Chapter 71: Bone Erosion. As the name suggests, it erodes bones, causing people to...

Following Pei Ji's instructions, the patrol team began investigating those who had come into contact with the deceased. However, according to the deceased's relatives, they disappeared during the market, which was a very busy time. Therefore, it was difficult to find out where they were.

The case was at a standstill for a while. It was clear that the person's appearance was not extremely ordinary, but no one had seen him before.

Emperor An kept a close eye on the matter and summoned Pei Ji to the palace every day to inquire about the situation, but the reply he received every time was that the matter had not yet been clarified.

The pressure was put on Pei Ji, not because he didn't want to investigate carefully, but because the situation was indeed a bit special, and he didn't really want to use the people he had supported, as that would make Emperor An suspicious.

Pei Ji came out of the palace again, his expression calm, but his heart was gloomy. Now that things had come to this, he had to use it even if he didn't want to.

"Yuanrong, take back some of the nets you set out earlier and keep an eye on those in the capital." Pei Ji's voice was full of fatigue. He had been going out early and coming back late recently, and he even rarely went home.

Damn it.

Don't let him know who is stopping him from meeting his husband...

Seeing his grim expression, Yuan Rong repeatedly responded and asked, "So...should we go back to the mansion, or to the patrol camp?"

"Go home." Pei Ji raised his head and sighed. He had to go home and meet his husband. He really couldn't bear it anymore.

Every profession has its specialties. If he were to lead troops in battle, that would be perfectly acceptable. However, to investigate a murder case in the capital, and to uncover the truth in the shortest possible time, while not necessarily difficult, it would still be a difficult task.

But Pei Ji was also worried. Now those people only dared to bully ordinary people, but if they set their eyes on the noble ladies and gentlemen in the capital in the future, it would definitely cause earth-shaking changes.

This matter must be investigated, otherwise even he will be worried.

It was still early when he returned home. He Zhiliao didn't expect that he would return home so early. Today, he had already made an appointment with Qi Guan to go to Chengshan Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha.

He Zhiliao has nothing to ask for now. He can take revenge on He Hongan and his son, but he is more worried about Pei Ji.

This mission is not easy to do, and he is afraid that he will be held accountable by Emperor An.

The two of them arrived at Chengshan Temple early, thinking that there wouldn't be many people there at this hour, but unexpectedly, there were many people coming to pray to the gods and worship Buddha.

"It seems that this matter has a profound impact on the people." Qi Guan said in a low voice. Perhaps due to his personality, although he also felt that this matter was cruel, he did not have much emotional fluctuation.

But I can't help but feel pity for them, thinking that they clearly just want to live a good life, but their life is so unhappy. They really don't deserve this.

He Zhiliao watched them praying to gods and Buddhas, wondering what wishes they made in their hearts. He thought they were praying for peace, success and to find the real murderer as soon as possible.

"Two benefactors," the young monk bowed to them. "If you would like to burn incense and pray, please follow me. There will be more people coming later."

He Zhiliao nodded to him quickly, and the two followed him into the hall. They prayed to the gods and Buddhas just to feel more at ease, but to be honest, he didn't believe in these things.

If gods and Buddhas really work, why didn't the Buddha hear his ten years of pleading?

But now, he only hopes that Pei Ji can solve this matter smoothly. This matter is extremely bad. If he cannot solve the case as soon as possible, the people will probably go to Pei Mansion to make trouble.

He didn't believe it, and Qi Guan didn't believe it even more.

After the two men finished their worship, they stood up to make room for the people behind them. The monk then asked them if they would like some vegetarian food. Normally, vegetarian food is only available to donors who stay in the temple for a short time.

He Zhiliao shook his head, and Qi Guan said, "Thank you for your concern, Master. We have something else to do at home, so we have to go back."

"In that case, I will send you two donors."

"Thank you very much."

The two walked outside. As the monk said, more and more people came to the temple to pray.

He Zhiliao was bumped by the crowded crowd and fell to the ground. Fortunately, Chunjian and Xixin helped him up quickly, but he still hurt his arm.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't you see you bumped into someone?" Yanhua was the first to grab the man. "You didn't even say sorry and you still want to leave?"

