HCB Chapter 214 Qi Yuchang
Chapter 214 Qi Yuchang
Chapter 214 Qi Yuchang
Apart from having someone deliver food and water to him every morning, Lin Ziping seemed to have been forgotten.
The candle burned out shortly after Ryan left, plunging the room into darkness.
To prevent him from tripping, Lin Ziping tied up the young man on the ground and dragged him to a corner, feeding him some water every day to keep him alive.
Whenever the young man went berserk, Lin Ziping would give him a physical blow by knocking him unconscious with a stool.
In the battle between the young man's madness and Lin Ziping's insanity, Lin Ziping's madness ultimately prevailed, and the young man personally proved the quality of the stool.
The room was pitch black, and the passage of time was imperceptible. Having experienced more than a month in prison, Lin Ziping felt alright.
Moreover, there is a real case that was shown on television as a cautionary tale, and it is happening right here in our neighborhood.
Lin Ziping observed his changes every day, his enthusiasm for research comparable to that of writing a graduation thesis.
After an unknown amount of time, the young man gradually regained consciousness, but he looked weak and powerless. Lin Ziping kindly fed him some steamed buns.
"What's your name? Which battalion are you from? Why did you faint at the Sixth Prince's birthday banquet?" Lin Ziping asked three questions in quick succession.
Lin Ziping dragged the stool over and placed it at his feet, looking down at him: "Think carefully about your answer, or you can experience the taste of this stool more deeply."
The person on the ground gasped for breath.
There's no way for two people to share a room; there are always inconveniences, and sometimes we have to resort to special measures.
But I must say that a stool is a really handy tool.
"My name is Qi Yuchang, from the Imperial Guard." The man on the ground was barely breathing, and Lin Ziping had to lean closer to hear what he was saying.
Imperial Guards, could it be that the disaster they have suffered is truly an undeserved one?
Lin Ziping has been quite busy these past few days, repeatedly going over the events at Chunhe Palace that day.
Logically speaking, a banquet of this caliber would require security personnel to conduct thorough and repeated screenings, with their positions carefully arranged to ensure absolute security.
Lin Ziping is just a newcomer, so why was he placed in a position close to the "center stage"?
Thinking back to the position I stood in on the first day I went to the Taiji Hall, which was deliberately arranged by Liu Song, could my position be the same this time?
After all, this palace only had enemies with Luo Zijian, Liu Song, and a few others.
This was Lin Ziping's initial thought, but after seeing how Ruian was treated, he overturned his earlier assumption that Liu Song was up to no good.
Judging from the respectful manner at the entrance, Ruian, as the manager of Chunhe Garden, was no ordinary manager.
Even if Liu Song and the others were to retaliate against him, there was no need to offend such a powerful figure.
And then there's Qi Yuchang on the ground. Although he fainted from taking the anesthetic, Lin Ziping still found it somewhat surreal that he would faint so directly in front of His Majesty the Emperor.
However, Ryan's words also revealed that he believed Luo Zijian was responsible for the incident.
There is too little information available, and our current ideas are based on what others say and our speculations.
Knowing nothing, one can only be passively pushed along, with no initiative whatsoever.
It wasn't a problem before, but Lin Ziping doesn't want to be pushed around by others anymore.
"Who arranged for you to attend the birthday banquet? Who arranged for you to stand in that position?" Lin Ziping continued to ask.
"Isn't this a unified arrangement made by the palace?" Qi Yuchang asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Aren't you one of them?"
Lin Ziping choked, saying that what he said made a lot of sense, but was worthless.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and continued, "Then how did you faint?"
"I overslept this morning and in the chaos I couldn't find the opium. The boss was rushing me and I left in a hurry. Who knew..." His words were filled with endless regret. "If only I had taken a couple of puffs last night."
Lin Ziping frowned and asked, "Didn't you notice anything unusual up ahead?"
“Abnormal?” Qi Yuchang paused for a moment. “Nothing abnormal. We do this every day. Everyone is the same.”
Is it really just a coincidence?
When Lin Ziping thought of Rui'an mentioning Luo Zijian, an old man who had been immersed in the palace for many years, he felt that he was not speaking without reason.
Undeterred, he pressed on, "Isn't there anything different from usual?"
The room fell silent. After a long pause, Qi Yuchang stammered, "What do you mean by 'different'?"
"For example, someone talking to you a few extra words, someone who usually ignores you suddenly smiling at you... Do any of these things happen?!" Lin Ziping's voice revealed impatience. "Think carefully, otherwise..."
Qi Yuchang quickly said, "Gou Sanwa, who lives with me, usually glares at me, but he didn't glare at me yesterday. He must have taken my ginseng."
"Anything else?" Lin Ziping asked ominously.
“And…and…” Qi Yuchang said, “Yesterday one of my henchmen asked me to smoke ginseng.”
"Hmm?" Lin Ziping asked疑惑地, "Is there anything unusual about this?"
"You don't know, even though he's my follower, he's incredibly stingy. He only treated me to a smoke the first time, and never again. If I hadn't found Liu Song, I wouldn't have had that experience."
"Who knew that this kid would shamelessly invite me again yesterday? I couldn't resist and smoked a bit too much. I was especially excited last night." Qi Yuchang seemed to be savoring that feeling.
"Get to the point!" Lin Ziping kicked him.
"I suspect he deliberately invited me so that I wouldn't be able to get up the next day," Qi Yuchang said angrily.
……
Lin Ziping had a hard time explaining himself. He had never complained when he woke up in the morning that his phone was too fun.
Aside from knowing that Liu Song was involved with Fushougao, Qi Yuchang had no other useful information.
Lin Ziping kicked Qi Yuchang, saying, "What an idiot! He's been bought and he's still helping the seller count the money."
The first time they let you take the drug, they were setting a trap to get you addicted.
"I already told you, why are you still kicking me?"
"What's your henchman's name?"
"Fang Qing," Qi Yuchang said reluctantly.
"The Fang family?"
“What kind of Fang family member is he!” Qi Yuchang retorted, dissatisfied. “He’s just a poor relative who came to the Fang family for refuge. His master took pity on him, gave him the surname, and put him in the Imperial Guard.”
"And what about you?" Lin Ziping rolled his eyes.
"I'm not like him. I'm a relative of the Li family, and my sister is the Li family's wife!" Qi Yuchang said proudly.
“You’re not from the Li family, what’s there to brag about! You look pretty energetic, let’s go hungry today,” Lin Ziping said. “It’s good that you need to get rid of that smell.”
Qi Yuchang was stunned and cried out, "You won't give me food or drink, and you won't even let me use the latrine! I...I...how can I face anyone if I go out like this?"
I didn't notice it before, but now that you mention it, I realize that Qi Yuchang smells strongly of urine. Luckily, he didn't poop.
Lin Ziping pinched his nose and moved back slightly: "That's why I only let you drink water, not eat anything."
“You—” Qi Yuchang said.
Lin Ziping couldn't see the expression on his face, but he guessed it was one of gritted teeth and utter grief and indignation, which rendered him speechless.
With a humanistic concern, Lin Ziping sincerely advised, "That opium is no good, you should quit as soon as possible!"
Qi Yuchang muttered, "How come you don't know it's good stuff? I've been smoking it for days and nothing's happened to me. I even feel like I'm in heaven."
Lin Ziping stood up and kicked him: "Then go die!"
"Ouch—"