Chapter 336: Hurting People
"I don't remember any grudges between Qin Sijie and my father. Besides, Qin Sijie is just a sixth-rank military officer. How can he influence my father? I really can't think of any reason for my father to deal with him. There must be some misunderstanding."
Concubine De looked at Zhong Nanyan with a serious expression, "However, Qin Sijie is also a serious official. The assassination attempt is no small matter. If Captain Zhong is willing to help him, I hope you can investigate it thoroughly and don't wrong my father."
Zhong Nanyue saw the look on Concubine De's face and thought to herself: As expected, between the Huo family and Qin Shen, Concubine De would choose the former without hesitation.
However, this is indeed a dilemma. On one side is the maternal family that gave birth to her, and on the other side is the lover she was forced to give up. Defei chose her maternal family from the very beginning and will stick to it to the end.
Even though he knew that Qin Shen had been assassinated, he could not show anger or heartache in front of outsiders. Only by appearing indifferent could he avoid suspicion.
Concubine De has always been considerate of the Huo family, but has the Huo family... ever cared about her feelings?
Zhong Nanyan suddenly remembered what Song Yunchu had said to her -
Not everyone has a good dad like you.
It was not until she left Medicine King Valley that she realized that most women in the outside world were forced to do things against their will.
"Don't worry, Madam Defei, I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter. I still have to train the troops, so I will take my leave first."
Seeing Zhong Nanyue leave, Concubine De no longer maintained her dignity. She slowly leaned down on the table and let out a weak sigh.
…
On the wide street, a gorgeous carriage passed by, accompanied by eight Yulin soldiers.
Song Yunchu sat in the carriage, leaning against a soft pillow and closing his eyes to rest.
In order to prove that she had 'lost her cultivation and suffered severe damage to her vitality', Jun Li Luo sent the Yulin Army to escort her to demonstrate the emperor's great grace.
She had recovered her kung fu by now, and on the way back she was wondering if anyone would come to assassinate her.
Until the carriage stopped outside Prince Ning's mansion, Bai Zhu's voice came from outside the curtain -
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
Song Yunchu got off the carriage with a little disappointment.
There really wasn't even an assassin, which shows that her political opponents were also very patient.
Even though General Ye had already probed her strength in public, they still didn't dare to act rashly.
After returning to the mansion, Song Yunchu had just sat down when he saw Hu Siniang coming over in a hurry.
"Your Highness, just an hour ago, my second sister went to the black market and found someone selling this kind of thing."
Looking at the paper package handed to him by Hu Si Niang, Song Yunchu took it and opened it. It contained some beige pills, slightly larger than soybeans. He could smell a strange medicinal fragrance without even putting his nose close to it.
Bai Zhu's expression changed slightly, "Worry-free Pill?"
"That's right." Hu Si Niang nodded. "At first, my second sister was not sure, so she caught the vendor and interrogated him. She also found two people who had taken the pills. They were already as thin as monkeys and were only breathing their last breath."
The Worry-Free Pill was something that was strictly prohibited from being bought and sold during the reign of the previous emperor.
This pill has a sweet taste. Eating too much of it will make people excited and feel like they are floating in the air. In the early days, some ignorant children ate it as candy, and as a result, they all had serious problems. Only then did people realize the harm of this pill.
Long-term consumption of this pill will make people gradually lose weight, even as thin as a skeleton, and even have problems with the brain. Those people will be like lost souls, immersed in their own spiritual world, difficult to communicate with normal people, and may not even recognize their own parents.
Once you take this pill, it is easy to become addicted. As the number of times you take it increases, you will never be able to quit. Addicted people will continue to take it even if it means spending all their fortune.
During the reign of the previous emperor, several ministers accidentally came into contact with this stuff. Some of them were sleepy all day and could not eat, and eventually starved to death. Some of them sleepwalked in the middle of the night and beat anyone they saw with a stick. Even worse, some of them took off all their clothes and slept on the roadside, for passers-by to watch and laugh at them. After waking up, they were so ashamed and angry that they committed suicide at home.
When the imperial court learned that this pill was harmful to people, they banned all transactions and conducted door-to-door checks. Those who handed it in in time would be exempted from punishment. If anyone was found buying and selling the pill privately, they could report it to the government and receive a reward. After half a year of martial law, the Worry-Free Pill finally disappeared in Tianqi.
