Chapter Ninety-Two: It Is Good to Have a Big Tree at Your Back for Shade

At this moment, Li Zisheng’s status was already that of a noble elder’s son, and he had to uphold at least the basic decorum that came with it. That was why he acted as he did.

“Hey now, I didn’t expect the young master of the Zhang family to know that this wound medicine is poisonous. Truly, heroes emerge early,” said a woman named Yan Hong with remarkable composure. Despite being directly exposed by Li Zisheng, she showed no sign of embarrassment, smiling gently as she looked at him.

Li Zisheng felt somewhat helpless at Yan Hong’s brazen attitude. She was shamelessly calm, her expression unchanging despite the situation.

“What do you mean by that?” Li Zisheng pressed on. After all, she had administered poison to his subordinate right under his nose. It was as if she didn’t regard him at all.

“Young master Zhang, don’t be so quick to judge. Your subordinate’s wound was caused by my poisonous vine whip. Though it’s only a surface injury, the toxin has already seeped beneath the skin. To cure such poison, one must use poison to draw it out—fight poison with poison. Only in this way can your subordinate avoid a fate of internal rot and death. I mean well here, wouldn’t you agree, young master Zhang? Ha ha ha,” Yan Hong explained with a carefree smile.

Hearing this, Li Zisheng’s face darkened with rage. Yan Hong was clearly reckless with human lives. He blamed himself for not recognizing the poison when examining Ba Liang’s injury earlier.

Yan Hong knew full well that the whip’s poison was lethal, yet she remained so arrogantly overbearing—a devilish woman who treated life with utter disregard. Her behavior was heinous and insane.

Li Zisheng, confident that the wound medicine was effective, applied it directly to Ba Liang’s arm with his own hands.

“You’re quite brave, young master Zhang. Aren’t you afraid I’m lying? If your subordinate dies from the poison, and you’ve touched this medicine with your bare hands, what will you do if you get poisoned yourself?” Yan Hong’s eyes gleamed with a hint of admiration, her suspicion towards Li Zisheng fading somewhat.

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“Hmph, Miss Yan Hong, I am not one to begrudge such things,” Li Zisheng replied coolly.

Ling’er shot Yan Hong a fierce glare, unwilling to stay another minute. Soon, Ling’er, Ba Liang, and Li Zisheng left the place.

After they departed, Yan Hong snapped her fingers, and from the darkness emerged a shadowy figure.

“Well? Did you get a good look?” she asked.

“Yes, Sect Leader. We have a clear image,” came the reply.

“Good. Quickly draw this young man’s portrait and send it to Chang’an for inquiry. Let’s see if this Ling’er is the little temptress who has been cozying up to Elder Zhang’s relative. If she dares to make a scene here, have that young man and his servant skinned alive and fed to my pets,” Yan Hong said coldly. To her, taking a life was as easy as breaking a flower.

Meanwhile, Li Zisheng and Ba Liang were taken by Ling’er to a room where food had been prepared. Seeing the table laden with food, Ba Liang’s stomach betrayed him with a loud growl. After hours of travel without a drop of water or morsel of food, they were indeed starving.

“Zisheng, let’s eat quickly before one of us faints from hunger,” Ling’er said kindly. She understood their condition and urged them to eat before discussing anything further.

Though Ba Liang had been poisoned, he appeared perfectly normal, eating with great appetite. Li Zisheng felt reassured and joined in.

“Ling’er, who exactly is this Yan Hong?” Li Zisheng asked.

Sighing, Ling’er explained, “Others might not know, but I do. Yan Hong is the head enforcer of the Three Flavors Residence’s White Tiger Hall, appointed by the senior elder. She wields that position to sow chaos within the Three Flavors Residence, making every upright person there live in constant fear. When she casually struck Ba Liang, I couldn’t intervene. In her eyes, servants must never offend their superiors—offense equals death. If I were to confront her over Ba Liang, it would surely arouse her suspicion. If that happens, you might be exposed, Zisheng, and your fate would be grim.”

Li Zisheng was slightly shocked. He hadn’t realized the Three Flavors Residence was so vast, with multiple branches and strict organization—almost like a small kingdom.

No wonder the Tang Dynasty, though outwardly peaceful, was turbulent beneath the surface. Such powerful factions, intertwined with high officials, were a threat to the nation’s stability. This explained why the Tang later endured a period of endless strife.

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“Ling’er, you forged my identity for me. If Yan Hong grows suspicious and investigates, won’t I still be exposed?” Li Zisheng worried.

“Zisheng, don’t you know?” Ling’er was surprised. The news of a nine-year-old child appointed as an inspector had already spread throughout Chang’an, causing quite a stir. But Elder Zhang had suppressed it. Everyone in Chang’an knew that this nine-year-old must be a relative of Elder Zhang; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten the position. Though it was a nominal post without real power, it was a great advantage for his future career. No one dared to question it, for the child was backed by Elder Zhang’s influence.

Ling’er explained this to Li Zisheng.

He suddenly understood. No wonder Governor Zhang’s return to Chang’an had caused such waves. This was the reason. It was actually fortunate—at least now he had a patron. Although this patron didn’t seem very reliable, Ling’er’s respect for him wasn’t due to his supposed descent from Li Si, but because he was related to Elder Zhang.

In Li Zisheng’s memory, Elder Zhang—the Zhang Yue—was the mastermind behind the Fengshan sacrificial rites. It was Elder Zhang who proposed the grand plan, which Emperor Xuanzong approved. Without Elder Zhang, the emperor would never have undertaken the Fengshan ceremony.

Though Li Zisheng had never met Elder Zhang, just knowing that he boldly proposed such a highly taboo ritual proved he was no ordinary man.