The most dissolute couple in the capital

Li Chengjing handed the piece of iron to Old Master Liu.

Old Master Liu leaned closer to take a look, then smelled it. His face darkened, and he slammed his cane heavily into the ground.

"They are definitely different."

The village chief's expression changed, and he immediately retorted, "Nonsense! You dare to convict Doctor Zhang just because you burned something casually?"

"Still not visual enough?" Li Chengjing snorted, then turned and ordered the guards to bring over the dregs from the medicine that Elder Qi had brewed last night. "Clan leader, please take a look. This is the dregs of the tonic medicine that Elder Qi prescribed. Astragalus, Codonopsis, and Poria are all neatly sliced. Even after being boiled, the aroma is still mellow and mild. Even after being roasted, it will only have a herbal fragrance."

"Good medicinal herbs, when combined, reveal their true fragrance when heated. That black stuff of his not only releases black residue but also carries a deadly poison. You wouldn't even want to use it to plaster the walls!" Li Chengjing pointed at Zhang Langzhong's nose, his words ringing with conviction.

"Are there really poisonous herbs? My wife uses them too..."

"My daughter developed a rash on her hands a while ago, could this be the cause?"

"Zhang Langzhong, what did you use on us!"

The wind direction reversed in just a few breaths.

Seeing the situation was dire, cold sweat poured down Zhang Langzhong's forehead. He knew he had encountered a formidable opponent today, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he gave a signal to his trusted confidants beside him.

"He's using demonic fire to bewitch people! Seize this demon and destroy his evil artifact!" Zhang Langzhong roared.

No sooner had he finished speaking than four or five burly men sprang out from the crowd—the village chief's trusted confidants, wielding sticks and lunging at Li Chengjing with fierce eyes.

The leader swung a stick at Li Chengjing's arm, trying to knock the piece of iron from his hand.

Li Chengjing instinctively took a step back, narrowly avoiding the attack.

But the second stick immediately followed and smashed into Old Qi's medicine box, which contained all the evidence and medicine residue!

"Snapped!"

A hand suddenly appeared out of thin air, its five fingers gripping the stick like iron clamps.

The palace guards, disguised as lowly servants, no longer concealed their identities and appeared before the thugs like ghosts.

At the same time, several dark figures appeared simultaneously behind the courtyard wall and on the rooftop. The sound of a bowstring being drawn taut was exceptionally clear in the silence.

Those were the secret guards that Cui Qingyi had specially assigned before she left.

With a clever twist, the lead guard shoved his henchman's club back, striking the man squarely in the knee with a thud. The man screamed and fell to his knees.

The others tried to run when they saw that things were not going well, but the guards were very skilled. In just a few moves, all five strong men were pinned to the ground and unable to move.

The scene fell silent instantly.

The village chief's face was even uglier than Zhang the doctor's. He tried to sneak back, but a guard blocked his way without making a sound.

"Why are you running?" Li Chengjing patted the dirt off his clothes and looked at the village chief with an innocent expression. "Village chief, I haven't finished asking my questions yet."

He walked back to his father-in-law's side.

Old Qi was kneeling on the ground, urgently administering acupuncture, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Boy, stop fooling around." Old Qi didn't even look up. "The old man is severely poisoned; the poison has already entered his heart. I don't have any scorpion tail grass on hand to suppress the poison's fire. If this drags on any longer, he'll die."

Li Chengjing was taken aback: "Scorpion tail grass? What's that?"

"It's an extremely rare medicinal herb that grows in dry, rocky crevices. It's entirely red and shaped like a scorpion's tail. It's specifically used to neutralize poisons from metals and minerals," Old Qi said in a deep voice. "Ordinary pharmacies don't carry it at all; only specialized herbalists might have it in stock."

Li Chengjing suddenly turned his head and looked at Zhang Langzhong, who was being held down on the ground.

He remembered.

When Zhang Langzhong was promoting his ointment, he said:

"My ointment contains over a hundred kinds of precious medicinal herbs, such as scorpion tail grass and ambergris, which ordinary people have never even seen. Only I, Zhang, have the connections to obtain them!"

"Dr. Zhang!" Li Chengjing rushed over, smiling at him. "You said yourself a couple of days ago that you had scorpion tail grass. Now someone is dying and needs this medicine. Will you give it to me or not?"

Seeing the large number of guards that suddenly appeared around him, Zhang Langzhong understood everything.

This time, they've really got hot plates on the plate!

As Li Chengjing approached, Zhang Langzhong shuddered violently, feeling a chill run down his spine from Li's intense gaze.

His lips trembled violently, and he stammered as he shrank back: "I...I...that scorpion grass is extremely precious, and I left in a hurry today, so I didn't bring it with me..."

"Oh? You didn't bring it with you?" Li Chengjing crossed his arms. "What a coincidence, I have plenty of fast horses. Just name a place, and I'll send someone to fetch it right away. Is half an hour enough for a round trip?"

