Chapter 342: In Critical Danger?

Due to the unpleasant ending of last night’s banquet, Lu Feng stayed indoors that day, deep in thought—wanting to kill someone to silence them but fearing that even a powerful man might struggle against a local strongman, ending up giving Wang Darong even more leverage; wanting to compromise temporarily and find a solution later, yet he couldn’t swallow his pride. As a result, the writing brush in his hand suffered—finally breaking into two pieces. But when Cheng Jiu rushed in like a gust of wind and blurted out a long speech in one go, he was instantly stunned.
Zhang Yue had arrived in Ningbo Prefecture silently? He had even met Wang Darong on the way, and coincidentally, he was assassinated? The most unbelievable part was… the Imperial Sword was broken?
His expression shifted several times before he suddenly threw the two broken pieces of the brush aside, stood up, and said with a fake smile, “Fortunately, I didn’t go out with Wang Darong today. Otherwise, not only would I have suffered such a shock, but I would also have been burdened with huge responsibilities! But then again, only I, who personally delivered the imperial sword to Zhang Yue over the years, knew about it. Yet Wang Darong just shouted that the Imperial Sword was broken…”
Cheng Jiu immediately understood and joked, “Regardless of his motives, it’s ruined things for Lord Zhang! But since it’s an authentic Imperial Sword, and now it’s broken with Wang Darong’s loud announcement, Lord Zhang will surely find it hard to get through this obstacle!”
“Exactly,” Lu Feng said with a smile, adjusting his clothes before nodding slowly. “The emperor is suspicious and moody. When he likes someone, he can elevate them to the heavens; when he dislikes someone, he can trample them in the mud. Jie Jin is the best example. Of course, there are also those who are killed after being used, like Ji Gang… But it’s uncertain. The emperor clearly doesn’t like Zhang Yue being too weak, which is why he sent him to kill people. After returning from Qingzhou, Zhang Yue had his head displayed on a pole. With so many people accusing him, the emperor actually liked it. If he knew about Zhang Yue’s previous efforts to stop the Japanese pirates, he might be even happier. Maybe he’ll just laugh it off this time—after all, who could have predicted he’d be assassinated…”

At this point, seeing Cheng Jiu listening intently with wide eyes and nodding nonstop, he couldn’t help but slap his head irritably and say, “Learn more. You’re still young—there might still be hope for you to become one of the twelve supervisors in the future! Enough of this. Since Wang Darong has already gone to such lengths to invite them over, given our friendship with Zhang Yue, we must at least go and offer our comfort, while also urging the local officials to conduct a thorough investigation.”

In this sudden assassination attempt, the four guards sent by Zhu Zhanji only suffered minor injuries, and the slippery Hu Qi wasn’t hurt at all. Only Zhang Yue had his tiger’s mouth fractured. In contrast, Wang Darong’s eight guards had two dead and two seriously injured, with the rest suffering only minor injuries. Everyone went to the nearest pharmacy to have their wounds treated and prescribed medicine before returning to Wang’s residence to rest. Naturally, someone went to inform the Fan family. After all, the most seriously injured was Fan Xiyan, who had been struck in the back by two hand-thrown daggers.

In the western wing room of Wang’s residence, the specially invited renowned orthopedic doctor carefully checked her pulse, his brows furrowed tightly. In the end, he shook his head repeatedly. Seeing this, Zhang Yue felt a heavy weight in his heart.

“Is there really no way?”

Since it was Lord Wang, the head of the Maritime Trade Commission, who had invited the doctor and warned sternly that this was a serious matter, how could the doctor not do his best? He quickly explained, “Sir, these hidden weapons were coated with a very potent poison. Although I’m skilled in orthopedics, I know little about poisons. From her pulse, it seems there are two types of poison in her body—I have no idea where to start. Poisoning methods are ever-changing, and if not handled by a true expert, using medicine carelessly could make things worse.”

Two types of poison? Zhang Yue suddenly remembered the black pill he had given Fan Xiyan. He wanted to take out the silk pouch but changed his mind. He asked, “Then think of a way to wake her up first. Also, tell Lord Wang about any doctors in Ningbo who are good at antidotes, so he can send someone to invite them.”

Although he couldn’t cure her instantly, the doctor had many methods to wake her up. He carefully chose the one with the least harm—though he thought the girl in bed had little chance of survival anyway. When she slowly regained consciousness, Zhang Yue warned him not to reveal that Fan Xiyan had awakened. He should say she was still unconscious and in critical condition. The doctor quickly agreed and tactfully left, so as not to overhear anything unnecessary. Before leaving the room, he glanced curiously at a servant standing nearby.

When Fan Xiyan regained consciousness, she found herself lying face down on the bed, her back completely numb, which filled her with sorrow. Glancing at Zhang Yue standing in front of the bed, her gaze then fell on the girl behind him. She remembered clearly how those three girls had bravely stepped in front of Zhang Yue without hesitation. Shaking her head, she tried to shake off these chaotic thoughts. With difficulty, she stretched out her right hand and gently felt her left wrist for a pulse. After a while, her already pale face turned into an ugly grayish hue, and she bit her lip tightly.

