"Lian... Listen to me. I have a good reason for it. Just give me a chance to explain. "
Wang Xiaobo the one who was giving attitude to Jianguo is now following her like a puppy. A few men came and arrested Jianguo with the evidence. Xiaobo ordered them to give all the evidence to the Third Prince. While Jianguo will be taken to Princess Zhi indicating that she caught him, while Wang Hong will present the evidence of Jianguo's embezzlement act. Jianguo was punished accordingly by the king.
"But Princess Zhi. You said that there is a mole who is leaking information. What about that? "
"Your Majesty that was a trick played by me and my brother. We did not want to alert the culprit but wanted him to be anxious so that he would make haste in trying to hide or destroy the evidence. It was just a mere distraction caused by me. I apologize for that"
"Don't apologize. It was a good strategy. Divert the target's vision and catch him in the blind spot perfectly. Good. Very good. Prince Hong, you too did a great job. "
Princess Zhi and Prince Hong walk outside the meeting room.
"Why did you not tell me? "
"100% guarantee was not there. Plus you had your work"
"I am not that busy. You knew and still... "
" Wanted to impress His Majesty? You will get your chance. "
"You....
" I have some work. Let's meet and talk some other day"
Princess Zhi pats his little brother's shoulders and gives a smile. Prince Hong just stares at her and fists his palm tightly.
Yuze was glaring at Prince Hong from behind. But it was natural for the Prince and Princess to fight with each other to gain favor from the king.
Lian was still angry and was giving silent treatment to Xiaobo. Wei and Ming were seeing the situation and talking in whispers
"Till when will this go on? " Whispered Ming.
"Can't tell. Only when Lian will cool her temper down. But for what is she angry? "
"Wait a minute... Is it due to the mission we carried out today? She knows about the three of us following the ministers. But we made a good reason for bringing goods from another city. She should have believed it. "
" Who goes to bring goods in black clothes with covered faces? Someone who was very clumsy showed himself dressed in all black"
"It was not on purpose. Ahh! Please! I apologize for that. Anyways, what are they fighting for? Did we go without telling her or for something else? "
Wei looks at Ning and shrugs shaking his head as he also doesn't know the answer to his question.
"Lian! Please don't be angry with me. You should give your poor boss a chance to explain the situation"
Lian, who was cutting vegetables for lunch, banged the knife on the wooden table, creating a loud sound that startled all three of them.
"Spying the ministers, catching the one who caused the embezzlement, and still sitting here giving the credit to the prince who did nothing. What do you think you three are - the secret heroes, HUH??
" That is the reason why you are angry, right? ' asked Xiaobo in a low, doubtful voice.
"Then what? Ahh!! About you know martial arts. That I already knew since the first time I saw you. I was never wrong about studying human character. So I was never doubtful in that"
"You knew?!! And still... You.. you wanted to learn fighting so why did you never ask again? "
"You were hiding that fact so I did not want you to be pressurized about it. "
Xiaobo smiled at her understanding nature and was about to say something when a man barged inside huffing trying to catch his breath.
" Master, trouble... there is a problem... a man trying to create a problem.
"Yan Mu, first calm down. Here drink some water. Now tell us clearly what happened. "
" Sir, early morning a man named Meng Yuze came complaining that we sell fake herbs and medicine. His Elder brother Meng Yuxuan died after eating the medicine he brought from our store. They want to file a case against us for selling fake and wrong medicines. They are asking for compensation."
"Let's go. I will solve this matter myself. I don't tolerate anyone bringing my reputation down without any proof. "
Xiaobo dashed outside followed by Lian, Ming, and Yan Mu. When they arrived many people had surrounded their shop. Xiaobo loudly said to move and they all made way. Xiaobo directly went towards the counter ignoring the man who was about to say but seeing him being ignored kept his mouth open and anger flared on his chubby face. Xiaobo takes out his ledger and sees what type of herb was brought by Meng Yuxuan. As expected by Xiaobo there was no mention of it. He has no proof that the herb given is real Or fake.
"Yan Mu, come here"
"Yes, sir"
"Why is there no mention of Meng Yuxuan buying the herbs? Why did you not write it in the ledgers?
"He is our regular customer and that day his two children came to buy - a girl and a boy. They took it and as it was monthly needed I did not think of writing it as important. Please forgive me for my mistake. It won't repeat. "
" It's okay. Judging by Meng Yuze he won't have accepted our ledgers saying that we just made it up. So it was no use. I need solid evidence and that too from his house. The real reason for Meng Yuxuan's death"
"Mr.Wang. Do you think I can here to have a chat? My brother died one hour later after eating medicine from your shop. Shouldn't you explain this?