The man bowed his head and apologized hurriedly: "I'm sorry, sir. It's all because of my blindness that I bumped into you unintentionally. I hope you will forgive me!"

Yanhua immediately grabbed his hair and sneered, "How can you apologize but not to the noble man?"

The man seemed to be startled by this action. He subconsciously looked up and apologized quickly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

He Zhiliao frowned slightly. In the quiet place of Buddhism, he really didn't want to make a big deal out of this matter. Seeing that many people were looking at him vaguely, he nodded to Yanhua.

Yanhua immediately pushed him aside, but did not forget to remind him: "Be careful when you walk next time."

The man thanked him immediately and left.

He Zhiliao rubbed his shoulders and could still vaguely feel the stinging, but it was not convenient to take off his clothes to check the situation here, so he could only leave quickly.

His carriage was separate from Qi Guan's. After all, those who knew the inside story knew that Qi Guan was a man, so they naturally had to be more discreet.

As soon as he got on the carriage, Chun Jian rolled up his sleeves. There seemed to be nothing wrong with him, except for a red spot, which was probably caused by being hit.

He Zhiliao frowned. The pain felt sharp, not like being hit.

Seeing that he looked unhappy, Chun Jian immediately blew on his wound and said, "Master, please be patient. I will apply medicine to you as soon as we return home."

"Is Zhengjun in severe pain?" Xixin noticed something was wrong and carefully lifted his arm to examine it. "Look closely, there seems to be a red spot."

The other two heads came over instantly, and there was indeed a red dot.

This is a bit strange. They help him bathe every day. If there was something wrong, they would have discovered it long ago. And he has never felt any pain here before today.

Yanhua immediately grasped his wrist and examined it. "I haven't noticed it yet. Even if it's poison, it's a mild, chronic poison. You two go back first. I'll go find that man!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she jumped out of the carriage and left.

Chun Jian and the others naturally didn't dare to wait for her here. After informing Qi Guan, they immediately drove away in their carriage, much faster than when they came.

Seeing their carriage return, the doorman came forward joyfully and said, "The two lords are finally back. The fourth master came back early, just waiting for the fourth lord! What happened?..."

The doorman looked grim when he saw everyone coming down, and didn't even dare to say anything more.

The poison had not yet dissipated when Yanhua took the pulse, so she didn't notice anything. However, the distance from Chengshan Temple to Pei Mansion was enough for the poison to dissipate. He Zhiliao's entire arm was in so much pain that she couldn't touch or move it.

"Hurry up and take the palace token to invite the imperial physician! Invite the palace physician first!"

Haruhiko was anxious, so he squatted down and carried him on his back. Although he was a strong man, he always felt light on his back.

"Master, something happened!" Yuan Rong hurried into the house to report, "Jun Zheng was in trouble and was carried back!"

Pei Ji immediately dropped the military book in his hand and ran out like a gust of wind. He took Chun Jian from him and ran back to the house in his arms.

He Zhiliao was completely unconscious from the pain, and his entire body was covered in sweat, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Without Pei Ji asking any more questions, Xixin immediately told the story. However, when they talked about the man's appearance, they were all puzzled.

"I couldn't remember it for a moment...but after Yanhua realized it, she immediately went after him, so I think it should be fine." Xixin said quickly.

Pei Ji stopped talking and held He Zhiliao's uninjured right hand tightly and nervously.

It was the imperial physician who arrived first. Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, he hurriedly bowed and started taking the pulse with his medicine box.

The more I felt his pulse, the uglier his expression became.

"Speak!" Pei Ji lowered his voice and scolded.

"Your Excellency, this is due to poisoning. If I am not mistaken, the small wound on your wrist and arm was caused by the tip of a needle. The poison was sent into your body through this needle. It is extremely despicable!" The imperial physician said softly, and his righteous look made people laugh.

Pei Ji suppressed his anger and asked, "What kind of poison is it? How to cure it?"

The imperial physician said in panic, "This isn't a serious poison. We need to cut open the wound to force the poisonous blood out, and then take the antidote orally."

What’s the difference between talking for a long time and not saying anything?

Pei Ji gritted his teeth and refused to say a word to him, but he had to patiently talk to him more. He wanted to ask more, but he couldn't get anything out of it.

