When Xia Ze regained consciousness, he had no idea where he was.
Surrounded by darkness, his limbs were tightly bound with ropes, and a rough cloth gagged his mouth, rendering him unable to cry out.
Suddenly, someone lit a candle in the room.
It was then that Xia Ze saw he was confined to a dark chamber, and sitting before him, looking down imperiously, was Zhao Hua!
With a laugh, Zhao Hua remarked, "Xia Ze, if memory serves, this is the first time we've been alone without His Majesty."
Xia Ze mumbled unintelligibly, unable to make out his own words.
With a gesture, Zhao Hua instructed Xiao Fuzi to remove the cloth from his mouth.
As soon as his mouth was freed, he exclaimed, "Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this! I am the Imperial Physician appointed by His Majesty, how dare you..."
*Smack!*
Before he could finish, Xiao Fuzi's slap landed squarely on his face.
"In front of Her Majesty, dare you raise your voice?" she retorted.
Cornered, Xia Ze had to soften his stance.
He asked Zhao Hua, "Does His Majesty know about this?"
With a smirk, Zhao Hua replied, "You have no right to question me. But I do wonder, did you ever tell His Majesty about using the blood ritual to hasten his recovery?"
At her words, Xia Ze's pupils quivered in shock.
Xiao Jingheng had forbidden him from revealing this to anyone, so he had to vehemently deny ever committing such an atrocity.
While Xia Ze spoke firmly, Zhao Hua remained silent, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Yun Shan, standing behind her, calmly retrieved a long, thick needle from her sleeve.
She brandished it before Xia Ze and, with feigned respect, said, "Will you not speak, Imperial Physician Xia?"
"What nonsense are you expecting me to confess to!?" Xia Ze retorted.
Hearing this, Yun Shan chose not to engage further in debate.
Swiftly grabbing Xia Ze's hand, she unhesitatingly drove the needle into the crevice beneath his right index fingernail.
"Ahhh!!!" Xia Ze screamed in agony, as Yun Shan ruthlessly twisted the needle deep into his finger.
Amidst his cries, Yun Shan casually remarked, "If you refuse to talk, this needle won't just pierce your finger, but your eyes, your belly button, every crevice of your body. I have all the time in the world to spend torturing you here!"
With tears streaming down his face, Xia Ze hastily exclaimed, "Stop! I'll talk! I'll talk! Ahhh!!"
Seeing him capitulate, Yun Shan ceased her torment, promptly removing the needle before retreating behind Zhao Hua.
Having obtained the answer she desired, Zhao Hua smirked and said coldly, "You've admitted, that's all that matters. As for why the Second Princess fainted and fell from the artificial mountain, I suspect you have some idea. With this, I no longer consider you guilty."
With a lazy clap, Zhao Hua's cue was met by the entrance of Judge Zhang.
He held a hollow needle in his hand, a tool specifically for piercing veins to draw blood, much like the one Xia Ze used on the children, only thicker and faster in bloodletting speed.
Xia Ze panicked instantly. Bound hand and foot, he wriggled towards the corner of the room like a trapped insect.
"You can't do this to me! If I die, the Emperor will surely investigate thoroughly! You..."
"Don't worry, if I dare to touch you, it means the Emperor's end is near as well," Zhao Hua interrupted.
Rising to her feet, Zhao Hua advanced step by step towards Xia Ze, who had nowhere to retreat, pressed against the wall.
She leaned in, delivering two sharp slaps to Xia Ze's cheek, murmuring with a mocking tone, "I'll send him down shortly to reunite you two. Xia Ze, with all your skills, you'll stay on the Road to Underworld, continuing to tend to the Emperor's dragon body."
With that, Zhao Hua decisively turned away and headed out.
She took the handkerchief Yun Shan handed to her, wiped her hands clean, then tossed the handkerchief lightly to the ground. She then removed the honey-amber Buddhist beads from her wrist,
rolling them between her fingers, chanting a Buddhist prayer. As she was about to step across the threshold,
she casually instructed, "Drain his blood, crush his breath, and feed the dogs once he's gone."
