Zhou Tan was relieved that, despite the large commotion today, no one had followed them along the way, otherwise things would have been very bad.
"Young Master Shen, look, this is our herbal oil workshop. It's clean and tidy. All the apprentice doctors are trained. And that one over there is our most skilled doctor, who is also our pharmacist."
Zhou Tan pointed to an old man who was preparing medicine. He was dressed in gray clothes and holding a palm-leaf fan, giving him the air of a hermit.
"Elder Zhai, come and greet Young Master Shen."
Upon closer inspection, the man known as Old Zhai had facial muscles that twitched constantly, causing his mouth to droop towards his cheek with each twitch.
“I’ve said it before, I don’t want to see outsiders.”
This person has sharp eyes and looks down on everyone.
“Young Master Shen, please don’t mind him. That’s just how Old Master Zhai is. Because of a facial ailment, he doesn’t like to meet strangers.”
Before Nangong Qing could pay any attention to Zhou Tan, A Xu followed behind him, ensuring that the young master would be safe.
There were many herbs here, and the place was very clean, clearly a hastily prepared arrangement just to deal with them.
“Young Master Shen, these are all herbs used to make the Hundred Herbs Oil. And look at these medicine pots used for decocting the medicine; we use only the best.”
Zhou explained everything to Nangong Qing one by one.
“That’s right. As long as we send more people to cook more, you can definitely meet my needs better than Ji’an Hall.”
"Young Master Shen, since you've put it that way, why don't we go down the mountain and have a proper talk?"
Nangong Qing smiled calmly: "The scenery on the mountain is so beautiful, let's talk here. I can enjoy the view while I'm at it."
Zhou Tan looked troubled. How could they talk here? If they delayed any longer, the fog would dissipate.
“Young Master Shen, there are many poisonous insects on the mountain. It would be bad if we got hurt. Let’s go down the mountain.”
"Alright, let's go down the mountain. We'll all go down the mountain together today..."
After Nangong Qing finished speaking with a cold smile, Axu drew his longsword and stood in front of Nangong Qing.
Zhou Tan immediately sensed something was wrong: "Young Master Shen, what are you trying to do?"
Before he could finish speaking, a sharp pain shot through his waist, and his obese body made intimate contact with the ground.
“Shen…you…”
No one can resist Su Luo's poisoned needles and hidden arrows.
“Master Zhou, I will personally escort you down the mountain later.”
"Grab them all, don't even think about letting one of them escape."
The officers and soldiers fought with more than a dozen thugs. They were exhausted from climbing the mountain, and the thugs were no match for the officers and soldiers. They were quickly taken down.
The young apprentices who were still brewing medicine panicked and fled when they saw a large number of soldiers suddenly arrive.
They know nothing. They were just transferred here last night. Why are the soldiers arresting them?
"Madam Su, Lord Xu, I'll leave the young master to you. I'm going to capture that old man Zhai."
After saying that, Ah Xu flew away, and that so-called Elder Zhai was not easy to deal with either.
He tried to run away as soon as he saw the soldiers. He was carrying a lot of poison powder, which he would scatter on anyone he saw.
"Ah Xu, be careful, he's poisonous."
Su Luo reminded from outside that this was a place where, if it weren't for A Xu following Zhou Tan last night, it would have been a disaster.
After learning the location, they began to lie in wait there in the middle of the night. If they had waited until this morning, Zhou Tan and his men would have been even more vigilant, and their forces would not have been able to get close at all.
Old Master Zhai didn't know martial arts, but the poison in his body seemed inexhaustible, making it impossible for Ah Xu to get close to him.
He ran to a spot and rang a bell, but none of the assassins in the mountains came out. Old Zhai knew he had fallen into a trap.
"Old man, stop looking. Those people in the woods have already been dealt with. No one will come to save you. Why don't you just surrender?"
Old Zhai gritted his teeth, but his mouth kept twitching towards his face, making his expression extremely strange.
"If you want to catch me, then you'll have to see if you're still alive to try and catch me."
He reached his hand inside his clothes, as if he wanted to take everyone down with him.
As soon as Su Luo pulled out the hidden arrow, Elder Zhai, still holding the poison, also collapsed to the ground.
Ah Xu sneered, using his sword sheath to push Elder Zhai's hand aside, and said disdainfully.
"How about it, you old man? Still trying to poison me? No one can escape Su Niangzi's poison needles."
Old Zhai's whole body was limp, but the nerves in his face still caused his muscles to twitch uncontrollably.
"Nangong Qing, are you alright?"
"Oh no, Luo Luo, acting is definitely not my forte."
"Then you go and rest in the carriage. Leave this to me and Lord Xu."
Nangong Qing wanted to say something, but Su Luo turned around and went to check the herbs.
“Madam Su, the herbs here are just for decoration; there isn’t a single one that’s extra,” Xu Hongkuo said.
Su Luo looked at the old man who had been tied up by A Xu and said, "Now that the person who made the medicine has been caught, this matter will soon come to light."
"Guards, bring all these people to the yamen."
"Yes, sir."
On the way back, Su Luo, Nangong Qing, and Xu Hongkuo rode in the same carriage.
Xu Hongkuo's expression was not good throughout the journey.
"Lord Xu, what's wrong?"
Xu Hongkuo shook his head slightly, his absent-mindedness noticing to Su Luo and Nangong Qing.
"Madam Su, Young Master Nangong, perhaps I have already guessed who is behind the production of counterfeit medicine."
Nangong Qing and Su Luo exchanged a glance. Shouldn't this be a good thing, ridding the people of a scourge? Why did Xu Hongkuo look unhappy?
"Lord Xu, why are you doing this?"
Nangong Qing was also puzzled. Could it be that Xu Hongkuo was in some kind of predicament? But the law is above personal feelings. As an official, serving the country and the people is his duty.
“I met the pharmacist we arrested today once when I was at the Mo residence. If I’m not mistaken, the person behind him should be the young master of the Mo family. His grandfather was my teacher before he passed away.”
So that's how it is. The fake medicine matter required Xu Hongkuo to arrest his mentor's grandson. No wonder he was tormented.
Nangong Qing noticed Xu Hongkuo's predicament and put away his fan, saying...
“Lord Xu, if you eat the emperor’s food, you should do the emperor’s work. Although the old master of the Mo family has been kind to you, haven’t you taken care of them all these years?”
Don't you have any idea why underground casinos in Changzhou can still exist?
Xu Hongkuo was shocked. How did Nangong Qing know about this?
This matter is the one thing that Xu Hongkuo, as the prefect, has done most wrong to the people. Mo Lou is the only son of the Mo family. He lost both his parents at a young age, failed the imperial examinations, and was unable to manage the family business.
The only source of income for their family was an underground casino, but Xu Hongkuo had advised him to stop once he had made a little money.
Buying some land would be enough to feed and clothe my family, but why does Nangong Qing know so much about what happened in Anchangzhou? Who exactly is he?
“Young Master Nangong, I naturally understand the principles of being an official.”
Back at the yamen, Xu Hongkuo handed an arrest warrant to Su Luo.
"Madam Su, please go to the Mo residence in my place."
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