Araki Tetsuya's attitude made it clear to Zhan Yuanliang that he could not stay here any longer. He had to abandon his main objective. If he continued to linger, he would soon be exposed. He had to get away as soon as possible. He quickly put away the wine bottle in his hand, bowed, and turned to leave.
Araki Tetsuya returned to Uehara Junpei's side after seeing Zhan Yuanliang leave. Uehara Junpei was talking quietly with Shimizu Hidetoshi and did not notice this little incident.
However, Ning Zhiheng, who was standing beside him, saw the whole process clearly. Ning Zhiheng turned around and made a gesture to Araki Tetsuya. Araki Tetsuya quickly stepped forward and bowed to Ning Zhiheng.
"What happened?" Ning Zhiheng asked in a low voice.
“It was a consulate staff member who came to deliver the wine. He was Chinese, which I found a bit strange, but Consul General Ju said there was nothing wrong with him, so I sent him away.”
Ning Zhiheng nodded upon hearing this. He also had some doubts about Zhan Yuanliang's appearance, but seeing that Araki Tetsu handled the matter properly, he stopped paying attention to it.
At this moment, Zhan Yuanliang turned around and walked back. He followed the passageway to the long table closest to Ueno Keisuke's dining area. He secretly observed and, feeling that no one was paying attention to him, he walked up to the table, placed two bottles of sake on the outermost side, and then quickly left. His movements were very natural, and no one would notice anything unusual unless they were paying special attention.
The next step is to evacuate immediately. Once someone comes to collect the alcohol, he will soon show symptoms of poisoning, and he won't have much time left.
Zhan Yuanliang walked back to the entrance he had come from, exited the banquet hall, crossed the corridor, and hurried towards the back door of the consulate.
As Zhan Yuanliang emerged, the guard at the back door quickly reached out to stop him. Due to the special circumstances today, in addition to the original consulate guards, several Special Higher Police officers were stationed at the back door. Seeing Zhan Yuanliang come out, the consulate guard couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Zhan, where are you going?"
The other Special Higher Police officers also turned their attention to him. Zhan Yuanliang quickly explained, "Uemura-kun, I have a severe stomachache and want to go to the hospital. I have already asked Consul Uchida for leave. Please let me go there as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Uemura saw Zhan Yuanliang clutching his stomach with a pained expression and, without suspicion, hurriedly explained to the other Special Higher Police officers. However, these officers were still somewhat uneasy and demanded that Zhan Yuanliang show his identification. Only after Zhan Yuanliang produced his consulate work ID did they wave him on and let him pass.
Zhan Yuanliang quickly went out the back door, hailed a rickshaw, got in, and told the driver to hurry up. The rickshaw driver agreed, started moving quickly, and soon disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, in the banquet hall, Ning Zhiheng, seeing that it was getting late, got up and went to Jue Gong Yichun's side, whispering a few words in his ear. Jue Gong Yichun quickly nodded.
Uehara Junpei and Shimizu Hidetoshi also got up one after the other and followed Hori Koichi out of the banquet hall to the private room that had been prepared to continue their conversation. There were many things that needed to be discussed privately. Ning Zhiheng and Araki Tetsuya followed closely behind and waited nearby.
But a moment later, a cry of alarm came from the hall, and someone shouted, "Oh no! The wine is poisoned!"
Immediately following was the sound of plates, cups, and bowls shattering, followed by cries and shouts. Ning Zhiheng and Araki Tetsuya were both startled. They quickly exchanged a glance and rushed to the private room. Pushing open the door, they found Uehara Junpei and Shimizu Hidetoshi sitting safely and unharmed in the room, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, the sharp, piercing sound of police sirens rang out again, and Uehara Junpei immediately asked in a stern voice, "What happened?"
"I don't know!" Ning Zhiheng shook his head, looking completely bewildered. He truly had no idea what had happened.
Araki Tetsuya also gathered his bodyguards to stand guard at the door and said, "It seems someone in the banquet hall has been poisoned."
Hidetoshi Shimizu's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Quick, go check on Hashimoto-kun and Ohara-kun! Make sure nothing happens to them!"
Hashimoto Meisuke and Ohara Shunji are members of the House of Peers and representatives of two major families. Although their official positions are not as high as Shimizu Hidetoshi's, their influence is by no means weak. If something goes wrong, it will definitely be a political disaster!
"Hey, please rest assured, Your Excellency, the hall is heavily guarded, all by our men, there won't be any problems." Araki Tetsu reassured Shimizu Hidetoshi, then ordered the guards to stay and protect the area before running towards the banquet hall.
The piercing sirens alerted all the guards, who rushed to the banquet hall. Meanwhile, quick-thinking Special Higher Police agents had already surrounded the banquet hall. Some guests tried to escape, but were forcibly driven back inside.
However, another group of people rushed out of the banquet hall soon after. It was Hashimoto Meisuke and a group of Japanese high-ranking officials. After the incident, they were immediately surrounded and protected by their guards, and then escorted out of the banquet hall as soon as possible.
Araki Tetsuya breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the high-ranking officials were safe and sound. However, he still needed to find out the situation as soon as possible so that he could report to Uehara Junpei. So he continued forward and rushed into the banquet hall.
When he entered the banquet hall, he found it in complete disarray. In the middle of the hall, several tables and chairs were tilted, broken wine bottles and dishes were scattered all over the floor, many people were lying on the ground vomiting, some staggered a few steps and then fell to the ground, and some even collapsed and couldn't get up, foaming at the mouth and making painful cries. The scene was extremely tragic.
The other guests were ushered aside, staring dumbfounded at the scene before them. Some of the female guests even cried out in fear and unease, but were immediately covered up by those around them, and dared not make a sound.
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