Chapter 36 This matter ends here. You may all return to your respective places…
Ji Chengning was suddenly shocked, only then realizing that what he thought was a shadow cast by Qu Pingzhi's body under his knees was actually a pool of half-dried blood.
Whose blood?
Pingzhi's?
Or... his gaze quickly swept over the faces of the Qu family, young and old, inside the prison. He was familiar with every face, and every face was lifeless. Only when they met his eyes did their gazes tremble.
Is it doubt, resentment, or something else that flickers within?
Ji Chengnin's throat tightened, and he swallowed the question, "Are you alright?"
Xu Sheng slowly walked down.
The man in the brocade robe bowed down, brushing against the steps with a "swish, swish" sound, like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
All the guards present bowed their heads and said, "Sir."
Xu Sheng gently placed a hand on Ji Chengnin's shoulder, his voice tinged with a smile, "Young Marquis, you've seen it, are you relieved now?"
His movements were so practiced and intimate that Qu Pingzhi's usually calm eyes suddenly stirred with disbelief.
The rumors that he had initially disbelieved but now found himself forced to believe quickly formed a coherent pattern in his mind.
Ji Chengning brushed his hand away and frowned in disgust.
Putting aside his grudges with Xu Sheng, the head of the Embroidered Robe Division gave him an extremely uncomfortable feeling. His hypocrisy was so obvious that Xu Sheng didn't bother to make his pretense seem genuine.
Therefore, his every move exuded an eeriness reminiscent of someone wearing a Nuo mask.
Ji Chengning said in a deep voice, "According to the laws of this dynasty, even if someone is smuggling contraband, they cannot confiscate their property, arrest people, or torture their family members before the facts are confirmed. Lord Xu is disregarding the laws of the country."
Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng's smile deepened.
The young marquis was both warning him and trying to get information out of him.
I wanted to find out from him what Qu Fengzhi was transporting.
“Young Marquis, you’re exaggerating,” Xu Sheng chuckled. “It’s just an invitation for the Qu family to come to the Embroidery Bureau.” He raised the corners of his lips, revealing a few pale teeth. “It’s like when you, Young Marquis, asked those thirty-four guards to question you at the Qinglu Guard.”
Before he finished speaking, Xu Sheng indeed saw the Qu family members' gazes toward Ji Chengning grow increasingly resentful.
Xu Sheng tilted his head and asked in a mysterious tone that everyone present could hear, "Is there any news from Young Master Qu?"
The subordinate bowed his head and replied, "My lord, there is none."
Xu Sheng sighed, "This young master..." With that, he raised his hand.
One of the guards understood immediately. With a crash, the brass padlock fell to the ground. The man grinned maliciously, grabbed the child's leg with his thick arm, and dragged him out!
"Mother, Mother, save me!"
“My lord, he is still young, he knows nothing, my lord,” the woman cried out hoarsely, her hair disheveled, kowtowing repeatedly, “Please, my lord, spare him, I am willing to take the punishment in his place.”
Qu Pingzhi hissed, "Collect it!"
Ji Chengnin's expression changed drastically.
He was always quicker with his hands than his brain. By the time he realized what was happening, the child was in his arms, the guard was on the ground, his eyes were white, his legs had kicked a few times, and he was still.
Xu Sheng's expression was cold and stern. "What is the young marquis doing?"
He glanced at the person on the ground with disgust and gestured for his subordinates to carry them away.
Qu Lianzhi held his arm tightly, like a fledgling swallow clinging to its nest. Ji Chengning opened his mouth, realizing that the books he had pretended to read while fooling around in his second uncle's study had unexpectedly come in handy. "The criminal law clearly states that children under the age of six shall not be subjected to torture."
Xu Sheng narrowed his eyes, a hint of darkness flashing across them.
Ji Chengning has repeatedly ruined his plans. If he could switch places with the Qu family, Xu Sheng would not hesitate to trade one for a hundred, or even a thousand or ten thousand!
He wanted to see if this young marquis, if he were truly imprisoned and subjected to severe torture, could still righteously and sternly tell him that the law forbade such treatment.
Xu Sheng seemed to have thought of a scene that made him extremely happy. He curled his lips and suddenly revealed a bloodthirsty smile.
Startled, Qu Lianzhi shrank into Ji Chengning's arms and cried, "Brother Ning."
