When the government investigated, they found that Xu Wei had imprisoned those women in a small courtyard. He trained them in the same way as he would train women for a brothel. If any of them refused to obey, he would directly sell them to a brothel. Some women with strong tempers couldn't bear the humiliation and committed suicide.
It was said that when they raided the courtyard, they also found many handsome young boys who were severely abused and on the verge of death.
None of the people who came out of that place had a single unscathed part on their bodies.
Xu Wei kept these people simply for his own pleasure.
As soon as this incident came to light, it instantly caused an uproar in the entire capital. Forcing good - willed people into prostitution was an act that outraged both humans and gods.
If this was really the case, then Xu Wei truly deserved to die!
Jin Bao... the Jin family... What role did they play in this?
The maid brought in the medicine that Shen Qing was supposed to drink. After it had cooled down a bit, the temperature was just right. Shen Qing only glanced at it before picking up the bowl and downing the bitter medicine in one gulp.
She had to drink this kind of medicine three times a day.
Qin Ye said that if she wanted to give birth to a healthy baby, she had to keep taking the medicine until she gave birth. As her pregnancy advanced, he would adjust the prescription accordingly.
The maid took the empty bowl and left. Shen Qing gently stroked her flat belly, her heart filled with tenderness.
Baby, she would definitely give birth to it, and she would do her best to give it the best love.
In the Hall of Longevity.
Jiang Chan finished drinking a bowl of black medicine with a bitter face and put the bowl aside. The maid quickly offered some candied fruits to relieve the bitterness in her mouth.
The old lady frowned and stared at Jiang Chan's belly. "You've been in the mansion for some time now, and you've drunk so many bowls of fertility - promoting medicine. Why is there still no sign of pregnancy?"
Jiang Chan lowered her head. "It's my fault, Chan'er. I've let my aunt down."
She also wanted to get pregnant quickly, but it just didn't happen...
"If there were no children in the mansion, it would be fine. But now that the marquis already has an eldest son, if you don't hurry up, you'll surely be overtaken by others. The new concubine will enter the mansion in a few days. After that, you should participate in the power struggles in the inner courtyard. It's most important that you take good care of your body and give birth to a child," the old lady said.
Wasn't it your idea for the new concubine to enter the mansion?
Jiang Chan suppressed the bitterness in her heart. "Aunt, I understand."
Today was the day when the new concubine was entering the mansion. It had started to rain heavily early in the morning. Shen Qing liked the heavy rain after the hot summer days. It was as if the rain could wash away all the previous heat and annoyance.
She had nothing to do today, so Shen Qing reclined on the soft couch by the window, holding the autopsy report of Xu Yanxing in her hand.
According to the autopsy report, Xu Yanxing had indeed died from an overdose of aphrodisiac drugs.
Aphrodisiac drugs were not rare in the market, but according to the report, the amount Xu Yanxing had taken when he died was more than five times the normal dosage. Xu Yanxing knew he had problems in that aspect. Why would he take so much of the drug at once?
This was the biggest doubt.
Since he didn't commit suicide, who wanted to kill him?
Shen Qing called Yingxiu in and asked her to pass on the message to find out who Xu Yanxing's enemies were.
She always felt that Xu Yanxing's death was unusual. Maybe it was related to her asking him to go to Xu Yanchi's study.
Yingxiu left and brought back some new news.
...
The southern part of the city was a poor area and a place full of all kinds of people.
It had rained today, so there were few street vendors. The usually bustling streets had become quiet because of the heavy rain.
However, a remote small courtyard was disrupted by the arrival of a well - trained team.
They were wearing straw rain capes. Their long hat brims covered their faces, and water was dripping from them. The people inside were still having fun. The leader kicked open the door, startling everyone in the room.
There were about seven or eight men and women in the room. They looked no more than ten years old and were all naked. The air was filled with a sickly sweet smell and a jumble of other odors.
