Hu Pan roughly applied the ointment to Li Geng and then quickly put the medicine away.
After applying the wound medicine, Li Geng's excruciating pain finally subsided. He struggled to stand up and sincerely clasped his hands in gratitude, saying, "Thank you very much, Brother Hu. It's just a pity that I can only repay your kindness in the next life."
After Li Geng finished speaking, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
It seems pointless to worry about the wounds now, since he won't live for more than a few days.
Upon hearing this, Hu Pan simply patted Li Geng's shoulder lightly, shook his head, and laughed, "What do you mean by 'next life'? You're not going to die so easily. Don't worry, you have a benefactor protecting your life."
A benefactor?
Li Geng looked at Hu Pan with a puzzled expression.
Hu Pan pointed meaningfully to the sky, but Li Geng looked bewildered and didn't understand what he meant.
Hu Pan couldn't help but chuckle, realizing he had overestimated this martial artist's intelligence. He shook his head and said with a smile, "You can figure out the rest yourself. I can't say more. Just know that your life is very precious!"
"No matter how Zhang Shichang tortures you in the next few days, you must grit your teeth and endure it! I can't stay here any longer, so I'll be leaving now."
After saying that, he waved to Li Geng and hurriedly left.
As he walked, he deliberately shouted arrogantly at the patrolling jailers: "You must keep a close eye on this traitor. Lord Zhang is going to torture him severely, so don't let him die!"
Hu Pan had been gone for a long time, but Li Geng was still standing there in a daze. He felt that there was something strange about what Hu Pan had said.
Is he protected by a benefactor?
Who exactly is this person?
Moreover, the person who wanted to kill him was Qin Yu. Could this noble person possibly dare to oppose a tyrannical emperor?
Li Geng frowned, completely baffled.
...
On the other side, at the Prime Minister's residence.
Zhang Shichang rushed here without stopping. After getting out of the car, he straightened his clothes and strode towards the mansion.
"Lord Zhang, the Prime Minister has been waiting in the study for quite some time."
The butler came forward and said politely.
“Yes, lead the way,” Zhang Shichang nodded in response.
After crossing the courtyard, the butler arrived at the door of the study and knocked three times.
"Come in," came Sima Lie's voice from inside the room.
Upon hearing the sound, the butler opened the door and bowed in a gesture of invitation.
Zhang Shichang stepped into the room. In the study, besides Sima Lie, Qiu Beiming was also there. Both of them had solemn expressions, as if they were discussing some important matter.
"Master Prime Minister!"
Zhang Shichang bowed respectfully.
Sima Lie glanced at him indifferently: "Get up."
"Thank you, Prime Minister." Zhang Shichang stood up, then cautiously asked, "May I ask what business the Prime Minister has with me?"
Sima Lie pondered for a long time before finally saying slowly, "Isn't that tyrannical emperor going to sell the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? I intend to buy it and let you take over the position."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shichang was stunned.
After realizing what was happening, his face lit up with almost uncontrollable joy! If Sima Lie hadn't been there, he would have burst out laughing long ago!
"Is the Prime Minister truly telling the truth?"
Zhang Shichang suppressed his fervor and excitedly pressed Sima Lie for answers.
If he were to pay for it himself, he definitely wouldn't be able to come up with that much money.
He was trying his best to suppress his emotions and not lose his composure, but he couldn't stop the smile on his face, and his voice became distorted.
Sima Lie smiled and nodded, "Of course it's true, but you must always remember who gave you everything you have."
"I will remember this in my heart and will never fail to live up to the Prime Minister's kindness."
Zhang Shichang immediately knelt down, his expression extremely serious!
That's 500,000 taels of silver! He wouldn't even flinch at being treated like a dog, a son, or a grandson!
Seeing him kowtow repeatedly, Sima Lie couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
He looked at the steward and, in front of Zhang Shichang, instructed him: "Go to the bank and fetch 500,000 taels of silver, then bring it back to General Zhang."
"Yes, sir." The butler immediately withdrew respectfully.
He turned and hurriedly ran away, but just as he reached the door, Qiu Beiming, who hadn't said a word, suddenly raised his hand.
"Wait!"
Sima Lie paused in his tea-drinking motion, put down the teacup, and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Qiu Beiming's purplish lips curled into a sinister arc, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Prime Minister, I believe that we must not let this tyrannical emperor's scheme to amass wealth succeed."
"Five hundred thousand taels is no small sum; it would be a waste to give it away to a tyrannical emperor!"
"Oh? What brilliant idea do you have, sir?" Sima Lie raised an eyebrow. Although he was wealthy and powerful, every penny he had earned was hard-earned. If he could accomplish great things with little money, that would be wonderful.
Zhang Shichang also tensed up instantly and pricked up his ears to listen.
Qiu Beiming smiled slightly and said slowly, "We want the official's money, but we can't give that much silver."
"How so?" Sima Lie asked with great interest.
"Your Excellency, I have a plan. Please immediately spread the word that all those who participate in the donation of official positions must not donate more than five thousand taels of silver! Otherwise, they will be deliberately going against you, Your Excellency. In this way, even if those common soldiers have money, they will not dare to compete with you! In the end, we can easily take out ten thousand taels and win the position of commander, leaving the tyrannical emperor to suffer in silence."
Qiu Beiming said with a sinister smile.
Upon hearing this, Sima Lie's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard, exclaiming, "Brilliant! This way, we can achieve our goal without spending too much money!"
He didn't need to go to the money exchange to withdraw ten thousand taels of silver; he could take it out easily.
So he took out a silver note from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Take it. I will have someone make the arrangements. You can just go to the Ministry of Personnel to register."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Zhang Shichang excitedly held the silver notes in both hands, bowed respectfully to take his leave, and turned to leave without waiting.
Sima Lie then instructed his steward to make arrangements with the other ministers and spread the word.
Then he sat down with Qiu Beiming to discuss tea, slowly savoring the fragrant tea, waiting patiently for good news.
To his surprise, he waited for three or four hours, until sunset, but Zhang Shichang still did not appear.
Sima Lie frowned for a moment: "It should only take a short time to travel from the residence to the Ministry of Personnel, so why did Zhang Shichang take so long?!"
"Prime Minister, let's wait a little longer. It seems that this is the first time the Ministry of Personnel has encountered such an absurd situation as openly selling official positions, and they are finding it difficult to deal with it."
...
Two more hours passed, and just as Sima Lie was getting impatient and about to send his steward to check, Zhang Shichang, who had left excitedly a few hours earlier, reappeared outside the Prime Minister's residence!
However, unlike his high spirits when he left, he returned with a pale face, looking like a wilted eggplant.
"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!" Zhang Shichang rushed into the study.
"What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"
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