Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!

Chapter 690 - 689: Medicine Man

Lu Qing watched coldly from the side for a while, noticing the situation in the courtyard becoming increasingly absurd, guessing that Zhu Yu and the others could hardly keep up the act much longer.

Looking at Prince Lan again, it was evident that he had lost much interest in conversing with him, his eyes fixed attentively on the people outside in the courtyard.

So, he cleared his throat and said apologetically to Prince Lan, "Prince, today’s hospitality fills me with gratitude, and I am also humbled by your acceptance of the things I brought.

We have been traveling, crossing mountains and valleys, and are exceedingly fatigued, and having had a few drinks earlier, I find myself somewhat unsteady with the alcohol..."

Upon hearing Lu Qing’s words, Prince Lan motioned to the steward standing nearby and then said to Lu Qing, "In that case, you may rest in my mansion today; as for the things you’ve brought, I’m indeed very interested. Once you’ve regained your strength tomorrow, we can discuss them in detail."

The steward, upon hearing this, immediately stepped forward, gestured for Lu Qing to follow him, then turned and called Zhu Yu and the others, leading them away from the courtyard, winding through corridors until they reached a secluded wing.

This secluded wing was quite spacious, with many rooms around it; however, most seemed occupied.

"Everyone, the guest rooms in our mansion are indeed lacking in spare space, so I’m afraid you’ll have to bear with it and squeeze in together." The steward spoke politely, but his tone offered no room for negotiation as he led them to the corner of the courtyard to a room that appeared the most spacious within the entire secluded wing, "Please rest here."

After saying that, he no longer paid attention to them, turned, and left on his own.

Once the steward departed, the talisman men who had been feigning staggering footsteps and unsteady bodies no longer needed to pretend, and they could stand there steadily.

Zhu Yu glanced around and realized that the Prince Lan Mansion had many guests; almost every room in this single secluded wing was fully occupied, and there were clearly paths leading to other similar secluded wings.

In this courtyard, most rooms were occupied with people; some doors were half-open, revealing people sound asleep on the beds inside as one walked past.

Some sat in a stupor by the door, appearing somewhat dazed and muddled, yet with a familiar red glow that Zhu Yu and the others recognized all too well.

Lu Qing pulled Zhu Yu aside, pointing to the room where the steward had settled them, "It’s cold outside, let’s talk inside."

The eight of them entered, discovering it was a suite; the inner room was slightly smaller, while the outer room was larger, allowing all eight of them to settle in comfortably.

The talisman men, along with Liao Yu and the four others, naturally sat down without hesitation in the outer room, placing their bags down.

Lin Kun appeared somewhat conflicted; he glanced at Chang Yu, then at Lu Qing, before briefly hesitating and then speaking softly to Lu Qing, "Master, if you ask me, the inner room is small and the outer room is large, so we servants should sleep outside, and you and my Young Master should stay in the inner room, which would be more convenient."

Clearly, he was worried that Chang Yu would lose his identity as a Young Master if he were to sleep outside with the other guards, potentially causing discomfort for Chang Yu, hindering his rest.

Lu Qing glanced at Zhu Yu, and Zhu Yu shrugged.

She didn’t mind; under such circumstances, one shouldn’t expect to sleep soundly; everyone was fully dressed, so it wasn’t about convenience or inconvenience.

She had previously slept in the imperial guard barracks when following Lu Qing to Situ Jing’s Li State Camp!

Thus, she nodded to Lu Qing.

"In that case, let’s decide this way," Lu Qing glanced at Chang Yu, "You and I and Chief Historian Yu will stay in the inner room, while the others rest outside."

The others certainly had no objections; although the talisman men found Chang Yu going to the inner room somewhat obstructive, since he was the Lan King’s legitimate grandson, essentially the only remaining bloodline of the Lan lineage, having him squeeze outside with the others wasn’t quite suitable, so they remained silent.

However, Lin Kun was somewhat surprised after hearing Lu Qing, realizing that this Chief Historian Yu was held in high regard, not anticipating such favor, and even the Lord Imperial Censor wouldn’t let him sleep outside with the others!

A Chief Historian was not a particularly high-ranking position; to receive such favor meant he must be a trusted confidant.

Zhu Yu was unaware of Lin Kun’s surprise; she was only relieved to have escaped the banquet earlier. Once inside with Lu Qing, she sat beside the round table, took a deep breath, and said to Lu Qing, "Luckily, you told that imposter you were tired and needed rest; otherwise, with the increasingly inappropriate conduct in the courtyard, we would have soon been unable to keep up the act!"

Chang Yu was also unsettled; he was quite young and had always been protected in the stronghold by Lin Kun and his loyal guards, so this was his first experience outside.

Earlier outside, witnessing the extravagance and chaos at Prince Lan Mansion made him feel an indescribable anger.

Though he was only a few years old when he left here, and his memories weren’t precise, he vaguely remembered his father being diligent, careful in words and deeds, and the mansion never being in such a state.

The thought of someone impersonating his grandfather, persecuting his family, and now committing evil deeds ruining Prince Lan Mansion’s reputation ignited a flame in his chest.

Lu Qing seemed to sense Chang Yu’s feelings, walked to his side, and gently pat his shoulder, "The more you feel indignant, the more you need to endure and be steady; otherwise, you’ll struggle to achieve great things."

Chang Yu paused, listening to Lu Qing’s words, calmed his heart, nodded solemnly.

"Those outside are unlikely to be mere guests, right? Those at the earlier banquet may all be medicine men brought in by the impostor.

I noticed their complexions were off, and their breaths unstable." Zhu Yu recounted the earlier actions of the Dancing Girl scattering flower dew and the reactions of those people to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing nodded, having focused primarily on dealing with Prince Lan’s questioning earlier, paying little attention to what the Dancing Girls did; by the time he noticed the abnormality, the guests were already behaving wantonly.

He could tell there was something amiss, given that the imposter Prince Lan seemed interested in the courtyard’s reactions, indicating there was a reason behind it, but it wasn’t until Zhu Yu’s explanation that he realized the mystery was in the flower dew scattered by the Dancing Girls.