Chapter 514 The Argument in the Pavilion
Lin Mengya’s face fell the moment he spoke those words.
It was unbecoming of Qian Yuming and Elder Duanmu as the elders of the pavilion to be saying such words.
They seemed to have forgotten their duty after years of living in comfort and enjoying a high position.
With her beautiful eyes, Lin Mengya shot a look of disdain at Qian Yuming. She would no longer keep up with her polite manners.
“Really? Today all of you will be witnesses to what you hear. Qian Yuming, you’re merely a common citizen of the Nation of Lintian. Even if you hold an important position in the Pavilion of Herbs, it doesn’t change the fact that you are the emperor’s subject. Not to mention that my mother was the direct disciple of the Chief Elder, she was the first princess of the Nation of Lintian. You’re expected to address her with respect. How dare you slender my mother? Are you thinking of revolting against the emperor, Elder Qian? Otherwise, did you think that the Qians would rule over the Nation of Lintian?”
Qian Yuming might have such a pa.s.sing thought, but there was no way he would speak his mind.
Lin Mengya begged to differ. Her words were like a slap across Elder Qian’s face.
By now, Lin Mengya had said what needed to be said as well as what should not be said.
Even Qian Yuming did not expect the honorable Princess Anle to be so outspoken.
Once these words were spoken, even he had to hold his tongue.
Moreover, Zuo Qiuyu was already glaring at him at this moment.
If he acted impetuously, he would get himself in trouble.
“Don’t say that. Elder Qian has merely lost his cool. Please bear with him and not blame him, Your Highness.”
The atmosphere was becoming tense and awkward. Eventually, it was Duanmu Yang who stepped out to break a compromise.
The two men were instantly forced to change their att.i.tude and be polite to Lin Mengya.
She had made it clear that if they were rude, it meant they were planning a revolt.
They were not idiots. No one would admit to the young lady’s serious accusation.
“Snort, really? I want an answer today. Did the Chief Elder actually pa.s.s on his authenticating object to my mother? Or did she get hold of by trickery?”
It was Lin Mengya who was not letting them off this time.
Qian Yuming should not have tried to malign the first princess.
Now that Lin Mengya had been provoked and it would not be easy to handle the situation.
“This, this happened many years back, and we did not see with my own eyes.”
How and when could Duanmu Yang get forced into a corner by a young lady before?!
Unfortunately for him, this young lady in front of him now was not only backed by the emperor of the Nation of Lintian.
Seeing the dissatisfaction on Prince Yu’s face, Duanmu Yang cursed Qian Yuming for his rudeness and arrogance under his breath.
Apparently, Lin Mengya was not satisfied with the ambiguous answer he provided.
Lin Mengya glared at Duanmu Yang with her almond eyes and he was at a loss of words being put in a difficult position.
“Nevertheless, taking into consideration the character of the first princess, I would think that the authentication object was given to her from the Chief Elder. What do you think, Princess Anle?”
Hearing his cautious answer, Lin Mengya bit her lips and stopped talking after shooting him a look.
Seeing that Lin Mengya did not press them further, Duanmu Yang knew they had escaped trouble for the time being.
The purpose of their visit today to see if what they heard about Lin Mengya and Zuo Qiuyu was true.
Never would they expect Princess Anle to be like a porcupine so that whoever dared to come close would suffer.
He quickly tugged at the fuming Qian Yuming, indicating that he should apologize, then they speedily got out of the small courtyard where Lin Mengya and her company put up at.
“She’s pushing too hard!”
Seeing that they had left, Lin Mengya smacked her palm on the palm.
What a Pavilion of Herbs! What a Chief Elder!
If they could act so savagely now, what would happen if they took over the power? By then, the Nation of Lintian would be under their dominion!
“There’s no need for you to get so angry, Your Highness. Having spent so many years in the Pavilion of Herbs, I more or less know their characters. Even if any of them were to become the Chief Elder, he wouldn’t have the audacity to go against the emperor. I wouldn’t be so sure if it were another person.”
Chang Tianhua said softly but intently. He had not witnessed Lin Mengya’s temper before this. He had to hold back some words even if they meant good.
He could see that this princess was not easy to handle.
He might have thought about becoming the Chief Elder for a long time, but he was aware that he was no match with his opponents.
To some extent, today’s visit was an attempt at showing his sincerity and loyalty.
“Thank you for your reminder, Elder Chang. Snort, did the two of them think it’s easy to be the emperor? While the wealth and status may appear splendid, being the emperor is the most difficult job on earth. These people had truly turned the Pavilion of Herbs into a place with a foul atmosphere. I can imagine how they would become a fatuous and self-indulgent ruler!”
Lin Mengya did not direct these words at Long Tianyu, but Long Tianyu gazed at her and was slightly taken aback.
People would say that being the emperor was everyone’s dream. Little did he expect that only Lin Mengya was able to point out the real challenge faced by an emperor.
