The woman's hair was disheveled, and her hairpin hung loosely on her head, clearly the result of struggling after being tied up.
Her mouth was tied with a white cloth, so she could only make muffled sounds, and her eyes were fixed fiercely on the person who had brought her here.
Hearing the sound coming from ahead, she was forced to bend over and couldn't help but look up, where she saw Luo Chentian, who was being pointed at the neck by a cold sword and looked like he was about to faint from fright.
"Waaaaah...waaaah..."
Seeing this, the woman struggled even more fiercely. Her eyes were wide open, filled with confusion, bewilderment, and inexplicable fear.
This woman was none other than Jin Shi. Upon seeing her, Luo Chentian was speechless and too weak to look her in the eye.
A snap of a man's fingers echoed in the air. Then Luo Chentian heard the devilish man before him speak:
"Heh, now is probably not a good time for the Prime Minister and his wife to reminisce."
Luo Chentian couldn't help but swallow again, a chill rising from the soles of his feet. "What do you want to do?"
At this moment, he no longer naively believed that the man before him would fear his position as prime minister. If he were afraid, he wouldn't have kidnapped Lady Jin.
"I want to know... how did Prime Minister Luo go from a near-failing candidate to a third-place scholar? Or rather, I want to know what that treasure was that ensured the Luo family would enjoy imperial favor for generations?"
"No, this is just a rumor in the martial arts world. How could such a thing exist? Don't be fooled, hero."
Before the man could finish speaking, Luo Chentian interrupted him, and he mustered his courage to try to deceive him.
"oh?"
The man stared intently at the sword in his hand, as if deep in thought. Meeting Luo Chentian's timid and evasive eyes, a smile played on his lips as he spoke again:
"In that case, Lord Luo, why don't you tell me what you're up to in the middle of the night, coming to the ancestral hall?"
"This...this..."
Luo Chentian's eyes clearly showed panic; he didn't know how to explain.
"Oh."
The man sheathed his sword, turned around, and walked under the moonlight to the altar in the ancestral hall. The cold moonlight shone on his handsome, angular face, adding to his aloofness.
Xiao Zhu lit a white candle and turned it in front of Luo Chentian. Instantly, a secret passage appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Ye Qian, take notes." Xiao Zhuo said to the soldier commander beside him.
"yes."
Holding a candle, Xiao Zhuo led a small group of people in a grand procession toward the secret passage.
By the dim candlelight, Luo Chentian could see the person holding a sword to his neck, and also the officer standing to the side.
Ye Qian? Isn't that General Ye of the Patrol Battalion, a subordinate of the Third Prince?
Luo Chentian collapsed to the ground, powerless, knowing that all was lost, his face ashen.
A moment later, Xiao Zhuo rushed up and charged towards Luo Chentian, who was surrounded by soldiers. He couldn't help but tightly grip Luo Chentian's neck with his hands, his usual gentlemanly demeanor crumbling.
He demanded sharply, "Where did you go?"
"Wh...what?"
Luo Chentian was terrified and couldn't help but tremble when he looked at this handsome man.
"Jiu'er's eyes! Where did you put her corneas?" Xiao Zhuo's eyes were red with rage, making him look even more like a raging beast.
He had secretly investigated the ancestral hall of the Prime Minister's residence before and saw with his own eyes that Luo Jiu's corneas were placed in the center of the blood pool. Why are they gone now?
Upon hearing the name Luo Jiu, Luo Chentian's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze towards Xiao Zhuo became increasingly evasive. "I...I don't know what you're talking about?"
Hearing this, Xiao Zhuo couldn't help but laugh in anger. He loosened his grip on the collar, and his hands fell heavily to the ground.
"Ha, you don't know... you don't know..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao Zhuo pulled out a bottle of medicine from his waist and poured it into Luo Chentian's mouth with lightning speed.
He slammed the empty medicine bottle to the ground with a thud, then slowly stood up, reverting to his previous mysterious and enigmatic demeanor.
As soon as Luo Chentian was released, he tried to vomit up what he had swallowed. His eyes were full of water.
"It's no use. Do you know what I just gave you to drink? Oh, it's a kind of poison from the southern border regions, made from the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans."
This medicine won't kill you, it will just make you feel a little uncomfortable. Every day, every minute, every second you have left, you will feel your flesh being eaten away by the Gu worms.
"You like Gu poison so much, don't you? Then let it wander through your veins and enjoy it."
Xiao Zhuo spoke in a soft voice, yet uttered such chilling words, like a demon from the abyss gnawing at Luo Chentian's reason and flesh step by step.
Xiao Zhuo snorted coldly, slowly glancing at Jin Shi, whose mouth was tied, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, as if he was considering how best to kill this woman.
Jin felt as if she were possessed by an evil spirit; her eyes were filled with fear, and she made incessant whimpering noises.
"Give me the antidote, I'll talk, I'll talk..."
Finally, Luo Chentian gave in, repeatedly defeated by his cowardice.
"There was also a Taoist priest who came up with me just now. He told me everything I know."
He was behind me, but I don't know why he's gone now. What you're looking for can only be on him.
"Taoist priest? That fake doctor who's always wearing a mask?"
"Um."
A cold glint flashed across Xiao Zhuo's face. He had known all along that the doctor who treated Luo Jiu was suspicious, but he hadn't expected that despite all his calculations, the doctor would still escape. However, the fact that the doctor escaped right under his nose...
"Ye Qian, pass on my order: even if you have to search the entire Prime Minister's residence, find him for me!"
"yes!"
"Take these two men back to me and interrogate them thoroughly."
Xiao Zhuo stood in the darkness, unconsciously clenching his fists. Those who hurt Luo Jiu, I won't let them get away with it so easily.
That night, the Prime Minister's residence was destined to be a sleepless one.
The next morning, Luo Jiu was woken up by Jin Xia in a flurry of activity.
"Miss, something terrible has happened at the Prime Minister's residence!"
The Third Prince, Liang Ye, reported to the Emperor about the thorough investigation of the Prime Minister's residence the previous night. The Emperor was greatly shocked and, thinking of the various crimes Luo Chentian had committed that day, flew into a rage. All the civil and military officials knelt down, none daring to plead for mercy.
The once-glorious Luo Chentian ultimately met a tragic end, being beheaded and his family members, including the Jin family, were implicated and sentenced to exile. The rest of the family members were reduced to commoners and were forbidden from ever entering the capital again.
Luo Jiu was momentarily dazed, as if she were dreaming. She jumped off the bed, put on her shoes, and grabbed Jin Xia as they ran outside.
Having confirmed that they had arrived at Liang Ye's study, they barged in without waiting for the guards to announce their arrival.
Luo Jiu went inside, grabbed the man's arm with difficulty, and asked in confusion:
"Liang Ye? Where's Xiao Zhuo? Where is he?"
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