Chapter 38
"Let's go take a look." Xiao Yunzhan lifted his leg and walked out, and Pei Zhiwei and Zhou Wenbin quickly followed.
Just as I turned the corner of the main street, I heard a noisy commotion coming from the direction of Suhetang, a mix of men shouting and women talking. The chaos could be felt even from half a street away.
Only when you get closer can you see that the entrance to Suhetang is already surrounded by layers upon layers of people.
The vegetable vendors, carrying empty baskets, tiptoed to squeeze in. Several young women, unable to get in, huddled together whispering, clutching their handkerchiefs. A few men in short jackets stood with their arms crossed, their faces showing amusement.
Two rows of yamen runners stood guard at the gate, their hands on their waist knives, their brows furrowed so deeply they could trap flies, confronting a group of ruffians and scoundrels across the way.
Among that group of ruffians, Shen Yizhi stood at the front, wearing a brand-new royal blue brocade robe, his hair neatly tied up with a jade hairpin, but the arrogance on his face could not be concealed.
With his hands on his hips and spittle flying, he shouted at the constables, "What right do you have to stop me? This Suhetang is my father Shen Chengzhang's property!"
Now that he's gone, I'm the rightful new boss! Tear off the seal right now, or I'll do it myself!
A rascal wearing a hat askew nearby immediately started jeering.
"That's right! Young Master Shen is right! This shop belongs to the Shen family, so why can't they come in? Even if Lord Zhou comes, we have to be reasonable!"
The constables looked rather grim, and the head constable pleaded with them in a gentle tone, "Young Master Shen, Lord Zhou has ordered that Suhe Hall be temporarily sealed off until the case is fully investigated. Please don't make things difficult for us."
"Making things difficult?" Shen Yizhi sneered and stepped forward to tear off the seal. "My father died under mysterious circumstances. Instead of investigating the murderer, you seal off his shop. Is this what you call being reasonable? I think you're just deliberately making things difficult for him!"
Just then, Zhou Wenbin pushed through the crowd and strode forward.
He had hoped to make a good impression on Prince Rui, but unexpectedly, he ran into this mess.
"Shen Yizhi! Stop!" he shouted urgently, standing next to the constable. "Suhetang is a place involved in the case and has been sealed off according to the law. If you dare to tear off the seal, you are defying the law!"
Upon seeing Zhou Wenbin arrive, Shen Yi not only failed to restrain himself but also took two steps back, instantly adopting a mournful expression and raising his voice to deliberately make sure the surrounding people could hear.
"Lord Zhou! You must do me justice! My father, Shen Chengzhang, has done good deeds all his life. Suhetang has been open for so many years, which neighbor hasn't benefited from his kindness?"
When Aunt Zhang's husband fell seriously ill, he bought medicine on credit to save his life; when Brother Li broke his leg, he set the bones for him without charging a penny!
But what about now? He was murdered on the street, died such a horrible death, and instead of hurrying to find the murderer, you shut down his shop and wouldn't even let me in to collect his things!
If word gets out, people will think my father committed a grave crime and can't even protect his reputation after death!
He wiped his eyes as he spoke, though not a single tear came out, but he certainly made a convincingly aggrieved face.
As expected, the surrounding people were swayed, and several neighbors who had connections with the Shen family couldn't help but speak up.
"Lord Zhou, Manager Shen is indeed a good man. Why don't we let Yi Zhi go in and get something?"
"Yes, even when closing a shop, we have to consider human relationships. We can't just leave Manager Shen's things lying around inside unattended."
Some people whispered, "Maybe the authorities can't find the murderer and are just using the closure of the shop as a cover..."
"That's right. If we can't find out the truth in a short time, it will fall into the hands of the government."
These words pierced Zhou Wenbin's heart like needles.
He was already feeling guilty for neglecting the missing persons case, and now, surrounded by people gossiping about him, his face turned bright red. He opened his mouth to explain, but Shen Yizhi beat him to it.
"Did you hear that? Everyone in the neighborhood knows my father is a good man! Lord Zhou, if you're really in a difficult position, you can tear off the seal. I'll stand guard at the door until you've investigated thoroughly."
"Unless you can prove that my father's death was related to the pharmacy, you'll have to give it back to me immediately, okay?"
“No!” Zhou Wenbin took a deep breath and braced himself to bring up the law.
"According to the laws of Daliang, the inheritance of a shop requires an official document with the seal of the government to prove that you are the legal heir."
There also needs to be a joint guarantee document from the head of the pharmacy to confirm that Shen Chengzhang's death was unrelated to the pharmacy.
Finally, all taxes must be paid.
These procedures must be completed before the seal can be lifted! You don't have any of them, so why should I tear off the seal?
He thought that invoking the law would subdue Shen Yizhi, but to his surprise, the other party pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and slapped it on the stone block next to him.
“I definitely have the document establishing an heir, but my father died suddenly and I can’t find it right now!”
But I have the joint guarantee document from the head of the pharmacy!
Look! It has the seal of the head of the pharmacy and the seals of the twelve pharmacy owners in Suzhou!
Besides, who in all of Suzhou doesn't know that I'm my father's only son?
Do I really need an adoption certificate to be recognized as his son?
When the surrounding people saw that there was indeed a joint guarantee document, the commotion grew even louder.
"A written document will suffice! Don't be so rigid, Lord Zhou!"
"Let's lift the lockdown quickly, stop lingering here!"
Zhou Wenbin was so annoyed by the noise that sweat streamed down his face and his hands began to tremble.
