Chapter 145 Do I Look Like Good-for-Nothing to You?

"The moment this humble citizen opened the crystal stone, I smelled a deeply intoxicating fragrance. That fragrance seemed to make one forget the events of that exact moment, blurring one's vision and numbing one's mind. Everything this humble citizen has stated is the truth, and should there be any falsehood, I am willing to die immediately to atone for my sin!"

In truth, Chu Ge did not even need to add this final sentence. A glance at the crowd showed they were already entirely convinced by her words. After all, if they thought carefully about that scent, they might actually have smelled it themselves!

As a dedicated fan of Chu Ge, a certain princess immediately chimed in, "Second Sister-in-law! Don't be afraid, speak your mind! His Majesty has already granted you a pardon from death! Have no fear! This princess and my second brother will back you up!"

Chu Ge looked at the princess. Her facial features bore a striking resemblance to Qi Xiu's, suggesting she was one of his younger sisters. With a lively and spirited personality, Chu Ge offered her a grateful smile.

Upon receiving the smile, the princess reacted as if she had been injected with adrenaline. "Oh my god, my idol... smiled at me. I'm going to float away..."

As she spoke, her entire body collapsed limply against the young noble lady seated beside her. Chu Ge privately thought this young woman was truly delightful and possessed a wonderful disposition. Had she not been planning to leave in the future, she would have loved to get to know this princess properly.

Returning to the matter at hand, the audience had already broken into spontaneous discussions.

The Emperor's brows furrowed deeply. If it was a matter of fragrance, given the large number of noble ladies attending today and the myriad scented powders mingling together, it would indeed be quite difficult to distinguish. However, if that particular scent possessed the power to cloud people's minds and deceive their senses, they would have no choice but to summon a medical expert to identify it.

He cast a glance at the chief eunuch standing beside him. "Summon the traveling imperial physician to the audience!"

A frail, stooped old man with white hair and a white beard shuffled forward, yet his voice boomed with startling resonance. "This old subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Rise. Imperial Physician Hu, examine the people present and see whose body carries that scent which can befuddle minds and deceive the senses. Find the culprit, and there shall be a heavy reward!"

Imperial Physician Hu was not entirely clear why he was being asked to search, but since it was the Emperor's command, he would simply obey. "Understood! This old subject shall search carefully right away."

The Emperor waved his hand again, summoning a male and a female attendant to assist Imperial Physician Hu.

Watching the commotion unfolding before them, Chu You felt an inexplicable surge of panic, and her left eyelid twitched violently.

Imperial Physician Hu had already led his assistants into the spectator seating area, greeted by cheerful murmurs wherever he passed.

"Look! Didn't I tell you? The scent on me is just from an ordinary sachet my wife made for me!" a certain prime minister declared, his tone laced with fortunate pride.

A certain imperial minister sneered with utter disdain. "Hah! Are you just showing off that you have a wife? Look at my sachet! This was made for me jointly by my son and daughter!"

This minister was notoriously obsessed with showing off his children. Whenever he had the chance, he would brag that his wife had blessed him with a pair of fraternal twins—a son and a daughter—an achievement that inevitably provoked envy.

A young prime minister seated at the very edge was so embarrassed he wished he could vanish from the conversation, for he wore neither a sachet nor carried the faintest trace of fragrance. He was a quintessential martial man; if sweat odor counted as a scent, perhaps he had one.

Watching Imperial Physician Hu pinch his nose and walk away with a look of distaste, the martial man figured he already knew his answer: it probably did not count.

Someone chimed in from the crowd, "I really have no idea what you fellows are showing off about. A bunch of henpecked husbands—where is the freedom and ease that we bachelors enjoy?"

Anyone could tell this person was speaking on behalf of every single dog in the audience, his every word dripping with provocation.

The married faction accepted the challenge, and the scene descended into utter chaos.

While this side was bustling with noise and excitement, the noble ladies on the other side had already begun analyzing which of the seated guests the mastermind behind the scenes could possibly be.

