"My lord, you need say no more. Just consider me, Li Li, an ungrateful wretch," said Li Li, his expression vacant as he sat on the ground, having endured the punishment. He looked up at the disappointed Prefect Jiao and spoke coldly, "We merely serve different masters."
Prefect Jiao would have preferred Li Li to have been bribed by Jiao Lianyu. In that case, even if he had tampered with the correspondence, it would have remained an internal family matter.
But if Li Li had been bought by outsiders, Prefect Jiao dared not imagine how much classified information Li Li had leaked over the years. Although Prefect Jiao considered himself an upright official, his years in the bureaucracy had inevitably involved some unsavory dealings. If all this information were to be exposed by Li Li, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Father, since Li Li refuses to speak, why not detain him for now and discuss it later?" Jiao Lianyu's expression showed unease, as if he too was worried about the matter. After all, having a spy in the study was no trivial affair.
Prefect Jiao's face was grave. Even with severe interrogation, he doubted Li Li would speak. Prefect Jiao also worried that Li Li's patrons might silence him. In these dangerous and sensitive times, Prefect Jiao truly dared not stir up more trouble.
After a long silence, Prefect Jiao cast one last look at the indifferent Li Li and said to Butler Niu, "Take him away and lock him in the side room at the back."
"Yes, my lord," replied Butler Niu. This side room was located at the northeast corner of the small garden behind the study. To the uninformed, it might seem like a place for storing miscellaneous items, but it held a hidden secret.
The side room was divided into an inner and outer chamber, connected by a narrow passageway with doors at both the front and back. The front door was made of thick, solid wood, reinforced with solid copper pipes as thick as a thumb, making it sturdy and secure.
The rear door, leading to the inner chamber, was an iron door forged by a blacksmith. The thick iron sheets encased hard granite stone. This door alone weighed over a thousand jin. Once locked from the outside, even more than ten strong men could not budge it.
Li Li's previously indifferent expression finally shifted. He knew very well that once he was locked in the side room, he would never be able to step outside unless Prefect Jiao gave the order.
"Careful!" a startled cry rang out.
The turn of events was too swift. Not only was Prefect Jiao a civil official, but even Butler Niu, a skilled martial artist, had no time to react. Who could have imagined that Li Li, whose arms were broken from the punishment, would suddenly lunge to assassinate Prefect Jiao?
A sharp dagger, the length of a palm and as thick as a finger, plunged into his body. Blood splattered instantly. Li Li, who had been kicked away by Butler Niu, laughed heartily and then slammed his head heavily against the wall, his brains bursting forth. He was instantly dead.
"Lianyu!" Prefect Jiao grabbed his second son, who had shielded him, and roared with anguish as he looked at the blade almost completely embedded in his chest. "Quick, call a doctor!"
The inner chamber of the study had a bed. When the guards placed Jiao Lianyu on it, the blood seeping from his wound had already soaked his clothes. Jiao Lianyu, who spent his days reading indoors, had a naturally fair complexion, which now appeared utterly devoid of color. If not for his faint breathing, one might have thought him dead.
"Father, I'm glad you're alright," Jiao Lianyu said intermittently. Even this short sentence had exhausted his strength. The intense pain from the wound left him somewhat dazed.
"Don't speak. Conserve your strength. The doctor will be here soon," Prefect Jiao said, holding Jiao Lianyu's hand. Seeing the blood staining Xiong Ou's robe, he couldn't bear it and turned his head away.
If there had been even a sliver of doubt before, after his second son had so desperately taken the fatal blow for him, Prefect Jiao was left only with regret and self-recrimination.
News of Jiao Lianyu's severe injury while saving Prefect Jiao spread instantly throughout the Jiao residence. The doctor who had treated Jiao Lianping earlier was still at the Jiao residence. He rushed over with his apprentice, carrying medicine.
Accompanying them were Madam Jiao from the rear courtyard and Concubine Huang. However, seeing Prefect Jiao's unusually grave expression and the bloodstains on his official robes, no one dared to speak, even their breathing slowing down.
In the inner chamber, Doctor Luo's brow was furrowed. He hadn't expected that just an hour ago, he had treated the eldest son, Jiao Lianping, on this very bed, and now, barely an hour later, the second son, Jiao Lianyu, was also lying here.
The most troublesome aspect was that while Jiao Lianping's injuries appeared severe, they were actually superficial flesh wounds from the whip. The whip mark on his cheek, if healed properly, would not leave a scar.
Jiao Lianyu's current injury, however, was far more problematic. Although Doctor Luo had already stopped the bleeding with acupuncture needles and placed a slice of ginseng in the unconscious Jiao Lianyu's mouth to sustain his life, the dagger almost completely embedded in his chest was the most difficult to manage.
Seeing Doctor Luo remain silent for so long, the apprentice couldn't help but ask, "Master, should we pull out the dagger?"
"This blade is precisely blocking the blood vessels. Once it's removed, even a divine physician might not be able to save him," Doctor Luo said with a stern face. The stab was too deep; one would think it was aimed at the second son's life.
