Chapter 93 Arrow Poison
Cen Yan successfully returned.
Before entering the city, someone was sent to the military camp where the Prince's personal guards were stationed to pick up Grandma and the baby.
Zhuang Dongqing was fast asleep. Cen Yan couldn't leave. Hao San... was clueless, but his teammates were all shrewd and knew exactly what was going on. Before they set off, Liu Qi had already instructed them that if Cen Yan didn't come out, Hao San should knock on the car door to signal him and report from outside.
There was a knock on the car door. Hao San said, "Master, the escort team for the young master and his grandmother to return to the manor has set off and is expected to arrive at the manor in about an hour."
"The rest of the people..."
There were no plans to attack the mountain tonight.
The original plan was to sneak into the camp, rescue Zhuang Dongqing as soon as possible, and if Li Yang could save her, then they could leave as appropriate after taking Zhuang Dongqing with them.
Unexpectedly, they evaded the private army that was busy searching the mountains for the young master. Not long after the hunters led them up the mountain, they were pursued. It just so happened that the young master and his party escaped with Li Yang.
Their team suffered no losses whatsoever.
This opportunity is rare. Hao San is not good at interpersonal relationships, but he is extremely talented in leading troops and fighting battles, as well as martial arts. Otherwise, Cen Yan would not have brought him along in every critical moment.
Inside, Cen Yan understood Hao San's unspoken meaning. After a moment of silence, he said, "Bring enough firearms. Once the rescue team returns from the mountain, regardless of whether all the prisoners have been rescued, begin the attack on the mountain. Capture the leader alive."
After a pause, he instructed, "When you return to the manor, go and bring Xu Si back. Master Zhao has seen Qingqing, and if there's nothing wrong, he'll go with you too."
With Master Zhao's methods and Liu Qi's presence, we can interrogate the captured person immediately.
Hao San received the order.
After Cen Yan finished giving his instructions, the icy expression on his face became even more serious. He seemed lost in thought, and gradually a murderous intent crept into his eyes. Suddenly, he heard a stammer, and Zhuang Dongqing moved slightly on his lap. His gaze fell on Zhuang Dongqing, and slowly softened again.
Cen Yan brushed the stray hairs from Zhuang Dongqing's forehead and held his knuckles tightly.
They couldn't shake hands; their palms were scraped and covered in tiny wounds from the falls during their escape.
Cen Yan had looked at it repeatedly, yet with each glance, he wanted to…
Take a deep breath and exhale gently.
Cen Yan forced himself to calm down and suppress his chaotic thoughts.
Fortunately, in order for Zhuang Dongqing to sleep peacefully, Cen Yan had blown out the lanterns on the carriage, leaving only one. The dim candlelight was lit at the rear of the carriage, but it could not illuminate Cen Yan's eyes.
He reached out and tidied Zhuang Dongqing's stray hairs, and Cen Yan closed his eyes as well.
He still needs to heal his wounds after returning home, and he needs to rest so he can have more energy later.
He hadn't slept much for the past two days, but feeling the weight on his legs, Cen Yan's restless heart finally calmed down, and he leaned back on the soft couch to rest.
During this time, I was in a semi-conscious state, with my consciousness blurred for a few breaths, but it didn't last long.
When Hao San knocked on the car door again, Cen Yan opened his eyes instantly.
"Master, we've arrived."
Cen Yan: "No need to stop, just walk straight to the main courtyard."
"yes."
They didn't stop at the main courtyard gate, but almost reached the main house before the carriage finally stopped, unable to continue. In that short time, Cen Yan was fully awake.
As they carried Zhuang Dongqing off the carriage, Master Zhao and his apprentice were already waiting by the side with their medicine boxes.
They went straight into the house, and thinking about how to treat the injury, Cen Yan placed Zhuang Dongqing on the soft couch. Master Zhao quickly cut open the simple bandages on Zhuang Dongqing's body.
In order to quickly hide themselves on the mountain, Cen Yan and his group did not light torches.
