The Martial Doctor

"Sir, we won!" Mr. Cao stumbled forward on a lame leg, limping towards Pei Jian, his eyes red as he spoke.

"Yes, we won." Pei Jian had already received the news that the court dispatched Su Mobai, Assistant Minister of Revenue, as the Imperial Envoy and Cui Xiang, Vice Minister of Justice, as his assistant, leading a thousand Yulin Guards to Dongshan to thoroughly investigate the case of Marquis Lingyang and Green Blade Sect secretly forging and smuggling arms to Beihu, committing treason.

The team had already left the capital and would arrive in Dongshan shortly.

However, if we don’t win this battle, even if the Imperial Envoy arrives, it would be for nothing, as all the evidence would be gone—could a conviction be made then?

Mouth battles are useless.

Would the emperor in the distant Li Jing palace believe it, especially since the Crown Prince just visited Dongshan and returned to the capital?

The emperor has a suspicious nature, and he used similar tactics to ascend to the throne himself; isn’t he afraid the Crown Prince might do the same?

Suspicious, fearful of death, and highly power-hungry. Pei Jian knew this emperor well — if the evidence disappeared and Marquis Lingyang submitted another guilt plea to shift the blame, the likely outcome would be raising the hammer high and dropping it lightly.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Prince, also recently crowned King Qi, might be implicated, but it wouldn’t directly taint him.

This is entirely different from the case against Prince Jin and his mother "Consort Xue" who intended to overshadow the Crown Prince. Prince Jin was already crowned as a king when he came of age.

Of course, the emperor wouldn’t truly believe this wasn’t a scheme jointly planned by the mother and son?

Even without direct evidence, Consort Yi admitted all charges, and Prince Jin was subsequently stripped of his royal title and placed under house arrest.

There is no familial affection among royal kin.

Taking down King Qi now would leave the emperor with no other choices.

Therefore, Pei Jian never targeted Consort Xue and King Qi Zhao Yuanchun from the start; his goal was only Marquis Lingyang and the Green Blade Sect.

In his secret petition, he never mentioned Consort Xue and King Qi Zhao Yuanchun.

If Lin Miao knew, he would surely praise: Old fox.

But now, cleaning up this mess, especially since the Green Blade Sect people haven’t shown up, presents a hidden concern.

If they choose to act recklessly now...

Given Pei Jian’s current situation, it could be more than just a facade of strength.

"Sir, Mrs. Bai Feng, wife of the Lanzhou Su Family Patriarch, seeks an audience!"

"Bai Feng has arrived?" Hearing this, Pei Jian’s eyes suddenly brightened — this was indeed like a timely rain during a drought.

The Su Family is the wealthiest in Lianzhou, though not strong in martial prowess; however, Bai Feng, once a disciple of the Snow Mountain Sect, still commands a formidable force.

With the assistance of the Su Family, overcoming this difficult situation should be feasible.

"Invite her in quickly!" Pei Jian, invigorated, hurriedly ordered — "First, arrange tea and let me tidy up before meeting the guest."

"Yes."

In this battle, Xue Family Manor suffered few damages, primarily the area near the secret vault saw some structures collapse in the fierce battle, with minimal impact elsewhere.

"Mr. Pei, Bai Feng greets you."

"Mrs. Bai, no need for formalities." Pei Jian reciprocated, as Bai Feng held a court-bestowed title, hence having official status.

"My husband received Mr. Pei’s letter and immediately arranged for me to come aid Mr. Pei. Alas, the enemy acted so quickly that Bai Feng couldn’t contribute much. I feel ashamed!"

"No, Mrs. Bai, your words are too heavy. You arrived at the perfect time," Pei Jian hastily said, "To be frank, this battle was won by chance, and I am truly vulnerable now. If the adversary came again, I’m afraid I couldn’t withstand it. Fortunately, with Mrs. Bai here, I feel reassured."

"Oh, assisting Mr. Pei is all that matters." Bai Feng nodded, "Last night, I couldn’t provide much help, but since Bai Feng is here, I couldn’t arrive empty-handed. So, I boldly brought you a gift?"

"A gift?" Pei Jian was taken aback.

"Bring it up!" Bai Feng stood, clapping her hands.

The Su Family guards led He Yun and Ye Shengyuan into the hall, without binding them, maintaining the decorum they deserved.

After all, they couldn’t escape.

"Mrs. He, Patriarch Ye?" Pei Jian’s face turned cold. Due to the matters at Xue Family Manor, he lacked the leisure to attend to He Yun and Ye Shengyuan, though he had arranged surveillance on Marquis Lingyang’s Mansion and Ye Mansion, aware of his limited resources prioritizing wisely.

He wasn’t incapable of arresting the two but knew doing so would spark chaos beyond his control, thus he refrained from action, even keeping city-wide information sealed.

Once the Imperial Envoy arrived, ordering arrests would naturally follow.

Actually, if He Yun and Ye Shengyuan fled, it might benefit the case, not fearing disaster from nurturing threats.

Instead, their escape could affirm awareness of Xue Family Manor’s events, proving Marquis Lingyang’s understanding of the whole situation, implicating him as an accomplice and beneficiary beneath the act of smuggling and treason.

The Xue Family Manor is under Marquis Lingyang’s Mansion, entrusted to the lady as he’s in the capital. Marquis Lingyang might dodge heavier punishment, especially if Consort Xue intervenes, ensuring at least his survival.

