To get a thorough look, Imperial Physician Liu reported slowly, "Minister Tan, your pulse is fine. Please open your mouth and stick out your tongue so I can examine your tongue coating."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Tan Wu then let out a solid, silent burp.
In an instant, a pungent, foul odor of wine and meat filled our mouths and noses.
My stomach is churning because I ate too fast.
Doesn't that give it away right away?
The imperial physicians weren't just sitting idly by; they knew he was faking illness. If they went back and reported it, and it happened to reveal that the old master Tan had already died, then there would be huge trouble!
Seeing that Tan Wu remained unmoved, Imperial Physician Zhang gently reminded him.
"Minister Tan! Didn't you hear me? Please open your mouth."
Forced into this situation, Tan Wu had exhausted all his options. He gave a bitter smile and could only try to speak in a sincere tone.
"Actually, I was late for court today because I had been overworked these past few days. My health is a little poor, but I am not seriously ill!"
"I don't know how to explain this to His Majesty, so I'll have to trouble you two to smooth things over. Just say that I'm sick!"
The two imperial physicians exchanged a glance, and Physician Liu turned his head, looking troubled.
"But this is, after all, an imperial decree personally issued by His Majesty. How dare we deceive the Emperor? That would be a capital offense!"
Seeing the imperial physician's response, Tan Wu was not worried but rather pleased.
If someone can say that, it's clear there's still a chance for things to turn around. What's with all this talk about beheading? Look at how badly this tyrant is behaving in the palace. Does anyone really fear him?
With a meaningful smile, Tan Wu immediately gave the butler beside him a look.
The latter immediately understood and stepped forward, pulling out two large silver notes from his pocket.
"Absolutely not! What is Minister Tan doing?"
The steward, his face beaming with a fawning smile, his eyes practically slits, shook the silver note vigorously.
"The two imperial physicians have worked so hard, coming to examine my master so early in the morning. They are truly grateful, and it is only right that they do their duty!"
Only then did the two notice the number on the banknote, and greed gleamed in their eyes!
Two thousand taels!
That must be several years' worth of their salary.
Without much thought, the two accepted it immediately.
"Ahem!" Imperial Physician Zhang said righteously, "It's truly a pity that Minister Tan has caught a cold. Here are the medicines; you must take good care of yourself!"
"Absolutely! Absolutely!"
After seeing off the two troublesome imperial physicians as if they were important guests, Tan Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The butler next to him reacted the same way; due to nervousness, beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead, and he couldn't help but complain.
"Hopefully they won't come again..."
Gritting his teeth, Tan Wu retorted bitterly, "Isn't it all because of that Ma Shangtao!"
If it weren't for that good-for-nothing, how could the old man have died such a tragic death?
If it weren't for that good-for-nothing, we wouldn't have so much trouble now!
Just thinking about that good-for-nothing's face made Tan Wu want to tear him to pieces and eat him alive!
On the other side.
Approximately a thousand soldiers in standard uniforms began searching along the post station.
Within half an hour, they had found all the bandits in the vicinity.
They formed a well-organized military formation and instantly charged into the bandit's hideout.
The bandits were caught off guard and were powerless to resist when faced with overwhelming combat strength.
In an instant, blood flowed like rivers across the mountains and fields, and the air was filled with the wails of ghosts and wolves!
Leading these soldiers to wipe out the mountain bandits was none other than Po Jun, wielding a long spear!
He received orders from Prime Minister Sima to completely wipe out these mountain bandits in order to appease Tan Wu, and at the same time, to find out Zhang Tang's whereabouts.
The mountain bandits who used to wreak havoc on the surrounding areas are no longer as arrogant as before. Mountain strongholds were attacked, looted, and burned, and corpses piled up like mountains.
"Remember! Leave a few alive, the higher the rank, the better!"
Po Jun's entire armor was stained red with blood. He had fought with all his might from beginning to end, and now he was a little tired. He gave instructions to his deputy general.
Soon, a group of soldiers brought up a middle-aged, burly man who had been beaten black and blue and had grown a thick beard.
"General! He's the chief of Feicao Village nearby; he should know quite a bit about us!"
Po Jun was overjoyed.
We can definitely find out something about this guy's identity.
With a fierce glare, he paused, brandishing his spear, and sternly threatened, "I'm asking you a question, and you'd better answer truthfully, or this spear will pierce through your head to your feet!"
The head of the gang, Xie Baoqing, was nearly scared to death by the murderous aura emanating from Po Jun. His body trembled, and he replied with fear and a hint of grievance, "Yes! I will tell the truth!"
Xie Baoqing felt aggrieved!
He had just been enjoying himself in the village, eating and drinking, and embracing his wife, when the next second these fierce-looking soldiers rushed in.
I got a really good beating, and then I was dumped here.
This gang of bandits only engaged in robbery and extortion, never taking lives, so the government usually turned a blind eye.
Who knows what went wrong with the higher-ups, suddenly sending so many people to wipe them out.
"I ask you, have you ever seen that gaunt old man of great renown?"
Xie Baoqing dared not be negligent and responded haltingly.
"On the night of the fire, it seems a group of men in black drove a carriage and desperately covered a man in a fine robe as he left!"
"That man in the ornate robe was somewhat hunched over; he must be an old man!"
Po Jun was shocked to find that he had actually gotten a major clue out of him!
It was another man in black, yet another one dressed in a magnificent robe.
So it seems that old man Zhang Tang is definitely not dead, he's still alive and well!
But that's strange. If he's alright and hasn't appeared in the capital, where did he go?
The matter was of great importance, and Po Jun dared not delay in the slightest. He hurriedly gave orders to the soldiers beside him.
"The remaining soldiers are here to clear the battlefield."
"You lot, take good care of this guy. Go! Quickly go back and report this matter to the Prime Minister!"
The group mounted their horses and hurried back.
The sky was covered with dense clouds and the rain was pouring down, but it did not slow the group down in the slightest.
"Giddy up! Giddy up!"
As they passed through a dense forest, Po Jun kept urging the reins on while wiping the raindrops from his face with one hand.
It is at this very moment.
A sharp arrow shot out from the side, heading straight for Po Jun's face!
In an instant, his sixth sense, honed from years of fighting on the battlefield, caused his pupils to shrink sharply, all his nerves to converge, and his body to instinctively dodge to the side!
"Whoosh!"
The whistling arrow grazed his face, and drops of crimson blood fell!
"who!"
Drawing his spear from his back, Po Jun roared angrily towards the forest from which the arrows were coming, and several of his men also prepared for battle at the same time.
The Blood Droplets burst out of the dense forest in an instant, and the leader was none other than Li Geng!
Po Jun noticed that the enemy's numbers were small, and he breathed a sigh of relief. However, with the attitude that it's better to avoid trouble, he still sneered.
"I have no grudge against you. You must have kidnapped the wrong person."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com