Seeing that the performance was almost over, Mo Qianshang sent someone to invite officials to check the woman's house to see if there were any signs of paraquat.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s going on, so let’s report it to the authorities. What do you think, Sister Meng and Boss Meng?” Mo Qianshang suggested.
Without a word, the two agreed. "Yes, let's report it to the authorities. If we're upright, we have nothing to fear. Only by reporting this to the authorities can we prove the safety of our vegetables. Fellow villagers, can anyone help us call the government officials? We will reward you handsomely."
Everyone knew that Mengji couldn't send someone to invite them for this matter; they were avoiding suspicion, in case someone suspected them of colluding with the government.
"I'm fast!" said one of the waiters, and he dashed off in a flash.
Mo Qianshang spoke a few words to Madam Meng, who was half-believing and half-doubting. She immediately sent someone to carry it out. If this was true, then the person behind it was truly ruthless, actually using human lives to set a trap for them!
Before long, the government officials arrived. They had known about this matter for a while, as stories about Lady Mo were often widely known and spread very quickly.
Li, the clerk, received the news early on and sent people to investigate. Lady Mo was the biggest source of wealth for their government; she couldn't possibly do such a thing.
"My lord, why have you come in person?" The burly man looked at Li Zhubu with a flustered expression, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Li Zhubu was not someone to be fooled.
Li, the clerk, glanced at the man and walked directly towards the woman. "Tell me what grievances you have now, and I will stand up for you."
As if she had suddenly found her pillar of support, the woman knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly, "Please, Your Honor, do justice for me! My name is Li Ying, and this is my brother-in-law, Wang Qi. Meng's shop sells poisoned pastries, harming people. My husband has already been poisoned to death, Your Honor! Please, Your Honor, do justice!"
Li Zhubu immediately ordered someone to help the woman up. He already knew the whole story and only needed to observe for a short while.
"Boss Meng, please cooperate with the investigation. It will be over soon. Men, come in and search. See if there is anything poisonous." At Li Zhubu's command, several men went in and searched very thoroughly.
A moment later, the officers came out and said, "Sir, we didn't find anything poisonous. Apart from the pastry-making materials, we didn't find anything suspicious."
The burly man panicked and immediately shouted, "Sir, how could there be none? Could it be that you didn't search thoroughly enough? I clearly told someone to..."
The big man realized he had said the wrong thing and panicked. "Oh no, I'm doomed! I let it slip!"
Mo Qianshang continued, "You clearly had someone put the bottle of paraquat in an inconspicuous corner of the kitchen, didn't you?"
"Bring them up here." Meng Zhuo's face was grim. If it weren't for Mo Qianshang and the others, they would really be finished this time.
As early as when she sent someone to summon the officials, Mo Qianshang had Meng Niangzi send people to search the kitchen. Fearing they might not be thorough enough, the children followed, and sure enough, they found a suspicious bottle.
Qin Qingyu had learned a little more about identification methods and immediately recognized that this was a bottle containing poison.
Boss Meng acted swiftly and decisively, using only questioning, coercion, and inducement to find the traitor.
The burly man's face instantly changed when he saw the servant kneeling on the ground. It was all over.
"Master, he gave me a tael of silver and told me to put the bottle in the kitchen. I was bewitched, sir! I really didn't know it contained poison. Master, please don't betray me..."
"Wang Qi, what else do you have to say? I had someone investigate. You went to find your brother for lunch at noon. Although you threw away all the food, we still found poison in the leftover soup."
Wang Qi was terrified. He panicked and blurted out everything he had done: "I didn't poison the food. I only smeared paraquat on the pastries. Someone promised me a sum of money, so I did it."
The woman turned to look at her brother-in-law, her eyes wide with disbelief. It was her husband's younger brother who had poisoned him. She swayed slightly, thinking how pitiful her husband was, who had loved his brother so much, only to die at the hands of his most beloved brother. How tragic! How could she have such a miserable life?
"Wang Qi, my man has always treated you well. You're his own brother. He always thinks of you first. Why did you do this? Why? I'll strangle you, you wicked seed!"
Li Ying lunged at Wang Qi viciously, scratching and hitting him with her fists and feet. Perhaps she was too angry, because the man was caught off guard and was scratched. Not only did he lose the pigeon he had almost gotten, but he also had to go to jail. In a fit of rage, the man kicked the woman away.
"My lord, I was just momentarily blinded by greed. I didn't know that the person gave me poison. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have done it. He told me it was a drug to fake death..."
Manager Zhao, watching from the crowd, was furious. His subordinates were becoming increasingly incompetent. Hiring such a greedy, cowardly, and brainless man was truly a waste of time and energy.
Seeing that things were not going to work out, Manager Zhao immediately left this place of trouble.
The people around him looked at the vicious man and talked about it, with many sighing.
"This woman is so pitiful. Her husband was killed by her brother-in-law. He's heartless. He could even do that to his own brother."
Li Zhubu had Wang Qi escorted back to the government office, saying that the government would handle the rest. He then bid farewell to Mo Qianshang.
"Don't worry, Madam Mo, the matter has been investigated and cleared up. We won't stay any longer."
When saying goodbye, Mo Qianshang slipped five taels of silver to Li Zhubu, saying, "It's been a lot of trouble for you. This money for treating the brothers to drinks is just a small token of my appreciation. I'll need to rely on you a lot in the future."
"No problem, no problem." Li Zhubu smiled and left the scene, taking the woman and the criminal with him.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Meng, there was a misunderstanding. Do you still have any pastries? I'd like to buy some!"
"I want one too!"
Mo Qianshang immediately seized the opportunity to start promoting her products: "Today, all pastries are 20% off, which is a benefit for everyone. Let's not let a little incident affect everyone's mood."
It would be a shame not to use some marketing tactics at a time like this. We've already put up with the hardship, and now business should be getting better and better.
Boss Meng couldn't help but give Mo Qianshang a thumbs up. When it comes to making money, Mo Qianshang is the best.
Not only is he good at making money, but he's also very smart; he's truly a benefactor to him.
The workers started hawking their wares again. As soon as people heard that the poisoned pastries were a hoax and that they could buy them for a cheaper price, a lot of people came and lined up in a long queue.
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