The Prodigal Son

On the Pingjiang River, a cruise ship slowly sails on the water.

"What?"

Upon receiving the message, Zhou Jishan suddenly stood up, his mind momentarily blank.

impossible!

That's a deadly poison that kills on contact with blood!

Once the poison hidden in the mouth is bitten open, even a god would find it difficult to save the person!

How could the people I sent possibly be saved?

After struggling to regain his composure, Zhou Jishan looked at the newcomer with a cold gaze, "Are you sure you've saved someone?"

"Sure!"

The man nodded emphatically, his voice trembling with panic, and said, "I was right at the entrance of the governor's mansion. I saw with my own eyes our men being led inside with knives held to their necks!"

Zhou Jishan's expression hardened, and he asked again, "Was he carried in or dragged in?"

"He was escorted into the governor's mansion! Later, because they thought he was walking too slowly, they just dragged him away..."

The more the visitor spoke, the more flustered he became, and Zhou Jishan's expression grew increasingly grim, his mind a complete mess.

Did they go in?

How...how is this possible?

That's a deadly poison that kills instantly!

Could the woman beside Qin Yu save his life?

Nan Que'er?

He knew Nan Que'er and knew that she had been by Qin Yu's side throughout his campaign in Min.

He also knew that Nan Que'er had some medical skills, and Qin Yu kept her by his side just in case.

But he absolutely refused to believe that Nan Que'er's medical skills were that advanced!

It can even cure poisons that kill instantly upon contact with blood?

Can someone who is destined to die be saved?

Even the imperial physicians of the Daning Palace wouldn't have that skill, would they?

Zhou Jishan shook his head vigorously, then asked with a frosty expression, "Did you really see it with your own eyes?"

"I truly witnessed it with my own eyes!"

The visitor answered with absolute certainty: "Moreover, the governor's mansion was surrounded by a large crowd, and Qin Yu even publicly warned the officials of Fangzhou. Many people personally witnessed our people entering the governor's mansion on their own!"

Hearing what the visitor said, Zhou Jishan was even more confused.

After forcing himself to remain calm, Zhou Jishan lowered his head and began to ponder.

After a long while, Zhou Jishan suddenly raised his head, as if grasping at a lifeline, "Could you have mistaken me for someone else? Or did they just find someone to impersonate me?"

The man replied firmly, "I could never be mistaken! I saw it clearly; they are our people!"

Hearing the visitor's extremely affirmative answer, Zhou Jishan's last glimmer of hope was completely shattered.

In an instant, Zhou Jishan was filled with worry.

The person who was destined to die did not die!

Although he believed in the loyalty of those two men to His Highness, they had ultimately fallen into Qin Yu's hands!

As long as they live, they will always be a hidden danger!

What if they can't withstand the torture and reveal the prince's identity? Wouldn't the prince be finished?

Zhou Jishan became increasingly panicked as he thought about it, and a strong sense of regret swept over him.

Originally, Yu Jing was determined not to let him take this step.

In Yu Jing's words, there were people who wanted Qin Yu dead even more than they did!

He had already given up on the idea.

However, Zhao Luan suddenly handed over all military and political power in the Liangjiang region and the Hai and Yuan prefectures to Qin Yu.

That instant made him realize that this was a golden opportunity!

The more power Zhao Luan granted to Qin Yu, the worse the situation was in the areas where the salt administration was being rectified!

At a time like this, there must be many people who want Qin Yu dead!

If Qin Yu, who holds such a high position, were assassinated, even for the sake of the court's reputation and to appease Qin Fumeng, who had lost his only son, Zhao Luan would inevitably launch a bloodbath across the land!

In this situation, very few people would sit idly by and wait to die.

In that case, the land of Kyushu will surely descend into chaos!

The Nine Provinces are in chaos within, while the Northern Qi are eyeing us covetously from the outside!

This is exactly the situation they wanted to see!

So he once again tried his best to persuade Yu Jing.

After two days of continuous persuasion, Yu Jing finally relented.

He has made all the necessary preparations.

If the assassination of Qin Yu is successful, then everyone will be happy.

If the assassination fails, it will enrage Qin Yu, causing him to act ruthlessly throughout the land, thus exacerbating the conflict between the Da Ning court, merchants, and local officials.