"Young Master thinks too badly of me. I just heard that there has been no news of the eldest son for a long time, and I wanted to send his younger brother to him for a look. What if he sees Young Master Qu and suddenly remembers a lot?"
Ji Chengnin gave a cold laugh.
"Alright, alright, I'll give the young marquis face today."
As he spoke, he opened the cell door again.
Qu Lianzhi threw himself into his mother's arms and burst into tears.
Qu Lianzhi's mother patted her child's back while silently shedding tears.
Xu Sheng looked around.
Even so, the way the Qu family members looked at Ji Chengnin didn't soften much.
After all, all they knew was that Qu Fengzhi returned and said that Qing Lüwei had detained Xuezhu and the guards. In the middle of the night, the guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stormed into the Qu residence. Except for Old Master Qu, who was spared execution because he had been a high-ranking official of the second rank, all the other relatives of the Qu family were arrested and imprisoned.
In their view, Ji Chengning and Xu Sheng were simply setting a trap, either for extortion or for personal gain at the behest of someone with a grudge against the Qu family.
Now Ji Chengning is trying to both harm and save him. In the eyes of the Qu family, he is a hundred times more hypocritical and hateful than Xu Sheng!
Ji Chengning seemed oblivious, leaning against the iron railing in a posture that appeared both weary and protective.
With him as the dividing line, the guards of the Embroidered Robe Division and the Qu family members faced each other in pairs.
But not a single person stood by him.
Xu Sheng smiled, took two steps forward, and whispered, "Young Marquis, do you want to know what Qu Fengzhi actually did?"
Ji Chengnin half-lifted his eyelids, "I will know when the truth comes out."
Xu Sheng chuckled, "I'm afraid it won't be as you wish."
His gaze swept over the Qu family members. “Young Marquis, I know why you’re not leaving. Don’t worry, these people are just women and children. They know nothing and won’t survive the torture. I have no intention of killing anyone, Young Marquis.”
As he spoke, he nodded forward, gesturing for Ji Chengnin to follow him.
Ji Chengnin pondered for a few seconds, then followed suit.
The prison was enormous; Ji Chengning had only seen one-hundredth of the cells where the Qu family members were imprisoned. As the two walked along, they were met with constant wails, cries for help, and curses, along with the faint, creaking sound of fingernails scratching the ground, which sent chills down their spines.
Xu Sheng glanced at Ji Chengning out of the corner of his eye.
The latter had a deep gaze and was full of murderous aura. Xu Sheng thought to himself that he was quite suitable for this place.
After walking another hundred steps, Xu Sheng led Ji Chengning into a separate room.
The other room contained only tables, bamboo mats, and other items, presumably used by the Embroidered Uniform Guards for rest and temporary meetings.
All the eerie sounds had faded into the distance, appearing and disappearing intermittently, their mournful lingering in the ears only adding to the terror.
Xu Sheng sat down.
Ji Chengning glanced at the mat, stood by the door, his posture not exactly wary, but his right arm was taut.
"Young Master, do you know what spring rain is?" Xu Sheng suddenly asked.
Before he could answer, Xu Sheng continued, "The so-called Spring Rain is a secret medicine from Yingzhou overseas. After taking it, people's desires are aroused." This was exactly the same as what the physician had said. "At first, this thing was transported to the capital and was used as an insignificant aphrodisiac. Until one day, someone took Spring Rain, Blood Pearl Powder and wine and then lost all his senses. This person was incredibly strong and felt no pain. Young Marquis, don't you think this medicine is interesting?"
Ji Chengnin suppressed his nausea and coldly retorted, "What's so interesting about it?"
Xu Sheng smiled, "If the effect were only this, it would be nothing special. The most wonderful thing is that although the man was out of his mind and seemed to be insane, he was completely obedient to the prostitute who served him wine before he took the medicine, and he would not hesitate to cut off his skin and hand." As he said this, a look of longing and desire appeared in Xu Sheng's eyes.
Ji Chengning's hair stood on end.
It wasn't fear, but a deep-seated resistance and disgust.
With just a few words from Xu Sheng, Ji Chengning completely understood why Qu Fengzhi was being so careful. The thing he was carrying was not a simple aphrodisiac, but a dangerous object that could be used to control people!
Qu Fengzhi actually dared to smuggle such a scourge to the country and its people into the capital!
