System: [The reason your elder brother got duped was mainly because the other party successfully fabricated the identity of an immortal.]

Yuan Ruan: [Uh-huh. So how did he do it?]

System: [It’s actually quite simple. The original Wen Daozhang of the first generation passed away over a hundred years ago. However, the name ‘Wen Daozhang’ was inherited by his descendants. The Wen Daozhang who treated the emperor was the third generation, but he passed away last year after consuming an elixir. The current Wen Daozhang is the fourth generation. He’s only in his twenties, rarely goes out, and doesn’t even dare to wash his face before bed to preserve his makeup.]

Emperor: !!!
Crown Prince: !!!
Officials: !!!

So that’s how it is. It sounded absurd at first, but upon reflection, it actually seemed plausible.

The Wen Daozhang they met three years ago had deep, calm eyes and a steady demeanor, which was nothing like the emotionally volatile Wen Daozhang they saw at court today. If they weren’t the same person, the timeline would match perfectly.

Yuan Ruan: [Gasp, I’ve seen this kind of trick in TV shows before. So the elixir my father consumed—was it made of boy and girl blood or something like menstrual blood?]

Everyone: !!!

Wait, what? Little National Preceptor, what are you talking about?!

The emperor looked as if he was about to retch, while the crown prince and officials wished they hadn’t heard anything at all.

System: [Not quite. The previous Wen Daozhang became highly esteemed by emperors across nations because he innovated in alchemy and created a concoction known as ‘Five-Stone Powder.’ It made those who consumed it feel euphoric, as if they had ascended to the mythical island of Penglai.]

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Ruan: [Huh? Isn’t Five-Stone Powder even worse?! It causes irritability, memory loss, and a higher risk of sudden death.]

System: [Exactly. The Chen Emperor, who took it for the longest time, is already dead. The Shu Emperor is bedridden, and the Chu Emperor is on the verge of death. Your elder brother has been consuming it for years, and the fact that he’s only been labeled a tyrant shows that his constitution is exceptionally robust.]

Everyone: !!!

What?!

The political turmoil in Chen, Shu, and Chu over the past few years—they had speculated about conspiracies and coups.

But it was all because of Five-Stone Powder

The four of them were furious, especially the two prime ministers. They thought back to the cautious, trembling days they had endured under the emperor in the past three years, only to realize it was all because of that accursed concoction. Their anger made them want to arrest every alchemist selling “immortality pills.”

Yuan Ruan: [This won’t do. I need to figure out a way to destroy those immortality pills.]

System: [Ahem, actually, there’s no need… The previous Wen Daozhang had a bit of a conscience. He deliberately refrained from passing down his alchemy skills to his son, hoping the line of immortals would end with him. Unfortunately, his son was greedy for luxury and still walked down this path. That’s why he botched the emperor’s treatment. If not for the imperial physicians doing their best, your elder brother might have been paralyzed.]

Everyone: !!!

The system continued: [However, because this guy isn’t skilled, the immortality pills he presented to the emperor are just coated with cinnabar and mercury. Inside, they’re nothing more than a mix of sticky rice and mud. At most, they’ll cause some indigestion.]

Everyone: …

They didn’t know whether to be angry on the emperor’s behalf or relieved.

Yuan Ruan sighed in relief: [Thank goodness. But how does such an incompetent Wen Daozhang continue to fool people? Wait… could it be that the people of Wen Family Village are involved?]

System: [Ah Ruan, you’re spot on! Wen Family Village used to be impoverished. After Wen Daozhang gained fame, many visitors came to seek his help, and the village prospered. The village chief was delighted and decided that Wen Daozhang’s presence was essential. To attract more visitors, he actively helped forge evidence of Wen Daozhang’s immortality.]

Everyone: !!!

What kind of outrageous village is this?!

Yuan Ruan gasped: [Such greed! TV dramas never lied to me. Wait, so the miraculous powers attributed to Wen Daozhang were also…]

System: [All part of the show! For instance, if Wen Daozhang predicted someone would have a bloody misfortune, they would set an ambush to ensure the person got injured. If he said someone would find romance this month, the villagers would arrange for someone to pursue them.]

Everyone: ???

There’s such a method?!

