Zhou Yan dusted off the dust on his cloak, raised his head, and asked in surprise when he saw an alluring touch of beauty added to the interior of the pharmacy.
Due to the severity of the epidemic, he rarely visited the Ning Family anymore, only occasionally sending Jiang Bao to stand guard at the gate of the Ning Family to keep an eye on the situation nearby and drive away the patients wandering around the Ning Family.
Zhao Changdu had his arms crossed lazily against the doorframe, his figure relaxed as he intently sized up the girl sitting at the table seriously looking over the letter in her hand.
The young lady’s side profile was as white as snow, flushed with an alluring blush. Her clear and bright gaze focused on the pages before her, her small face serene and gentle. She occasionally exchanged a few words with Doctor Zhuge, the corners of her lips curved in a soft arc seeming to soften all the light around her.
The rare sunshine in Yueyang was spilling through the window lattices into the room, bathing her delicate and pretty white cheeks in its warm afternoon glow, somehow making him unable to take his eyes off her for a moment.
"Prince?" Zhou Yan asked again.
Zhao Changdu retracted his gaze, "What is it?"
Zhou Yan took a look at Gu Ying and said, "The stuff has been transported back, all top-quality medicinal materials collected from the surrounding villages. We used your name, Prince, so they didn't dare not give them to us. As we left, the villagers also gave us several carts of grain. As you instructed, Prince, we gave all the silver notes to the villagers."
Zhao Changdu responded lightly with a murmur, "Good."
After reporting, Zhou Yan prepared to settle the newly delivered medicinal materials and grain.
"Right." Zhao Changdu called Zhou Yan back, his eyes deep, "Find some people to check the distribution of water sources in Yueyang City. Bring me the map tonight."
Zhou Yan didn't understand why but still obediently said, "Yes."
After Zhou Yan left, Zhao Changdu's gaze lingered deeply on the girl's figure. Seeing that she was still concentrating on reading the letter, he turned and left the pharmacy.
"Huai Bi."
"Master."
"Back to Qingjiang Manor."
"Yes."
Gu Ying was not unaware of the movement by the door, nor did she miss seeing the prince leaving.
She turned her head to glance at the door, unconsciously pressing her lips tightly together, her fingertips turning slightly white as she flipped through the pages.
Doctor Zhuge asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Gu Ying was lost in thought only for a moment before she turned her head back with the corners of her lips slightly lifted, "Nothing, let's continue."
...
Inside the dungeon of Qingjiang Manor, a few oil lamps shone brightly on the walls.
The path here was dark and gloomy, damp and sinister.
Zhao Changdu walked deep into the dungeon, stopping in front of a cell.
Without a word, Huai Bi opened the cell door and Zhao Changdu bent to enter the cell, not big nor small, fully equipped with eighteen instruments of torture.
The air was heavy with the smell of blood.
Jiang Yin was chained to a wooden rack, head drooped unconscious, his tattered clothes crisscrossed with scars, fresh blood dripping from his chin onto the floor.
It seemed he had already endured a round of torture.
The discipline of the Qilin Army established by Zhao Changdu was more severe than other armies in Dong Li. The punishments he personally invented were more cruel than those by the Bianjing Ministry of Punishments and the Ministry of Justice.
Death was already the lightest punishment for those who fell into his hands.
With an expressionless face, Huai Bi stood behind his master silently and skillfully lit the brazier in the cell, placing a red-hot branding iron over the fire.
Zhao Changdu watched the unconscious man like this for a while. Just thinking that he actually appeared in the girl's dreams several times and even met privately with her many times, he felt a surge of displeasure and irritation.
His gaze lowered to the crudely embroidered sachet around his waist. Zhao Changdu picked it up disdainfully, threw it into the brazier to burn.
Huai Bi kept his head low, trying his best to minimize his presence.
Zhao Changdu said coldly, "Splash water on him to wake him up."
The cold water mixed with coarse salt was poured entirely onto Jiang Yin’s body by Huai Bi.
Jiang Yin struggled painfully before finally forcing his bloodshot eyes open after much difficulty, the blood vessels in his eyes cracked and flooded with red.
He stared straight at Zhao Changdu, then after a long pause, he laughed hoarsely, "Zhao Changdu, you've finally come."
"Oh? You were looking forward to me coming?"
"Yes, I naturally anticipated it." As Jiang Yin spoke, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, but he didn't care. Staring at the man before him, he gloated, "Haven't you always wanted to kill me? I bet you don't dare kill me now."
"Oh?" Zhao Changdu raised a displeased arc at the corner of his eyes. Indeed, he had spent considerable manpower and resources to capture him, but it wasn't as if he really had no way to deal with an ordinary scholar like him.
