Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Qin Ji gave him three days, and Deng Chang, the Imperial Guard General who was under investigation, gave Qin Ji a fairly satisfactory explanation.

This assassination attempt was indeed intricately linked to Ning An and his associates, as well as Wang Jing's remaining followers.

Wang Jing had been corrupt for many years and had deep roots in the court. After Qin Ji took power, in order to stabilize the court, although he purged a number of people with ruthless methods, he also won over those who had abandoned the darkness and those who did not have a deep relationship with Wang Jing, and continued to use those who could be used.

After all, Wang Jing was at the height of his power back then. If you wanted to serve as an official in the court, who wouldn't go and pay homage to Wang Jing?

Qin Ji lacked manpower and could not possibly eliminate the entire court, but this left behind hidden dangers.

Qin Ji ordered, "Those who should be detained, be detained. No matter what is found during the interrogation, keep it a secret from me."

He would leave this matter unresolved for the time being, and wait until the Ning'an matter was settled and those who couldn't sit still jumped out on their own before taking them all down at once.

"Yes."

"As for you."

Deng Chang held his breath, his face full of shame, awaiting his sentence.

"Go and collect your fifty strokes of the cane. After you recover, go and guard the palace gates for me."

This is equivalent to being stripped of his rank from one of the Ten Guards Generals to the lowest level of guard, with his former subordinates now serving as his superiors, which is quite embarrassing.

However, since His Majesty was assassinated, he, as the person directly responsible for the failure to protect him, was spared his life and was only demoted, which was already an act of leniency from His Majesty.

Deng Chang bowed and kowtowed to the ground, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life."

"That was your starting point. Since you were able to climb from a gatekeeper with no background to the position of Xuanwei General, you should be able to do better and more steadily now that you're starting over."

"I await the day when you return to my side and serve me once more."

The eight-foot-tall man choked up for a long time and could not utter words of thanks, only managing to utter a single, heavy "Yes."

Qin Ji waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Fu Lu bowed and walked to Qin Ji's side. "Your Majesty, Physician He has come to check Qin Ji's pulse."

"Let him in."

With dark circles under his eyes, Physician He, looking like a lost soul, took Qin Ji's pulse before collapsing to his knees with a thud. Tears streaming down his face, he grasped Qin Ji's hand and said, "Your Majesty, I am utterly incompetent..."

The divine deer that Bian Yushu sent to him ultimately succumbed to its severe injuries and died in the middle of the night yesterday; its body is now stiff.

He was unsure of His Majesty's attitude towards Xiangrui. He pondered whether to use the excuse that Xiangrui had been summoned back to the Heavenly Realm to deceive him, or to kowtow and confess his sins before His Majesty. In the end, he chose the latter.

Although His Majesty is young, he is gradually showing the heroic bearing of a wise ruler. Imperial Physician He instinctively felt that it was better not to be presumptuous, so he performed the act of pleading guilty.

Qin Ji raised his hand, gesturing for him to stand up. "The deer is dead?"

Seeing that His Majesty did not intend to blame him, Physician He breathed a sigh of relief. "Although the knife did not damage any internal organs, the deer was young, and its entire hind leg was almost pierced through. My acupuncture and medicine were ultimately unable to save its life. My medical skills are inadequate, and I beg Your Majesty to intervene..."

Qin Ji stopped him from apologizing again, saying, "It's not your fault."

"Your Majesty, the remains of the divine deer..."

Qin Ji originally wanted to say "roast it," but when he remembered Bian Yushu's tearful face as she held the deer, he changed his mind and said, "Find a place to bury it."

"That's easy to handle," Physician He thought with a sigh of relief. Wanting to reciprocate the Emperor's concern, he said, "However, with the divine deer gone, I worry that some foolish people might spread rumors that could damage Your Majesty's reputation..."

Fu Lu hurriedly said, "This servant has heard some rumors that Heaven was moved by Your Majesty's virtue and specially sent down a divine deer to protect Your Majesty from disaster. Now, let's just say that the divine deer has completed its mission and returned to the Heavenly Realm with perfect merit."

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, waiting for Fu Lu to explain.

Fu Lu then told His Majesty about the increasingly miraculous story of the divine deer warding off disasters that had been circulating in the camp recently.

"It is said that this tradition originated from the study of the border guards. Now everyone praises His Majesty for being ordained by Heaven, and even a divine deer is descending to assist him!"

"His Majesty must be very busy with state affairs, and Imperial Physician He must have been preoccupied with treating the divine deer, so he has not heard of this matter."

Qin Ji scoffed lightly upon hearing this, offering no comment, but a hint of barely suppressed mirth appeared on his lips.

Physician He thought to himself, "This companion is indeed a remarkable person. While he is preoccupied with the divine deer, he also finds time to relieve His Majesty's worries. I will go and bury the divine deer now."

Just as Physician He was about to leave, Qin Ji suddenly spoke up, "These past two days, Bian Yushu has been visiting you quite frequently?"

They were all distracted in his presence.

"By accompanying the scholar, I was concerned about the divine deer's injuries. In the past two days, I would come over from time to time to see if there was any improvement. However, after seeing the divine deer's condition deteriorate, I lost my appetite and didn't even come to see me today. I suppose I couldn't bear to see it die..."

If Bian Yushu finds out about the death of "Divine Deer," that kid will be utterly dejected.

"Take good care of the divine deer's injuries." Qin Ji tossed aside the case file in his hand and looked at Imperial Physician He. "With your medical skills, you should be able to bring the divine deer back to me alive and kicking in a couple of days, right?"

Imperial Physician He was taken aback, but after carefully considering His Majesty's words, he quickly understood.

Isn't it just about finding a cat of similar size and dyeing it seven colors?

Leave it to him!

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the divine deer is protected by Heaven and will surely turn misfortune into good fortune!"

Qin Ji withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, tapped the desk, and said, "Go and do it."