When they found Zhuang Dongqing, he only picked up two sticks from the private soldiers to use as lighting. He just needed to be able to see them, and he didn't dare to light them too brightly to expose his position.
After descending the mountain, the priority was to hurry...
Cen Yan knew that Zhuang Dongqing's condition was not good, but when he looked at her in the brightly lit area, he still gasped.
His hands and face were dirty, but the dust was the least noticeable thing about him.
There were fine bloodstains from his jaw to the side of his neck. Cen Yan looked at them and recognized that he had been injured by tree branches while moving quickly through the woods. He must have been forced to enter the dense wooded area to slow down the cavalry behind him.
My palm was cut, and there were scratches on my knuckles. Under the light, it was covered in blood.
Both hands.
He must have fallen several times.
Zhuang Dongqing's dominant hand is her right hand, and the damaged area is larger.
Cen Yan then checked her elbows and knees. Her clothes were intact, but she noticed some red marks on the fabric of one knee. After thinking for a moment, Cen Yan reached out and said, "Give me some scissors too."
The servants quickly fetched scissors.
During this time, Zhuang Dongqing moved slightly and frowned uncomfortably.
Cen Yan understood that the room was too bright, making it difficult for Zhuang Dongqing to sleep soundly.
"Put a dark headband over Qingqing's eyes, and be gentle so as not to touch his wound."
Liu Fu was quick and efficient; sure enough, once the hairband was on, Zhuang Dongqing stopped moving.
Cen Yan cut open the clothes at the knees, and sure enough, they were torn as well.
Both knees.
My right elbow is injured, but my left elbow is fine.
Cen Yan slightly cut open the sleeves, revealing several abrasions on his forearms that needed treatment.
Cen Yan let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, he asked Liu Fu, "What color was this dress originally?"
Liu Fu was puzzled, but he knew Zhuang Dongqing's daily life inside and out, and blurted out, "Pale blue?"
Very well, Cen Yan didn't notice, and he didn't know how many times he had fallen along the way.
Cen Yan closed his eyes.
No rush. No rush.
The prefect is at his residence, and the governor is also in Hangzhou... No rush.
After calming down, I opened my eyes again and saw Master Zhao's conflicted expression.
Cen Yan's heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong?"
The words were squeezed out from between his teeth. Although Master Zhao, who had seen many storms, was fine, his young apprentice subconsciously lowered his head, sweating profusely.
This small movement did not escape Cen Yan's notice. The next moment, the disciple was fixed in Cen Yan's gaze.
After considering it carefully, Master Zhao first confirmed, "Is it an arrow wound?"
"right."
"The wound is too deep; it needs to be rinsed and cleaned first to check if the bone has been damaged..."
"..."
Cen Yan's expression was already quite unpleasant, but Master Zhao didn't finish his sentence, "And then..."
"Then?"
Master Zhao: "The arrowhead is poisoned."
Cen Yan's forehead twitched, and he almost held his breath as he asked, "Golden juice?"
Private army training means deserters will definitely be silenced, and maintaining an army is extremely costly. If the arrows are poisoned, there is nothing more vicious yet easier to obtain.
Master Zhao: "No, that's not it."
Cen Yan then took a deep breath.
Master Zhao: "There's been too much blood loss, and we didn't bring back any arrows. I need the young master to describe how the wound feels so I can determine what's wrong."
Cen Yan lowered his eyes, and after a moment, nodded.
Zhuang Dongqing was gently patted awake, his head spinning. When Master Zhao told him what had happened, Zhuang Dongqing sighed inwardly. Sure enough, he knew his luck wasn't that good!
After all, the original owner of this body was Li Yang's punching bag in the story.
Even if they didn't end up together, he would be the one suffering, not Li Yang.
Zhuang Dongqing: "Ugh, my mind isn't clear."
Do you feel weak in your hands and feet?
Zhuang Dongqing smiled wryly, "Of course, but I don't know if it was caused by arrow poison."