He deliberately let him make trouble, also wanting to see what he was going to do.
And it did allow him to uncover some clues after letting things develop.
He asked Huai Bi to stand guard outside.
Turning back, he stood leisurely in front of Jiang Yin with his hands behind his back and slowly said, "After marrying Gu Jia, you didn't settle down with her but arranged for your sister Jiang Ling'er and mother to live in another manor. Then you curried favor from Prince Shu, instigated him to contact Ning Si, wanting to use Ning Si to break off the engagement between Prince Duan and the Ning Family. But unexpectedly you were discovered and thwarted by Little Sister Ying. Yet you didn't panic."
"Afterwards, you became a confidant of Prince Shu's mansion, secretly planning a coup for him. Most officials in Bianjing were controlled by Prince Shu, having no choice but to side with him."
Jiang Yin's brows gradually furrowed. He never expected that everything he had done in secret would be under Zhao Changdu's control.
If he could uncover all this, did he also see through his secret of rebirth?
What about Gu Ying? Did Gu Ying tell him?
Impossible!
Gu Ying would never tell him about such a shameful past. She was the legitimate daughter of the Gu Family and had suffered so much. She still cared about face.
"How do you know all this?"
Zhao Changdu was unruffled with an indifferent look, his eyes cold and clear, "There's more. You secretly recruited a subordinate named Han Lin, with excellent martial arts and outstanding qinggong. After getting him, you acted more deviously... completely beyond the ability of an ordinary child from a commoner's family. Jiang Yin, you must be hiding a big secret—"
"For example..." He raised his brow, the corner of his mouth mocking, "foresight? How could an ordinary person have foresight? Don't tell me you're possessed by some evil spirit?"
Jiang Yin was startled for a moment before quickly calming down again.
Because he knew Zhao Changdu had never believed in gods or Buddha. His deliberate words were to lure him into revealing the truth.
Thinking of this, he settled down a bit. As long as Zhao Changdu still didn't know Gu Ying was also reborn, he still had a chance to live.
"Hahahaha! Prince Zhao's storytelling skills are first-rate!" He didn't refute but broke into loud laughter instead.
Zhao Changdu patiently waited for him to finish laughing with knitted brows, his deep eyes clouding with flickering darkness, his voice growing lower and lower.
Zhou Yan dusted off the dust on his cloak, raised his head, and asked in surprise when he saw an alluring touch of beauty added to the interior of the pharmacy.
Due to the severity of the epidemic, he rarely visited the Ning Family anymore, only occasionally sending Jiang Bao to stand guard at the gate of the Ning Family to keep an eye on the situation nearby and drive away the patients wandering around the Ning Family.
Zhao Changdu had his arms crossed lazily against the doorframe, his figure relaxed as he intently sized up the girl sitting at the table seriously looking over the letter in her hand.
The young lady’s side profile was as white as snow, flushed with an alluring blush. Her clear and bright gaze focused on the pages before her, her small face serene and gentle. She occasionally exchanged a few words with Doctor Zhuge, the corners of her lips curved in a soft arc seeming to soften all the light around her.
The rare sunshine in Yueyang was spilling through the window lattices into the room, bathing her delicate and pretty white cheeks in its warm afternoon glow, somehow making him unable to take his eyes off her for a moment.
"Prince?" Zhou Yan asked again.
Zhao Changdu retracted his gaze, "What is it?"
Zhou Yan took a look at Gu Ying and said, "The stuff has been transported back, all top-quality medicinal materials collected from the surrounding villages. We used your name, Prince, so they didn't dare not give them to us. As we left, the villagers also gave us several carts of grain. As you instructed, Prince, we gave all the silver notes to the villagers."
Zhao Changdu responded lightly with a murmur, "Good."
After reporting, Zhou Yan prepared to settle the newly delivered medicinal materials and grain.
"Right." Zhao Changdu called Zhou Yan back, his eyes deep, "Find some people to check the distribution of water sources in Yueyang City. Bring me the map tonight."
Zhou Yan didn't understand why but still obediently said, "Yes."
After Zhou Yan left, Zhao Changdu's gaze lingered deeply on the girl's figure. Seeing that she was still concentrating on reading the letter, he turned and left the pharmacy.
"Huai Bi."
"Master."
"Back to Qingjiang Manor."
"Yes."
Gu Ying was not unaware of the movement by the door, nor did she miss seeing the prince leaving.
She turned her head to glance at the door, unconsciously pressing her lips tightly together, her fingertips turning slightly white as she flipped through the pages.
