The last sentence indeed struck a chord with the leader. Lately, he didn't know what had gotten into the higher-ups. Originally, they were only responsible for maintaining street safety within and around the imperial city, with three routine patrols a day. But recently, a new prohibition had been issued, forcing them to search until late into the night.
Seeing that the other party spoke civilly, the leader's expression softened slightly. "There's an order from above: witchcraft and sorcery are strictly forbidden within and around the imperial city. We heard a commotion outside, so we had to conduct a search. Sir, we apologize for the intrusion."
He directed the last sentence to Master Shi, and though his words were polite, he immediately waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to search without giving Master Shi any room to maneuver.
A smiling tiger, indeed.
Rong Zhi glanced at Chu Qingze for confirmation. Chu Qingze nodded, signaling her to relax.
The search was thorough, covering the servants' quarters, the master's bedroom, and even the outhouses and kitchen. However, after a complete sweep, nothing was found.
"Sir, we found nothing."
The leader looked disappointed. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the coffin.
"You said you were here to treat an illness. Have you found anything?"
With that, he walked towards Rong Zhi, evidently looking for an excuse to exploit if Rong Zhi said anything amiss and extract some profit.
Rong Zhi had been waiting for him. As the man approached, Rong Zhi gestured for him to look.
"Sir, please observe. This corpse has been dead for three days yet appears as if alive. I suspect the young master is not dead at all but entered a state of suspended animation due to a misdiagnosis. If treated properly, he can still be revived."
"Really?" The leading constable's face showed doubt.
"Really!" Master Shi was both shocked and delighted, but he immediately regretted speaking. He quickly closed his mouth and, unnoticed by anyone, sidled up to the coffin. He discovered, as Rong Zhi had said, that the person lying inside seemed alive.
"In that case, how should he be treated?"
Rong Zhi replied, "By puncturing acupoints with silver needles, one can help the person recover from a state of suspended animation."
"Then hurry and try!" Master Shi was impatient. What could be more important than his son's life? As long as his son lived, he would gladly spend any amount of money.
Rong Zhi nodded. Seeing the slight rise and fall of the person's chest in the coffin, she inserted the remaining silver needles into the acupoints.
The person in the coffin paused for a moment, showing no reaction.
Just as Master Shi and the leading constable were filled with doubt, a cry of "Ao!" erupted, and the person in the coffin sat up abruptly. Their face turned red, their eyes bulged, startling everyone gathered around.
"Is it a zombie?"
One of the constables muttered this, but a glare from the leader silenced him, his face turning pale.
Rong Zhi raised two fingers and pointed at the man. With two whistling sounds, two silver lights shot out from Young Master Shi and were caught by Rong Zhi, her movements so swift that the others barely perceived what had happened.
Master Shi looked at Rong Zhi in surprise. He hadn't expected her to possess medical skills in addition to her ability to expel evil spirits and ghosts. However, thinking about it, she had lived for so long; it was natural for her to know more.
Less than three breaths after she withdrew the needles, Young Master Shi's complexion returned to normal, and his eyes were no longer bulging but appeared as any normal person's. However, he hadn't yet recovered from the pain and was breathing heavily.
"Son! You! You're alive!" Master Shi, overwhelmed with joy, embraced his son who was still in the coffin.
"I didn't expect you to have some skill, able to save the dead." The leading constable eyed Rong Zhi with suspicion, clearly not believing that what had happened was purely due to medical skill.
"No matter how capable I am, I cannot bring the dead back to life. Waking someone from suspended animation is not so difficult. However, why did the young master enter this state?"
With that, she directly posed the question to Shi Yushu.
Shi Yushu looked at the unfamiliar constables, a flicker of fear in his eyes. He coughed a few times, seemingly not yet recovered from his weakness.
"Father, I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten for days. Please find me something to eat!"
"Alright, alright!"
Master Shi was overjoyed and quickly ordered a servant to prepare food in the kitchen.
"Wait a moment!" The leading constable stopped the servant who was about to head to the kitchen and signaled his constables to surround the area more tightly.
"I have yet to hear of anything that can induce suspended animation. You will explain yourselves clearly, or I will return immediately and conduct a thorough interrogation."
Having come all this way, he couldn't leave empty-handed.
Shi Yushu looked at the fierce constables, his eyes darting away. "What suspended animation? I've been unconscious for the past two days; I don't know anything!"
A hint of殺氣 (killing intent) flashed in the constable's eyes.
"If you refuse to speak, I will consider it witchcraft and execute you on the spot."
Upon hearing this, Rong Zhi frowned. While the ruler of Tianque Kingdom was not a sage, he was certainly not a foolish monarch. To grant such power to these city guards, allowing them to execute first and report later for witchcraft, seemed absurd.
The atmosphere suddenly tensed. Master Shi couldn't help but defend his son. "Sir, my son truly knows nothing about this. Two days ago, my son caught a cold and was misdiagnosed by a quack doctor, leading to this predicament. We all believed he was dead and were preparing to hold a wake for seven days before interring him in the ancestral grave. My son has been in the coffin for the past two days; how could he possibly know why he entered suspended animation?"
