High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

"Good!" The guards cheered in unison. This was the only moment of glory they had seen Tang Ke up to date, and their usually disdainful eyes finally showed a glimmer of light.

Tang Ke ignored this sudden change and rushed to Qu Mu's side, examining his eyelids and arms.

"Quickly take him to see a doctor; he's been poisoned."

He had seen too many murders to cover up wrongdoings. Someone like Qu Mu, who had been driven to the brink of despair but still refused to leave Luoyang, was bound to be murdered by his employer sooner or later.

He originally only wanted to kill Qu Mu directly to avoid future troubles, but after discovering that the opponent knew the Soul-Seizing Technique during the battle, he changed his mind.

This method of suppressing the opponent by boosting morale is still very useful in actual combat, at least for someone of his current level, it has great scientific research value.

Several imperial guards quickly carried Qu Mu onto a horse and left the scene.

A fast horse galloped from afar, and Tang Ke looked up and saw Li Jin in the distance.

He sped all the way to Tang Ke's side before stopping, pulling him aside and whispering in his ear, "My lord, word has come from the palace that Feng Xu and his gang have jointly impeached you in court."

"Impose me? Implicate me for what?" Tang Ke didn't care at all, as if he had already planned it all out. He deliberately feigned illness and didn't attend court today, just to wait for these people to come forward on their own. Recently, whenever he was around, these people hid better than anyone else.

Li Jin carefully considered his words for a long time, and after hesitating for a while, he finally managed to utter, "They accused you of treason and harassment..."

Tang Ke laughed loudly: "So you're trying to flirt with the Empress's sister, huh?"

"How did you know?" Li Jin looked at him suspiciously. "Could it be that you really..."

Tang Ke did not directly answer his question: "How many people submitted a memorial? Are they significant enough?"

"Of course it's enough. More than a dozen people jointly impeached him! The leaders, Feng Xu and Xu Feng, spoke with such conviction that no one could help but believe them." Li Jin felt like the sky was about to fall, but the person involved acted as if it were none of his business, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

Tang Ke nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it. I'll write these people down in my little notebook. They'll get what's coming to them."

Li Jin tentatively asked, "Why doesn't Your Excellency go to the palace to explain yourself and prove your innocence?"

"No need. Zhang Feng has recovered enough, hasn't he? Quickly send him to the palace to meet his father."

"Yes!" Li Jin immediately left the scene as instructed. This was what Tang Ke liked most about him. He was obviously very gossipy, but once his master gave an order, he could immediately suppress his curiosity and carry it out without fail.

Feng Xu and Xu Feng were clearly possessed. In their precarious situation, they still dared to use others to do their dirty work. They didn't even consider the consequences of publicly exposing the royal family's shameful secrets. Even if Emperor Ling of Han could tolerate them, Empress He and He Jin would never tolerate them.

Moreover, their current situation is quite awkward. As followers of the Way of Peace, they would still have a way to survive if the Yellow Turban Rebellion had not broken out, but according to intelligence, the rebellion is imminent.

Before long, Li Jin reported back that he had sent Zhang Feng into the palace. He even waited outside the palace for a while to make sure that Zhang Feng had not betrayed the Tang guests before returning.

"My lord, why don't you hurry to the palace to explain? The Emperor is furious right now, and if you happen to fall into his hands, His Majesty's mood won't be very good."

“There are meetings every few days, I’m not going.” Tang Ke turned and left.

"Where did the adults go?"

"Going to see off an old friend."

Darkness seems to be a typical characteristic of the imperial prison.

Ma Yuanyi's entire body was already numb with pain, and his wounds had begun to fester.

It was pitch black all around, and when he stretched out his hand, he couldn't even see his own fingers.

The dense darkness was suffocating, and he reached out and groped around, trying to find something.

Given his crime of assassinating the emperor, torture had become commonplace for him. In order to make him submit, in addition to physical torture, psychological pressure was also essential to break through his psychological defenses, make him completely submissive, and prevent him from having any desire to resist.

The mere thought of being imprisoned in solitary confinement, with no one to talk to, letting time slip by, and spending every day in a daze in this boundless darkness, is already enough to drive anyone to the brink of collapse.

The loneliness in the darkness sometimes made him want to shout out loud, to vent, and to hope for even the slightest spark of light.

Or perhaps anyone could make any noise, even a shout or a curse, which he would find better than this terrible silence, or even being whipped and tortured, than wasting his time in this boundless darkness.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Clear footsteps approached, each sound reaching the ear, and a person carrying a torch walked in step by step.

"Who?"

"It's me!" Tang Ke said in a strained voice, sharp and shrill.

Ma Yuanyi struggled to change his sitting position: "So it's you, Commander of the Imperial Guard. You solved this case and made such a great contribution. You're so young and already in such a high position. Why aren't you enjoying your life at your residence? Why are you in a place like this?"

Tang Ke shrugged, not caring whether he saw him or not, and said, "I came here specifically to see you."

Ma Yuanyi chuckled coldly: "Do you want me to point out someone else?"

Tang Ke did not answer, but placed the food he had brought in on the ground.

Ma Yuanyi touched the food and was a little surprised. The food delivered not only contained meat, but also fish.

"Is Ma's time to die coming?" He groaned as he struggled, was he finally going to be free?

"Soon! The results will be available in two or three days." Tang Ke made no attempt to hide anything.

Upon hearing this, Ma Yuanyi seemed greatly encouraged. With his appetite whetted, he ate all the food in a flash, leaving nothing behind.

He put down his bowl, stretched, and laughed loudly, "As a death row inmate, being able to have a full meal before I die, what more could I ask for in life?"

Tang Ke waited quietly for him to finish eating without making a sound. He had hated Ma Yuanyi so much before, but now that the moment had come, he suddenly felt a little reluctant.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do for you?" Ma Yuanyi leaned against the wall, trying to move to a vacant corner of the cell to make himself more comfortable.

"What can a death row inmate like you do for me? You're so arrogant."

Tang Ke originally wanted to ask him why he betrayed him and resolve this knot in his heart that had been troubling him for many days, but after hesitating again and again, he finally chose to give up.

Every time he saw Ma Yuanyi, he had different emotions. This time, however, he was neither angry nor scolding, but rather felt a touch of sympathy for Ma Yuanyi's plight.

Perhaps this is what is meant by "the rabbit dies, the fox grieves, and things of the same kind grieve." They came out of Taiping Dao together with the initial goal of overthrowing the imperial court, and they had a deep foundation of friendship. But now, this meal of his might be his last drink before his execution.

“Actually, you didn’t need to disguise your voice. That day in the main hall, I recognized you when you were wearing the pockmarked mask.” Ma Yuanyi’s tone was wistful, and he sighed heavily: “Strategist!”