The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 150

Chapter 150: Who Gave the Poison

After a thrilling game of wits with the wind and waves, the ship finally arrived at Pengcheng.

As they disembarked, a group of cavalry galloped towards them. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Gao Changgong’s personal guards, who had previously split into two groups.

“Prince, we have been waiting here for a long time!”

Zhao Wu and Yang Zhi, who were leading the group, dismounted and bowed to Gao Changgong.

“Are the Prince and Princess Consort alright?”

The two looked up with concern, but when they saw the injured Nie Yinniang and the group of assassins dressed as boat trackers, they immediately pointed their sharp blades at them.

“Who are you?” Zhao Wu asked sharply.

Zhao Wu was originally an assassin for the Hu Governor of Luoyang and had been ordered by him to assassinate Gao Changgong multiple times. Later, while delivering a message to the Governor’s brother, Hu Guojiu, he learned of their secret collusion with enemy generals to frame Gao Changgong. So, Zhao Wu decided to switch sides and helped Gao Changgong eliminate the archers and ambushers who were trying to kill him.

Afterward, Gao Changgong took Zhao Wu under his wing.

Therefore, Zhao Wu had an extremely keen intuition about the identity of assassins.

Similarly, Nie Yinniang also sensed a similar murderous aura from Zhao Wu.

Upon seeing these imposing Xuanjia soldiers, Nie Yinniang’s qi shi quickly weakened, and she knelt down with the assassins behind her.

“We are willing to serve the Prince and Princess Consort from now on!” Nie Yinniang said, while pulling out a secret letter and a brocade pouch from her waist and handing them to Xiao Jinyu. “As a token of our sincerity, I am willing to present to the Princess Consort the antidote to the poison I previously administered to the Young Masters, as well as the secret letter from my employer!”

As Xiao Jinyu was about to take them, Fenghuang snatched them with lightning speed. After confirming that the letter and pouch were safe, he handed them to Xiao Jinyu.

Xiao Jinyu opened the letter and saw a single sentence written on it: Pengcheng Luliang Rapids, kill Lanling Wang and the woman beside him, reward 100,000 copper coins. Upon completion, come to Pengcheng Fengxian Residence to collect the reward!

“The letter came from the Northern City of Ye in Qi. My employer didn’t tell me his name, but it’s not hard to guess that the person who has a grudge against Prince Lanling must be someone from the Northern Qi court. This… is all the information I know.”

“Pengcheng Fengxian Residence?” Fenghuang narrowed his eyes curiously.

Gao Changgong’s expression also changed slightly.

The first time he met Xiao Jinyu was during an assassination attempt at Fengxian Residence. Could it be that this Fengxian Residence…

“It’s a secret base for our employer, and the people inside are all spies trained by the one in the Bronze Sparrow Palace in Yecheng.”

“Was the poison you gave to the Xiao family made by you?” Xiao Jinyu turned to ask.

Nie Yinniang felt cold sweat dripping down her back, but as a qualified assassin, composure was also a skill she had developed from surviving battles on the hunting grounds.

“No, I only know how to assassinate, not how to concoct medicines. These drugs were all given to me by my employer!”

“How long have you been in contact with her?” Xiao Jinyu asked again.

“For twelve years!”

“Then you are very loyal to her!”

Xiao Jinyu sighed. A lone assassin, maintaining contact with an employer for twelve years, if it wasn’t loyalty, then there must be some reason why she had to maintain this relationship.

“Princess Consort, I am an assassin, and the group of assassins I support all need to eat. That employer is willing to spend money, so of course, we have to maintain this contact!”

“Then, how much did she pay you for each of the Xiao family’s Young Masters?” Xiao Jinyu pressed further.

Faced with this question, Nie Yinniang felt like she had fallen into an icy cellar. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the Princess Consort, but the guilt she had felt for many years had been tormenting her, and she simply didn’t want to mention it again.

“50,000 copper coins per person!” she mumbled after a moment, “Oh no, it’s 50,000 copper coins per bottle of poison!”

“50,000 copper coins per person?” Xiao Jinyu couldn’t help but sneer, her eyes shimmering with a cold light. “She sure can afford to pay!”

