Chapter 520

"Crown Prince? Zhu Cilang?" Su Qiao raised an eyebrow.

Is it really appropriate for Su Qiao to address the Crown Prince by his given name right in front of him?

Wang Chengen's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

It was mainly because Su Qiao did not treat him as an outsider; his tone and attitude were far too natural.

"Alright, have you eaten? I'll go change my clothes, and then I'll go with you to take a look."

"I've eaten, I've eaten. You go quickly."

Wang Chengen was not as idle as Su Qiao; he had only been sent by Zhu Youjian today to inform Su Qiao about the poppies.

Regarding poppy cultivation, basically, apart from Zhu Youjian, Wang Chengen, and Su Qiao,

no one else knew that there was a designated plot of land in the Eastern Garden of Jingcheng where the evil poppies were planted.

This area had been designated a forbidden zone by Zhu Youjian.

No one was allowed to approach!

Agents of the Eastern Depot and palace guards set up checkpoints a hundred zhang away from this plot of land.

The security was so tight that not even a bird could get in.

Both sides monitored each other; anyone who dared to move recklessly or allow passage would face collective punishment!

Since Zhu Cilang was the Crown Prince and was near the Eastern Garden, he naturally discovered the anomaly in that plot of land.

He became even more curious about what was hidden in the Eastern Garden.

He tried to probe it time and again.

Once or twice was fine, but after many attempts, Zhu Youjian found out, angrily summoned him for a scolding, and placed him under house arrest.

Wang Chengen cheerfully told Su Qiao the story of the Crown Prince courting death.

Su Qiao changed his clothes; Liu Rushi even specifically made him put on a white fox fur coat before he accompanied Wang Chengen out the door.

The two chatted over tea about trivial matters inside the carriage and soon arrived at the East Gate of the palace.

Getting off the carriage, Su Qiao and Wang Chengen walked together toward the plot of land where the poppies were planted.

"Eunuch Wang!"

Suddenly, a tempting voice called out to stop Wang Chengen.

The two looked toward the sound and found it came from the Crown Prince's residence they were just about to pass.

Immediately, they saw a youthful boy dressed in bright yellow robes walking over quickly, accompanied by two eunuchs.

Su Qiao was almost certain the person approaching was the Crown Prince, Zhu Cilang.

But what did he want by stopping the two of them?

Both Wang Chengen and Su Qiao were curious and stopped as well.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

After Zhu Cilang arrived before them, the two bowed and said.

Zhu Cilang waved his hand casually, but his gaze burned as it fell upon Su Qiao.

Although he had never met Su Qiao, he knew a great deal about him and was even more clear that Su Qiao occupied a very significant place in Zhu Youjian's heart.

Outside, rumors even circulated that Su Qiao was the Hidden Prime Minister!

One can imagine how curious Zhu Cilang, who was already very curious about things, was about Su Qiao.

"Are you Su Qiao?"

"That is correct, this subject is Su Qiao."

Eunuch Wang hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

Don't be fooled by their joking and laughing; Su Qiao is also a subject of Zhu Youjian.

But he knew that, in principle, Su Qiao should have been a subject of the Taizu, only borrowed by His Majesty through divine means.

Su Qiao was very casual even with Zhu Youjian; let alone with a Crown Prince.

If Zhu Cilang became too reckless and provoked Su Qiao, that would not be good.

Thinking of this, Wang Chengen quickly spoke first: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty has ordered this servant to take Mr. Su to handle business. It is already late. If you have any matters, perhaps you could ask His Majesty later?"

"Oh, is it that place behind the Eastern Garden? What mysterious thing is hidden there that Father Emperor won't even tell me?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty does not let you know to protect you. If you have anything you wish to ask, you may ask His Majesty. We, as subjects and servants, dare not speak recklessly."

Wang Chengen shook his head; his lips were sealed tight, not revealing a single word.

Seeing he could not get an answer from Wang Chengen, Zhu Cilang turned his head toward Su Qiao.

Fortunately, although curious, he was still somewhat polite; he clasped his hands toward Su Qiao and said: "Father Emperor often says Mr. Su possesses great talent for governing the world. I wonder if Mr. Su could reveal a little to this Palace?"

