47: Chapter 47 Zhao Zilong interrogates Ning Hongxiu!

At this moment, Xu Wei truly admired Zhao Zilong.

When others drugged wine, like with knock-out drops, it was to incapacitate their opponents.

But Zhao Zilong? Not only did he drug his own people, but to ensure Ning Hongxiu drank more, he even drugged himself.

This method, this operation—Xu Wei thought that he wouldn't be able to come up with this in his entire life.

Was it brilliant? It was incredibly brilliant. But, it was also truly shameless!

Xu Wei gave a signal, and his men, who had been lurking outside the room, entered.

They immediately subdued Ning Hongxiu and tied her up.

Then, the others helped Princess Zhu Yunxi, Cai Wenjing, and Zhao Zilong up.

The group left the Qingyang County Literary Society.

The secretary, hiding in a corner, saw Xu Wei and the others taking Ning Hongxiu away. His face immediately darkened, and he looked panicked.

"This matter must be reported to the County Lord immediately; something is going to happen." The secretary hurried away.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the former dynasty hiding in the shadows, prepared to assist Ning Hongxiu, were burning with anxiety when they saw her being captured, but they did not act.

They knew that if they acted now, they might all be wiped out in one fell swoop. They could only watch helplessly as Ning Hongxiu was taken away by Xu Wei's men.

---

When Zhao Zilong woke up, he was lying on a bed. Several faces came into view.

The closest to him was Zhao Xiaotian's face. Then there were Princess Zhu Yunxi, Cai Wenjing, and Caiwei.

Upon waking, Zhao Zilong instinctively wanted to say, "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"

"Dad, are you awake?" A hint of joy appeared on Zhao Xiaotian's nervous little face.

"Water." Zhao Zilong spoke; he was extremely thirsty now.

Zhao Xiaotian hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, yes," and went to pour tea for Zhao Zilong.

"Has Ning Hongxiu been captured?" Zhao Zilong asked Cai Wenjing.

Cai Wenjing felt a little bit of petty resentment toward Zhao Zilong for actually using drugs to knock her and the Princess out. He should have at least told them.

However, she still said, "She has been taken to the Princesss Residence, waiting for you to interrogate her."

Princess Zhu Yunxi asked with concern, "Mr. Zhao, are you alright?"

Although Princess Zhu Yunxi had also drunk the wine spiked with knock-out drops, she had only had one cup, unlike Zhao Zilong who had drunk quite a lot. Therefore, even though she was just an ordinary person, she woke up before Zhao Zilong.

"I'm fine."

Zhao Xiaotian brought over a teacup, and Zhao Zilong sat up and drained it in one gulp. Only then did he feel a bit better; it had been truly uncomfortable just now.

However, he still had a bit of a headache now.

"This knock-out drop stuff, while not lethal, shouldn't be used on myself like this again; the aftereffects are quite strong." Zhao Zilong smiled bitterly.

This time, there was really no other way; he truly had no other tricks up his sleeve.

Ning Hongxiu hosting the poetry gathering was clearly meant to target Princess Zhu Yunxi. He knew that she hadn't made a move yet because she was waiting for an opportunity.

However, Zhao Zilong also wanted to capture Ning Hongxiu at this time, so he had to take a risk.

He had no certainty whether it would succeed, pinning all his hopes on Xu Wei.

And Xu Wei clearly did not disappoint him, successfully spiking the wine with the knock-out drops.

All he had to do was try his best to make Ning Hongxiu drink more of the spiked wine so that she could be knocked out, leaving her with no room to resist.

As for not telling Cai Wenjing and the Princess, it was because he feared that if the two of them knew the truth, Ning Hongxiu might spot a flaw.

Therefore, in order to lull Ning Hongxiu into a false sense of security, he had to drink for real himself, putting himself into the game.

Fortunately, it seemed the result was good; he had succeeded.

Hearing Zhao Zilong say this, Cai Wenjing said, "It's good that you know. Zhao Zilong, listen well: if you use this trick again, you must tell me. Of course, it's best if you don't use it on me."

While scolding Zhao Zilong, Cai Wenjing was inwardly full of admiration for his trick and wasn't truly angry.

So this guy had long recognized that Ning Chuwei was actually Ning Hongxiu and had been acting all along.

