Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool

Lu Yuan then called over a confidant and said, "Go make preparations. Tomorrow, without alerting the Jinyi Guard, transfer two large units from the Martial Hall. Have one unit stationed at the Lu Mansion and the other in Taiping City."

"As you command, Master!" The confidant clasped his hands and went to arrange the transfer of men.

Lu Yuan turned and went into an empty room next door, changing into a set of Night Travel Clothes.

Quite a few Jinyi Guards were standing outside the Mansion Gate. Until their intentions were clear, it was best to be cautious.

Tiptoeing, Lu Yuan gently closed the door. With a single leap, he used a decorative rockery in the courtyard as a foothold and easily jumped onto the roof.

Under the cover of dusk, Lu Yuan crouched low and moved lightly across the roof tiles. Avoiding the Jinyi Guard’s line of sight, he slipped out of the Lu Mansion.

"What rotten luck. Having to climb a wall just to leave my own house." Out on the main street, Lu Yuan dodged pedestrians and muttered curses under his breath.

Lu Yuan circled around a few times before arriving at a medical clinic. After a quick look around, he leaped inside.

Lu Yuan pressed himself against a window. The room inside was still lit, and through the paper window, he could see an old couple eating dinner.

Lu Yuan picked up a small pebble from the ground and flicked it inside, striking the woman on the neck and knocking her unconscious.

The man, who had been hunched over his bowl of rice, saw this and reached out to feel the woman’s pulse. "Dear, what’s wrong with you?" he asked.

This man was Doctor Li, who had treated Gu Gaoxu a few days ago.

Lu Yuan covered his face with a black cloth, pinched his larynx to alter his voice, and kicked the door open.

Lu Yuan asked in a harsh voice, "The task I gave you, is it done?"

Doctor Li froze for a moment, then dropped to his knees with a THUD. He began kowtowing frantically, crying out:

"My Lord, spare my family’s lives!"

Lu Yuan crouched in front of Doctor Li, grabbed his face to force his head up, and repeated his earlier question.

Doctor Li said with a trembling voice, "My Lord, I’ve already done as you instructed!"

"Then why haven’t I heard news of a death?" Lu Yuan pressed.

Doctor Li hesitated, then said, "This humble one... I didn’t dare. I could only administer a slow-acting poison."

"So it really was you causing trouble. You’ve got some nerve!"

At this, Lu Yuan tore off the black cloth covering his face and said, "You wicked doctor. You even dare to poison the second son of King Yan? This is a crime that will get your entire clan executed!"

When Doctor Li saw that the masked man was the master of the Lu Mansion, a warm stream trickled from between his trembling legs.

"You worthless thing, you’ve pissed your pants already?" Lu Yuan sneered.

Lu Yuan showed no mercy, grabbing Doctor Li’s face and demanding, "Who told you to do this?"

Lu Yuan, who had the face of a Scholar, had become much more ruthless in his actions.

The man stammered, "Master, that person never showed their face. I... I’ve never seen them!"

"Don’t call me Master. Call me ’My Lord.’ I am now the Prefect of Dongchang, and I can arrest you legally and justifiably! Understand?"

Lu Yuan slapped Doctor Li’s face as he spoke, his attitude so arrogant he seemed more like a common bandit than an official.

Lu Yuan was not a competent Prefect of Dongchang. He delegated all administrative matters to his subordinates.

The Emperor was well aware of what Lu Yuan, a Fourth Grade Prefect, was doing.

As long as Lu Yuan could ensure the administration in his jurisdiction remained clean, Emperor Gu Yuanzhang would turn a blind eye, tacitly allowing the Fourth Grade official to wander about as he pleased.

Doctor Li had run his clinic in Taiping City for many years and had seen Lu Yuan’s face last year when he was the County Magistrate of Taiping City.

He had not the slightest doubt about Lu Yuan’s promotion to Prefect of Dongchang.

Doctor Li kowtowed and said, "My Lord, I truly have never seen him. I only know that..."

Several silver needles shot through the paper window.

Lu Yuan was empty-handed. With a flick of his sleeve, he blocked all the incoming silver needles.

Lu Yuan shot to his feet and gave chase, bursting out the door. He glimpsed a dark figure flashing over the wall but chose not to pursue. When he returned to the room, he found the man had already collapsed.

Lu Yuan pulled a long silver needle from the body. It was coated in a deadly poison. He muttered to himself, "Looks like they’re setting the stage for a big show."

「Half an hour later.」

Governmental officers of Taiping City had surrounded the medical clinic.

Su Liyan’s younger brother, Su Changliang, walked in with a group of governmental officers, followed by a sobbing old woman.

This was Su Changliang’s first murder case since taking over as the County Magistrate of Taiping City. He had rushed over without even eating dinner.

After entering the room, Su Changliang looked at the man’s corpse on the floor, then turned to the old woman and asked, "What is your relationship to him?"

The old woman wiped her tears and said, "Lord County Magistrate, he’s my husband. I don’t know what happened, I just fainted. When I woke up, I found him dead."

"Ah! How am I supposed to go on living! My husband!"

As she spoke, the old woman’s crying grew louder. She collapsed at the doorway, leaning against the frame, slapping the ground with her hands and kicking her legs as she wailed her head off.

"Ah! How could you just leave me all alone!"

The old woman’s cries attracted a crowd of neighbors.

Su Changliang waved his hand and said, "Search!"

"Yes, My Lord!" several governmental officers replied, clasping their hands.

The officers began to search the room carefully, though they couldn’t help but steal glances at Doctor Li’s body on the floor.

The officers were a bit puzzled. ’Why does the dead middle-aged Doctor Li look so... handsome?’

’There was some mysterious, special allure about this Doctor Li that almost... swayed them.’

Su Changliang paced back and forth inside the room. There were no signs of a struggle.