Zhao Jiaqi only briefly mentioned the harmful effects of this substance, holding back more details for fear of arousing her husband’s suspicion.
Fan Zehao trusted his wife implicitly and immediately recognized the gravity of the situation.
“Wife, write down what this ‘dayan’ looks like and its immediate harms. I will send a hawk message to Huangfu Xian, ordering him to thoroughly investigate the Yun Kingdom for any such harmful elements. Meanwhile, all trade within Yun Kingdom will be suspended. All imported goods will be meticulously recorded. The kings of each fiefdom must inspect incoming cargo for any hidden contraband. I will find out who dares to act so sneakily!”
Once discovered, their skins would be flayed to make lanterns! This was murder without bloodshed. The common folk not only paid to acquire this substance but also had their lives endangered, essentially buying their own demise.
Upon learning that smoking ‘dayan’ could ruin a nation, Xiao Ce elevated the matter to a state of war. He strictly ordered his soldiers to dig ten feet deep to apprehend this scourge, demanding they be disemboweled and their bones gnawed, even their corpses be whipped after death, lest his anger remain unquelled.
The Special Envoy and Xiao Ce, working in tandem, achieved remarkable efficiency.
At this time, the doctor imprisoned in the dungeon regained consciousness. Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao interrogated him simultaneously, but the physician remained stubbornly tight-lipped.
Zhao Jiaqi had no intention of wasting words. She immediately summoned Shi He and said menacingly, “Do you know how to pluck a dead pig’s bristles?”
Shi He was perplexed by his mistress’s sudden question but nodded, “I do!” He hadn’t done it himself but had seen it done, and the general process was clear.
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled coldly, “Boil water, scald him with it, scrub him with an iron brush, and feed the scraped flesh to the dogs!”
After instructing Shi He, she left with Fan Zehao.
In the prince’s mansion garden.
Fan Zehao was puzzled by his wife’s actions, wondering if she feared they wouldn’t get any answers if the doctor died.
Before he could speak, Zhao Jiaqi explained, “The misunderstanding between Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law has been resolved. For us, this matter is settled.”
“As for this ‘dayan’ issue, the mastermind behind it may not be so foolish as to deal with him directly. Therefore, what he knows is likely just the tip of the iceberg. We have already closed the city gates and sealed the inner city. Xiao Ce is leading his troops to search house by house. I believe the person behind the doctor will be found soon.”
“After all, these ‘dayan’ traffickers never anticipated our swift action, nor do they understand the dangers of this substance. Thus, whether this doctor lives or dies, or whether we get his confession, is irrelevant!”
Fan Zehao felt his wife’s approach was too hasty, yet a full-city search was akin to catching two birds with one stone. Perhaps, as his wife suggested, the person behind the doctor would soon surface.
They hadn’t yet left the garden when Shi He rushed over, cupping his fists, “Master, Mistress, the doctor has confessed!”
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao exchanged glances. They hadn’t expected the doctor’s resolve to break so quickly. “Speak!” she commanded.
Shi He relayed the doctor’s confession verbatim: “That substance was given to him by someone living in Yangliu Alley. They said that if Fan Guangping divorced Wang Zhaodi, he could have as much of this as he wanted from then on!”
Yangliu Alley?
Fan Zehao gave Shi He a look, and he immediately used his Qinggong to depart.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jiaqi instructed Chunfen to fetch Fan Guangping and Wang Zhaodi. She suspected that the person in Yangliu Alley was the one who had demanded the two thousand taels of silver from her eldest sister-in-law. Otherwise, why go to such lengths to make her eldest brother divorce his wife? Unless that person had designs on her eldest sister-in-law and was wealthy enough to pursue her. However, in Zhao Jiaqi’s opinion, the individual was certainly not driven by love for her eldest sister-in-law, thus leaving only a possibility of a foe.
Within half an hour, Shi He returned, dragging a person who was still groggy. He was unceremoniously thrown to the ground, and a basin of cold water was splashed on him. The person slowly regained consciousness. Upon seeing the people before him, he flinched in panic, his pupils contracting. He then averted his gaze and shuffled backward, stammering, “Who are you, and why have you captured me!”
Zhao Jiaqi sat in her grand armchair, resting her hand on the armrest and snorting coldly, “We brought you here to ask you one question: who gave you the ‘dayan’!”
“Speak, and you may live!”
“Remain silent, and you cannot even choose to die!”
Upon hearing the word ‘dayan’, Xu Lei’s thoughts froze. He looked up at Zhao Jiaqi in surprise and blurted out, “What ‘dayan’? What is ‘dayan’?”
Zhao Jiaqi observed his reaction and surmised that this substance might have a different name in this place. She prompted him further, “Do you know Zhang Feng? Where did the thing you gave Zhang Feng come from?”
Zhang Feng? Xu Lei mumbled the name, and a moment later, understanding dawned. “Oh, you mean that itinerant physician? I gave him that thing. What about it? I didn’t steal the ‘tunyun’ either. Isn’t this against the law, Your Majesty?” He had mistakenly believed his scheme against Fan Guangping had been exposed and that the Empress Dowager had come to settle the score.
Having spoken, he stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes. However, the water stains on his collar would only dry with the sun. At this moment, he didn't feel he had done anything wrong. Before he could fully stand, Shi He kicked him behind the knees, and with a thud, Xu Lei knelt before Zhao Jiaqi once more.
“You recognize this imperial consort, then this matter is simple. Now, I ask you, answer truthfully. You may also choose not to answer, in which case we will turn you into a ‘Ren Zhi’ (eunuch castration and mutilation), ensuring you will never utter a word with your mouth for the rest of your life!”
Zhao Jiaqi’s ferocity was unprecedented. She had never been so serious, not even when threatened by bandits from Phoenix Mountain. Shi He realized this so-called ‘dayan’ must be an extremely troublesome and terrifying matter.
“Who gave you the ‘tunyun’!”
“It… it was my neighbor. He said this thing was brought back from a remote place and was a good thing, so I… well, I gave it to that itinerant physician!”
Zhao Jiaqi waved her hand, and Shi He took the man away, instructing him to lead them to the neighbor he had mentioned.
In the afternoon.
Shi He and Xu Lei were squatting down and finally apprehended the neighbor from Xu Lei’s household. After Zhao Jiaqi’s interrogation, it became clear that the man was a peddler who traveled from place to place selling goods. Due to the open trade in Yun Kingdom, and because a relative of his was a border guard stationed at the siege, he was granted passage out of Yun Kingdom. He then brought goods from the vassal states to Yun Kingdom to sell, making a considerable profit. He had done this three times before encountering the ‘tunyun’. However, the price was quite high, so he only bought a small amount, sharing some with his relative and bringing the rest back. He was on good terms with Xu Lei and gave him some as a gift, being unaware of what Xu Lei did with it afterward.
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao listened to their seemingly plausible explanation. However, considering the substance was so expensive, and given its supposed benefits, a normal person would have kept it for themselves if it were truly that good.
“Have you ever smoked this ‘tunyun’?”