Chapter 190 This person is the Imperial Guard who used to follow Zhao Chengkai!

"General, is it because the food we've prepared isn't to your liking?" the cook asked.

Guard: "General, I walked very fast, and the food was still piping hot when I put it down!"

Ban Sicao: "Who asked you that? Your general's food has been poisoned!"

Everyone's expression changed.

The cook and the guards immediately cried out that they were innocent.

"General, we are innocent! We did not poison him!"

"General, if I poison you, may my whole family suffer a terrible death!"

"General, I wouldn't dare! Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare to poison him!"

Everyone was crying foul.

Upon hearing the news, Wei Dongzhu rushed over. After learning what had happened from Chunxue, Wei Dongzhu felt a chill run down his spine, almost freezing him.

"General, use the torture!"

Shen Lanxi glanced at Wei Dongzhu: "Ban Sicao, you will assist General Hu in finding the person who poisoned him!"

Ban Si Cao: "Yes!"

"This poison is colorless and odorless, but when mixed with food, it will have a rusty taste. Anyone who comes into contact with this poison will also have marks on their body; if their skin is soaked in a special alkaline solution, their skin will turn yellow!"

"This is much more convenient than torture!"

Wei Dongzhu's eyes flashed: "Please, Mr. Ban, prepare the alkaline solution!"

Ban Sicao: "Sure, sure, just gather everyone who might have come into contact with the food together!"

Wei Dongzhu immediately went to arrest the person.

Before long, everyone who had come into contact with Shen Lanxi's cooking—those who delivered the vegetables, washed them, and tended the fire—was gathered together, filling the entire courtyard.

Bansicao prepared two water tanks, separated by a curtain.

"The men are over there, and the women are over here. Their skin is completely soaked in water. After they dry, they each check whether their skin has changed color!"

Chunxue Qiushuang was in charge of the women's side, while Ban Sicao and Wei Dongzhu were in charge of the men's side!

One by one, people would stand aside after dating whomever they wanted.

By the time the last person finished soaking in the water, the water tank was so dirty it was unrecognizable.

Shen Lanxi observed everyone's reactions without revealing her expression, until Ban Sicao suddenly exclaimed, "Why has everyone changed color?"

The guards standing nearby all drew their weapons and aimed them at the people in the courtyard.

The skin of those who had just soaked in the water turned a waxy yellow.

Ban Sicao: "General, these people have all changed color. They have very likely been in direct or indirect contact with poison. We need to question them one by one."

Shen Lanxi nodded: "I'll leave this matter to you!"

"yes!"

Because of the poisoning incident, everyone in the camp was in a state of panic and dared not go out alone, so they began to keep an eye on each other!

After nightfall, a dark figure sneaked into the prisoner's quarters and was about to poison the water when he was bitten by a small snake that jumped out of the water vat.

Ban Sicao brought the person to Shen Lanxi.

"He poisoned the water vat to kill us and silence us!"

Qian Feng: "This person was a member of the Imperial Guard who previously served under Zhao Chengkai."

Ban Sicao raised an eyebrow: "How could the Imperial Guards possess such a vicious poison?"

Shen Lanxi: "Wake him up."

Just as Ban Sicao reached out her hand, she suddenly felt something was wrong. She turned the person over and saw that the person's face had turned black and he was dead!

“Dead!” Ban Sicao’s face turned cold. She first checked the wounds that Xiao Hong had bitten, and then checked the Imperial Guard’s body and mouth.

"The venom sacs inside his teeth weren't ruptured, and his tongue and nails are black. Based on the timing of the poison's effects, he had already ingested poison before he arrived!"

Xiao Fang: "You mean, the person who sent him didn't intend for him to leave alive?"

Ban Sicao frowned and shook her head: "Xiao Hong is a venomous snake, but the venom won't take effect so quickly. I originally thought that Xiao Hong would bite him, and after he suffered some torment, he would confess. Who would have thought that it would clash with the venom in his body?"

Wei Dongzhu: "In other words, although this person took poison, he will receive the antidote after completing the mission and returning. Your venomous snake bit him, and the two poisons came together, which is why he died so quickly!"

Ban Sicao glanced at Wei Dongzhu. Had he offended this person?

"Yes!" He's the kind of person who takes responsibility for his actions and will definitely admit it!

"This was my mistake. Punish me or punish me as you see fit!"

Shen Lanxi: "Clean up this body properly. This person has never existed before!"

Imperial Guards!

For a moment, everyone felt heavy-hearted.

Although the detainees were innocent, they couldn't be released so quickly. Under the supervision of Ban Sicao, each person was carefully questioned to clear any suspicion before being released!

“The Lu family of Gaoyang bullied men and women, seized land, murdered for money, and held absolute power in Gaoyang. Their crimes are too numerous to count.”

"General who quelled the rebellion, eliminate the treacherous officials for our Great Zhou, and restore a clear sky and bright world to the people of Gaoyang!"

"The forty-seven ringleaders of the Lu family are to be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public!"

"The remaining accomplices shall be exiled to the Suiyuan quarry as slaves, in accordance with the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, to build the city walls!"

After the verdict was handed down, all 47 members of the Lu family were beheaded on the spot!

That afternoon, the line to pay taxes stretched from the south gate all the way to the north gate.

Shen Lanxi shouted loudly, "I don't care if other places are in chaos!"

"My jurisdiction must not be in chaos!"

"This is what will happen to anyone who dares to break the law!"

After she finished speaking, she left, stepping on the blood, leaving a trail of blood with each step!

From then on, no one in Yonglin Prefecture dared to test Shen Lanxi's attitude!

The recruitment office has been quite annoyed lately.

It's understandable for women to want to join the army, but it's not in accordance with the procedures for women who joined the army before to now want to be discharged.

The term of service in the Great Zhou Dynasty is five to seven years. These women have only been in the army for a few days at the shortest and a few months at the longest. Now that they want to retire, what will happen to the two taels of silver they received as a resettlement allowance?

Should we also withdraw?

The key issue is that these women don't have the money to return the soldiers, which is causing great distress to the recruiters.

The recruitment office reported the matter up the chain of command to Qian Mu. After understanding the cause and effect, Qian Mu felt that this was a big deal and immediately reported it to Shen Lanxi.

"Since the King of Dongliao declared himself emperor, he has expanded his harem, taking in any woman with even a little bit of beauty. We are not far from where the King of Dongliao resides, and many women with even a little bit of beauty want to take this opportunity to climb the social ladder. Many women in our military camp are tempted, and some have been called away by their families. There are also those who do not want to be captured and forced to serve the King of Dongliao, so they have come here to join our army!"

Shen Lanxi: "If those women want to leave, they only need to return the resettlement allowance and other supplies given to them by the army, and they can leave. If they come to join the army again in the future, they will never be hired!"

"yes!"

"Those who come to join the army to avoid trouble, it is agreed in advance that no salary will be paid. If they leave early, they will have to pay five hundred taels of silver as a 'dodge' fee. If they do not leave until the end of their service period, all salary paid during their service will be refunded!"

"yes!"

The military camp is not a refuge for these people. If they use this place as a way out, they will have to bear the consequences of relying on her power for protection!