Chapter 1126: The Tragedy of Blackwater Terrace

Hao Qi's Adam's apple bobbed for quite some time. At last he said rather awkwardly, “Imperial Father may suspect me, but I truly had nothing to do with this. Once the truth is investigated, my innocence will certainly be restored.”

Tian Guangfang said, “That's right. Your Highness truly did not do it. Heaven knows it, Earth knows it, you know it, and I know it. But what will everyone else think? Your Highness, don't forget that you chose neither an earlier day nor a later one to report sick. You happened to do so precisely at this moment. Do you think stubbornly denying involvement will be enough to make this pass? Anyone capable of doing something like this would never leave evidence so easily. If Your Highness doesn't take the blame, who will?”

Hao Qi's breathing quickened. Suddenly he stamped his foot too and pointed furiously at Tian Guangfang. “This is all your doing! If you hadn't advised me to take leave, how could I possibly have ended up carrying this blame?”

Tian Guangfang knew his temper well. He reached out and pressed Hao Qi's pointing hand down. “If I had not advised Your Highness, you would now be poisoned and hovering between life and death. Which would Your Highness rather choose: dying, or being blamed? If Your Highness would rather die than bear suspicion, then I have nothing to say.”

Hao Qi went silent.

If those were the two choices placed before him, staying alive was obviously preferable. From his own perspective, taking leave and escaping the disaster was, in a sense, still the better outcome. Merely imagining himself poisoned and on the verge of death frightened him.

“Once Imperial Father becomes enraged, even if I don't die, he'll skin me alive. What am I supposed to do now? Does sir have some good strategy?” Hao Qi asked anxiously.

Tian Guangfang stroked his beard in thought. “There is still some room to recover the situation. Fortunately, Your Highness is not in the capital, so you won't fall into danger immediately. Leave this place as quickly as possible and avoid the storm for now. His Majesty will certainly investigate this matter relentlessly. Once he uncovers the truth, he will naturally know Your Highness was wronged. Even if you cannot recover your former position by then, at the very least you can preserve your life. His Majesty has no shortage of sons. Hao Cheng marrying into Wei is precedent enough to make that clear.”

Hao Qi said bitterly, “You said it yourself: whoever dared do something like this would never leave evidence easily. What if Imperial Father cannot uncover the truth?”

“If that truly happens and Your Highness remains here instead of leaving, then you will simply be sitting here waiting to die.”

Hao Qi looked desolate. He gave a bitter chuckle. “Hide? The world is vast, but where can I, a prince, possibly hide?”

Tian Guangfang cupped his hands. “This subordinate has handled affairs for Your Highness in the past. By borrowing some of Your Highness's prestige, I came to know certain people. If Your Highness needs to escape danger, I naturally have ways to arrange it. I will not leave Your Highness with nowhere to go.”

In the end, after repeated persuasion, Hao Qi accepted Tian Guangfang's advice. Finding an opportunity, he shook off his attendants and fled the royal garden.

Without Hao Qi's own willing cooperation, it would have been very difficult to take him away so easily. The protective force around him was not weak.

What he did not know was that this flight solved only the danger before his eyes.

Once he fled, there would be no turning back...

...

At the residence of the Ghost Doctor's disciple, more people had been allowed inside this time, including several of those who helped carry Hao Zhen in.

Apart from Princess Consort Shao Liuer, three cultivators from the three great sects who belonged to Hao Zhen's faction had taken the opportunity to enter as well: Che Buchi of Daqiu Sect, Xie Longfei of Xuanbing Sect, and Gao Jianhou of Tianhuo Sect.

The medical hall was completely silent. No one dared make a sound that might disturb Wuxin. They all watched quietly as he used a silver needle to draw blood from the unconscious Hao Zhen, testing and examining the poison.

The three great sects had judged that it was Jade Corpse Poison, but that was only their judgment. Wuxin clearly intended to make a final, detailed confirmation himself. He would not act rashly.

Che Buchi, Xie Longfei, and Gao Jianhou each kept one palm pressed against Hao Zhen's body, continuing to use spiritual power to suppress the deadly poison within him. Not one dared relax in the slightest. They had to hold on until Wuxin finished detoxifying him. Otherwise, if the poison erupted in full, Hao Zhen's life could be lost at any moment.

Everyone had habitual movements, and when Wuxin became completely absorbed in treating someone, he had habits of his own.

