A few days ago, Shangguan Tianlin softened his heart and, after his sister's persistent pleading, agreed to meet Qin Yuwei.
At this moment, he was sitting in the private room of the Orchid Garden.
But no one expected things to turn out this way.
They were having dinner in a private room. Although their conversation was a bit stiff, they managed to keep the atmosphere from getting awkward. But just then, a group of soldiers rushed into the private room and took Shangguan Tianlin away.
No matter how proud Guan Yuwei was, she was still just a young lady in her boudoir. She had never seen such a scene before, and she was so frightened that she turned pale and dared not utter a sound.
Upon receiving the news, Lord Shangguan rushed over without even changing out of his official robes. After careful inquiry, he learned that something had happened to the "hand warmer".
A group of farmers arrived at one of the pharmacies that had just sold hand warmers. Several of them carried a bamboo stretcher, while the other dozen or so carried various farm tools. They barged in aggressively and started shouting as soon as they entered.
"Get your manager out here!"
A young apprentice was arranging medicinal herbs at the counter. Upon seeing this, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "What can I do for you, gentlemen?"
He had barely finished speaking when he was shoved. The force was so great that the young medicine boy was sent flying two meters away. His head slammed heavily against the counter with a dull thud, and blood gushed from his forehead instantly!
The other two young apprentices huddled together in a corner, trembling with fear, and dared not utter another sound. The remaining doctor, who was very concerned about his life, had already sneaked out through the back door when the group was not paying attention.
The burly man who pushed the boy revealed his fierce appearance; a thick beard covered the lower half of his face, and the muscles bulging between his arms were thicker than the young apprentice's waist! His voice was so loud it shook your eardrums as he said, "Damn it, a bunch of little chicks, don't get in my way. If I accidentally punch you and cause you any serious injury, you're out of luck! Call your pharmacy manager out here!"
Several ordinary people waiting in line for medical consultations were so frightened by the scene that they trembled and left in panic.
The young apprentice, clutching his dazed head, stood up, stammering in fear, "Our...our...our manager isn't here, gentlemen, please...please talk this out!"
This group clearly wasn't going to talk things out properly; their shouting grew louder and louder, attracting a large crowd of onlookers who pushed and shoved each other, blocking the entrance to the pharmacy and peering inside.
The group carried the stretcher to a bright spot so that the people at the door could see clearly that the person on the stretcher had sunken cheeks, swollen and white eyes, an abnormal dark purple lip, and dirty white foam at the corners of the mouth. The fingernails were also completely black, which was obviously a sign of poisoning!
Astounded by the crowd, the burly man continued, "This is my younger brother. He died a few days ago because he used Baojitang's plaster, that thing called 'hot water bottle.' If your pharmacy doesn't give me an explanation today, I'll smash up your black-hearted shop that's ripping people off and killing them!"
The group was furious and crowded the small pharmacy to the brim. Several young apprentices huddled in a corner, their legs weak, not daring to argue with them.
"Yes! Give us an explanation!"
"Smash this shady shop that preys on people and kills them!"
"We've already reported this to the authorities; none of you will escape responsibility!"
The group grew increasingly agitated and were about to attack when the young apprentice shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Please calm down, everyone..."
But who would heed his feeble advice? The burly man swung a large, dark iron hammer and slammed it down on the counter. "Bang—"
Watching the incredibly sturdy solid wood platform collapse with a crash, wood chips flying everywhere and covering the ground.
The onlookers gasped in astonishment, stunned by the scene, and began to murmur amongst themselves.
Just then, another person in the crowd stepped forward: "I can testify! A few days ago, my wife applied this plaster and her whole body ached and itched unbearably. I noticed something was wrong and quickly tore it off for her, thus escaping a disaster. Looking back now, I'm so lucky!"
His words were so confident that they stirred the emotions of the onlookers.
"Oh my god! This plaster is poisonous!"
"I still have two unused pieces at home, I'll throw them all away when I get back!"
Some people joked, "Luckily, I can't afford these new gadgets. I never thought that being poor would help me avoid a disaster..."
Soon after, the soldiers arrived, dispersed the crowd, and sealed off the pharmacy. They also put a seal on the door, which made everyone even more certain that the heat pack poisoning incident was a done deal!
Shangguan Tianlin, who made the hand warmers, naturally could not escape punishment and has been imprisoned.
The dimly lit cell was cold and damp, filled with the pungent smell of vomit from excessive drinking. Shangguan Tianlin sat on the floor, which was covered only by a thin straw mat. Only one thought crossed his mind: thankfully, it was in his own name. If it had been his sister, her frail body would not have been able to endure it.
I sat there for a while longer, but it was just too cold.
Brother Shangguan couldn't help but cling to the iron bars and say to the jailer, "Brother jailer, I am Shangguan Tianlin, son of Shangguan Siye. Could you please make an exception and give me a cotton quilt?"
As he spoke, he took out a bag of silver coins from his sleeve, intending to bribe him.
To his surprise, the jailer glanced at him sideways, spat on the ground expressionlessly, and said, "The higher-ups have given orders to make things convenient for you, so it's not my place to make things convenient! You better stay put."
Overwhelmed?
In other words, it was instructed by someone above.
And his official rank is even higher than his father's?
Shangguan Tianlin's indifferent expression suddenly turned serious; he sensed a conspiracy.
This is probably not a simple medical dispute motivated by money.
Meanwhile, Tianyun was also very surprised. Ever since she heard that her brother had been arrested, she had had a bad feeling. She had great confidence in the hand warmer. The hand warmer was very effective, but its ingredients were very mild, and it was impossible for it to cause poisoning and death.
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