Chapter 204 Chaos in Xixia
"So we can only leave it to fate?" Zhao Xing found it a little hard to believe after listening to Yu Yanran's story.
"Yeah." Yu Yanran's eyes were red and swollen, and tears flowed out again as she spoke.
Zhao Xing felt distressed, reached out his hand to wipe away her tears, and said softly: "Okay, Minglan will be fine. Imperial Physician Wu is very skilled. He is already over seventy years old, but he looks only forty years old. He had a son in his old age a few years ago. He is like a god. He will definitely be able to cure Minglan."
"Really?" Yu Yanran looked at Zhao Xing, not knowing whether he was asking if Minglan could really be cured, or if Imperial Physician Wu could still have a child in his sixties or seventies.
"Of course it's true." Zhao Xing stroked Yu Yanran's face and said, "Don't cry. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll have someone make some for you."
It is true that Imperial Physician Wu had a child in his old age. If this happened to someone else, Zhao Xing would definitely think that Imperial Physician Wu was cheated on.
But Imperial Physician Wu is different. He is in his seventies, but apart from his white hair, he looks like he is in his forties and is full of energy.
It can be said that he has a good way of maintaining health. Zhao Xing had thought about asking him for advice before.
Not to mention the fact that he lived a long life, the fact that he was able to have a child in his sixties or seventies is something worth learning.
However, the news that he had a son in his sixties or seventies did not spread.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m old, but I feel a little embarrassed.
Or it was because some people in the folk called him a living immortal, and they were afraid that if the news got out, more people would believe that he was a immortal, which would violate a taboo.
"I have no appetite." Yu Yanran shook her head.
She had stayed at the Sheng family for most of the day, watching her good sister lying unconscious and on the verge of death. Her tears had dried up and she had no appetite at all.
"I haven't eaten either. Please eat something with me." Zhao Xing said.
He was in no mood to eat now.
When he first came into this world, influenced by the dramas he watched in his previous life, he had different feelings towards Zhang Guifen and Minglan.
But as time went on, Zhao Xing himself gradually realized that this kind of feeling was not true liking, or it could not be considered love.
However, since they had met, Zhao Xing always regarded them as his women.
Now that he knew Minglan was in critical condition, he naturally felt very sad.
However, he was not a doctor, did not know any medical skills, and could not do anything.
In comparison, Yu Yanran has been with him for almost a year. If Yu Yanran is compared with Minglan, he may care more about Yu Yanran at this moment.
After all, his feelings for Minglan were more of a fantasy, and they didn't have much real contact.
Yu Yanran was at the Sheng family today and probably didn’t eat much. If she doesn’t wake up later in the evening, she will be exhausted.
Yu Yanran had no appetite, but when she heard that Zhao Xing hadn't eaten either, she didn't refuse.
When the food was served, he ate a lot after being fed by Zhao Xing.
In the evening, Zhao Xing did not go to Zhang Guifen's place, but rested in Yu Yanran's room.
Holding Yu Yanran, Zhao Xing did not do anything, but asked about how Minglan was poisoned.
Yu Yanran actually didn’t know much, as she had spent most of the day at the Sheng family.
But because Minglan hadn't woken up yet and the Sheng family was in a bad mood, it was not convenient for her to ask more questions.
All we know is that Minglan was poisoned not because someone poisoned the food at home, but because of the snacks she bought from outside.
The meals that Minglan usually eats are prepared and delivered from Shou'an Hall. All the people there are Old Madam Sheng's people. They are loyal and no one would poison her.
Minglan liked to eat the ice jade cake from a pastry shop in Bian Jing, and would ask someone to buy some for her every once in a while to satisfy her craving.
This morning, Minglan bought some ice jade cake and found the taste a little strange. Soon she vomited and fainted.
When the doctor came, he examined the animal and said it was poisoning. He asked people to feed the livestock some leftover snacks. As a result, the livestock died of the poison soon after eating the snacks.
But the maid who delivered the snacks disappeared.
After listening to Yu Yanran's story, Zhao Xing sneered in his heart. From the time the snacks were delivered to the time the doctor said it was poisoned, the Sheng family asked people to test whether the snacks were poisonous.
It only took half an hour at most, and the servant either hid himself or left the city.
If he were hiding in the city, it would be easier said than done, as the chances of him being silenced would be slim.
After all, it is troublesome to transport a corpse out of the city.
If they were not transported out of the city, the population inside was so dense that they couldn't hide for long.
But if you leave the city, it will be a bit troublesome. If you are killed by someone and buried in some deep mountain or forest, it will be difficult to find.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xing called a palace maid and gave her a few instructions.
…………
Yin Hanzhang was very troubled when he received Zhao Xing's order.
This kind of poisoning at home, especially on a female family member, was most likely done by someone within the Sheng family.
Zhao Xing also asked him to investigate more about the mistress of the Sheng family and a concubine named Lin.
