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墨書 Inktalez
Guanyin Soil can temporarily stave off hunger after consumption, but it cannot be digested once it enters the stomach. Therefore, those diners who consume too much will die from abdominal distension. Among these deceased, some have also consumed a small amount but have weak digestive functions.
Xing Ruyi had Coroner find a family, and after discussing, they opened the deceased's abdomen in front of the crowd. When they saw the soil taken from the stomach, the agitated citizens fell silent. Xing Ruyi glanced at everyone and explained, "To put it simply, this is a case of food poisoning, but it has nothing to do with the Restaurant owner. It is the work of others with the intention of bringing down this Restaurant. Think about it: if this was done by the Restaurant owner himself, what benefit would he gain? Moreover, you all ate Sesame Oil Stir-Fried Pork Liver, and what was extracted is Guanyin Soil. If we did not know that there is a Master at play here, you wouldn't be able to blame the owner based on this evidence. Right?"
The crowd exchanged glances; in front of the newly appointed Official Xie Xuan, they dared not agree or disagree. Xie Xuan seized the moment to say a few comforting words typical in officialdom and instructed the Yard Officer to disperse the onlookers, leaving only a few clear-headed individuals who could articulate their thoughts—namely, the families of the diners.
Xie Xuan approached a young man dressed like a Scholar and asked, "Who in your family has been poisoned?"
"In response to your honor, it is my Brother and Sister-in-law. My Brother just returned from out of town and saw that my Sister-in-law was struggling to take care of the household, so he took our whole family to dine at the Restaurant. My parents are elderly and eat only easily digestible and light dishes. I do not like pig liver, so I did not eat that dish. My brother and sister-in-law ate quite a bit, and since my sister-in-law loves pig liver, she was affected the most and is now lying at home. My nephew is not yet three years old; he has been crying by my sister-in-law's bedside all day. I ask your honor to take care of us!"
"Did anything unusual happen during the meal?"
"In response to your honor, nothing unusual occurred. Our family’s circumstances are average; this was our first time at such a Restaurant. There was nothing abnormal during the meal. If anything seemed unusual, it was that this dish of Sesame Oil Stir-Fried Pork Liver seemed particularly delicious. After finishing one plate, my Sister-in-law kept praising how well the Chef cooked it. Seeing her enjoy it, my brother ordered a second plate. Other diners also seemed particularly fond of this dish."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xuan glanced at Xing Ruyi, then addressed the Scholar: "I have noted everything you just said. Rest assured, I will take care of you. As for your brother and sister-in-law's condition, while I may not be able to help directly, I can recommend someone to you. This is Miss Xing, the owner of Ruyi Cosmetic Shop. You must have heard of her?"
"So you are Ruyi!” The Scholar’s eyes lit up upon hearing the name of Ruyi Cosmetic Shop, and he hurried over to bow respectfully: “I have indeed heard your name before. To be honest with you, after my brother and sister-in-law were poisoned, I went to see Liu Zhanggui. Unfortunately, after something happened in his family, he has been closed off from visitors. After many requests, only then did Madam Liu reluctantly meet me for a brief moment. Like Lord Xie, she also mentioned your name. Unfortunately, I went several times but was turned away by the shop’s Clerk, as you had left before returning."
After finishing his words, the Scholar bowed deeply again: “I implore you, Ruyi, to save my brother and sister-in-law for the sake of my poor nephew.”
"Rest assured; I will help them. Not for any other reason but because you are a loving family—motherly love and marital affection are precious. Besides, my adopted son is also only three years old; I understand how attached children are to their mothers. So even if it's not about others, I will take care of your family's matters."
"Thank you! Thank you!" The Scholar repeatedly expressed his gratitude while stepping back: “I will return home now to inform my parents. Since my brother and sister-in-law were poisoned, they have not slept well for days and are always anxious. Don’t worry; I will go back right away without disturbing you further; I’ll wait outside your residence.”
"No need for that; your address should be known by Brother Chang and Shengzi. When the time comes, I will go myself. Your parents, brother and sister-in-law, as well as your nephew all need your care. You can rest assured that I will definitely visit this morning."
"Then thank you very much!" The Scholar, disregarding his previous demeanor, quickly lifted his outer robe and rushed out.
After the Scholar left, Xing Ruyi turned to Xie Xuan: “There isn’t much that a Fox Demon can do regarding matters in the Yamen. For now, I have done everything possible to assist where I can. As for other matters, they fall under your jurisdiction as Lord Xie, so it would be inappropriate for me to speak further on them. If there are no other instructions from you, I shall take my leave since I promised Brother Chang that I would help check on those patients."
"Ruyi, your willingness to help with medical issues is already a great assistance for me as an official. On behalf of the citizens here, I thank you."
