Poison? Someone poisoned it?
Everyone was shocked.
“What did you say?” Wang Ronghuo’s eyebrows almost stood up. “Who are you?”
Gu Fangfei was about to stand up: “Governor, this is my frie…”
“My people.” Duan Yelin took a half step forward, glanced at Xu Hang, and changed his words, “This is… the head of Heming Medical Hall, the military supply cooperative medicine shop in Xiaotong Guan.”
Outside, everyone only knew that Heming Medical Hall provided convenience to the military headquarters, so Commander Duan showed special favor to Young Master Xu. The fact that he took the initiative to stand up for him today was a clear indication of this.
Wang Ronghuo nodded briefly and ordered, “Lock all the doors! Don’t let anyone out!” Then he asked Xu Hang, “You, continue.”
Xu Hang wiped his fingertips with a handkerchief. “What’s added here is Dishui Guanyin. Cold wine will not volatilize the smell. The Governor just heated up the wine, causing the medicinal properties to mutate, so the smell will be particularly pungent. This kind of poison, if touched or ingested by mistake, will cause discomfort in the throat and mouth. If you ingest too much, you will suffocate, causing heart paralysis and eventually death.”
It was not sure whether he intended it on the listeners or not, but when the final two words were spoken, the tone was especially intense, causing everyone in the room to feel a brief, chilling stillness in their hearts.
Wang Ronghuo’s chest rose and fell. He snatched the gun from a soldier and loaded it with two clicks. He looked left and right at the crowd, staring at them fiercely: “Who is it that’s not afraid of death? Ah! Laozi will blow your head off!”
The guests were so scared that they screamed and bent down or hid under the table for fear of being shot by the blind bullets.
A maidservant who was so frightened that her soul had left her body and was crying came out and said, “Governor! Governor, it wasn’t us who did it! When we went to get the wine just now, the kitchen window was open! I saw something next to the wine jug and thought it was some dirty dust! This must have been, must have been done by someone on purpose while we were away!”
“Then tell me, who did you see entering and leaving the dining room?!” Wang Ronghuo pointed a gun at the maid’s head, looking ferocious.
“I… I didn’t see it…” The little maid trembled and then fainted with fright.
Wang Rong angrily kicked the girl: “Damn it! Useless thing!” Then he pointed at the people present: “Come, search them all, let me see who is looking for death!”
The hall was in turmoil, and although some felt deeply embarrassed, they had no choice but to submit to having themselves be searched from head to toe because they could not stand the gun aimed at their heads. Soon, except for Duan Yelin, Xu Hang, and Gu Fangfei, the rest of the people had been searched thoroughly, and nothing was found.
The butler stepped forward and said pointedly, “Governor, we have searched everything that can be searched, and we found nothing. As for what cannot be searched…”
As he spoke, he glanced at Duan Yelin, and his meaning was very clear.
Wang Ronghuo raised his eyebrows, coughed, and then deliberately scolded him with a detached tone, “How could Commander Duan do such a despicable thing, you stupid fool!”
The butler continued, “Yes, yes, yes, Commander Duan is naturally upright, but I can’t help being over-thinking…”
How could Duan Yelin not know the deep meaning? He sneered, “If you want to check, then do it. This will prevent some people from feeling uncomfortable and thinking everyone is dirty.”
Wang Ronghuo pretended to be righteous: “Commander is being too polite. Even if I doubt myself, I would dare not doubt you either. Everyone in Hezhou City knows that it is a piece of cake for the Commander to get someone’s head. Why go through all this trouble?”
Everyone felt awkward after hearing these words. It seemed as if every word was meant to accuse Duan Yelin, and in fact, every sentence was like a basin of dirty water that poured over him from head to toe.
If the situation continues like this, it might be bad.
“In fact, no poison will be discovered.”
Xu Hang’s voice once again interrupted the double act, and Wang Ronghuo’s eyes moved to him again.
“Oh—what do you mean?”
