Chapter 62

After the hour of Shen (3–5 PM), it was supposed to be the darkest time of the day.

However, dawn arrived unusually early in Songyuan County today. By the hour of You (5–7 PM), a faint light had already appeared on the horizon.

Most people in the Beitian Fang were still sound asleep, while a few patients in severe pain tossed and turned on their bedding, groaning throughout the night.

Meng Qingyun and a few monks were brewing medicinal soup in the temple courtyard when they suddenly saw Li Chun leading a group of people straight into the meditation room where Zhang Xianling was staying.

Before Meng Qingyun and the monks could react, a dull thud came from the meditation room, followed by Zhang Xianling being gagged and roughly dragged out.

Although shocked, the monks never meddled in government affairs, and Meng Qingyun was simply unable to speak up.

Thus, Zhang Xianling was taken away from the Beitianfang without leaving a single word behind.

Meanwhile, outside Zhang’s residence, seven or eight people had gathered, peeking toward the mansion but too afraid to approach.

These were nearby residents awakened by the commotion in their sleep.

Normally, during the rampant spread of this “plague,” no one dared to leave their homes, but the noise was so alarming that it was impossible to ignore. They had also heard the cries of the servants.

Realizing that something major had occurred, they risked coming out to investigate.

However, the guards outside the mansion formed a tight perimeter, preventing them from learning anything.

Not long after, they saw the usually dignified and composed Mrs. Zhang being led out with her hands tied, looking disheveled. She was shoved into a carriage and taken to the county yamen (government office).

Following this, the servants of the Zhang household were also bound and gagged, all escorted in the same direction.

At this moment, the nearby residents finally confirmed that something serious had happened and fled back to their homes.

Inside the Zhang residence.

Yiling stood under the eaves, watching the entire Zhang household being taken away. The once-pristine courtyard was now a complete mess.

Soon, officers conducting a search filed into the residence, ransacking every room except for Yiling’s chamber.

Dao Yu approached Yiling and whispered, “Madam, Master will not return for some time.

Please go inside and rest.”

Yiling nodded and obediently followed Dao Yu into her chamber.

Sitting at the table, she warmed her icy hands and feet with a cup of hot tea before finally asking, “Did Zhang Xianling really poison the people?”

Dao Yu replied, “That seems to be the case, but we’ll need to wait for Master’s interrogation to know for sure.”

In fact, just moments ago, beneath the watchtower, Mrs. Zhang had already confessed the entire story in detail.

Yet Yiling still found it hard to believe that someone could be so heartless in such a remote and simple place.

Mrs. Zhang explained that there was no plague in Songyuan County at all—it was entirely a scheme devised by her husband, Zhang Xianling.

The idea arose several months ago when an old acquaintance of Zhang Xianling arrived in Songyuan County from southern Xinjiang. Zhang Xianling hosted a banquet for him at his residence.

This acquaintance was not an upstanding person, merely someone who traveled with merchant caravans to make a living.

The reason he had a connection with Zhang Xianling was that he had once helped the magistrate sell a white jade figurine acquired through embezzlement to a faraway location, ensuring its origin remained undetected. This allowed Zhang Xianling to rest easy.

For years, the two had continued their illicit dealings, and this time, the acquaintance brought a mysterious poison from southern Xinjiang.

This poison, once dissolved in water, was colorless and tasteless but acted swiftly. It caused severe itching, rashes, and high fever, mimicking symptoms of a plague.

Moreover, being a poison from southern Xinjiang, doctors in the central plains would never be able to diagnose it.

The two immediately recognized the immense potential of the poison without needing to spell it out.

After all, seven years ago, the imperial court allocated 400,000 taels of silver for disaster relief following an earthquake in Mengyang Prefecture.

If a small county like Songyuan could secure imperial disaster relief funds through a controlled, man-made “plague,” Zhang Xianling, who earned an annual salary of just 50 taels, would be set for life.

The two quickly reached an agreement and devised a thorough plan. After securing all the necessary connections, they poisoned the water in wells used by the townspeople.