"Lord Xie, you are too polite. The promise made by the Fox Demon is only for Brother Chang, not for you. Moreover, this illness is not something the Fox Demon can treat for free; there still needs to be an appropriate fee. After all, I, Rouge, only sell Rouge and Face Powder. The medical instruments and herbs used for concocting medicine are all purchased on the spot. By the way, if the patient's family refuses to pay, could your Yamen possibly cover the costs?"
"Since this is my responsibility, I will certainly contribute," Xie Xuan said, ordering the steward to bring over five hundred taels of silver: "This five hundred taels is from my personal funds and has nothing to do with the Yamen's treasury. Miss, please take it for now. If it is not enough, you can come back at any time to collect more. While I may not be able to produce tens of thousands of taels, I can manage two or three thousand with some effort."
"In that case, the Fox Demon should thank you on behalf of those common people. Rest assured, although the Fox Demon is greedy for money, this silver will definitely not be used for personal gain. If there is any surplus, I will use it to help those impoverished families on your behalf. I believe you care for your people as if they were your own children and would not oppose this."
Xie Xuan smiled but said nothing.
Xing Ruyi took the silver from the steward and handed it to Chang Tai: "The Fox Demon will handle the medical treatment; you will take care of the purchasing matters, Brother Chang. Please also transfer the remaining silver to those poor families as a token of Lord Xie's compassion. Just give it discreetly; otherwise, before nightfall, your Yamen might be surrounded by those demanding money."
Chang Tai accepted the silver and glanced at Xie Xuan: "You can rest assured; I will take care of these matters."
Xing Ruyi and Chang Tai left the Yamen in a harmonious exchange. The fox was as leisurely as ever, drifting like a cloud and carefree like the wind, seemingly just accompanying Xing Ruyi as a beautiful adornment.
After the three left, Xie Xuan then asked nearby: "How is the investigation going?"
Dressed in white, Phantom appeared not far from Xie Xuan: "In response to your inquiry, this young lady indeed runs a Rouge shop in the city. I have also looked into her background, but like her companion Young Master Yin, it remains quite mysterious.
Additionally, I found out that this young lady and Young Master Yin arrived in Luoyang over two years ago. They subsequently opened this Ruyi Rouge shop. Initially, business was quite slow until an incident involving a wicked daughter-in-law colluding with an adulterer to poison her mother-in-law and cause her husband's illness occurred; only then did they gradually gain notoriety. Since then, business at the Rouge shop has improved significantly, but this shopkeeper's dealings have become increasingly complicated.
I have also visited Sister-in-law Village. It is indeed as the common people say; there are Evil Spirits causing trouble. It was only through this shopkeeper's intervention that things were clarified. However, there are rumors that it is not this young lady who possesses real skills in exorcising Evil Spirits but rather her companion Young Master Yin. He simply keeps a low profile due to his fear of his wife, so few know about this."
"Did you notice anything about Young Master Yin just now?" Xie Xuan asked again. The feeling he had when he first met Yin Chensi seemed to resurface. In the courtyard stood Yin Chensi, Xing Ruyi, and Chang Tai; yet he naturally overlooked Yin Chensi as if he did not exist at all before they departed.
"I did notice him! But I also discovered a strange phenomenon: whenever I deliberately looked for Young Master Yin, I would see him standing there. However, if I did not focus on him intentionally, it was as if he vanished from my sight altogether. Such an outstanding person yet possessing such a lack of presence—he's practically a living ninja."
"It seems I'm not alone in feeling this way." Xie Xuan's gaze darkened: "Investigate their backgrounds further. A man whom even you praise must be more extraordinary than I imagined."
"I understand; I will continue my investigation," Phantom replied before disappearing again.
"Wait a moment!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Phantom appeared.
"Does that Miss Xing have a particular fondness for silver coins?"
"Are you asking if that Miss Xing is as greedy for money as she just demonstrated?" Phantom countered. Seeing Xie Xuan's slight displeasure, he quickly lowered his head. "From my investigation, that young lady indeed loves money, and the prices of Rouge and Face Powder in her shop are significantly higher than those of others. I don't use these products myself, so I'm not sure if it's true what they say outside—that you get what you pay for. However, this young lady, while loving money, conducts her business in a mutually agreeable manner with normal transactions on the surface."
"I understand now. You may go!" Xie Xuan said, waving his hand.
Phantom nodded and disappeared once more.
Once Phantom had vanished, Xie Xuan called the butler over and asked, "Have you inquired about when Daoist Mo will return to the capital?"
"In response to the master, Old Servant sent a message via carrier pigeon two days ago. Based on the timeline, we should receive a reply today. It's still early, and Old Servant has yet to see the pigeon."
As soon as the butler finished speaking, a white dove cooed and landed on the roof.
Xie Xuan glanced at it and used lightness skill to leap onto the roof while grasping the white dove in his hand. A yellow talisman was tied to the dove's leg, clearly belonging to Daoist Mo.
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