Deception

Yuan Ming opened his eyes and met Rulan's worried gaze.

"I'll give you two more packets of Anshen San. Do you feel better?" Rulan held Yuan Ming's pulse and asked softly.

Yuan Ming nodded, covered her forehead, and sat up with difficulty. She sighed softly. She felt dizzy today and crazy tomorrow. She really had enough.

"My disease is difficult to cure, but I remember the prescription you gave me at the beginning was very effective. Why didn't you use it later?"

Rulan hesitated. "That medicine is too strong. Strong medicine is harmful to the body. Doctor Jiang pointed this out to me after examining the prescription, so the medicine I'm giving you now is milder. But since arriving at the military camp, you've been constantly experiencing symptoms and have fainted several times. It's hard to control the medication now."

After hearing this, Yuan Ming felt even more annoyed.

"Where's Zhong Yingqi?"

"General Zhong carried you here and left without even saying goodbye." Rulan suddenly shook her head. "I didn't tell him you were poisoning him, and I really don't know where you went."

Yuan Ming waved his hand. "It doesn't matter what I said. Zhong Yingqi may not come to stop me. In this matter, he is probably just worried that I will cause trouble. He has a strong desire to kill those corrupt officials."

"Oh." Rulan's eyes were a little vague, and after a few glimpses, she couldn't help but ask, "Yuan Ming, did something happen between you and General Zhong?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Um... nothing much." Rulan recalled, "It's just that General Zhong looked a little strange when he carried you back."

Yuan Ming became alert: "His expression doesn't look right. What's wrong?" Yuan Ming thought to himself, could it be that he really stepped on some of Zhong Yingqi's bottom line?

Rulan held up her hand to signal her not to panic. "I just felt it, I felt it. When General Zhong carried you back, his cheeks were red. After he put you down, his eyes were evasive, he didn't even dare to look at you, and he left immediately without even saying hello. I felt that this was too wrong. I have never seen General Zhong with that kind of expression before."

Yuan Ming's alarm bells rang, her cheeks flushed red. Did she really beat up Zhong Yingqi?

Rulan leaned close to Yuan Ming's ear and said, "I haven't met many people like him, but General Zhong's appearance, according to the description in medical books..." Rulan leaned very close and whispered a few words in Yuan Ming's ear.

"This is impossible." Yuan Ming said affirmatively.

"How can it be impossible? They obviously look alike." Rulan muttered.

"Rulan, maybe Zhong Yingqi's cheeks are red because I hit him. I had a fight with him before I passed out. I was unconscious at the time, and with my ability, I would have punched Zhong Yingqi a few times. He didn't dare to look at me, not because he was shy, but because he was ashamed."

Yuan Ming spoke seriously, convincing not only herself but also Rulan.

"Just think about it, a great general was defeated by a patient like me. Wouldn't he be so ashamed that he couldn't even look at me? If it were me, I would be so angry that I would grit my teeth and swallow it down."

Rulan agreed very much, but her tone sounded a little perfunctory: "You are absolutely right."

The two smiled at each other, and the matter was put to rest based on Yuan Ming's full confidence in his abilities.

Afterwards, when Yuan Ming was teasing Zhong Yingqi in his heart for being thin-skinned, Fang'er was trembling her lips, holding up the tea, and looking into Zhang Yingqi's eyes.

Zhang He looked at Fang'er with his big belly, a greasy smile on his lips.

"When you first came, you were like a cat curled up on the ground. What? I ignored you for a year, and now you've figured it out?"

Fang'er looked at Zhang He's wretched appearance and felt like vomiting, but remembering what the fairy-like woman said to her, Fang'er gritted her teeth, held the tea tremblingly, and put on a scared and shy look.

Zhang He took the teacup with a half-smile. During this process, his greasy fingers rubbed the bruised wound on the back of Fang'er's hand, as if to say, "Let's see what you can do in the future."

He sipped his tea, imitating the scholars and putting on an unfathomable look. Unexpectedly, the next second he suddenly put his arms around Fang'er's waist, leaned over to her ear, and said, "This prefect is a little hungry."

Fang'er got goosebumps all over her body, bad memories flooded into her head, and tears dripped down her face.

Zhang He's eyes flashed with contempt, and he threw Fang'er to the ground. Just as he was about to pounce, the guard outside the door suddenly came to report: "Sir, General Zhong is outside the door, and he said he is here to visit."

"It's already the evening hour. Zhong Yingqi must be bored to come visit at this time." Zhang He cursed as he stepped over Fang'er and went to the front hall with the guards.

Before entering, Zhang He adjusted his facial expression and put on a flattering smile. He walked in with a smile on his face and greeted Zhong Yingqi warmly from a distance:

"General Zhong, it feels like a long time since I last saw you."

Zhong Yingqi stood up and saluted, saying, "I'm sorry to bother Governor Zhang by visiting you last night."

"No, no, I don't know why General Zhong came here?"

Zhong Yingqi's eyes were solemn. "The few guards I left behind were patrolling the border when they spotted quite a few Liang soldiers making a move. However, they didn't seem to have any intention of attacking and were simply staying where they were. I wonder what conspiracy they might be plotting. I've written this up in a memorial, hoping to borrow the governor's men to have it delivered to the capital at an expedited 800-li journey."

"It's such an urgent matter, come quickly!"

Zhang He called a guard over, handed the memorial to him, and repeatedly instructed him to deliver it to the empress as quickly as possible.

