Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Inside the torture chamber.

Zhang Jingwei frowned and asked impatiently, "Haven't you made any moves yet?"

Wang Ergou replied with a flattering smile, "Master, why don't you just beat him? Leave a few horseshoe marks on him and he'll confess everything."

Zhang Jingwei glared at him and scolded him, "They haven't been convicted yet. Doing this is lynching. I don't want to be the bad guy."

Wang Ergou grumbled, somewhat reluctantly saying, "But wasting time like this isn't a solution, Master."

Zhang Jingwei pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile. He said to Qian Ming, "Qian Ming, go to the brothel and find two charming girls. I want to invite them to watch a dance."

Qian Ming was stunned and asked in confusion, "Ah? Who are you inviting to watch the dance?"

The smile on Zhang Jingwei's face grew even wider. He turned to look at Wang Ergou and ordered, "Gouzi, go to the torture chamber and make it warmer. Tell those two girls to wear less."

Wang Ergou was even more bewildered. He scratched his head and said doubtfully, "Master, we'll do whatever you say. That's fine. But I don't quite understand. If you really want to see dancing, why don't we just go to a brothel? Why bother inviting someone to dance here? It's going to cost so much money!"

Zhang Jingwei smiled mysteriously, patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder, and said, "You don't understand...you will know in a while."

……

The two alchemists also changed from the previous "three-fold" to one standing, tied to a wooden stake and gagged, unable to speak, and the other kneeling, blindfolded and unable to see. Moreover, they were facing each other, which was a very awkward position.

Not long after, Qian Ming returned, followed by two slender, brightly dressed dancers. They had clearly been "invited" by the yamen runners, and with expressions of undisguised fear and uneasiness on their faces, they cautiously entered the room that represented the authority of the county yamen.

"Master, as you instructed, I have found the girl with the best figure in the brothel." Qian Ming reported in a low voice, his eyes flickering a little, and it was obvious that he felt very strange about this "task" of his master.

Zhang Jingwei turned around upon hearing the voice, his eyes swept over the two girls calmly, and he nodded slightly: "Yeah." There was no emotion in his voice.

One of the dancers, who was a little bolder and had a bit of cleverness in her eyes, looked at the young but majestic county magistrate in front of her, and caught a glimpse of the vague figure of the yamen runner with a sword outside the door. Finally, she couldn't help it, and with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice, she bowed and said, "Sir... two sisters... have always been law-abiding and have not made any mistakes. I don't know... I don't know why you ordered someone to bring us here? If we have offended you in any way, I hope you can tell me clearly..." The girl next to her, who looked more fragile, lowered her head, twisted the corner of her clothes tightly with her fingers, and dared not breathe.

Zhang Jingwei observed their frightened expressions, forcing a wry smile of helplessness and embarrassment. He waved his hand, signaling them to refrain from formalities. His tone softened, even to the point of sincerity: "Don't panic, don't panic. Alas... To be honest, I haven't asked you two ladies to come here to accuse me of anything, but... I have a difficult matter to conceal, and I'd like to ask for your help."

He paced a few steps, seeming to find it difficult to speak. Finally, he sighed and lowered his voice, "I have two close friends... alas, I don't know if it's from overwork or something else, but they've developed that... that impotence. They've sought out many famous doctors, but nothing has worked, and they're extremely distressed. A while ago, I stumbled upon a folk remedy from a strange man..." He paused, observing the two dancers' expressions. Seeing the confusion in their eyes deepen, he continued, "It says... that the patient's body must be tied up in a special way, accompanied by... um... some erotic and stimulating scenes, in order to stimulate the body's latent yang energy and restore virility. This method... is quite strange, but the strange man's words are so convincing, so I can only... try it as a last resort."

At the sight of these bizarre words, the daring dancer was stunned at first, then burst out laughing as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. She quickly covered her mouth, her eyes flickering with a hint of amusement and understanding: "Sir... you really know how to joke. If you really have such a hidden illness, you should seek a prescription from a reputable doctor. This... this method of binding and stimulation, I am quite experienced in the world of pleasure, but this is the first time I have heard of it." She obviously didn't believe it, thinking it was just a quirky hobby of the young county magistrate, or perhaps a prelude to his next request.

The embarrassment on Zhang Jingwei's face grew even more intense. He rubbed his hands, appearing somewhat "awkward," yet his tone was unusually "sincere." "Folk remedies always have some...unusual aspects. I'm really at my wit's end, so I resorted to this last resort. Ladies, don't worry, I just ask you to dance to a few of your best, most...um...seductive dances as usual. As for the tying up, someone else will do it, so you don't need to bother." He emphasized the "someone else will do it," his eyes vaguely glancing behind the screen or outside the door (implying that Wang Ergou and the others were on standby). Then, he threw out the most practical temptation: "After the matter is done, no matter whether my two friends...are effective or not, I, Zhang Jingwei, will pay double the bonus! I will never break my promise!"

