Chapter 85 Breaking the Stalemate
Meng Yutong had just returned to Zhaoyutang when a series of hurried and heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside the clinic, mixed with the clanging of armor clashing.
Before the people inside could react, several guards dressed in black and wearing long swords at their waists burst through the door, instantly surrounding the small clinic!
"What are you doing!" Bai Zhi was terrified, but she still mustered her courage to step forward and try to stop a guard who was about to overturn the medicine cabinet. Her voice trembled, "In broad daylight, is there no law?"
Wu Ming stepped forward to block the examination table, spread his arms, and hurriedly explained, "Gentlemen, is there a mistake? Our Physician Meng is a kind and skilled physician; he would never do anything to harm the princess!"
The lead guard had a gloomy face. Without any mercy, he shoved Bai Zhi and Wu Ming away, the force so great that the two staggered a few steps and almost fell.
He spat and shouted angrily, "You ignorant fools! The princess is of noble birth, how dare you lowly commoners plot against her? If you dare to obstruct official business again, I'll chop off your heads!"
Meng Yutong strode forward and shielded the still-shaken Bai Zhi and Wu Ming behind her.
As if they had found their pillar of support, the two immediately stood close behind her, one on each side.
Her gaze swept over the group of uninvited guests.
At the princess's birthday banquet last month, she met the princess's personal guards. Although their uniforms were black, the collars, cuffs, and hems had specific patterns, and their weapons were more uniform and of higher quality.
The group of people before them were dressed roughly, their swords of mixed styles, and their brows held a more menacing air, like those of street thugs—definitely not befitting the ceremonial attire of a princess's residence.
Suspicion welled up in her mind, and seeing the guards still wantonly smashing things, throwing medicinal herbs and utensils haphazardly, leaving a mess on the ground, Meng Yutong took a deep breath, took a sudden step forward, and shouted, "Stop!"
Her posture was upright, and her gaze was as calm as a cold pool, exuding an unassailable aura amidst the chaos.
She stared directly at the leader: "Let me ask you, no matter who ordered you to come here, did that person explicitly authorize you to plunder and commit such banditry here?"
"Or did you act on your own initiative, wanting to take this opportunity to show off your power and indulge in the feeling of being in a superior position? If this matter were to reach your master's ears, and he knew that you were so outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, ruining his reputation, would you still have a way out?"
The leader had initially completely disregarded the female doctor, regarding her as an ant he could crush at will. Now, having her words pinpoint the crux of the matter, he was first startled, then enraged and humiliated.
His eyes flashed with a fierce light. He suddenly drew half of his gleaming sword, took a step forward, and said viciously, "You bastard! So what if you're a little clever? Even if I burn this wretched place down to the ground today, the higher-ups won't ask a single question! What I hate most are self-righteous, ungrateful bastards like you!"
The gleaming blade and fierce aura rushed towards her, but Meng Yutong did not retreat. Instead, she slightly raised her chin, and a faint, mocking sneer even appeared on her lips:
“You…” The man’s movements suddenly froze, his hand that was drawing the knife stopped in mid-air, and a clear look of surprise and uncertainty flashed across his face.
How did she know she wasn't a guard from the princess's residence? Could it be... that she really had something to rely on?
Before he could think it through, Meng Yutong had already taken something out of her bosom.
It was a red jade square plaque with a rich color and a unique emblem carved on it.
The leader's pupils contracted sharply, and his face turned deathly pale. Almost instinctively, he flailed his hand and screamed, "Stop! Stop now!"
His change of expression was as swift as lightning. He hastily sheathed his sword, bowed deeply to Meng Yutong, and his tone shifted from arrogant to obsequious: "So, you're a noble person close to Her Highness the Princess! I was blind and ignorant, and I beg your forgiveness for any offense! I... I was worried about Her Highness's precious health, fearing she might be harmed by treacherous people, which is why... that's why I acted so hastily..."
He knew he had met his match and was in a difficult position to deal with, so he just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.
"Please forgive us, sir, but we are only acting under orders and have no choice in the matter. However... I'm afraid your clinic will be closed for the next few days. You and the staff will have to stay here for the time being and bear with us for a few days."
"But rest assured, I will do my best to arrange all your food and other necessities! Once this matter is investigated and the truth is revealed, I will personally visit you to apologize!"
After saying that, he tried to tell his men to abandon the mess and make a quick getaway.
"Wait." Meng Yutong's voice rang out again, not loud, but carrying an undeniable tone.
The leader froze, then turned around with a stiff upper lip: "What else do you need, sir?"
"How is Princess Jingfu doing now?" Meng Yutong asked, staring intently at him.
The man hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "His Highness is severely poisoned and remains unconscious." He refused to say anything more.
Meng Yutong nodded, her gaze slowly sweeping over the messy clinic before finally settling on the face of the leader.
She furrowed her brows slightly, her face displaying a perfectly timed vulnerability and embarrassment, her voice softening, yet her clear eyes held a deep, unwavering intensity, subtly conveying an unmistakable pressure.
“Sir, as you can see, my clinic is staffed by weak women and a useless apprentice. There are hardly any strong people here. You’ve made this place such a mess that it’s impossible to move an inch. Even if the three of us stayed up until dawn, we still wouldn’t be able to finish cleaning it.”
What terrible luck!
The leader frowned, cursing inwardly how he had ended up with such a troublesome task.
I thought she was just a powerless folk healer, someone I could easily manipulate. Who knew she had a princess's token! But... no matter how capable this woman is, can she really be more assertive than the one who gave her the orders?
