Chapter 49

Chapter 49

"I'm the owner of Dehui," Zhou Fuqing straightened up, sneering at the imperial physician. "My job is handling business dealings. Why would I know anything about the nitty-gritty of herb storage? If I had to worry about moisture-proofing every herb, what's the point of Dehui hiring all those clerks and pharmacists?"

"Very well." Shen Lian turned to the Lord Prefect and said, "Zhou Fuqing has admitted that moisture-proofing is handled by Dehui's pharmacists. I respectfully request that Dehui Medical Hall's manager and staff physicians also be summoned. If any of them can explain what's special about this moisture-proof powder on the notoginseng, then we can throw out this evidence."

The Lord Prefect nodded in approval.

The Dehui employees were brought into the courtroom under guard.

Manager Liang from the capital, still nursing his injuries, was helped to kneel by the branch manager who'd been brought in from out of town. Behind them came two staff physicians and four senior pharmacists from both the main shop and the branch.

When they heard they had to identify the ingredients in the notoginseng's moisture-proof powder, the pharmacists and physicians rushed forward to sniff it, but Shen Lian blocked their way.

"Zhou Fuqing said this is Dehui's own custom-blended moisture-proof powder," Shen Lian said coldly, his tone unusually firm. "You should be able to name its ingredients with your eyes closed. There's no reason to test it on the spot. I'll count down from ten—tell me right now how your moisture-proof powder is different from regular alum. Ten, nine..."

Zhou Fuqing and the others whipped their heads toward the pharmacists, eyes bulging with desperation.

The four pharmacists were already panicking. They craned their necks around Shen Lian, staring hard at the two piles of powder on the tray, comparing them over and over.

Just by looking, there was no visible difference. One pharmacist frantically reached toward the powder, fanning the air toward his face, trying to sniff out any special ingredients.

By the time Shen Lian said the last number, the courtroom was still dead quiet.

"Time's up." Shen Lian turned and clasped his fists to the Lord Prefect. "It's obvious this moisture-proof powder and these crates didn't come from Dehui. I am an 8th-Rank Imperial Physician of the Imperial Medical Academy. When I compound medicines, I've used Yunnan high-mountain notoginseng. The moisture-proof coating and powder on the palace's special notoginseng match this batch of stolen goods exactly—and they're completely different from the alum Dehui uses in their shop."

"That's ridiculous!" Zhou Fuqing finally grew frantic. "You say they're different, so that makes it true? They're both white powder—how can you tell them apart? Lord Prefect, please look carefully! This young imperial physician is pulling tricks with two packets of ordinary alum, trying to fool this court and frame an honest businessman!"

"I figured you'd say exactly that." Shen Lian took a bottle of liquid and an oil-paper packet from his small medicine satchel. He carefully unwrapped it and pinched out a few purplish-brown leaves.

Three of the four pharmacists visibly flinched, as if they wanted to say something but held back.

Perilla leaves!

They couldn't tell what made the two powders different, but as fellow professionals, they knew this stuff could test acidity and alkalinity. Their hearts sank.

Shen Lian rubbed the leaves hard between his palms, and a sharp, slightly tingly herbal smell filled the air.

He dropped the crushed perilla leaves into two empty bowls, uncorked the small bottle, and poured water into each. A faint purple-red tint swirled through the water.

"Take a good look, everyone." Shen Lian showed off the two bowls of perilla water like a magician pulling off a trick.

The bailiffs nearby craned their necks, mouths hanging open, staring hard.

Even the Lord Prefect was so curious he scooted forward, lifting his butt off the chair.

Zhou Fuqing, kneeling on the ground, was soaked in cold sweat, sitting up straight to see if Shen Lian was rigging anything.

To prove he hadn't rigged anything, Shen Lian had a nearby bailiff do the honors.

The bailiff took a pinch of Dehui's moisture-proof powder in one hand and a pinch from the stolen goods in the other, dropping them into the two bowls at the same time.

No waiting needed. The second Dehui's alum hit the perilla water, the light purple liquid darkened fast, spreading into a vivid rouge red.

Meanwhile, in the bowl with the powder from the stolen Su family crates, a fine ring of bubbles fizzled up.

The purple water didn't turn red—it turned a pool of emerald green instead.

One red, one green.

Two powders that looked identical white now showed a shocking difference with just one leaf.

