Chapter 146: The Imperial Family Takes Over the Medicine Department

On the 16th of October, Hua Changxi arrived at the Medicine Department early. After two months, she stepped into the Servant Hall again and immediately found something wrong. There were many strange faces in the Servant Hall.

"Manager Hua, you are finally here."

Seeing Hua Changxi, Zhou Qiuyu ran over with small steps.

Hua Changxi led her to her courtyard and then asked: "Did something happen in the Servant Hall?"

Zhou Qiuyu nodded: "A month ago, the Emperor issued an imperial decree for Prince Shou to take over the Medicine Department."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi looked surprised: "What about the Chief?"

Zhou Qiuyu: "The Chief's position remains unchanged, but he has changed from the first person in charge of the Medicine Department to an official assisting Prince Shou."

"As soon as Prince Shou came, he replaced everyone in every place. Now the person in charge of the Servant Hall is no longer Eunuch Jia and the others, but the person appointed by Prince Shou. Even the people in the warehouse have all been replaced."

Hua Changxi frowned: "Then where are Eunuch Jia and the others?"

Zhou Qiuyu: "Eunuch Jia and the others pulled some strings. Although they stayed in the Servant Hall, they are just ordinary servants now."

"The Qihuang Hall has also been taken over by Prince Shou's people. We can no longer enter and leave at will. Fortunately, Eunuch Jia was well-informed and collected the body-refining equipment in the No. 8 Qihuang Hall in advance, otherwise, Eunuch Jia and the others might have been taken away for interrogation."

As she spoke, her face showed worry.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi said directly: "If you have anything to say, just say it."

Zhou Qiuyu: "I also heard Eunuch Jia and the others say that before long, the servants in the Servant Hall will all be dismissed. At that time, we won't be able to stay in the Servant Hall anymore."

Hua Changxi was silent for a while, thought for a moment, and said: "You, and Wang Yunchu and those people, how is your alchemy learning?"

Zhou Qiuyu said modestly: "Not refined well, but we can refine finished pills."

Hua Changxi looked at her: "If you are asked to leave the Servant Hall now and go to work in the pharmacy under my name, are you willing?"

The imperial family was involved in the management of the Medicine Department, and the wooden tablet was lost by her. She was having a hard time even establishing herself in the Medicine Department, let alone protecting others.

Zhou Qiuyu nodded: "We all listen to Manager Hua."

Hua Changxi: "Go tell Wang Yunchu and the others. If you are willing to work in the pharmacy, resign from the Servant Hall's duties voluntarily, and then go find Yu Gui. He will arrange for you."

Managing ten pharmacies was not an easy task. As early as last year, Yu Gui had resigned from the warehouse duties and focused on helping Hua Changxi manage the pharmacies.

Zhou Qiuyu nodded in response.

Afterward, Hua Changxi asked about Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou's lectures in the Qihuang Hall.

Zhou Qiuyu: "In August, they taught almost every day, but in September, the number of their lectures began to decrease. By October, they would only teach once every ten days."

Hua Changxi was surprised: "Why so few?"

Zhou Qiuyu: "I heard some physicians and pharmacists from the Nine Streets discuss it, saying that the content of their lectures repeats too much, and they can't come up with new content, so they need time to study."

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered. Yes, teaching in the Qihuang Hall not only required many students but also required the lecturer to have deep accumulation and high attainments in medical skills. Mu Qingying even needed her guidance for a first-rank middle-grade pill. She taught everyone alchemy, but what could she teach?

As for Yuan Tianchou, his alchemy level and familiarity with spiritual plants were not as good as Mu Qingying's.

It seemed that the worry she had before, fearing that Mu Qingying and Yuan Tianchou would condense the three-dimensional small sword on the wooden tablet and then bind it with the Qihuang Hall, was a bit unnecessary.

At this moment, there was a knock on the courtyard door.

Hua Changxi glanced and saw it was Lin Sheng, so she let Zhou Qiuyu retreat first.

"Master."

Lin Sheng walked in respectfully, quickly looked at Hua Changxi's expression, and seeing her silent and only looking at him faintly, very sensitively did not mention the matter Eunuch Lin had ordered, but instead talked about the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"The Hundred-Household Officer Pang of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said he knows the Master. Some time ago, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was handling a case, which caused many Embroidered Uniform Guards to be injured. Knowing the Master's superb medical skills, they want to invite the Master to go take a look."

