The weak princess is super fierce

Chapter 897 Drug Testing

Meng Shisan's expression froze. She couldn't understand how the topic had turned to her becoming his crown princess.
Besides, this issue had already been discussed before. Compared to the Crown Princess, she would rather be his strategist, helping him to ascend the throne step by step.

Now, let's bring up this old topic again...

She couldn't figure out which sentence in their conversation had offended him.

Seeing Meng Shisan fall silent without saying a word, Li Shou wondered what she was thinking. He also got her answer: "You risked your life to save me, but you have never been willing to marry me. Do you hate me, or are you afraid of something?"

Fang Jiang was still referring to himself as "I," but now he has switched back to referring to himself as "I, the Lonely One." Meng Shisan has not yet replied, but she can tell the difference between the two in her mind, and she knows that she has to answer properly now.

No matter how she answered, it couldn't change the direction she had already set in her heart.

“His Highness is Yaoyao’s cousin. In Yaoyao’s heart, although he is different from her former cousin, it is only because of His Highness’s status as the Crown Prince.” Since Li Shou insisted that she explain herself, Meng Shisan felt that things had come to this point, and she had to make things clear. “I risked my life to save His Highness, just as my elder brother and Young Master Ji risked their lives to serve His Highness for the same reason. I do not hate His Highness, nor am I afraid of anything. I just want to stand by His Highness’s side like they do, help His Highness climb to the top, and help His Highness clear all obstacles.”

"That's it?"

"That's all."

Li Shou gave a helpless, bitter smile: "You're still the same as before, your thoughts haven't changed at all. You still only want to be my advisor, not my wife."

"That's good." Meng Shisan's thoughts and the goals he wanted to achieve were never easily changed by anyone, anything, or any other reason.

Li Shou was unwilling to give up and wanted to say again: "Yaoyao..."

“Your Highness!” Meng Shisan interrupted Li Shou, “The year is not over yet, and there are still many matters to be resolved. Your Highness and I should focus more on the matters at hand.”

Her rational words made him seem irrational, so Li Shou had no choice but to put the old topic aside for the time being and reluctantly agreed with her, looking rather dejected: "Those two arrows were the work of Li Heng. Unfortunately, when I sent people to investigate, they only found the body of a dead soldier. There was no way to verify the evidence, and my attempt to find another piece of evidence to present to Father Emperor has failed."

"The Second Prince's desperate struggle is futile. If there is any more evidence, His Majesty should open his eyes." Meng Shisan spoke boldly, daring to speak frankly even about the Emperor.

Whenever Li Shou was in front of Meng Shisan, whether she was speaking or doing something, he would be startled from time to time, just like at this moment: "...It's fine to say this in front of me, but don't say it again in public."

Meng Shisan winked at him: "I understand."

She probably had no idea how much of a blow her radiant, star-like appearance was to him. Li Shou thought silently, then said aloud, "In the past, Father Emperor was unwilling to face the facts. No matter how strong the evidence I presented, Father Emperor always had a way to protect Li Heng. This time, Father Emperor already knew about my assassination attempt last night. What Father Emperor wanted to know and what he didn't want to know, I revealed last night. Father Emperor could still downplay the death of Shi Ju, but I almost died from that arrow as well. Father Emperor had no way to avoid it." "Your Majesty's situation is probably also related to the Empress." To ascend to the throne after Empress Meng, besides the Lu family's strong foundation, Meng Shisan felt that Empress Lu herself must have some strength. Otherwise, among the three thousand concubines in the harem, there were quite a few with strong foundations in the capital. For Empress Lu to win among them, she must be no ordinary person.

At least in dealing with the current emperor, Empress Lu should be quite adept.

Li Shou said: "Back then, Grand Scholar Lu risked his life to test medicine for my father. After my mother, my father made Lu the Empress. After Lu gave birth to Li Heng, he doted on Li Heng. All of this is because of this."

"What medicine are we testing?" Meng Shisan was unaware of this. "Even if we need to test medicine, there are plenty of palace eunuchs and maids. Why would Grand Scholar Lu need to personally test medicine for His Majesty?"

Li Shou recalled: "You know about the unusual thing about the well in my Taiyong Palace. I heard that there was a well like this in the side hall of Wenhua Palace before Empress Lu became empress. I don't know the specific cause and effect, but I know that once my father suddenly fainted by the well. Later, the imperial physician, who is now the Imperial Physician Du, examined him. Even after my father woke up, he still couldn't diagnose the illness."

He paused, then continued, "It was because Father Emperor was the Emperor of Great Wei, and was naturally blessed by Heaven. When all the physicians were helpless, a high-ranking monk who had been traveling in the capital came to the capital. The Imperial Observatory invited him to examine Father Emperor and said that it was the work of demons and evil spirits. Father Emperor has never believed in ghosts and gods, so naturally he did not believe it. Therefore, Father Emperor did not dare to take the pills given by that master at first. It was Grand Scholar Lu, one of the very few people who knew about this matter, who took the pills in front of Father Emperor and the master. Later, Grand Scholar Lu had his pulse examined by Imperial Physician Du and found that there was nothing wrong with his body, so Father Emperor took the pills given by the master."

"After His Majesty recovered, did Grand Scholar Lu receive any reward from His Majesty?" Meng Shisan asked one question after another. "Also, is the well in the side hall of Wenhua Hall still there?"

"After Father Emperor was unharmed, he privately asked Grand Scholar Lu if he had any wishes. Grand Scholar Lu said that he only hoped that Consort Lu, who was then a Noble Consort, and the young Li Heng would live peacefully and healthily in the harem." After answering the first question, Li Shou answered the second question, "As for the well in the side hall of Wenhua Hall, it was sealed by that master back then."

Meng Shisan continued, "Therefore, His Majesty then allowed the Empress, who was then a Consort, to enter the inner palace? Was this His Majesty's reward for Grand Scholar Lu?"

Li Shou nodded: "To show the Emperor's favor."

“Well…” Meng Shisan pondered for a moment, “it’s quite troublesome.”

Under such circumstances, it's no wonder that Li Shou, the crown prince, has been unable to remove Li Heng from power over the years.

Given that Grand Scholar Lu's grandfather had rendered meritorious service to Emperor Zong, and considering the current Lu family's lack of ambition and the fact that Lu Sen, the head of the capital's government, had even expressed support for the Crown Prince, it is not difficult to understand why Emperor Zong wanted to protect Li Heng, who had repeatedly violated the laws of the Great Wei Dynasty.

It truly reflects not only the natural bond between father and son, but also the promise made to Grand Secretary Lu back then.

An emperor's promise is worth more than ten thousand pieces of gold. She estimated that Emperor Zong would disregard Li Shou's disappointment in him and keep his promise to preserve the bond of blood until all other options were exhausted.

“The Lu family will not interfere.” Li Shou had anticipated all sorts of situations and had already planned how to deal with them. Whether it was Empress Lu, the Lu family, or Li Heng himself, they would all deal with it as it came. “The meeting of the Empress is not worth mentioning.”

Meng Shisan smiled: "If Your Highness is so confident, then I am at ease."