Seeing the man running out of the mansion, Zhang He said nervously: "The nearest city to the Northern Frontier is Mucheng. If the two countries go to war, can I still protect my city?"

Zhang He's big belly was squeezed on the chair, like a small bag filled with bloated steamed buns.

Zhang He sighed, "I heard that Her Royal Highness was frightened, and the Empress isn't really intervening in state affairs anymore. It seems my city is doomed."

"Grandmaster Zhang, please be careful with your words," said Zhong Yingqi.

As soon as he finished speaking, a small guard hurried in. Seeing Zhong Yingqi there, he hesitated for a moment. Zhang He immediately said, "What happened? Tell me directly, General Zhong is not an outsider."

The young guard said, "Brother Zhang is missing."

Zhong Yingqi was puzzled: "Brother Zhang?"

Zhang He hurriedly explained, "A distant relative of mine came to seek refuge with me not long ago, so I gave him a position as a gatekeeper." He then asked the young guard, "Why did he disappear when he was fine?"

The young guard couldn't explain it. After all, he came to tell Governor Zhang that someone was missing. If he knew where the person had gone, would he still need to report it?

Zhong Yingqi glanced at Zhang He and asked, "What does the guard look like?"

Zhang He laughed and said, "What can it be? It's just two eyes and a mouth, just like a slave. If it's dead, it's dead. I'm just afraid..."

Zhang He's expression changed. "I'm afraid he's been killed. Yes, in this situation, if we encounter Liang Bing's spies and they get killed or interrogated, it will be a disaster."

Zhang He grabbed the guard's collar and asked, "When was the last time we saw him? And have you spotted anyone suspicious recently? We must find him. I want to see how a living person can disappear for no apparent reason."

Zhong Yingqi interjected at the right moment: "Isn't that guard wearing coarse linen clothes today, with sparse eyebrows and small eyes?"

"Yes, it seems that General Zhong has seen him." Zhang He asked again, "Could it be that General Zhong knows where he is?"

"Walk half an hour southeast of Lord Zhang's residence. There's a small forest with a bottomless cave. Lord Zhang's distant relative is inside. But he's probably fallen to his death."

Zhong Yingqi continued to explain, "That man must have disturbed a hornet's nest. His face was covered in swelling, and I could only vaguely see his eyes and eyebrows. I saw him flailing his arms, then he slipped and fell to the bottom of the cave. There was no sound. The weather has been strange lately. It's almost winter, but the sun is still scorching hot. This man was unlucky to have disturbed an active hornet's nest."

Zhang He smiled symbolically: "So that's how it is. General Zhong happened to see it while he was taking a walk. So I don't have to bother looking for it anymore."

Zhong Yingqi remained calm and nodded, saying, "Yes, that man was lucky. If I hadn't seen him, no one would have known how he died."

Zhang He took a sip of tea and continued to maintain his forced smile.

"It's getting late. Sorry to bother you. Goodbye, Governor Zhang."

Zhang He stood up to see the guests off and walked out of the house with Zhong Yingqi. Zhong Yingqi had sharp ears and looked towards a corner: Fang'er was being surrounded and beaten by several beautiful women.

It turned out that after Zhang He left, Fang'er didn't want to stay in Zhang He's room, so she walked out and happened to run into the concubines who had been bullying her.

Zhang He's rules stipulated that if no one slept with him that day, they would have to sleep in the poultry kennel. These women were already feeling down, and when they happened to see the "culprit" who made them sleep in the poultry kennel, they were determined to teach Fang'er a lesson, even though Fang'er and several other women were frequent visitors to the poultry kennel.

Several women slapped Fang'er one by one. Their delicate faces were already full of hideous expressions from Zhang He's torture, and Fang'er's face was swollen beyond recognition.

Zhang He saw this and his face darkened. He angrily said, “What are you doing here? It’s embarrassing!”

Hearing this shout, several women fell to their knees as if by reflex. They no longer had the ferocious look they had before, and now looked like a group of frightened quails.

Zhang Hedui said with a smile, "Excuse me, General Zhong. These are the maids in the mansion. They are ignorant and pulling their hair. I will punish them later. Oh, they are embarrassing themselves in front of the guests."

Zhong Yingqi took a deep look at the group of women and asked Zhang He, "Are these girls all maids in the mansion?" Their hands and necks were covered with bruises and scars. Zhong Yingqi didn't believe the maids' story.

One of the women saw Zhang He being so respectful to Zhong Yingqi, so she plucked up her courage, knelt on the ground, and said in a sharp voice, as if she was grasping at the last straw: "Sir, help me!"

Zhang He was filled with rage and kicked the girl, but fortunately Zhong Yingqi stopped him. The big man's kick was enough to kill the girl.

Zhong Yingqi put his hand into his sleeve, rubbed the hand holding Zhang He with disdain, and said in a gentle voice: "She is just a little girl, Governor Zhang, calm down."

Zhang He said with a forced smile: "I didn't follow the rules strictly, and General Zhong laughed at me."

Zhong Yingqi looked at the kneeling woman and asked, "What do you want?"

The woman spoke clearly and quickly, afraid she wouldn't be able to finish her words. "Please, sir, save me. We are not servants in the mansion. We were kidnapped by the thief Zhang. He locked us up in the mansion, beat and scolded us, and even made some horrific rules for us to follow. We can't survive now. Please, sir, save us!"

The woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed, leaving bright red blood marks.

Zhong Yingqi turned to Zhang He and said, "Master Zhang, what on earth is going on?"