When I came out of Xue Ruoyu's yard, it was almost dawn.
All those who came from Huajing this time were arranged in the same courtyard by the Tang Mansion. Xue Zhiyi and Sui Yunlang sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.
Sui Yunlang did not tell the truth about Xue Ruoyu's pulse just now.
"The young lady experienced a devastating grief after giving birth, and her vitality was indeed severely damaged. She needs long-term recuperation and may not be able to recover in her lifetime. However, this is not a serious problem, nor is it life-threatening."
Xue Zhiyi's face was solemn. She said nothing, just waiting for Sui Yunlang to continue.
"She shows signs of being ravaged by a poison, and the poison is quite potent. It only causes minor discomfort, such as loss of appetite and occasional dizziness. The Young Madam's very expensive medicine can alleviate some of this, but the poison will gradually hollow her out. If she were to die suddenly, people would simply blame it on the illness she contracted from the grief she felt after giving birth... It's truly vicious."
Sui Yunlang sighed and shook his head, lowering his voice. "Moreover, the terrifying thing about this poison is that its pulse pattern is strange. It's very difficult for ordinary doctors to detect it. I only knew about this pulse pattern last year when I examined another patient with the same pulse pattern. Moreover, she had a faint smell on her body, very similar to..."
His words stopped at his lips.
Xue Zhiyi said, "It smells a lot like the poison that killed the Queen Mother, doesn't it?"
Sui Yunlang was surprised, and then he saw Xue Zhiyi calmly say: "The poison Xue Ruoyu was infected with is the same as the Queen Mother's."
It's not a doubt, but a certainty.
"You...know about this?"
Of course she knew, but she and Huo Wuyou were not that familiar with each other at that time, so it was normal that he did not tell Sui Yunlang about this.
"I knew it a long time ago," she said truthfully.
"This Huo Wuyou... he's really not very sure about what he says." Sui Yunlang sneered, "If you decide to sell him out on a whim, he'll probably just run into your sack on his own initiative."
"..." Xue Zhiyi just looked at the sky which was about to brighten, not knowing whether Huo Wuyou would be able to have a smooth night.
…
Speaking of this.
Fu Zixian's caravan returned before dawn. At the mountain pass of the ancient road, Tang Jinglei was waiting there as usual.
Fu Zixian was pot-bellied and a head shorter than Tang Jinglei, but when he looked at Tang Jinglei, he seemed to be looking down on him.
"Take the medicine and go back. Don't stand here anymore."
Tang Jinglei had to be controlled by Fu Zixian because he had a handle on him, but he always looked down on such people. Hearing this, he just nodded lightly.
Fu Zixian patted him and said with a smile, "It's only because of His Royal Highness Prince Gong that I'm doing you this favor, brother. You must remember this favor."
Tang Jinglei remained silent, but under the firelight, his expression was frighteningly cold. He suddenly felt unhappy and pushed him, "Don't be so rude to me. You rely on your good family background to look down on others, but no matter how much you look down on others, we are still in the same boat!"
Tang Jinglei staggered only for a moment, then after he regained his balance, he glanced at the followers around him.
On this side, Fu Zixian was still making sarcastic remarks, but he was caught off guard and was kicked hard in the knee. His fat body rolled to the ground with a cry.
Before he could react, a group of people appeared out of nowhere and took control of all the people in his caravan at the fastest speed.
Fu Zixian was tied up with ropes, cursing, "Tang Jinglei, how dare you harm me?! How dare you betray His Highness?!"
Before he could finish his words, someone took a piece of cloth and covered his mouth completely.
Tang Jinglei still had no expression on his face, but he looked a little relieved.
Behind him, a figure in night clothes walked slowly with his hands in his pockets. In the darkness, his auspicious phoenix eyes made him look as sharp as a hunting wolf king.
Fu Zixian's eyes widened: Isn't this the fool who came to him to buy goods that day? It turns out that he has been targeted for a long time!
"Take him away." Huo Wuyou said coldly.
…
Fu Zixian didn't know where he was taken. He only knew that this place seemed to be in the suburbs, with no village in front and no shop behind. It was useless even if he shouted at the top of his lungs.
He didn't know the identity of the person who kidnapped him, but it was definitely not the wealthy businessman he had previously guessed.
This man was completely inhumane. Seeing that he refused to confess, he ordered people to torture him on the spot. Unable to find any instruments, he ordered his men to start beating him directly. Every punch hit the flesh, and in a short while, his whole body was beaten to pieces, but they avoided his face.
Fu Zixian couldn't bear it anymore, he knelt on the ground and howled like a pig being slaughtered, and finally he gave in.
Huo Wuyou sat idly, fiddling with a piece of weed in his hand. "Didn't Gu Shichong instruct you on this?"
"No... no." Fu Zixian's voice was shaking. "I originally just wanted to take advantage of the flood to make a fortune. I learned that the Tang family was short of money and connections, so I wanted to drag the Tang family into the flood as well, so that I could have an extra layer of protection..."
The wild grass was entwined around Huo Wuyou's bony fingers, twisted into threads. "Does Gu Shichong know about this?"
"This..." Fu Zixian hesitated. Their family's biggest backer was Prince Gong, so he didn't dare to speak easily at this moment.
Huo Wuyou raised his eyes and said, "Fight."
The men received the order and raised their fists to attack again.
Fu Zixian was already like a frightened bird, he screamed: "I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"
He was almost crying. "I have reported this to His Highness. His Highness Prince Gong knew about it and... he acquiesced to it, because this is Tang Lin's leverage. As long as he holds this leverage, Tang Lin can... do whatever he wants."
Behind Huo Wuyou, Tang Jinglei's body stiffened, and his hands hanging at his sides unconsciously clenched into fists: "How has the Tang family ever wronged His Highness to deserve such a scheme?!"
Fu Zixian spat, "You, the Tang family, have taken sides, but when you're asked to do something, you're always worried about this or that. His Highness wants people who will work hard for him. Work hard, understand?"
Perhaps because the beating just now was too intense, Tang Jinglei now felt a sense of participation and almost wanted to go up and punch Fu Zixian a few times, frightening Fu Zixian so much that he screamed, "You hit me too?! What gives you the right to hit me?!"
"Mr. Tang." Huo Wuyou called him, and Tang Jinglei stopped.
Fu Zixian was so angry that he spat again: "Stop pretending that your Tang family is so noble every day. If you were truly noble, you wouldn't have those shady relatives. The Xue family was one of them, and now the Chai family is another one!"
"What does this have to do with my uncle and aunt?" Tang Jinglei asked him back.
Fu Zixian sarcastically said, "You don't know yet, do you? One of the biggest customers of the grain I've been selling these days is none other than the Chai family, the prefect."
He sighed deeply, "The food the Chai family needs is not cheap, and the supply is continuous every day. It seems that your uncle is not as honest as he seems."
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