Prime Minister

Chapter 185, Section 184: [Killing is like saving lives]

The carriage entered Qinghefang at a leisurely pace and stopped in front of a three-courtyard mansion.

Xu Zhiwei carried her medicine box to the inner courtyard, and after bathing and changing her clothes, she went to the study.

"aunt."

She came to the table and bowed meticulously.

Behind the desk sat a woman nearing forty. She looked up and saw Xu Zhiwei dressed in a plain white silk robe, tied at the waist with a jade belt. Her dark hair was not adorned with hairpins, but loosely held together with a plain satin handkerchief. The ends of her hair still had the dampness of a bath, and several dark marks were left on her shoulders.

The girl's eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her eyes were like frozen springs in deep winter. She clearly possessed a stunningly beautiful appearance, yet a touch of frost on her brows made her seem aloof and unapproachable.

No wonder she always wears a veil when practicing medicine, only revealing her cool and aloof eyes; otherwise, that face would easily attract unnecessary trouble.

"sit."

The woman's voice was calm and serene, like the cracking of ice and the sound of a jade chime.

Her name is Liu Ying. She is not Xu Zhiwei's biological aunt. When Xu Zhiwei's parents died, she was taken in and raised by Liu Ying. Although they address each other as aunt and niece, they are actually like mother and daughter.

Xu Zhiwei sat down as instructed, her spine straight as a sword, her plain clothes hanging down without a single crease.

She neither served tea nor exchanged pleasantries, like a plum blossom stuck in an ice cave.

Liu Ying closed the book in front of her and looked at the girl gently, saying, "Just now, Li Cong told me that the patient you treated today was a bit strange?"

Xu Zhiwei was not surprised by this. Although Li Cong and others obeyed her every word when they were outside, it was all arranged by her aunt. Almost everyone around her was her aunt's confidant.

Having grown up in such an environment, Xu Zhiwei was already used to it and didn't find anything wrong with it.

Xu Zhiwei repeated the reason she had told Li Cong earlier, and then said, "Aunt, I suspect that person is either a corrupt official from the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office who slipped through the net, or a scion of one of the major powerful families in Yangzhou."

"Yangzhou..."

Liu Ying hesitated for a moment, her knuckles unconsciously tapping the smooth table, producing a crisp yet slightly oppressive sound, before asking, "What's your opinion on the recent turmoil in Yangzhou?"

"I had heard about it before."

Xu Zhiwei’s voice was calm and unwavering as he slowly said, “I heard that there has been a great uproar in the Lianghuai region. An official named Xue Huai used ruthless methods to almost completely uproot the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office and several powerful families in Yangzhou, confiscating countless assets and shocking the court and the public.”

Liu Ying asked, with a hint of testing in her voice, "Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

Xu Zhiwei did not hesitate for long and replied, "It will benefit the people if those who embezzle are brought to justice."

"Corruption is like a festering sore; it is fortunate to have it removed. However, under the fierce winds and torrential rains, are all that is swept away the vile vines? Are all that is broken the rotten wood?"

Liu Ying's eyes were full of deep meaning as she reminded him, "For example, the person you saved today was critically injured and in a panic. Your suspicion is correct; he is very likely one of the survivors of this salt administration storm. But he might just be a lowly clerk in the salt bureau, forced to sign a few false ledgers under duress; or perhaps he is a member of a powerful clan who has no decision-making power and only seeks to protect himself..."

Xu Zhiwei frowned slightly.

Although she was raised by Liu Ying and learned many skills from her, she still had her own ideas and was not a blind follower. At this moment, she couldn't help but ask in doubt: "Aunt, isn't the crackdown on corruption in Lianghuai a good thing? I heard that Xue Huai is not old, but he is a well-known honest official in the court. I think he is different from the likes of Chen Yan and Xu Guanlan."

"honest and upright official?"

