Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Li Yuanzhao stared at the white coat with a mix of shock and fear, subtly stepping back.

The room was filled with a pungent stench, with a faint hint of alcohol?

Something's not right... the people here all seem strange!

This is even worse than being sent for labor reform, isn't it?

What on earth is Lao Fang thinking? Did he bring these people here?

Xiaotao stomped her foot in anger upon hearing this: "What did the young master tell you! You're actually abusing prisoners here. Will you be using civilians tomorrow after using prisoners of war today? Wait until the young master returns, you'll be punished!"

The person in the white coat visibly panicked and quickly explained, "Miss Xiaotao, please rest assured, they are absolutely safe!"

"The safety of penicillin is quite high. We've even tested it on ourselves... Now that we finally have so many wounded soldiers, we don't want to miss this opportunity! Just once... please, just this once... Once the results from this batch of wounded soldiers come out, we'll succeed!"

"We also have many traditional doctors here watching over them! If any problems arise, they'll be treated immediately, guaranteeing no loss of life!"

"The master also places special importance on penicillin. He's come to inspect it so many times."

"And he also said that sacrificing oneself for science is a glorious thing..."

"That's for you to sacrifice yourselves! Not for you to sacrifice others! Are we running a cult here?" Xiaotao scolded a few more times, then turned to Li Yuanzhao and said, "Your Highness, have you seen enough?"

Li Yuanzhao swallowed, looking around restlessly.

The feeling he got from this place became more and more unsettling. Although the room was quite bright, he didn't know why the smell and atmosphere felt so sinister! Especially seeing the various sizes of needles displayed on the nearby table, his scalp tingled, and he couldn't help but recall the scene of Fang Zheng Yi killing over fifty people in the dungeon.

Damn it, how could there be such a strange place in Taoyuan County? This place doesn't look like it's for treating illnesses and saving people at all; there's not even a hint of medicine!

Could Lao Fang be a pervert!?

Li Yuanzhao cursed inwardly, saying aloud, "Let's go, let's go, I've seen enough. Hurry up and go to the county office to explain the specifics to me."

After moving to the county office, Xiaotao gathered many people who knew the inside story.

Ao Chen cut straight to the chase: "Your Highness, we suspect that Prince Wu has rebellious intentions."

Li Yuanzhao's eyelids twitched violently, and he immediately raised his hand to stop him from continuing.

He was a little unable to accept it all at once. The amount of information he had received on this trip to Taoyuan County was too much!

It wasn't that he was afraid of Prince Wu rebelling; he would be happy if someone rebelled.

The main thing was that the more he was exposed to, the more responsibilities he had, and the more he had to start considering the possible consequences.

Without particularly solid evidence, all the feudal princes within the capital would be terrified.

Originally, the feudal princes were already dissatisfied with the Emperor's reduction of their power. If he rashly assumed that Prince Wu had a problem, what would the other feudal princes think? Would it be their turn next? Who knew what kind of trouble it would cause.

Rubbing his temples, Li Yuanzhao sighed, "Continue."

"Prince Wu may no longer be in the capital." This was another bombshell.

Li Yuanzhao immediately retorted, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If a feudal prince leaves the capital, the palace will definitely know."

Ao Chen didn't know how to answer, as it was just a guess after all.

He continued, "Does Your Highness know that a few days ago, a manor in the suburbs of the capital was burned down, killing many people? That manor was Prince Wu's manor. Many high-yield crops were planted in the manor, including sweet potatoes, and even planted much earlier than in Taoyuan County."

"How did you know about these things!" Li Yuanzhao was greatly shocked.

"Because one person didn't die and accidentally ran to Taoyuan County..."

Ao Chen told a lie. It was difficult to explain this matter for the time being. He couldn't say that the master had sent spies. After all, Prince Wu was a member of the royal family, and there were taboos.

"Your Highness, you should know that the master went to investigate the salt merchants. Not long after he left, the manor in the suburbs of the capital caught fire, and then Taoyuan County was attacked by those people. The prisoners also admitted that they were Prince Wu's men. That means he may be connected to the salt merchants, maybe even Liu Xun. Although there is no clear evidence, is there any other explanation for such behavior besides wanting to rebel?"

"Okay, even if what you said is all correct, but what reason does he have to attack Taoyuan County? I don't understand."

"Immeasurable merit, that is, gunpowder. Prince Wu sent people to snatch gunpowder. He has been sending people to approach the young master, probably targeting him a long time ago."

Li Yuanzhao suddenly understood, and that made sense.

If you want to do great things, no one will let go of such a weapon of war.

"But... Lao Fang told me that there's no more gunpowder, and the Emperor sent people to study it in Taoyuan County."

Ao Chen smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, only you and His Majesty know about this, but everyone outside doesn't know! Everyone only knows that there is a magical object in Taoyuan County that can split mountains and crack rocks."

There really wasn't much gunpowder left in the county now. Fang Zheng Yi took a batch away before he left.

The city defense used up a batch, and now there are only a few explosive packs and shells left in the county, all hidden in the city walls, so they are not afraid of anyone coming to check.

Li Yuanzhao murmured: "That's right, but rebellion is impossible. Even if he raised private soldiers, the scale could never be too large. The Emperor has been adjusting the military system in recent years, and the monitoring is extremely strict. The feudal princes have no chance of successfully rebelling."

"Then there is only one possibility. Prince Wu is related to the salt merchants. Lao Fang discovered some clues that he knew about. He was afraid that things would be exposed and ran away in advance... But where can he run to? There is no place for him to hide in Da Jing? Snatching gunpowder and thinking about making a comeback?"

Xiaotao leaned closer and said, "Your Highness, as long as you have silver and gunpowder, where can't you go besides Da Jing? You can change your name and live the same life."

"Not bad... you're right! Is he the one pulling the strings behind the scenes? We'll know if we take a look at Prince Wu's mansion!" Li Yuanzhao's eyes began to sharpen: "I want to do something big. I don't know if you have the guts?"

"Please tell us, Your Highness!"

"Take two hundred people and follow me to Prince Wu's mansion!" Li Yuanzhao suddenly became a little excited.

Personally leading troops to storm Prince Wu's mansion was quite exciting to think about.

He didn't have much affection for Prince Wu anyway, and the two weren't very close.

This guy can still make so many small moves in the capital, so why not take care of him?

If he's not in the capital, then all suspicions will be confirmed!

.......