He never expected that Shen Yizhi would have even prepared the joint guarantee documents in advance; this was clearly premeditated.
He wanted to argue a bit more, but his words were drowned out by the voices of the people, leaving him momentarily at a loss.
Pei Zhiwei stood outside the crowd and saw everything clearly.
If this drags on, not only will it fail to silence the people, but the rumors of Shen Yi might actually take the opportunity to tear off the seal.
Once the clues in the pharmacy are destroyed, it will only become more difficult to find out the cause of Shen Chengzhang's death.
Thinking of this, she took two steps forward, her voice not loud, but carrying a calming power: "Neighbors, please calm down and listen to me for a moment."
The crowd gradually quieted down, and everyone turned to look at her.
Shen Yizhi frowned, taking it as meddling and not taking it to heart.
Pei Zhiwei first looked at Zhou Wenbin, then glanced at the surrounding people, and slowly spoke.
"What Lord Zhou said about the law is correct. The inheritance of shops does require a document for establishing an heir and a document for joint guarantee, but he didn't say it all."
These procedures can only be completed after the cause of death of the shop owner has been determined and confirmed to be unrelated to the shop.
But what is the cause of Manager Shen's death?
The death was due to poisoning, which is clearly related to the medicinal herbs, so Suhetang must not be unsealed.
She paused, her gaze falling on Shen Yizhi.
"Now that the pharmacy is unsealed, what if there really is something in the shop that is related to Manager Shen's cause of death? Not only will Manager Shen's innocence not be found out, but if the medicine mixed with poison is sold again, wouldn't that harm the neighbors?"
Lord Zhou closing the shop wasn't to make things difficult for you, but to find out the truth, to give Manager Shen justice, and to prevent others from being implicated. Isn't that right?
These words were clear and logical, and the people were silent after hearing them; some even nodded quietly.
“Young lady is right, we should investigate this matter first.”
"If there's really a problem at the pharmacy, it would be troublesome if we touched it."
"That's right. What if someone bought poisonous medicine and then attacked people like Manager Shen did?"
Zhou Wenbin, as if grasping at a lifeline, quickly echoed.
“Madam Pei is right! Suhetang must not be unsealed! Once the case is investigated and you have completed the formalities, you will naturally be able to take over!”
Shen Yizhi was caught off guard by Pei Zhiwei, who suddenly appeared and suppressed the atmosphere he had worked so hard to create, and he was immediately furious.
He didn't dare to act tough with Zhou Wenbin, so he stared intently at Pei Zhiwei, his eyes filled with hostility.
"Who are you? What business is it of a little girl like you to interfere in the affairs of the Shen family? Get lost and mind your own business!"
As he spoke, he suddenly rushed over and reached out to hit Pei Zhiwei.
Pei Zhiwei had anticipated his attack and was about to dodge when Xiao Yunzhan appeared beside her without her noticing.
Seeing Shen Yizhi rushing towards him, he immediately grabbed Pei Zhiwei's waist with one hand, protecting her in his arms, and at the same time kicked Shen Yizhi in the stomach.
Xiao Yunzhan was already in a bad mood due to recent troubles, so although his kick was measured, it was extremely powerful.
Before Shen Yizhi could even cry out in pain, he was sent flying backward. He coughed up blood when he landed, feeling as if his internal organs had shifted, and was in so much pain that he couldn't get up for a long time.
The surrounding people were stunned, and no one dared to speak.
Shen Yizhi lay on the ground, wincing in pain. When he looked up and saw that it was Xiao Yunzhan, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes, but he still forced himself to shout, "Who are you? How dare you hit me? I'm going to report you!"
"Sue me?" Xiao Yunzhan looked down at him, his tone full of disdain.
“You incited the people to disrupt public order. According to the law, you should be flogged fifty times and put in cangues for three days as a form of public display.”
Unauthorized alteration of official seals constitutes the crime of unauthorized alteration of official seals, punishable by one year of imprisonment.
Just now you uttered wild words, saying that the government was "deliberately making things difficult" and "not investigating the murderer." This is inciting the people to slander the imperial court, and according to the law, you should be exiled three thousand li away.
He turned to the constables and ordered, "Drag him up and lock him in jail. We'll deal with him after the case is cleared up. Anyone who dares to cause trouble again, throw them in too!"
The constables had long disliked Shen Yizhi and his gang of hooligans, and upon hearing this, they immediately stepped forward, grabbed the still struggling Shen Yizhi, and dragged him toward the government office.
Shen Yi struggled and cursed, but no one paid any attention to him.
When the hooligans who had come with him saw their master being arrested, they shrank back in fear and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Yunzhan looked down at Pei Zhiwei, his voice softening slightly: "Are you alright?"
Pei Zhiwei hurriedly broke free from his embrace and whispered, "I'm fine."
Seeing that the excitement had died down and fearing they would be implicated, the surrounding people dispersed.
The few people who had been making a fuss earlier didn't even dare to lift their heads when they left.
Before long, the area in front of Suhetang was quiet, with only the yamen runners and a few others remaining.
Zhou Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and cupped his hands to Xiao Yunzhan and Pei Zhiwei: "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Madam Pei. I really don't know what I would have done if it weren't for you."
"Let's check the pharmacies first."
Xiao Yunzhan didn't say much. He walked to the door of Suhe Hall, signaled the yamen runners to tear off the seal, and then said to Chen, the coroner who was waiting nearby, "Chen, come in with us."
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