Shuse Jinjia

Seeing Murong Qing's tightly pursed lips, Xie Zhaotang smiled faintly: "Do you think you can stop eating just by keeping your mouth shut? I have plenty of ways to make you eat!"

"Also, do you know what General Liu did before? General Liu, she seems quite naive about this kind of thing. Tell her, how did you catch the spy?"

Liu Qi stepped forward, expressionless, and said, "When we catch spies, whipping them is child's play. For the most vicious and stubborn ones, we have many more methods: finger crushing, wearing hemp rope as torture..."

He looked at Murong Qing and said coldly, "The 'hemp shackle torture' involves applying lye glue to hemp cloth and then, while it's still hot, applying it to the body of a prisoner who has been tortured until he's bloodied and mangled..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but that simple sentence was enough to make Murong Qing feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his whole body trembled.

"You...you wouldn't do this to me, I'm a woman..."

Xie Zhaotang sneered: "You dare say that none of your drug testing subjects were women? None of them were children?"

Murong Qing was speechless.

"Tell me, where did you hide the fifth volume of the Nine Nether Poison Manual?"

Xie Zhaotang said coldly, "I said I'd send you back to the capital. Even if you can't escape the death penalty, I can guarantee you won't die in too much pain. If you don't tell me... then you'll have to suffer whatever they do to you!"

Liu Qi also chimed in, "Madam Huo is merciful. Murong Qing, just confess honestly. If you can truly save the Crown Prince, you won't have to suffer. Otherwise, I guarantee you'll still confess under torture... and then, according to your crime, you'll be executed by slow slicing..."

This execution by slow slicing was not Liu Qi's way of threatening Murong Qing.

She colluded with Prince Gong and Prince Rong to create a smallpox virus that killed thousands of people. According to the law, she should indeed be executed by slow slicing...

Murong Qing is a highly skilled doctor who can make poisons and cast Gu spells. She had a smooth life before, and because of her talent in medicine, she was favored by the Divine Doctor Valley and her patients.

But deep down, she was just a woman who had never experienced hardship. She couldn't bear the thought of these tortures, and dying peacefully was her only wish.

"The fifth volume is in my pharmacy in the Valley of the Divine Healer..."

Murong Qing was stunned for a long time before saying with a pale face, "I didn't lie to the Emperor about the missing medicine. Finding those medicines can cure the Crown Prince's poison, but the poison has penetrated deep into his bone marrow. Even if the poison is cured, these toxins cannot be completely removed and will affect his lifespan."

Xie Zhaotang believed this.

She studied medicine, and in modern times, cancer patients in the later stages suffer excruciating pain, with no cure available.

There are no miraculous elixirs like those in novels that can bring the dead back to life. How long the prince lives depends on his own fate.

Fortunately, Emperor Mingcheng is in his prime. As long as Emperor Mingcheng is alright, this peaceful and prosperous era can continue for more than ten years.

If the eldest grandson of the emperor, Duan Li, is properly instructed, he will also become a wise ruler.

Xie Zhaotang felt he was thinking too far ahead; he'd deal with the future later.

After this little incident, Liu Qi immediately sent a letter to the Emperor via carrier pigeon to report the matter. He decided to split his forces into two groups, one to escort Xie Zhaotang back to the capital.

They escorted Murong Qing all the way to the Valley of Divine Physicians to retrieve the manual.

Liu Qi was in charge of going to the Valley of Divine Physicians. Before parting, Xie Zhaotang solemnly instructed Liu Qi to be wary of Murong Qing.

Murong Qing is skilled in poisoning; any combination of herbs can turn into a poison, and one can easily fall victim to her tricks if one is not careful.

To prevent Murong Qing from harming Liu Qi and the others, Xie Zhaotang and Li Qin took Murong Qing to the carriage, stripped her naked, and thoroughly searched her body.

As it turned out, Xie Zhaotang's caution was not unfounded. Liu Qi's guards had already searched the place once, but Xie Zhaotang and Li Qin also found poison powder hidden on Murong Qing's body.

