RPAGF Chapter 1006 The Secret of the Alchemy Room
Chapter 1006 The Secret of the Alchemy Room
Although Zhang Ping'an also despised Cui Rong's methods, he knew that many wives in the inner quarters often used such tricks to suppress their sons.
But these are all superficial reasons. The most important reason is that Zhou Pu did not care enough about or pay enough attention to the Crown Prince, and he turned a blind eye to Consort Cui's actions, which fueled Cui Rong's arrogance.
“Cui Rong’s words and actions seem to indicate arrogance due to the emperor’s favor, but in fact, every step she takes is a test. We don’t yet know where His Majesty’s bottom line is with the Crown Prince. In my opinion, at least the Crown Prince’s life is not in danger. If Cui Rong goes too far, not to mention others, even the court officials will have to petition His Majesty to deal with her,” Zhang Ping’an concluded.
“That’s true, but I think the Crown Prince’s mentality might be affected by this kind of daily suppression. Actually, he is really talented. With proper guidance, he could at least maintain the status quo, if not become a great ruler. Right now, he’s just too sensitive and lacks magnanimity and boldness,” Xiaoyuer said with some worry.
The Crown Prince's hesitation today when he suggested choosing other unfavored concubines with good family backgrounds to compete for the Empress position shows that, as the heir apparent, he lacks courage.
"Are you worried that he won't live long enough to succeed to the throne?" Zhang Ping'an glanced at his son and asked bluntly.
There was no restraint between the father and son when they spoke.
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyuer cautiously lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. Seeing that the other carriages nearby were still far away, and that he would eat his fill before driving himself, he nodded with relief.
He replied, "Indeed, I do have this concern. Although Your Majesty has few sons, there is still the Second Prince. Besides, we cannot be sure whether Your Majesty is truly infertile. These are difficult things to say."
After hearing this, Zhang Ping'an sighed calmly, his expression a mixture of regret, emotion, and a touch of nostalgic sadness.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Little Fish keenly sensed something.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Ping'an said calmly, "If the truth of what the Prince of Qin said in the past could not be determined, I can tell you with certainty today that His Majesty will not have any more biological children in the future, and the position of the Crown Prince is beyond doubt."
"Why?" Little Fish asked, frowning.
"His Majesty has been obsessed with alchemy for the past few years. Although he doesn't care much about politics, he has arranged for his confidants to work in the pharmacy. He doesn't allow these people to have any contact with the outside world. Only Cui Ling can occasionally lead people to inspect the pharmacy. No other people are allowed to get close. It's very mysterious!"
Therefore, I couldn't know what kind of elixir he was refining before. I just felt something was amiss and kept trying to send in spies to investigate. Until today, my spy, who was doing cleaning, finally found out a thing or two. His Majesty... he's addicted to Hibiscus Ointment, and the dosage is already quite high. It's impossible for him to quit. His body is now just a facade; how could he possibly have children?"
"What? Hibiscus ointment? Wasn't this stuff banned a few years ago? How can Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, lead the way in violating government decrees!" Little Fish was shocked and angry upon hearing this.
Believe it or not, this is the truth.
Zhang Ping'an was shocked when he first heard the news, but now that he thinks about it, there were signs a few years ago. The addiction to Furong Cream is not easy to break. Once you've tried it, it's easy to become addicted. As the ruler of a country, Zhou Pu had a much easier time getting these things than others.
The reason why they suddenly decided to refine pills becomes clear when you connect the dots.
His disappointment was far greater than that of his son. Even if it were lust for women, he wouldn't be this disappointed. But he knew all too well how serious the consequences of becoming addicted to smoking were. At Zhou Pu's level, even a miracle couldn't save him.
Thinking of this, Zhang Ping'an felt truly heartbroken and regretful: "Back then, whether his father was an official in the court, expanding the territory, fighting on the battlefield, or finally changing the dynasty and becoming the founding emperor, he was always a man of strategic vision and decisive leadership, a figure of dragon and phoenix caliber whom people looked up to! If he knew that his eldest son, on whom he once placed such high hopes, was now like this, he probably wouldn't be able to rest in peace even in the afterlife!"
Seeing his father sighing and looking somewhat distressed, Xiaoyuer couldn't help but interject, "Dad, now is not the time for sentimentality. Such a big matter, shouldn't we discuss it with others?"
Zhang Ping'an was somewhat displeased that his son had interrupted him. After glancing at his son, he sighed helplessly and said:
"You don't need to tell me that. I've already had my mole near the alchemy room casually spread the news. Your maternal family, your father-in-law's family, and other aristocratic families should all receive the news. Let's see how they react. I estimate that once this happens, the Crown Prince's status among the court officials will immediately rise. If he intends to help your cousin become Empress, the chances of success are very high!"
“Indeed, the person who benefits the most from this incident is the Crown Prince. Just now in the Eastern Palace, I saw that the Crown Prince was determined to help my cousin. I will talk to my uncle tomorrow.”
“No rush,” Zhang Ping’an waved his hand. “Going to your uncle now would be too deliberate. He’s a shrewd person; once he connects the dots, he’ll know where the source is. Let’s wait a bit! I have other things to tell you to do right now.”
After thinking for a moment, Xiaoyuer realized he was being too hasty. "Alright, then let's wait a little longer. Dad, what do you want me to do?"
"This matter is not entirely my business, but actually your Uncle Ge and Uncle Liu's business. The Ge family and the Wu family of Jiaozhou have been making a fortune in recent years by taking advantage of natural disasters and man-made calamities. I heard some people spreading rumors that the silver in their cellars has been gathering dust, and even the servants in their mansions don't eat leftovers and have meat at every meal. This shows how huge their wealth is!"
Now that this matter has reached the ears of some people with ulterior motives, and someone wants to get back at them, your Uncle Ge and Uncle Liu have come to me for help. I can't just ignore it, but given my position, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to intervene rashly. You should go and sound out the situation first.”
"I understand," Xiaoyuer replied immediately without hesitation. "I think someone's setting them up."
“I don’t believe there’s no one stirring things up in the shadows. But those two families have been too flamboyant these past few years. The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows. It’s inevitable that someone will try to kill them and eat them. I just don’t know if it’s one person or a group of people who want to eat them. I don’t know if they’ll be easy to deal with. After all, in this world, no one complains about the money they’ve already got.” Zhang Ping’an had been in officialdom for so many years, so he naturally saw things very clearly.
He helped both families for two reasons: firstly, because they had a good relationship, and secondly, because he wanted to have a backup plan for himself. After all, whenever he needed financial support, the Ge and Liu families would definitely help him without hesitation.
At this critical juncture, it's most appropriate to let our son go and test the waters first.