"Speaking of fragrances, I wonder if any of you smelled a particularly, exceptionally sweet scent when you arrived? But it wasn't nauseating at all—just a very refreshing sort of fragrance."

"That's the custom-made incense created by Consort Hui. After bathing and perfuming with it, the scent lingers all day long without fading. His Majesty loves it!"

"No wonder Consort Xiang has been so deeply favored all these years!"

"Indeed!"

Oh dear, oh dear. This conversation had gone completely off-track as well.

[Master, these people seem to have lost their minds. Why are they all so utterly hopeless?!]

"Actually... I think there are probably a few who are on the right track," Eight-Tail remarked within the spatial realm, glancing at Fourth Sister, who wore a thoughtful expression, along with a few other bystanders who had maintained close contact with Chu You. They likely already had the answer in their hearts!

Imperial Physician Hu had already walked up to Chu You. Chu You stood as poised and graceful as Chu Ge, allowing the imperial physician to conduct his inspection.

Only this time, Imperial Physician Hu's expression underwent a noticeable change. "This young lady, might this old subject be permitted to inspect your sachet?"

Chu You was startled. "I never carry a sachet! The fragrance on my body comes from my bathwater!"

Imperial Physician Hu stroked his beard indignantly. "How could this old man not know that someone would actually use belladonna—an herb typically used otherwise—as a regular bath scent?! The scent of belladonna is indeed a faint, fresh fragrance that causes those who smell it to develop a dependency, gradually becoming addicted to it. If the dosage is higher, it can even cause momentary memory blurring!

"However, if belladonna encounters the scent of eupatorium, its medicinal potency is drastically reduced, acting only to bewitch the mind at the exact moment everyone's concentration peaks!"

"You are spouting utter nonsense! Lies!"

Chu You was so instantly infuriated she felt like vomiting blood. The herbal mixture she used for bathing and scenting was indeed belladonna, but only in a tiny dosage. She had merely heard of it as a trick employed by courtesans in pleasure houses to retain wealthy patrons, and desiring to hold onto Crown Prince Qi Ming's heart, she had secretly had someone purchase belladonna for her baths. Ordinarily, it should have had no adverse effects whatsoever—this physician was clearly talking absolute rubbish!

Imperial Physician Hu dropped directly to his knees, staking his entire medical reputation on his claim. "Your Majesty, if this old subject has uttered a single fabricated falsehood, I shall immediately resign from the Imperial Medical Academy!"

Imperial Physician Hu was advanced in years and notoriously rigid in character; he could tolerate nothing less than an insult to his medical expertise. With Chu You repeatedly accusing him of spouting nonsense, he had long since begun plotting petty retaliations against her in his heart.

As a senior imperial physician of the medical academy, it was already a rarity that he had agreed to climb the mountain with the group for house calls this morning. How could the Emperor tolerate Chu You insulting his personal imperial physician? "Guards, drag this attendant Chu You away and lock her up! Make certain to investigate where she has hidden the treasure petals!"

The Empress and Crown Prince Qi Ming felt a jolt of alarm, never expecting the Emperor to show not an ounce of leniency. "Your Majesty, those petals are hardly a uniquely precious item. Perhaps we might..."

Before the Empress could finish her sentence, the Emperor shot her a glare so fierce it silenced her instantly—a look that clearly warned her not to meddle in affairs that did not concern her.

Crown Prince Qi Ming could only watch with a look of bitter disappointment as Chu You was dragged away. He didn't even want to catch the expressions of the other princes at that moment. True, it was Chu You who was being dragged away, but it was *his*, Crown Prince Qi Ming's, face that was being thoroughly disgraced!

With Chu You removed, the atmosphere in the arena gradually returned to harmony. The guards stepped aside, no longer cordoning off the perimeter.

Chu Ge returned to Chong Li's side. Before she could even utter a single word to him, she was surrounded by a throng of noble ladies—each of them seemingly having converted into fans just moments ago. Chu Ge could only offer Chong Li a helpless glance, allowing herself to be pulled away by the princesses and young ladies to whisper secrets among themselves.