Shi Zhenxiang's last straw also fell. Looking at the empty Taibaiju, he really wanted to jump off the second floor.
After a year of bleak business operations, he worked hard in every possible way and increased investment. In order to attract customers, he bought a lot of expensive ingredients, and now he has them all.
Although he still has some money on hand, if he continues to spend it like this, he will have to close his shop after the New Year!
The only way he could think of was to borrow money from Yan Shifan. Although Yan Shifan has always been stingy and searching, after all, there are not many businesses in which he can invest!
The happy pharmaceutical industry that once held a monopoly has been banned by the imperial court. Although there is still an underground business, it cannot be brought to the forefront!
From grain stores to cloth stores, from the entertainment industry to the construction industry, there is no business group in the capital that can compete with Xiao Feng's, and the only one left in the catering industry is his own.
So, what reason does Yan Shifan have for not supporting him? Shi Zhenxiang walked into Yan's mansion with this idea in mind.
Yan Shifan's legs have basically recovered, but the four-wheeled car he spent a lot of money to build has not yet been completed, so he can only sit on the bed.
After hearing what Shi Zhenxiang said, Yan Shifan frowned and then smiled.
"Boss Shi, it stands to reason that lending you some money is nothing to me. But if you don't have the ability to compete with Zuixian Tower, it's useless for me to lend you money."
Shi Zhenxiang lowered his head. He really hasn't come up with any good ideas yet. He can defeat Zuixian Tower, and he can't even compete.
I originally thought that the hot pot in winter would be a good opportunity to overtake on corners, but I didn't expect that Xiao Feng, an experienced driver, was obviously better than him. Not only did he not let him pass, he also pushed him over.
He, the driver, only suffered minor injuries, but Tan Tong, an important passenger sitting in the car, was seriously injured after falling.
Unless a miracle occurs and Yan Song takes full control of the court again, he will probably be nothing more than a doctor in his lifetime.
Looking at the official position adjustment in Long Live, it is obvious that the figures from the Xiao Feng faction have been promoted, while the figures from the Yan Dang faction have been flattened or dropped.
Although Yan Shifan seems to be upgraded, he is an idle member of the Ministry of Rites and has no real power. His actual strength is not as good as that of the Shaoqing of Dali Temple.
Yan Shifan smiled and said: "But you don't have to be discouraged. I can lend you money and give you a good idea to turn you around!"
Shi Zhenxiang raised his head suddenly. Happiness came so suddenly that he could hardly catch it. Is Yan Shifan so good?
Yan Shifan waved, and the charming maid came over. Shi Zhenxiang could almost see important points inside through the gauze. His throat was dry and he quickly lowered his head, not daring to look.
Yan Shifan took a very small porcelain vase from the maid's hand, smiled and shook it at Shi Zhenxiang.
"You find the most reliable person, but it's best if he doesn't have much contact with you openly, sneaks into Zuixian Tower to eat hot pot, and sneaks the medicine in while others are unprepared."
Shi Zhenxiang trembled; "This... what kind of medicine is this?"
Yan Shifan smiled: "Don't worry, this is not poison, but it can cause vomiting and diarrhea immediately after eating it.
Then let your people take the lead in making trouble, saying that the spicy hot pot in Zuixianlou is harmful to people. Think about it, how will Zuixian Tower end?
In the middle of winter, people can't help but eat hot pot. By then, won't your Taibaiju be overcrowded? "
Shi Zhenxiang thought for a while: "I have a distant nephew, whose parents are both dead. He just came to me as an apprentice a few days ago. He is a stranger.
I asked him to go and make sure no one knew him. If there was trouble, no one would know about our relationship and no one would be able to find out about me. "
When Shi Zhenxiang returned home, he immediately called his nephew and explained the matter. The nephew patted his chest and promised that he would definitely handle it.
Shi Zhenxiang repeatedly warned: "The key to this is that no matter what, you can't tell me anything. And you have to eat it, otherwise people will be suspicious.
