The Tyrant's Beloved Empress

14

The doctor turned pale as his eyes lingered on the string of Bodhi beads. He then turned away and replicated the apothecary worker's words denying their involvement.

"You say that it has nothing to do with you but the poison couldn't have come from nowhere," An Chang Qing took a sip of tea before slamming the teacup on the table with a loud thud, "Why don't I interrogate you both separately? From the beginning of Lady Yu's diagnosis to the source of the medicine, it's best if what you two said matches but if there is any discrepancy between your words..."

An Chang Qing cast them a chilling stare, "I can always pull out the truth in the Wang Manor's torture chamber."

The two men kneeling on the ground slammed their heads onto the ground and begged, "We have told you everything! Everything we said is the truth!"

Madame Li raised her eyes to look at them. She lowered her sight and moved the Bodhi beads at a slightly faster pace.

"Wangfei, this is the An Manor, not the Dali Court," An Zhi Ke who had been silent finally spoke up. With a displeased look, he said, "They might not be the culprits, is there a need to scare them with torture?"

An Chang Qing did not back down, "If father thinks that I'm being unreasonable then bringing this matter to the Dali Court is also a viable option."

"You!" An Zhi Ke choked. He naturally would not want to involve the Dali Court into this. The An family would become a laughingstock... And if this crime involved someone in the family, it could tarnish their reputation.

"Do as you want," An Zhi Ke flung his sleeve disgruntledly.

"Tie Hu, take them to the side rooms."

Tie Hu received the order and escorted the doctor into the next room, leaving the apothecary worker in the hall.

The apothecary worker was kneeling in the center of the hall with An Chang Qing on one side and the rest of the An family on the opposite. He was drenched in cold sweat as over a dozen pairs of eyes focused on him. Whatever Hu Shifei asked, he would answer to the tiniest detail.

When the inquiries ended, half an hour had passed and the paper in Hu Shifei's hand was fully written. He folded and passed it to An Chang Qing and prepared for the next round of interrogation.

The doctor's surname was Wang and he was already in his early fifties. After spending half an hour alone in the next room, his legs had turned soft and he had to be supported by Tie Hu.

Hu Shifei began his interrogation once again. Although his tone was mild, with his experience working with the military for a long time, his questions were critical and aimed straight at the heart of the matter, leaving the doctor little room to recover. After answering a few questions, Dr. Wang was covered in sweat. In his panic, he erratically glanced at Madame Li several times, only to be returned with a bone-chilling stare on her end.

Madame Li watched the proceeding with cold eyes as her sharp nails clawed over the Bodhi beads, leaving a clear scratch mark on them.

Hu Shifei continued to hound Dr. Wang with questions, one more difficult to answer than the other. However, Dr. Wang's mind at this point was only focused on the familiar string of Bodhi beads – the same one his aged mother carried with her all the time.

With sweat dripping all over his forehead, he raised his head and looked around in a trance. Gathering all his strength, he abruptly stood up and rammed head-on into a pillar.

In an instant, blood was gushing out of him, turning the hall chaotic.

Dr. Wang fell to the ground. His body twitched a few times before becoming motionless. Hu Shifei hurriedly went to check his breath. He turned back to look at An Chang Qing and shook his head, "He's dead."