Chapter 413: Chapter 230: When Red Flags Fill the World, Horses Trample...
"Um, Your Majesty, I’m afraid no one else knows how to drive the car," Lu Yuan said. "How about I go and drive it over?"
The Emperor picked up a piece of dessert, popped it into his mouth, and chewed a couple of times. "Don’t worry about that," he said. "These servants might not know how to drive, but can’t they just carry it? If one person can’t lift it, they can just get a few more."
The Emperor had seen the bicycles and tricycles Lu Yuan had built. They were indeed curious objects, and he had even praised Lu Yuan to the Empress for his cleverness.
The Emperor thought that the car Lu Yuan drove wasn’t much different from a bicycle or tricycle.
A bicycle could be carried by one person, and a tricycle only needed two or three people to lift, right?
Since the Emperor had spoken, Lu Yuan couldn’t very well object any further. ’If they want to carry the car, let them carry the car. I’m just a subject, after all.’
’Constantly obstructing the boss is a major taboo for an employee. A boss has his own considerations and has to take all aspects of a situation into account.’
’The boss is never wrong. How could a boss be wrong? The only time he’s truly at fault is if he doesn’t pay his employees on time. In that case, you don’t have to put up with his nonsense; you can just rebel against him.’
’As long as the boss doesn’t short you a single cent, whatever he does within the law can’t be wrong. Besides, this was the Emperor of the Divine Ling Empire. All land under heaven belongs to the Emperor, and all people on that land are his subjects.’
’It’s going to take a long time for them to carry the car all the way into the Imperial Capital.’ Lu Yuan realized he had to find a new topic of conversation to pass the time with the Emperor.
Lu Yuan still needed to prove his worth, to show he wasn’t mediocre. This was all to lay the groundwork for marrying Yue’Er.
’He couldn’t win the martial tournament only to fail to gain the Emperor’s approval, or worse, cause Yue’Er to lose her position as his principal wife.’
Lu Yuan took a wooden box from his robes. Inside were two Human Level Middle Grade Elixirs. They weren’t Lifespan Extension Pills or Beauty Pills, but rather Healing Pills.
These Healing Pills were far superior to any Golden Wound Medicine. Even the finest Golden Wound Medicine was no match for a Healing Pill.
Antiseptic Medicine was mainly for superficial wounds like cuts from blades and axes or injuries from falls—in other words, external trauma. Its primary functions were to improve circulation, reduce bruising, alleviate swelling, stop bleeding, relieve pain, and prevent infection.
The two Healing Pills in Lu Yuan’s hand were taken orally and treated both internal and external injuries. They were a universal medicine with immediately noticeable effects. Even an uninjured person could take one to boost their vitality. They were a power-up for men and a beauty treatment for women.
Of course, when it came to true beautification, the Beauty Pill was still the most effective.
Unfortunately, before coming to the Imperial Capital, Lu Yuan had already given his Lifespan Extension Pills and Beauty Pills to his close relatives. He only had a few Healing Pills left, which he had yet to use.
The Crown Prince of Yan, Gu Gaochi, had taken one of these Healing Pills, and his health had improved dramatically. It lowered his blood lipids and blood pressure, reduced his risk of cardiovascular disease, and even cured his limp.
’If I could just produce a few Lifespan Extension Pills or Beauty Pills for the Empress right now,’ Lu Yuan thought, ’and she took one, she would surely be rejuvenated and look ten years younger.’
’Emperor Gu Yuanzhang doted on Empress Ma. If I could make him happy enough, marrying Gu Ziye to me would be a trivial matter.’
Lu Yuan opened the small box, presenting two emerald-green elixirs to the Emperor. "Your Majesty," he said, "your humble subject personally refined these two Elixirs. They are miraculously effective for treating all sorts of injuries and wounds. I present them to you."
A rich, mellow medicinal fragrance wafted out, detectable by anyone with a decent sense of smell.
The Emperor took the small box from Lu Yuan and snapped it shut.
The Emperor scrutinized the small box, then said, "We noticed your robes didn’t seem bulky just now. How did you manage to fit this box inside?"
Hearing this, Lu Yuan was utterly shocked. ’The Emperor is far too observant!’ He remained outwardly expressionless, forcing himself to appear calm.
’The truth is, the box wasn’t in my robes at all. I just took it out of the System Space.’
Lu Yuan and the Emperor were sitting close to each other, face to face. Each could see the other’s every move.
Lu Yuan cursed himself internally. ’How could I be so careless? I’ve revealed a flaw I can’t explain.’
His mind racing, Lu Yuan forced an explanation. "This small box was tucked inside my robes, but it slipped down to my side. Thankfully, my belt kept it from falling. I just fished it out from the bottom. I had intended to present it to Your Majesty all along, but I was so excited to see you that I almost forgot."
The Emperor listened and didn’t press the matter further, simply handing the small box to a nearby Maid.
Based on the fact that Lu Yuan had cured the Empress’s illness, the Emperor already acknowledged his medical skills. He considered them extraordinary—far superior to any of the Imperial Physicians in the Imperial Hospital.
However, medical skill and Alchemy were two different things. While the Elixirs smelled nice, their effects had not been demonstrated before the Emperor, so he didn’t place too much importance on them.
After all, the Emperor had his own Alchemy Masters, but they were not held in high regard.
The Emperor wasn’t obsessed with Elixirs; he generally felt that such concoctions were fraudulent. It wasn’t his fault for not valuing them—the elixirs his own Alchemy Masters produced were, in fact, useless.
Little did the Emperor know that the two Elixirs Lu Yuan presented were worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, and even with that much money, one might not be able to buy them.
Lu Yuan understood the Emperor’s reaction. ’Once he discovers the miraculous effects of one of these Elixirs, there will only be one left. That will make it even more precious.’
’It’s like a pair of identical historical artifacts. One might be worth ten million, and the pair together twenty million. But if you smash one, the survivor becomes one-of-a-kind, and its value could jump to thirty million.’
’Of course, it wasn’t quite that dramatic with these Elixirs, since I can always make more. But when the Emperor wants more, that’s when he’ll need me. And that is how I will demonstrate my value.’
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