All Worry-Free Pills confiscated by government offices across the country were burned. This was not only the case in Tianqi Country, but the courts of surrounding countries also strictly prohibited the buying and selling of Worry-Free Pills. From then on, Worry-Free Pills became something that everyone despised.
But now this thing has appeared again...
"Under the emperor's feet, there are still people who are so ignorant of their own lives." Song Yunchu looked at the pills in his hand with a cold face, "Immediately send someone to investigate the source of these pills and arrest those vendors! Find out who their suppliers are."
No matter in which dynasty, such harmful things should not exist in the world.
But there are always people who don't understand this truth, and disregard the safety of the people for their own selfish interests.
"Since it is something that is banned by the imperial court, ordinary merchants may not dare to take such a risk." Bai Zhu said, "When the previous emperor cracked down on this thing, several powerful people were involved."
"Whoever dares to do such a deal will have to pay the price. Your Majesty and I will not tolerate him. Just investigate and report any clues as soon as possible."
"yes."
…
"Your Highness, the prince doesn't want to eat again. He said that he has been confined for so long that he is almost going crazy and has no mood to eat."
In the lobby of Prince Kang's mansion, Prince Kang listened to the butler's report and snorted coldly, "He can eat or not! If he doesn't want to eat, let him starve! It would be better if he can lose some weight."
The housekeeper sighed, "My Lord, you should go and persuade him."
Last month, the Crown Prince offended His Royal Highness Prince Ning. Originally, Prince Ning only confined him to house arrest for a month. However, later news came from the palace that His Majesty was also angry and ordered that the sentence be extended to another month.
The prince almost collapsed, but there was nothing he could do.
As the master and servant were talking, a guard suddenly came hurriedly reporting.
"My Lord, something terrible has happened!"
The guard came to Prince Kang and whispered, "People from Prince Ning's Mansion have arrested several vendors selling Worry-Free Pills on the black market."
When King Kang heard this, his expression changed immediately. "How could this thing appear in the imperial city? Which idiot did this?"
He had clearly instructed his subordinates seriously that this thing could only be sold in those remote places and must not be allowed to flow into the imperial city.
"I am also very surprised. Logically speaking, the people under me have always been very obedient and there have been no problems before..."
"Stupid thing!" King Kang shouted angrily, "Go and find out where those vendors got their goods from!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. As soon as I heard the news, I sent someone to investigate. Maybe the goods in the imperial city did not come from our people. If other merchants were selling them, even if we investigate, we will not find out that you are the one."
"Don't say these useless things. I want to know the answer as soon as possible."
Although these Worry-Free Pills in the Imperial City might not necessarily be his goods, he was involved in this business after all, so he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
In a blink of an eye, it was nightfall and King Kang received another report from his entourage.
"Your Highness, almost all the vendors in the black market were captured by Prince Ning's men. No one escaped. It is really impossible to find out. However, I think you don't have to worry. Those people have been locked up in Prince Ning's mansion for an afternoon. They should have said everything. If the goods were really taken from us, Prince Ning's mansion would definitely take action. But so far, Prince Ning has not sent anyone to capture the suppliers outside the imperial city."
"Our goods are sold in remote cities. The people below are not stupid. They have been selling for so long without any problems. Why should we take the risk of doing business under the emperor's feet? In my opinion, the goods on the black market must be from other companies."
King Kang's brows did not relax when he heard this.
Although the matter has not affected him yet, he will not be able to sleep well as long as the Ning Wang Mansion has not reached a conclusion.
At this moment, a guard came to report: "Your Majesty, there is a woodcutter outside the gate who wants to see you. He said he has the news you want to know the most. He also said that King Ning will not let you go. This sounds bad to me. Do you want to meet this man?"
King Kang's eyes were stern, "Bring him here."
Although he didn't know who this person was, his words really hit the nail on the head for him.
The most important thing is - this person should know that he is also involved in the Worry-Free Pill business.
Then the purpose of this person's visit is worth exploring.
Soon, King Kang saw the 'woodcutter' the guard had mentioned.
Although the man was dressed shabbily, he was tall and straight. Under his bamboo hat was a gray face that looked a bit dirty at first glance, but a closer look at his eyebrows and eyes revealed a vague sense of familiarity.
King Kang subconsciously asked, "Have I met you somewhere before?"
"Maybe." The other party responded lightly.
This familiar voice startled King Kang.
The attendants behind King Kang scolded, "Where did this unruly person come from? He has no sense of etiquette! He didn't even show respect to the prince."