“Young Master Zhang, please help me write down the prescription.”

“Go ahead.”

Seeing that Zhang Yue only replied with those two short words, she was momentarily stunned, but then she mustered up her courage: “Three qian of Dingluobo, two qian of Wannianqing, three qian of Qingmuxiang, two qian of Qiyeyizhihua…” After listing a long list of herbs, she paused and added, “In addition to the ointment applied earlier for the wound, grind Sanxueqin and Yuxingcao into powder and mix it with pig bile to apply to the wound.”

Seeing Zhang Yue nod and leave, while the girl stayed behind, Fan Xiyan became slightly dazed. Suddenly, she felt a warm foot warmer placed beside her cold feet and realized the girl was busy taking care of her. In no time, a thick blanket was placed over her waist and legs. Her exposed back and shoulders were also carefully covered, leaving only the two horrible wounds exposed. Finally, a small copper hot water bottle was placed in her hands.

After finishing her tasks, Qiuhen saw Fan Xiyan staring at her and sighed. Although she disliked this frivolous Miss Fan, the latter was seriously injured and might not even survive. Why bother antagonizing her? With that thought, she sat down on the edge of the bed and said, “It’s really inconvenient here in the south without a heated bed. We can only use this hot water bottle to keep warm. If it gets cold, please let Miss Fan know. It wouldn’t be worth it to recover only to catch a cold. The young master has already sent Eunuch Wang to find the best doctor, so please rest assured.”

Hearing these caring words, Fan Xiyan felt a slight warmth in her icy body. She then said softly, “Thank you, young lady. If I don’t wake up after taking the medicine, please tell your young master that there is a three-section courtyard on Qisheng Street east of the Maritime Administration. Under the big locust tree there is a wooden box, and the items inside might be what he needs.”

At this point, she didn’t even bother to look at Qiu Hen’s shocked expression and chuckled to herself. She was just too self-righteous, thinking that as long as she held someone’s weakness, that person would be helpless. Yet she hadn’t realized that her own status was nothing more than a pawn, not any more noble than that fool. Such a two-pronged move—surely those in power would be pleased if they knew about it? But that astonishing arrow she had glimpsed in her daze… Why would he do such a thing that harmed others without benefiting himself?

Zhang Yue went to the main hall and ordered Ling Xi and Hu Bo to stay there and prevent anyone from entering. Then he wrote out a prescription and instructed Tian Wen to go fetch the herbs personally. Just as he was about to turn back inside, a servant rushed over and reported that Eunuch Lu and Lord Fan had arrived and were waiting in the flower hall with his master. He followed them there, still pondering this strange assassination attempt. Thinking that now everyone knew his Imperial Sword was broken, he couldn’t help frowning.

Good news stays hidden, while bad news spreads far and wide—what bad luck!

Although the Wang family lived in a eunuch’s residence, it was still as luxurious and spacious as Fan’s mansion. After passing through the second gate and following the corridor to the main hall, he saw a large golden plaque hanging in the center, inscribed with the words “Hall of Wealth and Honor,” along with the inscription “Written by Wang Xunliang, Transport Commissioner of the Two Huai Salt Administration.” The hall was equipped with desks, chairs, and paintings, but the servant kept leading him toward a side door on the left. When they lifted the curtain, they saw a path paved with cobblestones, leading to a small garden. At the end was a row of three rooms, covered with thick red curtains.

“Lord Fan actually has his daughter follow him around like this, showing such eagerness—it’s quite rare.”

“My daughter’s fate is still unknown. What do you mean by such cold words, Eunuch Wang? If it weren’t for your enemies while in office, who would have implicated my daughter and Lord Zhang, causing such a huge disaster and even breaking the Emperor-awarded Imperial Sword?”

“Enough! Both of you, calm down. What’s important now is to investigate and deal with the consequences! Since we know it was the Imperial Sword, we should realize this isn’t something that can be easily covered up. If Lord Zhang can’t overcome this obstacle, we’re all in great danger!”

Before even entering, Zhang Yue heard bursts of arguing coming from inside. Realizing that every word was directed at the so-called Imperial Sword, he couldn’t help but smile. Then he pushed aside the door curtain and stepped in, saying calmly, “I appreciate your concern. It was my negligence that broke the sword bestowed by the emperor. If there are any blames, they should fall solely on me. The top priority now is to trace the origin of the assassin—whether he’s a Japanese pirate or not, we must investigate thoroughly.”

As he spoke, he subtly watched the expressions of the three men. Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Wang Darong let out a sigh of relief and immediately smiled, assuring that the officials in Ningbo would conduct a thorough investigation. Lu Feng looked stunned, frowning thoughtfully. Only Fan Tong reacted most violently—he suddenly jumped up from his chair.

“Sir, I heard that my daughter is in critical condition… It’s not safe for her to stay here. How about I take her back?”

Seeing Fan Tong signaling at him repeatedly, Zhang Yue pretended not to notice and sighed deeply. “Miss Fan is seriously injured and her life is hanging by a thread. It’s better not to move her for now. The doctor has prescribed medicine; if she stays still, she might survive a few more days. But there’s nothing he can do about the deadly poison, which is why she still hasn’t regained consciousness.”