fifth form

Chapter 3027 Quarrel
Zhang Xuezhou had considered many things, but he never expected Princess Yangping to lose to such an extreme degree.

If a riddle involving guessing hidden objects is extremely difficult, it's understandable that Princess Yangping would lose.

However, she repeatedly said that the riddle was simple and that even a three-year-old child could guess it, yet she still lost. This disparity caused Princess Yangping to experience great emotional fluctuations.

"The late Emperor nurtured wisdom and intelligence with his golden virtue. Your Majesty and Your Highness are both pillars of the Han Dynasty. Your Majesty's words are as precious as gold, and Your Highness is a woman of her word. How can there be any reason for us not to accept defeat!"

Just like the Yin-Yang inverted wine pot that Zhang Xuezhou took out, whether one can afford to lose or not is entirely up to Princess Pingyang's word.

However, such angry words have a huge flaw. All it takes is to use someone or something of a higher level than Princess Pingyang to suppress her. Whether Princess Pingyang can afford to lose or not, the other party will have to swallow her anger.

"Congratulations! You've hit the divination mark again!"

Princess Pingyang felt as if she had ground her teeth to powder. The methods that had worked so well in Pingyang County were now failing in Chang'an City.

She liked intelligent people, but Princess Pingyang felt that she hated being targeted by intelligent people.

Of course, Princess Pingyang must say that Zhang Xuezhou is not a bad person. The fact that he could get through under her nose means that he is quite capable and can provide excellent assistance to the new emperor.

She disliked Zhang Xuezhou, but Princess Pingyang felt that the more talented people like Zhang Xuezhou around the new emperor, the better.

"I heard from His Majesty that you are also skilled in alchemy?"

Princess Pingyang tried to calm herself down before casually asking the question.

The new emperor's daily affairs are extremely complex, and there are quite a few unexpected events.

Some things that had been stabilized were also handed over to others.

Princess Pingyang was in charge of an alchemy exchange trade, and this trade also involved Zhang Xuezhou, who was standing in front of her.

Compared to a vast country, three hundred Creation Pills are not a large amount, but for an individual, it is an extraordinary number. Most people would tremble when they take on such an exchange, and the slightest mistake could lead to personal bankruptcy.

Princess Yangping looked at Zhang Xuezhou, clearly wanting to complete this matter perfectly so that all future transactions would go smoothly.

The Pingyang Marquis's residence and the Dongfang Shuo residence, where Zhang Xuezhou was located, were adjacent to each other, making it convenient for them to conduct business.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't been so infuriating, Princess Pingyang would have found the collaboration between the two parties to be pleasant.

She didn't care that Zhang Xuezhou hadn't sent an invitation to his wedding banquet, nor did she care that Zhang Xuezhou had visited Princess Dou first. However, Princess Pingyang disliked any trouble that might happen when they were working together, like the stench that wafted from the backyard last night, which was so foul it could even cause unconsciousness.

Princess Pingyang, having heard the new emperor describe Zhang Xuezhou's alchemy methods, knew that he was an arrogant, bold, and extremely capable person.

People like Zhang Xuezhou need to be disciplined before they can restrain themselves, but she never expected that her attempts would backfire so badly.

The officials' impeachment was easily defused by Zhang Xuezhou, who resolved the issue with a salary of two hundred shi (a unit of dry measure). Princess Pingyang then posed two questions, which almost broke Zhang Xuezhou's composure.

After failing to make the necessary prompting, Princess Pingyang gave up on this approach and instead got straight to the point, wanting to see if Zhang Xuezhou could cooperate effectively.

"Master Li Shaojun has always praised me as a genius in alchemy," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "If Your Highness has any miraculous elixirs that need to be refined, you can just call me. As long as I have the ability, I guarantee I will refine them for you free of charge!"

"Oh!"

Princess Pingyang responded softly.

Judging from Zhang Xuezhou's reply, the other party seems to be a decent person.

"What kind of pills can you refine?" Princess Pingyang asked.

