Chapter 80 How to save him
That night, at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The courtyard of Chenfeng was brightly lit by candlelight.
Qi Jincheng rushed in and asked as soon as he entered the house, "How is Chu Xiao?"
Shen You was about to get up from the bedside when Qi Jincheng waved his hand and refused, saying, "No need for formalities."
What is Chu Xiao's current situation?
Shen You's heart sank, and he shook his head. "The physician couldn't do anything. Uncle Chen has already gone to fetch Doctor Lin, and he should be arriving soon."
After saying this, she turned around and her gaze fell once again on the man lying on the bed.
It had only been an hour since Chu Xiao returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion from the Marquis of Yong'an's residence, but his face had already lost all color, and his eyes were now closed; he never woke up again.
When Qi Jincheng came out of the palace, he brought the imperial physician with him. He quickly stepped aside to let the physician come forward.
The imperial physician took his pulse and examined him carefully.
After a moment, he said, "In my humble opinion, the Duke has been poisoned."
"This poison looks extremely dangerous, which is why it caused the Duke of Zhenguo to fall into a coma in such a short time."
Upon hearing the imperial physician's diagnosis of poisoning, Shen You's eyes lit up with hope. "Do you know what kind of poison it is?"
The imperial physician glanced at Qi Jincheng instinctively, then shook his head helplessly, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I'll have to search through medical books."
Shen You's eyelashes twitched, realizing that waiting like this was not a solution.
She stood up and said to Qi Jincheng, "Your Majesty, I would like to go to the Criminal Investigation Department to see Qi Jinling."
“No,” Qi Jincheng instinctively said, not wanting her to go.
Qi Jinling is cunning and scheming. Although he is currently imprisoned in the Criminal Investigation Department, if something unexpected happens when Shen You goes to see him, how will he explain it to Chu Xiao after he wakes up?
"His Majesty..."
Qi Jincheng's brows furrowed tightly. "If anyone's going, it'll be me."
Qi Jinling hated him and Chu Xiao the most.
They would see each other sooner or later.
As he finished speaking, he turned to leave, but just then he saw Uncle Chen rushing over with Doctor Lin.
"Greetings, Your Majesty..."
"No need for formalities," Qi Jincheng waved his long sleeves. "Saving lives is the priority."
"yes."
Lin Gu carried a medicine box on his back. Because he had made it in time, he was still a little out of breath from running.
He calmed himself down before coming to the bedside. Upon seeing Chu Xiao's current state, he knew something was wrong.
The room fell silent as everyone awaited the results of Lin Gu's pulse diagnosis.
After a moment, he said, "The Duke has been poisoned by a poison from the Kingdom of Wenxia."
"Wen Xia...?"
“Yes,” Lin Gu continued, “this poison is made from dozens of poisonous herbs and insects from Wenxia Mountain, and it is called Soul-Severing Powder.”
"The toxicity is extremely potent, especially effective on those with strong bodies. Therefore, although it has only been a short while, it has already penetrated deep into the Duke's body."
"Then how do we cure this poison?"
"To find the antidote, we must know who the Poison King in this Soul-Severing Powder is."
Shen You frowned slightly, "What is a Poison King?"
Lin Gu said, "Most of the poisonous insects in the Soul-Severing Powder are raised by the insects, and the Poison King is the most venomous insect among these insects."
"But the difficulty in curing this poison lies in..." he sighed, "the poison king in each bottle of Soul-Severing Powder is different."
"Some might be scorpions, some might be centipedes, and some might be toads."
Each bottle of Soul-Severing Powder is unique, because during the refining process, even the person refining it does not know which poisonous insect will become the final king of poison.
Only by knowing which type of poisonous insect was involved in Chu Xiao's Soul-Severing Powder can the right medicine be prescribed.
Otherwise, if we try one thing at a time, I'm afraid we won't be able to endure it for that long.
On his way here, Lin Gu had already heard about what happened at the Yong'an Marquis's residence today.
He stroked his gray beard and said, "Only the person who poisoned the poison knows the key to the antidote."
Qi Jincheng turned around decisively and said, "I will go to the Criminal Investigation Department right away."
As soon as he finished speaking, when Shen You turned around again, he could no longer be seen.
Lin Gu sat down at a nearby table, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to Uncle Chen. "This Soul-Severing Powder contains several poisonous herbs. This prescription can alleviate the toxicity of these herbs to some extent. Let's decoct the medicine and feed it to the Duke first."
But to truly detoxify, one must first understand what kind of insect the "King of Poisons" is.
“Okay,” Uncle Chen saw the imperial physician out, then personally took the prescription and followed Lin Gu to Baicaotang to get the medicine.
In an instant, the room, which had been filled with many people, was now empty except for Shen You and Chu Xiao.
Mu Geng lit the candles in the room one by one, then quietly closed the door and went out.
As dusk fell, the Duke's mansion was lit up, and the light from the courtyard outside shone through the windows, reflecting off the brightness inside.
The ground heating was warm, but Shen You felt that his hands and feet couldn't get warm no matter what he did.
But she had no time to take care of herself. After wringing out the towel in the basin, she wiped Chu Xiao's face and hands.
The once tall, aloof man now lay on the bed as if he were completely oblivious, letting her do whatever she wanted.
Shen You's gaze unconsciously fell on his face, and his face grew paler and paler.
She felt a tightness in her chest, and her eyelids twitched every now and then, making her anxious.
After a moment, she finally couldn't hold back and raised her hand to cover her eyes.
It seemed as if only by suppressing all the discomfort and confusion in their hearts could they finally give up.
But it didn't work out.