"Can you cure it?" Pei Ji watched him reaching out to attack He Zhiliao's arm, and finally couldn't bear it anymore and questioned him angrily.

The imperial physician was startled by his roar, and the knife almost cut He Zhiliao's arm. Seeing him like this, Pei Ji grabbed his collar and threw him out.

"Tie him up!" Pei Ji gritted his teeth, "You dare to seek death in front of me? I respect you as a man!"

The court doctor arrived soon, but he came in a hurry and looked awkward. He didn't even have time to greet people. He hurried into the house carrying the medicine box, explaining as he walked.

"We were stopped by a group of beggars on the road. Fortunately, Guard Yuan was capable." The court physician sat down and steadied his breathing before he hurried to take the patient's pulse. Like the imperial physician, his expression became increasingly uglier.

Pei Ji reminded: "If you dare to talk nonsense, don't blame me for being rude."

"This poison is bone-eroding incense," said the court doctor.

"Bone-eroding incense?" Pei Ji frowned. He knew this poison. Bone-eroding, as the name suggests, means corroding bones and breaking all the bones in the body.

But He Zhiliao didn't know that.

The court doctor said, "There's something strange about Zheng Jun's body. It's clearly a very toxic poison. Once it enters his system, it will dissipate again and again, leaving him with only the most basic toxicity."

The bone-eroding incense is extremely poisonous, and the pain of having his bones melted away is only the most basic, but it will not cause his bones to be eroded again.

But the pain is unbearable.

"How to treat it?" Pei Ji saw that he was reliable, so he asked quickly.

"We know the poison, and we just need to find the antidote," the court doctor said. "The bone-eroding incense belongs to the Southern Territory. Fourth Master, please do your best to find it. Zheng Jun is just in pain now, and the poison has dissipated. There's nothing else to worry about."

"Yuanrong!"

"I'm here."

Pei Ji's expression was serious. "Let Jin Ling lead his men to the Southern Region. No matter what means are used, we must find the antidote to the Bone-Eroding Incense!"

"Yes!" Yuan Rong responded immediately. He felt that at this time, even if the Lion of the Southern Territory asked for a high price, he would accept it.

He Zhiliao had already fainted from the pain. The only good thing was that the poison no longer spread. He would occasionally wake up, but would still faint from the pain.

Pei Ji saw it, anger and heartache boiling in his heart, as if there was a blunt knife slowly cutting the flesh of his heart, but occasionally stirring up blood.

Husband...

"I'm here." Pei Ji held his hand tightly, placed it on his lips and kissed it gently, "I'm here, I will always be with you, don't be afraid, Jin Ling and the others have already rushed to the Southern Region, they will find the antidote soon, and you will be fine soon."

He Zhiliao forced the corners of his mouth and forced a smile, but it disappeared in a flash. Sweat poured out from his temples again, and there was an unbearable sob in his throat. Tears slid down the corners of his eyes and then gathered into his temples.

He felt so uncomfortable that Pei Ji had no choice but to feed him the painkilling medicine prepared by the court physician. The medicine was extremely bitter, and the inky soup was even a bit sticky.

Pei Ji felt a little reluctant, but he could only forcefully pinch his jaw, forcing him to open his lips and teeth, and pour the medicine in. Then he fed him water and sugar water...

The painkilling soup prepared by the court physician seemed to contain some poison, probably to temporarily use poison to fight poison and slightly suppress the pain that was gnawing at the bones.

This medicine was indeed effective and it actually suppressed the bone-eroding incense in his body a little bit. However, the medicine also had a time limit. Although the bone-eroding incense would not break out all the time, it was extremely uncomfortable when it did break out.

After drinking the medicine, He Zhiliao finally fell into a deep sleep, holding Pei Ji's hand and falling into a sound sleep.

Pei Ji touched his face with special affection, his eyes full of guilt.

Everything that happened today was directed at him.

The case he was now investigating must have touched upon the interests of certain people. He was afraid that if he put all his attention on the case, he would directly investigate the matter, so he simply found other things to divert his attention.

That's why he came to bully He Zhi.

It seems that he hasn't done enough cruel things.

