Ita Era

Chapter 154 Chaos
After the old woman left, Li Si approached and advised, "Sir, if we send a few people to ask around at the major pharmacies, we should be able to find out the truth."

Ding Shi glanced at Li Si. The NPCs in this instance have very rich emotions, but only a few of them are considered to be emotional.

Ding Shi took out two thousand taels of silver: "Distribute them to the brothers of the Brave Guard Battalion, and tell them it's a gift from me to you all."

Li Si said, "Yes, sir." One hundred people, each can get twenty taels of silver. One tael of silver is approximately equal to two shi of rice, or about 380 jin.

Ding Shi took out one thousand taels: "This is for you brothers."

Li Si was overjoyed, accepted the silver note, thanked him profusely, and left to carry out his business.

Ding Shi leaned back in his armchair, and Wang Wu fawned over him: "Sir, what about Liu's case?"

Ding Shi said, "The investigation is complete. Prefect Wang is of upright character and has a good reputation. Censor Zhang falsely accused a loyal official and deserves to die."

Wang Wu: "This..."

Ding Shi said, "The emperor and I are brothers, he'll believe me if I say so. You take your brothers to investigate the medicine powder." He believed Yu Yuan had spies, and he wanted to know where Yu Yuan would send them.

Ding Shi waved his hand: "Go."

As soon as Wang Wu left, a eunuch came to the door: "His Majesty requests that Lord Ding come to the Imperial Study."

Yu Yuan invited Ding Shi because of Liu Shi's case. Surprisingly, Yu Yuan actually believed Ding Shi's nonsense. But to Ding Shi's surprise, Yu Yuan asked him to frame the prefect. Ding Shi was stunned.

Ding Shi said, "I have already solved the case, and many people know about it."

Yu Yuan: "Can you find a way to turn the case around?"

Ding Shi pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you suggest we do?"

Yu Yuan: "I don't know the specifics, what can you do?"

Ding Shi pondered for a moment and said, "To get this done, we'll need a lot of money. I can intimidate the witnesses, but I can't kill them all. Over the past thirty years, more than twenty doctors have treated Liu Shi, and they all testify that Liu Shi's health is very poor. There are also the servants and maids in the prefect's household, totaling more than a hundred people. The best way to silence these people is to use money."

Yu Yuan asked, "How much?"

Ding Shi: "One hundred thousand taels."

Yu Yuan: "Go to hell."

Ding Shi sighed, "It's not me who's going to die, but the Imperial Censor. Yu Yuan, why did you rebel against the Heavenly Gang?"

Yu Yuan thought for a while, but didn't tell the truth. He said, "I have a small task here: to kick a few court officials out of the court. Wang Fuyin is one of the targets."

Ding Shi said, "Can't we just solve it physically? Wang Meng is the commander of the Imperial City Guard. Let him find someone to chop up Prefect Wang."

After hesitating for a long time, Yu Yuan asked, "Can't it be less?"

Ding Shi: "At least 80,000 taels. This is the result calculated by the system, including the cost of identity verification, etc." Fortunately, it wasn't Wang Meng who became emperor, otherwise he wouldn't believe a word I said.

Yu Yuan asked in surprise, "You also have a professional support system?"

Ding asked uncertainly, "Do you have both?"

Yu Yuan thought for a while and said, "Forget it, just handle this case impartially. I'll think of a way to deal with Magistrate Wang."

Ding Shi stood up: "Okay, then I'm leaving."

Yu Yuan summoned his secret guards: "Withdraw the people from the Prefect's side and keep an eye on the Prime Minister's residence." Since the Prefect can't be implicated in the Liu family case, then keep an eye on the leader of the Qi faction.

Ding Shi had just left the Imperial Study when he encountered Empress Chu Yu, who was waiting for him. Chu Yu asked anxiously, "Is there any news about the medicine powder?"

Ding Shi said, "I've dispatched all the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but there's been no response yet. What's wrong?"

Chu Yu felt like vomiting blood, saying, "Another one has miscarried." The same powder had caused yet another concubine to miscarry, and the Empress's exclusive trust value had already dropped below 50 points. Although the eunuchs of the Imperial Prison were interrogating the suspects under Chu Yu's orders, they still hadn't found the culprit due to a lack of direction.