Their plan was to secretly distribute the antidote once the imperial relief funds arrived.

However, they hadn’t anticipated that the poison would cause varying reactions in different individuals, with severe cases resulting in death.

The rate of spread also far exceeded their expectations.

The most critical miscalculation was that the timing of their “plague” report coincided with the disastrous incident at the Luo Tian Great Ceremony. The emperor, enraged, dispatched Xie Hengzhi personally to Songyuan County.

As for Zhang Xianling’s “illness,” it was merely a ruse to make Xie Hengzhi suspect that he had been unharmed after staying in Bitter Fields Lane for so long, an act of self-inflicted injury to throw him off the scent.

The cause and effect that Mrs. Zhang had explained were these. After hearing this, everyone present was struck with disbelief.

Who could have imagined that a plague that caused so many deaths actually stemmed from a casual conversation between Zhang Xianling and a merchant over drinks?

One couldn’t help but wonder if the endless wails and moans from Bitter Fields Lane ever reached Zhang Xianling’s ears, turning into the sound of silver coins being pocketed.

By the afternoon, the search at Zhang’s residence continued, while Dao Yu moved with Yiling to a new location.

Since hearing in the night that Xie Hengzhi planned to burn down Bitter Fields Lane, followed by the cursing and crying until late in the night, and then hearing Mrs. Zhang’s confession… It had all happened in just one night, yet Yiling felt as if she had lived through an entire lifetime. As she looked at the Zhang residence, where they had stayed for days, she felt nothing but a chilling sense of dread.

When leaving with Dao Yu, she felt as if she hadn’t fully come to her senses.

At the newly settled inn, Dao Yu, realizing there were no maidservants to help, personally boiled some water.

When she returned with a basin of hot water, she found Yiling already asleep, leaning against the headboard of the bed.

Dao Yu didn’t disturb her, covering her with a blanket before quietly leaving.

The sunlight streamed through the window bars, casting slanted shadows that slowly moved across the floor of the room.

When Xie Hengzhi returned, Dao Yu, who was guarding outside, informed him that Yiling was still asleep. He nodded and entered.

As he neared the bed, he heard a low curse from behind the curtain: “Bastard!”

Xie Hengzhi stopped, paused for a moment, and then asked, “Are you still angry?”

There was no reply for a long time.

Xie Hengzhi narrowed his eyes and slowly walked over, lifting the curtain slightly.

It turned out she was just mumbling in her sleep.

Xie Hengzhi sat down by the bed.

Looking at Yiling’s sleeping face, his brow twitched suddenly.

She was cursing Zhang Xianling, wasn’t she?

As he pondered, the person in bed suddenly opened her eyes.

Her face still carried the drowsiness of sleep, and after rubbing her eyes, Yiling sat up.

“Did you finish questioning Zhang Xianling?”

It seemed she hadn’t been cursing him after all.

Xie Hengzhi raised his chin and nodded. “It’s done.”

Yiling asked, “How did it go? Did he confess everything?”

Before Xie Hengzhi could answer, she added, “If he refuses to admit it, you must use the most vicious methods; make sure he confesses everything!”

Xie Hengzhi replied, “…There’s no need. He already confessed.”

And besides, he didn’t have the most vicious methods.

“That’s good…”

As for the cruel details, Yiling didn’t want to listen any further.

Her expression was blank as she thought back to the image of Zhang Xianling, who had once been a devoted public servant.

“I’ve thought of a thousand and one possible causes of the disease but never imagined that Zhang Xianling was the mastermind behind it. He was supposed to be the father of the people in Songyuan County; how could he kill so many innocent lives just for the sake of the disaster relief funds?”

“The upper beam is crooked; no wonder the lower beams are skewed.”

Yiling had been talking to herself, but to her surprise, Xie Hengzhi responded in a low voice.

His tone, however, was laced with sarcasm.

Although he, like her, feared death and didn’t dare approach the infected, at least they had uncovered the truth, ensuring the people wouldn’t die in vain.

