Resplendent – Chapter 520

Chapter 520: The Plot Revealed

Prince Tai sipped his fragrant tea to soothe his throat, then shot Shangguan Fei a meaningful glance, continuing to help his wife earn favor with his mother: “The Uncle-Master of the newly found young lady of the Chu family is a legendary expert in medicine, known as Medical Sage, Grand Pharmacist Baili’s master. She has been immersed in medicine since childhood and has become remarkably skilled. Just the other day at the senior pharmacist assessment, a patient was impaled through the abdomen by a bamboo pole, and she was the one who treated him successfully!”

This news, barely a day old, had already spread like wildfire throughout the capital, and Princess Consort Rong naturally had heard of it. She had only known that a pharmacist had saved the patient, but she never imagined it was the Duke’s daughter, only thirteen years old. What a prodigy she must be, so young and yet skilled in both medicine and pharmacy!

Prince Tai continued, “Little Sister Ye… Right, the Duke’s daughter’s nickname is Ye, her full name is Chu Muye. Her family owns a forest, and now there’s also a little leaf (Xiao Ye). The Duke’s household certainly has a creative way of naming.”

Princess Consort Rong nodded slightly, without responding. Everyone in the capital knew that the Duke’s six sons were all outstanding in martial skills and destined for success. Now it seemed that even a whole forest might not compare to that single little leaf!

“Where was I?” Prince Tai scratched his head, then slapped his forehead. “Sister Ye once diagnosed my pulse and, based on my condition, specially prepared a new medicine for me. All of this was done out of respect for Fei’er. Mother, Father, you know how it is; the higher-ranked the pharmacist, the more aloof they are, and it’s rare for them to make special medicine for someone.”

Prince Tai was right. Actually, it wasn’t that pharmacists were aloof. If they made exceptions, the doors of those prestigious senior pharmacists would be trampled on every day, overwhelmed by all the nobles seeking favors. 

Where would they have time to research new medicines? Therefore, among pharmacists, there was an unwritten rule: except in special circumstances, they never prepared custom ‘special drugs’ for individuals.

Hearing this, Princess Consort Rong felt somewhat uneasy. “But if it’s a new medicine, and it hasn’t been tested on a patient yet, how can we know if it works?”

Prince Tai had an unshakable trust in Gu Ye’s medical and pharmaceutical skills. He smiled and said, “Mother, you can rest assured. Pharmacists are careful with their reputation. They would never give a new medicine to someone unless they were absolutely certain of its effect. Besides, Lady Jun’s health recovered so quickly precisely because her precious daughter made a special new medicine for her.”

Only then did the Princess Consort relax. Lady Jun’s condition had been untreatable even by Chief Physician Zhang, yet this young lady from the Chu family had restored her health with a medicine she herself made! If her son took the medicine and showed significant improvement, she would personally go to thank the Chu family for their kindness.

This Miss Chu was undoubtedly exceptional and would strengthen the ties between the two families, bringing only benefits and no harm. After all, everyone eats the five grains, so who can guarantee a life free of illness or misfortune? Moreover, as she and the prince grew older, there might come a day when she would have to request her help in person. It was wise to establish a good relationship early!

Prince Tai waited until the moment was right, then revealed his true purpose: “Mother, Sister Ye is planning to select a site in the outskirts of the capital to build a pharmaceutical factory. She’s looked at many places, but none have quite satisfied her. I quietly asked about her requirements. She said the land doesn’t need to be too fertile, and it’s best if it’s near mountains and water.

The mountains don’t need to be high, just enough to grow common medicinal herbs. The water is for convenient use by the factory. Mother, think. Do we have any suitable estates?”

Princess Consort Rong assumed her son was concerned about repaying the young lady’s kindness in making the medicine and was anxious on her behalf. She didn’t want to owe too much favor either. In human relationships, reciprocity ensures longevity; one-sided debts make future requests awkward!

She lowered her head to think carefully before speaking, “Our family has three estates that meet the conditions. One is at the foot of Xiang Mountain. Your father enjoys lotus roots and river delicacies, so he dug a lotus pond and brought in fresh water from the mountain. Another is in a county of the capital region, which is a bit farther away. It also has mountains and water. We purchased that estate because its fruit trees are famous.

The third is smaller than the first two. Behind it is a small hill, and there’s a lake shared with the neighboring estate of Marchioness Dongping. It doesn’t produce much.”

Prince Tai immediately realized that the last one was the estate Gu Ye had in mind. He hurriedly said, “The estates at Xiang Mountain belong to noble families and are places for aristocratic recreation. People come and go constantly, so it’s not suitable for a pharmaceutical factory. As for the one in the small county, Mother enjoys the fruits there; how could I possibly take that one? And it’s a bit far… It seems only that less-productive estate is left!”

Princess Consort Rong recalled that estate and shook her head gently: “I’m afraid Miss Chu may not even consider it. Strangely enough, that estate doesn’t have anything particularly special, yet Prince Ning of Yan Kingdom actually sent word that he wants to buy it…”

“What? Mother, you haven’t agreed to him, have you?” That estate was the one chosen by Gu Ye, the Little Divine Doctor and prodigy pharmacist. It absolutely couldn’t be sold to anyone else. Even if it were sold, he would find a way to buy it back.

Princess Consort Rong gave him a sidelong glance and sneered: “Why are you so anxious? Our family hasn’t fallen so low that we have to sell my dowry estate to survive. No matter how powerful Prince Ning is, he has no right to forcefully buy here on our Dongling Kingdom territory!”

“Mother is wise!” Prince Tai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sat back down.

Princess Consort Rong looked at her son with a hint of sympathy. Even he, not particularly clever, couldn’t hide his trickery from her sharp eyes. How could she not see through it? This boy, bold or not, dared to play tricks in front of his mother. Alas… he was still too young.

Shangguan Fei also glared at him in silent exasperation: Good for nothing, but skilled at making trouble!

Princess Consort Rong lowered her head and examined the small new medicine bottle in her hands. The delicate blue-and-white porcelain bottle was patterned with intertwined lotus flowers, exquisitely shaped. It didn’t look like a medicine bottle at all, more like a finely crafted work of art. Clearly, that Miss Chu was meticulous, perfectionistic, and attentive to detail.

That little estate, enough to make her son so anxious, must have already been seen and investigated by the girl. This foolish boy finally learned to play a trick. Only, he foolishly chose to use it on his mother.

Shangguan Fei was nearly exasperated to tears by Prince Tai. She glared at him sharply and could no longer keep up appearances: “Mother, we just returned from the Duke’s Manor. That estate in the western suburbs is the one Sister Ye chose. She didn’t want us to misunderstand her motives and think she was taking advantage of favors, so she originally didn’t mention it. It was my words that pressed it out of her.”

Prince Tai’s eyes went wide: You—you actually let the truth slip out?

TL Note: ⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨🎄 Happy Holidays Everyone! 🎄୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ Cheers to a peaceful and bountiful New Year! °🥂⋆.ೃ🍾࿔*:･