Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

Southern Palace, Chonghua Palace.

After dinner, Lu Chen opened the box containing two more "Red Lead" elixirs.

Today's unexpected discovery had a significant impact on Lu Chen, bringing him the strongest sense of crisis since his transmigration.

Even when he first started impersonating "Lu Chen", he didn't feel this much of a crisis.

At the time, the biggest risk I thought I would face was nothing more than having my identity exposed and being wanted by the police.

With his mental power, Lu Chen was confident that as long as he wasn't suddenly surrounded, he could protect himself and escape.

Now, Lu Chen could feel a pair of eyes hidden in some secret corner, quietly watching him.

That's right, it's me, Prince Ying, Zhu Houyu!

After entrusting the task of secretly investigating Duan Chaoyong to Guo Shoulu, Lu Chen had no intention of lingering at Yihonglou any longer and led his men back to Chonghua Palace.

Throughout the journey, Lu Chen had been repeatedly deducing how to manufacture a "fatigue-relieving and waking agent" using Ming Dynasty technology.

No matter how you try to deduce it, the result is always the same: it simply won't work.

The preparation of "fatigue-relieving and waking agent" involves some chemical agents that only appeared at the end of the 19th century. Even if you know the detailed manufacturing process, you still have to make these chemical agents by hand first.

At least for an ordinary person like myself who isn't a chemistry major, it's definitely impossible.

After arriving at this conclusion, Lu Chen finally gave up his last shred of hope.

There was no way that the ancient people of the Ming Dynasty could have created a "fatigue-relieving and waking agent"!

If the "red lead" elixir that Duan Chaoyong presented to the emperor truly contained an ingredient of "fatigue-relieving and waking agent," then there is only one possibility!

Besides myself, there is at least one other transmigrator in this plane!

If this person, like myself, is a soul that has transmigrated here and possessed a body.

Therefore, this time traveler should have good chemical knowledge and hands-on skills, and be able to use raw materials from the Ming Dynasty to manually produce a variety of modern chemical agents needed to produce "fatigue relief and wake-up agent".

If it were worn, then there might not be much knowledge. These "anti-fatigue and awakening agents" could be brought directly to this plane when traveling through time.

If it was a soul transmigration, this person knows detailed ice-making techniques, and may have been a character similar to "Old White" before transmigrating.

If this person is dressed in a suit, and carries a lot of "fatigue-relieving and waking-up agents," they are definitely not an ordinary person.

In other words, they either make ice or sell ice.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that the time traveler has another identity, and that he traveled through time with a batch of "fatigue-reducing and awakening agents" for some reason.

For example, police officers, or even ordinary people who are accidentally caught up in it.

Regardless of his identity before he transmigrated, he is definitely not a decent person to be mixing "fatigue-relieving and aphrodisiac" with some kind of powerful aphrodisiac drug and passing it off as a "miracle drug".

This man was even more audacious than the heavens, daring to set a trap to implicate Duke Guo Xun, and even using some means to get Tao Zhongwen, the Taoist priest most trusted by the Jiajing Emperor, to recommend Duan Chaoyong to the emperor along with Guo Xun.

Duan Chaoyong concocted this "red lead" elixir for the Jiajing Emperor with the intention of making the emperor addicted and unable to leave him!

What they're planning is grand!

This time traveler could be Duan Chaoyong himself, or he could be hiding behind him, secretly manipulating things.

In comparison, Lu Chen preferred the latter.

After all, what Duan Chaoyong was doing was extremely risky; one wrong move and he could face a fate worse than death.

Before arriving in the capital, Lu Chen had inquired about Duan Chaoyong, a somewhat famous wandering magician who was said to be skilled in alchemy.

If he were the time traveler himself, he would be perfectly capable of living well in the Ming Dynasty without taking much risk.

There was absolutely no need to risk being tortured to death by a thousand cuts to get close to the emperor.

This person is more likely to have collaborated with the time traveler, or even been controlled, and pushed to the forefront as a pawn.

What Lu Chen hopes most now is that this time traveler lacks knowledge of the history of the Ming Dynasty, especially the Jiajing era.

I didn't know that the historical Jiajing Emperor had no younger brother.

Otherwise, this person should have realized something was wrong when he and Lu Bing rescued the emperor at the Weihui Palace.

Fortunately, I have always been very cautious and have not introduced any truly groundbreaking technologies.

Glassware and tin amalgam glass mirrors were technologies that Venice already possessed at this time, and the processes were very simple. Once a small detail was discovered, Ming Dynasty craftsmen could produce them using existing techniques.

By this time, the Portuguese had already settled in Shuangyu Port to do business. Who can be sure that these technologies were not brought by them?

Bone china is the same; it's simply made by adding some ox bone powder to the original porcelain clay. The porcelain-making technology in the Ming Dynasty was very advanced, with many practitioners, so it's reasonable that it was discovered by chance.

Moreover, glassware, tin amalgam glass mirrors, and bone china are all high-end luxury goods, with limited production, high prices, and their place of origin strictly confidential.

Even if this time traveler saw it, he would most likely think it was an imported product from Europe.

The banks that opened in the six major cities along the canal would have even fewer problems.

Influenced by various films and television dramas, most modern people subconsciously believe that silver notes existed and were even widespread in the Ming Dynasty.

They had no idea that money exchange shops only truly emerged in the late Qing Dynasty.

Moreover, money exchange was merely a commercial activity and did not possess any modern technology that the ancients could not achieve. Even if it appeared earlier, it might not be able to be associated with time travelers.

Besides not introducing modern technology, Lu Chen has also not adopted a modern lifestyle.

From an outsider's perspective, I really look like a native of this world.

Therefore, even if this time traveler thinks that Emperor Jiajing has an extra younger brother, he cannot confirm that he is also a time traveler.

Since they've all traveled to parallel worlds, creating a butterfly effect, it's normal for history to deviate somewhat.

However, the fact that the emperor is now in seclusion in the Western Garden is entirely due to Duan Chaoyong or the time traveler behind him.

Whether the Jiajing Emperor had a younger brother requires a certain understanding of Ming Dynasty history to determine.

However, he was summoned to the capital by the emperor to assist the five-year-old crown prince in overseeing the country, and had already become the de facto regent prince.

How could a time traveler who tried to control the emperor with "anti-fatigue and waking agent" possibly let himself go?

Whether or not they discover they are also time travelers, the other party has already set their sights on them!

I am in the open, while the other side is in the dark!

Given his current status and position, it's impossible for him to hide it now!

If that's the case, then let's accept the challenge!

"Your Highness."

Yang Bingzhong walked up to Lu Chen, holding a roster.

"Lord Bao has arrived again, conveying His Majesty's decree that Your Highness must take the 'Red Lead' elixir tonight and summon several palace maids."

I almost forgot about that!

Lu Chen shook his head secretly. The emperor was watching too closely!

Forget it, we still have to gloss over this.

"Yang Ban, these three will do."

Lu Chen randomly selected three names from the roster, then picked up a "Red Lead" elixir, put it in his mouth, and made a swallowing motion.

Of course, the "elixir" had already slipped silently into the sleeve along the inside of the arm the instant before it entered the mouth.