"This physician rigged it!" Zhou Fuqing shouted in terror. "This physician rigged it!"

The Lord Prefect slammed his gavel. "The powder in the stolen crates clearly doesn't match what's in your shop, and you still dare to sling false accusations!"

In desperation, Zhou Fuqing howled in his own defense: "They're all moisture-proof powders! Why would anyone use different alum? It's obvious—this physician is trying to frame Dehui and ruin our name!"

"Refusing to repent to the very end." Shen Lian sighed and turned to Su Ziling, the Su family's eldest legitimate grandson, who was kneeling nearby, sobbing uncontrollably now that his name was cleared. "Su Ziling, I believe this is your family's specialty. Whether to explain why you didn't use regular alum is up to you."

Su Ziling pushed himself up, looking up at the physician like he was some kind of god, his eyes full of gratitude.

Wiping his tears in a hurry, Su Ziling choked out: "As long as Su Ji gets justice, I have no secrets. To report to the Imperial Physician and the Lord Prefect—our Su family's moisture-proof powder for aged root notoginseng is mixed with a lot of oyster shell powder fired in a furnace, plus dehydrated dried alum to cut the alum's acidity. It absorbs more moisture and doesn't damage the herbs' potency. We did it to give our customers the best quality medicine."

Su Ziling wiped the fresh tears with his sleeve and went on, his voice hoarse: "Our Su family got its start making medicine in Jiangnan. From eighty-year-old grannies to eight-year-old kids, everyone in the clan knows pharmacology cold. A medicine merchant—first you learn medicine, then you do business. We have to live up to the trust the court and the people put in us..." He glared at Zhou Fuqing through his tears, mustering every bit of strength, and roared: "There's no damn way we can't explain our own ingredients and uses!"

The courtroom went dead silent.

Plenty of bailiffs had red eyes.

Having watched the Su family suffer torture for a crime they didn't commit, now with proof that the herbs were swapped by those crooked Dehui merchants—how could anyone not feel heartbroken seeing the once-robust young master of the Su family, now thin as a skeleton, kneeling in court?

Sobbing could be heard from the crowd outside the courtroom.

The Su family was known as an honest medicine merchant. Months back, when grain prices in the capital went haywire, the officials who caused the shortage hid the truth, so the Ministry of Revenue never got disaster relief grain out in time.

If the Su family hadn't sent their merchant ships out to buy grain at high prices from all over and bring it back to the capital, handing it out every day, who knows how many poor folks would've starved.

Heaven really had eyes—sending this miracle physician from the Imperial Medical Academy to turn things around like magic. Hopefully old Mr. and Mrs. Su could still hold on.

The Lord Prefect, sitting up north, had a back soaked in sweat.

After all, he'd originally presided over this case. He'd figured that even finding the notoginseng might not flip the verdict. He never expected this young physician to pull off something like sorcery, practically stamping the stolen goods with the Su family's seal.

This was an ironclad case of a wrongful conviction being overturned. If he always had a physician like this doing "sorcery" by his side, he'd save half his work.

Shen Lian calmly clasped his hands in salute. "Lord Prefect, is the evidence enough to pass judgment?"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Zhou Fuqing wildly shook off the bailiffs holding him, got to his feet, and staggered, pointing at the crates of stolen goods, shouting hoarsely: "These... these really came from the palace? Who sold them to Dehui? Some thief trying to unload stolen goods! It's got nothing to do with me, my lord! If you're going to arrest someone, arrest the supplier!"

"Hmph, still daring to sling wild accusations." The Lord Prefect said coldly. "Who's your supplier? Do you have the purchase records for this batch? Herbs this pricey, in these amounts—you've got to have the paperwork, right?"

Zhou Fuqing seemed to have lost his mind, actually pointing at the official on the bench and dressing him down: "Lord Ji! I've always treated you well, and now you're letting these crooks set me up? Have you thought about how you'll explain this to the big shot upstairs?"

"How dare you!" The Lord Prefect slammed his gavel hard. "The witnesses and evidence are all here—ironclad! You crooked merchant still dare to raise a ruckus and sling accusations in this court! Guards! Give him thirty slaps across the mouth!"

The Lord Prefect kept a stern face, but his heart was pounding. He never thought this Zhou guy would dare drag Eunuch Li into it even at death's door.

