Chapter 630 - Disguise Oneself
Zhu Junfan nodded and said, "The person who had set the poison has already been caught. The perpetrator was one of the first set of people who had been recruited to take care of the horses. It's said that he's normally very obedient and looked like an honest and loyal man. Usually, he didn't do anything out of the ordinary either. Who would have thought that he had hidden for so long and only came out now?"
Zhu Junfan had already made sure to deeply investigate all of the people who worked at the stud farm and they had actually managed to pull out a few people who had suspicious backgrounds. However, these people didn't have the chance to do anything before they had all gotten caught.
"Steward Yan from the stud farm stated that he had once lost one of the detoxifying pills. After interrogating the culprit, he admitted that he had secretly sent out the farm's fodder and pills to his master. If the enemy has an expert medicinal chemist who is good at making poisons, it's possible that he has figured out the secrets to these pills and fodder. Thus, that is why they made this deeply hidden spy reveal himself and cause this calamity."
Zhu Junfan wasn't completely sure whether or not his deduction this time was correct. After all, Yu Xiaocao was his younger cousin's sweetheart. If anything ever happened to her, it was more than likely that his cousin would slaughter his way up to the throne to beat his ass...however, the stud farm at the border was not only Zhu Junyang's special project, but it was also something that he himself had looked forward to. Didn't every leader of a country long for a rich empire with a strong army?
"Imperial Majesty, from what you're saying, it looks like the reason why they caused this problem was to bring me out to take the bait? However, the detoxifying pills and horse fodder had all gone through Ruizhi's hands to Steward Yan's. How could a small horse groom find out just who made these things?" While she was at the horse farm, Zhu Junyang was afraid of making her too conspicuous and acted as a smokescreen for her the entire time. Did she still end up raising the suspicions of these foreign enemies?
Zhu Junfan placed his long, slender fingers onto the desk and solemnly said, "That spy stated that Junyang, you, and Chief Steward Su had been marked as the most likely targets. Your appearances, personalities and clothing preferences have all been transmitted out to them. This time, whoever goes out, will be marked as the person who made the medicines. The other side had already sent down orders: Do your best to catch the person alive. If it's too hard to keep them alive, then kill them!"
Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and said, "So from what you're saying, this particular mission is quite dangerous! This official strongly requests that if I'm to take this mission, the money given should be increased by a few fold..."
"In actuality, you could also make the detoxification pills at your residence and then we will send guards to transport it over!" Zhu Junfan paused for a moment before he continued, "You are a trusted aide and official. The people of this empire need you ah!"
"Imperial Majesty, please don't say it like that! This official's goosebumps have risen! This official is only a small, insignificant farming girl, so please don't put the pressure of all of the people on my head. I'm a weak and tender maiden and cannot handle such lofty responsibilities!"
Yu Xiaocao was now used to acting silly around this old transmigrator friend of hers. Su Ran had already gotten used to her antics but the little eunuch, Su Chi, was so shocked that his eyeballs almost fell out of his head--there was actually someone who dared to speak this way to the emperor. Did she feel like she had lived for too long?
Zhu Junfan glared at Su Chi and then continued to converse with Xiaocao, "I heard that you're planning on starting to hybridize rice plants at the Imperial Plantations, right? We don't have high expectations. As long as these new rice paddies are able to come up to a thousand catties per mu, then we will be satisfied!"
