General Qinghe was already drunk. He showed a lewd smile while being supported by the woman and walked towards him. His hands wandered over the woman's body from time to time, but the woman just laughed with him.
Seeing someone coming, Xu Yi dodged and left. When the woman saw Zhuo Zhen, she immediately said to General Qinghe: "Officer, there is someone here..."
"The woman has met Mr. Zhuo!" The woman looked at Zhuo Zhen with a bitter smile. Her eyes were full of disgust for the Qinghe man, but she was very respectful to Zhuo Zhen.
General Qinghe then raised his head and saw Zhuo Zhen. Already drunk, he immediately broke away from the woman's arms and walked to Zhuo Zhen.
Zhuo Zhen said very politely: "Is this gentleman satisfied with my arrangement?"
Qinghe smiled and patted Zhuo Zhen's cheek and said in a somewhat lame Zhongyuan dialect: "It turns out to be your son. The food and wine here are good, and the girls are also very nice. I am very satisfied. Now I want to feel better. Why don't you get out of here?" !”
In the end, Qingheren's face became ferocious, and he pressed Zhuo Zhen's head hard and pushed him down. Zhuo Zhen, who had never practiced martial arts, immediately hit the pillar on the side, and blood flowed from his head down his face, but that Qingheren did not use all his strength, and Zhuo Zhen only suffered superficial injuries.
The Fengchen woman exclaimed. She wanted to step forward to check Zhuo Zhen's injuries, but was stopped by Qinghe.
Zhuo Zhen covered his head and calmed down for a while. Qinghe just stared at Zhuo Zhen while holding the woman and kneading her, as if wanting to see Zhuo Zhen's reaction.
Zhuo Zhen nodded with a smile on his face and said, "I'll take my leave now. If you have anything to do, sir, just ask me..." while looking at him, he stepped back.
"Hahahaha..." Qinghe laughed openly. He no longer paid attention to Zhuo Zhen, but started tearing off the woman's clothes with a wicked smile. Although the woman was extremely disgusted, she did not resist. Soon after, there was a sound coming from the end of the corridor. There came the sound of men and women gasping.
Xu Yi, who was hiding on the side, wanted to rush out and kill the Qinghe general many times, but when he thought about Zhuo Zhen's plan, he had to give up. He found that in such a situation, even if he had some strength, he could not do anything.
Zhuo Zhen did not bandage the wound after leaving. He just found a piece of cloth and wiped the blood on his face. The amount of bleeding was not large. The wound scabbed and stopped bleeding quickly, but there was still a dull pain in his head.
Zhuo Zhen no longer cared about the county government affairs, took off his official uniform, changed into a different outfit, and came to the street alone.
On this day, Xinyang City was very depressed. Due to the arrival of the Qinghe Army, most of the people did not dare to go to the streets. Only a few people hurriedly walked on the streets. Naturally, some of them recognized Lord Yin of the County and looked at Zhuo Zhen Zhen's eyes were very complicated, with respect that was difficult to understand and even filled with deep fear.
Now Qinghe's army is outside the city, and Qinghe's generals were respectfully introduced to the county government office by the county Yin. It's no wonder that the people think too much. Now there are rumors in the city that County Yin has taken refuge with the Qinghe people and has become Qinghe's lackey.
In addition, the news of Commander Qinghe's massacre of the people has also spread to Xinyang City, and the people are in danger. Now they naturally stay away from Zhuo Zhen himself, for fear of being captured by him and given to Commander Qinghe. However, Zhuo Zhen did not travel with his yamen, these The people did not flee immediately.
Zhuo Zhen walked on the street with a gentle smile on his face. He wandered aimlessly in Xinyang City for a long time. His eyes were gentle with a hint of reluctance. Finally, he walked into a medicine shop.
Although the door of this medicine shop was still open, there was no doctor sitting in the clinic. When the shopkeeper saw Zhuo Zhen coming in, he immediately recognized him, greeted him respectfully and bowed: "Master Yin of the County, what kind of wind has brought you here? If If you need medicinal materials, just let your subordinates know and send them over, you don’t have to come in person."
