met free Chapter 411
Chapter 411
"Although smoking dry tobacco is not as harmful as opium, the damage it causes to the body is completely incurable given the current medical standards of these mortals!"Ji Hongming, who had seen a white jade tobacco pipe and exquisite shredded tobacco on his gift list during the New Year, exchanged a glance with Ling Yinghua, who had already started smoking. They both saw lingering fear in each other's eyes.
It turned out this thing did more than just refresh the mind; it actually caused irreversible damage to the body!
What was even more terrifying was the possibility of someone mixing opium into their tobacco... They didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.
The Junior Preceptor had once said that those addicted to poppies were worse than pigs and dogs. If they were to fall victim to it, they wouldn't even be fit to be human anymore, let alone serve as officials!
[Over the years, Nanzhao has become increasingly dependent on Nanyue. Their country is just like the former Great Yan, having been infiltrated so thoroughly it resembles a sieve.
Behind the Empress's several children are the shadows of the Nanyue Emperor and his nobles.
Therefore, Nanzhao's resources will naturally be utilized by Nanyue.]
"Do Lan Xuan'er and Gan Tang know about these things?"
[Because of the Empress's favor, Lan Xuan'er is deeply ostracized by her siblings. As for Gan Tang, she is the only legitimate princess of the late Emperor, and her elder brother was once the Crown Prince.
Although Gan Sheng outwardly showers her with favor, he secretly guards against her at every turn.
In the original timeline, her ability to eventually ascend the throne after Great Yan was destroyed relied not only on her own formidable political maneuvering but also on her Prince Consort, who held heavy military power, and the later God of War, Ling Yuanhang.
Currently, both of them are excluded from court politics and remain unaware of the plot against Great Yan.
However, there is a person in the diplomatic mission who not only knows but is also one of the executors of this plan.]
"Who is it? Are they related to the two of them?"
[Master, do you remember a maid beside Lan Xuan'er? The one who was the most active when exposing the illicit affair between Bei Ye and Wei Qingyi.]
Yue Fuguang thought hard. In her memory, aside from the bare white buttocks and long, snowy-white legs, all she could recall were the brilliant expressions on the faces of the people who had barged in to watch the scene.
It seemed there really was a maid in green beside Lan Xuan'er. The only reason she had noticed that woman at the time was because her expression had been a bit strange.
"Little Zhu, what about her? Is there a problem?"
[Master, you would never guess it. This maid in green is named Qing Lan, and she is cousins with that double agent, Li Qun.
Li Qun came to Shangjing City in secret this time to execute internal affairs, so he naturally needed to seek his cousin Qing Lan's help.
This Qing Lan is not only someone else's spy placed beside Lan Xuan'er but also a double agent recruited by her cousin Li Qun.
The clever idea of adding ingredients to the charcoal fire was something she came up with for Li Qun.]
The Crown Prince and the other officials were clearly becoming restless. Since it was just about time for lunch, they each found an excuse to step out.
Watching their retreating figures, Yue Fuguang quietly asked the system, "Little Zhu, have all those tobacco shreds and charcoal been transported to the military camps?
Are there any soldiers who have already become addicted to the drug?"
If there were, no matter how outstanding they might be, they could no longer be kept in the army. After all, anyone who understood the nature of this substance knew what it meant.
[They have arrived at the military camps and been put into storage. However, because it hasn't been too cold over the past few days, the army has used very little charcoal. This newly stored batch hasn't been distributed yet.
As for the tobacco shreds, they are only supplied to a select few military generals, and no one has fallen for the trick yet.
But Master, while the military is fine, the same cannot be said for the imperial court.]
"What do you mean? Has an official in the court gotten addicted?"
Yue Fuguang was somewhat worried. They were all her hardworking subordinates. If it were one of the capable ones, she would feel a bit of heartache. She might have no choice but to use potions from the system shop to repair their bodies and cure their addiction.
Although drug addiction was something that had no permanent cure back in her hometown, for an entity like the system, it was a trivial matter.
The few men who had just stepped outside the courtyard suddenly halted their steps. Their biggest worry, the military, was temporarily safe, but before their hanging hearts could fully settle, they heard these words. This was hardly any better than something happening in the army!
[Leaving others aside for now, the pouch currently hanging at Ling Yinghua's waist contains tobacco shreds, and they are shreds that have been soaked in opium.]
"Lord Ling? I don't think I've ever seen him smoke. Could he already be addicted?"
On this side, the several men all turned their gazes in unison to the pouches hanging at the waist of Chancellor Ling, whose body had already begun to tremble slightly.
Despite the freezing weather, Ling Yinghua's forehead was beaded with sweat. With a trembling hand, he snatched a blue pouch embroidered with a green bamboo pattern from his waist.
It seemed to take all his strength to shakily open the pouch, revealing the brown tobacco shreds inside that emitted a strange odor.
"Lord Ling, be careful!" The Crown Prince grabbed the swaying Ling Yinghua to keep him from falling and smoothly caught the pouch that had almost dropped to the ground.
Ji Hongming also leaned over to look at the contents of the pouch. At the same time, the voice of the divine artifact echoed in their ears. To Chancellor Ling, who currently felt like he was drowning, this voice was no different from a life-saving breath of immortal air.
[He has only smoked that spiked tobacco once, so it's not a big problem. But if he were to smoke it a few more times, it would be hard to say!]
Ling Yinghua slumped heavily onto the stone bench in the courtyard. It was not until the cold sweat stung his eyes that he belatedly remembered to wipe it away.
[But...] Yue Fuguang raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, there was always a turning point. She served herself some soup while listening to what followed.
After today, who knew how many would cry and how many would laugh.
[Ever since the trend of smoking dry tobacco was brought to Great Yan by those scholars and literati, it has actually been elevated into an elegant pursuit by people with ulterior motives. When gathering to chat, many people not only brew tea and warm wine, but also take a few puffs together. They even elegantly refer to it as 'swallowing clouds and blowing mist'.
Among the court officials, there are quite a few who pose as lovers of culture, and this Ling Yinghua is one of them. The supposedly top-grade shredded tobacco in his pouch was a New Year's tribute from his students.
Many among the court officials and scholars have already started smoking this specially made tobacco.]
Yue Fuguang sighed inwardly. How many people are already addicted?
She felt helpless too. It was not that she did not want to expose things in advance, but ever since their revelations caused history to severely deviate from its course, many of the original system tasks would no longer happen due to this shift.
Therefore, the task board had long since changed. Because the new future was uncertain and still being created, many of the current tasks were now trigger-based.
If it were not for this Wu Chengbin, she figured it would have taken her quite a while longer to discover the problem with the court officials.
[There are five or six court officials and over twenty scholars in the capital. They are...]
Yue Fuguang listened to the string of names the system reported to her. She recognized all the court officials, but aside from Wu Chengbin, she had not heard of a single scholar. They probably were not anyone famous.
However, in terms of numbers, it was fewer than she had expected, which was a blessing in disguise.
The system clearly guessed her thoughts and added, [It is also fortunate that those literati only brought over the so-called 'elegant pursuit' of smoking. At that time, the tobacco was still normal.]