Shao Liuer noticed them.

As she watched Wuxin, uncertainty and alarm repeatedly flickered through her eyes. From time to time, her pearly teeth bit down hard on her lower lip.

“It is indeed Jade Corpse Poison!” Wuxin set down the vessel he had used to test the poison and nodded. Then he told Che Buchi and the other two, “Fortunately, all of you have been suppressing the poison with everything you have. Otherwise he would have died violently long ago. I am now going to open the marrow and implant a pill. The poison in his body is extremely fierce. You must continue holding it down.”

Che Buchi nodded. “Sir, rest assured. We will do everything in our power.”

“I don't need you to do everything in your power,” Wuxin said. “The moment your spiritual power starts to fail, replace yourselves immediately. If something goes wrong because you tried to force it, don't blame me afterward.”

“Yes. We will follow sir's instructions in everything.” The three obediently nodded.

No matter how formidable they might normally be, when a patient was in the hands of the physician responsible for saving him, they had no choice but to lower themselves.

Shao Liuer stood nearby biting her lip. At this point, she was actually paying less attention to her husband. Her gaze remained fixed instead on Wuxin's every movement.

Inside the medical hall, treatment proceeded in tense but orderly fashion.

Outside, however, the street had descended into chaos. Carriages of every kind had converged and jammed together. The different parties nearly came to blows.

Those arriving were Princess Consorts from the various princely residences, or the principal wives of other imperial clansmen.

At first, after learning that even Bu Xun had failed to persuade the Ghost Doctor's disciple to save anyone, the families of the poisoned men naturally gave up hope as well. They did not dare disturb this place casually.

Then word spread that Princess Consort Ying Shao Liuer had knelt outside the Ghost Doctor's disciple's gate and kowtowed, finally moving him with her sincerity and persuading him to treat Prince Ying Hao Zhen.

The moment that news came out, the women who headed the other affected households could no longer remain seated. As though acting with one mind, they all rushed over.

They had no choice but to come. Whether copying Shao Liuer worked or not, they had to try. Otherwise, not only might the men of their households die, but they themselves would likely be drowned in other people's spit.

Shao Liuer had plainly done everything humanly possible and, by exhausting every effort, found a path forward. Yet few of the other women felt grateful to her. Quite a number resented her instead.

Shao Liuer had seized the initiative in a matter like this. Where did that leave the women presiding over all the other princely households?

More importantly, once word of this reached His Majesty, how would he look at Shao Liuer—and how would he look at all his other daughters-in-law?

The noblewomen knew perfectly well that something this large could never be hidden from the emperor. His Majesty certainly already knew.

With this one act alone, Princess Consort Ying had completely outshone every other Princess Consort. The resentment in those women's hearts was easy to imagine.

Some of them even secretly wished that none of the imperial princes would be saved rather than see Shao Liuer alone claim all the credit.

And it was not merely a question of being outshone. If all the other princes died and Prince Ying Hao Zhen alone survived to stand in court, then who else could the position of Crown Prince possibly fall to? Even the three great sects would probably throw their support behind Prince Ying.

At this moment, carriages from every direction were packed together, none willing to yield. The scene was already a complete mess. Everyone wanted to be first. None of these noblewomen was willing to fall behind now. Once women like these threw decorum aside and began making a scene, even men could scarcely compare. The resulting chaos was easy to imagine.

Princess Consort Yu Shang Xue lifted the curtain of her carriage. Her expression ugly, she was the first to abandon her vehicle and continue on foot.

Before coming, she had already been summoned by the Empress and subjected to a barrage of cutting sarcasm.

The Empress had told her to look at how Prince Ying's wife behaved. To save her own husband, Shao Liuer had not only cast aside the dignity of a Princess Consort and knelt to beg, she had even drawn a sword and threatened to cut her own throat.

That, the Empress had said, was what a wife ought to be. She herself must have been blind to have failed to find a daughter-in-law like that, and so on.

With her son's life involved, the Empress's words this time had indeed been excessively sharp and cruel. Shang Xue had been stung badly, yet she could not even answer back.

The moment Shang Xue abandoned her carriage, the other noblewomen came to their senses. One after another, they got out and ran toward their destination on foot.

Women of their status traveled with many attendants. Once their mistresses began rushing forward, the followers dared not lag behind, creating another wave of disorder.