“However, I didn’t personally kill the Xiao family’s Young Masters. I just followed the employer’s instructions and gave Princess Yunyin a few bottles of poison, along with instructions on how to use them!” Nie Yinniang explained further.

“You didn’t kill Boren, but Boren died because of you. Is there a difference?”

✿✿✿

Xiao Jinyu scolded sharply, then calmed her emotions and said in a loud voice, “Now the Cizhou kiln in Xuzhou belongs to the Prince and me. Not only can I make it earn a fortune every day, but I can also make the porcelain produced here famous all over the world! By then, the wealth we will have in our hands is beyond your imagination.

Therefore, what we can give you is also beyond your imagination!

Nie Yinniang, if you truly want to show your loyalty, then take two heads to Fengxian Residence. Not only will you take your employer’s 100,000 copper coins, but we will also uproot this base!”

What arrogant words!

Nie Yinniang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This delicate little lady, who looked like a celestial being, was so straightforward when she boasted, and inexplicably imposing!

The assassins behind her were even more surprised. Originally, they were somewhat reluctant to assassinate Lanling Wang without knowing the truth from Nie Yinniang. Now, hearing these bold words, they felt even more excited.

“Yes, Princess Consort, I/we are all willing to show our loyalty with this!”

✿✿✿

When Nie Yinniang arrived at Fengxian Residence with two blood-stained packages, the place was still full of guests. The guests, who were drinking and chatting, were startled to see a woman arrive with two dripping blood-stained packages. They scattered like birds and beasts, quickly fleeing the tavern.

Only the shopkeeper and a waiter’s faces changed.

The waiter hurried over and asked, “Guest, what would you like to order?”

“Money, 100,000 copper coins!” Nie Yinniang raised her head and smiled charmingly, placing the dripping blood-stained packages on the table. “Tell your master to bring 100,000 copper coins to exchange for them!”

The waiter and the shopkeeper exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

The shopkeeper walked over and said with a smile, “Lady, could you please open the packages first and let us inspect them?”

Nie Yinniang looked at him again and smiled, then threw the packages directly at the shopkeeper’s face. The shopkeeper reacted quickly and dodged. The packages hit the opposite wall, splattering a pile of red, plaster-like substance all over the floor.

As she threw the packages, Nie Yinniang’s sword had already shot out like a viper, pointing directly at the shopkeeper. Seeing the danger, the shopkeeper immediately overturned a table to block the attack and jumped to a corner, grabbing an axe to fight against Nie Yinniang.

“Nie Yinniang, what are you doing? Are you trying to betray our master?” the shopkeeper shouted.

“Heh, what do you mean by betrayal? The master never even told us her name, and she asked us to risk our lives for her. Has she ever trusted us? Since there has never been trust, there is no betrayal!”

“And when has she ever fulfilled the promises she made to me? I’m afraid even this 100,000 copper coins is a lie, right?”

“If I really killed Lanling Wang and his Princess Consort, would she take my head to atone for their deaths?”

As she spoke, her sword flashed with countless rays of light, shattering the tables and chairs in the tavern!

After a few moves, the shopkeeper had nowhere to hide. Frightened, he couldn’t help but let out a loud shout, summoning the other strong men hiding in the tavern.

Among these people, there were both Xianbei and Han Chinese, about twenty of them, quickly surrounding Nie Yinniang. At the same time, the assassins waiting outside the tavern with Nie Yinniang also poured in.

The tavern instantly became a chaotic battleground, filled with flashing blades and flying blood and flesh!

At the back of the tavern, a pair of eyes was observing everything happening inside through a curtain. However, just as he was engrossed in watching, another sword silently pressed against his neck.

It was a man about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. A deadly sword suddenly appeared behind him. The man was so scared that he quickly raised his hands and pleaded,

“This Xia, please let’s talk it over. Please put down your sword, okay?”

“Turn around!” the person behind him said coldly.

Note: The Ministry of Justice was first established during the Northern Qi Dynasty, as a review agency created by Emperor Wenxuan Gao Yang to prevent too many miscarriages of justice due to the excessive power of local judicial authorities at that time.