The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1156 - 1135: Sky Prison

Chapter 1156: Chapter 1135: Sky Prison

Manbao and the others were led into the heavenly prison. When she glanced at the person lying on the wooden plank, she said to Minister Feng, "Minister Feng, could you put us in the same cell?"

Minister Feng frowned slightly. Although the heavenly prison was not so particular, men and women were still separated.

Manbao said, "I am a physician. I want to treat him, or are you planning to invite a physician to look at his injuries?"

Minister Feng then looked down at Xiang Chao, who had already fainted on the wooden plank. Naturally, he was willing to invite a physician, and one could be invited now, but after the palace’s reaction is considered, it might be difficult to call for a physician for him again later.

Therefore, Minister Feng rolled his eyes and smiled, "That’s fine. Then I’ll arrange a larger room for you."

Indeed, they were stuffed into a relatively large and dry room.

Once inside, Minister Feng asked, "Do you need me to prepare any medicinal ingredients for you?"

Manbao then said, "Please provide us with some paper and ink. I will write down a prescription for you, and then you can send someone to the Bai Family in Changqing Alley to have these medicinal ingredients readied and bring my medicine box here."

Minister Feng gave Manbao a deep look and nodded, "Alright."

Someone was sent to fetch the ink and brush.

Manbao filled a whole page with writing and handed it to Minister Feng. Minister Feng scanned it quickly and with a smile and told them to rest well before taking the prescription and leaving.

After he left, he called over a trusted subordinate who had been urgently summoned, "Bring people in from the Ministry of Justice. Our men will guard the inner layers of the prison cell. Except for the emperor and the officials from the three departments who are the main examiners with stamped official documents, no one is allowed in."

"Yes."

Minister Feng glanced at the prescription in his hand and sighed, "Storms are brewing. How can there be peace?"

He handed the prescription to one of his men, "Take this to the Bai Family in Changqing Alley, have them prepare these medicinal ingredients right away and bring them back. Hand them to Doctor Zhou Junior, and oh, prepare the medicinal pot and firewood for brewing the medicine. Don’t get your hands too involved in these life-threatening matters."

His subordinates let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly agreed.

As soon as the man left, Manbao squatted down to check on the person lying on the wooden plank and carefully pushed him, "Are you still conscious?"

Bai Shan went to look at Manbao’s face and asked, "How are you, does it hurt?"

Manbao didn’t take it to heart and shook her head. Seeing that the person on the wooden plank didn’t respond, she said to Bai Shan, "He has fainted."

Bai Shan then looked at the wounds on his back, swallowed hard, and said with some fear, "The caning was on the waist, his back, and buttocks, it’s likely that the bones and internal organs are injured."

Manbao nodded.

She reached out to feel his pulse and after a moment, she looked around to see that their section of the prison cell housed only the three of them and currently, there was not a single jailer around.

Therefore, she reached into her sleeve and fished out a pair of scissors.

Bai Shan: ...

There were inspections when entering the palace, and sharp objects were not allowed. How could the disguise be so careless?

But why could Uncle Zhou produce a pair of scissors?

Bai Shan couldn’t make sense of this and really wanted to ask Manbao, but when he looked down at Xiang Chao, he discarded the idea.

Forget it, there’s a third person here. It’s better to ask when only the two of them are present. Otherwise, what if he can still hear while unconscious and overhears us?

Manbao had already started cutting his clothes with scissors, and Bai Shan quickly joined to help, the two of them chatting while they worked.

Manbao recounted from beginning to end what had happened in the garden, even whispering her own suspicions, "Bai Eryi said his jade pendant was taken, which made me feel uneasy. You might have to act earlier than planned because of us."

Bai Shan spoke in a similarly hushed tone: "I figured it out. It’s his scheme. Since he wants us to make a move today, we must act today. Going against his wishes would bring us no good."

After cutting off Xiang Chao’s clothes, they looked at his back and lower back—almost devoid of good flesh—for a long time without being able to speak.

Manbao felt around and carefully examined the bones but didn’t find any issues, then frowned and said, "This won’t do. We need to keep him awake."

She fumbled in her sleeve and pulled out a bottle of medicine. After thinking for a moment, she poured out two pills, gestured to Bai Shan to help her lift his head, and tried to feed the pills to him. The pills were large, and after inserting them, they realized he couldn’t swallow them, which made them start to panic.

Bai Shan called out to the outside: "Hey, is anyone there? Brother constable?"

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice who had just arranged for personnel walked in, frowning, "What’s needed?"

Bai Shan: "Do you have hot water? Bring us a bowl of hot water, please."

Seeing them holding the head of the person lying on the ground, the Vice Minister raised his eyebrows and said, "Wait."

After turning and leaving, a constable soon brought in a bowl of water.

Bai Shan took it, dropped the two pills into the water, and when seeing they dissolved slowly, out of impatience, he crushed them with his thumb.

Manbao: ...

Bai Shan, unconcerned, wiped his hand on Xiang Chao’s body and said to Manbao, "Hurry and feed it to him, taking the medicine is most urgent now."

Manbao felt he made sense and thus set aside other concerns. Together, they managed to pour the medicine down his throat.

Xiang Chao wasn’t completely unconscious; he still had a blurry sense of awareness, so swallowing wasn’t too difficult.

After putting him back down, Manbao fumbled in her sleeve again and pulled out a needle bag.

Bai Shan felt that at this point, he wouldn’t be surprised by anything she pulled from her sleeves. Fortunately, it was just the two of them there; people outside probably stayed away to avoid suspicion and didn’t come inside to check on them easily.

Obviously, the commotion they caused at the Dowager Empress’s birthday feast was a mixed bag of fortunes and misfortunes in many people’s views, so no one wanted to get involved at this time.

Manbao used needles to stop his internal bleeding, while external injuries could be treated with powdered medicine. Jishi Hall had both hemostatic powder and hemostatic ointment, and Keke kept a stock of them.

But she was still somewhat dissatisfied, sighing, "It’s inconvenient in jail; medicine acts too slowly, and pills really can’t compare to freshly brewed herbal decoctions."

Bai Shan said: "Just be content, at least we are locked up together, and you can still hide so many things in your sleeves."

He mentally calculated the time, "By now, Minister Feng’s people should have also arrived at our home, right?"

The Ministry of Justice personnel arrived at Changqing Alley a bit faster than Bai Shan expected, and the group waiting at home all stood up almost immediately upon seeing them.

Besides Old Madam Liu and Mr. Zhuang, there were two strangers, one of whom was an elderly man similar in age to Mr. Zhuang, the other a young man.

Bai Erlang and Yin Huo, the younger ones, sat with their heads down at the very corner. As soon as the Ministry of Justice staff arrived, they also jumped up.

The Ministry staff handed over a prescription and said, "Bai Shan, Zhou Man, and Xiang Chao are temporarily imprisoned in the major prison of the Ministry of Justice. This is a prescription written by Zhou Man to treat Xiang Chao’s injuries. Please prepare it at home."

Bai Erlang immediately took it and passed it to Mr. Zhuang. Mr. Zhuang quickly glanced at it and handed it to Old Madam Liu, instantly revealing a relieved smile as he said to the arriving official, "Thank you for delivering the prescription in person, sir. Why don’t you rest in the front hall while I arrange for the medicine to be prepared at the pharmacy? It will be ready shortly."