in2ebook Chapter 87 Xu Fu is arrested
Chapter 87 Xu Fu is arrested
Upon hearing Ying Wuyou's conversation with the system, the King of Qin was filled with surprise. He fell into deep thought: [What's going on? I can't understand what they're saying.]
King Qin was filled with doubt and curiosity. He didn't know where this so-called Europe was, nor did he understand why Ying Wuyou would mention it. What puzzled him even more was that just moments ago they were talking about sending Jing Ke and Gao Jianli to Baga Island, so how did it suddenly become "Little Days"? Moreover, the name sounded very strange, and King Qin felt completely out of sync with the conversation between Ying Wuyou and the system.
As Ying Wuyou and the system continued their conversation, the King of Qin grew increasingly confused. He frowned, trying to understand every word they spoke, but he remained completely baffled. [Jiayang means Europe is a very far place; if Jing Ke went there, he wouldn't return. I've heard Jiayang mention a world map before; it seems the six states are indeed not the whole world.] The King of Qin thought to himself.
Putting aside his doubts, the King of Qin said, "Jiayang, you may leave now."
Ying Wuyou bowed and took his leave. The King of Qin watched Ying Wuyou walk away, a thoughtful expression on his face. He turned to the eunuch behind him and said, "Go and catch a rat." The eunuch looked surprised, but his movements were swift. Before long, a rat was brought back, locked in a box.
The King of Qin waved for the others to leave, then opened the box and tossed in the elixir Xu Fu had given him. He observed quietly, noticing that the rat seemed to have improved after consuming the elixir; its eyes were bright, and its fur was smooth. However, the King of Qin did not let his guard down; he continued to wait patiently to see if any other unusual phenomena would occur.
In the following days, whenever Xu Fu brought new medicine, the King of Qin would feed it to the rat. At first, the rat remained in good condition, but as time went on, it began to become listless and inactive. Finally, one day, after consuming the elixir, the rat twitched a few times and then lay still. The King of Qin looked at the rat's stiff corpse, his eyes turning cold.
The King of Qin summoned Meng Yi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, to see him. Upon seeing Meng Yi, the King of Qin said in a deep voice, "Xu Fu plotted to harm me. Arrest him and ask him if he has any accomplices." Meng Yi was startled upon hearing this and immediately knelt down to pay his respects, asking, "Is Your Majesty injured?" The King of Qin waved his hand, signaling Meng Yi to rise, then slowly shook his head and said, "I am fine. Come and take a look at this." With that, the King of Qin pointed to a box on a low table.
Meng Yi hurried to the low table and carefully opened the box. When he saw what was inside, he couldn't help but gasp. Inside lay a stiff, lifeless rat, its fur dull and gray. Meng Yi looked at the King of Qin in confusion and asked, "Your Majesty, what is this…?" The King of Qin's expression turned grave as he slowly replied, "This rat ate the elixir refined by Xu Fu."
Upon hearing the King of Qin's words, Meng Yi turned pale with fright, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the dead rat, various horrific images flashing through his mind. If the King of Qin hadn't discovered the problem in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. He dared not imagine what would have happened if the King had consumed such a pill. The thought sent a chill down Meng Yi's spine.
Seeing the worry in Meng Yi's eyes, the King of Qin said gently, "I am fine. Go and interrogate Xu Fu first. Take this with you and let Xu Fu see it." He then pointed to the box containing the dead rat. Meng Yi obeyed and left.
Xu Fu was currently refining elixirs in the courtyard. Seeing the elixirs nearing completion, Xu Fu felt a great sense of accomplishment. Thinking that the King of Qin would die in just over six hundred days, Xu Fu was in high spirits.
Suddenly, someone violently kicked open Xu Fu's courtyard gate. Xu Fu stared at the approaching imperial guards without any panic, but calmly looked at the guard commander and asked, "Who are you? Why are you trespassing on my courtyard?"
The Imperial Guard Commander Meng Yi looked at the venerable Xu Fu and asked, "Xu Fu, is that you?"
Xu Fu nodded, proudly declaring, "It is indeed this humble Taoist!"
Meng Yi looked at Xu Fu and said in a deep voice, "I am Meng Yi, the commander of the Imperial Guards. Xu Fu, you plotted to murder the King, your crime is unforgivable. Do you plead guilty?" After speaking, he shouted to the guards, "Take Xu Fu away!" As soon as Meng Yi finished speaking, two guards stepped forward, grabbed Xu Fu's arms tightly, and dragged him away.
Xu Fu was also somewhat flustered at this moment, and shouted loudly, "You are talking nonsense! I am a Taoist immortal! The king has traveled thousands of miles to ask me to refine the elixir of immortality. The king is still waiting for my elixir of immortality. How could he order my arrest? You must be framing me!" Meng Yi ignored Xu Fu's shouts. He ordered his men to gag Xu Fu and forcibly drag him away.
Upon arriving at the prison cell, Meng Yi did not hesitate for a moment. He ordered Xu Fu to be tied to a rack. Meng Yi glared at Xu Fu and demanded sharply, "Xu Fu, why did you poison the King? And who were your accomplices?"
Xu Fu was pale, but he still stubbornly insisted, "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Meng Yi snorted coldly. He ordered someone to bring the dead rat to Xu Fu and asked, "Xu Fu, do you know what this is?"
Xu Fu glanced at the box, inside which lay a dead rat. Xu Fu exclaimed in surprise, "What does a dead rat have to do with me?"
Meng Yi raised his whip and lashed it hard across Xu Fu's body, saying as he did so, "Xu Fu, do you know that this rat died after eating the elixir you made for the King? Tell me, is it related to you or not?"
Xu Fu let out a heart-wrenching scream, the sound echoing throughout the cell as if it would shatter the walls. Enduring the excruciating pain, he stared wide-eyed and asked incredulously, "What did you just say? The King didn't take my elixirs, but instead fed them to the rats?"
Xu Fu's heart was filled with turmoil, and despair filled his face. He never expected that the King of Qin would be so dismissive of the elixir of immortality he had concocted, not even bothering to try a single drop. This meant that his meticulously planned scheme had completely failed, and all his efforts and hard work had vanished into thin air.
Upon hearing Xu Fu's words, Meng Yi stopped wielding his whip, picked up a red-hot branding iron, and slowly approached Xu Fu. Xu Fu stared in terror at the scorching iron, his eyes filled with undisguised fear, and his body involuntarily shrank back.
"Speak! Why did you poison the King?" Meng Yi demanded again, his voice filled with unquestionable authority.
Xu Fu knew his plot had been exposed, but he couldn't understand where things had gone wrong. Could it be that Zhao Gao had betrayed him? This thought flashed through his mind, and as time passed, Xu Fu became increasingly convinced of this possibility. So, trembling, he stammered, "It was...it was Zhao Gao! It was all Zhao Gao's doing! I really didn't know anything! Zhao Gao gave me a small bottle and told me to add a little bit to it when I was making elixirs. He also said that if Your Majesty took it for two years, even a god descending to earth wouldn't be able to save you."
Upon hearing Xu Fu's words, a hint of surprise flashed in Meng Yi's eyes. He then ordered Xu Fu to be taken away. He himself hurried towards Zhangtai Palace.