"No! Not enough!" Doctor Zhang was sweating profusely, his eyes darting around anxiously. "That medicine...that medicine is back home! Yes, it's in my hometown, and it takes several days to get there and back!"

"Then there's nothing we can do." Li Chengjing sighed, turning his head with a regretful expression. "This person died right under our noses; we were witnesses. According to the laws of Da Ning, what is the punishment for a quack doctor intentionally selling counterfeit medicine that leads to death?"

The guard beside him immediately shouted, "Reporting to your question, young master, according to the law, he should be executed. He will be executed in the autumn, his property will be confiscated, and his wife and children will be exiled three thousand miles away!"

"Did you hear that?" Li Chengjing squatted down with a smile, patted Zhang Langzhong's pale cheek, "I'll give you a chance. Take out the scorpion tail grass and save this old man. I'll pretend I didn't see you selling fake medicine and cheating people before, and I'll let bygones be bygones. If you can't produce it... your head will probably have to be hung at the entrance of the county government as a lantern."

"I...I..." Zhang Langzhong's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

He fell to his knees with a thud and burst into tears, crying, "Young master, spare my life! There is no scorpion tail grass! There has never been any scorpion tail grass! It's just a deceptive trick!"

These words immediately caused an uproar among the surrounding villagers.

"You beast! You dare to swindle money from people's lives!"

"Kill him! Kill this quack!"

Seeing that the enraged villagers were about to rush up and tear Zhang Langzhong to pieces, the guards immediately drew their swords and used the scabbards to block the crowd.

"Quiet!" Li Chengjing picked at his ear. "Let him finish what he has to say. You're just an itinerant doctor; it's one thing to swindle a few consultation fees, but this poisonous mushroom isn't cheap. Where did you get the capital to mass-produce this poisonous ointment?"

To save his own life, Zhang the Physician confessed everything like beans spilling from a bamboo tube. He suddenly pointed at the village chief, who was trembling with fear beside him: "It has nothing to do with me! It's all his fault! And Wang the Registrar from the county office! They forced me to do this!"

The village chief was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground: "You're spouting nonsense!"

people!"

"Bah! How much bribe did you take from Clerk Wang, you old bastard?" Doctor Zhang cursed. "Young master, you should be wise! Clerk Wang has his eye on the fertile fields along the river in these surrounding villages and wants to buy them at a low price! But he can't just rob us outright, so he came up with this wicked scheme! He provides those moldy, inferior medicinal herbs and poisonous mushrooms, which I mix into 'miracle ointment' and sell to the villagers at a low price. Once the villagers use the poison, their health collapses, and they're broke from paying for medicine and medical treatment. With nowhere else to turn, they have no choice but to sell their land to Clerk Wang's distant relatives!"

A collective gasp erupted from the crowd, followed by deafening shouts and cries of pain.

Li Chengjing was furious: "A mere eighth-rank clerk, not even a proper official, dares to commit such a heinous act right under the Emperor's nose?" Li Chengjing laughed in anger, abruptly standing up. "Guards! Take my token and go directly to the county office to chop that dog surnamed Wang up and feed him to the dogs!"

"No!"

Old Qi suddenly stood up, grabbed Li Chengjing's arm, and whispered, "Don't be impulsive."

"What? Old Master Qi is going to protect a corrupt official?" Li Chengjing frowned.

"If you reveal your identity now and arrest him, then Registrar Wang can simply deny it. This quack's one-sided story won't stand a chance in court." Old Qi lowered his voice, his gaze steady. "These local officials have deeply entrenched relationships with their superiors. The moment you arrest him, he can destroy the evidence, or even turn around and accuse you of coercing him into a confession. To put him in his place, you must have irrefutable evidence."

Li Chengjing glanced at Elder Qi and forcefully suppressed his raging anger.

He took a deep breath, turned to the head guard beside him, and ordered, "Keep a close eye on Doctor Zhang and this village chief. Gag them, tie them up tightly, and don't let them speak to anyone. Send two more men to the village checkpoint to block the way in and out, and prevent anyone from running out to report."

The guard obeyed and left.

Li Chengjing glanced at Zhang Langzhong, who was still sobbing on the ground, and the village chief, who was sprawled out like a rag doll. A slight smirk played on his lips. "Alright, stop crying. You're giving me a headache. Lock you up first, and we'll see how I deal with you later."

He squatted down next to Old Qi and lowered his voice: "Old Qi, this old man..."

Old Qi shook his head: "There's no more scorpion tail grass, but I have another way to keep him occupied for now. It will just take some time, so you go and do your work."

Li Chengjing nodded and looked at his most astute personal guard: "You, immediately take the back road back to the manor. Go see the Princess and tell her everything that happened here, including that I've caught a big fish, and ask her how to proceed with this drama."

The guard responded and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.