ebookland Chapter 485 Shock in the Court
Chapter 485 Shock in the Court
The King of Lingnan stared wide-eyed at Lu Zhijin: "Zhijin, what exactly is going on?"
Lu Zhijin lowered his eyes: "It's because you took the Vitality Pill."
"Vitality Pill? What is a Vitality Pill? I've never heard of it before." The King of Lingnan considered himself quite knowledgeable, but he had never heard of such a miraculous pill as the Vitality Pill.
"I don't know what this Vitality Pill is. I only know that it is an extremely precious medicine, something that can't be found or sought after." A trace of pain flashed in Lu Zhijin's eyes. This was the life-saving pill that A Yue had given him, and now it was gone.
The King of Lingnan understood this as well.
"Zhijin, thank you so much this time. You gave me such a precious and rare elixir."
"Your Highness's words are surprising. I should be thanking you. If you hadn't saved me, I probably would have been blown up." Lu Zhijin smiled and solemnly clasped his hands in thanks to the Prince of Lingnan.
“Well, let’s not thank each other. We’re both on the battlefield now, so helping each other is only right,” the King of Lingnan said with a smile.
Lu Zhijin nodded, and the two smiled at each other.
"Your Highness, I have another request," Lu Zhijin said after thinking for a moment.
"Speak freely, brocade."
"Your Highness, I obtained these Vitality Pills by chance, and there were only two in total. I took one myself on the battlefield with Dayong, and gave you another one today. We're out of them now, and we must find a way to suppress this matter and absolutely prevent it from getting out." His tone revealed a hint of helplessness.
This Vitality Pill is truly miraculous, practically a heaven-defying treasure! He himself was once afflicted with a serious illness, incurable by any medicine, but after taking the Vitality Pill, he recovered rapidly and became even healthier than before. Because of this, after his recovery, many people secretly inquired about the Vitality Pill, and some even wanted to obtain it from him.
Now that the prince has also recovered from his injuries by taking the Vitality Pill, this will surely cause a huge uproar. There are quite a few wounded in the army this time, and those soldiers who need the Vitality Pill to save their lives will naturally feel dissatisfied with him and the prince.
He knew the seriousness of the matter, so he hurriedly said to the prince, "Your Highness, this matter requires your and my cooperation! If we do not handle it properly, it may cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers and even affect the morale of the army."
Although he was out of Vitality Pills, he knew that even if he told people, many wouldn't believe him. After all, the pill's effects were so astonishing that anyone would covet it.
Upon hearing this, the King of Lingnan nodded and said, "You're right. This matter absolutely cannot be spread. It seems I'll have to stay in bed for a while longer." As for Lu Zhijin's claim that the Vitality Pill was no longer available, he was skeptical. However, even if there were any left, there certainly wouldn't be many. After all, that medicine was too miraculous, and rarity makes it valuable. Such a miraculous pill would be fake if there were too many.
Moreover, as a beneficiary, he was naturally willing to help cover for him.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lu Zhijin's heart immediately settled.
"Zhijin is too serious." After that, although the military doctors were puzzled as to why the King of Lingnan was still alive, they did not say anything, simply assuming that the King of Lingnan was not destined to die.
Of course, they didn't know that the King of Lingnan had recovered from his injuries; they only thought he was just clinging to life.
Because Lu Zhijin and the King of Lingnan sent word that the King of Lingnan had his own physicians and didn't need them, and that with so many wounded, they should be busy with other people.
Because of the defeat in this battle, the soldiers in the Great Zhou army camp were particularly dejected. They were even afraid to think about the war that day. Just thinking about it made them terrified and sweat profusely, because it was too terrible.
Lu Zhijin was also completely clueless, and he didn't know how to deal with the enemy's weapons.
"General, what exactly is that thing of theirs? How can it have such power? Could it be some kind of divine artifact?" The military advisor stood beside Lu Zhijin, frowning as he asked in confusion.
"I don't know either, but it is indeed miraculous. I just don't know where they got it from?" Lu Zhijin rubbed his fingers. He had already sent a letter to the capital, hoping that someone there could help him answer his question.
This battle was incredibly devastating, not only for the Great Zhou, but also for Si Jingshan's side. Due to improper use of weapons, the Jin-Yu allied forces lost tens of thousands of soldiers.
Si Jingshan was even stripped of his generalship by the emperors of both countries.
However, without Si Jingshan's weapons, neither country dared to easily wage war against the Great Zhou, and the two sides remained deadlocked.
However, Lu Zhijin was unaware of these things; he was still wondering why the enemy did not take the opportunity to attack them.
Great Zhou Imperial Palace
Emperor Zhou had already received an urgent report from the army and immediately summoned his ministers to discuss the matter.
"Do any of you ministers have any good solutions for this?" Emperor Zhou asked, seeing that his ministers had finished reading the urgent report.
The ministers remained silent. They had discerned the weapon's immense destructive power from the urgent report, but they were completely baffled by it and knew nothing about it.
Not to mention any solutions.
Emperor Zhou was not blaming his ministers for this, but he was somewhat disappointed.
"Minister Xiao, do you have any thoughts?" Emperor Zhou placed his only hope on Xiao Qinian, hoping that this lucky star who had made many contributions to Emperor Zhou could give him an answer.
However, reality cruelly shattered his hopes, and Xiao Qinian also failed to live up to his wishes. Xiao Qinian slowly raised his head, bowed deeply to Emperor Zhou, and then said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent."
The Zhou Emperor's expectant gaze turned to disappointment and helplessness. The atmosphere in the entire hall became heavy and oppressive following Xiao Qinian's words, as if a dark cloud was hanging over everyone's heads.
The ministers exchanged glances, unsure how to handle the awkward situation. Some lowered their heads in thought, some shook their heads and sighed softly, while others wore expressions of bewilderment and helplessness.
Seeing this, Xiao Qinian stepped forward again and said, "Your Majesty, we are incompetent and unable to relieve Your Majesty's worries, but our Great Zhou is full of talented people. Your Majesty may wish to issue an edict to summon those who understand this knowledge throughout the country."
Xiao Qinian thought to himself that this was the only way. He reasoned that if the enemy could make such weapons, why couldn't their Great Zhou?
"Your Majesty, I second that proposal." Upon hearing Xiao Qinian's words, several ministers also stood up to second his proposal.
"Very well, issue my decree: whoever can crack the enemy's weapons will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and granted the title of marquis."
"Your Majesty, I second that opinion!" As soon as Xiao Qinian finished speaking, several ministers in the court stood up to express their agreement with his opinion.
Emperor Zhou sat on his dragon throne, nodding slightly, his face ashen. His gaze swept over the assembled ministers, finally settling on Xiao Qinian, and he slowly said, "Minister Xiao is absolutely right. The enemy's weapons are extremely powerful; if we cannot counter them, our army may find it difficult to contend with them."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "By imperial decree, anyone who can crack the enemy's weapons will be richly rewarded, regardless of their status or rank! They will be awarded a thousand taels of gold, promoted three ranks, and granted the title of marquis!"
The emperor's words echoed in the court, and the ministers, upon hearing them, all perked up. A promotion of three ranks and a title of marquis—this was an immense temptation! Unfortunately, they lacked the ability to achieve it!