Chapter 111: General Zhang, I shall attempt to bring him back to life.

Zhao Bingchun clearly had not expected Li Yuanjing to speak so bluntly. Yet, matters having reached this point, did he have any other choice?

Furthermore, Li Yuanjing’s forthrightness actually gave him a sense of reassurance. At the very least, a man of Li Yuanjing’s temperament was unlikely to stab him in the back. Hastily producing a stack of silver banknotes, totaling nearly two or three thousand taels, he shoved them into Li Yuanjing’s hand and explained urgently, "Yuanjing, there are some things I truly want to tell you. But I know I cannot. If I were to tell you, it would only bring you harm."

"This Feng City is by no means as peaceful as you imagine. Whether it is that gentleman, that Prince, or—ah! Yuanjing, I ask for nothing else; I only ask that you allow me an audience with the Young Duke. If you do that, you will be my greatest benefactor, Zhao Bingchun’s number one benefactor..."

Having said this, Zhao Bingchun hurriedly pressed his forehead to the floor, kowtowing forcefully to Li Yuanjing.

Li Yuanjing’s mind was racing. To be honest, Zhao Bingchun was right. If he were to disclose anything now, it would indeed be a disservice to Li Yuanjing. Moreover, Li Yuanjing knew Zhang Zhiji well enough by now to realize that Zhang would certainly have people monitoring him from the outside.

"Fine."

"Old official, wait here for a moment. I shall go see the Young Duke immediately!"

However, just as Zhao Bingchun was secretly contemplating whether to offer a few beauties to sway Li Yuanjing, Li Yuanjing gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and walked out the door.

"Brother Yuanjing, Brother Yuanjing, this..."

Zhao Bingchun was left bewildered by this maneuver. It was not until Li Yuanjing had stepped out and the heavy curtain had fallen back into place that he finally reacted. He hurriedly pressed his forehead to the ground again, wailing toward the direction of Li Yuanjing’s departure:

"Brother Yuanjing’s great kindness—I, Zhao Bingchun, shall never forget it for all eternity..."

...

"Young Duke, Zhao Bingchun has begged me for an audience. After careful consideration, I believe it would be best for you to see him."

Zhang Zhiji had taken over the household affairs office of the county government as his temporary headquarters. Li Yuanjing arrived, bypassed any pleasantries, and spoke directly, placing the silver banknotes Zhao had given him onto the small table on the kang.

Zhang Zhiji was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but laugh. "Could you give me a reason, sir?"

Li Yuanjing offered a bitter smile. "Young Duke, in your presence, I dare not speak falsehoods. Zhao Bingchun has shown me kindness. Furthermore, when I asked him about certain matters, he said something that touched me deeply."

"Oh? And what did he say?" Zhang Zhiji looked at Li Yuanjing with interest.

Li Yuanjing replied, "He said that he should speak of these matters only when meeting you face-to-face, and that if I knew too much, it would only bring me harm."

"Hahaha!" Zhang Zhiji burst into laughter. "By your account, this Zhao Bingchun is a fascinating character. In that case, I shall see him! However, as for this money, you must keep it, sir."

Zhang Zhiji pushed the stack of banknotes back into Li Yuanjing’s hands. Li Yuanjing’s heart skipped a beat; he was not entirely certain of Zhang Zhiji’s true intentions. Nevertheless, he accepted the money and smiled. "Since it is a gift from the Young Duke, I shall accept it."

"By the way, Young Duke, where is that red-haired man being held? I would like to ask General Zhang Wuwei to accompany me; I wish to treat his wounds."

Zhang Zhiji seemed pleased with Li Yuanjing’s attitude and laughed heartily. "Sir, there is no need for such formality between us. I know you have taken a liking to that red-haired man for his talents. If you can tame him, what harm is there in sparing his dog’s life?"

...

After leaving the office, Li Yuanjing sought out Zhang Wuwei, the formidable man in charge of security for the county office courtyard, and asked him to send men to find Zhuzi, Kuizi, and Xiangzi so they wouldn't be accidentally harmed during the curfew that night. He then had Zhang Wuwei procure some strong spirits, bandages, a small stove, and a pot, and headed to the storage room where the red-haired man was being held.