Shi Yushu nodded quickly, proving that he had nothing to do with it.
Rong Zhi seized the opportunity. "Sir, since he was treated by a quack doctor, why not summon that doctor for questioning as well?"
The leading constable hesitated, somewhat displeased with Rong Zhi's meddling.
"Sir, I heard that the doctor who treated him is the son of a wealthy merchant, the Han family."
She deliberately emphasized "wealthy merchant," hinting that there might be some profit to be made. Indeed, the leading constable's eyes lit up. He turned to his subordinates and instructed, "Quickly go and arrest that fellow named Han."
One of them answered affirmatively and asked Master Shi, "Who is this Han and where does he live?"
Master Shi replied, "His name is Han Ke. Because he is involved in a case of manslaughter, he is currently detained in prison."
The constables understood and turned to make the arrest.
A hint of worry appeared on Shi Yushu's face, which Rong Zhi noticed.
Shortly after, Han Ke was brought in. Although arrested from prison, Han Ke was dressed in opulent clothing and showed no signs of dirtiness, looking nothing like someone who had been imprisoned.
"Boss, this person isn't in prison. When I went, the prison staff said he was bailed out three days ago and had already returned home."
"Is that possible? The yamen stated that causing someone's death results in execution in the autumn. How was he released so quickly?" Master Shi was clearly caught off guard and looked at Han Ke with surprise.
The leading constable ignored him and directly addressed Han Ke. "Did you treat him to death?"
Han Ke was bewildered. Being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night was terrifying enough, and now being interrogated in front of so many people, he was utterly confused.
Suddenly, he looked at Shi Yushu and, as if struck by an idea, glared at him.
This subtle action was observed by Rong Zhi. She felt puzzled; Han Ke showed no surprise at Shi Yushu's miraculous revival, acting as if he had expected it. Furthermore, their exchanged glances and secretive gestures suggested they were plotting something behind the scenes.
Could the incident of "causing death" have been a conspiracy between these two from the start?
"We're asking you, speak quickly!" The constable who brought Han Ke saw his silence and kicked him in the backside.
Han Ke stumbled to the ground and had no choice but to confess truthfully. "Reporting to all lords, it was indeed my doing. But isn't he fine now?"
"Explain the entire story clearly."
Han Ke reluctantly said, "At the time, I didn't intend to get involved. He insisted on pulling me in, saying I understood some medicine and asked me to treat him. I reluctantly tried, but who would have thought it would lead to a fatal outcome."
In this light, the suspended animation could be attributed to Han Ke's lack of medical skill.
But Rong Zhi wasn't about to let him off so easily.
"I've discovered that Young Master Shi was poisoned. This poison can induce a state of suspended animation. Are you aware of this?"
Han Ke glanced at Rong Zhi, noting she wasn't wearing official attire and was just a woman. Believing she had no authority to question him, he contemptuously said, "What's it to you?"
Rong Zhi, guessing he wouldn't confess, quietly said to the leader, "Sir, Young Master Han and Young Master Shi were just exchanging glances in secret. There might be something fishy going on. Han Ke has only been studying medicine for a few days, yet he dares to treat patients and cause suspended animation. I don't think he's telling the truth. You must interrogate him thoroughly and punish him severely, otherwise, his disregard for the law might lead to even more outrageous actions in the future."
"Nonsense, do I need you to tell me that?" The leading constable feigned annoyance but latched onto the word "punishment" in Rong Zhi's statement.
The Han family and the Shi family were both top-tier wealthy households in the imperial city. A little squeeze of profit from either would be enough for them to live in luxury for a while.
By now, the leading constable had completely forgotten his original purpose for coming here. He asked Han Ke, "Speak quickly, did you plot this?"
Han Ke's attitude was respectful, but his mouth remained obstinate. "Sir, I know nothing of this suspended animation."
"Stop being stubborn. Young Master Shi has already confessed. Why are you still holding out?" Rong Zhi added, her tone neither light nor heavy.
Han Ke suddenly became agitated, stood up, and shouted at Shi Yushu, "Didn't you say you wouldn't betray me? You ungrateful wretch!"
With these words, everyone's gaze fell upon Shi Yushu. A knowing smile appeared on Rong Zhi's face. There was indeed something between these two.
"Bold!" The leading constable, hearing of unexpected gains, instantly perked up. If he could crack this case, he'd be rewarded handsomely and profit from both sides.
"Arrest both of them and subject them to severe interrogation!"
With a wave of his hand, the accompanying constables stepped forward to make the arrest. Master Shi quickly shielded his son and said to the constable, "Sir, I implore your mercy. The matter is not yet clear, and my son might not know anything. Let us clarify things first."
The leading constable maintained a stern, unyielding expression.
Master Shi quickly circled around and knelt before the constable. "Sir, my son has always been honest and easily influenced. He makes friends and does whatever they say without his own judgment. I beg you to investigate impartially and give my son a clean slate."
The constable initially intended to ignore him, but as the man knelt, a glittering object slipped from his sleeve. The constable's expression changed, and he quickly helped the man up.