Ding Shi asked, "Chu Yu, is there anything else? Look into my eyes, can you see my $-shaped pupils?"
Chu Yu was annoyed and said, "No, contact me if you have any news." After saying that, she turned and went into the Imperial Study.

Ding Shi was very busy. After leaving the palace and returning to the command post, he met Su Su, who was waiting for him.

When Su Su saw Ding, she immediately stepped forward and asked, "Tell me quickly, how do I get that idiot Yu Yuan to agree to let me marry the third-ranked scholar?"

Ding Shi gestured for Su Su to sit down, asked Zhang San to serve tea, and said, "Did you go and threaten Yu Yuan?"

Su Su nodded.

Ding Shi: "Did you negotiate with Yu Yuan?"

Su Su nodded again, resting her chin on her hands and said with distress, "He said it's impossible, it's impossible for him to marry the third-ranked scholar to me."

Ding Shi said, "For something like this, you'll have to ask Yu Yuan's enemies for help."

Su Su was puzzled: "Shouldn't I be asking Yu Yuan for help?"

Ding Shi said, "Only Yu Yuan's enemies can threaten Yu Yuan."

Su Su said, "But I don't know who Yu Yuan's enemies are."

Ding Shi chuckled wickedly: "Coincidentally, Yu Yuan doesn't know who his enemies are either."

Su Su was puzzled, Su Su was confused, Su Su suddenly realized, covered her mouth and widened her eyes: "You, you, you want me to forge evidence of Yu Yuan's enemies? And then use it as a bargaining chip to get the imperial decree to grant us marriage?"

Ding Shi said, "Trading a third-place scholar for a hidden enemy is a very worthwhile deal." The ways of officialdom are to deceive superiors and subordinates; superiors are there to be fooled, and subordinates are there to be deceived. If you refuse to do so, if you're too proud, then you might become the one being deceived.

Su Su thought for a long time before asking, "Who are we framing?"

Ding Shi said, "That's where things get interesting. First of all, it can't be the crown prince."

Su Su said, "The red-robed prince is most likely the enemy of Emperor Yu Yuan."

Ding Shi said, "Because it is the most likely, and the evidence you have is not the Crown Prince, so it is more credible."

Su Su asked, "The Empress?"

Ding Shi said, "She is barely a suitable candidate, but the Empress is already extremely busy. The Emperor can enter and leave the inner palace, so he knows everything about it. If we frame the Empress, the Emperor will only be half-convinced."

Su Su asked, "Wang Meng, Wang Meng is in charge of the Imperial City Guard."

Ding Shi asked, "Su, you idiot, to frame someone, you need a reason to do so. For example, the Crown Prince wants to be emperor, so he wants to kill the emperor. The Empress has no children, so she has almost no reason to kill the emperor. Why would the Commander of the Imperial City Guard want to kill the emperor? The only reason is that he colluded with the Crown Prince, which is tantamount to framing the Crown Prince."

Su Su pondered, feeling overwhelmed: "So, you're the only one left? Are you really that desperate? You even framed me for my sake. It seems I have no choice but to become your sworn brother."

Ding Shi, speechless, questioned the heavens, saying, "Hua Shan, Hua Shan, Imperial Physician Hua Shan! Background: Hua Shan's father was executed by Yu Yuan. Hua Shan went into hiding, practicing medicine day and night until she finally entered the Imperial Hospital. She is waiting for an opportunity, no, she will create one."

Ding Shi took out the medicine powder given to him by the old woman and said, "This is one of the pieces of evidence. Give this to Yu Yuan, and Yu Yuan may summon Hua Shan to test the poison. After confirming that it is poisonous, you should ask to exchange the fabricated inside story for the imperial decree. After Hua Shan tests the poison, Yu Yuan will know that the medicine powder is only slightly poisonous and cannot kill him, so he will not believe your words. You should tell him in a mysterious way that this is only the first step."

Ding Shi: "Hua Shan's poison testing was to let Yu Yuan know that the medicine powder is not something we players can make; it can only be an NPC or an exclusive item in the store. Physician Hua Shan doesn't have much money and can't afford good poisons. These are all foreshadowing for later, letting Yu Yuan make his own connections. The more he thinks, the more suspicious Hua Shan will seem."

Ding Shi said, "Your image has always been innocent, Yu Yuan will not suspect you."

Su Su was distressed: "What happened to my innocent persona afterward?"

Ding Shi said, "It's my fault for corrupting you."

