The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 1647 - 1641: Implying Something

Old Doctor Du knew about Wang Yongzhu, his closed-door disciple. Hearing her talk like this, he naturally felt quite relieved.

The most important matters had already been discussed. Old Doctor Du knew that with Wang Yongzhu passing through Jing County this time, getting a chance to meet her master and disciple like this, who knows when the next meeting would be.

Especially given his advanced age, he wasn’t sure if he would live to see the next meeting.

Originally, his plan was to entrust the finished booklet to a reliable channel to be delivered to Wang Yongzhu.

Unexpectedly, he had the opportunity to hand it to her personally, thus leaving him with no regrets at all.

He waved his hand at once: "Enough, since it’s rare to come back once, your mistress specially prepared a table of delicious food for you, so you must try it thoughtfully!"

Wang Yongzhu hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask a question but having some reservations.

Old Doctor Du noticed this, frowned, and said: "All right, speak up if you have something to say. What’s the point of hesitating and stammering?"

Wang Yongzhu smiled awkwardly: "Master, I just want to ask, what kind of person is the current Majesty? And also, about the illness of the Third Prince back then—"

Old Doctor Du’s face changed, and he instinctively looked around the room before lowering his voice: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Wang Yongzhu smiled bitterly: "His Majesty’s actions are somewhat confusing. Although I saved the Empress and the Ninth Prince this time, the reward was delayed for several months. Moreover, when I went to the palace to see the Empress, I encountered His Majesty, who privately ordered me to go to the Grasslands Dynasty in Chicheng County and find someone for him."

"Although a sovereign’s command is as firm as a mountain, I can’t help but worry in my heart! Furthermore, the upcoming establishment of commercial routes in the Grasslands is under Brother Song’s supervision, a grave responsibility. I’m just concerned if there’s any mistake or oversight in the future, would His Majesty—"

There was no need to finish the sentence; Old Doctor Du naturally understood.

"It’s one thing to worry, but why are you asking about the Third Prince?" Old Doctor Du asked directly.

Wang Yongzhu replied candidly: "Because on my trip to the Capital City this time, I managed to inquire about some matters of the Qi Family back then. I heard that the eldest daughter of the Qi Family, Qi Le, fell seriously ill after that palace banquet, and it was said the Third Prince caught a cold. But it was just an ordinary cold; why did he—"

Old Doctor Du’s expression turned grave, his brow tightly knit. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Back then, I hadn’t completed my apprenticeship yet, just a little medicine boy beside my father, running errands. As for the illness of the Qi family’s eldest daughter, it’s said she was unwell upon returning and no Imperial Physician was summoned from the palace. They just said she passed away within two days."

"As for the Third Prince—" Old Doctor Du paused briefly, then lowered his voice: "He was not suffering from a cold but was poisoned!"

Poisoned? Wang Yongzhu’s heart skipped a beat.

"The poison he ingested wasn’t supposed to act so quickly. The Third Prince, due to extreme anger, triggered the poison, causing him to vomit blood on the spot. After being sent back to his mansion, all members of the Imperial Medical Bureau were summoned to treat him. A continuous stream of medicinal ingredients was sent into the Third Prince’s mansion, yet, unfortunately, it only extended his life by a month before he could not be saved any longer!"

"The matter of the Third Prince being poisoned is a deep secret within the palace. A gag order came from above, and no one dared to utter a word. It’s said that at that time, a batch of people serving in the Third Prince’s mansion were buried along with him, and even two Imperial Physicians were executed."

"Publicly, it was only said that the Third Prince died of an untreated cold. Over time, no one mentioned it anymore!"

After speaking, Old Doctor Du couldn’t help but urge: "The secrets and intrigues within the palace are too numerous, do not get involved. To survive in the palace, the key is to see, hear and speak less!"

"Although you saved the Empress and the Ninth Prince, you were already involved. Fortunately, Chongjin’s assigned land is a thousand miles away, once you leave the Capital City, you’ll be rid of it. Remember, never casually get involved in the future!"

Every word was sincere.

Wang Yongzhu knew Old Doctor Du was sincerely advising her for her own good.

She nodded solemnly and agreed.

Old Doctor Du seemed to have more to say, but swallowed the words that reached his mouth, only saying: "In the future, you must act with the utmost caution!"

After speaking, he didn’t wait for Wang Yongzhu to respond and changed the topic: "Enough, it’s about time, let’s eat!"

He got up and walked out first.

Wang Yongzhu felt that Old Doctor Du’s words were meaningful, but she couldn’t quite figure out what he was referring to, and was too shy to ask, so she silently followed him out.

The lunch was indeed as Old Doctor Du described, a table full of Jing County’s local specialties, mostly dishes Wang Yongzhu loved, showing thoughtfulness.

Not only did Wang Yongzhu eat happily, but even Old Granny Zhang’s appetite was piqued.

After the meal, after rinsing their mouths, everyone held their tea and sat in the flower hall, with Old Granny Zhang sighing: "It’s been years since I’ve tasted the food of my hometown, usually, I don’t feel it, but eating it today, truth be told, I almost embarrassed myself due to age—"

Lady Qi, who understood this feeling best, was originally from the Capital City, having grown up there, eating Capital City style food all her life.

In her old age, she followed her husband back to Jing County. Although bringing familiar cooks along, with food ingredients being shipped from the Capital City, the soil and water are ultimately different, even the taste of the water isn’t the same.

The dishes made seem the same as before, yet there’re always subtle differences.

Old Granny Zhang’s words resonated with her, and the two shared a moment of sentimentality.

Then they started discussing important matters.

Lady Qi presented the financial records of the past few years to Wang Yongzhu.

The shops, manor, and flower fields Wang Yongzhu left in Jing County back then have been generating significant income each year as well.

These incomes were invested in purchasing more manors and flower fields according to the instructions left by Wang Yongzhu.

Over the years, two or three manors were acquired, and the flower fields expanded by several hundred acres.

Not to mention anything else, these flower fields and manors, planting flowers and herbs specifically for Hongxiu Tianxiang cosmetics, yield much more than those that only plant crops.

However, what Lady Qi wanted to discuss were matters other than these benefits.

In the past two years, she found her energy waning, after all, age was catching up.

Moreover, Old Doctor Du was also getting on in years, though both of them maintained well, their affairs continued to grow, and there was much to handle.

It was manageable on regular days, but by the end of the year, they were overwhelmingly busy.

Furthermore, with the burgeoning business of Hongxiu Tianxiang, the demand for various flowers kept increasing, coupled with reasonable prices offered by Lady Qi, some people calculated that planting flowers was more profitable than growing grain.

So, some folks converted their dry and mountainous lands to flower fields.

If not for the Imperial Court’s stipulation that fertile fields must be used for grain, and not for other purposes, it’s feared the lands surrounding Jing County would all be converted to flower fields.

However, this resulted in not having enough grains to submit annually, requiring purchases from other places.

As this wasn’t widespread, it wasn’t obvious yet.

But Lady Qi and Old Doctor Du perceptively noticed the underlying concern amidst it.