When the courier delivered the message, Qi Wang was so overjoyed he nearly lost his mind.
But the moment he heard the courier say that Qi Yuan had contracted some strange illness and was in a persistent coma, his expression abruptly changed: “What do you mean, ‘unconscious and won’t wake up’? Did I order you to do that?!”
He assumed the so-called illness was something Gao Qing had fabricated, instantly, he flew into a rage.
The courier, terrified, hurriedly explained: “N-no, Your Highness! This has nothing to do with Lord Gao, it’s not related to us at all! Miss Qi fell ill beforehand, we only took advantage of her condition to bring her back!”
But inwardly, the courier couldn’t help but complain.
Back then, Qi Wang had explicitly ordered them: “Do whatever it takes to bring her back, even if you have to break her limbs or gouge out her eyes, get her here.”
And now look, if they had really done that, not only would they not be rewarded, they’d probably end up dead.
What a d*mn near-impossible task.
Qi Wang, of course, wasn’t paying attention to any of that. He was just anxious and ordered Eunuch Xu immediately: “Go get Miracle Doctor Xue back here, drag him back if you have to!”
Eunuch Xu quickly acknowledged the order, but as soon as he stepped outside, his face darkened.
Jinbao had definitely failed.
Qi Wang had been too caught up in the excitement of Qi Yuan’s successful capture to even ask how Jinbao had been killed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
But Eunuch Xu was different.
He instantly realized something was off.
If it were truly as Gao Qing claimed, that Liu Chao was exposed and the Embroidered Uniform Guard wiped out Jinbao’s crew of twenty, would a schemer like Lai Chenglong really have let them take Qi Yuan away so easily?
And the Qi family, even if Qi Yuan had fallen ill, surely they’d do everything they could to treat her.
How could she not be heavily guarded?
They had sent people after Qi Yuan countless times, and not a single one had come back alive.
But this time… they actually succeeded?
He lowered his eyes. It wasn’t until Little Dongzi called out “godfather” that he snapped back to attention. He gave a warm “Mm” and said gently:
“Didn’t you hear His Highness? Go fetch Doctor Xue before he gets angry.”
Little Dongzi hesitated: “Godfather… you really predicted it right. Brother Jinbao really is dead. Do you think…”
Is there something fishy going on?
Eunuch Xu remained calm-faced, gentle in tone, but a flicker of malice flashed through his eyes: “If something’s wrong, we’ll know soon enough, once she’s back.”
Things aren’t what they used to be.
Back in the capital, there were restrictions everywhere, and the Emperor above, they had to tread very carefully.
But in Jiangxi, it was different.
This was Qi Wang’s domain now.
After half a year of preparation, the Jiangxi officials had either been roped in or wiped out. Those who didn’t comply had been demoted or eliminated.
Even if Qi Yuan were a true dragon, once she came here,
She’d have to coil up and behave.
He raised a hand, gesturing for Little Dongzi to get moving.
Qi Wang, still in high spirits, was already pushing Eunuch Xu to prepare living quarters for Qi Yuan.
When Doctor Xue was summoned and heard about the strange coma, he stroked his beard and frowned: “I’ve never heard of such a condition.”
Qi Wang’s face immediately turned cold and fierce: “If you can’t cure her, I’ll have you buried with her!”
!?
Doctor Xue took a deep breath. At times, he really wondered,
Was it his leg that needed treatment, or his brain?
Buried, buried, buried. This lunatic always threatened him with burial over everything!
He couldn’t help but scoff: “If there’s a disease in this world even I can’t cure, then if Your Highness kills me, how is that any different than killing Miss Qi?”
This man was truly mentally unstable.
In hindsight, Doctor Xue should’ve run away after curing Qi Wang’s leg, At least he wouldn’t still be stuck here watching him lose his mind every day.
Qi Wang immediately drew his sword and pointed it at him: “You think I’m joking?! If you can’t cure her, you die with her! I’ll personally send you on your way!”
For the first time, Doctor Xue really looked at the man before him.
He’d stayed with the Liu family out of gratitude and later entered the Qi Wang’s estate, wholeheartedly helping treat and nurse him back to health.
But now that he thought about it…
Was this man truly worth his loyalty?
After so many years, after all the help he had given, even curing his legs, yet the moment things didn’t go his way, Qi Wang would kill him without hesitation. No doubt, no pause.
So Doctor Xue straightened his back and said: “If I can’t cure her, and Your Highness insists on killing me…”
Before he could finish, Eunuch Xu suddenly burst in, face grim. He didn’t even bother acknowledging the standoff in the room and quickly stepped forward to whisper: “Your Highness, something’s happened!”
Qi Wang didn’t think anything could be more important than Qi Yuan.
Irritated, he pointed to Doctor Xue: “If you can’t cure her, I will kill you! Now get out!”
Doctor Xue walked out without expression. Seven or eight guards followed him immediately.
Only then did he realize, Qi Wang had been monitoring him this whole time.
Inside the room, Qi Wang didn’t think anything of it. He asked impatiently: “What is it?”
Eunuch Xu’s face was tense: “The Imperial Grandson went to Xunyang first. He directly broke through the city gates, entered the Prefectural Office with his personal guards, and killed Prefect Wen Wei!”
“Your Highness, this is no small matter.”
“Prefect” was already a high-ranking position, by rights, no matter how grave the offense, he should’ve been escorted to the capital for trial under the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Court. But, Xiao Yunting had just outright executed him.
This meant Xiao Yunting, as an imperial envoy, had far more authority than they’d anticipated.
And worst of all, Xunyang is right next to Hongdu!
His next stop was undoubtedly Hongdu!
Qi Wang’s face finally changed.
But what he cared about wasn’t the fact that Xiao Yunting killed the prefect,
It was that Qi Yuan was about to be brought over!
Xiao Yunting, this walking disaster, really needed to be dealt with, soon.
He frowned and asked sharply: “Where’s Xiong Liangyong?”
—
Meanwhile, Xiong Liangyong was at home, pacing anxiously. He touched his neck and, after hearing his subordinates describe what happened, he felt a chill down his spine.
Xiao Yunting simply cut down a government official, a direct beheading!
Unheard of!
He hastily urged his advisors and strategists: “Hurry up and come up with a plan already!”
Xiao Yunting was about to charge into their territory!
But the strategists could only reply: “Sir, we’ve passed the point of no return. The arrow is already on the bowstring, there’s no pulling back now.”
Corruption in Jiangxi wasn’t a recent development. If the imperial envoy refused to turn a blind eye, then it would only end in mutual destruction.
Xiong Liangyong closed his eyes and muttered: “Wait. Let’s wait a little longer… His Highness won’t just sit by and do nothing. Right?”
