After hearing Qi Shuo explain Lin Hao’s suspicion about Doctor Gu at the clinic, Cheng Maoming made his decision without hesitation: “Go arrest him!”

According to Jinlin Guard’s style, even for ordinary suspects they held to the spirit of better wrongly arresting than letting anyone slip through—how much more so when it concerned Mister Fox.

A team of Jinlin Guards changed into plain clothes and quietly surrounded Danxin Hall.

In an elegant room at a nearby teahouse, Qi Shuo and Cheng Maoming sat by the window, from where they could see right outside the clinic. After drinking several cups of tea, they saw Wen Ping, who now served as steward for Wen Feng and his son, quickly walk into the clinic.

“Steward Wen has arrived.” The clinic apprentice greeted him with a smile.

Wen Ping nodded in response, peering inside: “Is Doctor Gu busy? I must trouble Doctor Gu to make a house call to change my master’s medicine.”

“Doctor Gu is in back preparing medicine. I’ll go see.” The apprentice walked inside. Before long, a middle-aged man carrying a medicine box walked out with him.

Wen Ping cupped his hands: “My thanks to the doctor.”

“You’re too polite. Let’s go.” Doctor Gu adjusted his medicine box.

In the elegant room, Cheng Maoming stared fixedly at the clinic door, his eyes suddenly brightening: “He’s come out. Is that man in the long robe carrying the medicine box Doctor Gu?”

Compared to Cheng Maoming’s excitement, the two people walking out of the clinic were completely oblivious as they talked.

“How did Master Wen sleep last night?”

“Thanks to Doctor Gu, our master slept quite well.” When saying this, Wen Ping’s face was full of joy.

This joy actually had nothing to do with Wen Rusheng, but rather a matter of great happiness he’d heard about early this morning when going out to buy breakfast: Second Miss Lin had been kidnapped by bandits!

Wen Ping had immediately perked up, wishing he could buy a long string of firecrackers to set off.

Setting off firecrackers was naturally out of the question. He could only share the good news with Wen Rusheng, but who knew Wen Rusheng would shake his head repeatedly after hearing it, insisting the bandits were finished, which put a damper on Wen Ping’s good mood.

If not for needing a place to eat, he would definitely stay far away from that fool.

“Doctor Gu, have you heard about the terrifying incident that occurred in the capital?” Wen Ping showed a grave expression, but actually hadn’t spoken his fill at Wen Rusheng’s and wanted to discuss it with someone else.

“What incident?”

“It’s about that Second Miss Lin—” Suddenly a group of men wielding long sabers rushed out from both sides, frightening Wen Ping so badly he hugged his head and crouched on the ground, his voice changing pitch: “Don’t kill me, I didn’t say anything!”

In that instant, Wen Ping’s mind had only one thought: Heavens, could what Wen Rusheng said be true—that anyone who was bad to Second Miss Lin would be finished?

“Withdraw!”

Hugging his head, Wen Ping heard this phrase. Only after quite a while did he dare look around.

“What happened?” The clinic apprentice ran out.

Wen Ping looked at the medicine box dropped on the ground, his face blank: “I don’t know.”

“Doctor Gu was arrested by what people?”

Wen Ping slowly shook his head: “I don’t know.”

“How can you not know anything! This won’t do, I must report to the authorities!”

The apprentice’s words had barely fallen when several more people wielding sabers and clubs suddenly surged forth, and in the blink of an eye dragged the apprentice away.

Wen Ping stood dazed for a moment, then jumped up and ran into the alley, not daring to look back until he’d run into Wen Manor.

Having taken in everything that occurred before the clinic, Cheng Maoming stood up: “Does the Heir want to accompany me to Jinlin Guard to hear the interrogation of this Doctor Gu?”

“Is this… convenient?”

Cheng Maoming laughed heartily: “If it’s not convenient for anyone, it’s still convenient for the Heir.”

“Then I’ll join in the excitement.” Qi Shuo smiled at the corners of his lips, but his heart was ice-cold.

Mister Fox was closely connected to the Crown Prince’s death. Originally it would be best not to join in this excitement, but since they had set their sights on A’Hao, he could no longer stay out of it.

In the Jinlin Guard yamen, Doctor Gu had already been locked in an airtight interrogation room.

Cheng Maoming decided to personally conduct the interrogation.

“You’re a doctor at Danxin Hall, surnamed Gu?”

“This commoner is indeed. May I know what crime this commoner has committed to be arrested here?”

“Mister Fox.” Cheng Maoming suddenly called out.

Doctor Gu’s eyes showed confusion: “What is Your Excellency saying?”

Cheng Maoming raised his chin toward his subordinate: “Go check his face.”

Even if they arrested the wrong person, he was just a clinic doctor—no need to beat around the bush. If they really discovered this person had disguised himself, naturally they could use facts to pressure him into speaking.

Hearing Cheng Maoming’s such crude demand, Doctor Gu’s eyes changed.

Two Jinlin Guards walked over. One held his head still, while the other leaned close to examine carefully.

“What is Your Excellency doing, what are you doing—” Doctor Gu shouted.

Without Cheng Maoming’s instruction, one Jinlin Guard casually picked up a nearby rag and stuffed it in his mouth.

One could well imagine what rags placed in interrogation rooms were used for. The intense stench of blood instantly filled his mouth and nose. Doctor Gu struggled a few times, then actually rolled his eyes back and fainted.

With this fainting, Cheng Maoming became uncertain.

“Heir, I think we arrested the wrong person. This should just be an ordinary clinic doctor.” Cheng Maoming walked to the adjacent room and spoke to Qi Shuo, who was observing the interrogation through a secret opening left in the wall.

“Why does the Grand Commander say this?”