Zhuo Zhen waved his hands and said, "Shopkeeper Bai, I'm just walking around, nothing else." It seems that Zhuo Zhen also knows this medicine shop shopkeeper.
Upon hearing this, shopkeeper Bai immediately said: "It's our honor for you to come, please come in quickly! I'll show you some tea soon."
Zhuo Zhen was no longer polite. He sat on a beech wood chair under the guidance of shopkeeper Bai. The tall man brought a cup of hot tea and handed it to him respectfully. Zhuo Zhen did not hesitate to hold the thick porcelain tea cup and immediately took a few sips. , after half a walk, he was indeed thirsty.
Shopkeeper Bai stood aside nervously, not daring to express his anger.
Zhuo Zhen put down his teacup and said, "Shopkeeper Bai, don't be formal. I'm just here to see the quality of the medicinal materials today."
Shopkeeper Bai suddenly fell to his knees with a thump, and said with a panic look on his face: "Sir, some of the medicinal materials in the store are indeed not of the highest quality, but the world outside is too chaotic nowadays, and some of the most popular medicinal materials are too expensive. I had no choice but to purchase a batch of inferior medicinal materials, please be careful!"
Then, Shopkeeper Bai suddenly kowtowed to the ground. Zhuo Zhen quickly stood up and helped Shopkeeper Bai up and said: "Shopkeeper Bai, I really didn't come here to ask questions today. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here alone. Come on. Please get up quickly."
Shopkeeper Bai's face softened slightly when he heard this, and he stood up dubiously.
"Shopkeeper Bai, today I just want to see if there are any adulterated medicinal materials in Qiao County." Zhuo Zhen said with some embarrassment.
Shopkeeper Bai looked a little weird when he heard this. Zhuo Zhen's father, Zhuo San, was well-known in the circle of buying and selling medicinal materials in Fengwu County. There were many people who collaborated with him back then, and there were even more people who couldn't stand him.
"It's all due to Mr. Zhuo's good management. During this period of time, we have no longer seen fake medicinal materials in Qiao County. Even if there are people who dare to take risks, they will be arrested by the Yamen police. We serious businessmen can all be grateful to you!" Bai Bai The shopkeeper was already convinced that Zhuo Zhen's trip was not to make things difficult for him. He said respectfully that he was no longer afraid, so naturally he would flatter him for a while.
Shopkeeper Bai didn't mention a word about Zhuo Zhen's father. Such a topic was too sensitive and he didn't dare to talk about it in front of the county Yin Da Rao.
"Shopkeeper Bai, I would like to take a look at your medicinal materials. Is it convenient?" Zhuo Zhen said politely.
Shopkeeper Bai didn't panic this time. He said quickly: "It's convenient, it's convenient. Sir, please..."
Shopkeeper Bai led the way into the counter. Behind the counter is the medicine bucket where medicinal materials are stored. The medicine bucket is a cabinet with many boxes with the names of medicinal materials written on it.
Zhuo Zhen walked into the counter and looked around. Although his father specializes in selling fake medicinal materials for profit, Zhuo San has a very good knowledge of medicinal materials. Zhuo San can see through the quality of medicinal materials at a glance. Under the influence of his ears and eyes, Zhuo Zhen His ability to recognize medicine is also quite provocative.
No longer paying attention to Shopkeeper Bai, Zhuo Zhen took out the medicine box and checked it. Shopkeeper Bai stopped talking and waited quietly.
Zhuo Zhen flipped through the pages very quickly, and after a while he had already read through most of the medicinal materials. He sighed softly: "It is true that most of them are good ones, only Fengpin, Liuqu, Ganlu, etc. The quality of the twelve medicinal materials is much worse, especially in these six songs, most of the medicinal effect has been lost."
Shopkeeper Bai widened his eyes and looked shocked when he heard this. He was impressed by the county magistrate's ability to recognize medicine. Zhuo Zhen was not wrong at all. Shopkeeper Bai cupped his hands and said, "My lord, you have such piercing eyes, I admire you so much!"
