile grain locally. Their constant troop transport and grain storage can only be for the purpose of a long expedition," Dujuan explained.

"What was the reaction in Guangdong?" Mo Bai asked again.

"Prepare for war!" Du Juan said in a deep voice, "Southern Guangdong is already in a state of panic."

Mo Bai didn't speak, but frowned.

"What's wrong? Is something the problem?" Du Juan asked upon seeing this.

Mo Bai shook his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "I've looked into it, and Lin Huayao hasn't caused any trouble for the country recently. Even after I was killed in the bombing, he didn't make any big moves. Don't you think that's a bit strange?"

"With the South Guangdong region in imminent danger, Lin Huayao's mind should be entirely focused on the upcoming war," Du Juan said.

"Hmm." Mo Bai pondered for a moment, but still felt something was amiss: "Based on my understanding of Lin Huayao, firstly, he's not the type to gamble everything. With the Qi barbarians about to launch a massive attack, given his personality, how could he possibly risk his entire fortune to fight them head-on?"

Du Juan frowned upon hearing this.

Mo Bai continued, "Secondly, Lin Huayao is most adept at leveraging power. The reason he is where he is today is because of his skill in muddying the waters. Back then, the late emperor had long been dissatisfied with him. Just then, I was attacked and left the capital, so the late emperor took the opportunity to deal with him. As a result, he pinned the blame on the crown prince, causing chaos in the court, which allowed him to escape. Later, the late emperor besieged him for several years, and he survived by forming factions everywhere and muddying the waters. From the Taoist sects and warlords to the final invasion of the Manchu barbarians, the dynasty had no choice but to give up, and that's how he survived."

"You're saying that this guy, with a knife to his throat, is quietly preparing for a decisive battle with the Qi barbarians? Especially since I was killed by the Qi barbarians, what a perfect opportunity he could use to stir up public sentiment and force the imperial court to avenge me and send troops to fight the Qi barbarians to relieve the siege. At the very least, he could shout about uniting against the barbarians and drag the imperial court and other warlords into sharing the pressure with him."

At this point, Mo Bai looked at Du Juan: "But look at me, my father-in-law has not taken any major action so far, except for joining the National Dynasty in condemning the Manchu barbarians."

"That does seem a bit off. Does Your Highness have any clues?" Du Juan was also puzzled.

"I don't know." Mo Bai shook his head, but said, "However, there's definitely something fishy going on underwater. Remind Hua Mingfu not to assume that the Qi Man will definitely attack Nan Yue. I have a feeling that the Qi Man's attack on Nan Yue might be something that surprises everyone."

Mo Bai wasn't a god, and he genuinely couldn't fathom what kind of trouble Lin Huayao was up to, but he never let his guard down against Lin Huayao.

"Let's leave him for now. After I've dealt with things here, I'll personally make a trip to Southern Guangdong." Still confused, Mo Bai waved his hand. "Do you have any plans for Fang Youqun's matter?"

"Yes." Du Juan nodded without hesitation, but then shook her head with a wry smile: "After the special train exploded, I immediately contacted Hua Mingfu and asked him to seize the opportunity and, while the people were indignant, persuade Commander Fang to send troops to avenge you. As long as this battle is fought, it will definitely reduce the people's resentment towards Commander Fang."

"It's feasible." Mo Bai nodded. The reason why Fang Youqun's matter was difficult to handle was not because of problems in the court, but because he had lost the hearts of the people, had voluntarily abandoned Subei, and had been defined as a traitor, a situation where almost everyone was calling for his execution.

When Chen Kezhan retreated without a fight, and Mo Bai took his head, even Emperor Dingwu, who was determined to protect Chen Kezhan, could only swallow his anger and not pursue the matter.

Now that Fang Youqun has been like this for a long time, it's not difficult to save his life. Now that the court is in Mo Bai's hands, if he really insists on going his own way, what can the court do to him?

He was already domineering, so at worst his reputation would get worse. But the problem was getting Fang Youqun to continue commanding the army, which was going to be difficult.

If the people don't approve, they won't let their children serve under Commander Fang.

"But Commander Fang refused. Not only did he refuse to send troops, he also strictly ordered that no one was allowed to send troops without his orders." Du Juan smiled bitterly, "Even Hua Mingfu was almost beheaded on the spot by Commander Fang because of this."