Xu Hang slowly said, “Dishui Guanyin was originally an ornamental plant. There are many of them planted in the Governor’s courtyard. The person who poisoned the wine just needs to come to the Governor’s mansion often and take the materials locally.”
The butler listened and nodded: “Yes, that’s right, there are indeed some plants planted in the courtyard.”
Wang Ronghuo snorted, “Then does that mean we have no way of uncovering the truth? We can’t find out the truth, heh! It’s better to kill someone by mistake than to let someone go by mistake!”
Everyone shuddered again.
“Don’t be impatient, Governor. Please look.” Xu Hang stretched out his fingers that had just been touched by the wine and stood in front of him. The tips of his two fingers were obviously red and swollen. “When the Dishui Guanyin poison touches the skin, the skin will become red, swollen, and itchy in a short time. The Governor only needs to ask people to check who has such redness and swelling on their body, and then you will know who the mastermind is.”
In fact, it was not until this moment that Wang Ronghuo looked at Xu Hang seriously. This person’s overall demeanor was in perfect harmony with his identity as the owner of a medical hall.
The young man’s eyes were as intelligent and cold as a sparrow’s. He observed him closely several times but detected no sign of murderous intent, so he shifted his gaze away.
Wang Ronghuo has spent half his life in business, encountering countless people. Constantly walking a fine line, he remains wary of strangers. At the slightest hint of murderous intent or hostility, he becomes highly vigilant throughout the city.
At least now, this Xu Hang seems safe to him.
The most urgent task is to catch the person who poisoned the wine.
Wang Ronghuo immediately slammed the table and said, “Did you hear it? Go check! See who that bastard is!”
So there was another round of commotion, but this time there was a result.
Several soldiers came out carrying a fat man. The man was cursing and was terrified: “It’s not me! It’s not me! This is a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding ah!”
The soldier didn’t care about his screams at qll and threw him to the ground. The man fell in front of Wang Ronghuo, with his arm exposed. There were several red and swollen patches from his palms to the elbows, exactly the same as those in Xu Hang’s hand.
He ordered his men to grab the man’s hair and lift him up, Wang Ronghuo recognized him immediately: “Special Assistant Peng? I didn’t expect it to be you!”
That person was Peng Bo, who had been punched by Duan Yelin, and the bruises on his face were still visible.
“No, no, no! Governor! How could I harm you?”
“Then how do you explain the wound on your hands!” Wang Rong shouted angrily.
“This, this, this… Oh, Governor, I just fell down! This must have been contaminated at that time! I, aiya, I just thought that I was bitten by some insect, so I didn’t take it seriously! I will never harm you, no matter what, the murderer must be someone else ah!” Peng Bo pointed anxiously, “Look, the wound on my face was caused by the fall! Commander Duan can testify to this ah!”
No matter how anxious he was, Peng Bo didn’t dare to say that he was beaten by Duan Yelin. Everyone was watching here, and the governor was already suspicious of him. If he also offended Duan Yelin, he would be courting death.
Unfortunately, Duan Yelin would not buy into this. He said indifferently, “Special Assistant Peng was walking unsteadily and stumbling, but… I didn’t notice whether he bumped into the Dishui Guanyin bushes or not.”
What he said was true. He was not a gardener, so who would pay more attention to the flowers and plants on the roadside? But Peng Bo’s life was hanging by a thread, and he was very worried when he heard it.
At this time, Xu Hang casually said, “I did see this Special Assistant in the courtyard before the banquet.”
There are so many people going to the courtyard, but adding this sentence at this critical moment is like adding fuel to the fire.
Peng Bo shouted, “I just went to see the flowers and scenery! I didn’t poison anything ah!”
Wang Ronghuo pointed his gun at the servants, and they began to tremble. Wang Ronghuo shouted, “What about you guys? Did you see any suspicious people while working in the kitchen?!”
One of the kitchen maids kneeling beside him crouched down, glanced at Peng Bo, and then said timidly, “This… this Special Assistant asked me to take him to the kitchen to get the medicinal wine…”
It was another fatal blow!
