The person on the ground was deathly pale, with fine beads of sweat on their forehead. They were extremely weak, yet they kept their mouths tightly shut, refusing to utter another word except for the plea for death.
Jiang Yimian simply said, "Since you don't want to talk about it, then forget it. I'm curious how long you can endure the Gu poison flare-up in your body. You must have had a hard time just now."
You now have two choices: one is to tell me everything you know, and I can control the poison in your body.
Secondly, they helped the King of Chu keep the secret, waiting for the poison to take effect again.
Of course, we won't let you die; dying like this would be too easy for you.
As far as I know, the duration of each attack of this poison should be longer than the last, while the intervals between attacks should be shorter.
The worst part is that I can't die. Since you can't get the antidote from the King of Chu, I can only suffer this poison for the rest of my life.
Upon hearing these words, Qi Shang's body trembled involuntarily, but he remained firmly silent, showing no sign of wavering.
If he told these people about the King of Chu, he would probably not survive. But if he could find a chance to leave and return to the King of Chu's side, he would still have a chance to live.
He couldn't say that as long as he survived this time and returned before the next attack of the poison, he would definitely be fine.
Seeing this, Jiang Yimian merely raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "Even though the King of Chu has poisoned you, you are still willing to keep his secret to the death. You are indeed loyal."
I just don't know how long your loyalty will last.
After saying that, she slowly reached out and pulled the silver needles out of Qi Shang's body.
In an instant, the pain that had just subsided returned.
Qi Shang was writhing in pain, trying to lift his head and bang it against the ground to ease the pain, but a jailer held him down firmly, preventing him from moving.
In an instant, unbearable pain and itching spread throughout his body, causing him to writhe in agony and become somewhat delirious.
After a long while, he finally spoke weakly, "I, I'll tell you, I'll tell you."
Jiang Yimian just smiled and said, "Are you sure you don't want to keep the secret for the King of Chu anymore? Maybe someone will come to rescue you!"
Qi Shang could only say painfully, "I, I'll talk, please, please save me."
He thought he could get through this, but he clearly felt that the pain was more intense this time. The pain he felt before was much milder than this time. This woman must have done something.
Jiang Yimian then slowly inserted the silver needle in her hand back into Qi Shang's acupoints, and removed the silver needle that had opened all his pain receptors.
Instantly, the excruciating pain and itching disappeared, and my previously muddled mind gradually cleared.
"Xu, Xu Changli." After saying this, Qi Shang seemed to lose all his strength and collapsed to the ground, not moving again.
Lu Cijian then instructed the person beside him, "Bring Xu Changli here."
He never expected that even after the Ministry of Works conducted a screening, there would still be some who slipped through the net.
The King of Chu's reach was indeed too far.
However, he did remember Xu Changli; he should have been working with other people from the Ministry of Works on the river channel these past few days.
But today, he didn't see this person at the river, and wondered if he was still at the yamen.
Judge Li hurriedly left with his men, but soon returned.
"Lord Lu, Xu Changli is not here. I heard that he went to repair the river with the Ministry of Works early this morning and has not returned yet."
"My lord, I have already sent men to search along the river."
Lu Cijian merely frowned and said calmly, "No need to look for him. He's not by the river; he's probably already run away."
Go and seal the city gates.
Wang San, go and lead men to search the city. Make sure you find him.
Judge Li and Wang San quickly responded and left.
At this time, on East Street in the city.
Xu Changli weaved through the crowds, glancing around cautiously from time to time to make sure no one was following him before turning off the main road into a secluded alley.
The alley was narrow and dark, but he walked exceptionally fast, appearing somewhat nervous.
After walking for almost half an hour, Xu Changli finally stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard.
The courtyard in front of us was located at the very end of the alley. The walls were mottled with cobwebs and various brown marks, and the gate was also rickety, looking like it had been neglected for many years.
He gently knocked on the dilapidated door.
A man's voice soon came from inside the room, sounding somewhat wary, "Who is it?"
Xu Changli whispered, "They've come to collect the goods."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door was immediately opened.
A middle-aged man in his thirties or forties poked his head out of the house. After making sure there was no one else around, he said, "Come in."
As soon as Xu Changli entered the house, the dilapidated door was quickly closed, as if no one had ever been there.
Looking at Xu Changli's haggard appearance, the middle-aged man asked curiously, "Why did you come here all of a sudden? Now that Zhou Shiwen is dead, wouldn't it be easy to expose yourself if you came here again?"
These past few days, rumors have been swirling in Yuncheng Prefecture, all saying that Zhou Shiwen has committed numerous evils and embezzled disaster relief funds. The news has spread throughout the city, and realizing that his actions might be exposed, he has been thinking about leaving.
Unfortunately, there were still some things he hadn't dealt with properly, which held him back. He never expected that this person would come looking for him at this time. What an idiot.
Xu Changli wiped the sweat from his forehead, which was dripping with tension, and said with dissatisfaction, "Qi Shang has been arrested. That guy won't be able to hold out for long. He will definitely expose me. I can't stay in the yamen any longer."
That Lord Lu and Miss Jiang are not simple people; sooner or later they will suspect me. I can't stay here.
Take me with you.
He wouldn't have risked coming here if the situation hadn't been so dire.
The truth is that the Gu poison in Qi Shang's body should have taken effect in the next few days. If this guy can't stand the Gu poison and exposes him, wouldn't he be finished?
Rather than living in constant anxiety, he decided to make a quick getaway.
The middle-aged man paused, not answering, but instead said, "Have you done everything I asked you to do? If you leave now, how will we explain to the Prince of Chu if Wei Jinghai returns to the capital alive?"
Furthermore, this place hides too many things; your rash arrival will only expose us.
Since this fool knew he would be exposed, he shouldn't have come to them at all. The officials might have already noticed his strange behavior.
They need to leave as soon as possible.
Thinking it over, he quickly walked into the house.
Xu Changli was a little anxious and grabbed the person in front of him, saying, "I can't care about that anymore. Lu Cijian is keeping an eye on the Ministry of Works and the Censorate. Sooner or later I will be caught."
I have already killed Zhou Shiwen, you must take me away.
"That Qi Shang won't last long either. If he doesn't take me with him, I'll expose everything the King of Chu made me do in the Ministry of Works."
Over the years, he has provided the King of Chu with many conveniences while serving in the Ministry of Works. Now that the fire is about to burn him, he doesn't believe these people are not afraid.
Even if he hasn't achieved anything great over the years, he has certainly worked hard. The King of Chu promised him wealth and honor, but now he doesn't want anything; he just wants to live.
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