Chapter 158: Temptation
Editor: Atlas Studios
Mu Yangling touched her chest without batting an eyelid, feeling pain.
Mu Shitou lowered his head and knelt respectfully. After Bai Li was kicked away, he got up and knelt properly. He lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
xThe military doctor sat on the stool and took Qi Haoran’s pulse, as if he didn’t see anything. After taking his pulse, he checked the wounds on Qi Haoran’s body. Then, he stood up and bowed to Qi Xiuyuan. “General, Little General’s injuries are serious. I’m afraid I’m not skilled enough.” Seeing Qi Xiuyuan’s ugly expression, he said, “As Little General’s vital points are injured, he has to be sent to Doctor Liu at the Concentrated Hall in Xingyuan Prefecture. Perhaps he might be able to save him.”
Bai Li’s expression changed and he looked up at Qi Xiuyuan. Qi Xiuyuan asked, “What happens if we don’t send him to Xingyuan Prefecture and can only let him be treated in Xingzhou Prefecture?”
The military doctor paused and thought for a moment before saying, “Then we can only ask Pang Kongqing from Benevolence Hall to help. Although he’s young, his research on internal illnesses is far better than others. This makes him understand a person’s internal organs better than others. As for the external injuries, I believe I can handle it. I’m 70% confident that Little General’s wound won’t inflame.”
Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and said, “Go out and wait. I’ll ask again.”
Bai Li said in a low voice, “General, Pang Kongqing is in the room next door. Why don’t we get the military doctor to go to the kitchen to take a look at the medicine?”
Qi Xiuyuan was furious. What kind of trouble did his brother get into that he had to be so careful? Looking at his brother on the bed, Qi Xiuyuan was really angry and heartbroken. In the end, his anger shifted to Bai Li and he asked coldly, “I asked you to protect and take care of him, not let him risk his life.”
With a pale face, Bai Li lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand and asked the military doctor to go to the kitchen to take a look at the medicine. The military doctor also knew that he was doing this to hide his whereabouts and try not to let Pang Kongqing, who was in the next room, discover him.
In fact, Pang Kongqing could not discover it at all because he was tied to a pillar by Bai Li. Not only was his mouth stuffed, but his eyes were also blindfolded. If not for the fact that the effect was not great, Bai Li would have plugged his ears, too.
At first, he only heard many footsteps and knew that someone was coming. Then, there was a loud bang, as if something had hit the wall. Now, Pang Kongqing only wanted to pretend to be dead. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ask for help, but he had no idea who the person outside was. What if it was an accomplice?
It was fine if he died, but he didn’t want to implicate his wife and family in the end.
Pang Kongqing really regretted it. He shouldn’t have come just because Mu Bowen was cute. However, he was a doctor. Even if the person who had come to invite him wasn’t Mu Yangling but someone else, he would still have come…
While Pang Kongqing was letting his imagination run wild, Qi Xiuyuan was asking Bai Li what was going on.
Bai Li looked up at Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin.
Fan Zijin sat there in a daze and did not move, his eyes focused on Qi Haoran. He, who had always been smart, did not catch Bai Li’s hint. Besides, even if he did, he would not leave. There was nothing about Qi Haoran that he did not know about?
The plan to infiltrate Baoshan County from Four Tray Village to investigate the enemy was perfected by him and Haoran.
However, Mu Yangling stood up and was about to leave. Qi Xiuyuan glanced at Mu Shi and waved his hand to stop her. “You can stay. Zijin is family, but you’re also someone Haoran trusts.” He still didn’t know what trouble Haoran had caused. Judging by Bai Li’s appearance, it seemed to be pretty serious trouble. As such, he would probably have to find Mu Yangling to cover it up in the future. Anyway, her father already knew the truth, so he might as well let her know, too.
Qi Xiuyuan did not treat Mu Yangling as a child. Instead, he felt that she was more reliable than Mu Shi. Although this was an intuition, Qi Xiuyuan believed it very much. He would never ignore any of his intuitions.
However, Qi Xiuyuan had thought of all kinds of things, but he did not expect his brother to get into such trouble.
After confirming that there were only the few of them in the house and that there was no one in the courtyard outside, and that Yanmo was guarding outside, Bai Li said in a low voice, “General, Little General killed the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom, Wo Ben, in Hanzhong Prefecture…”
Qi Xiuyuan’s pupils constricted. He grabbed his clothes tightly and looked at him in shock.
Fan Zijin also widened his eyes and turned his head, almost twisting his neck because he moved too quickly. On the other hand, Mu Yangling was the calmest. In her eyes, the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom was just a symbol. In this chaotic world where even the emperor might be captured, killing a Crown Prince wasn’t such a big deal in her opinion.
Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan and Fan Zijin were silent, Mu Yangling could only ask softly, “Have your identities been discovered?”
Bai Li shook his head. “We were dressed as Hus in Hanzhong Prefecture. At that time, there was a sudden conflict. After Little General killed him, we looked through the things on his body and found out that he was the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom. We retreated almost immediately, but we were still discovered. We only escaped after a bloody attack. General, this matter must not be exposed. The Jin Kingdom already has the ambition to invade our Great Zhou. If this matter is exposed, Little General…” Bai Li looked at Qi Xiuyuan anxiously.
Fan Zijin also knelt in front of Qi Xiuyuan and hugged his leg. “Cousin, quickly save Haoran. I was the one who agreed to let him go over. You know that he has always listened to me. Just take it that I did this.”
Qi Xiuyuan slapped him and said hatefully, “What do you think I want to do? Haoran is my biological younger brother! Can he be saved if you take the blame? Knowing what those people in Lin’an are like, the Qi family and the Fan family will probably perish.”
Fan Zijin’s face turned pale.
Mu Yangling couldn’t help but look at them in shock. She couldn’t help but say, “Didn’t Bai Li say that they still discovered their identities? Then, we just have to clean up the loose ends and frame them to keep them busy.” Mu Yangling racked her brains and recalled the often-played ploys in television dramas. Coupled with her past drills and the battle of wits and bravery with the drug lords, she said, “For example, we can frame the other princes of the Jin Kingdom, such as the Eldest, Second, and Third Princes. Whoever has the ambition to fight for the throne has the potential to be framed. Also, didn’t the Xia Kingdom next door take the opportunity to plunder resources on the Jin’s land in the previous battle with the Jin soldiers? Since they’re also bad people, let them fight each other. Anyway, the Jin and Xia Kingdoms are next to each other, making it more convenient for them to enter the Jin Kingdom than us.” Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan’s expression was still ugly, she added, “Anyway, in their eyes, the Han people are physically weak, lack resources and timid, and are only capable of boasting and scheming. Even if we admit to killing the Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom, I don’t think they will truly believe it was us. We should, however, be wary that they use this as an excuse to attack our Great Zhou.”
Only then did Qi Xiuyuan look at Mu Yangling with surprise in his eyes.
Fan Zijin’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Qi Xiuyuan’s robe and said, “Mu Yangling is right. Cousin, let’s do as Mu Yangling says.”
Qi Xiuyuan glared at him and pulled him up. He stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to Mu Yangling. “Thank you, Miss Mu.” He looked at Mu Yangling deeply and smiled. “Speaking of which, Miss Mu has done us three brothers a huge favor. You saved us again this time. I’m really grateful. Miss Mu, if you need help in the future, just look for me or Zijin. As long as we can do it, we’ll definitely help you achieve it.”