Although it was not a real layer of skin being peeled off, the pain was no less than that. The person on the wooden bed was shaking violently, and his hands on the bed were clenched suddenly.

But he still faced inward, without making any groan.

"Zhu Zan, why are you doing this?" Lu Yunqi said.

As the speaker walked from the darkness into the light of the torch, he was followed by a hunchbacked old man holding a medicine bowl in his hand.

The smell of medicine covered by the stench of decay comes from here.

As soon as he said this, the person on the wooden bed turned around.

"Lu Xiaozao, you are such a scoundrel, are you worthy of calling me by my name?" Zhu Zan said, "It seems that I haven't beaten you in the past few years, so your memory is not good."

The Jinyiwei on both sides were about to step forward with angry expressions, but Lu Yunqi raised his hand to stop them. His face flickered in the light of the jumping torches, and he remained expressionless.

"Your Highness, you don't have to kill Huang Ziqing," he said. "Even if he wants to impeach you and your son, the emperor may not listen."

Zhu Zan looked up at him and smiled.

"Is this how you interrogate and extract confessions to frame someone?" he said. "With your level of investigation skills, if you hadn't sold your conscience, you would have been the one showing off your power as a member of the Royal Guard."

These words made the two Jinyiwei even more angry, but seeing that Lu Yunqi did not show any sign and his eyes darkened, it seemed that he had thought of something because of Zhu Zan's words.

There's nothing special about this.

Many people who were sent to the imperial prison cursed or made sarcastic remarks like this.

But if Lu Yunqi cared about a few curses, he wouldn't be alive today.

Could it be because it was Zhu Zan who was cursing?

Firstly, it was his status as the prince of Duke Chengguo, and secondly, it was said that Lu Yunqi was assigned to lead the prince of Duke Chengguo when he came to the capital.

Perhaps there was some resentment in the past? Or perhaps he remembered the humiliation of being a slave?

The experiences in one's childhood and adolescence always affect one's emotions for the rest of his life. The Elite Guards, who are the best at torture and forced confessions, know this best.

They are also very good at using this against those who fall into their hands.

Lu Yunqi's weakness wouldn't be so easily exposed, right?

Lu Yunqi's eyes returned to normal after being surprised.

"In that case, you should be more careful and don't let the prince look down on you." He said woodenly, then turned around and walked away into the darkness.

The two guards immediately became excited. For them, torturing prisoners was a hobby, just like gamblers become excited when they hear the sound of dice.

As for who was being tortured, they didn't care at all. As long as they were thrown into this imperial prison, as long as Lu Yun gave the order, the same would apply to the princes and princesses.

Seeing the two men reaching out to lift Zhu Zan up from the wooden bed, the hunchbacked old man who had followed Lu Yunqi in silently like a shadow took a step forward.

"Don't worry, don't worry." His voice was hoarse and dry, "The prince hasn't used the medicine yet."

"What medicine are you going to use now, Old Man?" The two Jinyi Guards asked with displeasure at having their interest interrupted.

The old man who was called an old ghost laughed and coughed. He raised the medicine bowl in his hand and walked forward. He looked at Zhu Zan on the door panel, and the torch illuminated the wounds caused by his beating with a stick.

Excitement and joy also appeared on the old ghost's face, as if he saw the beautiful body of the courtesan in a brothel lying in front of him.

"The eunuchs in this palace are getting better and better at executing people," he said. "Look at how beautiful the wounds are."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and pressed it, rubbing the bloody flesh a few times, just like a child playing with mud.

Zhu Zan's body trembled, but he still did not cry out in pain.

"Shit," he said, frowning at the old man, "I should really send you to Zhenbei so you can have fun."

The old ghost chuckled and raised his hand, which was already covered in blood.

"My Lord, please don't scold me." He said, "I am here to heal your wounds. Don't misunderstand me. I am not a bad person like them."

As he spoke, he started laughing again, revealing his gap in teeth.

"I am a doctor."

"I am a doctor who treats people who are being tortured, so that you won't die from the torture."

He pointed to the two Royal Guards beside him.

"They have a hundred ways to kill people, and I have a hundred ways to keep people from dying."

He became more and more excited as he spoke.

"I heard that Miss Jun can tell life and death and bring the dead back to life. Does that apply to me?"

As soon as Zhu Zan said this, before he could say anything, the two Jinyi Guards beside him shouted with stern faces.

"Old ghost, do your job and stop talking." They shouted, "You can't recommend Miss Jun."

The old ghost had obviously sensed that he had lost his composure, and a hint of uneasiness and panic appeared on his originally happy face.

"I didn't mean it." He muttered, "I'm not being disrespectful. I have great respect for Miss Jun."

As he spoke, he reached out and scooped a handful of medicine from the medicine bowl, then smeared the black plaster on Zhu Zan's wound like painting a wall.

This action and the medicine made Zhu Zan's body tremble. His hands tightly grasped both sides of the bed. His teeth were clenched, but he still couldn't utter a moan.

"If you use my medicine, they can use the torture method on you. They can use it as they please. They are not afraid that you will die from the pain."

The old ghost's voice was mumbling in the cramped cell. The torch cast his hunched figure on the wall, like a dead branch of an old tree swaying in the wind.

…

Miss Jun sat up from the bed. It was dawn outside and it was obviously not yet her usual time to wake up.

Maybe it was because she was dreaming.

In order to ensure that she gets enough sleep, she often uses some methods before going to bed.

These methods allow her to sleep well and without having nightmares.

Dreams are the most disturbing thing.

But this time she still dreamed.

The dream was short and simple, neither scary nor sad.

She dreamed of Duke Cheng, who was still sitting in her father's study, reaching out his hand to her.

There is a candied fruit in the open palm.

"Do you like it?" He smiled gently, his whole face as bright as the sun, "Take it and eat it."

She didn't take the candied fruit and woke up.

Looking at the lush green scenery of late spring outside the window, Miss Jun let out a breath and got up from the bed.

"You want to go out? Where to go? No one has sought medical treatment recently."

After breakfast, Fang Jinxiu frowned and said after hearing Miss Jun's words.

It's so chaotic now, it's better not to go out.

"I'm not looking for a doctor. I'm looking for Zhang Baotang," Miss Jun said. "I want to know how they plan to save Zhu Zan."