Thus, Pei Jian hoped He Yun, driven by desperation, would make a reckless move, allowing him to fully snare her.

He Yun’s face alternated between red and white. From the high-ranking wife of Marquis Lingyang to a prisoner in chains today, such a tremendous shift in identity trampled her pride into the ground, leaving her at a loss and utterly humiliated.

Ye Shengyuan also appeared somewhat disheveled, his back seeming to have hunched, and he dared not meet Pei Jian’s gaze directly.

After all, he was not Mrs He, lacking the status of a marquis’s wife, merely a common man with a bit of social standing, making him a profiteer. Once this sheen was stripped away, he really wasn’t all that different from ordinary folks.

Falling into Pei Jian’s hands, it was certain that he was in for a hard time ahead, and it seemed he was mentally bracing himself for it.

Yet he still wished to struggle a bit, cupping his hands as he said, "Sheng Yuan greets you, esteemed official."

"Mistress He and the Patriarch of the Ye Family set out in a single carriage at the break of dawn, sneaking out of the city, but where to, we don’t know. Thus, by my own discretion, I’ve brought them to Xue Family Manor." Bai Feng chuckled as he spoke.

"Someone, take Mrs He and the Patriarch of the Ye Family away to rest!" Pei Jian’s gaze swept over He Yun and Ye Shengyuan’s faces as he ordered in a deep voice.

Now wasn’t the time to interrogate these two. Since everything was laid bare and they still tried to escape, it was best to detain them directly.

Having these two hostages in hand at least added another bargaining chip.

"Thank you, Mrs. Bai."

"No rush, aside from these two, others from the Ye Family left the city yesterday. I believe they will soon come to regroup."

Pei Jian was slightly stunned, then immediately understood that this was all premeditated. It seemed the Su Family intended to uproot both the Ye Family and Marquis Lingyang.

The Ye Family had caused significant losses to the Su Family, nearly tearing it apart. How could the Su Family not retaliate? Had they not feared the Marquis Lingyang behind the Ye Family, the Su Family wouldn’t have endured until now.

Still, the Su Family’s measures were ruthlessly thorough.

Of course, if it were him, he would do the same; leaving roots uncut only allows them to regrow with the spring breeze.

"Mr. Pei, I’ve brought some healing medicine. Can I have my people help treat the wounded?" Bai Feng asked, cupping her fists.

"I would welcome it." Pei Jian had been contemplating sending someone back to the city to summon physicians and procure herbal medicines, not expecting Bai Feng to have already brought them.

There were also two physicians from the Su Family, experts in treating injuries, though they mostly tended to horses.

Having done what was needed, Lin Miao didn’t want to get involved in the subsequent matters, so he had long instructed Bai Feng to bring people and healing medicine along.

This way, he wouldn’t need to make the trip.

...

"Mr. Helian, how are things?" Lin Miao went to see Helian Wanwan in the meditative chamber after finishing breakfast. She had been stabilizing her cultivation level since her breakthrough and advancement last night.

"Very well, exceptionally well, thank you, Lin." Helian Wanwan knew that if it hadn’t been for Lin Miao’s intervention the previous night, even with the Celestial Essence Fruit, the chances of her breakthrough succeeding were slim.

If the first breakthrough attempt had a twenty percent chance of success, a failure would leave only two percent for the next attempt.

Consuming the Celestial Essence Fruit increased the breakthrough chance by thirty percent, which did not mean multiplying the original success chance by thirty percent.

In other words, twenty percent multiplied by thirty percent results in a total breakthrough chance of just eight percent!

Lower than the chance of a first attempt.

Thus, a failed breakthrough, without heaven-defying spiritual medicine or other factors, seldom had successful second attempts in history.

Helian Wanwan indeed was the luckiest one.

She benefitted from her disciple, meeting Lin Miao.

Without Lin Miao helping her restore her body to its optimal state, giving her a Celestial Essence Fruit, and assisting in channeling her internal energy while protecting her collapsing meridian channels at the critical moment, she would have had no chance of advancing to the Celestial Essence Realm.

"Elder, train here, Liansuo will bring you three meals daily at set times." Lin Miao nodded. At least now he had a usable Celestial Essence expert by his side.

"Xiaorui isn’t going back with you?"

"No need, she’ll stay here to look after the elder, returning later is fine." Lin Miao said, as Liansuo mainly served as a bed warmer and guard, while Lianxin was much more important. Lianxin was responsible for his daily care, along with many tasks in the inner courtyard, allowing him and Sun Youwei to focus without distraction.

"Last night, in the latter half, though I’m not sure of the exact time, there was an aura probing your manor."

"Celestial Essence?"

"Yes, I sensed it and released a trace of aura to scare him off." Helian Wanwan nodded.

Celestial Essence masters generally wouldn’t engage in battle unless absolutely necessary, let alone fight to the death. By this stage, they valued life much more.

With so much life to enjoy, why risk it to the point of death?

The destruction a battle between Celestial Essence practitioners could cause was immense. If they truly fought, Miao Manor might be razed to the ground—it’s akin to nuclear bombs, who has seen people throwing nuclear bombs at each other for fun?

"Can you recognize who it is, elder?"

"I don’t know. I haven’t met many Celestial Essence experts, and am still exploring how to utilize techniques at the Celestial Essence level. But if he appears again, I’ll certainly recognize him." Helian Wanwan said.

"Understood, Mr. Helian."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!