The woodcutter listened to this, still without greeting or saying anything, but just glanced at him indifferently with a cold look.
King Kang had come back to his senses and looked at the person in front of him again with a surprised look: "You! You are..."
"Fourth brother finally recognized me? It seems that my disguise was quite successful. If I hadn't spoken, you would have had to guess."
The call of "Fourth Brother" startled the people behind King Kang.
This figure, this voice, and this ugly but young face...
Prince Yi?!
No, this person is already a traitor.
As a traitor, it was a blessing for him to escape the pursuit of government soldiers. He didn't even think of finding a remote corner to hide and change his identity from then on. He even dared to come to Prince Kang's Palace!
"Who is your fourth brother? You are just a criminal. How can you be qualified to be my brother? You still have the guts to come before me. Should I say you are brave or stupid?"
Seeing King Kang's cold attitude, Jun Tianyi was not surprised. Instead, he smiled and said, "I am a criminal. Then what crime should you be charged with for breaking the law and defying the late emperor? The Worry-Free Pill was something that was severely cracked down on during the reign of the late emperor. As a member of the royal family, you are doing something that harms the country. If the emperor hears about this, do you think he will give you a break for the sake of uncle and nephew?"
"The blood relationship of the royal family has always been cold and indifferent. Our emperor did not even let his own brothers go, and he was only polite to the emperor's uncle. If he finds you wrong, I'm afraid he will punish you severely to correct the rules."
Prince Kang's eyebrows moved slightly, and his eyes looked at Jun Tianyi with murderous intent.
"I know that Fourth Brother is definitely trying to silence me, but have you ever thought that since I dared to come here, how could I have no way out? Fourth Brother, you should also be concerned about where those vendors selling Worry-Free Pills on the black market get their goods, right?"
"Was it you who did this?" King Kang almost glared at the person in front of him.
He was a little confused. How did Jun Tianyi, a traitor who was hiding from place to place, have the time to investigate the matter of the Worry-Free Pill, and how could he trace it back to him?
"I played this little joke on you out of helplessness. Don't worry, those vendors are just beggars at the end of their rope. My people gave them money and goods and asked them to deliberately make some noise. They can't tell me the real source of the goods, let alone know that this matter has anything to do with you."
"But if I don't return within half an hour, my men won't be able to see me, so they will report you to the government. Everyone will know that you sold the Worry-Free Pill. You can of course argue that you are innocent, but the emperor will definitely have people investigate you. By then, they will search your entire mansion and torture those around you to extract confessions. Fourth brother, do you think you can escape unscathed?"
King Kang's heart was boiling with anger, and he clenched his hands under his sleeves, but he finally persuaded himself to calm down, "How much silver do you want? Tell me a number."
"Fourth brother, you misunderstood. I didn't come to you for money. I just wanted to cooperate with you."
"What cooperation can there be between you and me?" King Kang said in a cold tone, "You are hiding from place to place now, don't you need money?"
If Jun Tianyi just asked him for money, he wouldn't have to panic. He was just afraid that Jun Tianyi would ask him for something else.
"I still have some savings now, so I don't have a problem with my life. Fourth brother should understand why I've been hiding. I want to ask you, don't you have any resentment towards Song Yunchu? Just because of his few words, Chang Rui was punished with house arrest for two months. Maybe Chang Rui did nothing wrong, but Song Yunchu was so powerful..."
"You can't even handle this person, and you want to throw him to me to handle?" King Kang sneered, "Don't even think of me being the knife in your hand! If you insist on forcing me into a difficult situation, at worst I will give all the money I earn to King Ning! I don't believe he will not protect me, this cash cow."
He concluded that no one in this world could resist money, and no matter how powerful one was, one would never have too much money.
"If that's the case, you should be prepared to be bullied by him for the rest of your life."
Jun Tianyi said coldly, "Do you think he will let you go just because he got a benefit once? He will only look down on you even more, and Chang Rui will also hate you as an incompetent father."
"Haven't you heard any rumors in the past two days? It is said that his strength has greatly decreased and he is not as good as before. You can send someone to test it out. You don't have to use your own people. Fourth brother, you are so rich, just hire someone to do it. If you can really get rid of him, I believe the families behind the four concubines will be grateful to you."
"If he is still as skilled in martial arts as before, it means he is deceiving the emperor. Fourth brother, you should regard this as an opportunity for the ministers in the court to jointly impeach him. You just need to watch the show."
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