Chapter 124: Murder Lawsuit
"Ayan, under any circumstances, I will ensure my own safety first."
"And mother, she protects me very well."
Lu Mingchao tilted his head slightly and cast his gaze towards Xie Yan, who was gently enveloped by the afterglow of the setting sun.
Xie Yan's eyelashes were very long, and the shadows they cast looked like willow trees brushing against a bank in spring.
"Ayan and my second brother also did a great job in dealing with the rockfall on the mountain road."
Xie Yan said gently, "It was my second brother's idea."
"Along the way, I heard my second brother talk a lot about Lu Chun and his family of three. The more I heard, the more worried I became about you."
Lu Mingchao smiled and said, "I'm really too lazy to go around in circles."
"If you don't tear off this veneer of plausibility, you won't be able to get out of it honestly."
"With Lu Minghui's intervention, Lu Chun and his family of three can only wish for the best."
"Does Yinwei recognize Huaiqian?" Lu Mingchao changed the subject.
Xie Yan nodded and said, "I admit it."
Two days later, it was a sunny day.
No fog, light breeze.
The Chaofu grain store of the Lu Ming Dynasty opened.
Red silk is lightly wrapped around the plaque, and the sound of bronze gongs is loud and bustling.
Three days before the opening, the grain store will offer a special discount promotion, as well as a promotion of "spend ten and get one free".
For every customer who purchases ten liters of grain or more, our store will give an extra liter as a token of our sincerity.
Sun Zhiye gently stroked the full, evenly-proportioned, crystal clear rice grains with his fingers, his face looking gloomy and solemn.
Even Sun Kee's premium rice, supplied exclusively to wealthy families, could not compare with this small bag.
Morning blessing.
A grain store during the Ming Dynasty.
He had always sent people to watch over the two shops that had been given away, but he never expected that Lu Mingchao and Xie Yanming would secretly cross the warehouse and open a grain store under his nose without any movement.
He was completely unaware of the large quantities of food entering and leaving Changhe County.
He turned his palm over and slammed it heavily on the table, splashing rice grains everywhere.
"Tian Dong, have you found out the source of food for Chaofu Grain Store?"
The rice and grains supplied by Chaofu Grain Store are of high quality and affordable, comparable to the most common rice and grains on the market.
Therefore, it is only a matter of time before Chaofu Grain Store gradually gains an advantage in the market and gradually divides the market share of Sun Kee Rice and Grain.
Moreover, there are several medium-sized grain stores in Changhe County that also sell the same rice and grain.
It is obvious that they had reached a private cooperation agreement with Lu Mingchao early on.
Lu Ming Dynasty!
Sun Zhiye gritted his teeth, feeling angry and hateful, yet unable to help but feel moved.
"Young Master, Tiandong is incompetent and there is no news for the time being." Tiandong knelt on the ground, with rice grains still flying on his head and shoulders.
Sun Zhiye exhaled lightly, "Let's go investigate further. Once we find out the truth, we must monopolize the source of this batch of rice and grain even if we have to make concessions."
"This is about Sun Ji's life and death, so there is no room for ambiguity."
"But, young master, the money in the account is already a little stretched." Chuan Bai reminded carefully.
A few days ago, the eldest son withdrew 30,000 taels of silver from the account at one time, exchanged it for banknotes and sent it to Shangjing.
Sun Zhiye pursed his lips and rubbed his brows tiredly. "I will find another way to deal with the money. The most urgent thing is to find out where the rice and grain came from."
"Go ahead."
The sunlight slanted in through the window, illuminating his gloomy face.
His chest rose and fell, and his breathing became slightly heavier.
Thinking of the money, Sun Zhiye looked a little tired again.
The real daughter of the Yongning Marquis's mansion has a vision that is too narrow and an appetite that is too big.
He is short-sighted and greedy. He is definitely not a qualified business partner.
But there is no way, in terms of identity, Lu Minghui is the most suitable.
Lu Minghui and Lu Mingchao are naturally opposed, and that's enough.
