Manbao nodded repeatedly.
Director Xiao continued his ramblings: "You were the one who proposed setting up the Imperial dical Office, and you can’t just let go after receiving benefits. Look at my hair; how much gray have I added in the past six months? Moreover, I’m your superior and you are the subordinate. Don’t always make co to you for work. You should take the initiative, understood?"
Manbao nodded repeatedly and couldn’t help but ask, "Director Xiao, did you eat duck bill at lunch today?"
Director Xiao replied irritably, "No, I ate duck feet. Otherwise, do you think I could be walking this fast now? Hurry up and get to work."
Manbao took the dical book she was assigned and ran away.
After delegating the task, Director Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He trusted Zhou Man’s work efficiency quite well.
Manbao returned to the library with the book and began checking it, while at this mont, County Magistrate Tang was heading towards the Departnt of Punishnt.
He caught a whiff of blood as soon as he reached the interrogation room and heard Eunuch Wu sneering and saying to the bound Xu Yu: "Xu Yu, if it weren’t for Imperial Doctor Zhou pleading for you, you’d have long been unable to withstand this punishnt. Don’t be ungrateful; if you don’t confess, we won’t hold them back from inflicting severe punishnt."
Xu Yu hung her head low and after a long pause, spoke in a hoarse voice: "I...I’ve been wronged, I really don’t know anything..."
Seeing her unmoved, Eunuch Wu said to those beside him: "Forget it, let’s start the severe punishnt."
Xu Yu slightly raised her eyelids and saw them bringing over a bloody wooden fra. Her body involuntarily shook with fear, her hands spasd in a tremor, but ultimately, she lowered her head.
County Magistrate Tang also saw that wooden fra, which is used to clamp the chest. He frowned slightly, aware that using this punishnt would likely result in death, regardless of whether the person was truly guilty or innocent.
Once people are dead, whether they’re true culprits or truly innocent, it doesn’t matter anymore.
He stepped around the corner to intervene.
Eunuch Wu, upon seeing County Magistrate Tang, slightly bent and said, "Lord Tang, His Highness instructed to follow Lord Yin’s directives, but unexpectedly, it’s you who’s here. If you have any instructions, feel free to direct ."
County Magistrate Tang smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Wu. I have so questions for Xu Yu. Can we delay using the wooden fra?"
Feigning nonchalance, he added, "I’ve just co from Imperial Doctor Zhou; did she ask you to look after Xu Yu?"
Eunuch Wu frowned and replied, "Imperial Doctor Zhou is kind-hearted and pleaded with His Highness, who couldn’t refuse. He said to spare her life. But this girl seems stubborn and clearly needs to see the coffin before shedding tears."
County Magistrate Tang nodded to show understanding, then said, "How about letting ask her? Maybe I could get sothing out of her. After all, she serves Imperial Doctor Zhou. There’s so affection there, and it wouldn’t be good to beat her to death."
Eunuch Wu thought it over and agreed. Besides, after a mont of conversation, his anger dissipated slightly, so he gestured for the others to stand down.
County Magistrate Tang stepped forward, circling Xu Yu, then gestured for a cup of water. After soone fed her a sip, he stared at her face and asked, "Did you swap Imperial Doctor Zhou’s needle pouch?"
Xu Yu couldn’t even shake her head, only weakly responded, "No, I don’t know anything about the needle pouch."
"But the two attendants who accompanied you when delivering the dicine chest said you swapped it."
Tears stread down Xu Yu’s face, "They lied. I’ve been wronged. Why would I do such a thing?"
County Magistrate Tang chuckled, "You’re questioning instead; it should be asking you, why would you do such a thing?"
Xu Yu shook her head in denial, then remained silent.
County Magistrate Tang asked, "Soone saw you standing outside Imperial Doctor Zhou’s window late at night several tis, watching her. Were you assigned to her from the start? Who instructed you?"
Xu Yu hesitated before replying, "I was just checking to see if Imperial Doctor Zhou had any further instructions."
She continued, "I serve Imperial Doctor Zhou. It’s common for palace maids to attend closely to female officers, even sleeping at their feet to heed instructions. But Imperial Doctor Zhou is considerate, reward reciprocating, naturally I am diligent."
If it weren’t for Zhou Man ntioning this, County Magistrate Tang might have believed her words sowhat, but now not even slightly.
So actions may indeed be misunderstood, but Zhou Man, being the concerned party and keenly perceptive, surely sensed sothing if she ntioned it.
People definitely sense danger and dislike.
County Magistrate Tang’s expression barely changed, seemingly indifferent to her explanation, yet perhaps absorbing it.
He asked, "How many tis have you done this?"
Xu Yu replied, "I don’t rember, but when Imperial Doctor Zhou first entered the palace, I checked on her almost nightly."
She paused before continuing, "Indeed, I had personal motives. Everyone knows why Imperial Doctor Zhou resides in the palace; it’s for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. As long as she can ensure the Crown Princess gives birth to a royal grandson, she’ll enjoy favor not only from the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, but also from His Majesty and the Empress."
"I just want to work diligently and establish a good rapport with Imperial Doctor Zhou. If she can speak on my behalf in the future, perhaps I could be promoted to a female officer." Xu Yu seed to regain so spirit, raising her head to look at County Magistrate Tang, sowhat excitedly shaking her head, "I may have personal motives, but I never intended to harm Imperial Doctor Zhou."
"Is that so?" County Magistrate Tang wasn’t indicating whether he believed her, and smoothly transitioned, "Tell about the situation that day. When did the attendants from the Crown Princess approach to summon Imperial Doctor Zhou? What were you doing at the ti, and who was present?"
These questions had been answered by Xu Yu before; she rely had to answer them again now. But County Magistrate Tang repeatedly asked them again, mixing up the sequence...
County Magistrate Tang churned through these questions in cycles seven or eight tis, until Xu Yu’s replies were weak. She was bound and injured, already in pain, and repeated questioning nearly pushed her to the brink.
Even Eunuch Wu, listening beside her, was near collapsing.
County Magistrate Tang asked once more, "Where was Imperial Doctor Zhou’s dicine chest placed inside the room at the ti?"
Xu Yu answered hazily, "On a shelf on the bookshelf..."
Her body jerked slightly; this question hadn’t arisen before. Realizing her mistake, she remained expressionless, weakly adding, "Imperial Doctor Zhou’s dicine chest is usually placed there..."
County Magistrate Tang interrupted her, asking, "At that ti when you and the attendant Wang Yu went out to find Imperial Doctor Zhou, were you on the sa path the whole ti?"
These questions had been asked before too.
Xu Yu painfully answered again, as County Magistrate Tang repeatedly cycled through these questions, each ti her responses were exactly the sa, without any additions or omissions.
Once she was drifting into an unfocused state again, County Magistrate Tang asked, "When leaving the courtyard, whose hands were the dicine chest in?"
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