"What nonsense is this? What do you mean by harming you? I'm just following orders. You need to understand my difficulties."
"I cannot understand."
"..."
The Imperial Hospital was swift. Despite the prescriptions containing various poisons, they quickly gathered all sorts of scorpions and spiders. Everything was ready, but one difficulty remained.
The harem had numerous consorts, but there were few imperial guards with profound inner energy.
The Plum Blossom Guards were the Emperor's personal retinue. While they could protect the Emperor alone, how could they simultaneously safeguard so many people? Who would guarantee the Emperor's safety?
Furthermore, they had tried on a young eunuch and discovered that this method not only required deep cultivation but also extreme meticulousness. Not a single mistake could be afforded.
This further reduced the number of available personnel.
Unable to rely on the imperial family, the Emperor turned his gaze to the ministers' households.
Among the high-ranking ministers, which household didn't house several hidden guards? The most elite among them were concentrated in the Prince Xiao's mansion and the General's mansion.
It was only natural that the individuals trained by these two former war gods were warriors who could take on ten men.
Originally, the Emperor intended to approach Prince Xiao, but at that moment, he was suddenly informed that the hidden guards of Prince Xiao's mansion had not returned home for a long time. The Prince had granted them leave to visit their hometowns.
This left only Xia Yunting's men available.
Thus, the Emperor issued an order to temporarily halt the execution.
Having used someone's men, it wouldn't be appropriate to then chop off the owner's head.
And so, Xia Yunting's life was spared.
When Xiao Jianli came to deliver the news, Rong Zhi visibly relaxed.
Seeing Rong Zhi's expression, Xiao Jianli felt a pang of sorrow.
"Zhi'er, Zhi'er, Xia Yunting doesn't need you to save him. He had already devised a perfect plan."
Ten miles outside the imperial city, Chen Xing was directing a group of people to dig three feet into the ground.
"Dig diligently, everyone. This is a matter of the General's life."
Xia Jin stood by, his old face a mixture of tears and laughter.
Chen Xing patted his shoulder, "I never expected you to hold so many secrets of Grand Tutor Chen. It seems you aren't entirely loyal to him either."
This courtyard was secretly purchased by Grand Tutor Chen. Buried three feet underground were objects used for summoning souls by means of formations. Once exposed, the recent events in the imperial city would fall squarely on Grand Tutor Chen.
With Xia Jin's testimony, proving that the General's confession was merely due to being misled, the General could be completely exonerated.
Xia Jin smiled ingratiatingly at Chen Xing, "It is my greatest fortune to be able to assist the General."
Of course, these individuals in the imperial family and Rong Zhi were unaware of this.
They were still busy gathering people with profound inner energy to treat the illness.
In addition to the Plum Blossom Guards, several hidden guards from the General's mansion were brought in. Combined with the Imperial Guards and the city defense guards, even the First Prince personally participated. Finally, everything was prepared.
As they were about to commence, Rong Zhi offered a suggestion.
"They lack experience, and acting alone might lead to errors. Take me with you; I can observe them."
"That is precisely my intention." Cheng Yichen had someone bring Rong Zhi to the palace.
Inside were only a few palace maids and eunuchs.
The method had not yet been implemented, and its effectiveness was unknown. How could the Emperor personally test the medicine?
On her way, Rong Zhi kept her gaze lowered, but she silently noted the guards along the route and their shift changes.
While Xiao Jianli would inform her of these things, seeing was believing.
She committed these details to memory, preparing for future use.
She approached a palace maid, beside whom stood Xiao Jianli.
"Valley Master."
Xiao Jianli still addressed her as Valley Master in public. Rong Zhi nodded and, lowering her head, said to the maid, "This detoxification process will be painful. Bear with it."
The palace maid nodded. Rong Zhi then said to Xiao Jianli, "Begin!"
Xiao Jianli brought over a bowl of dark, pungent medicine. It contained a concentrated mixture of various poisons, potent enough to kill with the slightest contact, yet Rong Zhi was now using it for detoxification.
The palace maid took the bowl and drank it with a pained expression.
Even though it was poison, there was no other choice now.
Almost the moment she swallowed it, her face contorted in agony. Without delay, Xiao Jianli began channeling inner energy according to Rong Zhi's method.
Cheng Yichen watched from the side as the palace maid's complexion shifted from green to blue, her features contorted in a terrifying manner.
The other palace maids and eunuchs watched with dread, having never witnessed such a horrifying scene. And soon, they too would face the same fate.
Time crawled by. After what felt like an eternity, the palace maid's complexion finally began to improve. She swayed precariously, on the verge of collapse.
Rong Zhi cupped her chin.
"Return and rest well. You are not to speak for the next few days."
Unseen by anyone, Rong Zhi silently slipped a needle deep into the palace maid's throat.
Xiao Jianli witnessed this but pretended not to see.
Cheng Yichen craned his neck to watch. Was it a hallucination? He thought he saw something flash in Rong Zhi's hand, but when he tried to look closer, he saw nothing.
Perhaps it was a trick of the light. He had ordered a thorough search before they left; Rong Zhi was carrying nothing.
The next few individuals followed suit. Following Rong Zhi's method, they were detoxified. Rong Zhi gently held each of their faces, seemingly checking their complexions, but in reality, she subtly inserted a needle into each of them.
These needles sealed their meridians, ensuring they could survive until the imperial family found the Yunlin Flower, before the poisons fully took effect.
By the time all treatments were complete, darkness had fallen, and the night was deep.
To their relief, those treated showed significant improvement. At the very least, their skin was no longer like tree bark, but had softened.