Upon hearing the phrase "double bonus," the two dancers exchanged glances. In the world of pleasure, money is the ultimate reassurance. Since the master had promised a high price, and was simply asking them to dance (albeit under strange circumstances and circumstances), it didn't seem like a big deal. The bold dancer's smile faded, but a hint of doubt and a certain eagerness to watch the fun lingered in her eyes. She bowed and said, "Since your master has said so... then we two sisters will do our best. However... this method is truly unheard of. If... if it doesn't work, your master can't blame us sisters for our lack of skill." She deftly extricated herself.

"Of course!" Zhang Jingwei assured immediately, the "anxiety" on his face seemingly eased somewhat by their agreement. "Whatever the outcome, it's not your fault. It's all thanks to my two friends... well, they weren't blessed enough." He gestured with a "please," pointing to a temporarily cleared space in the center of the room. "Ladies, please begin. The more... well... the more engaging, the better."

The two dancers gathered themselves. Though they still had some doubts, their professional instincts enabled them to quickly adjust. Musicians were absent, so they brought their own pipa and bells. They stretched their waists, waved their sleeves, and, with a flickering glance, deliberately displayed the gentleness and seduction that belonged to a romantic place.

The hot-tempered Taoist priest knelt on the ground and asked, "Why do I hear the sounds of pipa and bells?"

He asked again, "Brother Ge, are you still there?"

The only response he got was a humming response from the Taoist priest named Ge.

The dancer walked to the side of the Taoist priest named Ge with a swaying figure, and slowly took off her outer clothes, leaving the half-exposed spring scenery inside. "Sir, do you think I am beautiful~"

The alchemist kneeling on the ground couldn't see because he was blindfolded, so he scoffed, "A honey trap? Humph, I think that kid named Zhang is at his wit's end."

The rag in the mouth of the Taoist priest surnamed Ge fell out due to the violent shaking. He saw the current situation clearly and hurriedly reminded, "Don't open your mouth... Woo woo..." But after he said a few words, Wang Ergou stuffed the rag back.

The alchemist kneeling on the ground might not have heard clearly, but he smelled a strange smell. "What? What smell? It's so fishy, ​​like heather."

Zhang Jingwei had already stripped down the Taoist priest Ge's pants. The two dancers were still teasing him.

One of the dancers shouted excitedly: "Sir, it's cured, look." She even felt a little proud as she said this, and started to tease him directly.

Zhang Jingwei was already slapping his thigh and laughing, "Haha, I saw it."

Wang Ergou and Qian Ming laughed so hard that they fell over.

The alchemist, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly became furious. "What are you laughing at!?" He raised his head, and just as he did so, he felt something hit his mouth. "Bah, I won't eat anything of yours."

Zhang Jingwei winked at Qian Ming and said with a wicked smile, "Qian Ming, pinch his nose and give him a taste."

Qian Ming smiled and pinched the irritable Taoist priest's nose in disdain, fearing that he might bump into something dirty. "Hahaha, oh my god... Master, you are..."

The irritable Taoist priest felt something long and stabbed his throat, which made him feel nauseous. His attack became even more intense. “Wuwu… Ugh… You… Wuwu…”

The alchemist surnamed Ge was already crying. She seemed to have given up and looked at Zhang Jingwei helplessly.

Zhang Jingwei understood what he meant and pulled the rag out of his mouth.

The moment he pulled off the rag, the Taoist priest surnamed Ge said with a look of despair, "I confess... I confess. Please stop for a moment. I really confess."

The irritable Taoist priest felt sick to his stomach and coughed violently, "Ugh, cough, cough, Brother Ge, why is this happening?"

The Taoist priest surnamed Ge advised, "Forget it, it's better for you not to know."

The violent alchemist's blindfold was taken off, and the scene before him made him extremely desperate.

The dancer giggled and said, "So they are not impotent, they are actually having sexual intercourse."

"Zhang Jingwei, I will not let you go even if I become a ghost." The irritable alchemist roared and bit his tongue.

Wang Ergou hurried forward and tried to stop it.

Zhang Jingwei shook his head in disdain. "Alas, why would anyone believe such nonsense as biting the tongue to commit suicide? Have you read too many storybooks?" He continued, "Biting the tongue will hurt enough to make you faint, but it won't be fatal unless you bite into the deep veins at the base of the tongue. You have no common sense at all, and yet you still have the nerve to call yourself an 'alchemist'!"