He had to find a way to destroy the thriving grain stores of the Lu Ming Dynasty.
We buy food to fill our stomachs, and we fill our stomachs to stay alive. But what if a lawsuit involving the rice from Chaofu Grain Store leads to a death?
Sun Zhiye gradually came up with a plan in his mind.
Another day.
Lu Mingchao was concentrating on checking the account book in the small courtyard behind the grain store when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the shop in front of him, mixed with the unusual sound of heavy objects falling to the ground.
Xie Yan held his breath and listened more carefully.
After a moment, his expression changed, and he quickly explained to Lu Mingchao, "Mingchao, someone got poisoned after eating rice from Chaofu Grain Store, and his family members are causing trouble outside."
"It's a big fuss. I'll go and fix it."
Lu Mingchao put down the account book in his hand, smoothed the folds on his skirt, put on his cloak and said, "Let's go together."
"Ah Yan, on the day of the opening, I had anticipated this and was just waiting for Sun Zhiye to make his move."
“He really didn’t disappoint me.”
Lu Mingchao's voice contained not only calming but also a strong sense of ridicule.
What a great gentleman Sun Zhiye is.
Xie Yan's heart also calmed down.
After passing through two doors and entering the front hall of the grain store, I saw rice grains scattered all over the ground, and the scene seemed quite messy.
"The owner of Chaofu Grain Store is a black-hearted businessman who cheats ordinary people out of their money."
"My wife ate the rice they bought and started foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over. The doctor said she was poisoned!"
"This is simply too scary! This poisonous rice can kill people!"
"Please don't buy anything from him anymore."
The gray-haired old man sat on the doorstep of the grain store, pounding the ground again and again, his cries shaking the sky.
Not far away, a young man with red eyes stood there, holding a thick wooden stick tightly in his hand. He smashed the box containing rice grains hard.
Xie Yan raised his hand, lightly grabbed the wooden stick, broke it into two pieces with his strength, and threw it on the ground.
The young man rolled his eyes and said, "The black-hearted boss beat people up. The black-hearted boss beat people up."
"Report to the authorities." Lu Mingchao glanced at the storekeeper and gave a faint order. He then raised his voice and said to the people watching outside the grain store, "I have already reported to the authorities. Chaofu Grain Store will not accept any malicious slander. At the same time, I can assure the villagers that there is absolutely no problem with the rice in Chaofu Grain Store."
"If the villagers are worried, they can just wait here for the officials to get to the bottom of the matter."
"You will feel more at ease if you see it with your own eyes and hear it with your own ears."
The crying old man shouted at the top of his voice, "Who knows if you will bribe the officials? The lives of ordinary people are miserable. I am almost dead. It is evidence. Why are you still investigating?"
"Pay your life. You must pay your life. There is no room for negotiation."
Seeing that the people's anger was about to be aroused again, Lu Mingchao simply asked the accountant to boil a large pot of hot water outside the grain store and pour in two packets of sugar.
A bamboo basket of bowls was placed on the steps.
"It's cold, and everyone is tired of waiting. Why don't you sit down and drink some hot sugar water while waiting?"
“Yes.”
Lu Mingchao took the lead and scooped a bowl for himself, blew on it, and took a sip. "It's not poisonous."
"I have reason to suspect someone is behind this."
Sugar is a rare commodity, and many people are eager to try it.
In the cold winter months, a sip of sweet soup is the most comfortable thing.
When your mouth is sweet and your stomach is warm, your heart will naturally be at ease.
This was the bizarre scene that the officials from the county government saw when they arrived: the firewood was burning brightly, steam was rising from the big pot, no one was blocking the road, and a group of people were squatting by the walls on both sides of the road, drinking from bowls of Shashasha, some of them even had a big cake with it.
It felt like they were not here to resolve disputes or judge cases, but rather to go to the countryside to eat a big pot of rice.
No wonder no one blocked the road.
It is a habit ingrained in the Daqian people that they have to squat to the side while eating with a bowl in hand, and squatting in the middle of the street is as shameful as taking a shit in public.
The Holy Eucharist