Chapter 41

As the saying goes, greed is the root of greed. Seeing Zhu Xuan's father enjoying immense fame and success due to his talent, Feng Gao began to yearn for his place. He conspired with Qian Yuanwai to secretly poison Zhu Xuan's father and then destroy the body, leading to the complete decline of the Zhu family.

Overnight, Zhu Xuan went from a carefree child to an orphan without a father or mother. He was displaced and eventually sold into slavery. After several twists and turns, he was sold to Feng Gao, who had concealed Qian Yuanwai's misdeeds and, for years, offered him attractive young men to please him.

Feng Gao had long since forgotten his past misdeeds, nor could he recall ever harming the Zhu family. Zhu Xuan, in a desperate move, used Feng Gao to gain access to Mr. Qian, then waited for an opportunity to poison Feng Gao and frame him, attempting to eliminate both enemies simultaneously.

After hearing Zhu Xuan's account, Yu Xi immediately ordered Prefect Xu to investigate the matter thoroughly. This investigation, however, revealed not only the Zhu family's murder, but also the poisoning of other talented individuals, whose whereabouts remained unknown. Ling Huanchen finally understood why Feng Gao, despite his modest talent, was considered Xunzhou's most talented scholar. It was because he had long since eliminated those who surpassed him. With the support of the wealthy official, no one dared to provoke him. No one reported the case to the authorities, and the people remained silent, allowing the case to remain unresolved.

The evidence of the Zhu family was too old, and only Zhu Xuan could testify. However, if evidence of other talented people being murdered was uncovered, it would be enough to behead Feng Gao.

Before being taken to prison, Zhu Xuan made a request: to meet the two officials who had saved him. There was no precedent for a prisoner making such a request, but Magistrate Xu had received instructions from his superiors to grant leniency to Zhu Xuan, as his crime was not punishable by death. Therefore, he did not refuse Zhu Xuan's request.

However, when he brought the person in, it was afternoon, and the two were taking a nap in the room, and no one dared to disturb them. Just when Xu Zhifu wanted to take the person back, Ling Huanchen opened the door.

Prefect Xu breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Highness, this man said he must come to see your Highness and the King before going to prison. Your Highness, please..."

Ling Huanchen nodded, then asked, "What's the matter?"

Zhu Xuan finally understood the identities of the two adults who saved him. He was stunned for a long time, then knelt down in front of Ling Huanchen with his knees bent. "I have a humble request. Your Highness, please allow me to personally investigate Feng Gao. In the next life, I will work like a slave to repay your kindness."

Ling Huanchen looked at him in silence for a moment, then said, "Take him there."

"Your Highness, do you need to discuss this with the King again?" Prefect Xu hesitated.

Ling Huanchen glanced at him and said, "Just do as I say."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Zhu Xuan kowtowed heavily and then stood up. Even though he was being taken to prison, he still kept his back straight.

Prefect Xu wiped the sweat from his forehead. He hesitated just now mainly because he was afraid that Ling Huanchen would be blamed by the king. But he changed his mind and thought that considering how much the king valued this prince, his worry was completely unnecessary.

"Your Highness, why didn't you let me persuade him to let go of his hatred, but instead approved his request?" In the eyes of Xu Zhifu, this prince was a man of extraordinary appearance, intelligence, kindness, and a bodhisattva-like figure. He thought he should advocate letting go of hatred, but he didn't expect to hear such an answer.

"Don't advise others to be kind without first experiencing their suffering." Ling Huanchen slowly closed the door and said softly, "Master Xu, please go and do your work."

Prefect Xu quickly nodded in agreement and took away all the servants who followed him so as not to disturb the peace of the two.

Ling Huanchen returned to the inner room, only to see Yu Xi leaning against the head of the bed, supporting her chin with one hand, and looking at him with a smile.

"When did the king wake up?"

