Hao Yi shook his head resolutely, "No, the seller said that when my leg hurt, I could suck some of it and the pain would go away. But ever since I earned money, I bought a carriage, and selling goods everywhere didn't require me to walk. So my leg never hurt, and I never sucked it!"
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao were utterly impressed by this person!
He didn't use the things he bought, but gave them to others to use!
Such a story was truly hard for the couple to believe!
Fan Zehao ordered Shi He to throw the man into prison to keep the wandering doctor Zhang Feng company!
After the man was taken away, Xiao Ce also returned.
As soon as he entered the room, he began to chatter, "The search is over. I searched three households and brought them all back to be locked up in prison. What do we do now?"
What to do?
Fan Zehao replied to him coolly, "It's a hot day, so let's have a cold dish. Keep them locked up for now. You go investigate who these three households usually contact. Investigate everything in detail. If these three households live on the same alley, or in the same village, seal the alley, or seal the village. Don't let anyone out, not even a mouse. Even a flying fly must be swatted down."
Xiao Ce was dumbfounded. Good heavens, after not seeing him for just over two years, this person wouldn't even let a fly escape!
The entire day was spent searching the inner city, arresting people, and sealing villages, causing quite a stir.
The common people didn't know what was happening, but they saw soldiers in armor entering the city, saying they were searching for spies. The common people were cooperative and actively provided clues. Most of them were worthless, but some were valuable, and they actually caught spies from several countries.
This move of a city-wide search, without any warning, caught these spies off guard. They were apprehended before they could even reach the city gates! It was a very fruitful haul!
In the evening, the prince's manor was brightly lit.
Wang Zhaodi and Fan Guangping looked at Zhang Feng in the prison. They learned from him that it was Xu Lei, Fan Guangping's former friend, who had caused trouble for their marriage. They never expected that for a mere two thousand taels, he would do such a despicable thing.
It was also thanks to their manor's Xiao Hua, who wanted to climb the social ladder, that Zhang Feng's scheme as a wandering doctor could have succeeded!
The couple looked at each other, shocked for a long time. This person was truly sinister. It was fortunate that their sister-in-law had found out, otherwise, the couple would truly have gone their separate ways, and their children would have become pitiful orphans without a father!
Returning to the front hall, Wang Zhaodi sighed, "Why are people like this nowadays? How can their hearts be so wicked? Aren't they afraid of their hearts rotting and dying a terrible death!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled, "Sister-in-law, if swearing really worked, many people would surely die in this world. So, it's easy to draw a dragon's body and bones but hard to draw a tiger. You can know a person's face but not their heart. Be careful in the future. Merchants should not offer credit!"
Borrowing money is easy, but getting it back is as difficult as becoming a grandson!
Zhao Jiaqi reminded them a few times and then let them go to rest. They had worked all day and didn't need to be bothered by this matter anymore!
That night, while sleeping, Zhao Jiaqi had a dream about Chen Ke. She dreamed that Yun Kingdom was annihilated due to the opium, and her children, in order to protect their country, went to the battlefield, only to end up with their remains lost, dying miserably!
Zhao Jiaqi woke up frightened and could no longer sleep!
Looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, such beautiful scenery, such a beautiful night, such a beautiful inner city, and the increasingly powerful Yun Kingdom. They had put so much effort into this. She would not allow anyone to destroy this hard-won outcome!
The next day, Zhao Jiaqi sent Song Fei and Fang Mingjiang early to assist in the investigation of this matter. She was not good at solving cases, and if she interfered, it would only disrupt their investigation.
Five days later, in the capital, Huangfu Xian sent them a letter. The contents of the letter made them both furious.
Fan Zehao threw the letter onto the table and pointed at it, cursing, "I really don't know how Huangfu Xian's brain is wired. He discovered this thing and then asks me what he should do? What can I do? I don't have three heads and six arms, nor the ability to split myself. Doesn't he use his brain at all!"
"Alright, alright. He is also a first-time emperor. It's understandable that he doesn't know how to handle such matters. Just write back and tell him. What's the use of you scolding him? He can't hear you. Hurry up and write the letter. This matter is of great importance and should not be taken lightly!"
Zhao Jiaqi rubbed her aching head, trying to pacify him while also urging him to write back.
Despite his scolding, he obediently went to write the letter.
He also felt very wronged. It was as if he was born to be an emperor. Besides, who wasn't a first-time emperor?
If you don't know how to be one, can't you learn?
While scolding the incompetent Huangfu Xian, he still had to offer him advice.
Far away in the imperial palace in the capital, Huangfu Xian sneezed violently. His ears felt hot, and rubbing his nose, he knew without a doubt that his brother-in-law was scolding him!
Huangfu Xian snorted coldly. Who told him to pass the throne to himself? Sitting in this damn position, he was annoyed every day. If he didn't tease this former emperor, he would feel resentful.
Looking at the blue sky and white clouds outside the palace, he murmured, "Yun Kingdom has a former emperor. It seems it wouldn't be bad to have another one!"
His brother-in-law had wronged him, so he would wrong his younger brother Huangfu Xu. It was better to wrong him than let others do it, and he might as well have some fun.
By the end of August, the matter of 'Tunyun' in the inner city was thoroughly investigated.
This thing was brought back from a vassal state by Hao Yi. He not only gave it to Xu Lei but also to a good friend in his village. The purpose was simple: to encourage everyone to smoke it!
In prison, Hao Yi, bruised and battered, could no longer hold on and confessed everything he knew!
"A merchant from a vassal state gave it to me. He said I should find people, and for each person I found, I would get one tael of silver. The more people I found, the more I would earn. When they opened a Tunyun shop in the inner city, I would be the shopkeeper and get thirty percent of the profits. When I heard this, I was tempted, and that's why I gave it to my childhood friend in the village."
After dinner, his childhood friend gave it to his wife's relatives in her village. This spread from ten to a hundred, and it spread to three villages. It hadn't spread further before Zhao Jiaqi discovered it.
As for how this thing appeared in the capital, Hao Yi did not know. He shook his head and said, "This is all I know. I really don't know anything else. I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I know I was wrong, and I will never do it again."
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the person before her. He was a clever man. She had almost been deceived by him at first. If she hadn't sealed and investigated, she might have actually let him go!
"I'm telling you now, Tunyun can destroy a person effortlessly, even a country. When that happens, with war raging, do you think you'll still have a life to spend the money you earned?"
"Such a crime is worse than being a spy, comparable to treason. Even if you die a hundred times, it wouldn't be enough to be beheaded. Do you think I can let you go?"
Zhao Jiaqi detested opium the most!
She had never imagined that at this time, someone would be cultivating poppies. Now that it had been discovered, Yun Kingdom's laws must be amended to include this.
Anyone who planted even one poppy flower would be sentenced to death.
Five or more would result in the extermination of the entire clan!
If you are not afraid of death, not afraid of extinction, then go ahead and plant it. She would conduct investigations every year. If she didn't execute a few people, these commoners would really think she was joking like a living bodhisattva!