Chapter 12: Each Goes Their Own Way to Find Clues
Long Qi could smell the aroma of wine from afar and could find Madam Zhuang's wine shop without asking too much.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw that the hall was crowded with people. The rich aroma of wine filled the hall. The sounds of drinkers drinking, clinking glasses, shouting, the waiters answering, and the sound of people singing on the stage were endless. It was very lively.
Just when I didn't know where to sit, the waiter from the tavern came to greet me.
It turns out that the store has always been doing a booming business, with a constant stream of customers. However, the number of tables in the restaurant is limited. Over time, there has been a trend of sharing tables for drinking. Some generous people can often make friends with fellow drinkers here.
Long Qi thought that this was a good way to get some information, so he asked the waiter to lead him to a small table by the window.
There were two people at the table: one was shirtless, muscular, broad-shouldered, with furious eyebrows and a beard, and a voice like a bell; the other wore a brocade cap and long robe, was thin, had a fair and handsome face, and smiled softly. One was drinking from a bowl, the other from a small cup.
At first glance, it seems extremely inconsistent, but it turns out that the two are good friends who met because of wine and often meet here to drink and chat.
Long Qi gave the two of them a fist pump and sat down. The waiter hurriedly asked him what he wanted to order.
"I could smell the aroma of wine from a distance and was drawn here unconsciously, but when they asked me what I wanted, I really had no idea."
"Hahaha! Young man, you're an outsider, right?" the bearded guest laughed. "Although Liangcheng is famous for Baimozhi, I'd say Yaoyi's Qionghua Dew is more mellow. I'm afraid it's that aroma that attracted you here."
The white-faced man nodded and said, "Although it is a flower wine, it is so delicious that I can't bear to put it down. It is so delicious that I can't stop savoring it."
"In that case, I'll let you two brothers try this Qionghua Dew." He bowed to the two of them and said, "We can't just drink, right? Bring us a few more dishes. I'll drink and chat with you two, and we won't leave until we're drunk!"
At the same time, Lu Ying also arrived at the government office. After presenting his visiting card, a servant came out and said that Zhao Tongzhi invited him to come into the government office for a chat.
This was strange. Shouldn't the prefect be the one who invited him? Lu Ying was puzzled but kept silent, following the officer into the hall.
As soon as he stepped into the main hall, he saw an old man pacing back and forth. Upon seeing Lu Ying coming, he hurried forward and extended his hand to greet him.
"But we are waiting for the capable person to come!"
"I wonder why the co-magistrate is so anxious?" Lu Ying asked with a bow.
Zhao Tongzhi sighed when he heard this: "It's hard to put it into words!"
As soon as the two of them sat down, without waiting for Lu Ying to explain his purpose, he said, "I can probably guess your intention. To be honest, this matter has troubled the government for a long time..."
"Master Tongzhi is saying..."
"That's right, it's the suburban assault case." The old Tongzhi said and sighed again.
"Why does this case make you so anxious?"
"This story begins half a year ago..."
One day half a year ago, a woodcutter was passing by the woods in the southern suburbs. From a distance, he saw three people wearing only middle clothes, standing together on a path. When he got a little closer, he heard them murmuring, as if they were discussing something.
The woodcutter didn't take it seriously and went back to chop wood. But when the sun set and he returned home, he saw the three men still there as in the morning. Curious, he approached to greet them, but when he got closer, he saw that their eyes were white, saliva was dripping from the corners of their mouths, and they were weak and shrill, like the walking corpses. He was so frightened that he rushed to report to the police.
When the officers arrived, it was already dusk, but the three men were still standing there, which was extremely strange.
Someone bravely stepped forward to pull, and just as he touched one of them, all three fell down simultaneously, their faces and voices unchanged as if they had just fallen...
From then on, this happened to three people every month, all on the day after the full moon, and all of them were men.