"I……"
Zhuang Dongqing instinctively looked for something, but before he could even look around, his wrist was gently grasped, and a voice came from behind him, "I'm here. Just answer whatever Master Zhao asks you."
It sounded relatively calm.
Master Zhao also said, "Young Master, you must tell the truth."
Zhuang Dongqing slowly racked her brains, realizing she couldn't hide it any longer, and said bluntly, "They're probably afraid we'll run away, so they haven't fed us much these past few days, and then we had to eat our fill all the way during our escape..."
He was already exhausted, and his strength was completely depleted during the escape. He had no idea whether it was because of the poison, but even without the poison, he wouldn't have fared much better.
After he finished speaking, he felt Cen Yan pat his head.
The young apprentice behind Master Zhao glanced at Cen Yan's face subconsciously, swallowed, and then quickly lowered his head.
Master Zhao sighed, "That's a problem too."
Cen Yan: "Treat the wounds first. If that doesn't work, have Hao San arrest the people and bring them back with their arrows and bodies."
After thinking for a moment, Master Zhao said helplessly, "That's the only way."
He glanced at Cen Yan and added, "Master, please calm down. In my experience, it's probably a paralyzing poison, so the toxicity shouldn't be too great."
Cen Yan didn't respond to that, but only said, "Let's clean the wound."
*
The bathroom was brightly lit.
The cleaning was moved from the main house to this location, which allowed for a better assessment of the wound's depth. While Master Zhao was not as good as Zhuang Dongqing, it was more prudent for Zhuang Dongqing to examine the wound himself.
Zhuang Dongqing trembled slightly during the process of rinsing with lightly salted water.
Once the bloodstains were washed away, Zhuang Dongqing glanced at them and knew that there was no need for her to look at them any further.
Too deep.
No wonder it sprayed a burst of blood when it grazed me.
When Master Zhao saw this, he frowned as well. He stopped asking Zhuang Dongqing for his opinion and simply said, "I can only ask you, young master, to bear with it."
Cen Yan: "What do you mean? What are you enduring?"
While Master Zhao was still thinking about how to answer, Zhuang Dongqing came to his rescue, holding Cen Yan's hand and saying, "We can't use anesthetics, because if we do, it might affect our judgment of the poison and make it harder to detoxify."
In this era, a single dose of anesthetic could render someone unconscious, and the poison could even cause death after the anesthesia wore off.
Cen Yan: "..."
Cen Yan closed his eyes.
In fact, he knew all of this deep down.
But what was fine for him became somewhat chaotic and flustered when it came to Zhuang Dongqing, which is why he asked that question.
Cen Yan: "I was confused."
Zhuang Dongqing still hadn't seen Cen Yan's face. Whether it was intentional or not, he had been behind him ever since he woke up. The voices sounded fine, but Zhuang Dongqing had a vague feeling that this was deliberately arranged. Perhaps, in reality, Cen Yan was not as calm as the voices he heard.
Zhuang Dongqing squeezed Cen Yan's hand again, feigning ease, and said, "It's nothing. Master Zhao is stitching it up very quickly now. Just bear with it and it will pass."
Cen Yan stared at him for a moment, then said, "Hmm."
Zhuang Dongqing really can't lie.
Cen Yan: "I'll stay with you."
"……good."
At the opportune moment, Master Zhao spoke up, "I just made a batch of the numbing cream, but the effect is only so-so. Use it for now, it can relieve some of the pain."
Zhuang Dongqing thought to himself, "That's wonderful."
That's what I think.
But when it came to suturing, Zhuang Dongqing was in so much pain that she needed someone to hold her down, otherwise her instinctive reaction was too strong and she couldn't complete the procedure.
Next, Cen Yan restrained him, and Xu Si took over and held his hands down. His two guards also arrived, adding force from different angles to ensure that he could not struggle, before Zhao Ye came.
After two needles, Zhuang Dongqing forgot about Cen Yan's existence.
I just couldn't resist.
Tears streamed down her face as she was held down.
