The night was deep.
In a quiet, remote alley.
Chen Nan and his five men were silently hidden in the darkness.
Watching some rat poison under the hazy moonlight.
It was called rat poison.
But in reality, it was all grain soaked with it.
After waiting for nearly ten minutes.
A group of rats squeaked and scurried over, as if they hadn't eaten for many days, and quickly devoured the rat poison in a short period of time.
Afterward, the rats ambled around the alley.
Some male rats even seemed possessed by a terrier,
mounting the female rats beside them.
This scene stunned everyone.
Didn't they say rat poison could kill all rats?
But why did these rats not only survive after eating it but also usher in a second spring?
“Is this poison, or an aphrodisiac?” Song Yunfei’s scalp tingled.
Chen Nan took the sack of rat poison from Song Yunfei, grabbed a handful of grain from it, and sniffed it.
As a doctor.
He could discern that the grain had been soaked with Xian Mao root.
Xian Mao root could cause hormones to surge.
Besides that.
There were other medicinal ingredients.
They had a pungent smell.
Then.
He picked up a few grains and chewed them gently.
This act completely stunned Song Yunfei and the others.
They never expected him to test the medicine on himself.
“Boss, you can’t eat this medicine!” Song Yunfei picked up a water skin. “Quick, quick, rinse your mouth.”
Chen Nan countered, “You all have wives, right? Eat some when you get back, and I guarantee your wives will submit to you and call you ‘Daddy’.” He grinned as he said this.
The five men looked bewildered. Zhang Lu asked, “They are husband and wife, why would they call you Daddy?”
Song Yunfei seemed to have thought of something, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes. “You mean, this medicine has an aphrodisiac effect?”
Chen Nan replied, “Besides that, it can also fill your stomach.”
Zhang Lu smiled and said, “Although I didn't expect this thing to have such an effect, none of us brothers need it.”
“That’s right, real men never need to use these things.”
“Perhaps when we’re older, but there’s no need now.”
The others chimed in.
Song Yunfei looked at Chen Nan. “Boss, do you have any clues?”
Chen Nan nodded in affirmation. “The rat poison was invented by the Zhang family, by Zhang Mingquan, right?”
Song Yunfei hummed. “Zhang Mingquan was originally an apprentice in a medical clinic. He boiled dozens of medicinal herbs to make rat poison.”
“I’ve seen it before, the scene where rats died violently after eating the rat poison.”
“It was after that that the government signed a long-term supply contract with Zhang Mingquan.”
“Purchasing rat extermination medicine from the Zhang family to kill rats.”
“As far as I know, the government alone spends up to twenty thousand taels of silver annually purchasing rat poison from Zhang Mingquan.”
Twenty thousand taels of silver a year, that was definitely not a small sum.
Chen Nan asked, “Do you remember which year the government signed the contract with the Zhang family?”
Song Yunfei pondered and said uncertainly, “If I remember correctly, it should be three and a half years ago.”
Chen Nan asked, “Can you be more precise?”
“I know,” said a middle-aged man named Xu Weiqiang. “I remember very clearly, it was the eighteenth day of the second lunar month, three years ago. That day was my birthday.”
Chen Nan fell into deep thought.
He thought of the death time of the first victim listed in the case files.
The twentieth day of the second lunar month, three years ago.
Although there were deaths before that, none of them had scratch marks or bites from rodents.
Therefore, it could be concluded.
The Zhang family had an undeniable suspicion in this matter.
“Let’s return to the county yamen first, and investigate Zhang Mingquan tomorrow.”
Afterward, Chen Nan and the others returned to the county yamen.
Nothing happened overnight.
The next morning, they arrived near the Zhang residence.
Although the Zhang family was not a prominent clan.
But because they had developed rat poison and become partners with the government.
They had considerable influence in Tongcheng.
“Boss, give me thirty meat buns and six bowls of congee.”
At a breakfast stall not far from the Zhang residence, Chen Nan and his five men put down their sabers and called out to the owner.
Soon, thirty steaming meat buns were delivered.
Song Yunfei also went to get some pickles.
They ate and chatted, giving the impression that they were on patrol.
Just as the six men were eating.
The tightly shut gate of the Zhang residence was opened.
A middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a white robe, holding a bamboo basket, walked directly towards the breakfast stall.
Seeing Song Yunfei and the others eating, a faint smile appeared on his face, as if greeting an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. “Brother Song, you’re dining here too!”
Song Yunfei quickly stood up. “It’s Steward Zhang!”
Zhang Mingquan was known as a benevolent person among the people of Tongcheng.
Because he donated thousands of taels of silver to charity every year.
Over time, he became known as a benevolent person.
“Why don’t I see Captain Wu? Is he resting?” Zhang Mingquan asked casually, then nodded to Chen Nan. “This young brother looks unfamiliar, are you new?”
Song Yunfei replied, “Yes, the boss is resting. This is a new brother in our team.”
“Old Meng, put Captain Song’s breakfast on my tab today,” Zhang Mingquan said to the stall owner. “And get me ten buns, five meat and five vegetable.”
Old Meng said cheerfully, “Steward Zhang, these officers have already paid.”
Zhang Mingquan was taken aback, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face. “Captain Song, you are dining at my doorstep, how can you pay for yourselves? Don’t do this again in the future.”
Song Yunfei smiled and said, “Okay, if we come again next time, we definitely won’t pay ourselves.”
Zhang Mingquan hummed. “My wife should be waking up soon, so I won’t chat with you brothers any longer. I’ll be going back now, see you later.” With that, he carried the buns in the bamboo basket towards the Zhang residence.
“Boss, did you notice anything unusual?” Song Yunfei asked in a low voice.
Chen Nan shook his head.
He had used his Qi-gazing technique earlier.
But he found that Zhang Mingquan was shrouded in a layer of demonic energy.
Besides that.
He couldn’t discern any other useful information.
After all, Chen Nan’s current strength was too weak. Even with the Qi-gazing technique, he couldn’t be as omnipotent as he was in the immortal realm.
Just then.
A donkey cart loaded with a full cart of goods arrived at the entrance of the Zhang residence.
Zhang Mingquan had the goods moved into the house, then looked back at Chen Nan and the others at the breakfast stall, and whispered a few words to the deliveryman.
A moment later, the deliveryman, carrying a bag of walnuts weighing over fifty pounds, arrived at the breakfast stall and said respectfully, “Officers, this bag of walnuts is a gift from the benevolent Steward Zhang. He said your work is not easy and asked you to share it and take it back to eat.”
Song Yunfei and the others showed expressions of joy.
Chen Nan, however, looked at the donkey cart parked at the entrance of the Zhang residence and asked the deliveryman, “Are those more than a dozen sacks on the cart all dried goods like walnuts and nuts?”
The deliveryman was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but say, “Officer, how did you know?”