The system continued: [The most ridiculous case was when Wen Daozhang claimed that Donghe Village would experience a drought during spring planting unless they paid for a rain ritual. The villagers refused, saying it often rained during that season. The Wen villagers secretly sabotaged Donghe’s upstream water source at night. After the villagers begged for rain, they repaired the source overnight, creating the illusion of Wen Daozhang’s divine power.]

Everyone: !!!

Destroying the upstream water source during farming season?!

That’s murder!

Prime Minister Wang almost rushed out to arrest Wen Daozhang for interrogation, but the emperor held him back.

The emperor took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with cold fury. An entire village of frauds? No wonder investigations had yielded nothing. Without Ah Ruan, they might have died being deceived.

The crown prince was equally furious. Wen Daozhang was recommended by his subordinates, and he had been tasked with investigating him.

He had almost harmed his father.

Thankfully, there was still time to make amends.

Thinking of this, the crown prince looked at Yuan Ruan with gratitude and a newfound gentleness.

Yuan Ruan, however, didn’t notice the change in their expressions. She only worried:

Yuan Ruan: [An entire village of scammers… Luckily, my elder brother has already uncovered the fraud and stopped consuming immortality pills.]

System: [Not necessarily. Just because Wen Daozhang is exposed doesn’t mean your brother won’t try pills from other alchemists. Unless you can prove the pills are poisonous, there’s no guarantee. But as a dumpling, you can’t prove it. Maybe just destroy them?]

Yuan Ruan: [Good point. Have you found their location?]

System: [Of course. Several bottles are locked in a wooden cabinet in the side hall of the Yangxin Palace. There’s also one in the emperor’s inner robe. Ah Ruan, aim carefully and strike! These are flammable, so don’t set your elder brother on fire!]

Everyone: !!!

What?!

The system was inciting the little national preceptor to summon lightning?! That would kill someone!

Yuan Ruan and the system began scheming how to safely destroy the pills with lightning.

The emperor and his entourage were highly tense, desperately brainstorming how to convince Yuan Ruan without arousing suspicion.

At that moment, the head eunuch entered, announcing: “Your Majesty, an urgent letter from General Wu Yi!”

Before the words had fully landed, the crown prince rushed forward: “Bring it here!”

The head eunuch was stunned.

The emperor and his entourage were also confused by the crown prince’s eagerness. They watched as he read the letter and turned to the emperor: “Father, General Wu Yi has accomplished great things, but he has a bold request: he wishes for a single immortality pill for his ailing grandmother.”

Yuan Ruan: [No way. She’d choke to death on the spot. Quickly destroy them all!]

The emperor’s skin crawled.

Prime Minister Li stared at the crown prince: ???

Crown Prince, what are you doing?!

At such a critical moment, you can’t provoke the little national preceptor by mentioning immortality pills!

Prime Minister Wang was equally stunned: Crown Prince, your character is supposed to be benevolent! Are you seriously planning to use Wu Yi’s grandmother’s death as proof? That’s immoral!

At that moment, the crown prince took a jade bottle from the emperor’s sleeve, shook it, and said: “Ah, so this is the immortality pill. Hmm? Why are a few missing?”

As fate would have it, a bright red pill fell into the messenger pigeon’s mouth.

“Goo… Goo, goo…” The pigeon swallowed the pill, flapping its wings in shock.

The crown prince closely observed the pigeon’s state, his fingers subtly touching its vital spots, while casually saying: “My apologies, Father, I accidentally lost one of your immortality pills.”

The emperor and his entourage immediately understood the crown prince’s plan: he intended to use the pigeon to prove the pills were poisonous.

The emperor looked at the pigeon: “An unintentional mistake.”

Yuan Ruan: [System, the pigeon swallowed it! Should I strike it with lightning to prove the pill is toxic?]

System: [Quick, quick, quick!]

The crown prince glanced appreciatively at Yuan Ruan. He had planned to secretly kill the pigeon, but it seemed their thoughts aligned perfectly.

The emperor and his entourage began preparing their shocked and furious expressions.

At that moment, the pigeon stiffened and collapsed.

The crown prince rose in anger, shouting: “What’s going on?!”

System: [Great work, host! You did it!]

Yuan Ruan: [Wait, I didn’t even summon lightning! It… Oh no, the pigeon died after just one pill?! System, didn’t you say it would only cause indigestion?!]

The crown prince froze in place.

Everyone: !!!

What?!

The pigeon was actually poisoned to death?!

Everyone else looked at the emperor in horror.