Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Huang Liang pushed the porcelain plate forward, and the pungent smell of decay and borneol immediately filled the duty room. Zhang Jingwei leaned back abruptly, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeves. "Take it away! Take it away quickly!"

"Sir," Huang Liang frowned slightly, "this is important evidence, why don't you even take a look at it?"

"I told you to take it—vomit—!" Before Zhang Jingwei finished speaking, he suddenly retched and his whole face wrinkled.

Seeing this, Qian Ming hurried forward and said, "Master Huang, my young master has been unable to bear seeing these filthy things since he was young. Why don't you let me take a look first?"

Huang Liang sighed and turned the porcelain plate towards Qian Ming: "Then please let Mr. Qian do it for you."

Qian Ming narrowed his eyes, suppressing his nausea as he took a closer look. "It's brown... and there are some small, bean-shaped particles." As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Jingwei jumped up and hid behind the screen. "Isn't that just poop? Ugh~"

"I've never seen such a delicious wine before," Qian Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How about we find someone knowledgeable to take a look?"

Zhang Jingwei poked half of his head out from behind the screen: "Call...call Wang Ergou!"

After a while, Wang Ergou came in trotting all the way. He first bowed to Zhang Jingwei behind the screen and said, "Young Master."

"Dog." Zhang Jingwei, still holding his nose, said, "Have you ever seen Dashi wine?"

Wang Ergou looked bewildered and asked, "Does the Kingdom of Daqin... have wine?"

Zhang Jingwei pointed at Huang Liang and said angrily, "Dianshi Huang insisted that this thing is Dashi wine. Go and test it!"

Wang Ergou took the porcelain bottle, took a sniff, and then turned his face away abruptly: "Ugh—this smell... doesn't sound like wine..."

This scene made Zhang Jingwei completely collapse, and he held on to the pillar and retched continuously.

"Sir," Huang Liang said solemnly, "I haven't personally seen any of the Tang wine, but my father's funeral records do mention it. After the Tang banned alcohol, the people used these flat beans as a substitute. They're invigorating and more effective than alcohol."

Zhang Jingwei was so angry that he stamped his feet. "One moment he said it was wine, the next moment it was beans. Mr. Huang, I won't blame you if I can't solve the case, so why are you making up these lies to fool me?"

"Sir!" Huang Liang suddenly raised his voice, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes. "My father has devoted his entire life to this work. How could he deceive you?" He poured the filth from the porcelain plate directly onto the tray, held it in both hands and handed it to Zhang Jingwei. "Check for yourself if it is flat beans!"

The duty room suddenly fell silent. Zhang Jingwei's face paled as he stumbled back a few steps, nearly knocking over the antique display case behind him. Qian Ming and Wang Ergou froze in their tracks. Neither had expected the usually composed Huang Dianshi to suddenly become so agitated.

Zhang Jingwei's fingertips trembled slightly as he pointed at the filth and said, "You... Hey! This... This is..."

Huang Liang pushed the tray forward, a few drops of dark brown liquid still stained the edge of the porcelain dish, and said, "Your Excellency, although I come from a family of coroners, my family is poor. This Dashi wine made from Hu Bangping beans is worth more than gold, and I have never had the opportunity to experience it." He paused, then added meaningfully, "But since you are knowledgeable, you must have seen it, maybe even tasted it?"

"Okay, okay, I got it." Zhang Jingwei waved his hands repeatedly and leaned back to the limit. "Can you throw that thing away? The whole government office is so smelly that it's uninhabitable." As he spoke, he covered his nose with his sleeve again. The sparrows outside the window were frightened by the smell and flew away.

After the servant had cleaned up the mess, Zhang Jingwei frowned and asked, "Ordinary families wouldn't have these flat beans, right?"

"The three great families of Gaoyang all have stocks of it in their mansions." Huang Liang pulled a white handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his hands. "Dashi wine is something that high-ranking officials show off. In their own country, it's a treasure used to entertain distinguished guests. Before drinking, the host bathes, changes clothes, and chants prayers to show their sincerity."

Zhang Jingwei sneered at the words and murmured softly, "It's just a life-extending soup for social animals..."