Halfway through sewing, Zhuang Dongqing uselessly let them knock her unconscious.
Master Zhao looked at Cen Yan with a troubled expression. Cen Yan was silent for a moment, then pressed Zhuang Dongqing down firmly and said with a hardened heart, "It's already half-sewn, Qingqing, just bear with it a little longer..."
The voice was very soft, yet extremely resolute.
He gestured to Master Zhao to continue.
Zhuang Dongqing was in pain.
Cen Yan put his arm in his mouth and let him bite it.
Zhuang Dongqing really bit down, and the pain became uncontrollable.
Cen Yan remained expressionless, only patting his head and repeatedly saying that it would be soon.
By the time the procedure was finally completed, Zhuang Dongqing was exhausted from crying. She almost fell asleep as soon as she was re-bandaged.
Master Zhao was about to treat Cen Yan's bite mark when Cen Yan glanced at it and calmly said, "It's nothing, it's not deep."
"Go back and rest first. We'll need you to check on the arrows and the person when they're brought back."
Grandpa Zhao is getting on in years and can't take this kind of hard work anymore.
Especially given the heavy responsibilities ahead, Cen Yan hoped that Master Zhao would be in better condition.
After checking several times, Master Zhao saw that although Cen Yan was expressionless, his behavior was still quite calm. He figured that since Zhuang Dongqing had returned, he would definitely vent his anger on the people who deserved it, and would not keep it bottled up inside.
After chatting with Cen Yan for a few more minutes about treating Zhuang Dongqing's wounds, he left his apprentice behind and went back to rest for a while.
Cen Yan... if you don't look at his expression, he is indeed very calm.
After Master Zhao left, Liu Fu offered to help Zhuang Dongqing change clothes and apply medicine, but was refused. Cen Yan insisted on doing it himself.
The clothes were difficult to take off, so they were simply cut open.
Knowing that Zhuang Dongqing was also a clean person, Cen Yan wiped every part that could be wiped twice. Cen Yan was not in a hurry and took it one step at a time. Liu Fu thought he was busy and wanted to lend a hand halfway through, but was brushed off. Cen Yan only let him handle the trivial matters of changing water and getting medicine. Whenever Zhuang Dongqing's body was touched, it was Cen Yan who did it.
It's not that I'm avoiding the taboo of Luk Fook or anything like that.
They were determined to do it themselves.
Liu Fu offered a few words of advice, but sensed that Cen Yan was acting differently than usual. He was stunned by Cen Yan's calm reply and dared not utter another word.
Moreover, Cen Yan did indeed do a very good job.
Besides, it's the height of summer right now, so there's no need to worry about him catching a cold. Take it slow and be gentle with him; he'll feel more comfortable when he wakes up.
When Liu Qi returned, this was the scene that greeted him.
Zhuang Dongqing's body had been thoroughly washed, her inner garments had been changed to clean ones, and all her wounds had been treated with medicine, leaving only the abrasions on her palms and the backs of her hands. Cen Yan held the hand and was carefully applying the ointment with his hands, gently so as not to wake Zhuang Dongqing.
"master……"
"Shh—" Cen Yan said without looking up, "Let me finish applying the medicine first."
Liu Qi fell silent instantly.
After cleaning Zhuang Dongqing's hands, Cen Yan checked them repeatedly, made two more adjustments, and then put Zhuang Dongqing's hands back under the thin blanket, quietly watching her for a while.
Liu Qi's heart pounded. Knowing Cen Yan's temperament well, she knew that speaking at this moment would be tantamount to courting death, but...
Cen Yan seemed to know as well, "Right away."
Liu Qi lowered his voice as much as possible and said, "Young Master will definitely get better, Master, don't worry too much."
Cen Yan: "I'm not in a hurry."
This was not an emotion that arose from the depths of his heart.
Cen Yan: "When An'an was born, the incision was the size of a palm. I thought it would be the only incision on his body..."
