"Have you heard? This morning, all the doctors in the pharmacy were arrested."

"What exactly is going on?"

"I don't know, but the scene was quite intimidating. The newcomers took the doctor away from the medicine tent without saying a word, while Imperial Physician Ren was still watching the proceedings!"

Lu Qiqi had just finished breakfast and was carrying her medicine box when she entered the seriously wounded soldiers' tent in the camp. She then heard five doctors huddled together and talking about the matter.

Of these five doctors, two had previously worked in Tianxin Village, following Lu Qiqi to treat villagers suffering from epidemics.

Therefore, when Lu Qiqi asked what was going on, someone answered her questions.

"Reporting to the Lord of the Township, this morning a group of men rushed in and arrested all the doctors in the medicine tent. Imperial Physician Ren was also present at the time, and it seems that something major has happened."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi guessed that Song Yanqing must have resolved some troubles, and this long-term plan was no longer useful; it was time to close the net.

Seeing that she didn't react, the five doctors assumed she hadn't understood their implied meaning. The doctor in the blue robe then said, "Princess, if something happens to the medicine account, where will we get medicine and bandages in the future?"

Lu Qiqi, reminded by him, said, "There's no need to worry about this. Since Physician Ren witnessed the doctors in the medicine tent being taken away, he will come up with a way to solve the problem of the missing doctors in the medicine tent at this time."

"Let's get to work. Although we don't need to stitch up the wounded today, many wounded soldiers need their dressings changed. Time waits for no one, so let's hurry up and get to work."

Upon hearing this, the five physicians agreed that it made perfect sense. They reasoned that the imperial physician couldn't simply leave the medicine treasury empty, or the entire wounded soldiers' camp would descend into chaos!

Having figured this out, the five doctors dispersed, each carrying their own medicine kit, and went out to change the bandages for the wounded soldiers.

Lu Qiqi went straight to Physician Ren's tent, wanting to find out what had happened.

When she lifted the tent flap and entered Physician Ren's tent, Physician Ren was sitting at a low table, eating a flatbread, his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.

Lu Qiqi quickly explained her purpose, asking about the medicine account.

Physician Ren slowly finished eating the pancake, then picked up the bowl with his right hand and drank the white porridge in one gulp.

He picked up a handkerchief, wiped his mouth clean, and then wiped his hands as he said, "Last night, the Shadow Guards captured some Tatars in the city, and today they sent men to take away all the doctors from the pharmacy for interrogation."

As Lu Qiqi had predicted, she said, "The medicine treasury cannot be unattended for even a day. Imperial Physician Ren must find a way to fill the vacancies in advance."

The imperial physician looked exhausted and said, "The people in the medicine treasury are all people I have carefully selected. Now that such a thing has happened right under my nose, I find that no one can be trusted."

Lu Qiqi felt a lump in her throat, but didn't know where to begin. As far as she knew, the medicine treasury contained both students of the imperial physician and people he had promoted from hard labor for their talents.

With the battle at the front lines in dire straits, and the Great Jin army fighting desperately to protect the peace of the Great Jin Dynasty, how could he not feel chilled to the bone and how could his soldiers not be filled with dread?

After wiping his hands clean, Physician Ren raised his head again, his eyes filled with sharpness, as if he had been reborn and recharged with strength!

He said, "Even a doctor who has entered the dungeon, with his steely body, will still explain the three generations of his family clearly and thoroughly."

While the members of the medicine tent were being interrogated by the Shadow Guards, I and Ren Yuan were in charge of supervising the medicine tent. I want to see what other tricks these scoundrels can pull!

The powerful voice of Physician Ren echoed in the air above the camp. Lu Qiqi suddenly felt that his ability to guard this place for more than 20 years was admirable, simply because of this perseverance.

...

At the entrance to the dungeon.

Song Yanqing untied his black cloak, and then An Yi took the cloak off his shoulder.

The battle at Ximen had just ended, and Song Yanqing had just finished listening to General Qin's report on the military situation when he rushed to the dungeon without stopping.

As Song Yanqing approached the dungeon entrance, the guards, upon seeing him, immediately unlocked the door and made way for him.

He and An Yi descended into the dungeon one after the other, and he asked in a deep voice, "What's the situation?"

An Yi respectfully replied, "Your Highness, when An Shi was capturing the Tatars, an opportunity arose. When the situation became irreversible, the Tatars sent a signal to warn their companions."

This led to the Tatars launching a fierce attack to break through and return to the rescue during the pursuit of An Jiu, thus disrupting the plan to infiltrate the enemy's stronghold.

Hearing this, Song Yanqing had already walked to the depths of the dungeon. He stood on the bluestone slab and slowly turned back to look at An Yi.

At this moment, Song Yanqing still had a trace of blood on his face, left from the battle at Ximen today. His sharp gaze made even An Yi, who had been by his side for many years, tremble.

An Yi reacted instantly and quickly said, "Fortunately, An Shi left one survivor, but this survivor's sternum was broken in several places, and he probably doesn't have much time left."

When he said that time was running out, An Yi's voice noticeably lowered, as if the responsibility for not handling things well lay with him, and he was worried about being punished.

Upon hearing this, Song Yanqing showed no emotion, then turned around and said calmly, "In that case, let the doctor keep him alive for now, and soak his wound in warm water every day. Eventually, he will confess."

Wounds that come into contact with hot water are difficult to heal and often show signs of fever and pus formation. This drastic method is frequently used in dungeons.

It is specifically designed to deal with rebels and has never failed. Moreover, this method is used against the blood-eating and flesh-eating Tartars, so there is no need to talk about mercy when using it on them.

"yes!"

As they reached a corner, a cool, eerie breeze blew through the dungeon, momentarily ruffling Song Yanqing's hair.

Even with the firelight, the deeper you go, the darker the path becomes, and you can only rely on your memory to find your way.

Song Yanqing frequently visited this place when he was defending the border city, so he was very familiar with it.

Further inside, the light became much brighter, and Song Yanqing and An Yi arrived at a large torture chamber.

This torture chamber was specially prepared for the rebels, complete with all kinds of torture instruments, including the Pipa Ditch, the Tiger Bench, the clamps, and the horsewhip.

At this moment, a tall, bearded Tatar man was bound in a starfish shape and fixed to a wooden frame.

His clothes were tattered and covered in bloody welts from being whipped, and his dark skin underneath was torn and bleeding from the whipping.

The guards in the prison saw Song Yanqing arrive.

He quickly jumped up from the stool and bowed to Song Yanqing.

"Greetings, Crown Prince."

“Hmm,” Song Yanqing nodded lightly, his gaze falling on the Tartar who had lowered his head.

An Yi, standing to the side, inquired about the situation, "Have you confessed?"

The supervisor replied, "Your Excellency, he hasn't confessed yet. He only received two lashes before passing out."

Someone brought in a round-backed chair to the torture chamber. Song Yanqing sat down with an air of authority and said coldly, "Wake him up!"