"Truly a divine physician!" Cheng Yichen praised without reservation.
"However, the more skilled you are, the more I suspect you are the one who administered the poison."
Rong Zhi glanced at him, "If I truly possessed the ability to poison, you would not be standing here talking to me. You would be lying in a mass grave."
Cheng Yichen's lips twitched. Did he inspire such hatred?
The experiment concluded, and Rong Zhi was returned to the Qianji Pavilion.
Although treating the Emperor and the consorts required greater caution, Jin Jinghong did not trust Rong Zhi. Otherwise, he would not have stayed away for so long after she awoke.
Rong Zhi welcomed the respite.
She lay on her bed, quietly awaiting news.
Two days later, two pieces of news arrived.
The condition of everyone in the palace had worsened, leaving them on the brink of death.
The Emperor released Xia Yunting and ordered him to apprehend Rong Zhi jointly with Qianji Pavilion.
Rong Zhi smiled faintly. Did this Emperor think too highly of himself? A mere young woman, on their territory, what waves could she possibly create?
She remained still, waiting to see what they intended.
Outside, the sound of clanking armor filled the air. Judging by the noise, the entire area must have been surrounded.
A person pushed open the door and entered, his tall figure gradually illuminated by the sunlight. Rong Zhi's heart skipped a beat upon seeing the familiar face.
Xia Yunting...
He was alive. That was wonderful.
Although news had arrived earlier that Xia Yunting had been released without charge, seeing him in person still couldn't quell the surge of emotion within Rong Zhi.
"Come with us."
He spoke, his voice incredibly cold, his gaze devoid of any warmth.
Strange. There were only the two of them here. Why was he acting like this?
He stepped forward to take her arm. Rong Zhi's eyes welled with tears from the pain. The person showed no gentleness.
"Xia Yunting, be gentler."
Xia Yunting's brow furrowed. "You know me?"
Amnesia again?
How many times would you use this same trick?
"Of course, I know you. So be polite. I am injured and very weak right now."
Her throat had mostly recovered, but her voice was still hoarse.
Xia Yunting sneered, "What concern is that of mine?"
With that, he drew a rope from his waist and bound Rong Zhi tightly. The force with which he tied it suggested he wanted to embed the rope into her flesh.
He then stepped back, and two hidden guards appeared, carrying her away as if she were cargo. Throughout the entire process, there was not a trace of tenderness, which struck Rong Zhi as peculiar.
Was he genuine, or was he faking it?
However, the question quickly became irrelevant. She was thrown into a prison cell, the Ministry of Justice's dungeon, where all the terrifying torture instruments of Tianque Kingdom were gathered.
Rong Zhi noticed flecks of blood on the dry straw on the ground, a grim testament to the suffering of the previous occupant.
"Crack!"
Xia Yunting lashed Rong Zhi with a whip.
Hiss! So painful!
Rong Zhi's brow furrowed in pain. This level of force could not possibly be feigned.
When she had disguised herself as a maid and entered the Xia residence, Chen Xing had been so gentle.
Xia Yunting had truly lost his memory again.
"Speak. How can the Emperor's poison be cured?"
Rong Zhi coughed up a mouthful of blood, inwardly cursing him.
Ever since she met Xia Yunting, misfortune had been her constant companion.
"Why are you in such a hurry? I hadn't finished speaking. To cure the poison, another ingredient is needed. You didn't listen to me completely, so why blame me?"
"What ingredient?"
"Yunlin Flower."
"Yunlin Flower..."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yunting seemed to falter for a moment. It felt as if he had heard this name somewhere before, and it felt familiar, yet he couldn't recall where.
"Yunlin Flower is used to mitigate the poison's effects. However, it is impossible to find such a large quantity of Yunlin Flower within or outside the imperial city. I have been thinking for the past two days about where to find it. Since you are treating me this way, it means you no longer need an antidote. Kill me!"
She had her limits, after all.
She stiffened her neck, prepared to face death without flinching.
Xia Yunting paused his whipping.
He was trying hard to recall where he had heard of the Yunlin Flower, but the effort brought on a splitting headache.
In that case, he had wronged the person before him.
The Emperor had ordered in a fit of rage, and he had assumed the Emperor meant immediate execution. He hadn't realized it was simply a missing ingredient.
"If that is the case, I will report this to the Emperor. If the situation is verified, the Emperor will naturally release you."
"No need."
As Xia Yunting left, he glanced back at Rong Zhi. For some reason, he felt a pang of heartache.
The prison was perpetually dark, with no distinction between day and night. Rong Zhi lowered her head, thinking intently.
If she were to transmit a message from the imperial city, which friends could reach the capital at the earliest opportunity?
In her previous life, she had made many acquaintances, but most were casual. If she were to count sworn friends, it would only be Liu Yunxi, the master of Xiaoyao Zhuang.
He appeared refined and gentle, but inwardly he was a madman, and he valued loyalty excessively. If he were to discover that she had been exploited by the ruler of Tianque, he would surely go mad.
At that point, it wouldn't be impossible for him to mobilize the entire Xiaoyao Zhuang to turn the imperial city upside down.
She didn't want to escalate things too much, but since Jin Jinghong was pushing her so hard, she wouldn't be blamed for striking back mercilessly.
After Xia Yunting reported, Rong Zhi was still not released.
Perhaps they felt they had been tricked last time and now wanted the illness cured before releasing Rong Zhi.
"Where can a large quantity of Yunlin Flower be obtained?"
Rong Zhi uttered three words: "Xiaoyao Zhuang."