Chapter 365: Chapter 139 Reward_2

Twenty years of effort collapsed in an instant, and Shi Changpu felt his heart bleeding.

Who the hell wanted to harm him!

Qiu He turned around and spoke to him with a warmth in his voice that had never been present in the many years before, "But Changpu, what exactly did you change in the medicinal recipe that increased the efficacy of this year’s One Dream Pill so much? Soft Consort is not an easy person to please."

Change the recipe?

In a panic, Shi Changpu replied, "Envoy, this official is of limited knowledge and medical expertise. How dare I rashly alter the recipe? The One Dream Pill used this year follows the same recipe as before. The process of making the medicine hasn’t changed either."

He wasn’t lying; after all, how could someone who would fool around if he could bother to find trouble for himself?

He wasn’t full and idle.

Qiu He’s brow furrowed, "Is that so?"

"Absolutely!"

This was strange; the Soft Consort had sent someone to reward him specially, and the efficacy of the One Dream Pill couldn’t be fake. In the Imperial Apothecary, all the One Dream Pills were personally made by Shi Changpu without relying on anyone else’s hands. If he hadn’t changed the recipe or the process was the same as before, why was the effect different?

The old Envoy pondered for a while and said, "Take me to the pharmacy to have a look."

"Yes."

The pharmacy wasn’t far, and Shi Changpu supported Qiu He as they went over. As soon as they entered the pharmacy, a fragrance of bitter medicine hit them.

Shi Changpu pointed out the spot where he made the medicine to Qiu He: "Envoy, I made the medicine right here. During these past few days of medicine-making, no one else has been here. This is half a bottle of discard medicine left over."

Qiu He nodded, took the bottle, poured out a few pills, and lightly sniffed them at his nose.

Shi Changpu glanced to the side and noticed a few branches of leftover Red Plum floss scattered on the pharmacy floor, their crimson blossoms strikingly conspicuous in the dim light of the pharmacy, like red bloodlines drawing attention.

They probably had been overlooked during the cleaning a couple of days ago since Red Plum’s toxicity gradually fades after being picked, and within at most seven days, the medicinal effect would be completely gone. These scattered branches were now useless—Shi Changpu squatted down and picked up two branches from the ground, intending to throw them into the bamboo basket.

The medicinal herbs had lost their toxicity and naturally their scent as well. As the flower branch brushed past someone’s face, it no longer had the fragrance that made people dizzy. It had become bland, yet the color remained as vivid as blood.

It was as if they had just been plucked.

Um...just plucked?

Shi Changpu paused, suddenly realizing what was happening, and quickly rubbed his eyes, looking closely at the herbs in his hands.

The flowers were extremely bright, the only remaining fluff clinging to the verdant stalk, even more appealing than winter’s Red Plum.

Shi Changpu stared at the branches in his hand, his expression slowly turning peculiar.

The fluff of Red Plum is poisonous, but as the medicinal properties of the fluff fade, the color should gradually fade as well. However, the two branches of Red Plum in his hand, although they lacked fragrance, still maintained the appearance of being freshly picked, showing no signs of wilting.

This was different from the past.

He suddenly spoke up, "Envoy..."

"What is it?"

"It’s the flower..."

He turned around, brought the branches up to Qiu He’s face, and said excitedly, "It’s not the recipe, it’s the flower, the flower has changed!"

...

Southern Pharmacy received a message from the Imperial Apothecary right during the mid-afternoon break.

Zhu Mao was awakened from his sleep by someone, his shoes still not properly on. He was tying the belt of his robe while hastily rushing out of the room to greet the visitor.

Once he got to the courtyard, he indeed saw two people sitting in the hall. One had graying hair, while the other was younger, dressed in a stone-colored robe, looking around the surroundings.

Zhu Mao hurriedly stepped in, bowing to the older man with graying hair, "Envoy Qiu."

The visitor was Court Envoy Qiu He from the Imperial Apothecary.

Even though the Southern Pharmacy was part of the Medical Officer Institute, there was mutual interaction between the Imperial Apothecary and the Medical Officer Institute. Even Medical Supervisor Cui Min was somewhat courteous to Qiu He, let alone him, a mere Medical Supervisor.

While Zhu Mao sent instructions to the Servant to serve tea for the two guests, he smiled and said, "May I know why Envoy Qiu has come so suddenly?"

As someone from the Imperial Apothecary, whatever Qiu He wanted could have been communicated with a simple message—there was no need for him to make the trip to the Southern Pharmacy personally. Zhu Mao rarely saw even Cui Min, so the sudden visit from such a "significant personage" naturally prompted him to be very careful, and he was fully alert and attentive in his response.

Qiu He did not speak but merely coughed lightly. Shi Changpu took it upon himself to explain, "We are here today to inquire about the Red Plum that was sent previously to the Imperial Apothecary..."

Red Plum?

Zhu Mao was briefly stunned, "What’s wrong with the Red Plum?"

Shi Changpu and Qiu He exchanged glances before Shi Changpu turned to Zhu Mao and asked, "Medical Supervisor Zhu, this year’s Red Plum sent here differs from previous years... I wonder if there has been a change in the person cleaning the herbs?"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read