Yu Xi patted the bedside, motioning him to come over. When he came closer, she pulled him onto the bed, embraced him, and rubbed her chin gently on the shoulder of the person in her arms.

"I woke up when you got out of bed."

Ling Huanchen raised his eyes, "So the king was pretending to be asleep."

Yu Xi just smiled without saying anything. He admitted that he wanted to give his little mermaid some space to perform freely.

"That Zhu Xuan does have some nerve. You even said you could pretend you had never caught him, yet he was willing to go to jail."

While others might think Zhu Xuan's choice was somewhat ungrateful, Ling Huanchen felt he could understand his feelings. After all, he struggled to live, all for the hope of someday achieving his vengeance. Now that his wish had been fulfilled, he had nothing to ask for, and it made no difference where he went.

"The case is settled, but there's no sign of this virtuous minister." Yu Xi sighed in mock disappointment and held the person in her arms tighter. "Huanchen, do you want to comfort me?"

Ling Huanchen felt itchy from being rubbed by him, and subconsciously turned his head away, laughing, "Your Majesty, don't you think the doctor who treated Zhu Xuan has some real skills?"

Who says that a wise minister must be good at writing and governing the country?

Yu Xi pondered for a moment. "That doctor's medical skills are extraordinary, and his temperament is also peculiar. He didn't want the double reward, only the silver listed on the reward notice. He seems to be here for the money, but also seems to despise money."

"Why not find an opportunity to test him again and see who he really is."

As Ling Huanchen spoke, the plan was already in place. If this person had a good background and was a capable person, it would be a good idea to bring him back to be an imperial physician. Who knows, he might be of great use.

The guards sent out to investigate reported that the doctor lived in a narrow alley, with a tattered wooden sign at the door that simply read "Medical Clinic." Even with such a simple sign, long lines of people lined up to see him.

Ling Huanchen originally planned to find a day to go with Yu Xi to find out what was going on, but before he could even think of saying it, he was interrupted by the sudden disaster in Xunzhou.

"Xiao Qi, Ah He?"

Ling Huanchen just stood up and saw that Yu Xi was not there, so he called someone in, but no one came. He was wondering, when he saw that water was already filled on the copper rack and the towels were neatly folded. It was obvious that they were prepared by Jingxin.

He had dressed himself up, except for his hair. At this moment, Yu Xi pushed the door open and came in. Seeing someone sitting in front of a bronze mirror, he walked over and picked up the wooden comb before him.

"Your Majesty?"

Yu Xi held his shoulders and asked him to sit down, "Today I will tie Huanchen's hair."

After hearing this, Ling Huanchen understood that Xiaoqi and the others had been sent away by Yu Xi.

"Why did Your Majesty suddenly..."

As Yu Xi was tying his hair, she said, "Yesterday I happened to see Xu Aiqing combing his wife's hair, so I thought I'd give it a try."

Ling Huanchen was surprised to find that Yu Xi was very skilled in tying hair, but that was not surprising, as Yu Xi was always used to doing things personally.

"Your Majesty, something has happened in Xunzhou."

The two looked at each other, and Yu Xi said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The guard hurried in, bowed his head, and said, "A group of beggars suddenly appeared from nowhere and broke into the streets, biting anyone they saw. Lord Xu has already sent people to arrest them. Although the beggars have been taken back to the government office, those who were bitten have gone crazy. Now the government office has accumulated hundreds of people, all locked up in iron cages, and the families of the injured are blocking the gate, and the whole place is in chaos."

When the two arrived at the front yard of the government office, they saw mad people ramming and banging in iron cages, refusing to stop even after their heads were bruised and bleeding. The people inside were howling madly, and the people crowded at the door cried out towards the inside, the scene extremely chaotic.

"Your Majesty, be careful. Don't come near."

Prefect Xu hurriedly stood in front of Yu Xi and said, "Your Majesty and Your Highness, please move to the backyard."