The hairpin was hollow and contained snake venom.

The bracelet also contained poison powder, capable of instantly incapacitating more than a dozen people.

The calf was covered with artificial skin, which also contained medicinal powder.

There was also poison powder and poison needles under the boot insole...

When these items were found and handed over to Liu Qi, Liu Qi's face turned ashen. He summoned all his subordinates and asked Xie Zhaotang to explain to them where these items had been found.

The guards were horrified. They knew that hairpins and bracelets could hide poison, but the search had been negligent.

But this is the first time I've encountered someone using artificial skin on their calves.

Xie Zhaotang wasn't afraid of their disgust, and even suggested that poison could be made into pills and stuffed into anus...

The guards were speechless, but because of this, they dared not ignore Murong Qing any longer and vowed to keep a close eye on her on the way, so as not to give her any chance to harm them.

While Xie Zhaotang was explaining his scheming methods to the guards, Murong Qing was listening nearby.

She was both angry and resentful towards Xie Zhaotang. He had revealed his methods, which cut off her escape route.

Xie Zhaotang told Liu Qi and the others all the methods of assassination he could think of, and after giving instructions to the two groups, they parted ways.

Xie Zhaotang's group continued on their way, and they did not encounter any dangers along the way.

The day after the second snowfall, they returned to the capital.

It was getting late. The guards escorted Xie Zhaotang to the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, then took Li Qin home, before returning to the palace to report back.

The news of Xie Zhaotang's return spread quickly throughout the Marquis's residence, and Huo Ling and the others hurried out to greet him.

Aunt Xia quickly told Chun'er and the others to boil water and serve the food.

Xie Zhaotang drank some porridge, then went back to his own courtyard to take a hot bath and change into clean clothes before returning to the main hall to dine with Huo Ling and the others.

Old Madam Huo and the others had already eaten; they were merely symbolically accompanying Xie Zhaotang to eat a little more.

After Xie Zhaotang had finished eating, Huo Ling and the others couldn't wait to ask him about the situation at the border.

Xie Zhaotang patiently answered their questions one by one.

It was only when Old Madam Huo saw that these maids were pestering Xie Zhaotang with questions that they stopped.

"Tangtang, your mother and Tiantian are both fine. They even came over for dinner yesterday!"

Knowing that Xie Zhaotang missed Shen Jin and Xie Tiantian, Old Madam Huo smiled and said, "Once you're settled, we'll bring them over for a get-together tomorrow!"

Xie Zhaotang nodded, feeling very lucky to have met Huo Beiyu and Old Madam Huo, both of whom were very open-minded.

"I arranged for Bai Yu and Xu Han to stay in the courtyard next to Doctor Lu's."

Old Madam Huo said with a smile, "The beds in your room have also been changed."

Xie Zhaotang smiled. The old lady really understands him!

Previously, Bai Yu impersonated Huo Beiyu and slept in her and Huo Beiyu's bed.

At that time, Xie Zhaotang thought she didn't want this bed anymore. She didn't like anyone sleeping in her bed, even if Bai Yu was a good person.

"Thank you, Grandma!"

Xie Zhaotang knew that her personality was seen as being difficult by outsiders, but she really didn't want to wrong herself.

The old lady already dotes on me!

This warmed her heart; these were true family members!

Just as Xie Zhaotang was about to go to sleep, a eunuch came to the palace and asked her to come to the palace the next day.

Xie Zhaotang didn't say anything. It was already considerate of the Emperor not to make her go to the palace that night. She would go to the palace tomorrow and see how things went.

Although the Emperor used a stand-in for Huo Beiyu this time, breaking Huo Beiyu's legs still left a rift in Xie Zhaotang's heart.

She decided to observe the royal family's attitude further. If it displeased her, she would no longer wholeheartedly offer advice to the emperor...

She needed to leave herself and the Huo family a way out...