"Alright, let's move!" Ye Feng waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards charged forward. "Old man, their lives are in your hands. Do you have a choice whether to speak or not?"
"I've long forgotten my surname, but people called me Nan Gong later on," the old man said slowly, raising the jade pendant in his hand!
Ye Feng took a closer look. What else could it be but a royal jade pendant from the State of Chu? What else could his surname be? There was only one possibility: Chu. Coupled with the title Nan Gong, there was only one conclusion: the old man before him was none other than Chu Nan Gong, who had gifted Zhang Liang the profound book. With his assistance, the outcome would undoubtedly be extraordinary!
However, if Chu Nan Gong had appeared, what if Zhang Liang was still alive? Ye Feng's heart skipped a beat. His expression instantly darkened, and he ordered the Imperial Guards to investigate the whereabouts of Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers.
Given Zhang Liang's character, he would only choose Liu Bei, the descendant with the most legitimate claim to the Han Dynasty!
"My Lord, what is this?" The Imperial Guards exchanged confused glances. Ye Feng, with a stern face, reprimanded them, "You are all doing a better job now, but I still need to be consulted on my intentions!"
The Imperial Guards flushed, and hurried away. Ye Feng bowed deeply in the direction of Chu Nan Gong. "I was unaware of Lord Chu Nan Gong's arrival; please forgive my disrespect, Master Nan Gong!"
"It's nothing, nothing!" Chu Nan Gong said with a friendly smile, gently patting Ye Feng's shoulder. "To win the empire is to win the hearts of the people. Be careful lest you lose the hearts of the people. These people, having eaten their fill, cannot stir up much trouble!"
Looking at Chu Nan Gong, who seemed like a different person, Ye Feng solemnly agreed. Chu Nan Gong beckoned gently, "Young man, you still have a bit to learn. Follow this old man, and you will achieve greater things when you follow the King!"
Seeing his thoughts exposed by Chu Nan Gong, and given the man's reputation, the young man nodded heavily and quickly followed Chu Nan Gong. After a moment, as if remembering something, he hurried back to Ye Feng and spoke in haste.
"Your Majesty, remember me, Pang Tong. I will surely serve you with all my might!" Pang Tong hurriedly followed Chu Nan Gong.
"Good skills!" Before Ye Feng could react, the Imperial Guards had already brought Qin Shu forward. Qin Shu looked as if he had aged more than a decade. Ye Feng, gazing at Qin Shu, who had served Lü Bu for so long, was filled with mixed emotions and remained speechless for a long time!
Qin Shu prostrated himself on the ground. Ye Feng noticed the many white hairs that had appeared and sighed heavily.
"This servant has failed Your Majesty. If Your Majesty kills me, you can quell your anger. This transaction is not a loss. Please proceed, Your Majesty!" Qin Shu offered his neck for the blade, a smile on his face as if he had truly seen through life and death.
"Why, exactly? Is it that the silver I gave you was not enough?" Ye Feng asked blankly. "Can you tell me why you did this?"
"Your Majesty," Qin Shu said, tears welling up in his eyes, "Please kill me. I have nothing to explain!"
Ye Feng sat down on his chair and said gravely, "I have been in Liangzhou for some time, and you have personally taken care of me. I don't believe that a good person would become like this. I refuse to believe it!"
"All of you, go and investigate! What exactly happened? Hurry!" Ye Feng pointed at the Imperial Guards, speaking continuously. "If you cannot find out, there is no need for you to return!"
"Yes!" The Imperial Guards leaped out of the circle and left in a rush.
"You all can go back now. From now on, no one will withhold your rations. Once Wan Nian City is built, you will also be able to conduct business within the city!" Ye Feng waved his hand, reminding them. The entire village naturally left with profound gratitude.
Ye Feng and Qin Shu looked at each other for a long time, but neither spoke. Time ticked by, and Qin Shu could no longer bear it. "Go back. Tell me when you've thought it through. Although I cannot tolerate you, you must at least consider your children!"
Qin Shu's tears streamed down his face. He hastily said, "My daughter, my daughter! Please spare her, Your Majesty!"
"She will be fine, don't worry. But why did you suddenly do such a thing? I remember you were not particularly fond of wealth. Could it be that you wanted to vent your anger for the sake of a beauty?" Ye Feng pondered for a moment and teased. "If you wanted to vent your anger, you shouldn't have done this!"
"No, it's not!" Qin Shu quickly waved his hands and then spoke in haste, "It has nothing to do with Madam. I cannot wrong her!"
"Then what?" Ye Feng, whose rare good temper was finally wearing thin, secretly resolved that if he didn't speak now, he would kill him directly, without another word!
"My daughter is ill!" Qin Shu said with a mournful face.
"Isn't Hua Tuo here? Could it be that even he is powerless against your daughter's illness?" Ye Feng asked, confused. "What does her condition have to do with accumulating wealth? Did he demand tens of thousands of taels of gold from you?"
"No, it's not!" Qin Shu's face turned red before he slowly said, "My daughter's illness requires penicillin. If I don't have that, she might die!"
Penicillin was unique to Hua Tuo's family. No wonder so much new currency was needed. However, if he asked, it would be different. Ye Feng patted his chest. "What's so difficult about that? It's just a matter of a word!"
"Your Majesty, the divine physician has no more penicillin left. I fear my daughter is beyond saving!" Qin Shu lowered his head, his face full of sorrow. "As a father, I always wanted to keep it for him, so I made a wrong decision!"
"Tell me, how could you protect her with money?"
"Your Majesty, you may not know, but I don't know where the supply came from. The price of penicillin on the black market is extremely high, but it is effective. The divine physician said she only needs one dose, just one. That's why..."
"Foolish! You have a wife and children. Do those people not? Did you not see that pair of children just now? If they were your son and daughter, how would you feel?" Ye Feng asked sternly.
What angered him even more was where the black market obtained the penicillin, as it was a monopoly of his family.
There were only two possibilities. First, there was an inside informant in his family, who stole an unknown amount of money and penicillin.
Second, under the pressure of commercial competition, someone had already researched penicillin.
Comparing the two, Ye Feng was more inclined to believe the first possibility. With Qin Shu as an example, Ye Feng ordered the Imperial Guards to fetch the penicillin and said softly, "Why don't you take me to see your daughter?"
Qin Shu was at a loss for what to do and hastily said, "How could that be possible? What if the illness is transmitted to Your Majesty? What then?"
"If that's the case, then come with me to see if there is any penicillin left. We cannot just let you watch your daughter die!" Ye Feng took the lead and strode away. Qin Shu hurried to follow him.
Ye Feng's actions were not without purpose. First, the Imperial Guards would act as a probe. If he was lucky, he might catch the inside informant directly, without expending too much energy!