Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1088 - 126: Gu That Controls People

Normally, Prince Han Zhao Yao avoids arriving early to court sessions or suggesting it himself. Yet this time, he stunned all the officials by showing up a whole day before the assembly.

Prior to the gathering, the courtiers glanced skyward, pondering if the sun had risen from the west that day. Sadly, clouds blanketed everything, hiding the sun from view.

Sunny skies had dominated the last few days—could today’s overcast conditions stem from His Highness choosing to attend the assembly proactively and ahead of time?

In the court session, officials witnessed Prince Han Zhao Yao displaying rage for the first time, radiating a deadly intent. Prince Han had always stayed jovial, seldom showing anger. Never before had they seen His Highness this enraged.

Wen Daoji and Zheng Qian suspected some grave incident had occurred, explaining why His Highness fumed so intensely.

Zhao Yao directed Tong Xi to reveal the divine pill’s components and their impacts to the officials.

The Southern Wei indeed invested heavily in rare herbs for the divine pill, which truly boost vitality and extend lifespan. However, the key element wasn’t those herbs—it was the youth-restoring substance Yaofurong.

Yaofurong differs entirely from furong and bears no connection to it. It’s neither flower nor plant, but a gu.

Originally, this gu carried a different name. Somehow, it earned the title "Yaofurong." Most folks hearing "Yaofurong" immediately picture the furong bloom or some herb, never suspecting a gu.

Yaofurong stands apart from typical gu; it’s cultivated using assorted toxins. Those who ingest it gain better health and a rejuvenated look.

Long-term use does yield ever-greater youthfulness, yet it ultimately drives madness. Insanity isn’t the worst fate, though—the true horror lies in its power to dominate minds, reducing victims to mere puppets. That’s the Southern Wei’s true aim.

Their plan started with deploying the divine pill to seize control of key regional leaders, bending these powerhouses to their will, paving the way to dominate Great Zhou’s court and the royal houses of Annan and Johor.

Luckily, Zhao Yao uncovered the truth early; the divine pill hadn’t permeated Great Zhou’s heartland much, and crucially, buyers had only taken it briefly. A three-month delay in discovery would have let the gu embed deeply in consumers, rendering removal impossible.

Right now, divine pill users harbor tiny gu inside, undeveloped by human tissue, so control remains out of reach for now. Purging is still feasible. But three more months means no medicine can help without destroying the mother gu.

Learning the divine pill harbored gu filled officials with dread, mingled with relief that they’d avoided it.

Southern Wei dispatched divine pills targeting select high court figures to manipulate Zhao Yao’s regime and claim supremacy. Fortunately, Zheng Qian and Wen Daoji stayed ever-vigilant, shunning foreign pills, and dismissed miracle cures outright.

Earlier, Zhao Yao had cautioned against blindly trusting Lingnan’s wonder drugs. While many boast incredible results, their makeup can prove risky—Lingnan folk often mix in bizarre stuff during crafting, including gu at times.

True, not every gu harms; many aid healing and enhance well-being. Still, no one can vouch for gu slipped into outsider remedies being benign.

Courtiers under Zhao Yao know gu tales well and dread them intensely.

Hearing how the divine pill’s gu induces lunacy and enslaves wills left officials’ faces pale with horror.

Just days prior, Zhao Yao abruptly banned the divine pill, prompting many officials to scoff at the overreaction—what chaos could one pill unleash? Now, it’s clear Prince Han possessed sharp foresight, foreseeing the divine pill’s dire threat.

At the morning assembly, Zhao Yao reiterated the strict ban on the divine pill. Sellers or buyers face execution. Hiders or protectors of such traders get jailed.

Should officials’ kin or allies hold divine pills, they must surrender them promptly to the Imperial Court of Judicial Review to escape penalty. Discovery of concealment later means demotion for the official and public execution for the relatives.