Cheng Maoming was feeling disappointed and sighed: “Heir, think about it—if this were Mister Fox, could he faint from a cloth?”

Impossible. The remnants of Emperor Pingle arrested by Jinlin Guard all had hard bones. Even those who couldn’t hold out in the end and confessed had only done so after suffering every torture.

Qi Shuo smiled slightly: “Yet I feel we may not have made a mistake. Does the Grand Commander want to make a wager?”

Cheng Maoming immediately shook his head: “No need to wager. I think the Heir is right.”

Qi Shuo: ?

Despite his meticulous mind, for a moment he didn’t understand what Grand Commander Cheng meant by this. Could he be speaking sarcastically like A’Hao?

Thinking this, he inconspicuously moved a step to the side, slightly increasing the distance between them.

Whether A’Hao spoke straightforwardly or sarcastically, he liked it—but a grown man doing this was somewhat problematic.

Cheng Maoming blinked.

He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but Prince Jing’s Heir seemed to have suddenly grown cold toward him.

This wouldn’t do!

“Heir—”

He reached out wanting to pat Qi Shuo’s shoulder, when he heard the subordinate in the interrogation room call out: “Grand Commander, there’s a discovery!”

Cheng Maoming looked through the secret opening and saw a Jinlin Guard holding a thin, swaying skin in his hand.

Cheng Maoming hastily went next door.

At this time, Doctor Gu was still unconscious with his head tilted to one side. A fallen lock of hair covered part of his face, preventing people from seeing his true features clearly for the moment.

“Turn his face properly.” Cheng Maoming gave an instruction.

One Jinlin Guard straightened Doctor Gu’s head and pushed aside that lock of hair.

“It’s him!” Cheng Maoming was extremely excited. “It’s the person the Heir drew based on the confession of the one who poisoned the Crown Prince!”

Cheng Maoming still had that portrait well preserved. To be safe, he immediately retrieved it to compare.

“There’s no mistake—it’s him!”

But why was this person still unconscious from a cloth?

Cheng Maoming frowned and instructed his subordinate: “Wake him up.”

A basin of water splashed down and Doctor Gu leisurely awoke.

“Speak then, what’s the meaning of this?” Cheng Maoming pinched that thin layer of skin between two fingers and asked coldly.

The rag had already been removed from Doctor Gu’s mouth, but the fishy stench in his oral cavity hadn’t dispersed. He turned his head and dry-heaved twice before looking at the mask Cheng Maoming was holding.

Cheng Maoming sneered: “Don’t tell me an ordinary clinic doctor needs to wear this thing.”

Doctor Gu remained silent.

“Won’t speak? Then I’m afraid I must offend.” Cheng Maoming gave his subordinate a look.

That Jinlin Guard took down a long whip stained with blood from a nearby rack and with a crack lashed it across Doctor Gu’s body.

These Jinlin Guards skilled in torture all knew how to use force skillfully. Though this lash seemed not to use much strength, Doctor Gu, stripped down to his undergarment, immediately had his skin split and flesh torn.

Screams rang out in the interrogation room. Cheng Maoming picked at his ear.

He always felt this Doctor Gu’s screams were especially loud, unlike those spies who entered Jinlin Guard.

After three screams—that is, after the whip struck three times—Doctor Gu’s trembling voice called out: “I’ll speak—”

The Jinlin Guard administering punishment glanced at Cheng Maoming. Receiving his signal, he withdrew to the side.

“What’s your relationship with Mister Fox?” Cheng Maoming asked.

“This humble person… is Mister Fox.”

Cheng Maoming raised an eyebrow, his first reaction being disbelief.

How could anyone confess so easily?

He even picked up that portrait again to look. The man before him was indeed the person in the portrait without doubt.

Could this person have a second layer of disguise?

This thought flashing by, Cheng Maoming immediately instructed his subordinate to check again.

Doctor Gu’s face was pinched and lifted. In pain, his voice changed pitch somewhat: “This humble person has already confessed. Why still humiliate me thus?”

The Jinlin Guard responsible for checking paid no attention to what he said. After careful examination, he reported to Cheng Maoming: “Grand Commander, this person has no second mask on his face.”

“Watch him carefully.”

Cheng Maoming quickly went to the adjacent room, voicing his doubts: “This person confessed too easily. Though he matches the Mister Fox the Heir drew, I always feel there’s deception.”

Having Lin Hao’s words about Mister Fox’s origins, Qi Shuo as an observer saw more clearly: “Has the Grand Commander considered that Mister Fox may not be one of those carefully trained spies, but rather an honored guest of those people?”

Cheng Maoming froze, then vigorously patted Qi Shuo’s shoulder: “The Heir makes sense—I was too close to see clearly!”

Just imagine—arrest a Great Zhou noble and whip him repeatedly several times, could he hold out? Certainly not.

This way, it was understandable why Mister Fox could be knocked unconscious by a cloth.

Cheng Maoming had a clear understanding now and rushed to the interrogation room with the wind at his feet.

“Since you admit to being Mister Fox, then speak about how you contacted people when there was business, and which accomplices in the capital you know of.”

“When there was business, they would disguise themselves as patients to come to the clinic to find me and inform me of the meeting place. The meeting place was different each time…”

After listening, Cheng Maoming was unsatisfied: “With Mister Fox’s status, you shouldn’t only know these few accomplices.”

“There are truly only these.”

Cheng Maoming’s face darkened: “Continue the torture.”

Since he couldn’t endure torture, that made it easy. Pressing him a bit might yield new discoveries, and if nothing came of it, there was no loss.

This time they used branding. The red-hot branding iron pressed against his body and immediately produced white smoke. Mister Fox screamed miserably.

After enduring it twice, Mister Fox’s voice shook with pain: “There is… there is one more person of extraordinary status…”