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

luncheon

Inside the banquet hall, the atmosphere was lively and boisterous. Zhang Jingwei, forcing himself to stay alert, mingled with several officials from the capital. A middle-aged official named Pei, a Lieutenant Colonel in a certain department, sat at the head of the table, twirling his beard as he listened to Zhang Jingwei's story.

"Oh? 'Qilin Blood'?" Pei Zhonglang put down his wine glass, a look of confusion on his face. "I've been an official in the capital for quite some time, and I've had the pleasure of glancing over the Imperial Hospital's catalog of rare medicinal herbs a few times, but I've never heard of such a miraculous medicine... Mr. Zhang, since this is what you need to treat your illness, why not write a letter directly to ask for the help of Li Yuanzheng of the Imperial Hospital? If he asks, there might be hope for the palace's secret medicine."

Zhang Jingwei sighed, his smile somewhat forced. "To be honest with you, Master Pei, this prescription... was personally prescribed by Li Yuanzheng."

Pei Zhonglang was even more surprised when he heard this, and leaned forward slightly: "This is strange. Li Yuanzheng has a family of profound learning and has served the court for generations. The prescriptions he prescribes are definitely not nonsense. But this "Qilin Blood"... Please forgive my ignorance, I have never heard of it." He shook his head, as if he found this matter quite strange.

Zhang Jingwei's anxiety grew even worse, and he could only explain, "Li Yuanzheng said that this medicine is extremely rare and precious, not ordinary..."

——At this moment, Wang Ergou looked nervous. He walked quietly to Zhang Jingwei and leaned over to whisper a few words in his ear.

The polite smile on Zhang Jingwei's face froze instantly, and then he slammed the table! "Bullshit!"

His roar was like thunderclapping from the sky, instantly shattering the harmonious atmosphere at the banquet! The beautiful music of stringed instruments came to an abrupt end, and the officials who were chatting and laughing were all startled. They raised their wine glasses and picked up their chopsticks, staring in astonishment at the host who had suddenly lost his composure.

Zhang Jingwei abruptly stood up, his face livid, his chest heaving violently. Realizing his own loss of composure, he forced down his surging emotions and bowed hastily to Pei Zhonglang, who was also stunned in the main seat. His voice was a little hoarse with urgency: "Master Pei, everyone! I'm deeply sorry! My wife has had a sudden emergency and is extremely unwell. I must return immediately to see her. I apologize for any impoliteness!"

After he finished speaking, he didn't even wait for a response, but immediately turned to Huang Liang who was sitting below him and hurriedly ordered: "Huang Zhubu! I'll trouble you to sit here and make sure to entertain all the gentlemen!" Before he finished speaking, he turned around and almost ran out of the banquet hall, leaving the guests in the room stunned.

Huang Liang immediately stood up, a practiced, conciliatory smile plastered across his face as he bowed repeatedly to the officials. "Please forgive me, my lords! My wife and I share a deep bond, and upon hearing that she was ill, I was distraught. I beg your pardon for any impoliteness!"

Pei Zhonglang was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses. A strange yet understanding smile appeared on his face, and he laughed, "It's okay, it's okay... Haha, I didn't expect that County Man Zhang, despite his young age, is such a loving and affectionate husband. It's just that... the banquet is only halfway over..."

Huang Liang immediately responded, his tone sincere, "That's right! My master is incredibly caring towards Madam. That 'Qilin Blood' you just heard about is the life-saving elixir that he has sought for Madam at all costs! Madam's condition must be critical, which is why he lost his composure. It was definitely not intentional to neglect you all."

Pei Zhonglang sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Oh, I see. It seems today is not a good time to discuss official business."

Huang Liang's smile remained unchanged, but he cleverly changed the subject: "No, no, no, Master Pei, you are wrong. For Gaoyang, for my master, today's arrival is the most opportune moment! It is a great honor for our humble home, and I couldn't ask for more! Although I will be accompanying you at the banquet for the time being, I will not dare to neglect you in the slightest. After three rounds of drinks, I have already arranged some entertainment for you, the masters. I will make sure you enjoy yourself to the fullest and return home with no regrets!"

When Pei Zhonglang heard the term "entertainment," his initial annoyance instantly vanished. His eyes lit up, and he unconsciously sat up a little straighter. "Oh? Entertainment? Could it be... that famous 'Zuixianlou' in the city? I've heard colleagues mention it in the capital. They say Gaoyang Zuixianlou is a place with no taboos and a sea of ​​beauties!"

Huang Liang smiled knowingly and personally filled Pei Zhonglang's cup with wine. "Your Excellency is truly a man of refinement and vast knowledge! Come, Your Excellency, please drink this cup to the full! I'll take care of everything!"

Pei Zhonglang's face lit up with a smile, all his unhappiness vanishing. He raised his glass and nodded repeatedly, "Good! Good! Huang Zhubu is truly a wonderful man! He's thoughtful! It's exactly what I want! Come, everyone, let's drink this cup together!"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall soon became lively again, but the protagonist had changed, and the real storm was quietly turning to the backyard of the county government office.

