People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 236, The dutiful Imperial Physician Xu, and Old Xu from next door knocking on the door.
A great fire spread through Xinzheng, and the Baiyue settlements outside the city were massacred. However, this was only the beginning.

Xinzheng, the residence of the Fourth Prince.

Han Yu, who was sleeping, was suddenly awakened. He instinctively grabbed the short sword hidden beside him and stabbed at the person who came.

"I am Fourth Master."

"Han Yu's adopted son, Han Qianqiu, dodged the stabbing short sword and shouted."

Han Yu stared intently, and seeing Han Qianqiu's panicked face, he silently sheathed the short sword in his hand.

"Qianqiu, what happened?" Han Yu asked in a deep voice.

"Fourth Master, someone from the palace urgently summons you to the palace. A major incident has occurred in Xinzheng. Someone has set a huge fire in the East Ward, burning down most of the houses there, and even the Imperial Hospital in the southeast corner of the palace has been affected," Han Qianqiu said.

"What!? You mean the Imperial Hospital caught fire too? Did the Imperial Hospital's medicine storehouse and accounting records also catch fire?" Han Yu asked nervously.

“That’s right. According to our informants, after the fire started in the East Ward, the flames blown by the wind ignited the Imperial Medical Academy’s medicine storehouse.”

"The imperial physician in charge of the duty, Xu Qing, led the other personnel to start fighting the fire immediately. However, the fire was too big to be extinguished. Moreover, according to those who were observant, the fire seemed to be impossible to put out with ordinary water."

"Xu Qing rushed into the fire without regard for the danger in order to save the medicinal herbs in the medicine storehouse. He was burned by the fire and would probably have perished in the flames if he hadn't been rescued by the two medical officers."

Han Qianqiu recounted everything he had heard, and with each sentence Han Yu heard, his expression grew even more somber.

During the day, he had used the Baiyue refugee issue to regain his place in the court. In the evening, he contacted his old acquaintances, planning to launch a major attack on Xu Qing while his father was investigating the Imperial Medical Academy's accounts. Even if he couldn't imprison Xu Qing, he could at least severely injure him.

That night, the Imperial Hospital caught fire, and coincidentally, the medicine storehouse was burned down. How could he not see the problem?

"You have some nerve, you really have some nerve!" Han Yu said coldly.

Han Qianqiu glanced at Han Yu, whose expression was cold, and then continued speaking.
"According to reports from soldiers who were keeping watch on the Baiyue refugee camp, the Baiyue refugees were attacked by unknown people, and hundreds of them died on the spot."

"What!?" Han Yu exclaimed in shock.

"This news should have already reached the Han King's palace, which is why His Majesty has summoned you, General Ji Wuye, and Prime Minister Zhang Kaidi for a meeting," Han Qianqiu said.

Han Yu looked gloomy, his mind a jumble of thoughts, overwhelmed by the barrage of messages.

Han Fei's gathering of these Baiyue refugees was only the first step in his plan. He also intended to incite these refugees to revolt, thereby completely bringing Han Fei down. However, all of these refugees died tragically, which was completely beyond his expectations.

However, he didn't have much time to think now, and got up from the bed to say...
"Quick, change my clothes."

"promise."

Han Yu quickly dressed, put on his leg braces, and headed towards the Han Palace. At the same time, Ji Wuye and Zhang Kaidi also boarded their carriages and headed towards the Han Palace.

The fire that spread through the East Ward continued to burn, and a large number of soldiers began to fight the fire. However, when they poured water on the flames, the fire not only failed to be extinguished, but instead grew even larger.

For a time, the soldiers had no choice but to let the fire spread and eventually extinguish itself.

Meanwhile, on the cliffs outside Xinzheng City.

Tianze gazed at the raging fire in Xinzheng City and the billowing black smoke, his crimson eyes filled with excitement and ferocity. This fire was his signal to the State of Korea announcing his return, and also the first step in his revenge.

"Slaughter, flames, death—I think the Koreans will really like this gift," Tianze said with a cold laugh.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Hundred Poison King, who had gone to kill, and the Flame Spirit Princess, who had set the fire, walked up the cliff and stood behind Tianze, together with the Peerless Ghost and the Corpse-Driving Demon.

"You've done a great job, both in terms of the fire and the punishment of those traitors. I'm very satisfied," Tianze said, looking at Yan Lingji and Bai Du Wang.

“Those people have forgotten Baiyue, forgotten who brought them suffering. They are not worthy to live in the name of Baiyue,” the Hundred Poison King said coldly.

Yan Lingji remained silent, her dreamlike, icy blue eyes sweeping over the Hundred Poison King before turning to the frenzied Tianze, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

When she returned, she saw the fate of those Baiyue refugees, which reminded her of her tribe and her younger brother who was lost in the war between the Baiyue tribes.

