After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Chapter 105 More Money Required

The Embroidered Uniform Guard immediately sprang into action.

Using the list provided by Xu Sheng, they began arresting people everywhere.

Yang Shen suddenly realized that things seemed to be developing in an uncontrollable direction.

From the very beginning, when Liu Qing discovered aconite in the medicine, to the current uproar that has swept the city.

This case is no longer as simple as selling counterfeit medicine.

It seems to hint at a conspiracy.

Seeing that it was getting late, I decided to go home first.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace gates, Li Chun hurriedly followed.

"Yang, wait! Commander Mou requests your presence at the Imperial Prison."

Yang Shen was startled, his eyes widening: "Why are you arresting me?"

Li Chun quickly waved his hand and explained, "No, no, you misunderstood! Commander Mou wants to invite you over to assist in the trial."

Yang Shen breathed a sigh of relief, but was also somewhat puzzled: "I don't know how to judge cases, so what do you need me for?"

Li Chun said with a bitter face, "This matter absolutely requires your attention."

"What exactly happened?"

"Qian Xuzi, the leader of the Medicine King Sect, refuses to utter a word!"

"If he won't talk, then you'll just use torture! The Imperial Guards aren't some saints, so what are you pretending to be so high and mighty for?"

Li Chun sighed, "Torture was definitely used; those disciples all confessed, but they only knew the process of preparing the medicine, nothing else. As for Qian Xuzi, no matter how much torture was used, he only said one thing: he wants to see you!"

Yang Shen asked in surprise, "Why would he want to see me? I don't even know him!"

Li Chun said, "He just wants to know who saw through his scheme. He wants to see the person who broke through it, and he won't talk to anyone else."

Yang Shen quickly waved his hands: "Don't tell them it was me! What if they come after me for revenge?"

Li Chun patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, all their men have been arrested; they absolutely cannot harm you. Commander Mou is desperate and can't get any information out of him. Please help us out, otherwise we won't be able to explain to His Majesty!"

"No, no, absolutely not!"

Yang Shen's attitude was firm. He said, "Who knows if they're a gang? If I'm exposed, and someone robs me on the street one day, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

Li Chun said, "Commander Mou said that he will reward you handsomely for helping him this time!"

Yang Shen's attitude softened slightly: "How much is 'heavy money'?"

"If you just go, everything is negotiable!"

"This case has far-reaching implications, and Qian Xuzi is a tough nut to crack —"

Li Chun urged, "As long as we can get him to talk, you can ask for anything!"

"You need to pay more!"

"Okay, more money, as much as you want!"

For the sake of money, Yang Shen followed Li Chun to the imperial prison.

At the main gate, the Imperial Guards stood watch without looking to the side, which made one feel inexplicably uneasy.

After entering and passing through two doors, you can hear faint wails coming from underground.

Yang Shen shrank his neck, thinking to himself that this place was really eerie, feeling gloomy even in broad daylight.

Mu Bin had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Yang Shen arrive, he quickly went to greet him, clasped his hands and said, "Yang Shen, I'm really sorry to trouble you to make this trip."

Yang Shen returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Commander Mou, you're too kind. We're all working for His Majesty, there's no distinction between us!"

"Yang, the tutor, is a man of great integrity. He said nothing more, promising a generous reward after the matter is settled!"

Mu Bin personally led the way, passing through several corridors, to the door of an interrogation room.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of blood hit me.

Yang Shen frowned and looked inside.

Qian Xuzi was chained to a wooden frame, his body covered in wounds, his head drooping, and he was weak and listless.

Mu Bin instructed, "Put him down."

Two captains stepped forward, unchained Qian Xuzi, and placed him on a chair, facing Yang Shen.

Yang Shen sat down opposite him and sized him up.

He was in his forties, with a thin face, and should have had an air of otherworldly elegance, but now he was in a sorry state.

Qian Xuzi slowly raised his head, his gaze cloudy, and fell on Yang Shen.

He stared at it for a long time, then suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse: "You're the one who broke the deadlock?"

Yang Shen nodded: "What do you want with me?"