---

Main courtyard of the county magistrate's residence

Zhang Jingwei ran furiously, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. A sense of foreboding coiled around him like a cold, venomous snake. He rushed into the main courtyard, and the sight before him only deepened his grief. All the servants, including Zhang Liu, Qian Ming, and several maids, gathered around the door of his wife's bedroom like ants on a hot pot, their faces filled with panic. Douya, her face stained with tears, was pounding in vain against the closed door with all her might, her voice piercing with tears: "Madam! Madam, please open the door!"

"What are you all doing?!" Zhang Jingwei shouted loudly, like a thunderclap in the yard, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Zhang Liu stumbled over as if he had found his true leader. His old face was filled with anxiety and embarrassment, and his voice trembled, "Master! You're finally back! The Young Madam's door is bolted from the inside! This old servant... This old servant hears something strange going on inside, but... Without your order, this old servant really doesn't dare to knock on the Madam's door!"

Zhang Jingwei's eyes flashed as he quickly scanned the area. He asked sharply, "Where's Jia Dayong?! Isn't he responsible for guarding the inner courtyard? Let him break the door open!"

Zhang Liu's face turned even uglier when he heard this. His lips trembled as he hesitated to speak. Finally, he said with difficulty, "Guard Jia... he... he seems... to be inside..."

These words hit Zhang Jingwei's heart like a hammer! A bone-chilling fear instantly gripped him! Without the slightest hesitation, he locked his gaze on Ding Xu, the strongest man present, and practically shouted, "Ding Xu! Break the door open! Now!"

"Yes, Master!" Ding Xu responded without hesitation. He stepped back, took a deep breath, and then, like a bull, slammed his shoulder into the sturdy hardwood door.

"哐——!!!"

With a loud bang, the high-grade hardwood door latch broke, a large hole was opened in the door panel, and wood splinters flew everywhere.

However, the moment the door was knocked open a crack, Ding Xu's movements suddenly froze! He seemed to see something through the gap, his face instantly turned pale, and he hurriedly took a step back, not daring to knock it open again. Turning to Zhang Jingwei, his voice was filled with unprecedented panic: "Young... Young Master... Inside... Otherwise... Please... push it open again..." His eyes were evasive, obviously afraid of seeing something he should never see, a scene that would bring him disaster.

All the servants held their breath, lowered their heads, and dared not speak. The air was filled with suffocating fear.

"Waste!" Zhang Jingwei was now enraged. Anxiety, anger, and fear intertwined, nearly driving him mad. He roared, no longer counting on anyone, and suddenly raised his foot, using all his strength to kick the already broken door!

"Bang!" The door was kicked open completely, and the scene inside the room was exposed to everyone without any cover -

Shock!

A strong, disgusting smell of blood hit me in the face!

What greeted his eyes was a scene resembling hell—a glaring mass of blood splattered and flowing across the floor, covering half the room! Jia Dayong's massive body collapsed directly into the center of the pool, his face frozen in shock and pain, his breath barely audible!

What made Zhang Jingwei even more heartbroken was that not far from Jia Dayong's "corpse", Huangfu Ling was lying naked and unconscious on the ground, with her fair skin and the dark red bloodstains forming an extremely glaring contrast!

Next to Jia Dayong's hand fell a very familiar dagger - the handle of the dagger was inlaid with precious gems. It was the token of love that Zhang Jingwei had given to Huangfu Ling!

"Ah--!" Douya let out a short scream, but she was the first to react. Almost instinctively, she rushed into the house, ignoring the blood on the ground, and used her body to block Huangfu Ling's naked body, trying to block out the horrified gazes outside the door.

The people outside the door also knew what to do and turned their heads away, not daring to look inside.

Zhang Jingwei's mind went blank, the huge impact almost made him lose his balance. He suddenly ripped off his official robe, rushed forward, and covered Huangfu Ling tightly with the robe, then carefully picked up her cold, bloodstained body.

As he moved, his foot suddenly slipped and he nearly fell. He looked down and saw that he was stepping on a small pool of sticky liquid that was not blood...

As an adult, he instantly understood what it was!

A surge of rage and heart-wrenching pain instantly overwhelmed him! His face turned ashen, veins bulged on his forehead, and his teeth chattered, but he suppressed his anger and made no sound. Only his eyes had turned a deep red, filled with terrifying murderous intent and a desire for destruction.

He gently placed Huangfu Ling on the bed and covered her carefully with a quilt.

Douya knelt beside the bed, looking at the lady's pale, lifeless face. Unable to hold back any longer, she sobbed softly, "Madam... Madam, please wake up... Please don't scare me..."

"Stop howling!" Zhang Jingwei turned his head abruptly and let out a suppressed growl at Douya, his voice terribly hoarse. "Go call Sun Yaolang! Run! Quick!!"

Douya was startled by the yelling and immediately stopped crying, then crawled out of the room.

Zhang Jingwei stood there, his chest heaving violently. He tried to calm himself down and analyze this nightmare. But the bloody, erotic scene before him was extremely humiliating and full of conspiracy. It was like a red-hot knife, repeatedly stabbing his nerves and making it impossible for him to think!

The air was filled with the smell of blood, an ambiguous fragrance and death.