Pang Shao manipulated the Emperor to say these words, but presumably, he was also fighting with him.
In this case, the situation was much more complicated. If he retreated at this juncture, he might harm more than his own interests.
But…
Firstly, he was in the dark and had no clue about what was going on in the court. He didn’t even know who was under his command. Even if he took over the job, he was afraid there would be trouble.
Secondly, the question before him was making him choose between a rock and a hard place. Either give up this hard-earned benefit of Jingwang, offending all his fellow officials, or bring Huo Wujiu into the palace for some humiliation, offending Huo Wujiu.
Jiang Suizhou sighed.
This was simply grilling him. But in contrast, his life was more important.
On top of the throne, the Hou Zhu was still urging him strangely, “Fifth Brother, why aren’t you saying anything? The beauty or the cushy job, you have to choose one.”
Jiang Suizhou raised his eyes, and this time, the revulsion and anger on his face was no longer faked.
“As Brother Emperor said, I shouldn’t overstep my bounds,” Jiang Suizhou opened his mouth and replied unhurriedly.
He saw the emperor smile all the more smug.
The sky brightened, and the trees outside the window swayed about. The sun shone brightly through the thin green branches, spreading mottled shadows onto the smooth dark floor tiles.
Dust particles danced silently in the air, making the rays show a bit of yarn-like essence.
It was a dazzling tranquility.
In the mansion, Doctor Zhou was paralyzed on his knees with his back straight and a thin layer of cold sweat dripped down onto his forehead.
He was wide-eyed, and his neck was stiff, not daring to move.
Against the pulsating veins in his neck was a sharp, blood-stained wooden chip.
The blood was not his, but he could feel how sharp the piece of wood was. It was capable of cutting his throat and killing him instantly.
“Madam…General! General! What exactly do you want to ask? Just ask!” He trembled and shivered.
A low voice rang out above his head.
That was Huo Wujiu in his wheelchair. He sat there, bent over and with one arm lazily resting on his knee. His other hand was holding the blood-stained wooden chip.
He held it firmly against Doctor Zhou’s throat.
“What did he send you here for?” he asked. He tilted his head, eyes downcast and looking down condescendingly at the man kneeling before him.
Doctor Zhou shivered and told the truth, “I’m here to treat your injuries on the order of Qianshan-gonggong!”
Huo Wujiu said coldly, “Tell the truth.”
Doctor Zhou was on the verge of tears. “I am telling the truth!”
Huo Wujiu coldly looked him up and down for a moment.
He didn’t appear to be lying, but that didn’t rule out the possibility of him pretending either.
Just now, as soon as this person came and said he was the doctor of the mansion, Huo Wujiu had a conjecture deep inside.
The Emperor of Jing was a fool, but Jingwang was not. Jiang Shunheng caught him and only wanted to torture for fun, but Jingwang didn’t have this only purpose.
He hadn’t made a move, but he certainly had plans. Jingwang might want to get something from him, maybe the Liang army intelligence, or he might try to use him to fight against Jiang Shunheng.
Although his performance yesterday was inconsistent with the rumors, rumors were not groundless.
Therefore, if Jingwang wanted to relax his vigilance and control him, the best way was to prescribe medicine to him with the help of doctors.
Huo Wujiu looked at the mansion doctor who was shaking like a sieve, his gaze cold and unmoved.
“Then open your mouth,” he ordered indifferently.
The manor doctor trembled and obeyed.
The next moment, a pill suddenly fell into his mouth, and before he could react, his jaw was tightly pinched and jerked upward.
The pill fell into his belly.
The doctor’s pupils trembled, and immediately, he felt a sharp burning pain that rose up from his stomach.
In front of him, the handsome, god-like General slowly and methodically withdrew the wooden chip and sat up with his knees propped up.
The bottomless abyss that were his eyes were calm and waveless, akin to the impermanence of hell that tortured lives.
He leaned on the backrest of his wheelchair.
It was clear that he was sitting in a very simple wooden chair, but his bearing was like sitting on the tiger skin in the Prince’s tent.
He lowered his eyes, looked at Doctor Zhou, and said, “This medicine can corrode the five organs in less than a moment. While I still have the antidote in my hand, tell me. What exactly did they want you to do when they sent you here?”
Doctor Zhou cried bitterly, “I’m really not lying to you!” The burning pain in his abdomen had already made him tremble with fear. He was so anxious and scared that he woefully fished over the medical kit he had thrown aside and shivered as he turned it over to Huo Wujiu.
“I really have orders to treat your injuries! These are all wound medicines. If you don’t believe me, I can use any of them on myself to prove it to you!”
While speaking, he hurriedly poured out the stuff in the medical kit and was about to open them one by one for Huo Wujiu to see.
Huo Wujiu sized him up quietly.
This time, he believed that this man was telling the truth.
He was actually sent to treat his wounds?
For some reason, Jiang Suizhou’s appearance under the red candles last night flashed before his eyes.
There was no doubt that he was like a rabbit who was scared of his own ears atop his head, yet he had to pretend to be vicious.
…Besides, he probably didn’t have the guts to even drug him.
Huo Wujiu quietly looked at the mansion doctor who was on the ground. A moment later, he took out a vial from his sleeves and threw a dark brown pill at him.
“One lasts for three months. Don’t say a word about today’s affairs. Come back to me for the medicine after three months,” Huo Wujiu said.
Doctor Zhou quickly picked up the pill and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Since you’re here to treat my injuries, then get up and take a look.”
Huo Wujiu said indifferently and glanced down at the small medicine vial in his hand.
He only had a total of two medicines on him. When he was imprisoned, the soldier who escorted him was Lou Yue, an old friend of his father, so he stealthily stuffed it in Huo Wujiu belongings during the search, leaving him something to save himself with.
One of them could quickly stop bleeding when seriously injured, but after swallowing it, it would cause severe pain in the five organs. However, the pain would disappear after only a moment. The other was to boost qi and enrich blood. It was most useful when trekking long distances in the snow. He glanced at the mansion doctor who wiped his tears and stumbled up from the ground, withdrew his gaze and quietly put the vial back in his sleeves.
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