There were at least six people eating hot pot at one table, and they couldn't find out who put it there. Then you will be convinced that there is something wrong with the hot pot! "
In order to avoid being searched for evidence, Shi Zhenxiang very cleverly poured out the medicinal powder from the small porcelain bottle and wrapped the powder in a beef slice.
When administering the medicine in this way, as long as you secretly mix this piece of beef into the beef slices in Zuixianlou and put it into the pot, no one will be able to detect it.
No matter whether it is searching the pot or the body, no evidence or traces will be left. It can be said to be seamless.
The next day, Shi Zhenxiang's nephew appeared in the queue at Zuixianlou. After several days of queuing to grab food, the heat will naturally decrease a little.
Now as long as you are willing to share a table with strangers, you can already eat on the same day. Shi Zhenxiang's nephew took out some more money, changed places with the people in front of him in line, and finally sat in front of the hot pot before dark.
The guys at Zuixianlou were so busy that they placed plates of meat slices and dishes on the table like a stream of water. Everyone picked up the meat slices and rinsed them, praising them as they ate.
One of the fat guys looked like he was a seasoned gourmet. His chopsticks were spinning in his hands like a swordsman wielding a sword. The others couldn't eat as fast as him.
While eating, he comforted the others: "Don't worry about eating slowly. After this plate, there will be another plate, and the money for adding meat will be mine!"
Suddenly, the fat man covered his stomach and raised his head to look at the people at the same table: "I...I have a stomachache!"
Several other people looked at him in surprise, and then suddenly felt pain in their abdomens, and they all put down their chopsticks.
Shi Zhenxiang's nephew was secretly amused. Although he also ate a few tablets, he ate more slowly and less. Although his stomach hurt at this time, it was not that severe.
But he screamed fiercely: "Oh, it hurts, I can't stand it anymore, I can't hold it in anymore, I want to..."
With a plop, a person fell down on the table, black blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. It was the fat man who ate the fastest.
Shi Zhenxiang's nephew was frightened. Didn't he suffer from vomiting and diarrhea as promised? What's the point of spitting out black blood?
Several other people at the same table fell one after another. Shi Zhenxiang's nephew jumped up, screamed "You lied to me!", and then fell to the ground.
Shi Zhenxiang stood on the second floor of Taibai Residence, his face turned pale. He suddenly understood that Yan Shifan had lied to him about the vomiting and diarrhea!
This is poison that seals the throat at the sight of blood! This madman, he really doesn’t take human life seriously at all!
At this time, Zuixian Tower was already in chaos, and many diners were vomiting at their desks. However, they were not poisoned, but frightened.
There is a disease called mass hypothetical poisoning, that is, when one or two people in a group show signs of poisoning, other people will also show symptoms of poisoning because they are in the same environment.
But after final inspection, it will be found that most people are not actually poisoned, but it is a psychoactive effect. Zuixian Tower is in this state now.
For a moment, all the waiters were stunned, including Liu Ruyun. They didn't know which of these customers were really poisoned and which were fake.
At this time, Tanaka Minoru arrived with the police. He had been crawling on the streets for a long time and had rich experience. He took one look and shouted.
"Don't mess around. Those people who vomited black blood at the mouth are really poisoned! Don't mess around with other guests, they should be fine!
The doctor will be here soon, everyone, calm down! Everyone, calm down! "
No one believed what he said, and everyone couldn't wait for the doctor to arrive. They all ran as fast as they could to the home of a famous doctor they knew, for fear that if they were too late, they would vomit black blood and fall down.
It wasn't until the troops from the five cities and the Jin Yiwei arrived that the situation was brought under control. After confirming that most people were scared, the focus was on the six people at the table.
Tanaka Minoru and Zhao Zongqi exchanged glances, and Zhao Zongqi whispered: "It's more convenient for you."
