Before leaving, she said to Fan Guangping, "Big Brother, taking a concubine is your business, but this woman is so deep in schemes that she almost caused your family to be torn apart, leading to ruin. Let alone that, consider the current impact; the resentment the two children have towards their eldest sister-in-law will only deepen. Think about it, your son is already fifteen, and with such an incident happening at home, how could he hold his head up in front of his friends? Even if it's now clear that your eldest sister-in-law was framed, how would outsiders think?"
Fan Guangping was ashamed by her words. He understood now, but the deed was done. He furtively glanced at his wife and whispered an apology. Wang Zhaodi stiffened and refused to look at him!
Mother-in-law Zhang Cuihua, seeing the situation, knew that if Xiao Hua wasn't dealt with, her son and his wife would never be as harmonious as before!
This family was truly facing disintegration!
"Zhaodi, this Xiao Hua has malicious intentions. How about we sell her? Sell her as far away as possible. What do you think?"
Wang Zhaodi knew her mother-in-law's intentions, but the injustice still weighed heavily on her heart, with nowhere to vent. Selling the maid was a small matter; the key was what Fan Guangping truly thought!
"Mother, I don't have the final say on this matter!" Wang Zhaodi coldly replied to her mother-in-law.
She had already made up her mind. If Fan Guangping dared to take a concubine, she would take their two children and divorce him. She wouldn't believe in bad luck; if she couldn't have a butcher, she could still eat pork with hair on it!
As soon as she finished speaking, Fan Guangping immediately stated, "She's a servant we bought with a death contract. Selling her is too good for her. In my opinion, we should sell her to a brothel. Someone who schemes like this is truly detestable!"
In the end, the mother-in-law dealt with Xiao Hua. As for where she went, Wang Zhaodi didn't ask. However, judging from Fan Guangping's cautious attempts to appease Wang Zhaodi, he understood right from wrong!
After the two children learned the truth, they forgave their father's foolishness. Fortunately, the servants at the Wang Residence were discreet, and the Song Xin couple were not gossipy, never even asking about it. Thus, the outside world remained unaware of what had happened within the Wang Residence!
Upon hearing this news, Zhao Jiaqi merely shook her head slightly but had no intention of letting the doctor off the hook!
"Husband, send someone to investigate the doctor's whereabouts, and also invite Physician Qi Xuan to come and examine Big Brother properly, so he doesn't keep overthinking things in his mind!"
Fan Zehao nodded, "I've already sent people to look for him. Once found, I will interrogate him thoroughly!"
Hmm?
Zhao Jiaqi raised an eyebrow and met his gaze. "Are you suspecting that the doctor's motives are not simple, and perhaps someone is behind him?"
"I have suspected that, but there is insufficient evidence. So, let's find the person first!"
Zhao Jiaqi remained silent. For now, they were only speculating. As for what would happen later, they would have to find the person first.
In the afternoon, after the adjacent house was tidied up, Song Fei and Fang Mingjiang's couple also came to help.
The moment Song Xin saw his son, his beard bristled with anger. He lunged forward to scratch him, but Song Fei dodged. He then complained incessantly to Zhou Qiangwei, "Mother, look at Father. Instead of being happy to see me, he tried to scratch me. Why aren't you saying anything!"
Song Xin pointed at his son's nose and roared, "You scoundrel! You leave and never come home. How old are you, and you're still not married! Your sister's children are about to be born, and you expect to get married when her children can fetch soy sauce? You unfilial brat!"
Zhou Qiangwei, caught between the father and son, found herself in a dilemma listening to their exchange!
Helping either side felt wrong, and their bickering gave her a headache. In the end, she simply told them to fight it out, preferably one on one!
"You two fight. Kill one, and we have one less. At most, I'll take the family's assets and remarry!" Zhou Qiangwei said, then led her daughter and son-in-law away!
The father and son behind her exchanged glances, and finally, they both backed down. If they continued to fight, one would lose his wife, and the other would lose his mother, and all the benefits would go to outsiders!
Thus, in the end, the father and son obediently resigned themselves to moving!
Within two days, the doctor was found in a pleasure house. When they found him, he was indulging in drunken stupor. Smoke was billowing in the room, and the smell was quite pungent!
When the Special Envoy brought him before her, he was still disoriented, laughing foolishly one moment and crying the next. He even stretched out his arms, believing he was flying!
He had completely changed, and there was no resemblance to a doctor.
Everyone present thought he was feigning madness, but Zhao Jiaqi looked at him as if he had smoked opium!
Zhao Jiaqi asked him, "What is your name, and where do you live?"
The doctor squinted at her, then chuckled foolishly, speaking incomprehensible words. Zhao Jiaqi turned to the Special Envoy who had brought him back and asked, "What was the scene when you apprehended him?"
The Special Envoy's face suddenly turned red. Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, or he would have been extremely embarrassed. He cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "Uh... I was working... working with that woman..."
Zhao Jiaqi: ......
She seemed to have asked a rather improper question. She hadn't expected the doctor to be engaged in such activities.
"I meant, when you apprehended him, was there smoke in the room? Did it smell strange?"
The Special Envoy recalled the smell when he apprehended him. There was indeed a smell in the room. He frowned slightly and said, "It was a bit fragrant, and also a bit sweet? Yes, that's the smell. That's right!"
Zhao Jiaqi's expression instantly darkened upon hearing this!
This was opium, a substance extracted from poppies. It was highly addictive, and some people could never break free from it.
Who?
Who had smuggled this harmful substance into Yun Country?
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! From now on, the inner city gates will be closed. Mobilize the soldiers stationed at the border to enter the city. Search every household for opium, that black paste-like substance. Even if you have to dig three feet deep, do not spare any high officials or wealthy families. Anyone found with this substance or consuming it will be apprehended and thrown into prison. Let the wardens deal with them one by one. Go now, immediately, it's urgent!"
The Special Envoy didn't understand why the matriarch was so furious. Hearing the unquestionable tone in which she issued her commands, he bowed and retreated from the study without a word.
After everyone left, Fan Zehao asked!
"What is opium? Why is it so serious that the city gates must be closed and people arrested?"
Zhao Jiaqi took a deep breath and spoke to him with extreme, extreme, extreme seriousness and solemnity, "Opium is a substance extracted from poppies. In the early days, it was used for treating illnesses, but with subsequent developments, it became a harmful thing. Because once people consume too much, they experience hallucinations and feel immense pleasure, fulfilling desires that cannot be realized in reality within the hallucination. Furthermore, consuming this substance excessively not only leads to addiction but also causes the body to become thinner, lose strength, and become decadent. If more than half of the men in our Yun Country consume this substance, within ten years, if the vassal states attack our country, we will be defeated in less than a month!"