I'm Very Smart

Since Nanzhao was able to plant spies in Dayong, it was impossible that they only planted one. The reason why Emperor Wulong agreed to spare Meng Tianhong's life was that he intended to extract information about other spies from him.

As for helping Meng Tianhong ascend to the throne of the Nanzhao Kingdom, that's another story.

All of this is based on the premise that a deer can help Meng Tianhong detoxify.

If this poison cannot be cured, all plans are just empty talk, and Meng Tianhong must not be allowed to live.

Before stepping into the side hall, Emperor Wulong was confident of victory, but now he was unsure of what to do.

Who would have thought that You Lu, who spoke so confidently, actually knew nothing about Gu poison!

Emperor Wulong felt cheated, while the little swindler continued his self-righteous pontificating. He was furious, wanting to punch him but unable to bring himself to do it. He took several deep breaths to suppress his rage and gritted his teeth, saying, "By the time you've mastered it, Meng Tianhong will be nothing but a pile of bones! If I'd known you were so unreliable, I would have just killed Meng Tianhong with a single stroke!"

"No way," Youlu said confidently. "I'm very smart, I can understand it at a glance, and I already have a plan for the detoxification."

"You're still spouting nonsense!" Emperor Wulong pointed at his nose and scolded, "Even if you can't cure the poison, I won't blame you. We can just slowly investigate other spies. But you shouldn't have made such a boast! Not being able to persuade Meng Tianhong is a small matter; what's serious is that you've picked up bad habits at such a young age!"

"I really can cure it!" Youlu emphasized, crossing her arms defiantly.

Prime Minister Su leaned forward to examine the notes Youlu had made on the paper and said, "Perhaps the young prince really can cure the poison."

"Why are you joining in this nonsense?" Emperor Wulong rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and realized that the issue of his child's education was urgent.

Prime Minister Su gave him a reassuring look, then smiled at Youlu, "Young Prince, could you please tell me how you plan to detoxify that Nanzhao spy?"

Finally, someone still believed in him. You Lu's expression softened slightly, and he pointed to his notes, saying, "Based on my current understanding of Gu poison, Gu worms are mostly formed by devouring other poisonous insects. The more they devour, the more powerful they become. In other words, the strong are respected."

"Although I don't know what kind of Gu poison Meng Tianhong is afflicted with, as long as we have a Gu poison that is more potent than the one in his body, we can fight poison with poison and directly devour the Gu poison in his body, thus curing the poison."

"Fight poison with poison?!" Emperor Wulong exclaimed in surprise. After careful consideration, he realized that this method was indeed feasible.

He was secretly alarmed, looking at his youngest son with suspicion. "You've only read for a short while, and you've already figured out the secret techniques that people spend over a decade learning?"

"What's so difficult about that? It all boils down to the same principle. Once you understand the underlying logic of refining Gu poison, it's a piece of cake to learn." Youlu proudly raised his chin.

Prime Minister Su stroked his long beard thoughtfully, "I think the young prince's method is feasible, but the problem is, where can we find a Gu worm that can counteract the Gu poison in Meng Tianhong's body?"

"That's easy, just refine it yourself," Youlu replied matter-of-factly.

Emperor Wulong: "..."

Seeing his doubtful expression again, Youlu patted his chest and assured him, "As long as you help me prepare the materials, I can refine it within two months."

Emperor Wulong and Prime Minister Su exchanged a glance, then made the decision: "Alright! Ask for anything you want; whether it succeeds or not, your father will support you!"

He abandoned his earlier sternness, patted the deer's head and snorted, laughing, "Whose child is this so clever? Oh, it's mine! Hahahaha!"

Prime Minister Su chuckled.

With great effort, Youlu freed his head from Emperor Wulong's clutches, tidied his messy hair, and turned to Prime Minister Su, saying, "Prime Minister Su, I spent half the day yesterday strolling along East Street, but I didn't see any donation boxes. Has the fundraising started yet?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wulong also looked at Prime Minister Su.

When this matter was mentioned, Prime Minister Su couldn't help but sigh, saying, "I was supposed to set up donation boxes in various streets yesterday afternoon, but the Third Prince claimed to be ill and refused to see this old minister. This old minister dared not make a decision on his own, so it was postponed until today. I will go to the Third Prince's residence after leaving the palace later. I hope we can settle things today."

"The third son certainly knows how to make a fuss over nothing," Emperor Wulong sneered. "Since he doesn't want to do this job, then he shouldn't. You, Prime Minister Su, will be in full charge of the fundraising."

Prime Minister Su bowed and agreed.

Emperor Wulong glared at Youlu again, "You felt good after beating up the third prince, but I can't even get close to the gate of Fengyi Palace now. Prime Minister Su is so old and still has to be troubled by the third prince."

Youlu seemed quite aware of being the culprit and made no comment.

Emperor Wulong beckoned to Eunuch Kang and instructed him, "Pass on my decree that the Third Prince is injured and I feel sorry for him. I grant him a month's leave. During this month, he should stay at home to recuperate and not go out unless necessary. The fundraising will be overseen by Prime Minister Su."

Eunuch Kang was alarmed; this was a disguised way of confining the Third Prince's feet.

He didn't dare ask any more questions and bowed as he withdrew.

When the imperial edict reached the Third Prince's residence, the Third Prince was furious. He smashed a vase and drove the eunuch who delivered the edict out.

Yi Qiuwei emerged from behind the screen with a sullen face. The Third Prince immediately grabbed him, crying, "Uncle, Father is going to confine me to my quarters! Please, Uncle, plead for me!"

"Nonsense! His Majesty's words are law, how can they be easily changed!" Yi Qiuwei shouted. "What have you done now that His Majesty has ordered you to be confined to your quarters?" He was still unaware that the Third Prince had refused to let Prime Minister Su out.

The third prince avoided eye contact. "I...I...Yesterday, Prime Minister Su requested an audience, but I didn't let him in..."

Yi Qiuwei felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and shouted, "Foolish! Don't you know who Prime Minister Su is? Does he think you can just throw a tantrum like that?! You should be glad His Majesty has only confined you to your quarters!"

"I... I was just angry that Father Emperor entrusted the disaster relief work to my eldest brother and asked me to donate 10,000 taels of silver, so I wanted to deliberately delay the fundraising progress," the Third Prince explained weakly.

"You, you!" Yi Qiuwei didn't know what to say to him.

Although his nephew was somewhat cunning, he wasn't very bright. If it weren't for the Yi family's backing, he would have been dead countless times over. Originally, they only needed to be wary of the eldest prince, but now the emperor had brought back a seventh prince, who was exceptionally arrogant and favored. If the third prince continued to act impulsively, the Yi family would likely be in grave danger.

Yi Qiuwei pondered in his heart that the eldest prince was untouchable at the moment, but the seventh prince had not yet officially recognized his ancestors and returned to the clan, so there were many things he could do, and it would not be difficult to get rid of him.

However, before that, it is still necessary to win people's hearts.

Yi Qiuwei lowered his voice, "When will we receive the dowry for the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yongchang that we mentioned earlier?"

The Third Prince said helplessly, "We were about to succeed when the second son of the Gu family suddenly turned against us. Now that Shen Yuyao is on guard, Liu Yanran can no longer make a move."

Yi Qiuwei pondered, "I'm afraid the General Weiyuan's mansion wants to pocket this money. We can no longer trust the Gu family, so..." He beckoned to the Third Prince and whispered instructions.

At the same time, Qin Rongrong, entrusted by Qin Tan, went to the Yongchang Marquis's residence and met Shen Yuyao under the pretext of visiting her in the hospital.