"Ah?" Huang Liang didn't hear clearly and asked, "What did you just say, sir? Can you speak frankly?"

"Nothing." Zhang Jingwei waved his hand and changed the subject. "I'm asking, can this Dashi wine really kill people?"

At that moment, a cold female voice rang out from outside the government office. "To be precise, this thing is a medicinal herb." Jiu'er parted the bamboo curtain and walked in, followed by Mu Tou, whose face was covered in wounds. A dark shadow hung under her eyes, and her white doctor's robe was stained with scratches. "It can cure heart disease, intestinal obstruction, and also fight fatigue and relieve pain—provided it's taken in moderation."

Zhang Jingwei gasped when he saw this: "Miss Jiuer, hiss...what happened to Mu Tou?" He saw that Mu Tou's right eye was black and blue, blood was oozing from the corner of his mouth, and his collar was torn to pieces.

Mu Tou chuckled and scratched his head. "Those patients at the pharmacy... they look frail, but when they have an attack, they're incredibly powerful." His wound twitched as he spoke, and he grimaced in pain. "One old man suddenly went berserk and threw a pot of decoction at my head. Luckily, I dodged it quickly..."

"It's a withdrawal reaction." Jiu'er rubbed her temples tiredly and said, "Since the opening yesterday, we've admitted seventeen such patients. There was a woman who pulled her hair out in clumps, and a teenager scratched the wall with his nails until his hands were covered in blood..." She suddenly looked up at Zhang Jingwei and added, "These people shouldn't be in the pharmacy, they should be in jail."

Zhang Jingwei suddenly slammed the table and stood up, ordering everyone in the government office, "Quickly transfer all the patients admitted to the Medical Bureau over the past two days to the prison!" Turning to Huang Liang with a gleaming gaze, he specifically instructed, "Remember! Enforce the law in a civilized manner—" He slammed his fingers heavily on the table, "Don't let my imperial government appear like barbarians!"

"Yes!" Huang Liang clasped his fists, accepted the order, and turned to leave.

Zhang Jingwei looked out the window at the setting sun, his knuckles tapping softly on the desk. "The three major families..." He narrowed his eyes and muttered softly, "It's time to go meet them."

……

------

The pharmacy was filled with a strong smell of medicine and sweat. When a dozen officers rushed into the hospital with hardwood crutches in hand, the patients were still wandering in the yard.

"Hold them all down!" the squad leader shouted, the iron chains in his hands rattling.

A disheveled woman suddenly burst out of the ward, her eyes bloodshot and her fingers drenched in blood—she'd actually pulled her nails out. She screamed and lunged at the nearest official, who dodged, leaving her unable to stop. With a thud, she slammed into the corridor column, her head bruised and bleeding. Two yamen runners seized the opportunity to pounce, but she scratched their cheeks with her backhand, sending drops of blood splattering onto the mottled wall.

A loud crash came from the west pharmacy. A thin old man rushed out, swinging a medicine grinder, foam at the corners of his mouth and veins bulging on his neck. The medicine grinder whistled and smashed towards the official. The foreman was quick-witted and lifted it up. A crisp clang sounded, and the old man staggered back, but he still held the weapon tightly.

The most terrifying thing was the young man in the backyard. Bare-chested, he curled up in a corner. Hearing the noise, he jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot. Seeing the officers approaching, he suddenly grabbed a piece of broken porcelain from the ground and stuffed it into his mouth. "Stop him!" the squad leader darted forward and slid an iron chain around the young man's wrists. The young man, oblivious to the pain, tore at the chain with his mouth full of blood.

"Use anesthetic!" The squad leader wiped the blood foam that splashed on his face. Three officers worked together to tie up the boy, but he suddenly convulsed all over, foaming at the mouth, his neck tilted back strangely, and he made a strange "ho ho" sound.

In the shadows of the corridor, Jiu'er's knuckles turned white as she clutched the medicine box. She watched the officers cover the patients' mouths and noses with anesthetic-soaked cloths, watched the frantic figures gradually collapse, watched the hair, bloodstains, and broken porcelain pieces scattered on the messy floor.