The voice was so calm, the monotone tone seemed to hint at something unusual beneath, and Liu Qi didn't dare to speak.
Cen Yan suddenly chuckled softly, while Liu Qi lowered her eyes and remained completely silent.
Liu Fu, who was standing to the side, was a little confused. Liu Qi gently shook his head at him, and Liu Fu, holding the ointment, stood up obediently.
After another cup of tea's time, Cen Yan stood up and instructed Liu Fu, "Keep a close watch on it."
Liu Fu: "Yes."
Once outside, Liu Qi felt inexplicably uneasy. It wasn't until Cen Yan asked about Master Zhao that Liu Qi spoke again.
Without listening to Liu Qi's report, they first found Master Zhao. Fortunately, the poison was not a deadly one. Master Zhao had examined the arrowhead and was already preparing the medicine. After listening to his apprentice's explanation, Cen Yan did not disturb him, but only instructed, "If there are not enough people to prepare the medicine, find someone from the main courtyard and make sure they are there to supervise the whole process."
At times like these, how could the apprentice dare not stay away from administering the medicine? But since Cen Yan had given such a strict instruction, he had no choice but to comply.
Cen Yan: "Do we still need the arrows?"
"ah?"
"Could I have one of the arrows you brought back?"
"Oh, there's an extra one. Commander Hao sent back a whole quiver of arrows..."
Cen Yan left Master Zhao's courtyard, leaving them with only one poisoned arrow, while taking all the remaining, intact poisoned arrows with him.
Liu Qi was drenched in cold sweat as he followed.
"Call Xu Si here, let's talk in the study."
Liu Qi: "Yes."
When they found Xu Si, the two went to the study together and saw Cen Yan holding an arrow and examining it. When they arrived, he put it down and looked at Liu Qi.
Liu Qi understood and immediately began to explain the situation on the mountain.
"Everyone has been rescued. We attacked the mountain at dawn, and we had the advantage in numbers and firearms. Private soldiers can't keep up with elite troops. By the time I got back, it was almost over. Capturing them all was no problem."
Cen Yan: "Did we alert the people around us?"
Liu Qi: "The salt fields are too close, but Hao San sent people there from the beginning and controlled them. Beyond that, it's just desolate wilderness with almost no one living there."
Cen Yan knew this; back when the map was being drawn, it wasn't easy to find people.
Cen Yan nodded, indicating his satisfaction.
Liu Qi: "What was reported before was mountain bandits, but they have all been captured now. Should we report the matter of the private army to the capital?"
Cen Yan asked, "Were Li Yang's men injured?"
Liu Qi was taken aback for a moment, then replied truthfully, "They were starving for two days, but our people arrived in time, so they're fine."
"oh."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qi subconsciously looked at Xu Si and saw the same panic in Xu Si's eyes, then lowered his head again.
Cen Yan picked up the arrow again and played with it.
Their leisurely movements made their hearts pound.
Cen Yan: "What's the latest news from Li Zhuo's side?"
Xu Si: "As the master predicted, spies were sent to investigate the situation at the Prince's residence, and all the spies have been subdued."
This matter was too minor, and Xu Si did not report it to Cen Yan.
Cen Yan: "How many people came?"
Xu Si: "Two. The second one didn't go back to report either, and there's been no unusual activity today, so I'm afraid they won't send anyone else."
Cen Yan chuckled, "Perfect."
His hand paused, as if he had made up his mind, and he put down the arrow, then said coldly, "What's there to report? How would we know they were private soldiers? We just thought they were bandits."
Liu Qi couldn't help but raise her eyes.
Cen Yan calmly said, "Twenty thousand people on the mountain is already a lot. Last night, in our haste to rescue the prince, we underestimated them, thinking they were just bandits, and only brought a little over ten thousand men for the surprise attack, so..."
Glancing at the sky, Cen Yan continued, "So Hao San and I are currently locked in a fierce battle and urgently need support from the main camp. Therefore, the camp's personal guards have received orders and are preparing to set off, but..."