The Lord Prefect had, of course, gotten orders from above.

And not just from one source either.

Two nights ago, first a messenger from Prince Qi came with orders—not to favor Su Ji or Dehui, but to stress "handle the case fairly, cut out the main culprit, and don't drag in anyone else." In other words, take down Zhou Fuqing alone, but leave his backers alone.

Second, he was told not to write down the name of the imperial physician who worked the case, apparently worried that Shen Lian might get targeted by Eunuch Li's men.

A day earlier, the Eastern Depot—the imperial secret police—had also brought Eunuch Li's instructions.

Having spent too long in the palace, the eunuch was not as straightforward as the princes, beating around the bush with a bunch of roundabout nonsense about "quelling public discontent."

But Lord Ji understood the meaning.

He was to make short work of it, root out Zhou Fuqing's entire branch entirely and silence them all, to keep the flames from reaching the palace.

This meant the imperial merchant supplying the medicine was about to change. The Zhou family, relying on their century-old merits, had grown far too arrogant, causing trouble no fewer than three times in recent years.

Eunuch Li was clearing out his own ranks.

This caught the Lord Prefect off guard.

He had originally thought that if Prince Qi and Eunuch Li each wanted to protect one side, he would have to choose between his life and his position.

Offend Eunuch Li, and he would soon be sent off to Jinling to live out his days.

Offend Prince Qi, and he would end up with not even a bone left, only a grand funeral with a cenotaph to mark him.

Having been scared out of sleep for nights on end, the Lord Prefect had already prepared himself.

He would listen to Prince Qi.

Unexpectedly, Prince Qi's and Eunuch Li's instructions did not conflict at all—in fact, they were remarkably aligned.

Get rid of Zhou Fuqing, the troublemaker, while both the prince and the eunuch remained all smiles and harmony.

So what was he waiting for?

Years of wiping this damned Zhou Fuqing's ass for him had worn his patience thin; Lord Ji wished he could hack the man into a thousand pieces.

It was all thanks to this imperial physician, Shen Lian.

Absolutely incredible.

Originally, interrogating witnesses from the herbal medicine depot down to the suppliers would have taken at least half a month, giving Zhou Fuqing another chance to slip through the cracks.

But Shen Lian worked his "magic" right in the courtroom and wrapped up the case right then and there.

That was a damn fine piece of work.

The Lord Prefect almost wanted to go down and shake the physician's hand in gratitude.

"This court hereby pronounces its verdict."

The Lord Prefect drew the verdict token, and his authoritative voice echoed throughout the hall and beyond: "Zhou Fuqing, chief boss of Dehui Medical Hall, you deceived the imperial household, switched out the tribute medicines, killed for money—guilty of unpardonable crimes! You are hereby sentenced to the pillory and prison, and execution after the autumn assizes! Dehui Medical Hall is to be sealed immediately, all property confiscated and turned over to the state treasury, and double compensation paid to the Su family for all losses, to make amends for the wrong done to them."

With that, the Lord Prefect paused, recalling that both Prince Qi and Eunuch Li had hinted not to make too big a stir, so he continued with the sentencing: "All other implicated managers and the Changping branch shopkeeper are to be banished to the pestilent southwestern frontier as conscripted soldiers. Zhou family women, children, and elderly not involved in the pharmacy business are exempt from the death penalty by association, but shall receive twenty strokes of the bamboo and be banished back to their native places."

The commoners listening outside the hall erupted in cheers: "Lord Qingtian, the Just Judge! Lord Qingtian, the Just Judge!"

Shen Lian couldn't help but curl his lips.

And they call him Lord Qingtian? Give me a break. Could a Lord Qingtian have repeatedly sided with that shady Dehui shop?

The real Lord Qingtian was clearly him, an eighth-rank imperial physician.

The verdict token clattered to the floor, and the yamen runners pounced forward, clamping the heavy cangue onto Zhou Fuqing, his face as gray as death.

Zhou Fuqing tried to shout, but a board swung across his mouth, leaving it instantly numb and burning, unable to utter a word as he howled like a pig being slaughtered.

Truly... the wrong had finally been righted.

The young man Su Ziling, kneeling in the hall, slowly raised his head to look at the imperial physician Shen Lian who came to help him up.

He had already been utterly despairing of this world.