Doctor Zhuge asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"
Gu Ying was lost in thought only for a moment before she turned her head back with the corners of her lips slightly lifted, "Nothing, let's continue."
...
Inside the dungeon of Qingjiang Manor, a few oil lamps shone brightly on the walls.
The path here was dark and gloomy, damp and sinister.
Zhao Changdu walked deep into the dungeon, stopping in front of a cell.
Without a word, Huai Bi opened the cell door and Zhao Changdu bent to enter the cell, not big nor small, fully equipped with eighteen instruments of torture.
The air was heavy with the smell of blood.
Jiang Yin was chained to a wooden rack, head drooped unconscious, his tattered clothes crisscrossed with scars, fresh blood dripping from his chin onto the floor.
It seemed he had already endured a round of torture.
The discipline of the Qilin Army established by Zhao Changdu was more severe than other armies in Dong Li. The punishments he personally invented were more cruel than those by the Bianjing Ministry of Punishments and the Ministry of Justice.
Death was already the lightest punishment for those who fell into his hands.
With an expressionless face, Huai Bi stood behind his master silently and skillfully lit the brazier in the cell, placing a red-hot branding iron over the fire.
Zhao Changdu watched the unconscious man like this for a while. Just thinking that he actually appeared in the girl's dreams several times and even met privately with her many times, he felt a surge of displeasure and irritation.
His gaze lowered to the crudely embroidered sachet around his waist. Zhao Changdu picked it up disdainfully, threw it into the brazier to burn.
Huai Bi kept his head low, trying his best to minimize his presence.
Zhao Changdu said coldly, "Splash water on him to wake him up."
The cold water mixed with coarse salt was poured entirely onto Jiang Yin’s body by Huai Bi.
Jiang Yin struggled painfully before finally forcing his bloodshot eyes open after much difficulty, the blood vessels in his eyes cracked and flooded with red.
He stared straight at Zhao Changdu, then after a long pause, he laughed hoarsely, "Zhao Changdu, you've finally come."
"Oh? You were looking forward to me coming?"
"Yes, I naturally anticipated it." As Jiang Yin spoke, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, but he didn't care. Staring at the man before him, he gloated, "Haven't you always wanted to kill me? I bet you don't dare kill me now."
"Oh?" Zhao Changdu raised a displeased arc at the corner of his eyes. Indeed, he had spent considerable manpower and resources to capture him, but it wasn't as if he really had no way to deal with an ordinary scholar like him.
He deliberately let him make trouble, also wanting to see what he was going to do.
And it did allow him to uncover some clues after letting things develop.
He asked Huai Bi to stand guard outside.
Turning back, he stood leisurely in front of Jiang Yin with his hands behind his back and slowly said, "After marrying Gu Jia, you didn't settle down with her but arranged for your sister Jiang Ling'er and mother to live in another manor. Then you curried favor from Prince Shu, instigated him to contact Ning Si, wanting to use Ning Si to break off the engagement between Prince Duan and the Ning Family. But unexpectedly you were discovered and thwarted by Little Sister Ying. Yet you didn't panic."
"Afterwards, you became a confidant of Prince Shu's mansion, secretly planning a coup for him. Most officials in Bianjing were controlled by Prince Shu, having no choice but to side with him."
Jiang Yin's brows gradually furrowed. He never expected that everything he had done in secret would be under Zhao Changdu's control.
If he could uncover all this, did he also see through his secret of rebirth?
What about Gu Ying? Did Gu Ying tell him?
Impossible!
Gu Ying would never tell him about such a shameful past. She was the legitimate daughter of the Gu Family and had suffered so much. She still cared about face.
"How do you know all this?"
Zhao Changdu was unruffled with an indifferent look, his eyes cold and clear, "There's more. You secretly recruited a subordinate named Han Lin, with excellent martial arts and outstanding qinggong. After getting him, you acted more deviously... completely beyond the ability of an ordinary child from a commoner's family. Jiang Yin, you must be hiding a big secret—"
"For example..." He raised his brow, the corner of his mouth mocking, "foresight? How could an ordinary person have foresight? Don't tell me you're possessed by some evil spirit?"
Jiang Yin was startled for a moment before quickly calming down again.
Because he knew Zhao Changdu had never believed in gods or Buddha. His deliberate words were to lure him into revealing the truth.
Thinking of this, he settled down a bit. As long as Zhao Changdu still didn't know Gu Ying was also reborn, he still had a chance to live.
"Hahahaha! Prince Zhao's storytelling skills are first-rate!" He didn't refute but broke into loud laughter instead.
Zhao Changdu patiently waited for him to finish laughing with knitted brows, his deep eyes clouding with flickering darkness, his voice growing lower and lower.