"Why is that?" Mo Bai asked, puzzled.

"Commander Fang believes that the Qi Man are poised to launch an offensive to the south, and it is not advisable to start another war at this time. He wants to wait until the Qi Man and Nan Yue start fighting, and then drag Nan Yue into the conflict before launching a counterattack. If we launch a counterattack now and fight the Qi Man to the death, it will only result in heavy losses and will be meaningless," Du Juan said.

Mo Bai fell silent. Without a doubt, Fang Youqun's idea was correct.

The problem is, Fang Youqun probably won't even live to see that day before he's imprisoned by the government.

"So what do you think is the best course of action now?" Mo Bai asked.

Du Juan pondered for a moment: "If all else fails, we can only stall until the Qi Man and Nan Yue go to war. Now that His Highness has faked his death, the imperial court should not have time to deal with Commander Fang for the time being."

"No way." Mo Bai rejected it outright: "I can't be dead for too long. If I don't show myself for a long time, something terrible will happen. Putting aside everything else, my brother will definitely cause trouble. It was only with great difficulty that we managed to keep him under control. Once he comes out, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Upon hearing this, Du Juan looked up at Mo Bai and said, "Then there's only one way left: take down Fang Youqun."

"Hmm?" Mo Bai's eyes narrowed instantly.

Du Juan, however, was quite frank: "With Lian Zun by Fang Shuai's side, it won't be difficult to take him down. In addition, with Hua Mingfu as an inside agent, as long as arrangements are made quickly, it's not impossible to forcefully send troops out."

"You mean, to use the emperor to command the feudal lords?" Mo Bai asked.

Du Juan nodded: "But if that's the case, given Fang Shuai's temper, Hua Mingfu will definitely be doomed afterward..."

Mo Bai remained silent for a while, then shook his head: "This is not a good move. It's easy to take down Fang Youqun, but you underestimate the impact of this matter. The consequences will not be as simple as just one life in Huaming Prefecture. First, let's talk about Fang Youqun. Once this happens, he will immediately become estranged from the Daoist sect, and it may even affect the entire Great Xia army's estrangement from the Daoist sect. In the future, if someone with ulterior motives stirs things up, it will cause great chaos. This precedent cannot be set."

Du Juan paused for a moment, then said in silence, "I was rash."

After pondering for a moment, Mo Bai said, "How about this, you make the arrangements, and I'll meet Fang Youqun in person."

"Okay." Du Juan nodded.

"It's getting late, you should go and get some rest." Mo Bai stood up.

"Your Highness, there is one more thing," said Dujuan.

"Oh?" Mo Bai looked at her.

"A-Jiu wrote to me to inquire about your whereabouts," Du Juan said, taking a letter from her bosom and handing it to Mo Bai: "This letter is for His Highness. He doesn't know anything about you and asked me to give it to him when I see him."

Mo Bai took it and immediately opened it to take a look.

Du Juan glanced at his expression and asked, "Is His Highness also keeping it from the Princess?"

Mo Bai remained silent, and Du Juan didn't say anything more either, turning and leaving.

After reading the letter, Mo Bai nodded slightly.

Ah Jiu was right to take Lin Suyin away and secretly settle her in. Although Pingjing City was outwardly restrained and no one was causing trouble for the Ming Prince's Mansion, it was always better to be cautious.

The letter also mentioned that Lin Suyin was inquiring about him, which surprised Mo Bai somewhat.

Would she even care about her own life or death?

Just as I was thinking about these things, I suddenly looked up at the door and saw that Dujuan had returned.

"There's something else, which I'm not really in a position to say much about, but I thought it would be best to discuss it with Your Highness," Du Juan said softly as she entered.

"Go ahead," Mo Bai nodded.

"After the special train exploded, both Mr. Er and Ajiu kept in touch with me," Dujuan said slowly. "What's a bit strange is that the two of them didn't seem to be exchanging information."

"Okay, I understand." Mo Bai said calmly.

Seeing that Mo Bai had no reaction, Du Juan didn't say anything more. Given her status, saying even one sentence was a bit too much.

She shouldn't interfere in the personnel matters within the Ming Prince's Mansion.

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