The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 431

"If you want to die, then eat it."

Just as he picked up the dish worth over ten thousand yuan and hadn't even put it in his mouth, he heard Xu Tian suddenly say something like that.

"Is there anything else, sir?" Wan Yuanyu was getting impatient with the other party, so he put down his chopsticks and asked, suppressing his anger.

"Calling you stupid is an insult to the word. I think you're just hopelessly naive. Even if someone like you died, no one would care."

Xu Tian made a sarcastic remark, then turned to Qin Xian and ordered, "Go and bring a white mouse. We'll know whether this dish is poisonous or not once we test it."

"Prison food has always been notoriously bad. Except for those executed in the afternoon who get a decent meal, the other 'luxury' meals are the source of their deaths," Xu Tian said.

"This...no, that can't be."

Wan Yuan's chopsticks trembled as he held them, and he didn't care that he was still hungry. He left the meal and watched from a distance.

He wasn't going to risk verifying whether the food was poisoned.

If it really is poisonous, wouldn't he lose his life here?!

Thinking of this, Wan Yuanyu's face turned deathly pale.

Xu Tian sent Qin Xian to bring back a white mouse, but the other party took a shortcut and grabbed a palm-sized mouse directly from the cell next door.

"My son! You bastards! Someone has stolen my son!"

Qin had just snatched the rats that someone else was raising when a series of wailing and howling sounds rang out.

"you......"

"Don't worry, sir, it was a legitimate transaction between us. I left him some silver."

Xu Tian was about to speak when Qin Xian interrupted him.

"Alright then." Xu Tian nodded, somewhat helplessly. Qin Xian's actions were a bit unethical, but since the other party had paid him, he wouldn't bother to investigate further.

"Kid, watch closely, see just how tempting your meal is." Qin glanced provocatively at the ten thousand yuan, then placed the rat on top of his food.

"Squeak—" The little mouse squeaked twice and pounced on the meal worth more than 10,000 yuan to gnaw on it.

"Squeak-"

It was probably since it was born in prison that the little mouse had eaten such delicious food, so much so that it became engrossed in it, happily eating. But soon Xu Tian and Qin Xian, along with more than 10,000 yuan, noticed that the little mouse had stopped moving.

"Dead?" Qin Xian asked in confusion, reaching out to poke the little mouse. The palm-sized mouse lay stiffly to the side.

"It's...it's poisonous!" Wan Yuanduo was terrified. He prostrated himself on the ground, his voice almost pleading, "Sir, I'll tell you everything."

"Please, sir, save my life! I know I was wrong, I beg you, sir!"

Wan Duoyuan wasn't afraid of dying, but he was afraid of dying without knowing why, and afraid that he wouldn't see his wife and children one last time before he died.

"Get up and let's talk." Xu Tian helped Wan Yuanduo up, then had Qin Xian take away the little mouse and food, and started chatting with Wan Yuanduo.

"I know you're a scapegoat. Tell me who told you to do this? What exactly happened in the classroom?"

"My lord, I am innocent! It's all the Minister of Works' fault, it's all his fault!" Wan Duoyu replied, trembling.

"They kidnapped my wife and children and are forcing me to take all the blame."

"Sir, I'm just a worker and have no right to touch the blueprints. Besides, I'm in charge of classroom allocations. How could I dare to do such a thing? I'm all alone and helpless. Doing something like this is a capital offense. I can't take the risk!"

She poured out her heart about the hardships she had endured, explaining why she was threatened and why she had taken on all the burdens.

"I understand." After the conversation, Xu Tian simply nodded.