A Jiu instinctively retreated.
"Is… is there something wrong?" A Jiu asked, feigning ignorance.
"Miss Meng Jiu'er, if you do not come with us today, Yun Hao will have to be beaten to death for you."
A Jiu's fingers trembled with fear. She quickly hid them in her sleeves.
"Are you coming or not? Don't think Yun Hao's actions can be hidden forever."
"I… I will go with you." A Jiu's breathing grew rapid.
"You're wise. When Lord Wang sent his decree, you were at the Hualan Medical Hall. Many can testify to that."
A Jiu fell silent.
"Sister A Jiu…"
A Jiu turned her head and saw Hui Er chasing after her. The small frame, clad in ill-fitting long clothes, stumbled and fell.
"Sister A Jiu."
"Officer, I am not resisting, nor have I slandered anyone. Please give me a moment to speak with this little sister."
A dark cloud settled in A Jiu's heart.
"Go ahead!" The official, seeing her compliance and lack of struggle, nodded.
"Hui Er, don't be so hasty." A Jiu stepped forward, helped Hui Er up, and then bent down, whispering in her ear, "Go home and tell my parents, and then relay it to Tuoba Yan, that I've been taken away by the yamen."
"Are you alright?"
Hui Er's tears hadn't dried. Seeing the soldiers, she understood. "Sister Jiu'er, I'm fine. I remember. That shop…"
"Thank your mother for me. I don't need it. Our family are all refugees, unable to enter the city anyway. It would be useless. Keep this for yourselves for the future; it might come in handy."
A Jiu almost blurted out that conflict might soon erupt here too, but she quickly changed her words.
"Oh, and tell my grandmother too."
After giving her instructions, she turned and was pressed onto a horse-drawn carriage by the yamen runners, who then galloped away.
Upon reaching the yamen and facing the court, A Jiu saw Lord Wang.
He slammed the gavel with a resounding crack.
"I heard you cured Madam Qian of Heba Village? Is this true?"
A Jiu knelt in the grand hall, her expression calm. She had pondered the matter on the way, realizing that only that specific incident could have led to this.
"Yes." A Jiu spoke the truth.
"Since you can treat this plague, why did you run? Speak!"
With a bang, the gavel's sound echoed in her ears, making her eardrums buzz.
A Jiu took a deep breath, unsure how to explain.
"Not speaking? Someone, bring Yun Hao here."
A Jiu suddenly looked up. Yun Hao, who had been escorted to the hall behind her, was thrown to the ground.
He wore prisoner's clothes and was covered in blood.
"Brother Yun Hao…" A Jiu rushed forward, grabbing his shoulder.
"I… I am fine. It's just, I apologize, Jiu'er. It was my fault at the beginning; I didn't realize that being too prominent attracts trouble." Yun Hao's voice was weak.
A Jiu could clearly hear the implication of torture.
"Lord Wang, you are being unreasonable. I ran because I lacked the ability to cure this disease, and it has nothing to do with Brother Yun."
A Jiu was anxious.
Unexpectedly, her words played right into Lord Wang's hands. "You can't cure it, then how did Madam Qian of Heba Village recover?"
With a bang, the gavel struck, deafeningly loud.
A Jiu was instantly stunned. She no longer knew how to refute. She glanced at Yun Hao; he was covered in blood and had collapsed on the ground.
"I… I will cure it, alright!"
A Jiu roared.
She expected Lord Wang to accuse her of disturbing the court, but instead, he smiled.
"That's right. As long as you can cure this plague, I will grant any request you make." Lord Wang himself was under pressure from the Prince. Now that he had finally found a case of plague recovery in Heba Village, he had a lead.
"Very well. Release Yun Hao, provide him with sustenance, and allow him to recover at home. If anything happens to him, I will not cure the plague."
A Jiu gritted her teeth, her gaze fiery, looking at Wang Mian on the high seat.
"Jiu'er… Sister Jiu'er…" Yun Hao's breath was faint, and his body suddenly slumped to the ground.
"Brother Yun Hao!" A Jiu quickly grasped his wrist to check his pulse.