Yiling glanced at him and comforted, “…You don’t have to say that about yourself.”

Xie Hengzhi’s expression stiffened, seeming somewhat helpless, but he didn’t explain further.

Yiling suddenly thought of something. When she looked at Xie Hengzhi again, hesitation flickered on her face, as if she wanted to ask something but held back.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Hengzhi asked.

“So…” Yiling studied his eyes. “Did you know all along?”

Did he already know from the beginning?

After all, when the doctor said she had contracted the ‘plague,’ it was then that he dared to stay with her.

“I’m not as capable as you think.”

Xie Hengzhi smiled faintly. “It was only after Zhang Xianling fell ill that I started suspecting them.”

A county magistrate, who spent every day in Bitter Fields Lane caring for the sick, didn’t fall ill until Yiling ‘contracted the plague.’ How could that be?

What was even stranger was that Yiling never actually caught the disease.

This meant the so-called “shaman” wasn’t necessarily a fraud.

Then, what exactly was the method he claimed to use to eliminate the plague?

Xie Hengzhi naturally didn’t believe in ghosts and gods, but out of suspicion, he visited the “ghost market” the shaman had mentioned.

When he saw the dry well again, an absurd and cruel truth slowly began to surface in Xie Hengzhi’s mind.

As for Yiling, upon hearing Xie Hengzhi’s words, she didn’t ponder further.

She was more concerned about Xie Hengzhi’s mention of knowing the plague was man-made after Zhang Xianling had fallen ill.

That means…

Yiling paused, hesitating for a long while, before finally asking the question.

“Then, how could you dare stay with me every day when you didn’t know it wasn’t the plague?”

Xie Hengzhi thought her question was quite absurd.

“We’re married. Do you expect me to leave you to fend for yourself?”

Even knowing there was danger to life, must he still take full responsibility?

Yiling had never believed that such people existed, especially not someone like him, as even her own parents, blood-related to her, had never done such things.

She could never imagine that person being Xie Hengzhi.

Yet, he truly did what he said, never leaving empty promises.

For a moment, Yiling inexplicably wondered, What if another woman were sitting in front of him?

Would he act the same?

But as soon as that thought emerged, she realized how inappropriate it was and quickly turned her gaze away.

“Then, since we are married, why haven’t you told me everything?”

“I never intended to involve you in this.”

Recalling that moment, Xie Hengzhi’s gaze flickered slightly, and his voice lowered a bit. “But I didn’t expect you to come looking for me in the middle of the night.”

“I wasn’t looking for you.”

Yiling immediately denied it without thinking, “I just couldn’t sleep at night and happened to run into you while I was out wandering.”

Xie Hengzhi looked at her and only uttered an “Oh.”

“I was overthinking.”

Yiling didn’t continue his sentence, instead letting out a soft sigh.

Even though she already knew it was a false alarm, whenever she thought back to the scare from last night, Yiling still felt lingering fear.

Especially…

Suddenly, Yiling furrowed her brow and clenched her fist, punching Xie Hengzhi in the chest.

“I really thought you were going to burn so many innocent people to death, crying and getting all red-faced!”

“You’re a bastard! You made me cry and throw a tantrum in front of so many people—what a disgrace!”

After letting her punch him for a while, Xie Hengzhi finally nodded, acknowledging Yiling’s accusations.

“Yeah, your husband isn’t a good person, but he’s not that bad.”

He sighed. “It’s not like you’re going to kill me with your bare hands, right?”

What a show-off!

As if she, this weak woman, had such great strength.

Yiling withdrew her hand and didn’t forget to shoot him a glare.

That glare, however, made Yiling notice that the area from his left jaw to his neck was all red, standing out against his originally fair skin.

“What’s wrong with your neck?”

“By someone who couldn’t sleep at night,” Xie Hengzhi looked up and shot her a sidelong glance, “and went out wandering.”

“By accident,” he practically spat out each word slowly, “she splashed me.”

Yiling: “……”