Qian Xuzi seemed somewhat skeptical: "How could a mere child like you possibly see through my scheme!"

Yang Shen was too lazy to argue with him and said directly, "Just say what you have to say. I'm very busy and don't have time to chat with you."

Qian Xuzi sneered and closed his eyes: "You must be trying to fool me, sending some random kid to deceive this old man."

Mu Bin grew anxious and stepped forward, saying, "This is Young Master Yang Shen, the tutor to the Crown Prince. He's an exceptionally intelligent child prodigy, renowned far and wide. He passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen! His father is Yang Tinghe, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy! Do you think I would lie to you?"

Qian Xuzi then opened his eyes again, looked Yang Shen over for a moment, and said weakly, "Your name is Yang Shen, right? Yang Tinghe's son, I've heard of you."

Yang Shen patiently asked, "What exactly do you want from me?"

Qian Xuzi stared at him for a long time before saying, "My scheme was flawless. How did you discover the problem?"

Yang Shen remained calm and slowly said, "It's very simple. There is no cure-all medicine in this world. If there is, it's definitely a fraud."

Qian Xuzi was taken aback, opened his mouth, but was speechless.

After a long pause, he asked again, "Then how did you discover that my Hundred Herbs Pill contained aconite?"

Yang Shen truthfully replied, "That's quite a coincidence. I have a friend who is an expert in medicine. I showed her your pills, and she immediately noticed the presence of aconite. To put it bluntly, besides having some nourishing effects, your medicine relies entirely on aconite to overdraw the body's resources. Moreover, it's addictive; long-term use makes it impossible to quit, isn't it?"

Qian Xuzi suddenly smiled, a smile full of bitterness: "The reputation of a child prodigy is indeed well-deserved! But there is still one thing I don't understand."

"Just say what you have to say, get to the point!"

"What's the story behind those who filed complaints?"

Qian Xuzi stared intently at Yang Shen and voiced his question: "The dosage of aconite in my medicine was meticulously calculated, and the amount is extremely small. It's impossible for anything to go wrong in just a few days! Even those with weak constitutions would need to take it continuously for more than half a month before symptoms appear. I only prescribed the medicine for seven days before stopping. What happened to those people?"

Yang Shen looked at him and said, "It's very simple. They had taken aconite beforehand, so they showed signs of poisoning."

Qian Xuzi's expression changed drastically. He stood up abruptly, but due to the severity of his injuries, he slumped back down, trembling all over, his eyes wide with rage: "You—you framed me!"

Yang Shen nodded, his tone self-righteous: "Yes, I framed you, so what?"

Qian Xuzi couldn't catch his breath and started coughing violently, coughing so hard it was heart-wrenching, until he finally coughed up a mouthful of blood.

After he finished coughing, Yang Shen slowly said, "Tell me, what exactly is your conspiracy? Why did you poison His Majesty? Who ordered you to do it?"

Qian Xuzi raised his head, his mouth full of blood, glared at Yang Shen, and gritted his teeth: "You tried to play dirty tricks on me!"

Yang Shen nodded, a half-smile on his face, and said, "So what if I play dirty tricks? You told me to come over, and I came. Besides, I've answered all your questions truthfully. Now it's your turn."

Qian Xuzi, panting heavily, stared at Yang Shen, remaining silent for a long time.

Yang Shen wasn't in a hurry, so he just sat there and waited.

Mu Bin watched anxiously from the side, but dared not utter a sound.

After a long while, Qian Xuzi suddenly sighed, his whole body slumped against the back of his chair like a deflated balloon.

"Enough, enough—I started learning medicine at ten and have been practicing medicine for thirty years, but I never thought I'd be defeated by a kid, and by such despicable means at that—"

Yang Shen corrected him, "When it comes to despicable acts, I can't compare to you. Poisoning the emperor is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. If you're not afraid, why should I be?"

Qian Xuzi sneered, "Exterminate nine generations of relatives? I was an orphan, taken in and raised by my master. The day my master died, I had no relatives or friends left."

Yang Shen asked, "What does this have to do with you poisoning me?"