Xu Wei was enjoying the service of a beautiful woman when the loud noise almost made him fall off the bed.
"Who are you? What do you want?!"
"How dare you break into a private house in broad daylight!"
The leader didn't waste any words on him. He stepped forward, grabbed Xu Wei's arm, and lifted him up.
"You, what are you doing? How dare you! Do you know who I am? I am..."
Xu Wei struggled and cursed, but he had been weakened by wine and women over the years. He couldn't struggle at all. After a few futile attempts, he was knocked unconscious with a chop to the neck.
Xu Wei was thrown aside like a dead dog, tied up, and then taken away.
"Control the entire courtyard!"
The few ten - year - old children were so scared that they shrank into a corner, shivering. The signs of abuse on their bodies were obvious. As they heard the sound of the door closing, their eyes were filled with numbness.
Several other people were also arrested. They were all knocked unconscious and tied up.
"All the people have been tied up as the young lady ordered. Please give your instructions, young lady."
"Did you alert anyone?" Shen Qing asked.
"No, my subordinates have all received training before. We're used to doing this kind of thing, so we didn't alert many people, and no one recognized our identities."
These people were the first group that Shen Qing had recruited after opening her pharmacy. Some of them were retired veterans, and some were their nephews. After they retired, they had no source of income. Shen Qing had provided them with a living, so they were naturally willing to do things for her.
That was exactly what Shen Qing had in mind at the beginning. She needed to have some reliable people under her command. Their leader, Jiao Lu, was a steady person and was personally selected by Shen Qing.
Shen Qing glanced out of the window. It had started to rain again, but it was much lighter than in the morning.
"Has the marquis returned?"
Yingxiu said, "Not yet. The marquis won't be off duty for another half an hour. The roads are bad today, so he might be even later."
"Has the new concubine been brought into the mansion?"
Yingxiu replied, "She was carried in through the side door in a small sedan chair this afternoon. I heard that Concubine Jin was unhappy and wanted to enter through the main gate. She was scolded by the old lady before she calmed down."
She should know her own place. A concubine still wanted to enter through the main gate. How absurd.
Jiao Lu was standing outside the screen, feeling a bit at a loss. Had the young lady forgotten about him?
It didn't seem right for him to overhear such things of the master's family.
Shen Qing understood and looked at Jiao Lu who was guarding outside the screen. "You did a great job. Everyone will be rewarded this time. There's another thing for you to do later."
Jiao Lu immediately became enthusiastic. "Just give your orders, young lady!"
Shen Qing gave some more instructions and then let him go.
Just as Jiao Lu left, Zhuxing returned.
"Miss, Xu Wei has been brought back."
"Throw him into the new bride's chamber. Don't alert anyone."
Zhuxing was a bit confused. "Ah?"
"The marquis won't be back for another half an hour. The new concubine is young and might not be able to wait," Shen Qing said in a calm tone, but her words somehow sent a chill down one's spine.
"Just now, Jiao Lu sent the news that the Jin family is definitely involved behind the small courtyard in the southern part of the city. Concubine Jin has also participated quite a bit," Shen Qing said as she handed the news to Zhuxing.
They would casually sell those they disliked to such places for others to have fun with. Didn't Jin Bao like to control other people's fates? Today, she would let her taste the consequences of her own actions!
If just Jin Bao was like this, the Jin family's underground businesses behind them might be far more extensive than this.
"Outrageous! The Jin family is just a merchant family. How dare they be so bold!"
"They must have someone backing them up to be this bold. Otherwise, how could they dare?"
Shen Qing looked much calmer. After thinking for a while, she asked Yingxiu to bring paper and a pen. She wrote a letter, blew on the ink to dry it, and then stuffed it into an envelope.
"Go and do it. After you come back, send this letter to the palace."
"Yes." Zhuxing took the letter and winked playfully. "Wouldn't it be better for the young lady to tell the master in person?"
Shen Qing rubbed her forehead, a bit helpless. "Hurry up and go."