Chapter 21 Where is My Wife?

The next day, the sunlight was soft in the early morning, and it was warm on people.

Qin Chi got up a little later than usual.

After stepping out of the west wing, he walked around the courtyard.

The door of the east wing was closed.

The graceful figure was nowhere to be seen in the hall. It seemed that I was not the only one who was not used to the new environment.

Qin Chi was sitting in the hall.

Mrs. Huang came over and asked if she wanted breakfast.

Qin Chi nodded.

After a while, Mrs. Huang brought breakfast to the table.

"Why is there only one person's bowl and chopsticks?"

Qin Chi looked at Mrs. Huang with a fierce look.

Mrs. Huang knelt down immediately and reported in a trembling voice, "Sir, the Madam left early and took Old Li's mule cart, saying she was going to East Street."

Qin Chi picked up his chopsticks with a cold face and started eating.

"Get up, and tell me about this kind of thing sooner next time."

"Yes, I will remember this."

Huang Pozi and others were slaves bought by Qin Chi. If Qin Chi was in the county town, they would take care of his daily life.

Wait for Qin Chi to go out.

There was already a carriage waiting outside.

Qin Chi went to Shunan Bookstore first.

The shopkeeper welcomed him into the inner room.

"How is the investigation into the whereabouts of the Song family going?" Qin Chi asked as soon as he sat down.

The shopkeeper wiped his cold sweat.

"Sir, we haven't found any clues about the Song family. Old Huo was chased and stabbed several times just as he found the Zhu family's cargo ship. He is currently recovering in the Tunxi business. Doctor Jing said he needs to stay in bed for half a month..."

The danger in this matter was so great that the shopkeeper broke into a cold sweat for Lao Huo. Who would have thought that a simple investigation would almost cost him his life.

The shopkeeper took out another file from the dark room.

"Governor Yang ordered the arrest of the Song family, and then closed the door to visitors."

He handed the investigation materials to Qin Chi.

Qin Chi flipped through the book and asked, "Where did the people who were chasing Lao Huo come from?"

"There were six of them in total, wearing devil masks and using the same ring-handled swords. Old Huo said that their moves were like those of assassins trained by a large family."

It didn't take Qin Chi long to finish reading it.

It lists every detail, including the whereabouts and trivial matters of the prefect Yang Lingyu in the half month before the Song family was convicted.

All the people that Magistrate Yang met were his colleagues.

I go to the yamen every day and leave on time.

There was no abnormality for half a month.

"According to the investigation, on the day the Song family was arrested, a cabinet document was delivered to the government office. Prefect Yang immediately dispatched personnel to arrest the people as soon as it got dark. The next day, a fire broke out in the government office's archives room, and the official documents were burned..."

The shopkeeper told everyone what he had found out from the investigation.

Qin Chi reread the investigation on Prefect Yang.

Finally, his eyes fixed on one place.

Three days before the Song family's accident, Prefect Yang received a family letter sent from the capital.

Qin Chi asked thoughtfully, "Is Magistrate Yang the nephew of Yang Zhengkai?"

"Yes, Elder Yang is his uncle."

Yang Ge Lao is Yang Zhengkai, a cabinet minister, Dongge Grand Secretary and Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a third-rank official who holds real power. He has always been an upright person and has never been involved in corruption with treacherous people.

Qin Chi seemed to be thinking about something after hearing this.

Yang Zhengkai was in a high position and had great power. Was it necessary for him to target a Huizhou merchant family far away from the capital? The Song family was well-known in Huizhou Prefecture.

It really can't be ranked nationwide.

If Qin Chi had not investigated the Song family inside and out in order to cooperate with them, he would have suspected that the Song family was backed by a certain force. But the Song family has indeed been able to gain a foothold in Huizhou Prefecture for a hundred years by relying on the craftsmanship of preparing medicinal materials.

It is a famous kind family in Huizhou.

