Chapter 493: The Five Chief Elders

The so-called venue was really the field just outside the Pavilion of Herbs temporarily cordoned out for the occasion.

Although it was only for temporary use, the set up was in no way haphazard.

The preliminary rounds were a competition of the basic and the spectator stand took up more space than the competition ground.

Apart from Lin Mengya and Zuo Qiuyu, who were seated at the second tier of the spectator tower, the rest of the officials were simply seated below the competition platform.

Under the watchful eyes of all the people, Lin Mengya, accompanied by Zuo Qiuyu, finally seated herself at her seat.

From this angle, she was able to clearly see everything that was happening on the grounds. On the other hand, having been blocked by a curtain of beads, the view of the people was obscured and they would not be able to see her clearly.

“Please go ahead, the prince and princess do not wish to be disturbed.”

Yu An, who was dressed entirely in black, had become the most effective assistant by Lin Mengya’s side.

He had dismissed all the servants and let down the curtain of beads all around.

The pair of cousins finally found a relatively safe enclosed space for themselves for the time being.

“Do you see the Zhus?”

Lin Mengya was not familiar with the officials who came as spectators and she was glad to have the know-all Yu An.

“Yes, I spotted them. Lord Zhu is just down there. The guy next to him is his nephew, who was the person the Zhus chosen this time.”

Yu An pointed out where the Zhus were located to Lin Mengya.

Given that they were not very far away, Lin Mengya was able to make out the appearances of Zhu Qiyun and his nephew rather well.

It was undeniable that Zhu Qiyun was a skilled actor.

While his son had just passed away, he was still able to converse naturally with the people around him. He did not reveal any signs of abnormity on his face.

On the other hand, it was the refined-looking young man sitting beside him who appeared rather unsettled.

“Instruct someone to watch them for me.”

It was impossible for Lin Mengya not to be worried and anxious about Long Tianyu.

However, she was very clear that Zhu Qiyun must have an extensive scheme to lay his hands on Long Tianyu.

All of a sudden, a series of salvos sounded in the midst of a drum roll. The medical competition had officially begun.

The Pavilion of Herbs, like a gigantic building located in the old capital, would open its mysterious door for the impending change of power.

There was once Lin Mengya asked Zuo Qiuyu the reason for the past emperors to allow a grander and more exquisite Pavilion of Herb to be built next to the palace.

In comparison with the palace’s red and green bricks and tiles, white and emerald was the theme of the building of the Pavilion of Herbs.

The style of the building was also a little more spirited and graceful than the solemn palace.

From afar, the palace in the old capital was like a coiled up flying dragon.

The building of the Pavilion of Herbs was like a stalk of miracle-working herb growing in the world.

While there was the absence of splendor and majesty, there was an air of simple but out-of-the-world elegance and refinement.

According to Cousin Chen, it was a mysterious man who designed the building of the Pavilion of Herbs.

For hundreds of years, no one had dared renovate or make any changes to the building without permission.

The designer had to be a person with unusual abilities. Nevertheless, the purpose of designing the Pavilion of Herbs in this way was likely to remind all the people not to covet after power.

He must have wished that people here would be devoted to the research of medicinal herbs with one heart.

Unfortunately, the people who came after had defiled the Pavilion of Herbs because of their selfish desires.

Lin Mengya thought it was such a pity and wished that Cousin Yu would successfully take over the position of the Chief Elder of the Pavilion of Herbs.

If he became the Chief Elder, the Pavilion of Herbs, which was supposed to be the place to save all men, would enjoy peace in the coming decade or so years.

“The selective trial for the Chief Elder of the Pavilion of Herbs in the form of a medical competition begins now!”

A rich and mellow voice echoed through the air from the scarlet platform that had been temporarily put up.

Thereafter, a number of important personnel of the Pavilion of Herbs settled down in their seats.

Lin Mengya looked at the medical scholars dressed in white and lightly shook her head.

As the host, it was understandable that they were the last to appear and be seated.

Nevertheless, the drum roll and gun salutes just now were much more ceremonious than that when she and Zuo Qiuyu arrived.

Doing so would be overstepping their authority because Zuo Qiuyu was not simply a competitor.

Most importantly, he was a prince of the Nation of Lintian and on this occasion, he was representing the will of the king of Lintian.

In this light, his identity was extraordinary.

This might seem like a trivial matter but Lin Mengya and Zuo Qiuyu could sense something abnormal.

“Those few men must be the most authoritative elders of the Pavilion of Herbs. Not to mention they appeared to be flaunting their seniority, they making disciples of all nations is actually leading the young people astray.”

Zuo Qiuyu said with disdain in his voice.

In reality, the elders in the Pavilion of Herbs might not be the most skillful physicians.

For example, Zuo Qiuyu’s teacher, who was a legendary physician, was only an elder by name in the Pavilion of Herbs just because he lacked power and authority and did not have any powerful backings.

For this reason, he felt strongly against these elders who resorted to unscrupulous means to fish for fame and compliments.

“Don’t be anxious. The fun had just started, so let’s watch.”

Lin Mengya was not worried at all although Zuo Qiuyu’s participation had brought great pressure on them unknowingly.

