At this moment, she was somewhat startled.
But more than that, there was doubt. "A family heirloom medicinal pill?"
Over the years, she had consulted so many renowned physicians, yet none had produced any miraculous medicine. How could a mere commoner offer one?
Furthermore, would there be any side effects?
Zhen Lin nodded. "Yes, it is indeed a family heirloom medicinal pill from Qingluo's household."
Seeing Zhen Lin's extreme trust in Lin Qingluo, Princess Ningde suppressed her doubts.
After a few more words with Zhen Lin, she departed.
On her way out, Princess Ningde said to Lü Qiao, "Have someone investigate Lin Qingluo, and also, invite a renowned physician to examine the Crown Prince's pulse."
She absolutely refused to believe that a commoner's family possessed any miraculous medicine. If such a thing existed, why hadn't their ancestors used it to amass immense wealth?
She felt her brother was blinded, unable to see the truth.
"Yes, I will do it immediately! I also suspect that Lin Qingluo is definitely problematic," Lü Qiao replied immediately and went out.
After Lü Qiao left, Princess Ningde returned to her room.
She then opened the mechanism beneath her bed and stepped inside...
...
A tea house rarely frequented by commoners.
Those who frequented this tea house were either wealthy or noble. The tea and snacks served here could not be found elsewhere, thus, the prices were predictably exorbitant.
A handsome young man arrived at the tea house and took a seat on the first floor.
He casually ordered a few items and then quietly began to eat, savoring the taste of the tea.
Initially, the shopkeeper and the waiter were worried that the young master might not be able to pay, as they knew everyone who came to their tea house, and this young man was an unfamiliar face.
However, upon observing his polite demeanor and his ability to appreciate tea, their hearts were put at ease.
Before long, more people arrived at the tea house.
One after another.
Upon seeing the new arrivals, the shopkeeper and the waiter became exceedingly deferential. "Does the General still wish to have a private room on the second floor?"
Li De nodded.
The shopkeeper personally led the way. "This way, General."
Li De followed the shopkeeper, preparing to ascend the stairs.
As he reached a step, he suddenly stopped.
The shopkeeper was somewhat surprised, why had he stopped? He also halted and turned to look at Li De.
Li De's eyes held a cold glint as he swept a chilling gaze towards the handsome young man savoring tea on the first floor.
The handsome young man sensed he was being watched and raised his eyes to look. However, after just a glance, he retracted his gaze and continued to leisurely eat his tea snacks.
Li De's gaze deepened, and he turned away, continuing his ascent to the second floor.
However, the moment he reached the second floor, the handsome young man's eyes lifted again, and sharpness instantly flashed in them.
This handsome young man was Yun Shu.
Qiu Lu had discovered that Li De frequented this tea house every few days, so she was determined to come and investigate.
It was certain that Li De and Sha Gong had some kind of intricate connection, and this was a lead she needed to pursue.
Just as she was finishing her third tea snack, a woman wearing a veil walked in.
Although she wore a veil, the waiter recognized her and immediately stepped forward to guide her.
"Please follow me upstairs, Miss."
The veiled woman nodded gently and followed the waiter upstairs.
However, just as she was about to ascend, she glanced at Yun Shu nearby, and her gaze suddenly became sharp.
The man's handsome features suggested he was from an extraordinary background, yet his face was unfamiliar; she had never seen him in the capital. Moreover, the man before her exuded an unusual presence.
After a brief glance, she proceeded upstairs.
Yun Shu lowered his eyes, silently listening to whether the room the woman was led to was the same as Li De's.
Indeed.
It was the same room.
The woman's figure indicated she was a young lady. Li De was over fifty years old. Although he was not particularly fond of women, he had a few concubines.
However, this young woman was clearly very young. She did not appear to be from an ordinary family. Would she be someone's concubine or an unofficial mistress?
Yun Shu leisurely sipped his tea, already forming a judgment.
Clearly, the woman's identity was not ordinary.
After finishing the last tea snack, he beckoned the waiter. "Pack ten portions of the tea snacks I just ate."
The waiter was taken aback. "Ten portions?"
Their tea snacks were very expensive, equivalent to eating silver! Few people packed them after eating; they would almost always eat them at the tea house.
Even those who did pack them usually took only one or two portions. This unfamiliar young master was requesting ten portions?
"Hmm, wait, make it twenty portions," Yun Shu said. The tea snacks were too small in quantity; twenty portions were not much, considering the many people and children at home, they needed to eat to their heart's content.
The waiter's jaw dropped. "Twenty portions?"
"Yes."
Seeing Yun Shu nod affirmatively, the waiter quickly tried to calculate in his mind, but his mind wasn't sharp enough, so he hurried to find the shopkeeper. Upon hearing about twenty portions, the shopkeeper was also astonished, but being more experienced, he immediately picked up an abacus to calculate.
He then told the waiter, "Go and tell the customer that including what was consumed in the tea house and the packed tea snacks, the total is one thousand taels of silver."
This was no small sum!
It was truly like eating silver!
With one thousand taels of silver, at other tea houses, a family could eat to their heart's content for ten years without finishing.
However, their tea house prided itself on its extravagance.
Upon hearing the sum of one thousand taels, the waiter swallowed hard. That was too much! Nevertheless, he quickly went to inform the customer.
"Sir, the total is one thousand taels of silver. This includes the tea and tea snacks you consumed earlier," the waiter told Yun Shu. After speaking, he immediately observed Yun Shu's expression.
Seeing that Yun Shu remained completely unfazed and simply listened quietly, he was filled with awe. Had another noble figure arrived in the capital?
Look at his generosity!
Yun Shu produced a silver note and handed it over. "Exactly one thousand taels."
The waiter held the silver note with both hands and quickly approached the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, quickly check if this silver note is real. This customer looks like a person of wealth and status; he didn't even blink an eye when he heard one thousand taels."
The shopkeeper immediately examined the silver note. After a thorough inspection, he confirmed, "It is indeed real. Quickly go and pack the tea snacks."
"Yes!"
As the waiter went to the kitchen to inform them, the shopkeeper narrowed his eyes and subtly observed Yun Shu, who was not far away.
A completely unknown person.
Where did he come from?
After a moment of thought, he immediately picked up a piece of Xuan paper, wrote a few lines on it, and then pushed the door open and stepped outside.
He returned shortly after.
Yun Shu raised his eyes, as if inadvertently glancing at the shopkeeper's empty hands.
The shopkeeper, unaware of Yun Shu's gaze, continued to work the abacus while looking over the accounts.
As the waiter brought the twenty portions of tea snacks, Li De and the woman descended the stairs at almost the same time.