Wang Xian nodded slightly, finding Meng Zhao's words reasonable, and then turned his gaze to the servants below the hall.

When the magistrate first said that this stuff was addictive, most of them were shocked. Now that they finally realized what was happening, they all started to say something.

"My lord, my lord, I can testify that Manager Tian never eats the braised meat from the shop. I asked him before, and he said he had eaten too much of it and didn't want to eat it anymore. I never imagined that he knew it was poisonous and refused to eat it."

A burly man flew into a rage and roared, "You surnamed Tian, ​​no wonder you always let me taste the braised meat after you've done it. You were afraid you'd get addicted, so you tried to harm me! You heartless, despicable bastard!"

Even the constable who went to arrest him stepped forward to testify, "Sir, when I went into the house to arrest him, I saw this man surnamed Tian about to throw this used spice bag into the stove, which may be suspected of destroying evidence."

The shop assistants usually have a lot of opportunities to eat braised meat, so they haven't experienced any withdrawal symptoms yet. However, some of them have noticed something is wrong. "No wonder I haven't been sleeping well lately and I have a big appetite. I didn't like eating meat much before, but now I'm thinking about eating meat every day. It turns out I'm poisoned! Your Excellency, please help me!"

Some of the young men who had been drinking with Zhao Shida also began to realize what was going on.

"Addicted? Then all that braised meat we've eaten these past few days, doesn't that mean... doesn't that mean we're also..."

The woman who had just been covering Zhao Shida's mouth, worried that he would anger the magistrate, could no longer contain her anger and fear. She rushed forward and began tearing at and beating Zhao Shida.

Some people in the hall started hitting Zhao Shida, while others vented their anger and insults at Tian Hongwu, causing a disturbance. Wang Xian had to bang his gavel several times to stop them.

After this investigation, the matter has gradually become clear. Meng Zhao no longer needs to worry about the rest; the county magistrate will handle the investigation himself.

Meng Zhao and the other three left the yamen together, cupped their hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you both for your help. That Mr. Tian is eloquent and prepared many arguments. If I had come alone, people would have thought that I came to file a complaint in order to steal business, and it would have been difficult to achieve the current result."

Doctor Wang shook his head with some relief. "No need to be so polite. I'm not trying to help you. As a doctor, treating the sick and saving lives is my duty. Besides, I'm from Qingshi County, so it's my responsibility to serve the people here. I should thank you instead. If it weren't for your meticulousness, this matter would probably have gone unnoticed. If it had gone on for a year or two, who knows how many innocent people would have suffered as a result."

The young apprentice felt a wave of fear wash over him and bowed to Meng Zhao. If Meng Zhao hadn't discovered it in time, it would have been difficult for him to quit after continuing to eat it for a while.

When Meng Zhao returned to the shop after saying goodbye to them, he was immediately surrounded by the crowd.

Aunt Feng'e said excitedly, "Zhao Zhao, where did you go just now? You didn't see the commotion! The constables from the yamen went across the street to arrest people and took everyone in the shop."

“Yes, I was thinking of going to check it out, but the shop across the street has been sealed off by the government, and no one is allowed to enter.” Xiao Chuan chimed in.

"Everyone, let's not worry about this anymore. Let's focus on serving our customers first."

Although this arrest operation caused quite a stir, the news about the addictive substance was bound to cause panic. Moreover, it was still unclear where the man surnamed Tian had bought the poppy shells. Meng Zhao decided it was better to keep it a secret for now and see how the county government would handle it.

But some things can't be kept secret. Zhao's braised pork had only been closed for two days when many of its former customers came looking for it. Normally, they would avoid the shop like the plague, but this time they even dared to challenge the police and ask why they had arrested the people in the shop.

Some people saw that Meng Zhao was also selling braised meat and wanted to buy some. However, one hot-tempered man took a piece of Meng Zhao's braised meat, took two bites, threw the meat out of his hand, and started shouting at the shop entrance.

"The braised meat you sell is awful, it has no flavor at all. I want to buy Zhao Ji's braised meat, I want to buy Zhao Ji's braised meat."

Seeing this, Lady Liu was indignant and wanted to argue with him, but Meng Zhao stopped her. This man had dark circles under his eyes and a vacant look in them, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well for the past two days. At this moment, he was in a volatile mood and wouldn't listen to anything. He only needed an addictive substance to relieve his cravings, and he couldn't taste anything, no matter how delicious it was.

Fortunately, Wu Rongzhou was the one watching over Zhao Ji Braised Pork today. When he saw people causing trouble, he brought his men over and took the troublemakers away.

Meng Zhao first thanked him, then pulled him aside to talk. As the plaintiff in this matter, it wasn't considered presumptuous of her to inquire about the progress of the case. Then she heard Wu Rongzhou say:

"That guy surnamed Tian was very good at hiding things. We couldn't find any other opium in his shop or house. Later, we found that he had actually hung the opium in the dry well in the empty yard next to his house. We found dozens of kilograms of it. The magistrate interrogated him for a long time and finally found the seller. He was already in jail by then."

"However, this matter involves a great deal of issues. It is said that the person who sold opium not only sold it to the Tian family, but also sold a lot of it in other counties. Some of these sales have even become long-term business. Because there is no pain or itching after taking it, and people only feel that the product tastes good, no one has been able to find out the cause for so long. Even when people have abnormal symptoms and go to the clinic for a pulse diagnosis, they cannot find the cause of the illness."

"It is said that the county magistrate has already reported this matter to the prefect and is waiting for orders from above."

After hearing this, Meng Zhao felt a wave of fear wash over him. As a modern person, he had learned from history and deeply abhorred anything that could be addictive. He never imagined that this thing could grow so powerfully without anyone knowing.

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