Hu Xiaotian's plan was to feign illness. Although his acting was decent, he still lacked the polish to make the false pass for the real, and an experienced physician could easily see through him. Fortunately, he had some laxatives among his belongings. Had he not been driven into a corner, he would never have taken them willingly. Before long, they took effect, and Hu Xiaotian began vomiting and suffering diarrhea.
At first, the two guards thought he was playing tricks, but when his condition looked genuine, they hurried to report to Li Honghan. Upon hearing that Hu Xiaotian had suddenly fallen ill, Li Honghan's first reaction was also that the fellow was pretending. Yet the guards insisted he really was sick-he was still squatting in the privy, with barely half his life left after all that diarrhea.
Li Honghan quickly sent someone to fetch a physician.
In the dead of night, the guards brought a physician from nearby. Seeing Hu Xiaotian's waxen face and utter exhaustion, the physician asked him to stick out his tongue, examined its coating, then took his pulse.
Hu Xiaotian said weakly, "I probably ate something that upset my stomach. It's nothing serious. Some rest will do."
Li Honghan said, "We ate together tonight. Why am I perfectly fine?"
The physician said, "Think carefully. Have you eaten anything unclean lately, or encountered anything unusual?"
Hu Xiaotian frowned, looking deep in thought. After pondering for quite a while, he said as though struck by sudden realization, "I only drank some water... I can't remember anything else..." He pointed at the bowl of water beside his bed.
The physician looked where he pointed. Half a bowl of water remained, with several rat droppings floating in it. Hu Xiaotian had picked those droppings up from a corner, making them