The older and more revered people find themselves, the more likely they are to have little temperaments. After hearing Shopkeeper Chen’s words, Doctor Hu furrowed his brow, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction, "I have been practicing medicine for decades and have never told a lie for the sake of money. Shopkeeper Chen, indeed, there is Five Stones Powder in your pastries, though not much, yet I stand by my character and decades of experience as proof—there is absolutely Five Stones Powder! If you don’t believe me, you are more than welcome to consult another doctor for verification!"
Is there a need to find someone else? Doctor Hu is already the best doctor in Zhuma Town, as long as he is not lying, then his words must be absolutely true.
In the hall, everyone was thoroughly convinced of the fact that Century-old Cake Shop’s pastries contained Five Stones Powder, and some had already started to curse Shopkeeper Chen, accusing him of being blinded by lard and greed.
Just as the crowd was stirred up, ready to demolish the Century-old Cake Shop, a loud shout came from the entrance.
Lin Yuan smiled slightly; Liuzi was truly reliable, the people from the Yamen had arrived just in time.
Officer Wei, leading a group, squeezed through the crowd, and was somewhat taken aback by the scene. Even though he had been informed in advance about the situation, he was still shocked.
"Doctor Hu, you are here too," said Officer Wei. Doctor Hu was the doctor of Shande Hall, and the boss of Shande Hall was Madam County Magistrate Lady Jin’s first cousin once removed, naturally, Officer Wei showed him the utmost respect.
Doctor Hu nodded slightly and recounted the event without omitting a word.
Upon hearing that even Doctor Hu had confirmed that there was something wrong with the pastries, Officer Wei immediately wanted to take Shopkeeper Chen away.
However, Doctor Hu waved his hand, speaking leisurely, "Since Shopkeeper Chen just now did not trust me, how about this—I will go back to the kitchen to see if there are any traces of Five Stones Powder, to give Shopkeeper Chen a proper explanation. I ask Officer Wei for the convenience."
Officer Wei naturally agreed; with Doctor Hu conducting a thorough investigation, he wouldn’t need to run around later to have someone recheck everything all over again.
Officer Wei left some people to guard the hall and personally took two men along with Doctor Hu to the kitchen. For the sake of fairness, he also picked three commoners at random to follow.
Lin Yuan pursed her lips, not expecting Doctor Hu to be so thorough. At the entrance of Rice Flower Fragrance, she had deliberately not suggested that he check Meng Chunyan, and that turned out to be the right move. Otherwise, if Doctor Hu found out that there were no traces of Five Stones Powder in Meng Chunyan’s body, it would have been very difficult for today’s play to go on.
Just as she was thinking, Doctor Hu and Officer Wei had already come out, with the constables behind them each carrying a basin covered with a white cloth, preventing anyone from seeing what was inside. However, Lin Yuan guessed they must have found the ingredients contaminated with Five Stones Powder.
Indeed, although Doctor Hu did not say anything, the three commoners who followed him into the kitchen spoke up, revealing that not only was the wheat flour contaminated with Five Stones Powder, but traces of the poison had also been found in one type of filling.
With this solid evidence, no matter how Shopkeeper Chen denied it, he could no longer convince everyone of his innocence.
Lin Yuan actually admired the little thief Shunzi a bit; in such a short time, he managed to drug so many things. Fortunately, her guards had discovered it in time, otherwise, she would have been the unlucky one today.
After seeing off Doctor Hu, Officer Wei had the constables collect all the pastries from the counter and took Shopkeeper Chen back to the Yamen as well.
Shopkeeper Chen appeared as if his soul had been sucked out, motionless and speechless, his eyes blankly staring at the ground, still muttering the phrase "how could this happen," oblivious to the spittle the commoners were hurling at him.
Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng exchanged glances and couldn’t help but sigh. This is what they call receiving one’s just deserts; had Shopkeeper Chen not harbored malicious intent in the first place, attempting to use unfair means to take down Rice Flower Fragrance, Lin Yuan would not have needed to repay him in kind.