Now we are waiting for the investigation from the northwest.

It is only a matter of time to find out who is behind this with some effort, but it may not be easy to find the whereabouts of the Song family.

Qin Chi made inferences based on the existing clues.

The person behind the scenes took the Song family to Tunxi, most likely to use the waterway to hide their whereabouts.

If the cargo ship with people goes towards Jiujiang Prefecture, it can still be traced; if it passes through Shaoxing Prefecture and then enters Hangzhou, and then enters the East China Sea, it will be almost impossible to track it down.

But there's no point in rushing now.

Just at this moment, someone outside asked to see the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper went out for a while and came back quickly.

"Sir, there is an urgent letter from Hangzhou."

Qin Chi took the secret letter from the shopkeeper.

It was just a small piece of paper with tiny words densely written on it.

After reading it, Qin Chi put the note down and said, "Manager Tao, do you know where my wife is?"

"Madam is at the Jifang Pharmacy."

Since he moved from Songjin to the county town, his whereabouts have been under their noses.

The backyard of Jifang Medicine Shop.

There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!

In the courtyard there were rows and rows of wooden racks, divided into two levels, each filled with bamboo winnowing baskets.

Various medicinal herbs are drying on the winnowing basket.

At the well next to them, several people were washing medicinal herbs. After washing, they had to select them and divide them into three grades: top, middle and bottom.

In the innermost room.

It was Song Jin who asked Xing Lun to do it.

There are brand new tools in the room, such as steamers, woks, forges, mortars, millstones and baskets, medicine knives, grinding troughs and more.

"Boss, I've got some freshly dried loquat leaves."

Two medicine boys lifted a large basket.

It was filled with dried loquat leaves cut into shreds.

After Song Jin checked, he let them put it down if there was no problem.

The loquat leaves sold on the market are mostly freshly picked leaves that have impurities and fluff removed, sprayed with water to soften them, cut into strips, and dried for use as medicine.

The loquat leaves sold by Song are different, as they are prepared using the honey roasting method.

The loquat leaves roasted with honey can enhance the effect of moistening the lungs and relieving coughs, which is why people say that Song’s medicinal materials are good.

The Song's Pharmacopoeia records not only one method of roasting loquat leaves, but also scalding with licorice, roasting with butter, roasting with fire, roasting with ginger juice, and roasting with jujube juice.

In his previous life, Song Jin mainly studied the honey roasting method.

This time, this is the one we're going to use.

Now she needs to make money.

Xing Lun came over and asked, "Does the boss roast the loquat leaves himself?"

"Yes, does your mother still have refined honey?"

Refined honey is honey that has been refined.

During the smelting process, impurities will be removed, some water will evaporate, the microorganisms inside will be killed, and the adhesion will be enhanced.

The large honey pills in traditional Chinese medicine are made of refined honey.

Xing Lun's mother Yinlong often makes honey pills and sells them in the store, so she has ready-made refined honey.

Just as Xing Lun was about to go out, Jin Ling came hurriedly.

"Young lady, Shopkeeper Tao sent someone to tell you that their boss is in the bookstore and wants to meet you."

"Oh, I'll be right there."

Song Jin thought that the man had made the appointment and might have found some clues.

Jin Ling said, "Let Xing Lun accompany you. He is familiar with Shopkeeper Tao."

"Boss, ask the medicine boy to get the refined honey. I will accompany you to Shunan Bookstore."

Xing Lun and Jin Ling were mainly worried.

Song Jin thought about it and nodded.

It's better to have Xing Lun follow me than Aunt Ling, as he can help if anything happens.

So it took about a quarter of an hour.

It’s the same tea room where I had the meeting last time.

Through the screen, Qin Chi vaguely saw Song Jin walk in. She was wearing a veil, a bun, and a simple cotton dress.

The figure is shadowy and hazy.

He was inexplicably attracted by this scene. What was going on?

(End of this chapter)