374, Boiling Opium!

"Hahaha, Your Highness speaks too politely!"

Su Qiao shook his head and said, "You do not need to know the specifics. Just know that this thing is highly dangerous. If it were revealed or leaked out, it could easily affect the Jiangshan and the state. The rest, this subject cannot speak recklessly."

"Uh, alright then. Thank you, Mr. Su, for clarifying."

Although he did not know the specifics, the fact that Su Qiao revealed a little allowed Zhu Cilang to understand things slightly better.

"Your Highness, please stay. We must take our leave now!"

After leaving the Donggong area, Su Qiao said cheerfully to Wang Chengen: "This Crown Prince is still young after all; he is curious about everything."

"There are some things we servants cannot speak of. However, apart from this curiosity, the Crown Prince is quite good in other respects."

"Oh? For you to call something 'quite good,' that is quite difficult," Su Qiao joked deliberately.

Wang Chengen was rarely influenced by Su Qiao to become cheerful as well. "There is no way. Since I was castrated and entered the palace, I have been extremely cautious, treading on thin ice. When Mother Ke and Director Wei were in power, although I was just a marginal small figure, I have experienced everything; what kind of person have I not seen?"

"Especially in this palace, there are many wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards! Usually, they do not show themselves, hiding and concealing, but when no one is around in quiet places, they all reveal themselves. One small mistake and you will be swallowed. This place is truly..."

At this point, Wang Chengen stopped, shook his head, and did not continue.

He had just naturally complained to Su Qiao's side, a rare occurrence.

But now they were about to arrive, so he quickly pulled himself together.

"Is that the place ahead?"

After passing through several checkpoints, Su Qiao and Wang Chengen saw a vast, empty field of harvested land ahead.

Wang Chengen nodded and said, "It has all been stored in the warehouse. Actually, we should have summoned you long ago, but Your Majesty was concerned about the war with Japan. If the war did not go smoothly, there would be no good outcome in handling these things. Now, the Fujian Navy, led by General Zheng, has successfully surrounded Japan. We believe a great victory report will arrive soon. Only then did Your Majesty order me to summon you."

"Eunuch Wang, you are being too polite. How much was harvested in total?"

"Specifically, about two thousand jin!"

"Good!"

Inside the warehouse, the agents of the Eastern Depot hurriedly brought out the milky white juice specifically collected after harvesting the opium poppies.

Su Qiao took one look and saw it had already turned black.

Fortunately, the cold weather had prevented it from spoiling, so it could still be boiled down.

"Alright, I thought you would have boiled it down already."

"How could we? Without you here, no one dared to trust it. We only produced this small amount; if we ruined it and wasted it, that would not be good."

'Very well, someone, bring firewood and set up a pot!'

Su Qiao ordered the Eastern Depot agents standing nearby.

These Eastern Depot agents all obeyed Wang Chengen, so no one reacted immediately.

Wang Chengen glared, "What are you staring at? Mr. Su's words are my words! Why don't you hurry up and get moving?"

Only then did these people quickly get busy according to Su Qiao's instructions.

Those who needed to fetch firewood fetched firewood; those who needed to build an earthen stove built an earthen stove; those who needed to set up a pot set up a pot.

Fearing Su Qiao might misunderstand, Wang Chengen quickly grabbed his sleeve and whispered an explanation: "Mr. Su, please do not misunderstand. They are just stubborn; besides me, they only listen to Your Majesty. This was the instruction given during training. It is not that I am targeting you."

Su Qiao, of course, knew this, and said indifferently, "No problem. Whether it is a misunderstanding or not, I do not take it to heart. The main thing is to see if Eunuch Wang knows how to be a person!"

"Huh?"

Wang Chengen looked completely bewildered.

"You must treat me to wine, and it must be good wine; otherwise, I will hold it against you."

"Very well, Mr. Su, I will definitely remember this meal of wine and treat you when the time comes!"

"That's more like it!"

On this side, the Eastern Depot agents were also very efficient; soon the stove, the pot, and everything else were all ready.