No matter what, the situation will be in their favor!

But to his utter surprise, the man he sent, who attempted suicide by poison after the assassination failed, was actually saved!

This unexpected outcome completely threw him into a state of panic.

Zhou Jishan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the cabin.

After a long silence, Zhou Jishan stopped and looked at the newcomer with a cold gaze: "Do you think that person will implicate the Prince?"

"this……"

The visitor hesitated slightly, then forced a reply: "Those two are willing to risk their lives for the Prince's cause; they shouldn't betray him!"

"If it were you, could you keep quiet in the face of torture?" Zhou Jishan asked again, his eyes fixed on the newcomer.

The man's heart tightened, but he immediately replied confidently, "Yes! Absolutely! I would rather die than betray the Prince!"

"Death isn't scary! What's scary is living a life worse than death!"

Zhou Jishan shook his head slightly. "If you were so convinced that they wouldn't betray the Prince, you wouldn't be so flustered."

Hearing Zhou Jishan's words, the visitor became even more flustered.

He wanted to explain, but he didn't know how.

Looking at his speechless subordinates, Zhou Jishan felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

His plans have now been completely disrupted.

If necessary, I'll probably have to take the blame for the prince myself.

I just don't know if I can handle it!

……

Meanwhile, the Shi brothers, having received orders from Qin Yu, were still rushing towards Jiangning Prefecture.

However, as soon as he entered Fangzhou, he received news via carrier pigeon that Qin Yu had been assassinated in the street.

"Idiots! A bunch of damn idiots!"

Upon receiving the message, Shi Yi was furious and smashed the cup in his hand on the ground.

"Step back!"

The messenger who brought the message waved his hand, pulled the furious Shi Yi to the bow of the ship, and said worriedly, "Qin Yu has been assassinated in the street this time, he will probably be even more vigilant! If things don't go well, it will be difficult for us to take action against him again..."

"Don't think about that now, let's think about what's right now!"

Shi Yi clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and growled, "Qin Yu was assassinated in the street not long after arriving in Jiangning Prefecture, he's bound to be enraged! That bastard never reasoned with anyone to begin with, and now that he's enraged, he'll be even less likely to reason with anyone!"

He had previously worried that Qin Yu would arrest them and torture them to extract confessions.

Now, he's even more worried!

A madman, when provoked, will only do something even crazier!

Moreover, this was at the critical moment when Qin Yu ordered the major salt merchants and their officials to go to Jiangning Prefecture!

These idiots probably don't know that Qin Yu directly transferred troops from the Raojin Navy and took down all the key officials of Guangde Prefecture!

The Prefect of Haizhou, the Assistant Prefect, the Chief Secretary, and the Salt Transport Commissioner of Haizhou—none of them escaped!

This is exactly the same as his unorthodox methods in Linhai County!

Regardless of whether there is evidence or not, arrest the person first, then interrogate them!

He even suspected that Qin Yu, that madman, would kill a few people right in front of them as a warning!

If he finds out which bastard did such a stupid thing, he'll chop that bastard up!

Hearing Shi Yi's words, Shi Wang's worry deepened. "So, should we still proceed according to the original plan?"

Shi Yi remained silent, trying hard to suppress the anger in his heart.

After a long silence, Shi Yi closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "First, we must go and plead guilty, confess everything we can, and accept whatever punishment is due. We must cooperate with Qin Yu in reorganizing the salt administration and actively try to curry favor with him! Right now, as long as that madman Qin Yu doesn't lay a hand on us, anything is acceptable!"

Qin Yu is a madman who cannot be judged by common sense!

This madman acts entirely on his own whims, without ever considering the consequences!

Right now, this madman has been provoked!

Moreover, he was ambushed and killed in Jiankou County, and that damned idiot even claimed that Shi Wang sent him to ambush Qin Yu!

Currently, the situation is unfavorable to historians in all aspects.

Now, all he wants is to honestly confess to the salt-related issues and pay money to avoid further trouble!

As long as Qin Yu doesn't investigate what happened back then, everything is fine!

Shi Wang lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and tentatively asked, "Should we stage a self-inflicted injury ruse?"