When Yuan Hecong heard Yi Qing say that they would send someone to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was immediately stunned.
Although this Gu Shuqing had a bad character and was trying to extort their Yuan family under the pretext of treating his sister, it didn't seem necessary to send him to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Hearing Yi Qing's words, Gu Shuqing rolled his eyes. "Madam Yuan, you'd better think this through. This woman has ill intentions. She must be planning something bad for Miss Yuan."
Yi Qing didn't argue. Instead, she turned to look at Madam Yuan.
Madam Yuan was a bit indecisive. Respected by all the noble ladies in the capital, she could handle all kinds of disputes with ease. But when it came to her daughter, she felt extremely humble.
"Even if he failed to cure my sister, there's no need to..." Yuan Hecong was worried that if Gu Shuqing were sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he might blabber out everything, and then their Yuan family would be laughed at again in the capital.
"I have my own reasons." The matter of the Ruyi Cakes was too serious, and Yi Qing didn't want others to know.
"But..." Yuan Hecong thought for a moment, then bowed slightly and motioned for Yi Qing to come aside with him.
Yi Qing glanced around at the people and then followed Yuan Hecong.
"To be honest, people in the capital all think that my sister has passed away. If they find out the truth, it won't be good for our Yuan family's reputation," Yuan Hecong confessed.
It would be great if she could be cured, and their Yuan family could wash away their shame. But if she couldn't be cured and the whole capital found out, God knows what they would say.
Yi Qing suddenly understood. "Don't worry. I'm looking for him for another matter. I won't let him say a single word about the Yuan family's affairs."
Yuan Hecong wanted to know what the matter was, but the words got stuck in his throat. Since the person was to be sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it must be a rather serious matter. Since Madam Xiao didn't want to say, it was better for him not to know too much.
The two of them turned around and looked at Gu Shuqing. Gu Shuqing raised his eyebrows proudly.
"Well?" Gu Shuqing laughed smugly. "The Yuan family doesn't want Miss Yuan's matter to be known throughout the capital, right?"
"Bind him up," Yuan Hecong said directly. He was willing to take a gamble.
"You..." Gu Shuqing's face changed drastically.
"We knew you were a fraud, but we kept you around for so long just to ease my sister's pain," Yuan Hecong had endured this Gu Shuqing for a long time.
Gu Shuqing's face turned pale. "You... You don't want to save Miss Yuan's life anymore?"
Yuan Hecong gritted his teeth secretly. "My sister has always been proud. She endured the illness and clung to life just to prove her innocence. Now that Madam Xiao can save her, our Yuan family doesn't have to endure you, a fraud, any longer."
"She's the fraud! Let me tell you, without me, Miss Yuan will die," Gu Shuqing shouted arrogantly.
"With you, she's definitely going to die. You know exactly what you've been giving Miss Yuan," Yi Qing stared at Gu Shuqing.
Gu Shuqing's eyes flickered. "That's a divine medicine passed down in my family. It can cure all diseases."
"I really don't know where I got the patience to listen to your nonsense," Yi Qing said impatiently, turning to the side.
"Come on, arrest him," Yuan Hecong said resolutely.
"Help! Miss Yuan is pregnant, and there's a dead fetus in her belly..." Gu Shuqing shouted.
Yi Qing didn't think that Gu Shuqing actually knew what was wrong with Miss Yuan. He had just been around Miss Yuan for a long time and was making wild guesses based on the symptoms. This kind of slander only needed to attract people's attention; there was no need for it to be true.
"Shut up! You're so noisy," Yi Qing thought the Yuan family was usually quite decisive. Why were they being so indecisive all of a sudden?
Xue Miao'er slapped Gu Shuqing unconscious with one palm. "Done."
Madam Yuan was a bit stunned, then forced a smile. "Thank you, Madam Xiao."
"Then could I trouble Young Master Yuan to invite Commander Deng here?" Yi Qing had promised Xiao Jinghan not to leave the Yuan family's mansion and would wait for him to come and pick her up.
"Sure," Yuan Hecong bowed.
Yi Qing wanted to wait for Miss Yuan to wake up and give her a thorough examination. If she was going to perform surgery, she needed to make preoperative preparations. Since there were no instruments for blood transfusion or heart rate monitoring, she had to use other methods to ensure everything would go smoothly.
Deng Xiao had been extremely busy these days. The matter of the spies was more troublesome than he had expected. When he heard that Yi Qing was looking for him at the Duke Yuan's mansion, he thought something urgent had happened to Yi Qing. He dropped everything and rushed over.
Yi Qing had the Yuan family prepare a separate small courtyard and tied Gu Shuqing there.
"How many people do you interrogate in a day?" As soon as Deng Xiao entered the room, Yi Qing smelled the blood on him.
"You're concerned about my well - being," Deng Xiao looked at the man lying on the ground. "What's wrong with him? You even had to call me here."
"Have you investigated the matter of the Ruyi Cakes thoroughly?"
"Yes. We raided several pharmacies, a gambling den, and a brothel. We arrested some people, and basically, the matter has been investigated," Deng Xiao wasn't very sure.
"He's involved," Yi Qing pointed at Gu Shuqing lying on the ground.
"What?"
"Once this kind of thing appears, it's very difficult to eradicate completely. It's impossible to solve the problem once and for all. Have you found the place where the Ruyi Cakes were made?"
"No, I haven't," Deng Xiao had just made a mistake in front of the emperor at that time and was eager to make meritorious deeds. He had closed the case after arresting a few big - name criminals.
Yi Qing shook her head. "Come on. I'll teach you a way to interrogate." Yi Qing motioned for Xue Miao'er to pour water on Gu Shuqing to wake him up.
Gu Shuqing woke up and thrashed on the ground a few times. When he saw there were other people in the room, he shouted, "The eldest daughter of the Yuan family has had an affair with someone..."
Xue Miao'er whipped him with a whip.
Deng Xiao glanced at Yi Qing.
"Come on, Commander Deng. Just pretend you didn't hear about people's private affairs," Yi Qing didn't want to explain.
"So the Yuan family invited you to treat Yuan Lingfei," Deng Xiao suddenly understood.
"You know her?"
"I'd like to remind you that because of Yuan Lingfei, the Yuan family and the Xie family have fallen out. Although the emperor stepped in to reconcile them, on the surface, they seem okay. But if Yuan Lingfei recovers, she will definitely hold the Xie family accountable for slandering her. And then you won't be able to stay out of it."
"To me, she's just a patient," Yi Qing didn't care at all.
Deng Xiao nodded, then looked at Gu Shuqing rolling on the ground with his head in his hands. "Is this how you're going to teach me to interrogate?"
"Almost," Yi Qing motioned for Xue Miao'er.
Xue Miao'er then put away the whip.
Yi Qing tied a copper ring with a silk thread to make a pendulum and swayed it in front of Gu Shuqing. "Look at this copper ring."
Gu Shuqing's eyes flickered as he tried to avoid it.
"Look at this copper ring, and the pain will go away," Yi Qing's voice was full of charm, making people unconsciously fall into it.
Gu Shuqing stared at the copper ring, and his eyes slowly became focused.
"Don't you feel the pain disappearing? Your body feels extremely comfortable, as if you're lying on a pile of treasures," Yi Qing thought that lying on treasures would be uncomfortable, let alone paper money. She really didn't understand why some people were so obsessed with rolling on treasures.
Gu Shuqing smiled.
"Now I'll ask you a few questions. Answer one correctly, and you'll be rewarded with more treasures."
Gu Shuqing nodded hurriedly.
"What's your name, and how old are you?" Yi Qing asked seriously.