"Master, Yuan Ming is here."

"I'll meet him in the front hall."

Pei Ji carefully pulled his hand out, changed his pillow, and then got up and went to the front hall.

"Master Pei!" Seeing him coming, Yuan Ming looked at him with great joy. "After asking around, we finally have some clues. They all passed by Yuliu Pavilion before they disappeared. One person even said that he saw the tortoise in there struggling with one of the deceased!"

Pei Ji's pupils shrank slightly, and he immediately said to him, "Send someone to arrest the madam and pimp of Yuliu Pavilion immediately, and bring the certified person over for identification!"

"Yes!" Yuan Ming did it immediately.

Pei Ji called Lin Feng over again and said, "Take my letter to the palace and tell His Majesty that the emperor was poisoned. You know how to tell him."

Lin Feng nodded immediately, "I understand."

Naturally, something like this happening in the mansion could not be hidden from others. Qin Yurong came over several times to show concern, but was frightened by He Zhile's painful look, and her brows were full of bitterness.

If I had known he would encounter so many things, I might as well have...

It was not until the afternoon that Yanhua returned home in a mess with empty hands.

"Master, I am incompetent." Yanhua knelt and confessed. "I immediately gave chase after the thief after I realized something was wrong, but he still escaped. I don't know what happened, but I suddenly forgot what he looked like while searching for him..."

Pei Ji knew how much they cared about He Zhiliao, but he was overwhelmed by worry and anger rose in his heart. However, the thing had already happened, and blaming the maid was useless.

After hearing her last words, Pei Ji was filled with shock.

"You don't remember his face? Were you conscious at the time?" Pei Ji asked. These subordinates of his were all forged from gold and silver, so this shouldn't be the case!

Yanhua shook her head hastily, "I remember his face, and I was always clear-headed. But perhaps because I saw too many faces during the search, that person has faded from my mind..."

Even though she herself felt it was outrageous when she said this, the truth was really so absurd!

Pei Ji frowned, "That person has an exceptionally ordinary face? So featureless that he'll be forgotten once he gets into a crowd?"

"Yes!" Yanhua said quickly.

"Then I know..." Pei Ji said this with gritted teeth, "He is the person I have been looking for, but I can't remember his face, so he escapes again and again."

Yanhua was shocked.

They all knew that the master was secretly looking for someone. After all, those secret guards were very useful, but they had never found him. They didn't expect that this person was still in the capital every day, either living a peaceful life or strolling around leisurely.

"This matter is not your fault. Take good care of Zheng Jun and make amends." Pei Ji did not blame them. "I have to go out for a while. Please take care of the mansion."

"Yes." Hearing him say this, Yanhua was completely relieved.

Pei Ji returned to the house and took another look at He Zhiliao. Seeing that he was still sleeping soundly, he changed his clothes and went out.

He had to go and interrogate the madam and the pimps himself. When it came to trying criminals, he was the best.

In broad daylight, Yuliu Pavilion was suddenly surrounded by soldiers, which naturally attracted the attention of the onlookers. Some cheered, some were distressed, and some were so scared that they wanted to run away...

Pei Ji sat upright in the upper seat, the soldiers forced the madam and the pimp to kneel down, and the certified person stood respectfully by the side, waiting for the next instruction.

"Lift their heads up." Pei Ji said.

The guards immediately forced their heads to twist, but a few of them were still unwilling to obey and refused to raise their heads.

Pei Ji said calmly: "It would be the same if I cut off your heads to identify them. Bring me the knife."

As he said this, he glanced at the witness casually, then stood up and walked to the turtle men, took the knife and put it against the neck of one of the turtle men. After a pause, he chopped down with the knife.

The warm blood instantly splattered on the other pimps, who were immediately terrified. Some of them even screamed, especially the old procuress, who looked as if she was scared crazy.

After that, if you let them look up, no one will dare to refuse.

The witness walked up to these male prostitutes and looked carefully at their faces. After all, although each of them was as tall and strong as an ox, their appearance was somewhat unsatisfactory, even a little ugly, but they were still easy to identify based on their features.

After a moment, the witness shook his head and said, "The two I saw that day are not here."

