RWNEFE -Chapter 190 This Man Was Previously in Zhao Chengkai’s Forbidden Army

“General, was our food not to your taste?” the cook asked nervously.

A guard added, “General, I delivered it immediately—when the food was placed, it was still piping hot!”

Ban Sicao snapped, “Who asked you that? Your general’s food has been poisoned!”

Everyone’s faces changed instantly.

The cooks and guards immediately protested loudly.

“General, we’re innocent! We didn’t poison it!”

“General, if I had poisoned it, may my entire family die!”

“General, I dare not! Even if I had a hundred lives of courage, I wouldn’t dare poison it!”

One by one, they all protested their innocence.

Wei Dongzhu, having heard the news, rushed over. Hearing from Chunxue exactly what had happened, a chill ran through him, almost freezing the blood of everyone present.

“General, use interrogation!” he demanded.

Shen Lanxi glanced at Wei Dongzhu, then said, “Ban Sicao, assist General Hu in finding the person who poisoned the food.”

“Understood!” Ban Sicao replied.

“This poison is colorless and tasteless, but when mixed with food, it emits a metallic rust-like smell. Anyone who has come into contact with it will show traces—if their skin is soaked in a special alkaline solution, it will turn yellow!”

“That’s far more convenient than using torture!” Wei Dongzhu’s eyes flickered. “Mr. Ban, please prepare the alkaline solution!”

“Consider it done. Gather everyone who could have come into contact with the food.” Ban Sicao said.

Wei Dongzhu immediately went to round up the suspects.

Before long, anyone who had touched Shen Lanxi’s meals—servers, cooks, cleaners, fire-tenders—was gathered. The yard was packed with them.

Ban Sicao had prepared two large tubs, separated by a curtain.

“Men on that side, women on this side. Fully submerge their skin in the water. After drying, everyone will check if their skin changes color.”

The women were watched by Chunxue and Qiushuang, while Ban Sicao and Wei Dongzhu monitored the men.

One by one, people were soaked, then stepped aside.

By the time the last person was done, the tubs were filthy.

Shen Lanxi observed everyone’s reactions carefully. Suddenly, Ban Sicao shouted: “They’re all changing color!”

The guards drew their weapons, aiming at the suspects.

Everyone who had been soaked now had waxy yellow skin.

Ban Sicao said, “General, these people have likely had direct or indirect contact with the poison. Each one must be interrogated.”

Shen Lanxi nodded. “This matter is yours to handle.”

“Understood!”

Because of the poisoning incident, the entire camp was on edge. No one dared go out alone, and they began to watch each other.

At night, a shadow sneaked toward the prisoners’ holding area. Just as it was about to poison the water, a small snake in the tub bit it.

Ban Sicao dragged the intruder in front of Shen Lanxi.

“It’s him—he was trying to poison the water to kill people and cover his tracks!”

Qian Feng said, “This man was previously in Zhao Chengkai’s Forbidden Army.”

Ban Sicao raised an eyebrow. “How could someone from the Forbidden Army have such a vicious poison?”

Shen Lanxi ordered, “Wake him up.”

Ban Sicao reached out, but something felt wrong. Flipping the man over, he saw his face had turned dark—he was dead.

“Dead!” Ban Sicao’s expression hardened. He first examined the bite from the small snake, then checked the man’s body and mouth.

“The poison sac in his teeth wasn’t broken. His tongue and nails are black. Judging by the toxin’s timing, he had already ingested poison before arriving!”

Xiao Fang said, “You mean the person who sent him didn’t intend for him to return alive?”

Ban Sicao frowned and shook his head. “The snake’s venom isn’t that fast-acting. I intended for the snake to bite him as a mild punishment, to make him confess. Unexpectedly, it reacted with the poison inside him.”

Wei Dongzhu said, “So the man had taken poison, planning to be cured after completing the task. Your snake’s venom mixed with the internal poison, which is why he died so quickly!”

Ban Sicao glanced at Wei Dongzhu. Did he bear any guilt for this?

“Yes!” he admitted. He accepted responsibility for his actions. “This was my mistake. Punish me if you must!”

Shen Lanxi said, “Dispose of his body thoroughly. This man never existed.”

A former member of the Forbidden Army! The thought weighed heavily on everyone.

The prisoners, though innocent, could not be released immediately. Ban Sicao conducted careful interrogations, cleared suspects one by one, then allowed them to go.

Meanwhile, Shen Lanxi’s campaign against the Lu family proceeded:

“The Lu family of Gaoyang oppressed women, seized land, committed murder for profit, and ruled Gaoyang with an iron fist. Their crimes are countless.”

“General, for the great Zhou, eliminate traitors and give the people of Gaoyang justice!”

“All 47 principal criminals of the Lu family shall be executed publicly!”

“The remaining accomplices shall, according to Zhou law, be enslaved and sent to the Suiyuan quarries to build city walls!”

After the verdict, 47 Lu family members were executed on the spot, heads falling.

That afternoon, people lined up to pay taxes, from the south gate all the way to the north gate.

Shen Lanxi shouted: “I don’t care what happens elsewhere!”

“My jurisdiction will not be in chaos!”

“Anyone disobeying the law will meet the same fate!”

She left, stepping in blood, each step leaving a bloody footprint.

From then on, no one in Yonglin Prefecture dared test Shen Lanxi again.

Recruitment offices were recently frustrated. Some women wanted to enlist—understandable—but some women who had already enlisted wanted to leave before completing their service.

The Zhou Dynasty required five to seven years of service. These women had only served days or months. How would the settlement money they received be returned? They couldn’t pay it back.

This worried the recruiters immensely.

Reports went to Qian Mu, who, realizing the gravity, immediately informed Shen Lanxi.

“Since declaring himself emperor, the Eastern Liao King has been expanding his harem. Any woman with some beauty is taken in. Our region is close to his territory, and many women here hope to climb the ranks. Some women in our camp are interested, while some are sent away by family. Others, refusing to serve Dongliao, came to enlist with us.”

Shen Lanxi: “Women who want to leave must return their settlement money and anything given during service. They may leave. Any future attempt to enlist will be refused.”

“Understood!”

“For those avoiding recruitment, no pay will be given. If leaving early, they must forfeit 500 taels as a penalty. If they stay until completing their service, all pay earned will be returned.”

“Understood!”

The camp is not a refuge. If anyone uses it as an escape, they must bear the consequences of relying on Shen Lanxi’s protection.