After weighing his options carefully, he ultimately dared not push things too far. He could only grit his teeth and give a wink to his two subordinates beside him: "You two, stay here! Clean this place up for the esteemed guest and restore it to its original state!"
The two guards reluctantly agreed. The leader, however, didn't dare linger for a moment longer and, with the rest of his men, retreated in the same hurried manner as when they arrived.
After the damaged items in the clinic were mostly put back in their places, the guards who were responsible for cleaning up the mess left dejectedly.
The front and back doors of Zhaoyu Hall were guarded from the outside, with four or five armed guards left behind to strictly prohibit anyone from entering or leaving.
Bai Zhi twisted her fingers anxiously, her voice still trembling with shock: "Miss, what exactly happened? How could Princess Jingfu have been poisoned out of the blue? Besides, what does her poisoning have to do with you, Miss?"
Wu Ming paced anxiously back and forth in the hall, his brows furrowed: "Master, have you inadvertently offended some important person recently?"
Meng Yutong did not respond immediately. Her eyes darkened slightly as she strode towards the backyard, her gaze landing on the second-floor staircase.
The place was empty; there was neither Wu Lin's usual fortune-telling sign nor his old wooden stool.
He has not yet returned.
Having made up her mind, Meng Yutong quickly returned to her room and took out an item from the bottom of her dressing case. She called Wu Ming to her side, placed the item in his hand, and then leaned down to whisper a few words in his ear.
Wu Ming's expression hardened, and he nodded repeatedly, saying in a low voice, "Don't worry, sir, I understand."
*
The commotion at Zhaoyu Hall had alarmed all the neighbors on Peach Blossom Street. How could Doctor Meng, usually so gentle and skilled in medicine, be involved in such a heinous crime as poisoning the princess?
Could it be... that I offended someone I shouldn't have?
By the Wangxian Bridge, under the old peach tree, Wu Lin, who was preparing to pack up his stall, silently witnessed the farce that had just unfolded.
He remained aloof, sitting quietly under the tree, as if the shut-down clinic had nothing to do with him.
He took out a few copper coins from his pocket, counted them carefully, and wondered if they were enough for him to find a place to stay tonight.
Meanwhile, at the corner of Peach Blossom Street, two tall, strong men dressed as ordinary people had been secretly watching the movements of Zhaoyu Hall ever since the group of soldiers broke in.
After the group of people left, the two exchanged a glance, then quickly turned around and silently disappeared into the deepening twilight.
As night fell, Peach Blossom Street fell silent earlier than usual. Due to the commotion during the day, by early 7 p.m., the street was already deserted, and all the shops had closed early.
Four guards stood at the entrance of Zhaoyu Hall, swords in hand, their expressions fierce, and no one dared to approach them.
The menacing appearance of these people was something ordinary people would avoid at all costs.
However, there are always those "unusual" people.
Li Jing, accompanied by a short, thin servant dressed in gray, strolled leisurely to the tightly closed doors of Zhaoyu Hall.
He seemed not to see the four guards standing like door gods at the entrance, and went straight forward, gesturing for Shi Yu to remove the crisscrossing seals.
"What are you doing!" Upon seeing this, the guard suddenly shoved Li Jing, his voice booming, "Are you blind? This place has been sealed off, all irrelevant people get out of here!"
Li Jing was pushed so hard that he stumbled backward two steps.
He steadied himself, his eyes widening in disbelief, and pointed at the guard, shouting angrily, "How dare you! Do you know who I am? How dare you block my way? How many heads do you have to chop off?"
He was fair-skinned and handsome, but now, with his brows furrowed and eyes glaring, he exuded an imposing aura that momentarily intimidated the guards.
"Who...who are you?" The guard forced himself to remain calm. "The person in charge of Zhaoyu Hall has committed a crime. We are ordered to guard this place. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach!"
Li Jing shoved Shi Yu beside him in annoyance, and then gave him a meaningful look.
Shi Yu then realized what was happening, immediately put his hands on his hips and stepped forward, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Insolence! You're the one who's just a nobody! Open your dog eyes and see clearly, this is His Highness the Heir Apparent of Prince Rong! If you dare to obstruct the Heir Apparent, believe me, the Princess Consort will chop off your heads!"
"You say he is the heir apparent, what proof do you have?" The guard was skeptical.
With a hint of smugness, Li Jing brushed open the tortoise-shaped sachet at his waist, revealing a piece of mutton-fat jade hanging below. He then dangled it in front of the group, making sure they could clearly see the words "Order of the Heir Apparent of Prince Rong" and the royal patterns clearly visible on the jade.
The guards stared intently, then trembled violently, their faces turning deathly pale. They immediately knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "We were blind! We didn't know it was His Highness the Crown Prince! We offended Your Highness and deserve to die! We deserve to die!"
"Alright, alright," Li Jing waved his hand impatiently, reattached the jade pendant, and said, "I don't have time to argue with you today. I'm going in to see a doctor and get some medicine, so don't stop me."
After saying that, he gestured for Shi Yu to remove the seal.
The guards dared not stop him any longer, but if they let him in, they couldn't bear the consequences of being blamed by their superiors. The men looked at each other, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads, caught in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Li Jing clicked his tongue and said with a hint of arrogance, "Look at your cowardice! I'm just going in for a checkup, getting my medicine, and coming out. Once I'm out, you can just put that damn seal back on, right? It's dark and windy, who's going to know? You blockheads!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness! Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness!" The guards were as if they had been granted a pardon, and kowtowed repeatedly, not daring to say anything more.
Shi Yu deftly removed the seal and pushed open the clinic door. Li Jing straightened his robes and stepped inside with an air of nonchalance, followed closely by Shi Yu, who gently closed the door behind him.
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