Inside the pharmacy, Lu Qingwan's heart pounded like a drum, her inner self scolding her for being so weak.
"Stop thumping, you. Just a kiss and you're this scared? So pathetic!"
Outside the pharmacy, the atmosphere was awkward, a strange, palpable awkwardness.
Li Yang and Li Jin stood with their backs to Feng Xiwu, arms spread wide in a 'T' shape, blocking the hurried Lian Yu.
Alas, Lian Yu was tall with long legs, and Feng Xiwu, having been teased by Lu Qingwan to the brink of his patience, was passionately kissing her in the courtyard. It was difficult for Lian Yu to avoid seeing.
The crucial point was that Lu Qingwan's embarrassed outburst of "virgin boy" was overheard by all three of them. This was indeed quite awkward!
However, Feng Xiwu's shyness was limited to Lu Qingwan. Turning at the sound, he saw Lian Yu and calmly asked, "Is something the matter?"
His expression was composed, his tone indifferent, showing no trace of embarrassment from having their private moment interrupted.
Li Yang and Li Jin couldn't help but marvel, "As expected of our Prince. We've already lost in terms of this composure!"
Indeed, he was a Prince, and they were merely subordinates; there was a reason for that.
Lian Yu, unafraid of death, said, "It seems I've arrived at an inopportune moment. Perhaps His Highness should go back and practice first..."
The rest of his words were silenced by Feng Xiwu's threatening gaze.
Although Lian Yu greatly enjoyed testing the boundaries of Feng Xiwu's anger, he hadn't actually been beaten to death over the years and had some discernment.
He sensibly shut his mouth and stepped forward, "We've just received news. The person who attacked the young master during the Wan Shou Festival palace banquet was named Xu Zhihuan, a steward in the Ministry of Rites responsible for organizing gifts.
We haven't found any connection between him and Princess Ruge, nor the Princess Consort. However, we did have an unexpected discovery."
Feng Xiwu raised an eyebrow. Lian Yu clicked his tongue, bored. "It's so difficult to tease you, Your Highness."
Despite his grumbling, he grasped the armrest of the wheelchair and pushed Feng Xiwu towards the study.
"This Xu Zhihuan is from the same hometown as Imperial Concubine Ye. Moreover, there's another person who comes from the same place as them. Your Highness might as well guess who it is?"
This time, Feng Xiwu didn't object to the tease. After a moment of thought, he uttered three words, "Steward Zhou?"
"How did you guess?"
Lian Yu's stiff, coffin-like face couldn't hide his surprise. To guess it correctly on the first try? Couldn't a person have some fun playing coy?
"Imperial Concubine Ye was brought back by my imperial brother from a small city in the southern region. Although I don't know the exact location, that southern region was mostly the former territory of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom, known for its witch doctors and mastery of gu poisons.
You specifically mentioned that Xu Zhihuan is from Imperial Concubine Ye's hometown, aren't you just trying to remind me of this point?"
Lian Yu clicked his tongue. "That is indeed the case. So, do you still believe that the contraception medicine the Princess Consort had in Kun Ning Palace before has nothing to do with Imperial Concubine Ye?"
Feng Xiwu's fingers slightly curled. "I just can't fathom her reason for doing something like that."
Imperial Concubine Ye, to him, was akin to a mother. He could even accept it if Dowager Consort Wen had done such a thing.
But Imperial Concubine Ye... he was unwilling and did not want to accept it.
Lian Yu had grown up with Feng Xiwu and deeply understood what Imperial Concubine Ye meant to him.
He said thoughtfully, "The matter has not yet been investigated; this is merely our speculation. For now, please protect the Princess Consort. Perhaps the situation is not as dire as it seems."
Lian Yu also hoped that this series of events had nothing to do with Imperial Concubine Ye, but his intuition told him that this time, the truth might not be what Feng Xiwu wished for.
And Feng Xiwu was not one to simply avoid reality. Although he was reluctant to suspect Imperial Concubine Ye, he rationally instructed Lian Yu, "Go investigate the relationship between Xu Zhihuan, Imperial Concubine Ye, and Steward Zhou.
What role did the three of them play in the Princess Consort being poisoned by the lovesick gu? Investigate all of it thoroughly, without the slightest omission."
In reality, merely gathering intelligence did not require Lian Yu to personally go. His coming here this time was solely due to the special relationship between Imperial Concubine Ye and Feng Xiwu. With Feng Xiwu's order, he felt at ease.
Meanwhile, in the pharmacy, Lu Qingwan entered the spatial laboratory with the gu worm, heading straight for the unwritten book.
"Da Bai, you've already seen one lovesick gu. Can you tell me how to break the gu poison? If not, can you at least give me some related information about gu poisons!"
Da Bai stretched lazily and jumped onto the desk. With lightning speed, its paw flipped open the lid of the jar containing the mother gu of the lovesick gu. It opened its mouth, and the chubby gu worm went into Da Bai's mouth.
Lu Qingwan grabbed Da Bai by the scruff of its neck and shook it violently. "You eat anything! Aren't you afraid of getting diarrhea? Spit it out quickly!"
After shaking it a few times, the gu worm didn't come out, but a wealth of knowledge about gu poisons entered her mind, appearing naturally, just like when she flipped through the unwritten book.
Lu Qingwan dropped Da Bai and picked up the unwritten book. The jumbled knowledge of gu poisons was systematically arranged in her mind.
Various methods for raising and breaking gu were clearly etched in her memory, feeling as if they could be used at any moment, just like her own skills.
"I just don't know what kind of gu Feng Xiwu is afflicted with."
She clicked her tongue, then thought, even knowing how to break the gu wasn't useful if she couldn't bring out her medicine when the time came.
"Da Bai, how much can I take out each time I save someone? How many times? Is there a specific standard?"
Da Bai, dizzy from being shaken, lay listlessly on the desk. Upon hearing her, it raised its paw and patted the unwritten book.
Lu Qingwan picked up the unwritten book and opened it again. This time, she finally saw words on it.
"For curing an ordinary patient, one opportunity to retrieve items. For curing serious illnesses, restrictions on item retrieval are relaxed based on the difficulty of the ailment, and enriching the spatial laboratory database can also earn additional rewards?"
Lu Qingwan blinked. "I recall the spatial laboratory didn't have data on gu poisons before. Does this count as expanding the database this time?"
Da Bai nodded adorably, confirming her words.
Lu Qingwan's eyes lit up. "Then what are the additional rewards?"
Da Bai jumped down and ran forward. Seeing Lu Qingwan hesitate, it turned back to urge her on.
Lu Qingwan followed cautiously, then leaped and landed in her arms. Using her height advantage, Da Bai rummaged through the drawers where medicines were stored.
"Are you going to take out 'Du Bu Chun'?"
As she spoke, she opened the drawer and took out a stalk of 'Du Bu Chun'. The dried herbs felt a bit prickly in her hand.
But as soon as Lu Qingwan had this thought, she saw the dried herb, like wood meeting spring, gradually regaining its vitality.
First, the dry stamens turned a delicate white, then the shriveled roots and stems plumped up at a visible rate, followed by the branches, leaves, and petals.
Before Lu Qingwan could accept the fact that the dried herb in her hand had regenerated, the 'Du Bu Chun' in her hand had already transformed into a vibrant, dewy fresh flower.
At the same time, a clear line of text appeared in her mind: "First time enriching the database, awarded with the basic plant-element ability: Revival."
Lu Qingwan was utterly stunned.
Just transmigrating wasn't enough to satisfy the spatial laboratory anymore. Was it trying to send her to heaven?