Fortunately, a unit of soldiers arrived carrying an imperial decree to maintain order and quickly brought the situation under control.

In a certain sense, the emperor, who controlled the rhythm of competition and favor-seeking inside the harem for his own enjoyment, understood women very well—at least one side of them. He had apparently predicted in advance what sort of spectacle this group would create and sent men in time.

Only the noblewomen themselves were allowed into the alley. Every attendant was stopped outside.

One servant merely said a few unnecessary words. The commander beside him drew his saber with a hiss. Still seated on horseback, he raised his arm and brought the blade down.

Blood sprayed. A head struck the ground. A headless corpse collapsed into a pool of blood and twitched.

Expressionless on horseback, the commander swept his bloodied saber around and pointed it across the crowd.

The entire scene went silent at once.

Inside the alley, however, the entrance to the Ghost Doctor's disciple's residence was anything but quiet. A whole group of noblewomen knelt on the ground, kowtowing and pleading...

...

Within the imperial palace, Hao Yuntu and the Sect Leaders of Qi's three great sects were also waiting for news of the treatment at the Ghost Doctor's disciple's residence.

A eunuch arrived and reported to Hao Yuntu about the noblewomen kneeling and begging outside.

After listening, Hao Yuntu waved him away. His expression was ugly, as well it might be. A whole group of his daughters-in-law had run off to kneel and kowtow before someone else. What kind of spectacle was that? If word spread, the imperial household would become a laughingstock.

A mere physician, relying on a little backing, had acted with such self-importance and disgraced the imperial household. Hao Yuntu had already developed the urge to kill him.

The Ghost Doctor's influence was considerable, but it was not greater than Hao Yuntu's power. If the Ghost Doctor were not so elusive that no one could ever find him...

In any case, once this affair was over, even if Hao Yuntu did not kill the Ghost Doctor's disciple, he had already decided that Wuxin would not be allowed to live so comfortably anymore.

Even if Wuxin saved his sons, Hao Yuntu would not feel the slightest gratitude. He was determined to teach that disciple of the Ghost Doctor, who had enjoyed too many easy days, a lesson.

Very soon, however, the matter before him was thrown completely from his mind. Whether his sons lived or died no longer seemed important.

Bu Xun brought a far more urgent development: something had gone wrong with the armies sent to support Wei. Their movements had fallen into disorder, and three separate forces were now heading straight toward the Qi capital.

“What happened?” Hao Yuntu exclaimed in shock.

Not long afterward, a message from Huyan Wuhen arrived as well. It mentioned the abnormal movements of the armies and asked whether the emperor had ordered those three forces to withdraw.

Hao Yuntu had issued no such order.

He immediately realized something was badly wrong.

Then messages arrived one after another from the cultivators of the three great sects attached to the armies, also asking what was happening.

Soon, several enormous flying mounts carried cultivators from the three great sects away at full speed, each rushing toward the different armies.

It was not difficult to determine where the disorder had begun. Before long, the truth was uncovered: several communication relay hubs had been compromised by the enemy. The three forces marching toward the capital could neither receive genuine intelligence nor send genuine reports.

Fortunately, not every relay hub had been compromised. Only those linked to the three armies had fallen.

Using a method like this to seize complete control of Qi's armed forces was fundamentally impossible. At most, it could delay them for a short time.

Hao Yuntu flew into a towering rage, and the Office of Investigation went mad. Its entire network launched an all-out sweep.

Water leaves traces after it flows. Once the Office of Investigation caught hold of the faintest clues, it pursued them regardless of cost—even if that meant better to kill by mistake than let one escape.

A furious contest between Jin's Blackwater Terrace and Qi's Office of Investigation erupted in every direction beyond the battlefield itself.

But this contest was, after all, taking place on Qi's own ground.

Over the course of several hundred years, Jin had developed an enormous clandestine intelligence network inside Qi. Its channels represented the labor of generation after generation, built at the cost of countless lives.

Because so much of that network was exposed in this operation, its losses were catastrophic. It suffered damage almost beyond endurance.

For Jin, however, this had been expected.

To support Shao Pingbo's plan, Jin had committed the power of the state from the beginning. If this war could be won, then any price was worth paying.

Or rather, from the start, some people had been deliberately marked for sacrifice.

[End of Chapter 1126]