Su Su smiled and said, "Ding Ding, let's become sworn brothers."

Ding Shi: "Get lost." He glanced at the system task: "The princess is very satisfied with your help. The task of helping Princess Su Su has been completed."

Su Su happily went to run her errands. Wang Wu returned from investigating the powder and whispered a long story in Ding Shi's ear. The gist was that the powder came from Xia Chun Tang and could cause weakness, shortness of breath, and abnormal heart rhythms, but its toxicity was low. The powder had a name: "Filial Powder." The saying goes, "A long illness tests filial piety," meaning that if an elderly person drinks it mixed with water, their condition will worsen over the next few hours, eventually leading to death. Even if outsiders were present, they would only witness the death process and wouldn't suspect anyone had poisoned them.

This medicine comes from the Western Regions, and half of the medicinal materials only grow in the Western Regions.

The owner of Xia Chun Tang was Madam Zhao, the wife of Zhao Ming, who was the Minister of War. Madam Zhao came from a merchant family with trade routes to the Western Regions, allowing her to obtain many rare medicinal herbs.

The most important piece of information: Zhao Ming's second daughter is Consort Xian, one of the four great consorts, and also the Crown Prince's birth mother. Currently, besides the 7-year-old Crown Prince, there is also a three-year-old boy from the Imperial Concubine, and the other concubines have given birth to two princesses.

Ding Shi, accompanied by Zhang San and Li Si, sent a visiting card to the Zhao family, but not to Zhao Ming, but to Zhao's wife.

Madam Zhao, in her fifties, possessed the air of a matriarch, and her appearance suggested she must have been a great beauty in her youth. Ding Shi told Zhang San and Li Si to wait outside while he took out the medicinal powder and placed it on the table.

Madam Zhao remained calm and asked, "Lord Ding, what is this?" Ding Shi replied, "This is a medicinal powder that I developed in my spare time. It is also known as Filial Piety Powder."

Madam Zhao smiled and said, "It's a nice name."

Ding Shi said, "It is said that Madam Zhao is good at business. I have come here today to sell this packet of medicine powder to Madam Zhao."

Madam Zhao did not respond immediately. She quietly looked at the powder wrapped in folded paper. She didn't even need to see the powder; she could tell what was inside just from the shape of the folded paper.

Madam Zhao took a sip of tea and asked, "How much do you want to sell it for, sir?"

Ding Shi replied, "One hundred thousand."

Madam Zhao said, "A little over 100,000 isn't much. I wonder if 100,000 is the buyout price?"

Ding Shi replied, "Yes. If it weren't for the buyout price, Madam could spend another 10 to kill me."

Madam Zhao turned to look at her maid, held up two fingers, and said, "Go and get the silver notes for the master."

The maidservant left.

Ding Shi said, "There is a question that I don't understand."

Madam Zhao gestured for Ding Shi to speak, and Ding Shi said, "Why not a common medicine like safflower?" Safflower is a famous remedy for miscarriage in palace dramas.

Madam Zhao replied, "Because it can be traced back to me."

Ding Shi was puzzled, and Madam Zhao explained, "If you investigate further, you'll find that the young apprentice who gave you the information about the filial piety powder was a servant of Prince Qing's household. In reality, it was my people who secretly bought the filial piety powder in front of the apprentice. Prince Qing's household is the maternal family of the Imperial Concubine, and the Imperial Concubine is one of only two people in the palace to have given birth to a prince. If you investigate further, you'll find that Consort Xian had no opportunity to poison the prince. So who was the one who poisoned him? Who will the Emperor suspect? After discovering that Consort Xian has been wronged, will the Emperor feel apologetic? Will the Crown Prince's position be more secure?"

Although Madam Zhao didn't explain it clearly, Ding Shi already knew that the filial piety powder was a conspiracy targeting the Imperial Concubine. Unfortunately, the investigators were ineffective in triggering the conspiracy. If he had sided with the Emperor or Empress, he might have helped Madam Zhao kill the Imperial Concubine.

Ding Shi asked, "Isn't Madam Zhao being a little too frank?"

Madam Zhao said, "I just want to make friends with Lord Ding."

As they were talking, a maid brought up a box containing a large stack of silver notes. Madam Zhao said, "This is 20 taels."

Ding Shi looked at Madam Zhao.

Madam Zhao laughed and said, "Money is the most useless thing to me. It only has value when I make friends with someone like Lord Ding."

