OBS Chapter 271 Bring the person here to me!
Chapter 271 Bring the person here to me!
The Department of Penal Caution, the Water Prison.
A heavy stench of decay, mixed with the metallic scent of blood, fermented between the seeping stone walls. Water droplets dripped from the inverted stalactites, splashing onto the moss-covered ground with a sticky echo.
Lin Qing, the head eunuch of Fengyi Palace, was curled up in knee-deep sewage, and yellow pus was oozing from the wound where the chain had pierced his collarbone.
Suddenly, a pair of black dragon-patterned boots crushed the torches reflected on the water's surface, and the young emperor's shadow enveloped him in darkness.
"Tell me, where did the Empress hide the antidote?"
Lin Qing raised her head and looked at Pei Yuanling, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Your Majesty, this servant does not know what you are talking about."
"Still trying to be stubborn?"
Pei Yuanling lowered his eyes to look at the jade ring in his palm and said coldly, "It seems that this bone-piercing torture is not painful enough. Guards, continue the torture!"
Before the last word had even faded, the jailer had already pressed the red-hot iron box onto Lin Qing's bare ankle.
"what!!"
The sound of burning flesh mixed with Lin Qing's sudden, high-pitched scream startled the rats gnawing on the rotting flesh in the corner, causing them to scatter in all directions.
Pei Yuanling bent down and used his boot to lift the tear-streaked face: "Tell me, where is the antidote for the Heart-Corroding Powder that Lu Zhiheng was poisoned with?"
Lin Qing gritted her teeth, enduring the pain without uttering a sound.
Soon, he was tortured until he was covered in wounds, and his eunuch robes were stained with blood, but he still did not give Pei Yuanling the answer he wanted.
Seeing Lin Qing's stubbornness, Pei Yuanling's anger grew stronger. "You think I can't do anything to you just because you won't talk? I have plenty of ways to make you talk."
However, Lin Qing only spat out a mouthful of blood and said with a sinister smile, "Your Majesty, even if you kill this servant, this servant will not speak."
The cold light in Pei Yuanling's eyes seemed to want to devour Lin Qingsheng alive.
He stepped forward and grabbed Lin Qing by the collar. "You dog of a servant, how dare you be so arrogant! Today I will make you taste what it's like to wish you were dead!"
Just as he was about to continue torturing Lin Qing, Lin Qing's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Your Majesty, this servant Lin Qing has done his duty!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he bit his tongue hard.
With a "pfft," a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, and his body slowly collapsed.
Upon seeing this, Pei Yuanling's eyes darkened.
Watching Lin Qing's body gradually lose its life, he kicked Lin Qing's corpse and roared, "You damned slave!"
The jailer standing nearby was also surprised by the eunuch's unwavering loyalty, and was moved by his devotion.
Pei Yuanling clenched his fists, took a long time to calm himself, and then said sternly, "Drag this dog slave to the mass grave and feed him to the dogs!"
The jailers shuddered and bowed in unison, replying, "Yes, sir."
As Pei Yuanling strode out of the water prison, the fresh air outside filled his nostrils.
He stood with his hands behind his back and took a long breath.
Chen Zhongliang, standing beside him, cautiously spoke up: "Your Majesty, Lin Qing is dead, so what should we do with the antidote..."
Lin Qing was the most loyal and trusted servant by the Empress's side. Now that Lin Qing is dead, this lead has been cut off.
Pei Yuanling was also filled with irritability at this moment, his thick eyebrows tightly furrowed.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he looked towards the west.
Chen Zhongliang followed the emperor's gaze and instantly understood his meaning: "Your Majesty..."
Pei Yuanling, with a stern face, said, "Prepare the carriage for Cining Palace."
Chen Zhongliang lowered his eyes and hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir."
This day and night was a huge upheaval for both the imperial court and the harem.
The empress died, and the traitorous general Lu Zhiheng was executed.
His Majesty acted swiftly and decisively, suppressing Zhang Xian's rebellious party while also dispatching his trusted confidant Gu Li to lead the Imperial Guards and imprison the entire Wang clan.
Although the siege was lifted, the court and the palace remained in a state of constant fear and paranoia.
Empress Dowager Wang's Cining Palace also fell into a somber silence.
As the emperor arrived in a menacing manner with his personal eunuch, the palace servants of Cining Palace were like frightened birds, kneeling on the ground and not daring to utter a sound.
Pei Yuanling didn't even glance at the palace servants on the ground, and walked straight into the inner hall.
As if she had known he would come, the Empress Dowager was now resting with her eyes closed on the couch, dressed in a dignified and beautiful phoenix robe.
Hearing the noise, she slowly opened her eyes.
Upon seeing Pei Yuanling, she was not surprised, and simply said, "The Emperor just suppressed the Zhang Xian rebellion yesterday and is currently very busy with official duties. How come he has time to come to my Cining Palace today?"
Her voice was calm and measured, carrying a hint of composure and authority befitting a person in a superior position.
"Mother, I have not come here today to pay my respects."
Pei Yuanling waved his hand, and Chen Zhongliang immediately understood, quickly ordering the Imperial Guards to close the gates of Cining Palace tightly.
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the hall became even more tense.
Upon seeing this, Empress Dowager Wang's expression changed slightly. "What does the Emperor mean by this?"
Pei Yuanling stepped forward, staring directly at the Empress Dowager. "Mother, Lu Zhiheng has been poisoned by a strange poison. I know that the Wang family is involved in this matter. If you do not hand over the antidote today, don't blame me for being impolite."
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Wang was first taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Hahahaha, Emperor, have you gone mad? You've come all this way just to ask for a cure for a traitorous minister who deserves to die?"
Her eyes were full of mockery, as if she were watching a joke and looking down at the emperor in front of her: "Wouldn't it be better if he died? From now on, you will no longer be afraid of Zhang Xian and Hou Yi causing trouble, and Consort Liang will belong to you alone from now on."
This was indeed what Pei Yuanling had thought before.
But he also understood that if he really let Lu Zhiheng die, Chu Qingyin would probably never forgive him.
"Mother, I have no intention of dealing with you today. If you refuse to hand over the antidote, I will have the entire Wang family executed!"
Pei Yuanling said with a stern face, "I have already sent men to surround the Wang family. I am just waiting for your order, and Gu Li will be able to rush into the mansion and massacre the Wang family."
His tone was resolute and cruel, leaving no room for negotiation.
The Empress Dowager's laughter also came to an abrupt halt.
She looked at Pei Yuanling, a flash of anger in her eyes, "You...you unfilial son! How dare you speak to me like that. Don't forget, if it weren't for me and the Wang family, how could you have ascended to this throne?"
Pei Yuanling remained unmoved. "The throne? If it weren't for the peace of the world and the stability of the court, would I have remained under the control of your Wang family?"
"Mother, you should know that this world belongs to the Pei family, not your Wang family!"
He had tolerated the Wang family for many years.
But they remained unrepentant and even intensified their efforts, attempting to seize imperial power. So don't blame him for being ruthless and heartless.
Seeing his expression, Empress Dowager Wang understood that Pei Yuanling was determined to deal with the Wang family this time.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty, please don't push me too far. I truly don't know what this antidote you speak of is."
Seeing that the Empress Dowager remained obstinate, Pei Yuanling had completely lost his patience.
He suddenly waved his hand, "Bring the person here to me!"