"You also know who my father is. It's hard to understand even if you've just heard and seen him." Zhuo Zhen pushed the last medicine box in and said with a smile.
Shopkeeper Bai didn't dare to answer the call. Zhuo San's incident would probably offend the county Yin Darao, and no businessman dared to mention it. What's more, with Shopkeeper Bai's eyesight, he couldn't tell that the county Yin was visiting. He could only deal with his true intentions with his heart.
Zhuo Zhen didn't care about Shopkeeper Bai's performance. He put away his smile and asked solemnly: "Shopkeeper Bai, let me ask you, are there any merchants selling counterfeit medicines in Qiao County now? This matter is related to the life and death of the people, shopkeeper. Tell the truth."
Although shopkeeper Bai is a bit of a philistine, he is still a good person after all. After hearing what County Yin said, he thought carefully and replied: "Sir, there are no counterfeit medicines for sale in Qiao County now, but there are counterfeit medicines in other counties in Fengwu County." It is still rampant and will flow in if you are not careful.”
"Hey, in troubled times, we can't help ourselves. If one Zhuosan falls, countless Zhuosan will stand up in the world. For that little benefit, some people can ignore the life and death of others. This is human nature. Kind, innocent, and weak people can only Being cheated alive, with families and people destroyed, this is the tragedy of troubled times."
Zhuo Zhen walked out with a sad look on his face, and shopkeeper Bai quickly followed him.
When I walked outside the door, it was already sunset. The rays of the setting sun shone on Zhuo Zhen's face. Zhuo Zhen said with a look of reluctance: "I didn't expect that I would do such a thing. It's a bit ridiculous to think about it. I just have to decide what the future holds. I can just accept my fate and hope everything will be fine after today."
Zhuo Zhen seemed to be complaining or whispering. Shopkeeper Bai didn't know how to answer the conversation and could only wait.
"Shopkeeper Bai, I won't hold you accountable for those inferior medicinal materials, but you must remember that when you prescribe medicine to patients, you can't get away with it, and you can't pass it off as defective and sell it at a high price!" Zhuo Zhen walked to the door and looked back. Said to Shopkeeper Bai.
Shopkeeper Bai immediately gave his assurance.
Zhuo Zhen said meaningfully: "No matter what the situation is in the future, remember to do business with conscience. Even if I, the county governor, don't intervene, you can't follow my father's old path again!"
"I will keep your teachings in mind!" Shopkeeper Bai bowed deeply to Zhuo Zhen in front of the door with a very serious expression.
"Don't give it away!" Zhuo Zhen waved his hand with his back to shopkeeper Bai, and walked towards the county government office without looking back.
The fifth clerk also came out at this time. They looked at Zhuo Zhen's leaving figure and said in five voices: "Shopkeeper, Mr. County Yin seems to be acting strangely. He seems to be explaining the funeral arrangements."
Shopkeeper Bai quickly covered his mouth and said, "Don't be blind. If your heart is heard by others, it will cause trouble."
When Wu stopped talking, shopkeeper Bai let go of his hand and said: "Wu, you are still just an apprentice now. When you grow up, you will also be the shopkeeper. Remember what Yin Darao in this county said, fake medicines are harmful to people." It’s not shallow, but don’t touch it!”
Wu Zhen said: "Don't worry, shopkeeper, my mother was almost killed by fake medicinal materials. There is no way I can sell such things!"
"That's good, Wu, you are a good boy, don't go astray." Shopkeeper Bai patted Wu on the shoulder.
Wu Zheng nodded.
"Your mother's illness has basically recovered now. You two, don't go back to Qingfeng City. Just follow me. You and that girl Zhi'er can get along well. When you two grow up and become a couple, I will be old. I can leave this family business to you with peace of mind!"
Shopkeeper Bai made Wuyi blush. Zhier was shopkeeper Bai's daughter, one year older than Wu, and he was thinking of recruiting Wu as his son-in-law.
