Chapter 1017 - 1019: Lu Dan Goes Missing_1
Chapter 1019: Lu Dan’s Disappearance
The way Lu Dan talked about corpse puppets was too eerie. Bai Ruozhu didn’t know if it was similar to the "raising of little ghosts" she had heard about in ghost stories from her previous life, but one thing she was certain of was that this method was extremely sinister.
Thinking about Tiger and the other two children having their souls devoured by him, they must be in excruciating pain.
However, seeing that Tiger recognized Dongqing indicated that the souls still retained some consciousness, but primarily they were compelled to obey Lu Dan, even to the point of strangling the sister he loved at Lu Dan’s command.
"Originally, Yang Tianhua sought me out because he wanted me to use my evil skills against you, but since Tiger’s sister is your maid, I suggested a simpler approach, to avoid suspicion by acting now. We evil doctors don’t like causing trouble everywhere," Lu Dan said with a tone that carried a hint of ingratiating, trying to make Jiang Yichun and his companion feel as though he hadn’t targeted them initially and to let him off the hook.
Regrettably, he should not have looked at Bai Ruozhu that way just now. If he weren’t a habitual offender, Jiang Yichun would have gouged out his eyes on the spot.
"Since you’ve captured Tiger’s soul, will he be in pain and unable to reincarnate?" Bai Ruozhu suddenly asked.
"Th-That won’t happen, I have given him a chance to live again," Lu Dan claimed, but a flash of panic crossed his eyes, it seemed Bai Ruozhu’s guess was not wrong!
After asking a few more questions and feeling they had learned enough, they left the gloomy dungeon and exited the palace to return to the Bai Family residence.
Bai Ruozhu told Dongqing everything she had learned without any concealment, and Dongqing burst into an earth-shattering cry.
"Lu Dan is very sinister. Initially, he showed you a little finger, and later when you found out Tiger was unharmed, that wasn’t because he was soft-hearted," Bai Ruozhu said as she saw Dongqing’s state, her heart softened, and she shook her head, "We can’t say it’s Tiger anymore, that corpse puppet isn’t Tiger, it just contains Tiger’s soul."
After crying for a while, Dongqing’s gaze hardened, and she said, "Miss, I’ve thought it through. Living like this, Tiger is in too much pain. It would be better to let him go, to allow his soul to reincarnate sooner."
Bai Ruozhu felt the same, but she didn’t know exactly how to proceed. Seeing her worried, Jiang Yichun took her hand and said, "Don’t worry, I will report this to the Emperor tomorrow and ask him to seek the National Master’s assistance."
"The National Master?" Bai Ruozhu was hearing about this for the first time.
"He should be considered a distinguished guest supported by the Royal Family. Since the time of the Former Emperor, he has been residing in the Astrology Tower and seldom comes out to see people," explained Jiang Yichun.
Bai Ruozhu listened with great curiosity, hoping to persuade the National Master to take action.
The next morning, Jiang Yichun was about to attend the early court session, but was shocked to learn from Jing Lei that Lu Dan had escaped from jail!
"Master, someone said they saw you and your wife visiting the jail, claiming it was you who let the prisoner escape," Jing Lei added from outside the room.
Jiang Yichun’s eyes turned colder, "It seems there’s a traitor in the palace."
Bai Ruozhu nodded as well. Lu Dan had been poisoned by her, and without the antidote, not only would he suffer greatly, but he wouldn’t even have the strength to shout, let alone escape by himself.
It had to be someone who rescued him, and that person was likely in need of Lu Dan’s services for something...
"Don’t worry, nothing will happen to me. I’m going to court now; you can sleep a little longer." Jiang Yichun patted Bai Ruozhu’s head and gently kissed her forehead.
Seeing him so confident, Bai Ruozhu also relaxed a lot and simply closed her eyes to continue sleeping.