Liu Ying smiled faintly and said meaningfully, "On the surface, Xue Huai has eliminated evil and cleansed the filth, and the people may be able to breathe a sigh of relief for a while. His reputation as an honest official is indeed at its zenith. But in my opinion, this kind of honest official is probably more hateful than a corrupt official."

Xu Zhiwei was even more puzzled and said earnestly, "Please enlighten me, Aunt."

"Zhiwei, you should know that there are some people in this world who are best at pretending. They speak eloquently, but their hearts are full of petty and despicable thoughts."

A cold glint flashed in Liu Ying's eyes as she said in a deep voice, "Xue Huai, seeking illustrious achievements and a swift resolution to appease the Emperor, is like a mountain crushing an egg. He would rather wrongly detain three thousand than let one person go. How many innocent people have been imprisoned and their families torn apart as a result? How many merchants, boatmen, and salt producers who depend on the salt industry of Lianghuai have lost their livelihoods overnight due to the disruption of trade routes and become refugees?"

As if recalling some past events, Xu Zhiwei's eyes, which were as clear as an icy spring, became deep and unfathomable.

Seeing this, Liu Ying continued, "Do you think all those involved in the case are utterly wicked? In reality, countless innocent people have been crushed like weeds. Beneath Xue Huai's illustrious monument lies the blood, tears, and bones of countless innocent people. Is he seeking true justice, or is he driven by the selfish desire to climb to the top by stepping on the corpses of others?"

Xu Zhiwei's fingertips lightly traced a silent mark on the armrest of the chair.

At this moment, she recalled the seemingly respectable magistrate from two years ago. She had thought he cared about the people, but in reality, he was a wicked man who did almost everything. If her aunt hadn't arrived in time with people, she, being naive and inexperienced, would have almost fallen into his trap.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhiwei said softly, "Aunt, do you also think Xue Huai is a hypocrite?"

“Yangzhou isn’t too far from here. I already had someone investigate Xue Huai’s background.” Liu Ying sighed softly, then said with a hint of anger, “Zhiwei, now that you’re traveling among the common people, you should know how unpredictable people can be. There are countless evils in the world. People like Xu Guanlan, who are openly greedy, are as poisonous as arsenic and everyone hates them. We can still be wary of them. But there is another kind of evil, which wears a cloak of righteousness and appears to be walking a righteous path, but in reality, it is the most dangerous place in the world!”

Xu Zhiwei's eyes narrowed slightly, and she slowly said, "Is that really so?"

"That's right!"

Liu Ying spoke slowly and deliberately, her voice cold: "A hypocrite like Xue Huai, seemingly upright and honest but actually harboring deep ulterior motives, uses the guise of eliminating corruption to seize power. He wins the hearts of the people and gains a good reputation; what he seeks is not merely gold and silver. Such a person deserves to be condemned!"

Xu Zhiwei's heartbeat seemed to freeze for a moment.

The candlelight flickered in the study, casting shadows on her sculpted profile, revealing a hint of hesitation and alarm.

Liu Ying's words were like needles, piercing through the defenses of her heart, which was based on the belief of saving the world and helping people.

From the time she was old enough to understand, her aunt taught her to have the common people in her heart and to act on behalf of Heaven. The world is so difficult, and the common people are living in dire straits. Only by doing everything possible to get rid of those wolves and tigers that devour the people's wealth can we restore a bright and clear sky to the world.

Liu Ying picked up her teacup to moisten her throat and said with a heavy heart, "Xue Huai wins people's hearts with his reputation for integrity and seizes power through rectification. Now he enjoys increasing trust from the court and is at the time when he is weaving a powerful web of influence. If such a person can establish deep roots, he will be a hundred times more harmful than those corrupt officials. People like Xu Guanlan only extort money from the people, but Xue Huai wants to seize the hopes of the people. If he succeeds, who will suffer in the end? It will be the ordinary people who struggle to survive at the bottom of society that you and I have seen!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiwei fell into deep thought.

