Everyone watched, dumbfounded. Yang Mengchen's action was clearly not an interrogation, but a deception of Xiong Lizheng, right? But since the Prince had just given an order, naturally, no one dared to speak.

The dozen or so young men turned pallid, several of them fainted from fright, and some even wet themselves with a foul and fishy stench.

However, in Yang Mengchen's eyes, there was a hint of amusement. It was good that they fainted, as it would allow her to deal with Xiong Lizheng rightfully and openly. It would be best if they fainted a dozen or twenty times more so she could prick all his fingers and toes, and let Xiong Lizheng truly enjoy the exquisite sensation of constantly teetering between life and death.

Sipping the delicately flavored light tea, Long Xuanmo's lips were curled in a faint, thin smile, but in his heart, there was some unease.

Had he known that Ah Jiu would use such methods to interrogate, he should have taken action himself. Ah Jiu was so pure, kind, and generous; these deeds should not have been carried out by Ah Jiu personally.

After a brief pause, both Hua Ziyu and Old Hai wore an expression of calm indifference.

Seizing Xiong Lizheng's index finger, Yang Mengchen drove another Black Needle deep into it.

"Ah..."

Awake once more from the intense pain, Xiong Lizheng saw that it was Yang Mengchen again torturing him privately. Although born into a farmer's family, he had been pampered since childhood, and after becoming Lizheng, he had lived a life of luxury.

He had never suffered such cruel torture and thus he completely broke down, glaring at Yang Mengchen with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could tear her apart and devour her alive.

Seeing the ripe moment, Yang Mengchen asked in an exceptionally gentle voice, "Lizheng Xiong, did you truly visit my home for the sake of the people of Huangsha Village?"

"Bullshit! Those lowlifes are stupid and ignorant, while my destiny is to be one of the exalted and powerful. Why should I care about those lowlifes? They are not worthy!"

Having completely lost his sanity, Xiong Lizheng for years had painstakingly ingratiated himself with his masters, and having finally gotten an opportunity, only to have it ruined by Ninth Sister Yang, not to mention that he was to be beheaded for public display tomorrow.

Even if his master found out that he had failed his task, he would certainly be killed to silence him, let alone realize any dreams of promotion or wealth. Now that all hope was shattered, he even had the desire to die—what did he have left to fear?

The people of Huangsha Village, upon hearing Xiong Lizheng's words, were incredulous and filled with righteous indignation. The whole village had always respected Lizheng Xiong; they had no idea that in his heart, they were all lowlifes. Truly, it's hard to know a person's heart even when seeing their face.

The Clan Leader, Elder Seventh Uncle, and three Elders all changed their expressions, their eyes filled with shock, anger, disappointment, and regret—a mixture of complex emotions.

Mo Yun and the servants of the Yang family showed scornful expressions.

"Then for what reason did you do it?" Yang Mengchen continued to press.

"Of course, for my master and myself," said Xiong Lizheng, who had fallen into madness, boastfully: "The various finished medicines and rapeseed oil produced by the Yang Family Factory are so profitable, I naturally had to report to my master;

thus, my master instructed me to find a way to infiltrate people into the Yang Family Factory, on one hand to use those lowlifes to accumulate wealth, and on the other hand to arrange confidants to find a way to get the recipes and then hand them over to my master;

my master promised me that if I did well, he would reward me handsomely. I might even be promoted to the County Magistrate of Anping County. He would bestow upon me endless gold, silver, jewels, and beauties. Eventually, the Yang Family Factory and the Shen family's pastries would also be mine to own.

From then on, I would rise to prominence and would no longer have to stay in that poor mountain village and face those lowly people every day!"

Yang Mengchen snorted coldly, "It's a pity that you'll soon lose your head. Forget about rising to prominence; you won't even be able to save your own life."

"I regret it," said Xiong Lizheng, his face ashen. "Had I known you were so formidable, had I known the Prince was here, I would never have come, or at least, I would have first pretended to ingratiate myself with you to win your favor, and only then slowly executed the plan. That way, I could have completed the task assigned by my master and enjoyed endless glory and riches.

Now it's over, all over, and I've long since regretted it!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.