"Where are the other pimps?" Pei Ji asked the madam, "You'd better think before you speak, or you'll never have the chance to speak again."

"I, I don't know either..." The madam looked at him in horror, shaking her head faster than a rattle. "I really don't know! I don't care about them! They're just a bunch of hooligans. They'll automatically drag any pretty girl into the building when they see one! It really has nothing to do with me!"

These words seemed like a betrayal to protect oneself, but they did not arouse the betrayal in those old men. They even fell silent, as if they had expected this to happen.

Pei Ji understood that he acted too suddenly, which was beyond the instructions of the mastermind, so they panicked.

And the questions he asked now might just be the ones they had prepared in advance, so naturally they had a solution without having to think, which was that everyone claimed to be unaware.

Do they think that even if Pei Ji would act easily, he could kill them all?

Tell them the facts.

Pei Jin can do it, he really can.

This matter was extremely bad in itself, and all the pressure of solving the case fell on him. Not only did he have to bear the accountability of Emperor An, but he also had to bear the anger of the people.

These are all fine.

It just so happened that these people touched his sore spot, and he had no place to vent his anger, so naturally he had to reduce the number of their followers.

Pei Ji was quick and efficient. In the blink of an eye, no one was left alive except the madam. He then carefully instructed the guards to take good care of the witness. Today's incident had caused such a stir that someone must have known something. It wouldn't be surprising if they targeted the witness.

He quickly dealt with the matter here and left Yuliu Pavilion covered in blood.

Young Master Pei killed people everywhere in Yuliu Pavilion, and the news spread in the blink of an eye.

A mansion somewhere.

Several masked men sat facing each other in silence. The purple-robed man in the lead said sinisterly, "That loser couldn't even handle such a small matter. He was chased for a long time before he could barely escape!"

"Don't be angry, just avoid it... But what about the Jade Willow Pavilion?" the man in red asked respectfully, "And they said there's a witness..."

"How difficult is that? Just kill him directly." The man in yellow chuckled, as if human life was just dirty air in his eyes.

Naturally, they all agreed with this. After all, if they continued to keep him, there would be endless troubles.

The red-dressed man immediately became interested when he heard this. "It's just a certification. Why bother mobilizing so many people? I can handle it quietly!"

The man in yellow nodded slightly. "Then I'll leave this matter to you. You must do it well and don't be like that idiot who exposed himself and got chased across eight blocks."

"Don't worry, I'm confident in this matter." The man in red laughed, his voice strangely sharp, and his red clothes reflected his smile as if stained with blood. "By the way, I found some good stuff and will send it to you later for your appreciation."

Hearing him say this, the purple-robed man also smiled with great satisfaction, "Then we can just wait."

"Yes." The man in red replied, then brought up another matter. "Pei Ji cares so much about his Zheng Jun. He must be going crazy right now. If he can't find the antidote to the bone-eroding incense within a month, Pei Ji will have no choice but to watch him die!"

This sounded like a joke, and the three of them laughed at the same time. They all looked happy both physically and mentally, as if Pei Ji was in pain, which made them happy.

Pei Ji returned home and learned from Chun Jian that he had not been ill. He felt a little relieved. It showed how effective the medicine was. But even if it was effective, he could not just let it go. He had to find the antidote as soon as possible.

He showered and changed into clean clothes before sitting down beside the bed and carefully wiping his sweat-soaked body.

In just one day, he had become much more embarrassed.

After covering him with the quilt, Pei Ji leaned over and kissed him.

Sleep well, my little cicada. Midsummer has not yet arrived, so I am not in a hurry to make you call me.

"Master, Lin Feng is back. I will call the three back according to your instructions." Yuan Rong said softly outside the house, fearing to alarm the people inside.

Pei Ji walked out and brought them into the study that had not been used for a long time.

"Master—"

"I asked the secret guards, and they said they followed your instructions and followed the direction of the capital. They discovered that there was always movement in the alley behind the Crown Prince's Mansion at night. They also saw the eldest son of Duke Zhou's Mansion go in there - huh, huh..."

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Author's words: Yuanrong: My business is more important! Hehehe... [melted]

Pei Gou: It’s not enough. I haven’t killed enough… [Glasses]

Little Zhiliao will be fine.