If Xue Huai is truly, as his aunt analyzes, a heinous villain disguised in a cloak of righteousness, then his rise is not a blessing for the common people, but rather the beginning of an even deeper catastrophe.

Liu Ying took in Xu Zhiwei's subtle changes in expression. She stood up and walked to a secluded corner behind the desk. She gently pressed her finger on a spot in the carved wood grain, and a soft click of a mechanism sounded.

She carefully retrieved a roughly inch-tall jade bottle from a hidden compartment and turned back to say, "The poison in this bottle is called Ink Rain. Dissolve three drops in tea or soup; it will be invisible and undetectable to ordinary people. For the first six hours after ingestion, there will be no signs of illness, and one will walk and talk as if nothing were wrong. After three hours, the heart meridian will quietly break, as if a sudden illness had occurred. Even the most astute coroner will find it difficult to detect the slightest sign."

As the saying goes, medicine and poison are inseparable. Xu Zhiwei is not only a skilled doctor, but also highly accomplished in the use of poison. Therefore, she calmly gazed at the jade bottle.

Liu Ying gently pushed the jade bottle to the edge of the desk, placing it precisely in the halo of light in front of Xu Zhiwei. She then resolutely said, "The likes of Xu Guanlan have brought disaster to the region and deserve no regrets. But Xue Huai, a hypocritical and wicked man, who feigns benevolence and righteousness while harboring evil intentions, cannot be allowed to live in this world. Killing this man is not for personal revenge or grudges, but to act on behalf of Heaven. This act is for the sake of all living beings and is true compassion and merit."

Xu Zhiwei was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Does Aunt want me to poison Xue Huai?"

Liu Ying gazed intently at Xu Zhiwei and nodded, saying, "That's right. You possess unparalleled medical skills, allowing you to approach someone without raising suspicion. Currently, only you can handle this matter cleanly and flawlessly, leaving no future troubles, and restoring justice to the world. Zhiwei, are you willing to rid the people of this great scourge?"

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

Xu Zhiwei's gaze fell on the jade bottle. The illusion of Xue Huai's integrity and incorruptibility collapsed under Liu Ying's extremely inflammatory words, and was replaced by a sinister and terrifying evil.

The helpless and resentful eyes of the poor people flashed through her mind. If the so-called upright official himself harbored dark thoughts, then what had the common people done wrong?

Liu Ying had helped countless people with her, and she believed that this only elder would not lie to her, and had no reason to lie to her.

Xu Zhiwei did not hesitate any longer.

The fair, slender right hand, accustomed to using needles to save lives, slowly rose, its movements steady without the slightest tremor. The five fingers clenched together, grasping the cool jade bottle into the palm, the knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Xu Zhiwei looked at Liu Ying, who had treated her like her own daughter since childhood, and solemnly said, "Zhiwei is willing."

"Good child, your aunt was right about you."

A kind smile appeared on Liu Ying's face as she softened her tone and said, "I will have someone make all the arrangements for you. You just need to go to Yangzhou to treat patients and save lives, just like you have for the past six months. Then you will smoothly appear in Xue Huai's sight. When he is no longer particularly wary of you, you can use the poison in the jade bottle. Afterwards, someone will help you leave calmly. Zhiwei, your aunt has no children and all her hopes are pinned on you. Once you have accomplished this and won the approval of others, I will hold an altar to establish you as a saintess."

Xu Zhiwei wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the title of "Holy Maiden" and its symbolic meaning, but not wanting to disappoint Liu Ying, she rose and curtsied, saying, "Thank you, Aunt."

"Go and rest."

Liu Ying smiled slightly and looked at her with pity.

"Yes."

Xu Zhiwei carefully put away the jade bottle, bowed deeply to Liu Ying, and then turned and left.

After Xu Zhiwei left the study, Liu Ying slowly sat back down.

A chilling light flashed in her eyes as she muttered to herself, "Xue Huai, many people want you dead. You can only blame yourself for being a truly honest official."

"If you don't die... how can we accomplish anything?"

(End of this chapter)