Tanaka Minoru nodded: "Boss Chen, something big happened in your store. If you didn't tell me, please come with me!"
In fact, everyone knows that the boss of Zuixianlou is Liu Ruyun, but Chen Zhonghou is Liu Ruyun's father after all, so it makes sense for Tanaka Minoru to say so.
Chen Zhonghou immediately understood what Tanaka Minoru meant and hurriedly gave up: "I'll go with you, I'll go with you!"
Liu Ruyun rushed up and wanted to say something, but General Zhao Qi stopped her.
"Miss Liu, please quickly send someone to find Mr. Xiao. Don't even think about going to jail for your father.
No matter which prison it is, no matter who takes care of it, prison is no place for women! "
Xiao Feng was not in the mansion at this time. He had just finished feeding Princess Chang An the medicine. Because he was delayed for a few days in Datong, Chang An had a big appetite.
Xiao Feng almost couldn't get out due to the rare way of taking medicine. Fortunately, Huang Jin had someone call him and rescue him.
After that, Xiao Feng went to Xiyuan. He also knew that he left too hastily the day before yesterday, and his senior brother might be a little unhappy, so he went to make up for it today.
When Xiao Feng finished making Jiajing happy and walked out of Xiyuan, he saw An Qingyue accompanying Liu Ruyun anxiously waiting for him to come out outside the Xiyuan gate.
"Master Xiao, something happened at Zuixian Tower, my father was taken away!"
Xiao Feng didn't say anything, and took the two of them into the car and walked to Xiao's Mansion. On the way, he listened to Liu Ruyun's whole story and fell into deep thought.
"An Qingyue, since Jinyiwei didn't arrest anyone, this case must have fallen into Shuntian Mansion, and the person who did the autopsy must be Wang Tuiguan. You ask him to come to my house at night."
Seeing Liu Ruyun's devastated look, Xiao Feng finally couldn't bear it and patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't be afraid, as long as I'm here, your father will be fine."
Liu Ruyun's whole body suddenly relaxed. She had been holding on hard, but now she lost her strength and really wanted to throw herself into his arms and cry.
It's a pity that An Qingyue is also in the carriage, and she stares at the two people with big innocent eyes, without any intention of getting out of the car to find Wang Tuiguan.
"Old Wang has been waiting for you in the mansion for a long time. I don't need to look for you. You should quickly think about who poisoned you and how to solve this matter."
The carriage entered Xiao's mansion and everyone gathered around. The women were mainly comforting Liu Ruyun. Lao Wang took a step forward and whispered to Xiao Feng.
"Sir, I have been examining autopsies for a long time, and I have only seen this kind of poison once before. Last time, the little girl was controlled by an adulterer, and the poison was poisoned in the soup in the house!"
Xiao Feng's eyes flashed: "Why are you so sure?"
Lao Wang thought for a while and said with certainty: "The last time I was poisoned, a total of two people died, one was Zhang Liusan who drove the carriage, and the other was a servant of Xiao Mansion.
Zhang Liusan and the little girl were poisoned by the same poison. According to Niu San, they were both poisoned by heart poison. Although they also vomited black blood, the blood was as dark as coal and had a faint fishy smell.
The servant died of soup poisoning. The blood in his mouth was as black as ink and had a strong stench. This is not a poison!
Think about it, Zhang Liusan and the little girl are both toxins produced when the heart poison controls people's hearts, and the poison in the soup works faster and is more deadly! "
Xiao Feng nodded, Gu poison is a live poison, a toxin produced by specific insects, which has various wonderful effects on the human body.
But as long as it is live poison, it cannot survive in the boiling hot soup, whether it is the egg soup in Xiao Mansion or the spicy hot pot in Zuixianju.
Moreover, poisoning the soup with poison would be too wasteful and completely unnecessary.
"Did you come to this conclusion based on the symptoms of the servant being poisoned and vomiting blood that day, which are consistent with those of the people in Zuixian's residence today?"
