The Twists and Turns of Searching for Herbs

Lin Yue was well aware that physical cooling alone couldn't completely cure Afu's illness. She had to find the right herbs. She remembered some heat - clearing and detoxifying herbs in modern medicine that might be helpful for Afu's condition. So, she decided to look for them in the medicine storehouse of the prince's mansion.

In the medicine storehouse, Lin Yue looked at the shelves full of herbs, feeling a bit at a loss. Although she knew the names of the herbs, she wasn't familiar with their ancient forms and processing methods. Just then, Old Pharmacist Sun, who worked in the storehouse, came over.

"Miss, what herbs are you looking for?"

Lin Yue quickly replied,

"Uncle Sun, I'm looking for honeysuckle, forsythia, and isatis root. Do you know where they are?"

Old Pharmacist Sun slightly frowned.

"We do have honeysuckle and forsythia, but we don't have isatis root here."

Lin Yue's heart sank. She knew that isatis root played an important role in treating febrile diseases. After thinking for a moment, she said to Old Pharmacist Sun,

"Uncle Sun, are there any other herbs with similar effects?"

Old Pharmacist Sun thought for a while.

"There's a herb called folium isatidis. Its effects are similar to the isatis root you mentioned. Maybe it's worth a try."

Lin Yue's eyes lit up.

"That's great, Uncle Sun. Please help me find it."

However, problems arose during the search for folium isatidis. The quantity of folium isatidis originally stocked in the medicine storehouse was insufficient, and they needed to purchase it from outside. Lin Yue looked at the few remaining herbs, feeling extremely anxious. She found Li Yi and hoped he could help purchase folium isatidis as soon as possible. Li Yi looked at Lin Yue's anxious expression and felt a bit 心疼.

"Miss Lin, don't worry. I'll send someone to purchase it immediately and will definitely bring the herbs back as soon as possible."

Lin Yue looked at Li Yi gratefully.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Afu's condition can't be delayed any longer."

The guards dispatched by Li Yi set off quickly. But not long after, they ran into trouble. On their way to the pharmacy, they were attacked by a group of bandits. The bandits, armed with weapons, blocked the guards' way. The guards fought bravely, but as the number of bandits was large, they gradually couldn't hold their ground. The guard captain in charge of purchasing the herbs was extremely anxious. He knew that the herbs were crucial for Afu's condition. If they couldn't bring the herbs back on time, Afu's life would be at risk.

Just when the guard captain felt desperate, a mysterious swordsman appeared. He was dressed in a black close - fitting outfit, holding a long sword. His swordsmanship was superb, and with just a few moves, he repelled the bandits. The guard captain looked at the swordsman gratefully.

"Thank you, hero, for saving our lives. May I know your name?"

The swordsman smiled faintly.

"Seeing injustice, one should draw the sword to help. No need to ask. What are you going to do?"

The guard captain told the swordsman about purchasing herbs to save Afu. After hearing this, the swordsman said,

"I'm going in that direction too. I'll accompany you to prevent any more danger."

Escorted by the swordsman, the guards successfully arrived at the pharmacy. However, the pharmacy owner told them that all the folium isatidis had been bought. The guard captain was shocked.

"What should we do? The servant of our prince is waiting for these herbs to save his life."

The pharmacy owner said helplessly,

"There's nothing I can do. A mysterious person bought all the folium isatidis at a high price."

The guard captain returned to the prince's mansion with this bad news. Lin Yue was very anxious when she heard it. She knew that someone must be deliberately causing trouble behind the scenes to stop her from treating Afu. She decided to investigate personally to find out who was behind it. Lin Yue made inquiries everywhere and finally learned that it was Liu Ruyan who had sent someone to buy all the folium isatidis. She angrily went to confront Liu Ruyan. Liu Ruyan pretended to be innocent.

"Miss Lin, don't wrong me. How could I do such a thing?"

Lin Yue looked at Liu Ruyan and said coldly,

"Concubine, the evidence is conclusive. Stop arguing. Why are you so heartless? Doesn't Afu's life mean nothing to you?"

Liu Ruyan was irritated by Lin Yue's words.

"Humph, you're a woman of unknown origin, showing off everywhere in the prince's mansion and getting the prince's favor. I just can't stand you."

Lin Yue knew that arguing with Liu Ruyan was meaningless. The top priority was to find folium isatidis. She decided to look for it among the common people to see if she could find this herb elsewhere. After learning this, Li Yi was worried about Lin Yue going alone and decided to accompany her personally. Lin Yue looked at Li Yi, deeply touched.

"Your Highness, you're busy with numerous affairs every day. How can you accompany me for such a small matter?"

Li Yi smiled and said,

"Miss Lin, your matter is my matter. Afu's condition concerns the safety of everyone in the prince's mansion. How can I not take it seriously?"

So, Lin Yue and Li Yi, along with a few guards, left the prince's mansion in disguise. They made inquiries everywhere among the common people and finally found an old herbalist in a remote town. The old herbalist happened to have some folium isatidis at home. Lin Yue looked at the folium isatidis, filled with joy.

"Old man, can you sell us this folium isatidis? We're in urgent need of it."

The old herbalist looked at Lin Yue and Li Yi, his eyes full of vigilance.

"What do you want the folium isatidis for?"

Lin Yue told the old herbalist about Afu's condition and the treatment. After hearing this, the old herbalist was touched by Lin Yue's kindness and persistence.

"Miss, seeing that you're a kind - hearted person, I'll sell it to you."

Lin Yue and Li Yi returned to the prince's mansion with the folium isatidis and immediately started decocting the medicine for Afu. Amid everyone's anticipation, Afu drank the medicine soup containing folium isatidis. This time, Afu's condition finally showed obvious improvement. His body temperature gradually dropped, and he became more energetic. Lin Yue looked at the gradually recovering Afu, filled with a sense of achievement. She knew that although the journey had been full of twists and turns, it was all worth it.