She pursed her lips, placed Chu Xiao's hand back under the quilt, stood up, and left the room.
Mu Geng was waiting in the corridor. He was somewhat surprised to see her come out. "Miss Shen..."
Shen You nodded slightly, continuing on her way, "I'm going to the Criminal Investigation Department."
Mu Geng dared not object and immediately ordered the servants in the courtyard to prepare a carriage for her.
——
The winter night was bitterly cold, and the lanterns in front of the Criminal Investigation Department were blown about, casting swaying shadows that made them appear even more frosty and eerie.
It's even more frightening than it looks in daylight.
This wasn't Shen You's first time at the Criminal Investigation Department, and the heavy shadows and eerie chill didn't frighten her.
Without looking to the side, she was led by the constables directly past the screen wall and into the innermost cell.
The further in you go, the louder the screams become.
She could tell it was Qi Jinling's voice.
As she turned the corner, she subconsciously looked up and her eyes unexpectedly met Qi Jincheng's.
The latter remained completely calm, as if he were not the one who ordered Qi Jinling to be tortured.
Shen You's gaze fell on Qi Jinling, who was spitting blood. Qi Jinling, who was dressed in fine clothes at the banquet at the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, now had holes in his clothes, his hair was disheveled, and he was still spouting nonsense.
Shen You paused, not moving forward, but standing by the corner of the wall, listening to the constables torture Qi Jinling.
And Qi Jincheng's interrogation.
But Qi Jinling's mouth was even tighter than they had imagined.
He had already anticipated this moment the instant the hidden arrow was shot out and pierced Chu Xiao's arm.
Even if a highly skilled doctor diagnoses that the poison Chu Xiao has been given is the Soul-Severing Powder, so what?
This bottle was personally developed by him; only he knows what kind of insect the "Poison King" is.
As long as he doesn't say anything, Chu Xiao won't survive.
Thinking of this, a feeling of exhilaration suddenly welled up in his heart, and he laughed out in a sinister and rampant manner under another round of whipping.
"Qi Jincheng, what can you do to me?!"
"If I die, Chu Xiao won't live either!"
Qi Jincheng suppressed his anger. "Is that so? Then let's see how long you can hold out."
"Although the torture methods of the Criminal Investigation Department are not as severe as those used by Qi Wulin, they are still more than enough to deal with you."
After saying this, he instructed a servant to fetch some coarse salt.
But Qi Jinling never thought she could get out alive from the moment she was captured, especially since the torture during Qi Wulin's time was even worse than it is now.
He completely disregarded the threats Qi Jincheng made.
"What are the hardships that Chu Xiao is suffering now compared to this?"
"Compared to the pain I endured recovering from that fire, what he suffered was nothing!"
"He deserved it!"
Hahahaha.
The bailiff who went to fetch the coarse salt had returned. Qi Jincheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning cold, and ordered the bailiff to sprinkle the coarse salt directly onto Qi Jinling's wound.
In an instant, the previously rampant smile was replaced by a shrill scream.
Despite the waves of pain, Qi Jinling still couldn't resist showing off to Qi Jincheng.
"If I die, I can take Chu Xiao down with me, so I won't lose out."
For a moment, Qi Jinling's voice filled this corner of the prison.
Shen You stood at the corner, and even though he couldn't see it with his own eyes, he could imagine what the torture chamber would be like.
Qi Jinling is now completely fearless; he's seen too many of these tortures in the Criminal Investigation Department before, so it's hard for him to feel any fear.
To get him to compromise and give in, you have to hit his sore spot.
She stood still, her eyes lowered, lost in thought.
A moment later, she looked up and walked out without any hesitation.
As he walked, he instructed the constable beside him, "Where is Cui Yang?"
"Send him to see me."
“...Yes,” said the constable beside her, who had seen her before in the Criminal Investigation Department.
At the time, I felt that although Miss Shen was aloof and elegant, she was also gentle and polite.
Hearing her cold tone, he was a little taken aback.
However, the constable only hesitated for a moment before quickly picking up his lantern and following.
——
In the inner courtyard of the Criminal Investigation Department, in the room where Chu Xiao usually handled his affairs, the room was now brightly lit with candles.
Shen You was dressed in a simple and elegant dress, with a green cloak draped over her shoulders, which made her face look even more serene.
At this moment, the girl was looking intently at the information she had gathered from Cui Yang's investigations in Jiangnan and the border region, her eyes slightly lowered.
After a moment, she looked up at Cui Yang and asked, "Besides these, is there any other information?"
"Anything is fine, as long as it's about Qi Jinling."
The book in her hand was all related to Wen Tingyuan's case. After confirming Qi Jinling's identity, it contained a very detailed description of how he survived on the border.
Cui Yang quickly realized why Shen You had asked that question.
With a solemn expression, he tried hard to recall and recounted everything in great detail.
This includes the time when Qi Jinling was rescued by Master Wen Xia at the border. In order to heal his injuries, his master used poison to fight poison, practically treating him as a vessel for raising poisonous insects.
That period must have been the time he least wanted to remember in his life.
He was physically weak and in a sorry state, and had to endure the gnawing of poisonous insects every day.
Shen You slowly clenched his fist, his hand resting on the edge of the table, and he had already made up his mind.
She stood up and hurriedly walked outside, saying, "Come with me to Baicaotang."
Cui Yang was taken aback and quickly followed in her footsteps.
Although he didn't understand why he was going to Baicaotang, his master had said that Miss Shen's words were never wrong.
Moreover, Miss Shen has her master in her heart, so she must be even more anxious than they are.
Listening to her must be the right thing to do.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com