"But we can't leave the dagger in his body either," the apprentice replied blankly. Although the acupuncture had stopped the bleeding, the wound would surely start bleeding again before long. If this continued, the second son would likely die from excessive blood loss.
"You watch him. I'll be right back," Doctor Luo said, wiping his face fiercely before turning to walk out the door.
Hearing the commotion, Prefect Jiao and Concubine Huang rushed over. "Doctor, how is my son?"
"My lord, the second son's condition is very difficult," Doctor Luo said, ignoring Concubine Huang, and continued with a troubled expression to Prefect Jiao, "The dagger is almost entirely inside the second son. Once the dagger is pulled out..."
Madam Jiao, who was sitting nearby, was slightly stunned. She had initially thought this was Jiao Lianyu's ploy, but she hadn't expected it to be so perilous. Pulling the dagger would lead to immediate massive bleeding and death, while leaving it in would also result in death from blood loss.
Li Li wasn't Jiao Lianyu's man? Madam Jiao exchanged a look with Granny Niu behind her. Although the mistress and servant were both puzzled, neither spoke at that moment, continuing to listen as Doctor Luo described Jiao Lianyu's condition.
"Doctor, you must save Lianyu..." Concubine Huang finally burst into tears, her previous gentle composure gone. Her bloodshot eyes held only worry and anxiety for her son.
Prefect Jiao closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, his gaze was much calmer. "Doctor Luo, please do your best. If you need any medicinal herbs or assistance from another physician, please do not hesitate to ask."
Doctor Luo was already the best physician in Qianzhong Prefecture, specializing in external wounds. Otherwise, after Jiao Lianping was injured, they would not have sent for Doctor Luo to treat him.
When Jiao Lianping arrived at the study, Doctor Luo had already explained everything. If the dagger were pulled out, Jiao Lianyu's chances of survival would be less than ten percent, but it couldn't be left in indefinitely.
"Is he really going to die? Can't he be saved?" Jiao Lianping muttered to himself.
Although he said this to Madam Jiao, the study was so quiet that a falling needle could be heard. As soon as Jiao Lianping spoke, Prefect Jiao and Concubine Huang shot him furious glances.
Doctor Luo's expression also showed a moment of conflict. Rumor had it that the eldest son of the Jiao family was incompetent and had always suppressed his half-brother. It seemed this was indeed the case.
"Oh?" Doctor Luo exclaimed in surprise for a moment, then couldn't help but step forward, his gaze fixed intently on the wound on Jiao Lianping's face.
This wound had been treated by Doctor Luo earlier, and medication had been applied. However, the wound was quite deep, with flesh turned outwards. Yet, in just over an hour, the swelling had subsided, and there were even signs of healing. At least, the medicinal ointment he had prescribed certainly did not have such miraculous efficacy.
"Doctor Luo?" Madam Jiao spoke, as Doctor Luo's actions were too impolite, almost leaning into Ping'er.
Suddenly turning around, Doctor Luo looked at Prefect Jiao excitedly. "Which divine physician treated the eldest son's facial wound? My lord, as long as this divine physician makes a move, the second son can be saved!"
...
Before Zhan Feiyu's carriage could return to her residence, it was intercepted by Butler Niu and the guards. With the Jiao family's guards clearing the way, the carriage sped towards the Jiao residence.
He Nuan looked at Zhan Feiyu, who was frowning in thought, and couldn't help but ask, "Miss, you don't need to worry. Although my medical skills are not exquisite, this hemostatic powder should be able to save Jiao Lianyu's life."
Zhan Feiyu, while traveling to study, always carried essential medicinal herbs and drugs. Some were sent by Scholar Gu, specially prepared by imperial physicians at the palace, while the rest were sent by Yin Wuyan.
The drugs produced by the Forbidden Dragon Guard were guaranteed to be of superior quality. They might not be able to bring the dead back to life, but as long as there was a breath left, they could at least sustain life.
"A Nuan, do you feel that Li Li's situation is similar to that of He Nuan, whom Tu Da Niu confessed about?" Zhan Feiyu spoke slowly. After Old Man Tu was assassinated, Tu Da Niu, who had narrowly escaped death, confessed everything.
The children trafficked by Old Man Tu were divided into two categories. One was to drug and abduct unattended children from the streets during festivals.
The other was to create an "accident," such as a family being killed by bandits or their house catching fire, leaving only a solitary child to be abducted. These children, after training, could at least be guaranteed loyalty.
Li Li's hometown had suffered a mountain flood years ago, and his entire family had died in it, leaving only Li Li. He was later taken in by Prefect Jiao.
Zhan Feiyu looked outside through the fluttering carriage curtains and continued, "The mountain flood occurred in broad daylight. The sound of the flood was immense, and its speed was not fast. If the Li family had heard the commotion, they would surely have been able to escape. How could the entire family have died in their collapsing houses?"
He Nuan nodded in understanding. It was highly likely that Li Li was a spy secretly cultivated by the old master. No wonder he betrayed Prefect Jiao, who had saved his life.