Feng Jin had deliberately held back, just in case he was playing a trick.
"This minor understands, this minor understands!"
He did not want to experience the pain and torment from before and begged for mercy.
"Speak, who sent you?"
"This minor does not know who the mastermind is. It was a masked man who has been contacting me, telling me to keep an eye on the Ling residence and report any unusual activity to him immediately."
Feng Jin lowered her eyes, contemplating how much truth there was in his words.
"Madam, my name is Li San. I am nothing but a rogue from the streets. I did this solely for money and have no other intentions. Madam, please let me go!"
Li San pleaded repeatedly, his words earnest, and he didn't seem to be lying.
However, one cannot know a person's heart by looking at their face. Feng Jin still had many doubts. Whether what he said was true or false would be revealed with a test.
"When and where did you agree to transact, and how much money did he promise you?"
"We agreed to meet at the City God Temple in the east of the city. As long as I gathered information about the Young General, he would give me a thousand taels of silver as reward. Madam, I am telling the truth, please spare me!"
After pondering for a moment, Feng Jin said, "I can let you go, but you have to do something for me."
"Madam, please tell me. I will do anything I can."
"You continue to contact that person. Just tell him that the Young General is unharmed and has awakened. After the task is done, I will give you two thousand taels as a reward."
Two thousand taels of silver, Li San's eyes instantly lit up at the sight of money. "I will do it, I will definitely do as the Young Madam says."
This way, he could get money from both sides, totaling three thousand taels of silver. Such a windfall was truly falling into his lap.
Feng Jin smiled with satisfaction and nodded. She took out an antidote pill from her bosom and handed it to him. "This antidote can suppress the poison in your body for three days. After you complete the task, I will give you the antidote and two thousand taels of silver."
Li San took the pill and swallowed it immediately. "Thank you, Madam."
"You two, escort him out of the manor," Feng Jin casually instructed two people.
After they left, Feng Jin's expression gradually turned grim. "Lu Shi, take the dark guards and follow him. Once he makes contact, capture them all at once."
"Your subordinate obeys."
The reason she let him go was to cast a long line to catch a big fish. The man was dressed as a common street ruffian, yet he moved with light footsteps. His index and middle fingers were slender, indicating he was accustomed to all sorts of petty thievery.
The mastermind's intentions were truly deep, finding common folk and bribing them with money to gather information.
Even if something went wrong, it would be difficult to trace it back to her. It was indeed very thorough.
After seeing Li San off through the back gate, Lu Shi led the dark guards to follow him discreetly.
After leaving the Ling residence, Li San went directly to the City God Temple in the east of the city.
He looked around, and seeing no one following him, he went inside.
Inside the City God Temple, a man in black with a saber at his waist stood there. Upon seeing the newcomer, he asked, "Have you gathered any information?"
"I have."
Li San's eyes darted around suspiciously as he quickly thought of a strategy.
"Speak, is Ling Mohan dead or alive?" the man in black asked angrily.
"This... we had an agreement before, a thousand taels of silver. Without the money, I won't say anything."
Li San, having grown up on the streets, was more calculating than others. He wouldn't speak without seeing the money.
A hint of bloodlust flashed in the eyes of the man in black. He took out a cloth bag and threw it on the ground. "Here is the thousand taels of silver. Tell me, what is the situation?"
Eagerly counting the silver, Li San had never seen so much money before. His eyes lit up, and he quickly gathered the money into his arms.
With the thousand taels of silver in hand, he only needed to get the remaining two thousand taels to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
"I have the information. Young General Ling has already woken up. I bribed a kitchen helper at the Ling residence to get the information..." Fearing the man in black wouldn't believe him, Li San recounted seeing the Prince of Jing and his wife visit earlier that day.
"The Prince of Jing and his wife visited at noon today. I saw them both enter the manor with my own eyes."
When the man in black heard "Prince of Jing," a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
If Chu Chenyi went to the Ling residence, did Ling Mohan still have contact with Chu Chenyi? He had to quickly inform the Third Prince and make early preparations.
"I have finished my task, and I have the money. From now on, we have no further dealings. I will leave now."
Li San had sensed early on that things were not that simple, but his goal was money. Once he got the money, he wanted to distance himself from them as soon as possible.
After receiving the remaining two thousand taels, he wouldn't be able to stay in the capital. He had to find an opportunity to leave and live a good life elsewhere.
As Li San, clutching the money, was about to leave, a long sword suddenly pierced his chest.
Intense pain erupted from his chest, and warm liquid dripped down. Li San's eyes were filled with disbelief. He turned his head to look at the man in black who had stabbed him, and stammered, "You... you..."
"You probably won't be able to take this money with you!"
The man in black forcefully pushed the sword deeper into his chest.
Li San instantly collapsed onto the ground, his eyes wide open, dying with unfinished business.
Picking up the cloth bag, the man in black, as soon as he stepped out of the City God Temple, was surrounded by Lu Shi and his men.
"Surrender obediently, and I can spare your life," Lu Shi approached from behind.
The man in black's heart skipped a beat, and he finally realized he had been tricked by Li San and fallen into a trap.
"Even if I die, you won't get any information from me."
Surrounded, the man in black raised his saber to commit suicide.
In just a moment, his hand felt a stinging sensation as if bitten by a mosquito. Suddenly, it lost its strength, and he couldn't even hold his saber. It clattered to the ground, and his tall body fell straight to the ground.
Lu Shi put away his arrow. This small item, no bigger than his palm, was indeed powerful. The Young Madam was truly ingenious to have given him this item, which proved to be of great use.
"Take this person back to the manor and interrogate him strictly."
It was not in vain for his hard work during these past few days. There was finally some progress.
...
Feng Jin played with the bottles and jars in her hand, making pleasant tinkling sounds.
She was developing an essence lotion that could lighten fine lines and scars when applied to the skin, a veritable elixir for beauty. When used with the nourishing skin water, it would surely preserve youth forever.
Once the research was successful, its sale was bound to cause a sensation in the capital. She would undoubtedly be earning a fortune, and her little treasury would soon be full.