Chapter 161: Impatiently Looking for a Beating

The big man saw the situation was turning bad, his eyes darted, and he shifted his feet lightly, trying to slip silently back into the crowd.

Guazi was quick-witted and agile; he leaped into the air and yanked the man out by force. The big man stumbled, nearly falling, and a flash of panic crossed his face.

Wen Quan saw the big man, and burning anger flared in his eyes; he pointed at him and shouted:

"Wen Biao, why did you try to harm me?"

Wen Biao, exposed before everyone, felt a pang of unease in his heart; his eyes darted, and he dared not meet Wen Quan's gaze, but he still forced a calm expression, sticking his neck out and shouting:

"Harm you? Wen Quan, when did I ever harm you? Don't slander me with blood in your mouth."

Wen Quan angrily rushed forward and grabbed Wen Biao by the collar:

"You're lying! It was clearly you who poisoned me; perhaps you wanted to seize my family's property."

Wen Quan's words were like a heavy bomb exploding in the crowd. The relatives who had just been causing trouble with Wen Biao heard this and found it almost unbelievable; they immediately swarmed around and tugged at Wen Biao:

"So, Wen Biao, it was you who harmed my Wen Quan?"

Wen Biao couldn't take it anymore; he shoved the crowd away with one hand:

"You have no proof; on what basis do you say such things?"

One of them turned and asked Wen Quan:

"What exactly happened?"

Wen Quan took a deep breath, tried to calm his emotions, and said slowly:

"Everyone present, here is what happened: Wen Biao is my cousin. This afternoon, I had just returned home after visiting Tong'an Hall for treatment. Wen Biao asked me to drink with him. I hadn't even had time to brew and drink my medicine yet; I said I had caught a cold and couldn't go. Wen Biao said it was his treasured good wine and forcibly dragged me to his house. Who knew that after I had just one cup of wine, my five viscera twisted in agony. Very soon, I knew nothing. Tell me, didn't Wen Biao poison the wine to harm me?"

Wen Biao heard this and still wanted to deny it. Suddenly, he was completely surrounded by a group of soldiers invited by Miss Huasheng.

The leading soldier respectfully bowed to Jun Jun Zijin and apologized:

"Your Highness, this humble one arrived late; please forgive this humble one."

Jun Jun Zijin waved her hand gently, indicating it was fine, but her gaze turned to Wen Biao, cold as frost.

"Wen Biao, since matters have come to this, what do you have to say?"

Wen Biao saw that even the soldiers were treating this little girl with utmost respect; he feared she was indeed not someone to trifle with. He dared not shout anymore; his face turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and with a thud, he knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy.

"Your Highness, spare my life! This humble one was also directed by someone!"

Jun Jun Zijin glanced at Wen Biao indifferently; her voice was calm yet carried an undeniable authority:

"Sparing your life is possible, but you must first clearly reveal who directed you."

"Your Highness, spare my life! This humble one doesn't know either! This humble one only knows it was a Miss not much taller than you. She gave this humble one a packet of poison and ordered this humble one to falsely accuse Tong'an Hall's pharmacy. But that Miss wore a veil, so this humble one couldn't see her at all. She handed over fifty taels of silver upfront, and another fifty taels after the deed was done. This humble one owed gambling debts, and a few days ago I had a quarrel with Wen Quan, so... so... this humble one really didn't know this pharmacy belongs to you, Your Highness."

Wen Biao's intestines turned green with regret; he wished he could slap himself several times hard. It was all his own greed that landed him in such a mess.

Just as he was cursing the entire family of the woman who gave him the poison to harm people in his heart, Jun Jun Zijin spoke again, her voice even colder this time:

"Do you truly not know who she is?"

Wen Biao knocked his head so hard it went bang-bang; he bitterly groaned inwardly, and a grown man nearly burst into tears:

"Your Highness, this humble one swears I truly don't know! If this humble one had known, how would I dare to provoke you, Your Highness?"

Everyone around held their breath, watching the scene silently.

Jun Jun Zijin frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over Wen Biao like lightning.

"Then there is no way. Brother Officer, this person plotted to harm his cousin; take him to the death prison."

The leading soldier responded with a sound and stepped forward to take Wen Biao away.

Wen Biao's face was ashen as death; he begged for mercy repeatedly:

"Your Highness, spare my life! This humble one truly didn't see her face... No, I remember now!"

Jun Jun Zijin raised an eyebrow and waved her hand, signaling the soldiers to stop.

Wen Biao, as if clutching a lifeline, shouted loudly:

"Your Highness, although that woman wore a veil, her voice was very strange, like... like air leaking? Yes, like someone missing a few front teeth, speaking with air leaking out. By the way, when she took the silver, a jade pendant fell from her body; it seemed to be carved with the character 'Butterfly'."

Jun Jun Zijin's heart gave a jolt; according to Wen Biao's description, these features actually overlapped with someone! A figure instantly floated into her mind, and her eyes grew even deeper; some people are just impatiently looking for a beating.

She kept her expression unchanged and said indifferently to the soldiers:

"Take him down; deal with him however he should be dealt with."

The soldiers dragged Wen Biao away, and the crowd erupted into chaos once more.

In the crowd, murmurs rose and fell; everyone praised Jun Jun Zijin's wisdom and sense of responsibility without end.

"Your Highness is truly remarkable; if not for her, we would have almost been deceived by that fellow Wen Biao and wrongly blamed such a good medical hall as Tong'an Hall."

A middle-aged man said with some embarrassment.

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is not only skilled in medicine but also so fair and selfless!"

An old woman nearby chimed in, her eyes full of reverence.

Wen Quan led the group of relatives who had caused trouble earlier and knelt before Jun Jun Zijin, kowtowing and performing a great salute:

"Your Highness's great kindness is something this humble one will never forget in his lifetime. If there are any tasks in the future, this humble one will go through fire and water without hesitation."

The common people also knelt in a row before Jun Jun Zijin, kowtowing and shouting:

"Your Highness is wise! Your Highness possesses saintly virtue! Your Highness is the savior of the Emperor Tianqi people!"

Jun Jun Zijin hurried forward a few steps, helped up an old man, and said gently:

"Everyone, please rise quickly; there is no need for this. Saving the world and helping people is Tong'an Hall's duty. We only hope such incidents will not happen again. Before the laws of Emperor Tianqi, all are equal. We are all subjects of Emperor Tianqi; no one may arbitrarily take another's life, let alone kill for profit. Good and evil have their retribution; cause and effect cycle; justice naturally resides in the hearts of people."

Wen Quan led the applause; in an instant, the clapping was like thunder, echoing throughout the entire street.

In that applause was full admiration and gratitude for Jun Jun Zijin, as well as relief that justice had been served.

After this incident, Tong'an Hall's reputation not only suffered no damage but, thanks to Jun Jun Zijin's decisive handling and fair attitude, won even more trust and praise from the common people.

With Jun Jun Zijin as this living advertisement, Tong'an Hall's fame grew even greater, and Wen Quan's family was even more grateful to her; this is a story for later.

However, no one saw that in a corner on the street opposite Tong'an Hall, a woman wearing a veil was looking over here; the resentment in her eyes seemed ready to swallow everything, and a finger pressed against the wall dug desperately into the wall soil, her nails even bleeding without her feeling any sensation.