However, the Pavilion of Herbs was no longer an unmovable authority. For many years now, Cousin Chen had not been passing his time leisurely.

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Although he was unable to destroy it, Zuo Qiuchen was doing everything he could to stop the disunity and division within the Pavilion of Herbs.

The Chief Elder had gone missing for many years. If he was still alive, he would be an old man of a hundred years.

A change in authority was a matter of time.

Moreover, the departure of her mother without telling anyone would also have given these people sufficient opportunity.

From the information she gathered as well as the message Zuo Qiuchen and his people gave her, there were altogether five who were the most likely candidate to become the Chief Elder.

Among the neutral party, which was also the weakest in terms of power, was an elder named Chang Tianhua.

This man had just turned fifty, which was the golden period for being a physician.

He possessed excellent medical skills. In fact, Lin Mengya had the intention of approaching him to treat her left arm on this trip.

However, this man was extremely stubborn. Compared to fighting for power and authority, he would rather be doing medical research.

For this reason, Cousin Chen had been secretly helping him, which was also the reason he had attained his current position. He was Zuo Qiuchen’s last resort.

Lin Mengya could see clearly that Chang Tianhua was the man sitting on the outermost seat. Compared to the other four candidates, he was like an old man from the village.

He was very skinny, but his dark complexion exuberated both strength and kindness at the same time.

He did not even engage in small talk with the people around him. It was as if he was an outsider.

Sitting beside Chang Tianhua was an extremely well-built and muscular man.

He was Qian Yuming, the elder in charge of the Thousand Herbs Shop of the Pavilion of Herbs.

Although he had a straight-forward and good-natured appearance, this old man was in fact the most artful of all.

During each year he was managing the Thousand Herbs Shop, one wondered how much medicinal herbs had been leaked out through his hands.

The Qians were formally a noble family with clean records. Although the family appeared to be doing alright, it had really lost all of its wealth.

Qian Yuming had used his own means to fatten the Qian family.

Nevertheless, what Cousin Chen felt was even more wasteful was how they abused the medicinal herbs.

If they did not get rid of such a parasite, the Pavilion of Herbs would not see peaceful days.

He was also a target whom Lin Mengya was supposed to ‘take care of’ on this occasion.

In terms of love for money, Lin Mengya was in fact even more devious than Qian Yuming.

Seated among the five men was an old and ailing man called Nan Rui, who was really an old bastard.

All five men were extremely respectful of him. His eyes, like hawk eyes, seemed to dazzle with bright light.

He was once the youngest junior to the Chief Elder. The two had fought over the position for over fifty years.

He had evolved from a strong young man into what he was now.

Cousin Chen had told her that this man was sinister and ruthless and that Lin Mengya and the rest should guard against him.

Li Yuan, whom Cousin Chen had planted as bait in there, was his disciple.

Although the old man appeared as if he could breathe his last any time, he was in no way less wicked and scheming than his juniors.

He had held on tightly to the authority over the treasury with all his heart.

The remaining two men were a pair of brothers.

One was names Duanmu Yang, while the other was Duanmu Yin.

Their names were given in hope that there would be a balance of Yin and Yang, and indeed their characters were so.

One was hot-tempered while the other was mild.

The brothers were in charge of the Disciples’ Mill and the Medical Classics Mill. At present, they were at the zenith of their power.

What was hard to come by was the fact that the two brothers were of one heart, which was why they were able to retain one-third of the power together with Qian Yuming and Nan Rui.

At this moment, the five men were seated in one line on the platform. They appeared more important than Lin Mengya and her company.

“In a while when this is over, I’ll bring you to meet Elder Chang. My brother, the emperor had already notified him so I believe he will try his best to heal you.”

Zuo Qiuyu was no doubt very nervous, but he had to pretend to be unruffled because his little cousin was sitting by his side.

Of these five men, apart from Chang Tianhua, the others were associated with him in one way or another.

Perhaps it would be more apt to say that there was bitter and deep-seated hatred between him and those others.

“Are you alright, Cousin Yu?”

Lin Mengya could sense that Zuo Qiuyu was trying to suppress his emotions. Although those men were detestable, they still should not make Zuo Qiuyu act in this way.

Zuo Qiuyu was stunned for a moment, but when he saw his cousin, he shook his head instinctively.

“Nothing.”

He decided that it would better to keep something from Lin Mengya. She had enough to worry about so he thought he would handle something alone.

Despite feeling worried, she knew that Zuo Qiuyu would know how to handle the situation with discernment.

She directed her vision back to the platform. The preliminary competition today had been divided into three items.

The first item required the participants to distinguish the one thousand components of a mixture of medicinal herbs within a time limit of half an hour.

As long as they were able to identify accurately the few defined herbs, they would pass the test.

However, it should be noted that it was extremely difficult to identify a few components out of a mixture made up of a thousand components.

This was the strict requirement of the Pavilion of Herbs. To them, how could a physician be able to heal and save a patient if he was unable to discern the different medicinal herbs?

While all the people looked on, a dozen round tables were being carried onto the platform.

At the peripheral of the tables, twelve yellow wooden boxes had been placed there.

Within the boxes, the names of the herbs ought to be pasted on them. After they had been arranged properly, some men began carrying the twelve boxes to the tables.