Lao Wang shook his head: "It's not just that. Sir, this medicine is not colorless and odorless. In fact, the egg soup in Xiao's house that day had some smell and red color after a later inspection.
It's just that when the egg soup is steaming, people don't pay attention. I smelled this stench from the hot pot in Zuixianju, where the red oil was condensed with ice cubes.
It's just that the red color and smell are harder to detect in spicy hot pot, so the poisoner can succeed. "
Xiao Feng muttered: "It is rare that this poison is so violent and attacks so quickly. If it is really the same as the last poison, it is also a poison from Miao.
But the Miao people have already left the capital. If there are still people in the capital who have their poison, there is only one possibility. "
Lao Wang nodded and said that he had guessed it, but unfortunately it was of no use because there was no evidence.
"Have the identities of the six people who died on the table been found out?"
"After checking, four of them are sons of wealthy families in the capital, and one is the son of a sixth-grade official. There is only one whose identity is unknown."
Xiao Feng frowned: "Unidentified? Shuntian Mansion can't find out, so let's ask Jin Yiwei to check. The identities of these six people are very important."
Lao Wang looked at Xiao Feng: "Sir, do you think that the person who poisoned is among these six people? No, who would poison himself and still eat it!
How much money did this person have to pay to frame Zuixianju at the cost of his own life? "
This question also deeply puzzled Xiao Feng. Unless he was forced to die, how could anyone risk his own life to frame a restaurant?
Xiao Feng sighed: "Think about it from a motive point of view. Everything has a motive. When Zuixian Tower is unlucky, who is the happiest?"
Lao Wang said without hesitation: "Of course it's Taibaiju. I heard from Tanaka Shi that Taibaiju can't make ends meet, and Shi Zhenxiang can't survive anymore!"
If something happens to Zuixian Tower, Taibaiju will be able to come back to life. Sir, tonight, Lord Fu Yin Guo has ordered the sealing of Zuixian Tower. "
Xiao Feng nodded: "Master Guo is right to do this. No matter what is found out later, Zuixian Tower cannot be opened anymore. Let's seal it first."
Liu Ruyun, who had been comforted by everyone and silently crying, suddenly raised his head, his face pale.
"Master Xiao, Zuixian Tower has been my father's half-life effort, and it is everything to me. Is Zuixian Tower really not going to get out of the way?"
I only know how to cook. I have watched my mother cook since I was three years old. All I have been thinking about over the years is how to make the food better..."
Xiao Feng looked at Liu Ruyun quietly, her face was full of despair, that was real despair. For Liu Ruyun, she can no longer cook, just like Zhang Wuxin can no longer practice martial arts.
A person puts the most effort into one thing and makes it outstanding. Suddenly, she never has the chance to do it again.
Just like athletes are banned, actors are banned, young ladies are banned from pornography, and leaders are banned...
That kind of despair is hard for ordinary people to imagine.
Xiao Feng said calmly: "You can cook for us, we all like to eat." After a pause, he added.
"I love to eat."
A blush appeared on Liu Ruyun's pale face, the sorrow in her heart gradually dissipated, and her heart was beating fast.
Xiao Feng had never said such ambiguous words in public. She knew he was trying to comfort her, but so what?
Zhang Yunqing looked at Xiao Feng, Liu Ruyun, coughed and said, "That's right, Sister Liu, we all like to eat it!"
Liu Xueer smiled and hugged Liu Ruyun's shoulders and whispered in her ear.
"Why don't you rest for a few days? Tomorrow I will teach you how to apply rouge. Seeing how smoky you are all day long, you look so good."
Qiao Niang also quickly said: "I just haven't been feeling well these past few days. Miss Liu has rested and I can take a breath."
Liu Ruyun lowered her head, and a warm current flowed in her heart, turning into tears and falling on her tall chest. Seeing that her chest was wet, she wiped it with her hands in embarrassment.
"Miss Liu, please write a word and let's see how to solve this matter."