Tianze turned around and continued looking at Xinzheng, eventually focusing his gaze on the residence closest to the Han King's Palace, the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

"I wonder if you, Bai Yifei, can accept this gift!" Tianze said with a sneer.

Bai Yifei released him with the aim of disrupting Xinzheng and eliminating his political enemies. Having been tormented by Bai Yifei for years, he naturally wouldn't obediently follow the other party's orders.

So he planned to give Bai Yifei and Ji Wuye a surprise to show them that he, Tianze, was not a dog to be driven around, but a fierce beast from Baiyue.

Even though he was locked in a cage, his wild nature as a Baiyue person meant he would never submit!

Inside the council hall of the Han King's Palace.

King Han An sat on his throne with a gloomy and uneasy expression. He already knew about what had happened inside and outside Xinzheng.

Whether it was the fire in Dongfang, the tragic deaths of Baiyue refugees, or the fire at the Imperial Hospital, although he knew about these events, he had no idea who the mastermind was or what the specific circumstances were, which made him very uneasy.

The palace gates were pushed open, and Ji Wuye, Zhang Kaidi, and Han Yu entered the palace one after the other.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" "Greetings, Father!"

The three bowed.

"No need for formalities. I demand an explanation for the chaos in Xinzheng tonight! A reasonable explanation!" King Han An said angrily, looking at the three men.

Looking at the angry Han Wang'an, the three of them knew that he was frightened and genuinely angry.

During the day, King An of Han had just ordered the refugees to be taken in in order to demonstrate his benevolence, but by nightfall these people had died. Wasn't this a slap in the face to King An of Han?

Moreover, the fire in Dongfang tonight has spread to the Han King's Palace, causing the Imperial Medical Academy's medicine storehouse and the treasury where accounts are stored to be burned. Although there are many suspicious points, on the surface it seems that evil people set fire to Xinzheng and even burned down the Han King's Palace. How could this not frighten King Han An?

Zhang Kaidi and Han Yu didn't speak, but instead looked at Ji Wuye.

As the Grand General of Han, Ji Wuye was in charge of the security of Xinzheng. Therefore, the events of tonight were naturally the other party's responsibility.

"Your Majesty, whether it is the killing of Baiyue refugees outside the city or the fire in the East Ward, it is all the work of Baiyue villains. The fire in the East Ward did not get extinguished by water but instead grew stronger. Only Baiyue witchcraft could do this."

Ji Wuye cupped his hands and said, a cold glint in his eyes.

He naturally knew that the fire and the tragic deaths of the Baiyue refugees tonight were Tianze's doing, and he was very satisfied with it. After all, his purpose in releasing Tianze was to stir up trouble in Xinzheng and thus get rid of Han Fei, who was the Minister of Justice.

"Bad people from Baiyue!?" King Han An looked astonished, then his face darkened further.

Baiyue was a forbidden zone for him, and now that he learned that everything that happened tonight was caused by the Baiyue villains, he immediately assumed that these Baiyue villains were among the Baiyue refugees.

This made him regret listening to Han Fei's advice and taking in the Baiyue refugees.

Seeing Han Wang'an's face darken, Han Yu and Ji Wuye sneered inwardly. Their goal was to eliminate Han Fei, and they didn't care about the process.

Seeing Han Wang'an's uncertain expression, his eyes filled with anger and regret, Zhang Kai felt a pang of anxiety. He knew that Han Wang'an was directing his anger at Han Fei.

Just as he was about to step forward and say a few words on Han Fei's behalf, Han Fei, the eunuch outside the door, strode into the hall.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Physician requests an audience," said Han, the palace attendant, to King Han An.

"The Imperial Physician? Let him in," King Han An nodded and said.

He knew about the fire at the Imperial Hospital and understood that Xu Qing had come to report on the situation there.

"promise."

Han, the eunuch, turned and walked towards the outside of the hall. Ji Wuye, Han Yu, and Zhang Kaidi all looked towards the entrance of the hall.

All three were shrewd individuals and naturally understood that the fire at the Imperial Hospital was unusual and most likely orchestrated by Xu Qing to settle accounts by burning down the warehouse.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xu Qing slowly walked into the hall.

At this moment, Xu Qing's hair was disheveled, his once handsome face was blackened by the fire, his official robes were tattered, and the sleeves were burned down to only half, with faint traces of embers still visible.

Xu Qing, in particular, had burns on his face and arms.

Seeing Xu Qing in such a disheveled state, Han Wang'an, Ji Wuye, and the others were all stunned. If they hadn't looked closely, they would never have recognized the person in front of them as the distinguished imperial physician Xu Qing.

