"Forget it, you may go. I'm a bit tired now and want to rest for a while!"
Madam Min clutched her forehead, feeling that the situation was deviating further and further from its original course!
The Grand Scholar's Manor!
Xiao Ju had already bought the maidservants and young servants!
She had purchased simple and honest folk.
In addition, Xiao Ju had bought four additional bodyguards who knew martial arts, ensuring that the Grand Scholar's Manor had its own strength and no one could just barge in carelessly!
On that day, Master Jin was forced into the Grand Scholar's Manor!
Upon entering, Qin Yun led Master Jin to the woodshed in the backyard!
Inside the woodshed!
"Young Master, have we come to the wrong place? Shouldn't we be going to the accounting office?"
Qin Yun said nothing! She clapped her hands three times, "Clap, clap, clap!"
Hong Fu appeared from behind!
While Master Jin was still in a daze, Hong Fu flew forward and delivered a side front kick, knocking Master Jin to the ground!
She then used pressure points to immobilize Master Jin.
Immediately after, Xiao Ju called over two young servants!
The young servants were holding a hemp rope. In a few moves, they bound Master Jin!
"Young Master? What do you mean by this?" Master Jin frowned, feeling nervous in his heart!
Qin Yun smiled. "Don't think that no one knows about your dealings with the Second Mistress. In fact, I've been investigating for a long time, and I have sufficient evidence!"
Master Jin snorted. "The Young Master arrests people without rhyme or reason. I, Jin, am not convinced! On what grounds do you arrest me?"
"On the grounds that I am an official!" Qin Yun said coldly!
"I ask you, have you already had a secret affair with Madam Min?"
Master Jin turned his head and said disdainfully, "I, Jin, know nothing, nor do I know what this Master Qin wishes to ask."
"It seems you're as stubborn as a dead duck!" Qin Yun's expression was stern. "Guards, hang this person up, whip him fifty times with a rattan cane, and then splash him with strong liquor on his wounds!"
"You? Qin Yun, if you dare to do this to me, you will surely regret it in the future!"
Qin Yun shrugged. "Remember to gag him; he's too noisy! After the beating, remember to splash him with liquor and then starve him for two days. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave now!"
Qin Yun gave Master Jin a sharp look and then left.
"Qin Yun, you will... Mmm mmm mmm..." Before Master Jin could finish speaking, his mouth was gagged by the servant!
What followed were sounds of rattan cane whipping, and Master Jin could only cry out in pain, "Mmm mmm mmm..."
In the main hall of the manor!
Qin Yun's expression was indifferent. "Qingshan should... be returning soon, right?"
Hong Fu nodded beside her. "It should be within these two days!"
"Have you investigated the black-clothed men I asked you to look into earlier?"
Upon hearing this, Hong Fu felt some difficulty. She dared not tell her master about this!
It wasn't that she was deliberately concealing it, but rather... the other party was the Emperor, and she truly couldn't afford to offend him!
"I haven't found anything yet. It's my dereliction of duty!" Hong Fu said, lowering her head, not daring to meet Qin Yun's eyes!
Qin Yun sighed. "Since you can't find anything, let's put this matter aside for now!"
"I will assign you another task tonight!" Qin Yun said seriously.
"Please speak, Master!"
Qin Yun beckoned to Hong Fu, signaling her to lean closer.
Hong Fu complied, and then Qin Yun whispered the task she wanted Hong Fu to perform that night.
Hong Fu nodded after listening. "Master, I guarantee I will complete the task!"
"Very good. Now go to the suburban villa and move all those account books to my main house! I need to review them one by one tonight! In two days... I will return Madam Min to her original state!"
"Yes, Master!"
After Hong Fu left, Qin Yun clenched her fists.
It was time to settle the score with Madam Min.
Madam Min had certainly profited a lot from the Qin family over the years!
As for the poisoning, she had found a clue and only hoped that Hong Fu would be successful tonight!
That night, Qin Yun alone reviewed more than forty account books in the main house!
She examined them front and back, one by one!
There were hundreds of items listed as fictitious expenditures, totaling about one hundred thousand taels of silver!
While reviewing, she had bought wine from three Qin Ji distilleries. None of the distilleries had records of sales for the two fruit wines, Gui Xiang and Qiu Xiang.
This indicated that the income from the Qiu Xiang and Gui Xiang fruit wines had been embezzled by the second branch of the family.
Since there were distilleries, there must be wine cellars for brewing.
She needed to investigate the matter of the wine cellars. Why did Ming Yue Restaurant have the secret recipes for Qin Ji Distillery's fruit wines?
If there was one Ming Yue Restaurant, there would be a second!
She needed to investigate all the restaurants in the capital!
...
Qin Yun spent two days and two nights and finally finished reviewing all forty-odd account books.
What troubled her most was the monthly sales volume of Qiu Xiang and Gui Xiang over the past decade.
The account books contained only vague records that were unreliable.
To understand this situation, she needed to visit the wine cellars for brewing.
Yes, the wine cellars!
The annual brewing volume and the materials needed for brewing.
Once she gathered this information, she could estimate the wine production.
Another day passed!
Qingshan returned with the purple snow lotus and withered fruit grass!
"Master, I have found the two medicinal ingredients!" Qingshan handed Qin Yun a wooden box containing the ingredients!
Qin Yun took it, opened the wooden box, and nodded with satisfaction!
"Very good, the poison in your body can be cured!" Qin Yun said, taking out a bottle of medicinal liquid and handing it to Qingshan.
"Take this, one drop daily, mixed with drinking water and consumed!"
Qingshan took the medicinal liquid. Qin Yun did not explain further, and he did not ask. In any case, this medicine was beneficial to his body and harmless!
"Here are the account books for Ming Yue Restaurant. I will give you the brewing secret recipes for all Qin Ji Distillery's wines later. Then, you will visit all the restaurants in the capital, large and small. For any that have a flavor similar to Qin Ji Distillery's fruit wines, buy them and bring them back to the manor! If you need money, go to the accounting office to get it!"
"Yes, Master!"
Qin Yun looked up at Qingshan. "This trip must have been very arduous, right?"
Qingshan shook his head. "I am not tired. It is Master who has been working hard to worry about the poison in my body!"
"You are working for me, and I naturally have to be responsible for your life and death!"
"Alright, you may go now!" Qin Yun waved her hand! She was still bothered now and felt there were many things to do!
"Yes, Master!"
As soon as Qingshan left, Hong Fu came to Qin Yun again!
"Master, I found this in Madam Min's room! I thought it was very strange, so I picked a little to bring back."
The item was wrapped in a handkerchief. Qin Yun took it and gently opened it!
Immediately, her expression turned grim. "This was found in Madam Min's room?"
"I have never seen such a plant. When I saw it, I looked at it with curiosity. I felt that Master must know this plant and perhaps it would be helpful to Master, so I broke off a few sprigs."
Qin Yun nodded. "This is Zhu Xue Cao. It looks no different from ordinary plants, but very few people recognize it."
So, the source of Madam Min poisoning her was this Zhu Xue Cao!
Although she had discovered the Zhu Xue Cao poison in her body some time ago, she had always thought Madam Min had bought the poison powder from someone else. She never expected... Madam Min had also secretly planted a sprig!