" Well, indeed I should. But first, let me visit Mr. Yuxuan's family and pay my last respects to Mr. Yuxuan. I hope you don't mind. I will surely explain everything to you after we come back. If I am at fault, I will surely compensate the Meng family. I give my words. "
Meng Yuze did not say anything as he agreed to compensate. He just agreed and Xiaobo along with Lian went to Meng Mansion. Meng Yuxuan was an officer at the Department of Justice and his mansion was big and one could say he belonged to the high class. In the mansion lived Yuxuan's wife and two twins- a boy and a girl of age 12 and Meng Yuze's wife.
"They followed the Meng family to pay respect to Meng Yuxuan the deceased. Meng Yuze just left the two in his mansion saying that he needs to attend somewhere else.
"Where did Meng Yuze go to? What was more important than performing his brother's last rituals? " Asked Lian in a whisper.
Xiaobo just looks at Lian and shrugs his shoulder but also smirks. He then asks Men's wife to allow him to visit her husband's study room so that he can give a proper explanation.
"Xiaobo, don't you feel something weird? The wife and the other members don't feel very sad after Yuxuan's death. Can they be involved in his death? "
"Making assumptions won't do. We need to find evidence "
"What kind of? "
"Herb.A different type of herb or evidence that a different herb was given to Yuxuan"
Hearing this Lian quickly went to the small garden behind the study room leaving Xiaobo alone in the room to investigate. After two minutes only, Lian came back running with mud on the lower part of her clothes and her hands dirty with mud holding a small dried plant in her hands and a bug smile on her face.
"Lian!! What happened? Did you fall anywhere? What happened to your dress? "
"Aiyyaa.. Xiaobo! Look what I found. The herb. This was hidden buried in the garden. I found it"
Xiaobo was busy dusting off the mud but it was wet mud. So he just huffed and put his long cloak around her to hide her dress. Then he takes her to wash her hands. Lian was holding the fired herb like a precious treasure while letting Xiaobo manhandle her like a baby.
"Okay, done. You are a lady. You should not be so rash. Look at your clothes all muddy and soiled. "
"I will. I will. Now see this. Is it what can be given as evidence? "
Xiaobo takes the dried herb and studies it. He smirks but also sighs.
"Let's find something else. This won't do. Let me keep this herb. "
Lian looked disappointed as she wanted to help Xiaobo. She started looking again at the study. While looking around the sitting area, Xaiibi noticed something spilled on the floor. He takes his handkerchief out and wipes it. After smelling it he smiles.
"Lian, can you quietly go and check the kitchen and see if there is any unwashed cup present? I am sure there must be. With the sudden death, I don't think they must have kept their priority in cleaning the house. Lian quietly sneaked into the kitchen while Xiaobo engaged the other members of the family with some questions. As stated by Xiaobo indeed there were many unwashed dishes. Lian quickly scans the cups and a strong sweet smell hits her nose. She quickly picks up a small teacup hides in her dress and comes out. Xiaobo goes towards her and checks the cup. And he nods his head. Lian was seeing him with curiosity. He smiles seeing her and said,
"Case solved"
"Huh? Just... just like that. How come? "
"Because of you. And by the way, I wanted to ask how you find the dried herb buried in the ground. Like you knew that it was buried inside? "
"I can't tell him that I can sense plants, their presence and smell even if dried up. So the smell of a herb coming from under the soil sparked my curiosity and I dug it out. Now for the excuse.... "
"Umm.... That.... Oh.. The flowers. The Meng family is very rich they have a collection of flowers and you know I like flowers very much. So I just went to admire them and was about to fall due to the uneven of the ground. So I dug up and saw a herb. Then I rushed to show you".
"Ohhhh.My Lian-er is very intelligent. Good let's go talk with the family"
"Yes, I am intelligent for making an excuse that even you can believe" Thought Lian and smiled.
"Can you tell me how this herb went under the ground? "
Seeing the dried herb, the children's faces went pale. They tightly held the hand of their mother and looked at each other. Their mother was about to say something before the girl and boy shouted together
"We killed our father. No one else is responsible for it. We brought this poisonous herb and gave that instead of the herb that cures diabetes. ".
" Zihan!! Why would you tell a lie? Mr. Snag it was me who did this. They are innocent. "Said Mrs. Meng while scolding her son.
"Why would you always take the blame for our wrongdoings? We did it and we are ready for any punishment" Said
"Tell me. Do you regret doing this".
" No. Not at all. " Said the kids together.
Xiaobo rubbed his temple while Lian was feeling confused. Why did the children take such a drastic step? Xiaobo tells them to go inside a room where all sat on the wooden chairs.
" I want the truth. If you want me to help you, I want the truth. And relax, Mr. Meng did not die because of the poisonous herb you two gave him." said Xiaobo in a tender voice.
The kids were confused about how that could be. The herb was poisonous and they fed him themselves in front of them. How come he did not die from it?
"You don't need to lie, uncle. We fed him in front of ourselves. " Said Zihan timidly.
"No. Kids, the herb you gave was indeed poisonous but for a normal person. Mr. Meng was diabetic. Some herbs can be poison to normal, healthy people but diabetic patients can be immune to it. So the real reason for his death is not the poison you gave. So tell me frankly what caused you to take such an action?