Yet unexpectedly, amid this cesspool of a world, a living Buddha had risen from the muck.

"See, I told you I'd for sure overturn your case," Shen Lian said, bending down to grab the boy's arm and reassuring him: "Don't worry, I brought my acupuncture kit, I've got everything I need. The moment your grandmother is carried out of prison, I'll administer needles to her. I'll see her through however many more springs she's got. Now don't you go crying on me—get up and lead the way."

Su Ziling pressed his lips together, trying to obey and not cry.

But three months of suppressed grievance and the overwhelming emotion of newfound life finally erupted into a wail that tore through him like a newborn's first cry.

He banged his head on the floor in frantic kowtows, his forehead pounding against the floor with a hollow thud.

"No no no no!" Shen Lian quickly shielded his forehead: "I've got to save you and your grandmother in a bit—how can I manage all that? Get up now, little Master Su."

Su Ziling gripped his hand and struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse and eyes brimming with tears: "From this day forward, Lord Shen's affairs are the Su family's affairs. If there's anything we can help with, please give us the chance to repay your favor!"

Shen Lian was about to respond when a young man suddenly burst into the courtroom, holding up an arch-topped plaque and shouting wildly: "My lord, you cannot kill my father! Our Zhou family quelled a plague a century ago and saved countless people—we have the imperial iron scroll of immunity! Descendants are spared from the death penalty three times, later generations once! My father is a descendant of Zhou Zhuorui; with the iron scroll produced, he may be spared one death!"

Shen Lian: ?

What the hell?

A death-exemption plaque?

So that wasn't just something made up for TV dramas?

The Lord Prefect, about to adjourn, was also stunned, having never seen that one coming.

When the iron scroll was presented before him, it was his first time seeing one, and he couldn't tell whether it was real or counterfeit.

It was widely known that the Zhou ancestors had indeed become the top imperial merchant by curing plagues.

Helpless, the Lord Prefect had no choice but to order the yamen runners to carry the unconscious Zhou Fuqing to prison first, while the iron scroll would be sent to experts for authentication, with a ruling to come the next day.

Shen Lian wasn't particularly upset about this—as long as the assets were seized and double compensation paid to the Su family, he was already quite satisfied.

For someone like Zhou Fuqing, suddenly stripped of power, wasn't living worse than dying?

Lu Huaizhi walked over, his eyes full of admiration as he congratulated Shen Lian on cracking the case.

Then they split into two groups.

Shen Lian accompanied Su Ziling to the Su residence to remove the seals.

Lu Huaizhi led a team to retrieve the Su family members from prison and bring them home.

Leaving the yamen, the commoners who had been listening outside immediately swarmed around, stuffing vegetables and fruits into Shen Lian's arms, shouting that he was a living bodhisattva who rescues the suffering.

Shen Lian couldn't possibly carry all these gifts, constantly refusing and begging the uncles and aunties to calm down, but the excited crowd went so far as to shove produce down the back of his collar.

Shen Lian pushed the Su family's eldest grandson forward with one hand: "You go back to your estate and see your family—I'll draw them away!"

With that, he turned and fought his way through the crowd, running off in the opposite direction.

Beyond the crowd there was still a crowd, and all the way he was surrounded by shouts of "Living Buddha!" with people stuffing vegetables and fruits into Shen Lian's clothes, even a few strings of copper coins.

Probably these folks, seeing him make the stolen goods "change color," truly believed he had divine powers and were busy making wishes and praying for blessings to him.

Shen Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, struggling to move forward.

He hadn't been this squished on a subway in ages; he couldn't even pull his arms out, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a radish jabbing toward his mouth.

Seriously? They were going to feed the Living Buddha in public? Since when was the Living Buddha a rabbit?

He shoved through the crowd, trying to dodge the radish, but he was completely stuck.

Suddenly, a tall figure shoved in right next to him, raising a hand to swat away the radish aimed at his mouth.

That same hand then smoothly carved a path back through the crowd.

A familiar, teasing voice came from right above Shen Lian's head—

"Run that way, cabbage Buddha, and wait for me in the carriage."

Shen Lian's eyes widened, and he jerked his head up!

The cabbage on top of his head rolled off from the back of his skull.

"What took you so long, Dian Xia? Didn't you promise you'd come watch me present the evidence? It's already over, and you're just getting here!"