Peng Bo’s face turned pale: “Don’t talk nonsense! You saw me using medicinal wine to wipe the bruises on my face as well! I didn’t do anything else! Aren’t you just feeling guilty?”
The girl was afraid of getting herself into trouble, so when she saw that Peng Bo was trying to tie her up with him, she hurriedly tried to deny it, “I didn’t, I didn’t, I didn’t! Governor, I took him there and then turned around to light the fire! I didn’t see anything he did!”
Peng Bo looked as if he was in mourning.
Wang Ronghuo’s gun was already pressed against his forehead, and it would kill him with just one strike.
Peng Bo was stiff all over, not daring to move. In the face of life and death, he didn’t even dare to breathe.
“You are innocent? Who can prove it? You were strolling in the garden and fell for no reason? You fell, and it turned out that you touched some poisonous weeds? There were so many places to go, but you chose to go to the kitchen? How on earth am I supposed to believe that this is just a coincidence?”
“Prove… prove… this… I…”
Bang! The sound of a shocking gunshot!
Everyone shuddered, feeling as if their hearts had plunged into a frozen lake!
After the sound passed, they looked up and couldn’t help touching themselves. They felt extremely lucky that they were still alive. In the hall, there was a big hole in Peng Bo’s head, blood spurted out, and the whole place was splattered. His brain matter, a mix of white and red, oozed out, creating a gruesome and horrifying sight.
“Umm… Ugh!”
Many people tried to suppress their urge to vomit so as to look normal, but those women who had never seen the world screamed and covered their faces with handkerchiefs, not daring to look.
Gu Fangfei was no exception. She turned around immediately, not even caring who the person was, and buried her face in the person’s chest, and her whole body was shaking like a frightened bird.
Fortunately, that person was gentlemanly enough. Not only did he not push her away, but he was also very polite. He stood still and allowed her to move. He also whispered in her ear, “It’s alrighty. The Governor has already ordered people to carry him away.”
Gu Fangfei then looked up and saw a man in a white suit, so she thanked him, “Sorry, I’m being rude.”
The man just smiled.
After taking care of the person, Wang Ronghuo wiped the muzzle of his gun until it shone, clearly in a much better mood. “Damn it, dare to hit on Laozi? Feed it to the dogs! Go! Pull up all the dirty grass in the yard!”
After wiping, he lifted his robe and waved his hand, “Today is my birthday, so please excuse this little episode. Come, let’s play ‘Silang Visits His Mother’! Let’s make it more lively! Come, come, come sit down, and continue eating and drinking!”
He acted so casually, as if he had just killed a fly.
But the bloody smell in the air lingered for a long time.
After a while, the hall was once again filled with the scene of glasses clinking. However, underneath this appearance, everyone looked pale, and the actors on the stage were also singing in fear. It was hard to say how many people could really enjoy the food.
Duan Yelin had seen and said enough; he had no desire to engage with Wang Ronghuo anymore. Filled with anger, he clenched his fists, eager to return home and let out his anger.
“Have a good birthday, Governor. I still have some matters to deal with in Xiaotong Guan.” Then he glanced at Xu Hang and emphasized, “Young Master Xu should go back too. I think there are also a lot of things to deal with in Heming Medical Hall.”
Xu Hang also asked for his leave. The governor waved his hand slightly, with a condescending expression: “Then excuse me, I won’t see you off. Oh, by the way, you’re Young Master Xu from a certain medical hall, right? Well, you’re wise today. I’m someone who firmly believes in fair rewards and punishments. In the future, I will ask people to take care of your business more.”
“The Governor is very kind.”
The two people walked out of the Governor’s Mansion one after another, with the Ford car parked in front.
The good expression that Duan Yelin had just maintained in front of others collapsed in an instant. His hands, as dark as iron claws, suddenly grabbed Xu Hang’s wrist, pulling him so hard that he almost staggered off the stairs. Then he grabbed the car door and threw him inside so hard that the whole car shook violently.