"However, although the spring rain is good, it caused a few disgraceful incidents, so His Majesty forbade the buying and selling of spring rain. There was an imperial edict, and the amount of spring rain was small and had to be imported from overseas, which was too risky and yielded little profit. Over the years, it has disappeared."
Ji Chengnin coldly retorted, "Judging from Lord Xu's tone, you seem quite regretful?"
Xu Sheng nodded in deep agreement. “Young Marquis, you really are a fool.” His gaze fell on the flickering firelight. “For example, how long do you think it would take to train a capable, loyal, and efficient subordinate in my department? How about someone who is fearless and willing to die for their cause? Ten years? Twenty years? If they are not capable of achieving great things, even a hundred years would be useless. But after the Spring Rain, just a little bit is enough for them to go through fire and water for me.”
“Young Marquis, you are also the head of a department, so you must understand the implications.”
Ji Chengnin sneered, "What a high-sounding but absurd argument."
If what Xu Sheng said is true, then all those who have used Spring Rain have lost their minds and would never disobey their master's orders. If their master asked them to harm themselves, to treat the lives of others as worthless, or even to kill their closest relatives and loved ones, they would obey the order. Wouldn't they be worse than beasts?
Moreover, there are many serious problems involved, and if they are allowed to spread, they will surely cause endless harm!
Xu Sheng really liked Ji Chengning's attitude.
The more he resisted and loathed him, the more Xu Sheng looked forward to it. He knew the expression on Qu Feng's face when he met his end.
Xu Sheng sighed, “Young Marquis, out of respect for my seniority, I must give you a piece of advice.” Ji Chengning looked at him warily, “Qu Fengzhi has already reached the Emperor’s presence. No matter how dissatisfied you are with him or Chunyu, for the sake of His Majesty’s favor and for your own life,” the man who had been smiling finally revealed his sharp malice, “you must learn to keep your mouth shut.”
What did Xu Sheng say?
Ji Chengning suddenly looked up.
Xu Sheng meant that His Majesty would not only not punish Qu Fengzhi, but would also show him favor and give him important responsibilities.
If Xu Sheng's earlier claim about the drug's effectiveness was true, how could His Majesty not have killed this man?!
Ji Chengning was in a state of utter confusion, with all sorts of thoughts surging wildly, making his ears ring.
Xu Sheng looked at him with a smile.
Ji Chengnin suppressed his wavering emotions.
How can Xu Sheng's words be trusted?
Ji Chengnin steadied himself and quickly calmed down.
Perhaps the effects of the spring rain medicine are fake, or perhaps Qu Fengzhi's audience with the emperor is fake, or perhaps His Majesty will indeed let Qu Fengzhi go, or perhaps all of these are fake.
He raised his lips and smiled at Xu Sheng, "Thank you for informing me, Lord Xu."
Seeing his calm and composed expression, Xu Sheng felt deeply disappointed.
However, on second thought, given that Ji Chengning trusts him so much as a wise and benevolent emperor with a pure heart, how will Ji Chengning react later?
Wouldn't it be more interesting than when Ji Lin learned of the death of the Marquis of Yongning?
The inner room was completely silent.
There was a pungent smell of blood in the air, along with a hint of ambergris.
Ji Chengnin was greatly encouraged.
Is he hallucinating because he didn't sleep all night?
No, Ji Chengnin immediately rejected the idea.
It's not a hallucination.
Along with the ambergris came a series of hurried footsteps.
They've arrived.
Xu Sheng smiled.
Just as he stood up, a figure flashed past the doorway of the inner room.
Ji Chengnin's eyes widened in astonishment. It was Qin Min?
Qin Min was startled to see both of them, but his expression quickly calmed down, and he smiled and said, "What a coincidence, both of you are here."
After speaking, the smile on his face vanished instantly. "Convey His Majesty's oral decree."
Ji Chengnin and Xu Sheng bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, may you be well."
"I am well," Qin Min replied matter-of-factly. "I am already aware of the matter concerning Qu Fengzhi. After investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Light Lü Guard, it has been confirmed that everything was a misunderstanding. Blood beads are prohibited items and there is no explicit law against them. Since it was an unintentional mistake, no punishment should be imposed to demonstrate the leniency of the imperial family. It was really unnecessary to make such a fuss. Release the Qu family members and return all the confiscated items to Qu Fengzhi. This matter ends here. You may all return to your original posts and there is no need to ask any further questions."
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Author's Note: A red envelope will be dropped in this chapter, muah!
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