Seeing the four shocked people, Xu Qing knew he had achieved his goal, but he still had to put on a show. He immediately adopted a sorrowful expression and bowed to the Han King's palace, saying...

"Your Majesty, I have failed to live up to your expectations. I was unable to control the fire in the Imperial Hospital. The fire burned all the herbs in the medicine storehouse. I tried my best to save them, but in the end I only managed to salvage one precious herb."

As he spoke, Xu Qing took out a prepared box from his pocket, held it high, and some dust fell from the blackened box to prove that it contained the medicinal herbs that Xu Qing had rescued from the fire.

Han Yu watched as Xu Qing closed his eyes unwillingly. After this box of medicinal herbs was taken out, he knew that no one would be able to check Xu Qing's accounts anymore.

After all, Xu Qing rushed into the fire to put out the blaze and salvage the medicinal herbs in full view of everyone, and was even burned in the process. If there were problems with the accounts, why would Xu Qing have risked his life to carry out such a rescue?

From this day forward, Xu Qing will surely be praised by everyone as a loyal minister, and anyone who wants to investigate Xu Qing's accounts will be slapping King Han An in the face.

"Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!" Xu Qing said in a sorrowful voice.

Han Wang'an looked at the medicine box that Xu Qing held up, and then at Xu Qing's burned arm, and couldn't help but be moved.

How could someone who risked their life to rush into a raging fire to save accounts and medicines be a corrupt and petty person? They are clearly a dutiful and selfless loyal official.

Putting aside everything else, even if the Prime Minister's residence or the Sima residence were on fire, Zhang Kaidi and Ji Wuye would never be the first to rush to put out the fire.

At that moment, King An of Han couldn't help but feel remorse and guilt.

How could he listen to the instigation of petty people and suspect Xu Qing of embezzlement and bribery?

How can one doubt such a loyal minister?
“What wrong have you done, my dear minister? This fire was caused by the wicked people of Baiyue, and it was beyond human power to put out. What does it have to do with you? Besides, you took the lead and led the people to fight the fire, which is obvious to all.”

"If there is any fault, it is mine. I should not have listened to the instigation of petty people and suspected you of embezzling from the medicine storehouse and abusing your power for personal gain!"

"I will now order those villains to be severely punished! As for you, my dear minister, you need not feel any burden; go back and recuperate well."

"The Imperial Physician has performed his duties faithfully and responsibly; he shall be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold, ten bolts of silk, and jade artifacts."

Han Wang'an's voice was agitated, filled with regret and guilt.

Ji Wuye, Han Yu, and Zhang Kaidi were all seasoned veterans of the court, but they were still somewhat surprised to see Xu Qing easily resolve the audit matter and even receive lavish rewards from Prince Han An.

They felt like green recruits in front of Xu Qing.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for refusing your reward. I failed to protect the medicinal herbs in the medicine storehouse, which is already a dereliction of duty. How can a sinner who has failed in his duty be rewarded? I beg you to rescind your order," Xu Qing said loudly.

At this moment, Xu Qing was no longer the corrupt official he usually was; he was now a righteous and upright minister!

Upon hearing this, King Han An was even more moved and sighed softly.

"My dear minister, there is no need to say more. The medicinal herbs have been burned, but we can find them again. However, you are an invaluable talent. If you were to be lost, it would be the greatest loss for our country, Korea."

"Please accept these rewards without worry. No one will dare to frame you again in the future."

"Someone, take the imperial physician back so he can rest and recover properly."

"promise."

Han, the eunuch, walked up to Xu Qing and gestured to him with his eyes that he should stop while he was ahead.

Xu Qing realized that continuing the act would be going too far, so she put the medicine box on the ground and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, I am very grateful for your generous gift."

"Go back and rest well."

"promise."

With the help of Han, the palace attendant, Xu Qing left the council hall.

After Xu Qing left, Ji Wuye and the others turned their attention back to discussing how to deal with the mess Tian Ze had created.

After much discussion, King An of Han listened to Zhang Kaidi's suggestion and lifted Han Fei's confinement, allowing him to atone for his crimes by investigating the mastermind behind the tragic deaths of the Baiyue refugees and the Baiyue sorcerers who set fire to the city.

Ji Wuye and Han Yu naturally had no objection to this result. After all, if Han Fei, the Minister of Justice, didn't investigate, then it would be one of them—the two of them—to do it.
After this incident, Han Fei's image in King An's mind has been greatly diminished. Their goal has been achieved, so they naturally know when to stop.

After leaving the Han Palace, Xu Qing did not return home or go to Zilan Pavilion, but instead knocked on the door of the Luo family's residence next door.

(End of this chapter)