Three days later, Fang Deming came to the tavern alone. Dou Dou was sitting at the counter, reading a book of folk tales as a form of prenatal education.

"Officer Fang, has the matter been investigated thoroughly?" Yuan Doudou put down her book, picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him.

Fang Deming did not refuse, took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

“Li, the scholar, is a coward. When we found him, he was so scared that he wet his pants. He said that he was not the mastermind, but his cousin Li Fu.” Fang Deming finished his tea and put the teacup back in its original place.

The name Yuan Doudou sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

“Li Fu, the owner of the Fudelai Tavern on the back street, you should know him,” Fang Deming reminded him.

It's more than just knowing each other; I never expected Li Fu to be so ungrateful. She had clearly told him that she wasn't someone to be trifled with, yet she still dared to come looking for trouble, and such a big one at that. Did she really think the government office was her private property, where she could do whatever she wanted?

"What did Li Fu say?"

“Li Fu repeatedly denied that he was the mastermind; he only talked about his troubles and only learned about what happened later.” This was also what troubled Fang Deming. Li Juren insisted that Li Fu was the one who instigated it, but Li Fu firmly denied it.

Li Fu is quite shrewd. She did the deed and then washed her hands of the whole thing. Now that she knows who the other party is, she can at least keep things in mind.

There are at least thirty taverns like this in this town, and there are probably more than one like Li Fu's. Just because Li Fu didn't succeed this time doesn't mean he'll give up.

Instead of constantly being on guard, why not catch them like turtles in a jar?

Three days later, news spread like wildfire that Li Fu, the tavern owner, had instructed his cousin, Li Juren, to poison and frame the DouDou tavern.

The Fudelai Tavern was empty, but the outside was packed with people.

"You can't judge a book by its cover. Mr. Li usually looks honest and kind, but he could do such a heinous thing."

"Yes, you can know a person's face but not their heart. It's not easy to find a place like DouDou Tavern. The couple there are honest and upright, and the proprietress is heavily pregnant. She's also a great cook and very hospitable. How could Li Fu possibly do that to her?"

"I think he's just jealous. He's jealous that DouDou Tavern is doing well, which is why he's resorting to such ruthless tactics. He's trying to cut off someone's livelihood and send them to jail."

Public opinion is a fearsome thing; there's an old saying that three men can make a tiger, and Li Fu really is a tiger.

Li Fu, along with his wife Chen Li, squatted behind the counter, not daring to show their heads.

Chen Li was furious. She had long said that her cousin was unreliable and could not be relied upon, but Li Fu just wouldn't believe her. He said that the man was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations and would become a county magistrate in the future. If he offered to help, it would be crazy not to agree.

"Look what you've done!" Chen Li was furious and twisted his ear hard.

Li Fu winced in pain, covering his ear, "Be gentle, it's going to fall off."

"It's better that it's gone; it's useless to keep it." More trouble than it's worth.

Last time I sent him to learn the recipe, and he brought back a bunch of dishes, which cost more than 300 coins. In the end, he only learned the basics. When the guests came and tasted them, they all shook their heads and said the taste was wrong.

Some customers said they were selling counterfeit and substandard goods and would never come back.

It's a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.

"What do we do now?"

Li Fu smiled slyly. Everyone thought he had ordered the poisoning, but since the poisoning had failed, they decided to let him succeed.

That evening, Li Fu disguised himself as an old man.

He swaggered into DouDou Tavern, found a seat, and ordered a table full of dishes.

This time he was smarter. He looked at the counter and saw that Dou Dou wasn't there. Lu Xi and An Rong were in the kitchen, and there were only two or three tables of guests in the hall, all drinking and chatting. No one noticed his actions.

He carefully took out a paper packet from his pocket, which contained laxatives. He sprinkled it on every dish, and finally poured the whole thing into the wine jar.

Li Fu wanted to throw away the wrapper, but he couldn't throw it on the ground or keep it on his person. So he decided to just eat it.

People who poison others all think alike; they all want to destroy the tools they used.

Before Li Fu could even put the wrapper in his mouth, his hand was already restrained.

"Li Fu, you can't just eat paper." Fang Deming, dressed in plain clothes, sat at the table next to him and could see his every move clearly.

Li Fu recognized the person but couldn't quite place him.

"I love eating paper, what's it to you?" Li Fu hadn't considered his identity and naturally didn't take him seriously.

Fang Deming laughed instead of getting angry, "Originally it was none of my business, but since you maliciously poisoned him, it's my problem now. Men, tie him up."

The other guests at the other tables stood up, took out ropes, and quickly tied Li Fu up, making him stand there like a rice dumpling.

"Who are you people?" Li Fu belatedly realized that he had fallen into a trap.

Yuan Doudou walked out of the backyard with her pregnant belly, a smile on her lips. She thought of Li Fuchun, but she never expected him to be so stupid.

She deliberately spread the word, hoping he would come uninvited, and he actually did.

"They are constables, and this is Chief Constable Fang. Surely Boss Li recognizes him?"

A casual remark struck Li Fu like a bolt from the blue, leaving him utterly stunned.

"You, you tricked me?" Li Fu's face turned pale, and he stammered.

Yuan Doudou found it amusing, "What are you trying to trick me out of?"

"It must be because I refused to admit that I conspired with Scholar Li that you devised a plan to lure me in, and then you caught me red-handed. I refuse to accept this."

What a clever trick by Yuan Doudou! What a masterful maneuver!

"You have no choice but to submit. Take him back." With Fang Deming's order, Li Fu was escorted out of the tavern by two men.

The poisoning case at DouDou Tavern has come to an end. The mastermind, Li Fu, was sentenced to one year in prison, and the accomplice, Li Juren, was sentenced to six months in prison and stripped of his Juren status, becoming a commoner. As for the old man, considering his positive attitude in admitting his guilt and the fact that he was threatened and intimidated, he was only fined ten taels of silver.

The old man was destitute, and for him, a punishment of ten taels of silver was worse than a year of imprisonment.

In order to raise ten taels of silver for him, his child did not hesitate to sell herself into a wealthy family as a maid.

Before the day was over, the shop at No. 412 was sublet to a businessman from out of town, who opened a craft shop.

DouDou Tavern has returned to its former liveliness, and the guests coming and going will occasionally mention Scholar Li.

Huang Rong was washing vegetables in the kitchen when she heard the noise outside, and she felt a mix of emotions.

"Unhappy?" Lu Xi added firewood to the stove, where brine was simmering in a pot.

Huang Rong shook her head.

"I'm both happy and unhappy that Scholar Li has been arrested."

Lu Xi was puzzled.

"When I learned that Li Juren's original intention to harm people was because of me, I felt so bad that I wanted to die. I was very unhappy. Later, when he was arrested and stripped of his Juren title, I felt happy. Bad people will eventually be punished."

Lu Xi seemed to see a thick layer of sorrow enveloping her; it turned out that her heavy heart these past few days was because of this matter.