"You dog!"

"What are you here for? Kill me or carve me up as you please, but don't expect a single word from me! If I so much as frown, I'm your own kin!"

As soon as Li Yuanjing had Zhang Wuwei’s soldiers remove the gag, the red-haired man began to curse Li Yuanjing’s ancestors to the eighteenth generation.

Zhang Wuwei frowned, cupping his hands respectfully toward Li Yuanjing. "Sir, shall I teach this ignorant wretch a lesson?"

Zhang Wuwei had seen how Zhang Zhiji treated Li Yuanjing, and knowing that Li Yuanjing had saved the Young Duke’s life more than once, he dared not show the slightest negligence.

Li Yuanjing waved his hand with a smile. "No need. Later, I will need you to have a few men hold this fellow down firmly. I must treat his wounds, or I fear he will not last until tomorrow."

"Treat your mother's—I, ugh..."

The red-haired man was about to continue his tirade when he suddenly caught the cold, piercing gaze of Zhang Wuwei. The aura of blood and slaughter that clung to Zhang Wuwei from his time on the battlefield instantly stunned him, forcing the words back down his throat; he dared not utter another sound.

Li Yuanjing couldn't help but find the scene amusing. Even he had felt his legs go weak the first time he saw Zhang Wuwei. Such a man, forged in piles of corpses, was not to be trifled with.

Zhang Wuwei leaned in and whispered to Li Yuanjing, "Sir, in my experience... for a wound caused by a musket, not even our own people, let alone those flesh-eating Tatars, could survive. Are you not just wasting your time?"

"Oh?" Li Yuanjing frowned. "General, even with non-fatal wounds like this red-haired fellow’s, they cannot survive?"

Zhang Wuwei nodded heavily, his expression pained. "That is correct, Mr. Li. Many of my best brothers, my brothers-in-arms, died from the muskets of the Tatars' Wuzhen Chaoha battalion."

Li Yuanjing nodded firmly. "General, I have some insight into such wounds. Why don't you stay and watch to see if I can bring this red-haired fellow back to life?"

"This..." Zhang Wuwei hesitated, then nodded solemnly. "Very well!"

...

Soon, Li Yuanjing borrowed a sharp dagger from Zhang Wuwei, sterilized it over a flame and then with strong spirits, and carefully cut away the clothing on the red-haired man’s arm.

The man gritted his teeth in pain, but determined to play the hero before Zhang Wuwei and Li Yuanjing, he bit his teeth together, drawing in sharp breaths without making a sound.

Li Yuanjing smiled and continued cleaning the wound. Once it was clean, he heated the dagger over the flame again and said, "This will be very painful. Try to endure it."

"You..." The red-haired man wanted to speak, but seeing that Li Yuanjing was genuinely trying to save him, he clamped his mouth shut.

Before he could, however, Li Yuanjing shoved a sturdy twig into his mouth. "Bite on this. I’m afraid you won't be able to hold out otherwise."

"You..." The man was furious; he couldn't believe this "pretty boy" dared to look down on him.

"AH—!"

Before he could finish, his pupils contracted, and he let out a howl. He bit down hard on the twig...

Li Yuanjing sliced open the wound, located the lead ball that had nearly struck the bone, and extracted it quickly. He then poured half a pot of strong spirits directly onto the wound.

"Ugh..."

The man’s eyes bulged as if they might explode. Even with four of Zhang Wuwei’s men holding him down, they could barely contain his thrashing.

Li Yuanjing exhaled deeply. The bandages boiling in the small pot on the stove were ready. After washing his hands with water and spirits, he removed the bandages, applied some of Zhang Wuwei’s golden sore medicine to the wound, and wrapped it securely.

He touched the man’s forehead and said to Zhang Wuwei, "He has a strong constitution; he should be fine. Have your men feed him some water later. As long as he makes it past tomorrow morning, he should recover. By the way, add a small amount of croton to the water as you boil it."

"This..."

Zhang Wuwei had watched the entire procedure. He noticed something unusual, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Seeing Li Yuanjing walk out, exhausted, he narrowed his eyes and commanded, "Do exactly as Mr. Li said! And you lot, stay here tonight and take good care of this red-haired fellow!"

"Yes!"