"Yes, yes. Wang Sheng was very generous. He ordered a whole table of dishes. It was just the two of us eating. Since I had never eaten such food before, I ate quite a lot with Wang Sheng. During the meal, Wang Sheng also ordered a pot of the top - grade Nu'erhong wine. I'm not good at drinking, so I didn't drink. Wang Sheng finished the whole pot by himself. Later, after paying the bill, we left. Wang Sheng went to the gambling house, and I... I went straight home... Later, later someone came to tell me that Wang Sheng was dead. I didn't believe it, so I came here to check..."
After the man finished speaking, he kowtowed several times and knelt there trembling.
"By now, I don't think you have anything else to say! Someone died after eating at 'Welcome Guests Inn'. Do you still want to stay in the capital? Come on, smash the restaurant and take this yellow - haired kid to the government office!" The brute roared after the man finished speaking. Hearing the order, the men behind him rubbed their hands eagerly and were about to step forward.
"Whoever dares to touch a single table or chair in my 'Welcome Guests Inn' will regret it for the rest of their life!" Now this 'Welcome Guests Inn' was her flagship store in the capital and even across the country. If it was smashed, what would it look like?
"The matter hasn't been clarified yet. You're just causing trouble!" Mei Qingxue clenched her fists tightly, which showed that she was really angry. These people were simply too bullying!
"Humph, it seems you won't shed tears until you see the coffin!"
"Fine. Since you claim that someone died after eating at our 'Welcome Guests Inn', why is it that only this Wang Sheng had a problem after eating, while the person sitting at the same table with him was perfectly fine?" After saying that, Mei Qingxue turned to the man again.
"You said you ate here at our 'Welcome Guests Inn' with Wang Sheng, right?"
The man was naturally timid. Now being intimidated by Mei Qingxue's imposing manner, he almost lost control of his bladder and bowels. "Yes, yes. I did come here to eat with Wang Sheng."
"Then you've tasted all the dishes on the table?"
"Yes. I had never eaten in such a high - class restaurant before, so I tried every dish once." The dishes in 'Welcome Guests Inn' were truly extremely delicious. He still remembered that he and Wang Sheng had eaten all the dishes they ordered and even wanted to lick the plates clean.
Mei Qingxue didn't know that while she was interrogating the man, Du Guqing whispered a few words in Han Chao's ear. Han Chao, who was also in disguise, understood and quickly disappeared from the restaurant.
"Good. Since Wang Sheng died of poisoning after eating, while you're completely fine after eating, could it be that you put poison in the food and wine to kill Wang Sheng?" A cold sneer curled up at the corner of Mei Qingxue's mouth. Her words hit the man like cold and hard stones. She knew that this man was a crucial figure in this matter. If she could find a breakthrough from him, this matter wouldn't be so difficult to solve.
The man never expected Mei Qingxue to say such a thing. He was completely flustered and didn't know how to answer. "I'm wronged, I'm wronged! I don't know why Wang Sheng suddenly died of poisoning. It was these people who came to tell me and asked me to testify. Wang Sheng and I have been neighbors since childhood. We have no grudges at all. Why would I kill him for no reason? Killing someone means paying with one's life. I'm really wronged!"
The man was so scared that he kept kowtowing. It was indeed those brutes who found him and asked him to testify. They also promised to give him some silver as a reward afterwards. He thought he could get the silver just by telling what he knew. Who would have thought that the matter would be turned against him? If he had known earlier, he would never have come here to eat with Wang Sheng. Maybe these troublesome things wouldn't have happened to him.
"You claim to be wronged. What evidence do you have? Other guests also ate and drank in our 'Welcome Guests Inn', but why were they all fine? Why did such a thing happen just when you and Wang Sheng came here for the first time? Do you have other ulterior motives besides poisoning Wang Sheng?" The cold sneer on Mei Qingxue's face deepened. At this time, if she didn't take a tough stance and divert the blame from herself, things would be difficult to handle.
Du Guqing had been standing behind Mei Qingxue, silently watching her every move. He was also startled by her cold aura. He didn't expect that this seemingly beautiful and cute woman was actually so extraordinary. Although she was a bit at a loss and scared when this incident first happened, she could quickly calm down, judge and analyze the conditions and situations that were beneficial to herself, and fight back in a short time. She was truly remarkable.