Cen Yan looked at Liu Qi and said, "But you, as the head of the Prince's Mansion, were caught off guard by the counterattack. So you split your forces into two groups, sending people to find reinforcements while you personally went to the Governor's Mansion to ask the Governor to send troops to support you, hoping to gain an absolute numerical advantage."
Thinking of something, Cen Yan smiled and said, "The Governor's Mansion and the trained navy and army are also stationed outside the city, which is closer to the salt fields than the location we chose for our camp. If the Governor is willing to help immediately, then you can come along."
Liu Qi already understood what Cen Yan wanted to do.
Cen Yan looked at Xu Si, who understood and immediately reported, "The troops borrowed from Suzhou arrived by boat in the middle of the night and are waiting for the master's orders at the port."
Cen Yan: "Yes, we have an eyewitness, which is perfect."
Cen Yan: "After the governor takes his men there, he will signal, 'Xu Si, you go and take the troops from Suzhou to provide support.'"
Cen Yan tapped his long finger on the table, pondered for a moment, and said with satisfaction, "The story is quite well-rounded, with a beginning and an end."
It was actually a trap to lure the enemy into a snare.
It would be a good opportunity to capture the governor and his troops, so that even if the governor was captured, there would still be his cronies in the army who would tip him off.
At this point, fearing exposure of his private army, the governor should bring all his trusted men with him.
After dealing with the mountain, let's strike while the iron is hot and take care of everything in Hangzhou city as well.
Cen Yan: "Is Hao San still holding on?"
Liu Qi: "It's fine. The soldiers on the mountain were trained secretly, and they're just a makeshift team. We didn't suffer many losses in this battle."
Cen Yan nodded in satisfaction.
After a moment of silence, he waved his hand and said, "Liu Qi, go ahead."
He then stood up, took an arrow, and said, "Xu Si, take me to see those two spies."
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Move the person further away, so they don't get the main courtyard dirty."
*
Li Zhuo was somewhat anxious.
Neither of the two spies sent to the Prince of Dingxi's residence have returned.
They were all the elites among his spies.
His advisors were also wiping their sweat below, not for any other reason than that they were shocked by Li Zhuo's audacity in sending spies at a time like this.
The advisor had come from the capital and had never seen the way the Prince of Dingxi's mansion operated, though he had heard of it. He really didn't know how to evaluate Li Zhuo's actions.
Li Zhuo frowned: "Is there some shady plot you're plotting? Could it be..."
Advisor: "Could it be that the prince is simply angry?"
Without a second thought, Li Zhuo replied, "No. He knows exactly what's important. With his son gone, he wouldn't have the energy to deal with small matters; his subordinates handle everything..."
He paused, pinched the bridge of his nose, and realized, "Hao San and Xu Si... Oh, I forgot, the people from the Prince of Dingxi's mansion also have extremely capable subordinates."
If the commander had remained in the palace and hadn't been running around, it wouldn't have been impossible for those two spies to have been captured.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a servant rushed in to report that the scout had returned.
I'm back, but...
Li Zhuo walked into the courtyard, saw the two spies, and remained silent.
They didn't die, but that's all; they were just barely surviving.
Li Zhuo squatted down, looked at the two scouts riddled with arrows, examined them one by one, and sighed: "Their hands and feet are crippled. Even if they recover, it's no use. What a pity."
“Your Highness, the arrows in their shoulders are poisoned. Judging from the bloodstains, these are the earliest wounds. They were tortured for a long time before they were crippled.”
The servant reported.
"oh?"
Li Zhuo squatted down and, at his subordinate's signal, saw the blackened wound. His face turned ashen.
Cen Yan is slapping him in the face.
After a moment of silence, Li Zhuo suddenly murmured, "He still has the energy to deal with this kind of thing? Does that mean he really has no other options right now?"
Thinking of this possibility, I laughed again.
After laughing, Li Zhuo looked at the two spies and his face darkened again.
Regardless of other factors,
He did feel humiliated.
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