The misunderstanding about my eldest brother’s fight had just been resolved when the issue with my worthless father surfaced.
What will they say this time? How will the Emperor see this? I feel so embarrassed right now!
At this moment, Xia Tingfeng suddenly sneered, his face full of sarcasm. "Such a trivial matter doesn’t require troubling The Government Office. I will kill him myself to prevent future troubles!"
Having said that, he glared menacingly at the skinny old man, whom he had already beaten until he couldn’t move.
Xia Ruqing’s gaze followed his. However, she wasn’t interested in the old man; her attention was on the girl. The girl had been sitting beside the old man the whole time, head bowed, not uttering a word.
Slowly, Xia Ruqing approached and gently patted the girl’s back twice. "You... you’re all right, aren’t you?"
The girl’s body suddenly stiffened, then she slowly lifted her head. Her face was somewhat dirty, her clothes were torn, and her hair disheveled. Seeing Xia Ruqing, a flicker of instinctive fear crossed her eyes, then she began taking off her clothes. As she did so, she babbled incoherently, her words hurried and panicked. "Don’t beat me, I’ll take them off, I’ll take them off right now..."
Xia Ruqing was startled by this and quickly tried to stop her. "Hey, hey... don’t take them off, don’t be afraid... I’m not..."
The girl wasn’t listening at all, continuing to frantically strip off her clothes, getting faster as she went, until she was left in just her undershirt. Just as she was about to strip completely, Xia Ruqing quickly stepped forward and draped a piece of clothing over her.
"Zi Yue, go find a set of clean clothes!"
"Master, quickly call a doctor over to examine her!"
Zhao Junyao had already turned away but, hearing this, he ordered someone to fetch the doctor. Fortunately, this was a medical clinic, so the doctor arrived quickly.
The girl became more and more agitated. In the end, she began tearing and biting at the clothes, crying, "Don’t beat me, I’ll take them off... I’ll take them off..."
"Doctor, check on her quickly!" Xia Ruqing urged, taking the opportunity to step aside.
The doctor immediately came forward, had two attendants steady the woman, and took her pulse. After a moment, the doctor’s expression grew increasingly grave. He concluded his examination and stepped forward to report. "Sirs, this woman has been given a type of poison that is causing her mental derangement."
"Poison?"
"Are you sure it’s not an illness?"
The doctor nodded with certainty. "It’s poison!"
Zhao Junyao’s expression became very grim as he asked, "Can it be treated?" As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and ordered, "Where’s Zhang Baiji? Didn’t he come? Where is he? Call him over!"
"Understood!"
Whenever the Emperor traveled, he was sure to have an Imperial Physician accompany him. Zhang Baiji was the Deputy Director of the left wing of the Imperial Medical Bureau. At only forty years of age, he was already renowned as a Medical Authority and had earned the nickname ’Medicine Maniac.’ Naturally, he had accompanied the Emperor. His medical skills were excellent, and he was physically robust, able to withstand the rigors of travel by carriage and horse. Indeed, he was perfectly suited for such duties.
Upon receiving the order, Zhang Baiji, who had been at the inn meticulously arranging the medicinal herbs he had brought along, was dragged over by Little Zhuzi before he could even change his clothes.
"Hey, hey, hey... Little Eunuch, couldn’t you have let me change my clothes?"
Little Zhuzi hurriedly urged him, "Oh dear, Grandfather Zhang, please have mercy on this lowly one! If you don’t go and the Master gets angry, my head will be on the line!"
The two bickered as they rode in the Green Oil Cloth Horse Carriage toward the clinic.
Upon arrival at the clinic, Zhang Baiji was brought to the backyard. Seeing Zhao Junyao seated there, Zhang Baiji hurried forward and greeted him with a respectful fist-and-palm salute. "Master!"
Zhao Junyao grunted and then issued an order. "See what poison this woman has ingested and whether she can be cured."
Zhang Baiji bowed and affirmed he would.
After taking her pulse and examining her, Zhang Baiji reached a conclusion in no time at all. "This woman appears to have been poisoned by something called Nine Star Creeper. Those poisoned will act sluggishly, become mentally disordered, and be extremely sensitive to pain! Pain that ordinary people could endure would cause someone poisoned like this to suffer greatly."
As Zhang Baiji spoke, he lifted the woman’s sleeves and checked her ankles. Shocking bruises were instantly revealed in these areas. His gaze suddenly filled with disbelief, and he exclaimed, "To treat a woman so viciously! The person responsible must be exceptionally cruel. Beaten like this, she must be in tremendous pain!"
Xia Ruqing suddenly understood. "No wonder she kept saying not to hit her and was so desperate to take off her clothes! It must be that old man. He was forcing her into prostitution, and when she refused, he beat her. So..."
After saying this, she exclaimed with alarm, "A woman’s chastity is more important than her life. Many would rather die than be defiled! I can’t imagine what this poor girl has been forced to endure!"