Talking about this, Yinzhen's face turned serious.

"He's not my man. It was just before... That's all. I'm also confused by this. Dai Peng rarely approaches me privately, and we don't interact with each other publicly. Apart from him, no one else has ever mentioned this to me."

"So the person behind the scenes knows your relationship with Dai Peng!"

Yinzhi grasped the key point.

"Um."

Yinzhen nodded, and the doubts in his heart grew stronger.

He had just wanted to explain that his relationship with Wanyan Daipeng was not what his third brother thought, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that it was unnecessary. He was a prince, and it was normal for him to have a follower around him.

But he never revealed this matter to outsiders. Dai Peng was also very sensible. He still didn't know how the person behind the scenes got the information.

"That's interesting."

Yinzhi pinched his chin.

Even if it was my second brother who revealed that the Imperial Household Department was intercepting tribute, the news couldn't have spread so quickly.

"Don't you think this incident is very similar to the way the news of the Eastern Palace being childless spread last time?"

Yinzhen raised his eyebrows.

"So you feel the same way..."

This feeling of "the enemy is in the dark and I am in the light" is terrible. Even though they guessed that someone in the capital was deliberately stirring up trouble, they could not find a way to force that person out.

Yinzhi looked at Yinzhen's wrinkled features and shrugged.

"His intentions are so obvious that it's hard not to be suspicious. His methods were a bit crude last time, but this time they're much more refined."

"But as time goes on, he will eventually reveal his true colors. You can't be impatient now."

“…I’m not in a hurry.”

Yinzhen sighed. He just hated the feeling of being spied on.

While Yinzhen and Yinzhi were exchanging information, Yin'er's men also found out the source of the opium in the "Zui Chunfeng" tavern.

Just as my second brother expected, it was indeed smuggled from the port, but whether this business was mainly funded by the Tong family still needed to be verified.

After sending the message to Yinzhen and Yinsi, Yin'er went to the woodshed to take another look.

The person imprisoned in the woodshed was the waiter of the tavern.

He used some tricks to get the man out of Zui Chunfeng.

At this time, the waiter was curled up on the thatch and sleeping. Looking at his shivering body from time to time, you can tell that he is not in a very good condition.

Yinzhen brought the man out just to see the effects of excessive opium use on people, and also to find out whether this "addict" could be cured.

"Where is the doctor I asked someone to invite?"

Yinzhen observed the man through the window for a while and asked casually.

The shopkeeper who was standing respectfully behind him immediately replied,

"He's just ahead. I'll call him over right away."

The shopkeeper quickly brought the doctor out of the woodshed. Yinzhen glanced back at his white hair and beard and nodded secretly in his heart.

The doctor was also a little surprised to see this situation. In the past, he always went to the patients' homes to see patients, and had never been to places like shops and woodsheds.

When the door of the woodshed was opened, I saw the person lying on the pile of straw and felt even more puzzled.

He secretly glanced at Yin'er's clothes, then compared them with the patient's. He felt as if he had touched upon some secret, and his heart trembled violently.

His eyes were fixed on his toes, not daring to look around at all.

"What are you staring at? Did I invite you here just to stare blankly?"

Seeing that the doctor did not take any action for a long time, Yinzhen was a little dissatisfied.

"Hurry up and show him. Do you need me to teach you this?"

The doctor opened his mouth and wanted to say that he was waiting for instructions, but the words turned into,

"Yes, I'll go right away, right away!"

The doctor walked up to the waiter, squatted down, adjusted his posture, and then began to feel his pulse.

But as soon as the doctor felt the man's pulse, his eyes widened in surprise.

This pulse...

As if he was scalded, the doctor immediately let go of the waiter's wrist and then reached out to lift his eyelids.

Yinzhen frowned and watched the doctor's actions without saying a word.

After observing for a moment, the doctor turned around, his old face serious and earnest.

"My lord, this man has been poisoned. I'm afraid he won't have much time left!"

A glimmer of light flashed across Yin'er's eyes. It seemed that his second brother's calling opium a "drug" made sense.

However, when the waiter was brought back, he was obviously fine and could eat and drink. Why did he say that he didn't have much time left in the doctor's mouth?

"Then do you know what poison he was poisoned with?"

"Your Excellency, I don't know what poison he was poisoned with, but I am certain that it was a chronic poison. Furthermore, his body is so dilapidated, it must have been poisoned for over six months, and he has been in constant contact with this poison."

Half a year?

Yinzhen raised his eyebrows. This old man was still too conservative. After he brought the man back, he took advantage of his drug addiction to ask him a lot of questions, including the time when he came into contact with opium.

This guy has been taking opium for over a year.