When she had been somewhat suspicious of Ning Hongxiu, he had even refuted her; all of this was to lull Ning Hongxiu into a false sense of security. He had even deceived her.

The method was brilliant, but the person was a bit detestable.

"Princess, aren't you going to reprimand your subordinate?" Zhao Zilong asked indifferently.

Princess Zhu Yunxi smiled faintly and said, "It's rare for me to have such a good sleep, so why would I blame Mr. Zhao? However, I heard from Wenjing that knock-out drops can have some side effects. Mr. Zhao, just try not to use such methods on me next time."

"The Princess is as reasonable as ever. Your subordinate guarantees it won't happen again." Zhao Zilong replied with a smile.

Is he saying that she is unreasonable? Zhao Zilong, you've gotten cocky; you dare to disregard this Deputy Director?

Cai Wenjing couldn't help but grit her teeth and glare at Zhao Zilong. Zhao Zilong pretended not to see it and got out of bed.

He was going to interrogate Ning Hongxiu personally. Of course, the awakened Ning Hongxiu also indicated that she wanted to see Zhao Zilong.

In a pavilion within the Princesss Residence, Zhao Zilong saw Ning Hongxiu, who was tightly bound by iron chains.

"Mr. Zhao, I'll be guarding outside. If you need anything, just let me know." Xu Wei, who had accompanied Zhao Zilong in, said.

He now admired Zhao Zilong greatly; this man was like a hidden dragon in an abyss, and one day he would surely rise to great heights.

Furthermore, as the Princess's personal guard, Xu Wei could tell that the Princess's attitude toward Zhao Zilong was extraordinary.

"Thank you, Commander Xu. You have made a great contribution by capturing Ning Hongxiu. Once everything is settled, I will certainly request a reward for you, Commander Xu." Zhao Zilong said solemnly.

Xu Wei nodded slightly, very satisfied with Zhao Zilong's courtesy, and left the pavilion.

At this moment, in the slightly dim pavilion, there was only Zhao Zilong and the iron-chained Ning Hongxiu.

Ning Hongxiu's face was dark, her eyes filled with chilling coldness as she stared intently at Zhao Zilong.

If looks could kill, Zhao Zilong wouldn't even have any ashes left.

Zhao Zilong pulled over a chair and sat down in front of Ning Hongxiu; he had a bit of a headache now and didn't want to stand.

Seeing Ning Hongxiu's expression, he knew how much she hated him. However, he didn't care.

He said, "Miss Ning has been wronged; please bear with me."

"Zhao Zilong, there is no need for your hypocrisy. I, Ning Hongxiu, have fallen into your hands, and I have nothing to say. However, it is impossible for you to get any information out of me; I will not say anything."

Ning Hongxiu stared at Zhao Zilong, her face full of determination: "If you don't believe me, feel free to use every torture method on me."

Zhao Zilong said, "How could I, Zhao, not believe Miss Ning's words? I know that any torture would be ineffective against someone with your willpower, Miss Ning; it would just be a waste of effort."

"Besides, Miss Ning is so beautiful that I, Zhao, cannot bear to use such torture on you."

"Hmph." Ning Hongxiu snorted disdainfully; Zhao Zilong still had some self-awareness.

She had already endured all these torture methods when she was young, and she had passed the test.

Zhao Zilong said, "Miss Ning, do you know why there are only the two of us here?"

Ning Hongxiu was puzzled; normally, interrogating her would require someone to record it. Indeed, it shouldn't just be Zhao Zilong alone.

However, she didn't want to say a single word right now.

Zhao Zilong didn't mind and said, "Actually, to be honest with you, Miss Ning, I, Zhao, am a vulgar man—very vulgar indeed. From the moment you took off your veil, Miss Ning, I was captivated by you."

"It's just that we stand on different sides, so it's impossible for us to be together."

"But I, Zhao, am unwilling to accept that. I thought, even if we can't be together, we should at least have some fun together."

As he said this, Zhao Zilong stared intensely at Ning Hongxiu.

Seeing the look in Zhao Zilong's eyes, Ning Hongxiu guessed what he wanted to do. Her eyes darkened, and she felt a bit panicked inside.

Zhao Zilong was going to violate her.

Sure enough, Zhao Zilong leaned forward, reached out, and pinched Ning Hongxiu's cheek.