Chapter 167: Hold On, Imperial Advisor! I, the Emperor, Have Recovered 4

Chapter 167: Imperial Advisor, Wait! I Am Cured 4

"The Imperial Advisor? He..."

"The imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy have tried countless prescriptions on me to no avail. But the Imperial Advisor merely channeled some spiritual energy into me, and my health has greatly improved these past days.

Clearly, the Imperial Advisor possesses genuine skills. Otherwise, the late Emperor would not have overridden all objections to appoint him as the Imperial Advisor of our Dayue Dynasty."

So that was it. Qin Hanyue was not only highly accomplished in cultivation but also skilled in medicine. If he could help, perhaps he truly could cure his secret ailment.

However...

"What Your Majesty says is correct, but this matter concerns the dignity of the royal family. I fear it might be improper to reveal it to the Imperial Advisor so directly."

"Your concerns are not without merit, but if this matter is delayed any longer, the Chancellor's faction is bound to get wind of it. The Imperial Advisor is a man of profound cultivation and will surely not align himself with the Chancellor. As for the specifics, Your Majesty shall decide on his own... I am tired."

The Empress Dowager was now nearly sixty years of age, and her health was naturally not what it once was. This was her way of sending him off.

After paying his respects to the Empress Dowager, Lin Huaiqing exited her chambers, walked around the Imperial Garden, and prepared to return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for rest.

It was early summer, and the Imperial Garden was in full bloom—a riot of colors, clusters of blossoms swaying in the breeze, wafting waves of rich fragrance.

Amidst the sea of flowers, a striking figure in white stood amidst the flowers and greenery, flowing hair billowing in the wind, like a celestial being descending to the mortal realm.

Qin Hanyue slightly turned his head, sensing the gaze of the one behind him. He quickly gathered spiritual energy at his fingertips, silently chanting an incantation, and formed hand seals.

A faint golden light dispersed across the sky above the Imperial Garden. Almost simultaneously, all the flowers in the garden seemed to answer a summons, blooming even more vibrantly.

Upon closer inspection, colorful mist-like crystals rose from the flower stamens, drifting lazily into the air. Accompanied by petals swirling wildly in all directions, they all gathered into the glass vial in Qin Hanyue's hand.

It had to be said, this was, without a doubt, a visually stunning spectacle.

Before this, Lin Huaiqing had never really paid attention to Qin Hanyue's looks. In his view, how his enemy looked was none of his business.

But this time, set against the splendor of the Imperial Garden, Lin Huaiqing's gaze was irresistibly pulled toward Qin Hanyue.

To be honest, Qin Hanyue's looks stood out even among all the handsome men he'd ever seen, and he exuded an air of cold, aloof elegance.

It was just that his eyes and brows reminded him of someone... though that didn't really matter. Beautiful people always bore some inexplicable resemblance to one another.

Within half an incense stick's time, all the flower essence had been collected into Qin Hanyue's glass vial.

This magnificent visual feast finally drew to a close.

Qin Hanyue capped the vial, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips, and walked slowly toward Lin Huaiqing. Every move exuded grace and poise.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Imperial Advisor, please rise."

Seeing the faint envy and admiration in Lin Huaiqing's eyes, Qin Hanyue felt deeply pleased with himself.

It seemed he still had to resort to somewhat conventional tactics to capture Lin Huaiqing's attention.

"What is the Imperial Advisor doing?"

"Your subject was leaving the Empress Dowager's chambers when I noticed the flowers in the Imperial Garden blooming exceptionally beautifully. I thought I'd collect some dew from the blossoms to offer to Your Majesty."

Lin Huaiqing cast a cold glance at the glass vial Qin Hanyue offered, a hint of disdain on his face.

Hmph! A toy to amuse children!

Back when he was the number one Sword Venerable in the realm, such things were a dime a dozen in the Xuan Tian Sect—he drank them like water.

Now Qin Hanyue went to all that trouble, conjuring a flower rain and striking poses, only to end up with this tiny vial—not even enough for one sip.

And this? This was his way of trying to get close to him? No way!

"Imperial Advisor... you're taking my stuff and giving it back to me. Isn't that a bit pointless?"

Qin Hanyue had expected Lin Huaiqing to praise him any second now—he had even prepared his humble reply—but Lin Huaiqing's words left him rooted to the spot.

"Huh?"

"These flowers were blooming just fine in the Imperial Garden. The Imperial Advisor just had to extract their essence and condense it into this small vial of water. Now, they've lost all their fragrance. I'll have to have a new batch brought in."

As he spoke, the corners of Lin Huaiqing's lips curled up involuntarily. He simply wanted to see Qin Hanyue look embarrassed, surprised, and bewildered.

Wasn't he trying to seduce him and manipulate him? A mere display like this was hardly enough to win him over.

Just as Lin Huaiqing had predicted, Qin Hanyue's face went from green to purple, then flushed pink—as if he had been dealt a heavy blow.

"This... Your subject merely extracted their essence and took away their fragrance. They still have their ornamental value. Besides, this floral dew is very good for Your Majesty's health. You could give it a try."

Well, since it was a gift for him, he might as well take it.

Lin Huaiqing ordered the chief eunuch, Yan Weiquan, standing nearby, to take it.

"I shall accept the Imperial Advisor's kindness. The flowers of the Imperial Garden are one of the most important landscaping features of the palace. Even I am not allowed to damage them casually. The Imperial Advisor should not do it again."

"Yes... Your subject understands."

Having been thoroughly shot down, Qin Hanyue quickly disappeared from Lin Huaiqing's sight.

The moment he was gone, Lin Huaiqing couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

This Qin Hanyue—he tried to outsmart others but only ended up outsmarting himself. Rendered speechless by his words, it was deeply satisfying.

Who told him to target him?

For the sake of ascending to the Supreme Immortal realm, he would sacrifice innocent lives and deceive people's hearts and bodies alike—and this was supposed to be a cultivator of the Hua Zhen Realm?

If he had his soul-bound sword, Shuo Feng, in hand, he would absolutely skewer this demonic Daoist named Qin with one strike!

Having unconsciously let off some steam, Lin Huaiqing felt a bit relieved.

Back in his own chambers, he still had to rush through reviewing memorials.

Finally, in the mountain of documents, he found the name he knew all too well.

Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Lin Cheng.

Lin Huaiqing pulled that memorial out of the pile, held it in his hands, and stroked it gently.

Sure enough! It really was his brother. Great!

Though his identity had changed, he still felt an inexplicable trust toward Lin Cheng.

He knew his brother's nature. Though Lin Cheng was now part of the Chancellor's faction, he would never do those conscience-defying evil things for Zhao Ge.

This way, he would have one more person in the court he could trust.

"Yan Weiquan?"

"At your service, Your Majesty!"

"Do you know how old Tingwei Lin Cheng is this year?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but he must be pushing forty, I'd say. Lord Lin has a son and a daughter, both about old enough to be in school by now."

Just like in his past life, it seemed.

"Then do you know if he has a younger brother?"

"That's Lord Lin's private business, which I'm not privy to. I'll look into it right away."

"Let me know the moment you find anything."

Yan Weiquan was impressively efficient. He'd been sent to investigate that morning, and by the time of the evening meal, he had already returned to report.

"Your Majesty, I've completed the investigation. The Lin family in Jiangyu had three sons. The eldest is the current Lord Lin, the second died young, and the third suffered from a hidden ailment and passed away at the age of twenty. Apart from these, the Lin family had no other offspring."