It was no wonder that she had never encouraged him to fight for the throne.
The truth was she had seen pa.s.s the riches enjoyed by an emperor. She was able to see more clearly than that.
The Lin Family had chosen to take a neutral stand in the midst of all the fight for power. Could it be because they had the ability to fully apprehend all things?
In that instant, Long Tianyu could not help but feel a sense of admiration towards the man with foresight and a n.o.ble character in the Lin Family.
What he was unaware of, however, was that Lin Mengya had also undergone modern education.
Given that she came from a few thousand generations after him, her way of thinking was surely much more advanced.
“That’s enough. You are going to jeopardize your health by getting so worked up. They have suffered enough from your merciless attack today. However, I wonder when you had nurtured such an explosive temper.”
Naturally, Zuo Qiuyu would attempt to smooth things over. What happened today had given him a glimpse of the selfish ambition of those people.
While they might harbor some ambitious thoughts to be the Chief Elder in the past, their covetousness had grown.
“How was I explosive in my temper? It’s just that… Forget it. It’s a rare opportunity that Elder Chang visited. I’m the one who spoiled your good mood.”
Lin Mengya had simply been provoked to anger by Qian Yuming’s words.
While her temper rose quickly, it also subsided quickly.
In a moment, everything was back to normal and she was again enjoying her conversation with Elder Chang.
From what happened today, Elder Chang had made up his mind to form a partnership with Lin Mengya and her company.
Therefore, he revealed a great deal of inside information concerning the compet.i.tion to them.
After that, Zuo Qiuyu sent Elder Chang back personally. Lin Mengya was taking a sip of the herbal tea in the living room.
“Actually, you need not get involved in this unsavory enterprise. Zuo Qiuyu is not the kind of simple person you thought him to be.”
Long Tianyu could not bear for Lin Mengya to be worried or overworked over this matter.
Especially when he saw how worked up she was because of Qian Yuming. How heartbroken he was when he noticed how thin she was!
“That’s no trouble at all. In fact, I just wanted to contribute what I can. Moreover, the music score for the green stringed instrument was destroyed because of my mother. I could not help feeling apologetic towards those people in the Pavilion of Herbs who are sincerely researching into medical skills.”
She meant what she said.
The music score for the green stringed instrument was truly a piece of monumental work in the medical field. It would be considered a great sin to prevent its pa.s.sing on because of her selfishness.
She firmly believed that this was not how her mother had wanted it to be.
Therefore, Lin Mengya had secretly made up her mind. If Zuo Qiuyu were to be chosen as the Chief Elder, she would find someone to write it for her as she recited it from her memory.
If Zuo Qiuyu failed, she would still have a way for this piece of monumental work to be pa.s.sed on instead of terminating in her hands.
“Mengya, actually there’s something that I’ve wanted to tell you all along…”
Long Tianyu braced himself as he was about to tell her everything regarding how his father, the emperor had entrusted him with the task of looking for the music score for the green stringed instrument.
However, before he could finish, he heard Yu An crying out from outside.
“Who’s that?! Stay where you are!”
Lin Mengya ran towards the door in a few steps.
She saw Yu An pursuing the intruder down the small lane on the left of the small courtyard.
Could there be someone who was spying on them a moment ago?
Long Tianyu followed closely behind Lin Mengya, but he was way more vigilant and cautious than Lin Mengya.
Nevertheless, if it were not for Yu An’s cry, he would not have realized that someone was there.
Could the intruder be someone highly skilled in martial arts?
“That man was squatting below the window just now.”
Lin Mengya went around the courtyard to check for any traces left behind by the intruder.
Finally, they found footprints of the man among the bushes below the window of the living room.
Long Tianyu noticed them too and the two tread carefully to the edge of the window.
“If this were the case, how was it possible that I didn’t pick up any signs when he was so close by?”
Long Tianyu looked rather displeased.
Nevertheless, Lin Mengya reached out her hand and went through the gla.s.s on the ground. Finally, she found the b.u.t.t of a stick of incense.
“This is the reason. This thing is extremely potent. It’s able to numb all our senses. However, because it was used outdoors, it only delayed our sensation. Your body is in the weakest state now so naturally, you’re the first to succ.u.mb to its effects.”
In reality, she would have failed to discover it if not for the warning from the Shen Nung system.
She sniffed hard at it and as she expected, her sense of smell, which she took pride in, was delayed in its reaction.
Moreover, she could estimate from the speed at which this incense burned that the intruder had hidden by the corner of the wall when Qian Yuming and his companion came.
This was strange. Were Qian Yuming and his companion also being spied on simultaneously?
Otherwise, why would anyone be hiding below the window with the help of this kind of incense?
Moreover, he had escaped after Yu An discovered him. His martial art skill was not that great after all.
It seemed that she had neglected something in her deduction earlier.
This was the Pavilion of Herb where there were countless permutations of medical skills and knowledge of herbs. Even Lin Mengya was unable to keep up with them!