"I really don't know. I'm wronged, wronged..." The man's head was bleeding from kowtowing, but he was so scared that he seemed to be unconscious, mechanically kowtowing.
"Don't go too far and distort the truth. The man died after eating in your place. Do you still want to deny it?" The brute felt that things weren't developing as he had imagined. Moreover, the witness he had found was being accused. He knew that if he didn't say something at this time, this matter might fail.
"It's really ridiculous. Wang Sheng left after eating and drinking here in the morning. You don't know if he went anywhere else after leaving or if he ate anything else there. How can you claim that he was poisoned just by eating the food and wine in our 'Welcome Guests Inn'?" It was already past lunchtime. There were several hours from morning to noon for those who wanted to harm Wang Sheng to act!
"Humph, you're just making excuses. After eating and drinking to their heart's content in your restaurant, would they still go out to eat? Brothers, stop wasting time with this kid. Smash her restaurant and take her to the government office."
The brutes were not as good at arguing as Mei Qingxue. They knew that no matter how much they argued, they couldn't win against her. So they simply didn't want to waste any more words. Anyway, the person's goal was to make 'Welcome Guests Inn' have a bad reputation. The more unclear this matter was, the better. An unclear matter would give people a vague feeling, making them even more afraid to come here to eat.
Seeing the brutes starting to act, Mei Qingxue frowned. She might be able to argue with them, but if it came to a fight, she didn't have enough people on her side at the moment. They might destroy everything.
"Stop."
Just as a brute near the door was about to smash a chair on the ground, a loud shout stopped his action.
Following the shout came a group of people in official uniforms.
Mei Qingxue was puzzled. When had she reported the case? These people came just in time, but she didn't know if they were here to help her or were in collusion with those brutes.
The leading officer was a man with a square - shaped face and a small scar on his face. "These people are wronging the innocent. Arrest them all!" After taking a look at the brutes, the man ordered the officers behind him.
Seeing the real officers coming, the brute didn't dare to act so boldly. A flattering smile squeezed out on his fleshy face, making it look even more hideous. "Sir, are you mistaken? Someone died after eating in 'Welcome Guests Inn'. It's them who have broken the law. You should arrest them. Why are you arresting us?"
"You're wronging the innocent. Who else should we arrest if not you!"
"Sir, you're covering for them. They poisoned someone and haven't given an explanation. How can we feel at ease coming here to eat in the future?" Seeing more and more common people gathering at the door, the brute shouted loudly. As long as this matter wasn't clarified, even the emperor couldn't do anything!
"Fine. Since you must know the truth, we'll tell you exactly what happened!" Han Chao returned to the restaurant at some unknown time, carrying two men in his hands. The two men had their heads hanging low and didn't dare to look at anyone.
The brute was shocked when he saw the two men. He thought to himself that things were bad. He never expected that the boss of 'Welcome Guests Inn' had such capable subordinates. They had actually found the two most important people in this whole matter in such a short time.
"You'd better explain the whole thing clearly. Otherwise, the crime of deceiving the court officials is not something you ordinary people can bear!" Han Chao kicked the two men forward. The two men were obviously very frightened by Han Chao. They had been gambling in the gambling house just now when suddenly someone came out of nowhere and grabbed them. They were already a bit guilty about this matter. So, before Han Chao even asked, they told everything.
"Sir, please spare our lives. We were just following someone's orders. We had no choice."
Mei Qingxue temporarily suppressed her doubts and focused on solving the current problem.
"Tell the whole story exactly as it happened. Maybe we'll spare your lives. If you dare to lie..." Mei Qingxue snorted coldly.
"Yes, yes. I'll tell. The thing is like this. Wang Sheng, us, and some others were all gamblers in the gambling house. Yesterday, someone suddenly came to us three and said they would give us some money to gamble. We were supposed to pay it back if we won. We were so crazy about gambling at that time that we didn't think much and took the money to gamble. But who would have thought that our luck was so bad that we lost all the money..." After one man said this, the other man continued.
"After we lost all the money, we started to be scared. After all, there's no one in this world who would give you money for no reason. So, not long after, the person who lent us the money came to us. He told Wang Sheng to find someone to go to 'Welcome Guests Inn' and have a big meal this morning. He would pay for it. As for us, he would make specific arrangements later."