Chapter 584: Famous in the Capital
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Chu Qingzhi slowly approached the house. The closer she got, the more intense and pungent the sll of the herbs beca.
Suddenly, a head peeked out from the window of the house. The head had thick, disheveled hair and a beard that was both curly and dense. The face was grimy, as if it hadn’t been washed for many days, and the eyes were a sickly, cloudy yellow. The man appeared to be in his forties. Seeing Chu Qingzhi, he looked startled at first but then beca visibly excited.
He ran out of the house, exclaiming, “Would you like to test my dicine? 1 can make you younger!”
Chu Qingzhi swiftly kicked him, sending him flying back to the doorway, “Why don’t you test your dicine on yourself?”
While the man was initially crying out in pain, he quickly beca frenzied at her words, “I can’t test it on myself, 1 can’t beco ugly, can’t grow old, otherwise he won’t want anymore…”
Chu Qingzhi caught onto a key piece of information, “Who won’t want you?”
“He, he!” The man kept repeating these words, and then he even started to cry, looking extrely sorrowful.
“Who!” Chu Qingzhi took out a bell, filled it with spiritual energy, and shook it. The clear sound of the bell cald the man down, even his facial expression softened.
Ren Buqing and the others looked at the bell in Chu Qingzhi’s hand and were surprised. Fortunately, this lady was on their side. Otherwise, who knew if the bell would be used on them?!
Chu Qingzhi gently asked, “Who are you referring to as ‘he’?”
The man’s lips trembled as he spoke, “Li Wenzhan.”
Li? The surna Li is the royal surna. Chu Qingzhi’s brow furrowed slightly; the situation seed more complicated, “Lord Ren, co here for a mont.”
Ren Buqing quickly approached, “What is it, Miss Chu?”
Chu Qingzhi got straight to the point, “Who is Li Wenzhan?”
Ren Buqing’s expression changed, and he beca cautious, as if a secret was about to be revealed, “Why do you suddenly ask about this person?”
Chu Qingzhi asked back, “Is it a taboo?”
Ren Buqing lowered his voice, “Li Wenzhan was the first cousin of the previous emperor, known for his preference for handso young n. He was considered a black sheep in the royal family. He died at the age of forty, rumored to have been executed by the previous emperor. Later, a fire burned down his mansion, and his body was never found.”
Usually, when a body is burnt to the point of no remains, it suggests an underlying intrigue. Chu Qingzhi didn’t delve further but instead continued to question the man, “What’s your na?”
“Xia Wenyang!”
This ti, Ren Buqing took the initiative to say, “Xia Wenyang ca to the capital as a refugee. He collapsed on the street from exhaustion, and by chance, Li Wenzhan’s carriage passed by and took him back to his residence. Later, sohow, he won Li Wenzhan’s favor and beca his most beloved young man, said to be the most handso and deeply cherished.”
He then changed the topic, “But as unpredictable as life can be, a few years later, Li Wenzhan t the love of his life. For that man, he spent lavishly, dismissed all the young n in his house, and even sought the forr Emperor’s permission for marriage. This caused a huge uproar in the capital. It was precisely his request for marriage that angered the forr Emperor, who in a fit of rage sentenced him to death and ordered no one should ever ntion Li Wenzhan.”
Chu Qingzhi asked an off-topic question, “Was that man good-looking?”
Ren Buqing pondered for a mont, “It is said that he was just of average appearance.”
A soulmate? Chu Qingzhi felt speechless, “How do you know all this?”
Ren Buqing said in a low voice, “I’ve secretly read so unofficial history books.”
Chu Qingzhi nodded, “Reading more is a good thing.”
Ren Buqing didn’t know what to say.
Chu Qingzhi turned to look at Xia Wenyang. Li Wenzhan must have had high standards, but the disheveled man in front of her was nowhere near a handso man. She asked, “Is your research on these dicines related to Li Wenzhan?”
The question seed to unlock sothing in Xia Wenyang’s heart, “I was his most cherished person, the one who stayed by his side the longest. But everything shattered like a mirror’s reflection in water when that person appeared.”
“For that man, Li Wenzhan forcibly dismissed all the young n in the house. I didn’t want to leave him. 1 knelt and begged him, hoping he would spare for the sake of our past, but he ignored , disregarding my pleas, and drove out of the house.”
“His servant told that Li Wenzhan only liked young n, and that my face had aged and was no longer attractive, so he didn’t like anymore.”
“At that mont, as 1 touched my smooth and fair face, 1 was so devastated that it took a long ti to react. And in that ti, I saw Li Wenzhan’s new favorite.”
“The new favorite was very robust, tall and muscular, even his gaze was aggressive.”
“When he looked at , I shivered in fear, and 1 can’t forget that cold and sharp gaze, as if he was looking at a dead object.”
“Wasn’t Li Wenzhan only fond of young n? Why did he treasure this new favorite who had none of the delicate features, yet he loved him as if he was a precious jewel?”
“Later, my heart turned to ash, and with nowhere to go, I simply jumped off a cliff, to end it all. Unexpectedly, I didn’t die.”
Unexpectedly, even n in ancient tis could be so love-stricken, and this Li Wenzhan obviously switched roles from the dominant to the submissive. Chu Qingzhi felt complicated, “So you dedicated yourself to researching dicine that could make people young or keep them young?”
Xia Wenyang beca agitated, “Yes, 1 must beco young, 1 must always look this good. Once I succeed, I’ll go back to find Li Wenzhan.” At this point, his expression turned ferocious, “But Li Wenzhan is dead. He was put to death by the emperor, for that man, he didn’t even care about his own life…”
Chu Qingzhi shook the bell again to calm Xia Wenyang down.
Ren Buqing remarked, “I never imagined that the reason would stem from such an old obsession.”
Obsession leads to madness, and love blinds, Chu Qingzhi sighed, “Have soone co and take him away.”
Ren Buqing imdiately ordered it, then asked, “Miss Chu, can you save the villagers?”
Chu Qingzhi replied, “I can only detoxify them, but the effects of the poison can’t be undone.”
Ren Buqing nodded, “Do your best.”
Chu Qingzhi sent Chu Qingning, Yuan Hongjun, and Bao Linjiang to check and record the villagers’ conditions, while she went to the mountains to gather herbs.
The village, once ho to three to four hundred people, was reduced to just over a hundred due to Xia Wenyang’s actions. After administering the dicine, everyone returned to the capital.
Everyone was surprised that a simple case of theft from the Imperial Hospital would unravel so much. The Minister of Justice heavily praised Ren Buqing, Chu Xu jin, and others, especially Chu Qingzhi.
Successfully solving the case and recovering the stolen valuable herbs, the Minister of Justice attributed most of the credit to Chu Qingzhi, awarding her five hundred taels of silver.
Five hundred taels was the highest reward given by the governnt for assisting in solving a case, and it was the first ti soone received so much.
Chu Qingzhi’s na once again beca well-known throughout the capital..
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