Mr. He, the prefect of Liangcheng, is extremely talented. He was on the list of the most talented people in the past two years and was fortunately favored by heaven to be sent here. Although he is young, he has studied under Yuan Qing and knows some Taoist matters.
Perhaps he had discovered something, for one day last month he suddenly cried out, "So that's how it is!" Then he left the house alone, and unexpectedly...
That day happened to be a full moon night, and the next day he was just like the previous victims, still lying in the yamen...
"This is what the Tongzhi is worried about..."
"To be honest, this matter has not been made public, nor reported to the emperor. If it spreads among the people, there will definitely be a panic in the important border areas..." Zhao Tongzhi's face was full of worry.
"Can this matter be reported to the generals guarding the border?"
"Of course I kept it a secret."
"Master Tongzhi," Lu Ying stood up and bowed to Master Zhao. "This is exactly why I came here. I wanted to learn about the case, but from what you said, there must be something fishy going on. I think the prefect must have discovered something that day, which is why he left the palace alone, not wanting to harm innocent people. To be honest, I have two fellow Taoists who are investigating this matter. One of them once saved my life with her superb medical skills, so I believe she can also save the prefect. However, she is probably still collecting evidence. When I meet her, I will explain the whole story and invite her to come into the palace to perform the treatment. But could you please let me review the relevant files first, and then we can discuss it further."
After hearing this, the old magistrate had no choice but to ask the yamen runner to take Lu Ying to the filing room.
Lingxiang did not immediately leave for the inn, but first asked around on the street about the patient, only to find that no one knew about it, which was very strange. But then she thought, this matter was so bizarre that the government would definitely not make it public to avoid disturbing the people.
It seems that we have to start from the official post station...
When he arrived at the gate of the official post station, he explained his purpose to the guard and was then led into the inner hall.
From time to time, an old man with a long beard came to greet her. He was actually the legal advisor of the government office. After Lingxiang bowed, he took her to a small courtyard.
"Miss Lingxiang, there are patients like this in the hospital. Since you are a member of the Xuanmen sect, I believe you can find a way to save them..." The teacher sighed on the way.
"Please forgive me, Senior. I haven't seen the patient yet, so I can't make any guarantees."
Lingxiang's frank words made the teacher look at her differently. Unlike the previous quack doctor who promised a lot but did nothing.
"It's fine, it's fine. But they have families and parents above them, some are still young and strong, and they are all honest and good people. I really can't bear to see them end up like this..."
"The elders have good intentions, so the younger generation should do their best."
As they were talking, they arrived at a courtyard gate. They could vaguely hear the gurgling sound of a medicine pot and the footsteps of some people walking inside.
"There are twenty people here in total, including seventeen patients, one doctor, a medicine boy and a servant." The teacher said as he invited her in.
After Lingxiang exchanged greetings with the doctor, he took her to see the patient.
Some of these people are skinny, some are pale and thin, and even the few who seem to have not changed their figure have pale faces.
The thin ones all had their eyes closed, while those who were still in good shape had their eyes rolled back, and they all spoke in hoarse voices.
The doctor said that these thin ones were patients from half a year ago, and those who were still in good shape were sent in last month. They were all kept alive by old ginseng, and their meals were liquid food.
This is not a disease at all, it is undoubtedly a form of Chinese medicine. Judging from the symptoms, it should be caused by one person, but I don't know what medicine caused it.
Judging from the pulse, their lives are not in danger for the time being, but if this continues for a long time, they will definitely die, especially those who are so thin that they look unrecognizable.
Lingxiang already had a plan in mind, so she fed the Soul Gathering Pill to those who were in the most serious condition, while for those who were more optimistic, she asked the medicine boy to give the Qi-Nourishing Pill to be dissolved in water and taken orally.
He also told the doctors that on sunny days, they should be placed in the courtyard with their eyes covered and exposed to sunlight for two quarters at noon.
After giving these instructions, he went to find his master.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
