Chapter 153 Hidden Arrow

Li San Niang endured the pain and stood up, smoothing the hem of her skirt with her right hand, and followed the female official to the side hall.

Because her left shoulder and upper arm were injured, after listening to Doctor Wan's advice, Li San Niang used a long strip of cloth to support her left arm and tied it in a knot around her neck.

Therefore, Li San Niang looked both comical and pitiful at this moment.

Upon arrival, in addition to Di Shaoqing, there were his two subordinates, as well as Chai, the judicial officer of the Jingzhao Prefecture, and Yuan, the clerk.

Li Sanniang noticed that she wasn't being interrogated in the main hall, but in a side hall, and the person sitting at the head of the table was none other than Di Renjie, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

For Li San Niang, Di Renjie was practically an acquaintance. Last time, in the case of Wu Silang from the Liang State Duke's Mansion, Li San Niang had actually helped Di Renjie out.

Li San Niang bowed her head and greeted the guests. Although one of her arms was in a sling and she could not perform the full ceremony, she still used her other hand to clasp her hands in greeting.

At the same time, Li Sanniang thought to herself, "I should be able to save my life. It all depends on how these officials will judge me."

Next, there are some routine questions, such as your name, where you live, who your ancestors were for the past three generations, your marital status and children, and what you do for a living.

Then, they asked Li San Niang what exactly happened that day.

"In response to your questions, gentlemen, I have become a physician because I passed the examination of the Chang'an Medical Alliance."

According to the alliance's regulations, I must complete at least six months of resident physician training at the Yongpingfang Medical Hall before I can officially become a physician.

That day was my first day on duty. In the morning, I…

Seeing that Li Sanniang was standing for a long time, Di Shaoqing thought she must be feeling a little uncomfortable, so he asked a clerk to bring her a stool to sit on.

Li San Niang gave Di Shaoqing a grateful look, and after sitting down, she continued, "After I bought the roast goose, I went to the alley to look for a donkey cart. At first, I didn't notice anything amiss, but after I got on the cart and drove for a while, I realized something was wrong..."

I took out a scalpel used in surgery from my medical kit..."

"Wait, is this the little knife that Li San Niangzi is talking about?"

Li San Niang saw the official take out a tray from the side, on which was the scalpel that Li San Niang had used to kill people.

Li San Niang nodded, "That's right."

"This knife has a rather unusual design."

Seeing that no one was asking any more questions, Li Sanniang continued, "While that scoundrel wasn't paying attention to me, I stabbed the donkey in the rear, jumped off the cart, and rolled away..."

When the big man came over and grabbed my right hand, I seized the opportunity and threw the drug in his face, especially in his eyes..."

"Li San Niangzi's sleeping potion is indeed powerful. When we took these two people from the Jinwu Guard, it took them a while to wake up."

"In reply to your question, sir, medicine and poison are not separate. It is perfectly acceptable to have any physician from any medical clinic prepare a small amount of sleeping powder for self-defense."

Chai Fashi did not believe what Li Sanniang said, but it didn't seem too strange that a woman who often went out, and who was also a female doctor, would carry some sleeping powder.

Besides, those two thugs are both alive and well. Li San Niang just carried some sleeping pills with her, not poison, so it's still understandable.

"Then, I met that man in black."

I kept talking to him, trying to buy some time and also hoping to get some information from him about why I had been kidnapped.

And who is it and why did they kidnap me?

Of course, I later learned that they didn't just want to tie me up and cripple my hands; they wanted to take my life and kill me.

At this point, Li Sanniang was unsure whether to continue.

The only people besides the Li family who knew about the alcohol purification process were Mr. Bu Ke from the Bad People's Bureau.

But judging from what the man in black said, it seemed that he had somehow learned that Li San Niang knew how to purify alcohol, whether by buying information or by obtaining it from spies of the Bad People. Moreover, they knew that Li San Niang wanted to use alcohol purification to develop a series of products to influence the northwest border.

"Does Li San Niangzi now understand why the man in black had someone claim to be crippling your hands, but actually wanted to kill you?"

Li San Niang figured that since none of the powerful and cunning people had come to her to tell her not to talk about the alcohol purification, then in her current situation, facing Di Shaoqing, who had an absolutely good reputation as an official in the Jingzhao Prefecture, she should be able to tell him, right?

Therefore, Li San Niang decided to speak up about this matter.

"I suspect they were after the alcohol..."

Before Li San Niang could even utter the word about the alcohol, a shiver ran down her spine, and relying on her body's instincts, she immediately bent over and lowered her head.

With a "whoosh," an arrow struck the wall of the side hall before anyone could react.

Because she bent over too quickly, Li San Niang lost her balance and fell off the chair, landing on the ground.

"An assassin!"

Su Qi and Wang Jian immediately rushed to Di Renjie's side, while Li Sanniang only managed to exhale and gasp for breath when she heard the official shout that there was an assassin.

Li Sanniang sat on the ground, staring at the arrows on the wall, her heart filled with fear. "They won't let me go? They won't let me die?"

"Bang!" The head constable of the Jingzhao Prefecture heard shouts from inside that there was an assassin, and immediately led several constables to kick down the door and rush in.

Li San Niang was helped back to her chair by the female official. At the same time, she was thinking to herself, could it be that she had accidentally learned some secret?

Otherwise, it's just a matter of alcohol purification; why would the other party repeatedly try to kill someone?

Or perhaps, there are significant profits involved in this alcohol purification process that Li San Niang herself hasn't fully grasped?

Di Renjie understood somewhat. He knew that this must be the work of the mastermind behind the Tang Dynasty that Emperor Wu had mentioned, who wanted to overthrow the Tang Dynasty and plunge millions of people back into the flames of war.

Having experienced much, Di Renjie knew that his opponent must have thought he could win with one blow. However, he did not expect that Li Sanniang's five senses were so sharp. But this could also explain why Li Sanniang was able to use her skills in the dark, and with only some injuries, she was able to kill the man in black.

Exceptionally gifted, no doubt about it.

At this moment, Di Renjie pulled the arrow from the wall. Based on the thickness of the arrow shaft, the craftsmanship of the arrowhead, and the length of the fletching, Di Renjie determined that this was an arrow commonly used by Turkic archers, and the most common kind. Apart from confirming that it was a Turkic arrow, it had no other distinguishing features.

The person who arranged this is certainly meticulous.

Li San Niang dared not speak so openly anymore. She stood up and said to Di Renjie, "Di Shaoqing, it seems that I have offended others. There are some things I would like to tell you privately."

Upon hearing this, Judge Chai and Manager Yuan exchanged glances, and finally Judge Chai spoke up, saying, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"Di Shaoqing, although we are all supposed to follow the Emperor's orders and be under your command, it's not appropriate for Li Sanniang to inform you of this privately."

Without waiting for Di Shaoqing's response, he told Yuan Sili to hurry out and tell the prefect that he couldn't make the decision himself and that someone who could should come up with it.

The situation suddenly reached a stalemate, and they had no choice but to suspend the questioning of Li Sanniang and wait for the Prefect of Jingzhao to arrive before deciding how to deal with Li Sanniang's account of why she was assassinated—whether to tell it to Di Renjie alone or to tell it to everyone.

At this moment, one of the undercover agents from the Bad People's gang, who had been monitoring and protecting Li San Niang, sent back the news that Li San Niang had been assassinated again.