As expected, during the early morning court session, someone reported the incident, using it as grounds to impeach Jiang Yichun. Jiang Yichun responded in a calm and unhurried manner, "I was there for an investigation, not a jailbreak. Besides, if I really intended to help a prisoner escape, would I be foolish enough to take my wife along for a stroll, just in case you weren’t aware?"
Yang Tianhua, seizing the opportunity, retorted, "Since you were investigating, why bring any woman, let alone your wife? Seems like there’s something wrong with her, isn’t it?"
Yang Tianhua, due to the incident with his son, Yang Hongwen, harbored hatred towards Bai Ruozhu. He didn’t believe his son was at fault. Instead, he thought that it was Bai Ruozhu who seduced his son and that Jiang Yichun was trying to kill him.
Jiang Yichun gave Yang Tianhua a dismissive glance and said, "The other party is an Evil Doctor. If my wife doesn’t step in, would you be there to restrain him? Lord Yang should be aware of my wife’s medical skills."
Yang Tianhua huffed coldly, "What medical skills can a woman possess? Don’t try to glorify your wife unnecessarily."
Jiang Yichun did not look at him but addressed the Emperor instead, "Your Majesty, I interrogated and uncovered some insider details yesterday, and I am ready to report them to you."
"Please speak, Jiang Aiqing," the Emperor said, clearly showing respect for Jiang Yichun.
Jiang Yichun then recited the contents of Lu Dan’s confession from the day before, including the fact that the puppet corpses were his creation and that they could take on the appearance of the three absorbed children.
"Such Evil Techniques must not appear in Danliang Country, or they will cause unrest among the people and even threaten the safety of the Capital City," Jiang Yichun added.
He had originally planned to speak privately with the Emperor about these matters, but since false charges had been pressed against him, he could only hint at them. The Emperor, being astute, would surely take the hint.
Just imagine, someone like Lu Dan, an Evil Doctor capable of creating child puppets like these for his own use, could he also create other puppets, perhaps to mimic someone in the Palace, or to kill a concubine, allowing the puppet to absorb the concubine’s soul and impersonate her to assassinate the Emperor?
The Emperor’s expression darkened, and he cast a more piercing glance at Yang Tianhua. Lu Dan had been brought in by Yang Tianhua, and whatever they had previously done together remained a mystery. The Emperor had already demonstrated considerable restraint by not dealing with Yang Tianhua directly, yet Lu Dan had been using such diabolical techniques.
Moreover, it was certain that someone inside the Palace was involved in Lu Dan’s escape. Was it Lu Dan’s own faction infiltrating, or was it Yang Tianhua’s faction lurking within the Palace?
No matter what the case, it was something an Emperor could not tolerate. Would he allow others to sleep peacefully beside his own couch?
"Yang Aiqing, since you believe it was Yichun who let Lu Dan escape, then I will entrust you with the task of apprehending Lu Dan and bringing him to justice. An Evil Doctor like him cannot be left at large. Do not disappoint me," the Emperor said with a smile.
Yang Tianhua was stunned for a moment, then hastily said, "Your Majesty, I am at a loss. Wouldn’t this matter be better handled by the Court of Judicial Review?"
"There is no need. The Court of Judicial Review does not know of Lu Dan either. I trust Yang Aiqing can handle this matter well," said the Emperor with a profound meaning.
Nobody dared make a sound in response, for fear of being saddled with this troubling assignment. After all, if an Evil Doctor was able to escape from the dungeon in the Palace, who knew what kind of backing he had? Moreover, with his mastery of Evil Techniques, ordinary people did not wish to provoke such an enemy, lest their families suffer the consequences.
Eventually, Yang Tianhua had no choice but to accept the task.
When Bai Ruozhu learned of this, she asked Jiang Yichun with some concern, "Did the Emperor secretly instruct you to do something?"
Jiang Yichun couldn’t help but laugh, "My wife is indeed clever. The Emperor has assigned me to keep a close watch on the Yang Family."