Ding Shi asked, "Is there anything Madam Zhao needs me to do?"

Madam Zhao replied, "No need, because someone is already doing it."

What I don't need is what I need. I don't need you to do anything; I only need you not to do anything.

Ding Shi smiled, accepted the silver note, and said, "I understand. If the Crown Prince needs any help, please feel free to contact me." Time is money, and Ding Shi didn't mince words.

Madam Zhao was very satisfied and said, "Good."

The two stood up in unison, and Madam Zhao saw them to the door, then had the butler escort them to the main gate.

System notification: Someone has completed the task. The instance time limit is seven days. Group chat mode is now enabled.

Originally, there was no time limit for the dungeon, but because one person completed the objective, the time limit became seven days. That's not the problem. The problem is, if a second person completes the objective, will the time limit be shortened again?

Group chat.

Emperor: Who?

Embroidered Uniform Guard: Who?
Princess: Who?

Commander: Stop pretending, it's definitely you from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Imperial Guard: Yes, yes, I have achieved my goal. Now, whoever messes with me, I will run them over.

Empress: Embroidered Uniform Guard, what is your mission?
The Embroidered Uniform Guard: Helping an idiot requires three favors.

Emperor: Could it be that the idiot you're talking about is me?

Imperial Guard: Your Majesty, why do you do this?
System notification: Imperial Physician Hua Shan has died; the instance duration has been reduced to 5 days.

Commander: Yu Yuan, are you crazy? Why did you kill Hua Shan?
System notification: Someone has completed the task; the instance time has been reduced to 3 days.

Emperor: What's going on?
Empress: Who?

Embroidered Uniform Guard: Who?
Hua Shan: Blah blah blah.

Note: The character has died and has been muted.

Crown Prince: Father, why did you kill the imperial physician?

Emperor: Rebellious son, step down. Su Su, is that you? You think you've completed your mission just because you received the imperial edict?

Princess Susu: No, I want to experience a complete feudal wedding, and I'll send you invitations then.

Prince in Red: Liar Su, you have completed your mission.

Princess Susu: I didn't.

Prince in Red: If you fail to complete the mission, you will be more curious than anyone else about who succeeded.

Princess Susu: Ugh, you damn red-clothed girl, you're so annoying!

Empress Chuyu: Besides Susu, who else completed the mission?

Crown Prince in Red Robes: I don't quite understand. Late Emperor, you haven't answered me yet: why did you kill the imperial physician? Was your mission to kill the imperial physician?

Physician Hua Shan rolled her eyes and listlessly typed the following words via brainwaves: "blah blah blah."

Note: The character has died and has been muted.

Hua Shan, enraged, lunged at Yu Yuan. "You dog emperor! I only said a few words, and you're dragged away and beheaded! How infuriating!"

Ding Shi, Zhang San, and Li Si returned to the command post, only to find a little devil standing at the entrance: the Red-Clad Prince.

Ding Shi dismounted and walked to the woman in red. The woman in red pulled on her collar and made Ding Shi squat down in front of her so that they could look at each other at eye level. She looked around and said, "You owe the Zhao family a favor."

Ding Shi: "It's possible to have it, or it's possible not to."

Red-clad: "My foreign aid told me that I can contact you if I need anything."

Ding Shi: "What is it?"

Red-clad: "Help me kill Wang Meng."

Ding Shi asked in bewilderment, "You are the Crown Prince, why did you kill the commander?"

Red-clad: "Then can you help me kill the emperor?"

Ding Shi thought of the four imperial guards standing beside Yu Yuan and decisively shook his head.

Red-clad: "My mother's family has already been taken care of, and the new commander of the Imperial City Guard will be one of my men."

Ding Shi: "Will you kill me after you take office?"

Red-clad: "Why would I cut you down? You're not going to be the emperor."

Ding Shi: "Alright, go back to the palace and talk to Wang Meng about who completed the mission besides Su Su."

Red-clad: "And then?"

Ding Shi: "Then he'll come looking for me, and then he'll die. Don't look at me with that suspicious look. My nicknames are Divine Strategist, Mastermind, Reincarnation of the Crouching Dragon, Incarnation of the Phoenix Chick, and Ghost Valley Divine Calculator... What's with that expression? You stop right there... you brat!"

The woman in red left with an expression of suspicion and disdain.

(End of this chapter)