Yu Xi frowned and said, "Go and ask the provincial doctor to come and find out why these people are going crazy."

"I have sent guards to invite them, but no doctor dares to come and all the clinics are closed." Prefect Xu replied while wiping his sweat.

Ling Huanchen suddenly said, "You can go find the doctor who announced the results that day."

Before Xu Zhifu could respond, a guard squeezed in from the main gate and shouted, "Sir, the doctor is here!"

The people were stunned by this shout and temporarily hushed their anger. They moved to the sides, making way for the guards. Following behind them was the doctor who had announced the results last time.

He just nodded slightly to everyone as a greeting, turned around and walked to the iron cage. Ignoring the screams from those around him, he grabbed one of the men's arms and forcibly took his pulse.

"Sir, be careful. These people will bite. If you get bitten, you will become like them." Prefect Xu kindly reminded.

The doctor was unmoved. Not satisfied with taking the pulse of just one person, he took the pulse of several others. After a series of pulse checks, his expression became particularly serious.

In full view of everyone, a man in an iron cage suddenly fell to the ground, his eyes rolled back, foam came out of his mouth, his limbs twitched twice and he died. Then a black insect the size of a cricket crawled out from his clothes and was about to dive into the soil when it was intercepted by the doctor.

"What is this?" Ling Huanchen opened his eyes slightly. This was the first time he had seen such a scene in two lifetimes.

The doctor took out a knife and cut the insect in half. "It's a Gu worm. They're not sick, they're poisoned. Someone is using a ritual to drive the Gu worm away."

This statement caused even more panic among the people.

"However," the doctor raised his head, "I can treat it. But you must ensure that all those infected are sent to me. If one is left behind, it will spread to ten and ten to a hundred."

Yu Xi acted decisively and sent a team of people to search the streets to ensure that no one escaped.

The doctor gave acupuncture to the people in the cage one by one. The silver needles were fixed on the top of the skull, and those who were crazy immediately calmed down.

"Boil the medicine according to the prescription and give it to them one by one to expel the poisonous insects from their bodies."

Ling Huanchen thought that this person had great medical skills last time, but now he felt that this person not only had some attainments in medical skills, but also had a wide range of knowledge.

While the people were being evacuated, Ling Huanchen stepped forward and asked, "Sir, do you know a lot about Gu?" Shan: Yu: San: タ.

The doctor put down his pen and looked up, saying seriously, "I've done some research."

The deworming process went very smoothly. After the poisonous worms were cleared out of their bodies, the mad people regained consciousness and expressed their gratitude to the doctor profusely.

I thought the chaos had been brought under control, but unexpectedly, the guards who went out to investigate captured more than a dozen people. These people were also on the verge of madness, and their eyes were like wild beasts. If they were let go, they would come up and bite.

The doctor's frown deepened. "It seems there's more than one fish that slipped through the net. I'll go with you to look for them."

To protect the doctor's safety, Yu Xi sent another team of guards to accompany him. After all, there was only one person who knew how to use Gu. If he made a mistake, the chaos in Xunzhou would not end well.

However, the search only lasted half a day when something unexpected happened.

Yu Xi glanced at the guard who had rushed back to report and asked coldly, "Where is the doctor?"

"Your Majesty, the lord has been surrounded by the people. They hold torches in their hands and carry rakes on their shoulders, and they are determined to fight you to the death. Our people are now confronting them."

"Why are they besieging us?" Ling Huanchen was confused. How could he be beaten for saving someone?

The guard hesitated and said, "Just now, a madman broke free from his shackles and scratched at the back of the master's neck. Unexpectedly, he tore off a piece of what looked like human skin, and then a strange pattern appeared. Someone in the crowd shouted that it was the symbol of the Fengming clan."

The author has something to say:

Thank you for the encouragement from “How Can I Say I Don’t Love You”!

Thank you for the nutrient solution encouragement from "Da Wu Jian Huang Hun"!