But he couldn't take people to the Sheng family and arrest all the members for investigation.
He has no official identity, and even if he did, it would be of no use because no one has reported it to the police.
It's a headache, but since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has given a death order, he still has to investigate.
Since we cannot investigate the Sheng family internally for the time being, we can only investigate the servants who have been out in the past two days.
Yin Hanzhang soon found out that the sixth daughter of the Sheng family liked to eat the ice jade cake from a cake shop in Bianjing. And this morning, a maid went out to buy some.
Compared to poisoning food, Yin Hanzhang actually prefers to poison this kind of external food.
Although the wealthy families did not have their food tested for poison like the royal family, the food was prepared by their personal maids.
Servants are not necessarily loyal. They may feel resentful after being punished and may not dare to poison others. But when delivering food, they may spit or something and still be driven away.
The wealthy families also knew this, so the servants in charge of food were all very trustworthy people.
Such people are more loyal and will not betray easily.
Therefore, Yin Hanzhang felt that the maid was very suspicious.
Based on the descriptions of others, Yin Hanzhang found a painter to draw a portrait.
He took the portrait and went around the front and back doors of the Sheng family, looking for some vendors to identify it, and soon made a discovery.
This maidservant came out of the street near the back door of the Sheng family in a panic that morning, and later got on a ox cart and left.
Judging from the direction, we should be out of the city.
This maid is very suspicious and may be the one who poisoned the baby.
If a servant plots to murder his master, it is a capital crime whether he succeeds or not. A servant does not have such courage.
There is a high probability that someone is behind this.
If this maid was silenced, it would be difficult to find out who was behind it.
Yin Hanzhang immediately sent people to find out the detailed information of the maid, and he personally led people out of the city to investigate.
Zhao Xing didn't know that Yin Hanzhang had already found out all this. After hearing the news from Yu Yanran, he sent someone to inform Yin Hanzhang.
However, the city gates had been closed at this time. The people he sent did not find Yin Hanzhang, and they had no way to leave the city to look for him, so they could only go back and report to Zhao Xing.
When Zhao Xing found out about it, he didn't care. The city gates were closed, so even if he went there, there was no way to open them unless there was an imperial edict.
However, since Yin Hanzhang has already found the maid, it doesn’t matter whether he sends someone or not.
The next day, when Zhao Xing was reviewing notes in his study, Yin Hanzhang came back.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince," Yin Hanzhang bowed.
"No gift!"
Zhao Xing glanced at the man being escorted by the soldiers and waved his hand.
"Your Highness, this man is a servant of Young Master Sheng's concubine Lin Xiaoniang, named Chi Wu. He has confessed that it was Lin Xiaoniang who poisoned Young Miss Sheng Six. When I found him, he had already killed the maid and her family." Yin Hanzhang bowed.
He went out of town yesterday to investigate, but found nothing for a while.
However, there has been some progress in checking the information of that maid.
The maid was the daughter of a tenant farmer in a farm of the Sheng family.
The manor was purchased by the Sheng family after they came to Bian Jing, and the maid sold herself to the Sheng family at that time.
Yin Hanzhang found the farm, but learned that the family had disappeared for some time and their whereabouts were now unknown.
All the current ropes were broken. Yin Hanzhang thought for a long time and could only try his luck.
The disappearance of the maid's family was most likely used to threaten the maid.
Now they have either been sent away or silenced.
Yin Hanzhang felt that the latter possibility was more likely, after all, only the dead could keep secrets.
The person who silenced someone must return to the city.
Yin Hanzhang could only bet that the person was still outside the city. He had been guarding outside the city gate last night. As soon as the city gate opened in the morning, he entered the city and then brought people to monitor the streets near the Sheng family.
In the end, he caught Chi Wu.
Chi Wu said nothing at first, but after he used some tricks, he confessed everything.
Zhao Xing was not surprised after hearing this. He pondered for a while and said, "Send this person to the Sheng family and hand him over to Sheng Shaoyin. There is no need to say anything else."
"Yes!" Yin Hanzhang responded and retreated with his men.
"Sheng Hong, you are a smart man. I hope you won't let me down." Zhao Xing murmured.
Before Zhao Xing could hear how Sheng Hong would deal with Lin Xiaoniang, he received shocking news instead.
The young emperor of Western Xia took power!
It is normal for the emperor to rule the country personally. The reason why it is shocking is because of the age of the young emperor of Western Xia.
The young emperor of Western Xia is not yet fifteen years old this year, much younger than Zhao Xing.
However, he ascended the throne and became the emperor of Western Xia when he was still in his infancy.
In recent years, the power of Western Xia has been in the hands of the Western Xia Queen Mother and her younger brother, who is the Western Xia Emperor's uncle.
Half a month ago, the young emperor of Western Xia found an excuse to kill his uncle's family and officially took control of power.
(End of this chapter)