The Double
Chapter 291 - 113 East Mountain_4

Chapter 291: Chapter 113 East Mountain_4

"Find a doctor with a wife and children, take them all to the secret chamber, and have all the medicinal materials prepared," Jiang Li said in a low voice. "There’s no other way, given the special circumstances, we can only coerce. Promise them enough silver taels later and ensure their safe departure from Tongxiang, and they will agree." Jiang Li pondered for a moment longer, then added, "Go find Doctor Zhong from Baohe Hall, he’s quite suitable."

There it was again, Ye Mingyu thought. Jiang Li was all too familiar with the affairs of Tongxiang, spouting detailed knowledge of the place as if it were the back of her hand. But what was this all about? Ye Mingyu didn’t ask further, respecting that Jiang Li had her own secrets, even though he was brimming with questions inside.

Tsk, people from the martial arts world prize their nature above all else and never force others against their will.

...

What happened on East Mountain, where Jiang Li abducted people, had not yet reached the ears of Feng Yutang.

Inside Feng Yutang’s study within his mansion, he paced back and forth. His beautiful concubine knelt on the ground, gently massaging his legs. Serving Princess Yongning had brought him many benefits; not only had he acquired such a luxurious mansion in Tongxiang, but also a houseful of stunning concubines. His study was simply for show, filled with many precious ancient books, but he only loitered there.

Today, however, was a rare serious occasion for him, one that even his attractive concubines couldn’t arouse his interest.

After an indeterminate time, suddenly a voice sounded, and a young servant hurried in from outside. Feng Yutang immediately dismissed his concubines to let the servant enter, closed the door, and watched as the servant took a letter from within his clothes and handed it to him. Feng Yutang rapidly tore open the letter and skimmed through it, then slumped into his chair.

"Master?" the servant asked softly upon seeing his unpleasant complexion.

Feng Yutang didn’t speak, but his hand holding the letter was trembling slightly. By accident, the letter floated to the ground, and the servant quickly glanced at it. He couldn’t make out much, but he saw an alarming "kill" word that stood out prominently.

Feng Yutang’s heart was racing.

Pigeon post had special routes, and messages from Princess Yongning also arrived particularly swiftly. Feng Yutang had long known that Yongning was arrogant and lawless, which was evident from the way she dealt with the Xue Family. But after all, Xue Huaiyuan was just a minor official, and in her eyes, disregarding a minor official didn’t seem like a big deal worth mentioning.

Feng Yutang could have never anticipated that Princess Yongning’s arrogance would remain unchecked even when faced with the family of the Grand Secretary. She wrote in the letter without hesitation that if Jiang Li were to investigate the Xue Family case, under the guise of exonerating Xue Huaiyuan, Feng Yutang in Tongxiang must strike with deadly force, ensuring Jiang Li’s demise in the underworld!

Feng Yutang couldn’t believe his eyes.

He had written to Princess Yongning hoping she could tell him what to do next, but he hadn’t expected her solution to be this. The thought of murdering the daughter of the current Grand Secretary, Chief Senior Scholar Xue Huaiyuan, set Feng Yutang’s nerves on edge—he dared not! This was not the daughter of an ordinary person; she was the daughter of the emperor’s teacher, with students all over the world. If he murdered her, the matter would be serious; the authorities would surely investigate, and if they found out he was responsible, his life would not be spared!

If he had known this would be the outcome, he shouldn’t have hastily written to Princess Yongning. Now, she had directly ordered him in the letter to kill Jiang Li. After dealing with Yongning on many occasions, Feng Yutang knew her nature well: favor her and thrive, oppose her and perish. Her command was not something he could fail to execute, for if he failed, it would mean death for him too!

What was he to do now?

Feng Yutang felt his forehead covered in sweat, each drop streaming down. He couldn’t bear to glance at the letter on the floor; it seemed as if every black letter had turned into a bright red death warrant.

To go forward meant death, and to go back also meant death; what should he do?

The servant lay respectfully on the ground, not even daring to breathe loudly. It was unclear how much time passed before Feng Yutang’s voice floated from above, airy as he asked, "What do you think of defying the master’s command?"

"That simply must not be done," the servant started, frightened. "Master, you know the nature of our master; if we..." But the risk was his life as well!