"Shopkeeper, please stop teasing me, I'm going to work..." Wu ran away with a red face.
…
When Zhuo Zhen returned to the county yamen, the sun had already set. Today, the Qinghe people in the yamen were still eating, drinking and having fun. There was laughter and some unpleasant noises everywhere. These Qinghe people did not avoid others, and some of them went to work on the spot on a whim. When they started to do the sloppy thing, those women accepted Zhuo Zhen's instructions and naturally they didn't resist.
The government officials were guarding the door, and Zhuo Zhen's housekeeper and servants were waiting on him in the courtyard. Although they didn't say it in words, there was a trace of shame on their faces.
Those Qinghe people looked at Zhuo Zhen with contempt. Zhuo Zhen was not angry, but looked like he was trying to please him.
Zhuo Zhen found Aoba Shinichi at the banquet in the backyard. At this time, there was still no woman around Aoba Shinichi. He was just lying lazily in front of the table, occasionally drinking a few sips of wine, including Qingheto. No one dared to disturb him.
When Aoba Shinichi walked in, he slowly stood up and asked with a joking look on his face: "How are the arrangements going?"
"Sir, please come with me." Zhuo Zhen said respectfully.
The two walked out and, led by Zhuo Zhen, arrived at the door of a locked wing.
"There will be twenty-five people here?" Aoba Shinichi asked with a smile.
"You will know at a glance..." Zhuo Zhen opened the door. The room was dark and there was no sound.
"Let me see what kind of medicine you are selling in this gourd!" Aoba Shinichi walked in very confidently, as if he was not worried about any fraud.
Zhuo Zhen took a deep breath and walked in, his steps trembling slightly.
Zhuo Zhen entered the room and lit the oil lamp in the room. This wing was very large and had been specially renovated. It was filled with various torture instruments.
Aoba Shinichi glanced around and sneered: "It's interesting, but it saves me from getting some tools. It seems that you have been prepared for it, but where is the person?"
Zhuo Zhen knelt down on the ground with a thump and said: "My lord, I failed to find anyone else. According to what I said before, I am willing to let you handle it. I just ask you to spare me, the people of Qiao County! I am the county governor, so I should be able to let you do it." Even more enjoyable…”
Aoba Shinichi crossed his arms and said with a hint of sneer: "Oh? So all you did was to sacrifice your own life in exchange for others' lives? You, the county magistrate, are really great."
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Zhen hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head and said in panic: "Sir, I am just trying to atone for my past actions. Please help me!" His eyes gradually became firmer and the trembling of his body slowly subsided.
Aoba Shinichi quickly grabbed Zhuo Zhen's neck, lifted him up, and pressed him hard against the wall. He said with a fierce look in his eyes: "Son, what I hate most is when others plot against me!"
Zhuo Zhen felt the pain and suffocation coming from his neck, but the pain in his heart outweighed the physical pain. He thought sadly in his heart: "It's bad. It's self-defeating and angered this guy. Not only am I going to die, but also Qiao County The people will also suffer!"
However, Aoba Shinichi's expression softened a little, and he withdrew the strength in his hand and said: "It is undeniable that your plan was successful. Although it was induced by you, I am indeed a man of his word. I must do it." , you are right about one thing, your county governor can indeed bring me more happiness."
"So, Mr. County Yin, are you ready? You are not allowed to beg for mercy or commit suicide. If you die before I have enough fun, I will have to find more people." Aoba Shinichi said with a ferocious smile.
Hearing such terrible words, Zhuo Zhen was not afraid, and he actually felt a little lucky in his heart.
Zhuo Zhen squeezed out a smile and said, "Sir, I will try my best to live until you are satisfied!"
"You have the guts, I can't wait any longer, let's get started!" Aoba Shinichi released his grip on Zhuo Zhen's neck and walked towards the torture device on the side. He was not afraid of Zhuo Zhen resisting or escaping.
Soon after, Zarao's screams began to be heard in the wing room.