Mrs. Meng had tears of relief and snuggled her kids close to her. She then started narrating her story
"My name is Mei-Ling. My father was the vice-minister in the Department of Justice. He was very upright and wealthy. Later on me and my sister married the Meng brothers. My husband Yuxuan was a greedy, abusive animal. He was provided with everything from my father. This mansion, land, and other properties but still he was greedy. He would threaten me to bring more and more money from my family. My father was getting old and was retired from his work. He did not have much. But Yuxuan would force me to bring money. He would do nothing, not work and gamble and drink. He would beat me up whenever he was drunk. I would tolerate him but he also targeted my sister when Yuze was not home. He would beat both of us and demand money all the time. This was once seen by my two kids. And they would quietly observe all this. I never thought that they would do something like this. One day they volunteered to bring the herb that Yuxuan brings. And that's when they brought the poisonous herb and Yuxuan died. The kids revealed that they bought a poisonous herb from a herb seller. I was terrified so I buried it under the ground. But you found it. "
Lian was sad to hear the story. How many women are tortured by their husbands with whom they spend a life? They are caged by a snake that bites them again and again till they give up fighting and become lifeless. Xiaobo was angry as to who gave the right to men to abuse a woman who sacrificed her everything and lives with her husband. Who are they to command her and force her to do something?
"I promise that nothing will happen to you or your children. Because the culprit is someone else. So don't worry. Just come to my shop with me now. I will reveal the real culprit. "
The four of them nod their head and follow Xiaobo and Lian to their shop. Xiaobo gives Lian a few bandages and herbs. Lian seeing them immediately understands her task. She takes both the ladies to another room and applies the paste of healing herbs on their wounds. Some wounds were even deep blue-black as they were left untreated. After dressing them properly they came out. By that time Xiaobo had called Ning from the bureau and Meng Yuze.
"Mr.Meng, where did you go leaving your family in a time of distress? "
"Ahh... That... I... had some work to do"
"Don't lie in front of an officer. That might increase your punishment. "
"You were busy making the property in your name just after your brother died. So that you can kick out the women and kids out of the mansion. Am I right? "
Meng Yuze was shocked by this. He wiped the sweat on his forehead.
"I... I asked... you to fi-find about my bro-brother's death? What are you doing instead? Spying on me? "
"I was about to come to that topic. Mr. Meng, I know you were at the house when your brother died. What were you doing at the house instead of going to work? "
"I was not feeling well. My body felt tired so I was resting at home. "
"Ohh? Is that so? But I heard from our little Zihan that you were loudly arguing with your brother. What was the argument about? "
"I WAS NEVER ARGUING WITH MY BROTHER. I WAS HAVING TEA WITH MY BROTHER AND HAVING A CASUAL TALK. I WAS NEVER ARGUING" Said Meng raising his voice as he was afraid as well as angry of false accusation.
"Ning you heard him. He said that he was having tea with his brother. Now it so happened that I went to the kitchen to drink water when I saw the beautiful tea cup. It smelled of something strange. Satter herb. This herb is very special. When mixed with tea it is very sweet and the aroma is also pleasant. But as far as my knowledge, a diabetic patient must not eat even a leaf of this Satter herb. It contains so much sugar that it kills the patient. Am I right Mr. Meng Yuze?
Yuze was unable to say anything and his face was paler than before. It was clear that the culprit was him. He killed his brother. Ning immediately arrests him. He did not deny it and went with the officers. Xiaobo turned towards the kids.
"It was lucky that your uncle was also planning to kill Yuxuan. Otherwise, Yuze would not have died because of the herb you gave and you would have tried another attempt to kill him. From now on don't make such a rash decision. "
"Come to shop No. 26 if you encounter any problem in the future. Your Lian sister will always help you. "
The four bowed and expressed their gratitude for helping them. They were finally free from the toxic life.
After everyone left, Lian admired Xiaobo and stole glances at him while doing work.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?
" I am just admiring my Xiaobo. He is so intelligent and quick-witted. Am I not allowed?"
"Yes, yes only the two lovebirds can praise each other. We two did nothing except follow that fat Meng from one shop to another. Who will appreciate our hard work? " Said Ming while entering the shop along with Wei.
"Good work. Xiaobo. You again helped another soul. " Said Wei while patting his shoulder.
"I just helped as he accused my shop of selling fake herbs. I did it for my own and not for them".
" To this extent. You should have then just clarified that the herb brought from your shop was left unused as it is. Then you would have been away from the rest of the trouble"
Xiaobo was about to say something when Yan Mu entered the shop.
"Thank you sir for helping me. I am very grateful to you" Said Yan Mu while bowing 90 degrees.
"Also my wedding is two days later. Please attend my wedding sir. All of you. I will be very happy" Saying this Yan Mu who was fully red ran away shyly hiding his face while the others laughed at his cuteness.