Hua Changxi was enlightened: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard came to the pharmacy to find me for this?"

Lin Sheng nodded: "It should be. I heard that just in these few days, many Embroidered Uniform Guards have died."

Hua Changxi: "I know about this. You go down."

Lin Sheng stood still, somewhat hesitant to speak.

Hua Changxi looked at him and said nothing.

Finally, Lin Sheng couldn't bear the pressure and took the initiative to say: "Master, my godfather has also looked for you several times during this period, saying that he had an appointment with you to go to the Ghost Market."

Hua Changxi snorted: "When did I have an appointment with your godfather? Why don't I know about this? If I want to go to the Ghost Market, the time can only be decided by me. Whether I go with your godfather or not, it doesn't matter to me."

Lin Sheng didn't expect Hua Changxi to have such an attitude. His godfather was from the Eastern Depot, and this was the first time he had seen someone who didn't give the Eastern Depot face like this.

Hua Changxi was impatient to talk more with Lin Sheng: "Okay, you retreat."

Lin Sheng still didn't move, somewhat embarrassed, and said: "Master, I have one more thing to report. That is, I have practiced the Skin Refining Volume to perfection. I want to ask, when can I practice the next volume?"

Hua Changxi smiled after hearing this: "What do you think?"

Lin Sheng was silent for a moment: "... If possible, I want to start practicing the next volume now."

Hua Changxi looked at him and refused directly: "No. As for why, think about it yourself."

Lin Sheng was anxious in his heart and wanted to show his loyalty, but seeing Hua Changxi didn't want to say more, he knew that it was meaningless to say more at this moment, so he could only bow and retreat silently.

Not long after Lin Sheng left, Hua Changxi was thinking about the significance of continuing to stay in the Medicine Department when there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard again.

This time, the person who came was actually Mu Qingying.

"Hua Changxi, Prince Shou wants to see you."

Hua Changxi looked surprised: "See me? What for?"

Mu Qingying thought she was afraid of meeting the imperial family, so she hurriedly said: "Don't worry, it's not just you alone. Prince Shou is summoning everyone who possesses a wooden tablet. My senior brother has already gone to notify others. You come with me to the First Street."

Hua Changxi frowned after hearing this. She felt that being told Prince Shou was summoning her was not a good thing. However, she still followed Mu Qingying to the Medicine Department building. She wanted to see what Prince Shou wanted to do.

On the First Street, in the discussion hall of the Medicine Department building, Hua Changxi saw Gu Jinfan, Zhu Qinghuan, Shen Qianfan, and Yuan Tianchou.

"Prince Shou arrives."

In the chanting of the eunuch, a brocade-clad man who looked only twenty or thirty years old appeared, followed by the Seventh Prince Chu Junhao.

When Chu Junhao passed in front of Hua Changxi, he smiled friendly at her.

"Why are there only these few people? Didn't they say there are eighteen wooden tablets?"

As soon as Prince Shou sat down, he scanned the people present and looked displeased.

Chief Gu Qiming smiled and replied: "Your Highness, these are the people who have clearly identified themselves as possessing wooden tablets. As for the remaining people, their identities have not been found out for the time being."

Prince Shou heard this and snorted coldly: "The Minister of the Heaven Department always praises you in front of the Emperor, saying that you have merit in managing the Medicine Department, but in my eyes, he is exaggerating. You can't even find out the identities of a dozen people. Chief Gu, you are derelict in your duty."

Gu Qiming's smile did not fade: "Your Highness is right. Your subordinate will definitely correct it in the future."

Prince Shou didn't say anything more after hearing this, and turned his head to look at Hua Changxi and the others.

At the moment Prince Shou looked over, Hua Changxi quickly lowered her eyes, covering up the disgust and nausea in her eyes.

This Prince Shou exuded a fishy stench that she couldn't bear, making her want to vomit.

Hua Changxi quickly looked at Mu Qingying and the others beside her with her peripheral vision, and seeing that their expressions toward Prince Shou were normal, she immediately understood that only she smelled the stench on Prince Shou, and hurriedly adjusted her facial expression. ===== CHAPTER 147 =====