“I am a disciple of the Yin-Yang School, and my alchemy follows the principle of the balance of Yin and Yang and the combination of strength and gentleness,” Zhang Xuezhou said. “The principles of many elixirs are similar and interconnected. Theoretically speaking, as long as I have the formula and the medicinal materials, I can refine all kinds of elixirs in the world!” Zhang Xuezhou’s words were not boasting; his alchemy skills were indeed as described.

Given the formula and ingredients, his success rate in alchemy will be terrifyingly high after repeated trials and errors.

Zhang Xuezhou also knew that the forces to which the Marquis of Pingyang belonged were skilled in metallurgy, alchemy and medicine making, and could be considered a loyal faction that supported the new emperor.

If the relationship between the two sides weren't so strained, Zhang Xuezhou would also like to see the pill formulas from the Pingyang Marquis's residence. After all, the Pingyang Marquis's young and handsome appearance was quite impressive, and he seemed to have achieved success in maintaining his health. Zhang Xuezhou did have some interest in longevity-promoting pills.

Regardless of whether Marquis Pingyang's pill formula is effective, he will at least need to put on a show in front of Venerable Lei, instead of simply taking out ready-made pills as he did with Hongku.

"There are different grades of pills. Being able to refine them and being able to refine them well are two different things," Princess Pingyang said. "Only good pills have good effects. Although inferior pills may have the name of medicine, they will accumulate poison after consumption, bringing temporary convenience but hiding harm to the body!"

"Your Highness truly understands elixirs," Zhang Xuezhou praised. "People seek fame only when they seek elixirs, unaware that the differences in the grades of elixirs are vast, and only the most miraculous and exquisite elixirs have great effects!"

"You certainly know how to flatter!"

Most alchemists would have already introduced themselves as being skilled at refining certain pills, and how many mid-grade and high-grade pills they had refined.

Princess Pingyang kept asking questions, and Zhang Xuezhou answered them repeatedly, but he never gave her a real answer.

She eventually had no choice but to give up trying to find out what was going on. Instead, she indicated that she would take over the responsibility of trading with the Xiong Kingdom from the new emperor. She told Zhang Xuezhou and the others that if they needed any assistance, they could come to her.

"Can Your Highness come to me with any medicinal herbs that are lacking?" Zhang Xuezhou asked repeatedly to confirm.

"That's right," Princess Pingyang said with a hint of pride. "His Majesty supports me, and I can also ask my mother for medicine. As long as things go back and forth, I can allocate all the medicinal herbs and pills in the Han Dynasty's treasury. There won't be any problem with us cooperating in trade and exchange!"

Even if she doesn't make a profit, as long as she doesn't lose money, Princess Pingyang can still come in and exchange medicinal herbs and pills.

Looking at the confident Princess Pingyang, Zhang Xuezhou fully understood the reason why the new emperor entrusted him with this matter the moment she mentioned the Empress Dowager.

There were some things that were inconvenient for the new emperor to handle, but Princess Pingyang could handle them without any problems.

Princess Pingyang was extremely emotional, which meant that she could use various methods to make demands of the Empress Dowager and get the new emperor to do things that he was too ashamed to do.

"It is truly an honor for this humble official that Your Highness has taken charge of this matter!"

Zhang Xuezhou was very generous in his support.

He squandered hundreds of purple lingzhi and huangjing in Shanglin Garden, while the other half was controlled by the Empress Dowager.

Zhang Xuezhou knew without guessing that the Empress Dowager had not fully utilized these powerful medicines.

If Princess Pingyang were to swallow her pride and beg the Empress Dowager, Zhang Xuezhou might actually want to ask for a portion of it, perhaps because they would need the Life-Creating Pill they were tracing back to.

With this need, and Princess Pingyang working extremely hard to demonstrate her abilities, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the two would have a very pleasant time together in the future.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are arguing in Weiyang Palace! You must go and see!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Princess Pingyang ultimately had a pleasant experience together.

Princess Pingyang's emotions flared up quickly, but as long as he continued to support her, the princess's emotions were relatively easy to soothe.

The two exchanged words, when suddenly a guard carrying a long sword approached rapidly, displaying his flying martial arts skills.

Before the others even approached the garden pavilion where everyone was, their words had already reached Princess Pingyang's ears, causing her expression to change drastically.