Chapter 272: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 272: A Farce of Buying a Shop (Part 1)
The sudden death of the woman in prison made this already mysterious case even more bewildering.
Rumors began to spread like wildfire among the common people. Some said that the family was cursed by vengeful spirits, others claimed that there were feng shui issues, while some suspected that the family had hidden deadly secrets...
In short, this case became a topic of conversation for people during their leisure time, and wherever one went, they could hear someone mentioning it. As for the other residents who originally lived in that area, they felt uneasy. Some couldn't bear it and moved away with their families, while others sought peace by inviting monks and Taoists to perform rituals for their homes.
Upon hearing about this, Xiao Ruiyuan had an idea. He dispatched a large number of personnel to secretly investigate ordinary households in the capital. Once symptoms similar to those of the family of seven who were poisoned were discovered, they were to immediately ascertain the cause and report back.
Before long, the dispatched personnel began to report back, revealing that many households had similar patients, with symptoms roughly resembling those of the family of seven, albeit milder. Interestingly, several families had deceased relatives who had suffered from similar symptoms before passing away.
With a clear understanding of the situation, Xiao Ruiyuan compiled all this information and instructed them to investigate the source of grain for these households, to see if they had been buying moldy grain from grain shops.
Following this line of inquiry, the investigation results indeed pointed to moldy grain as the cause.
However, even though they had ample evidence proving that consuming moldy grain over a long period could lead to poisoning and death, it still wasn't the most appropriate time to act.
Xiao Ruiyuan was waiting. He was waiting for news from the border garrison. Once soldiers at the border began experiencing similar symptoms, he would publicly reveal all the evidence related to moldy grain before it reached the emperor's ears. Only then could he garner the attention of the emperor and court officials to thoroughly eradicate this malignant tumor of moldy grain.
It didn't take long for a soldier at the border to experience uncontrollable diarrhea, followed by several others exhibiting similar symptoms. With the manipulation of interested parties, the situation escalated much more rapidly than in Mo Yan's dream, occurring half a month earlier.
Upon receiving the news, Xiao Ruiyuan immediately transmitted all the evidence collected during this period through covert channels to those enemies of Heng Wang who were enemies of the state.
The subsequent events didn't require Xiao Ruiyuan to intervene personally. Heng Wang became the target of fierce attacks by various princes and imperial sons under the instigation of those enemies. Under their influence, factions aligned with them launched a vigorous assault against Heng Wang's faction.
However, for reasons unknown, Emperor Huian kept the memorials accusing Heng Wang of selling moldy grain and poisoning innocent people on hold. To others, this stance seemed like an alternative form of protection for Heng Wang, which further fueled the dissatisfaction of other princes and imperial sons. Privately, they became more active, displaying a determination not to relent until Heng Wang was removed from power.
Following this, the matter of Heng Wang's involvement in selling moldy grain and poisoning the people was quickly spread among the public through the machinations of unseen hands.
In no time, discussions among the common people surged. Coupled with the recent deaths of the family of seven due to moldy grain poisoning, they were frightened and quickly checked their own grain stores for moldy grain.
Meanwhile, those who had suspected that their deceased relatives had been poisoned by tainted grain seethed with anger. They gathered in crowds and marched to Heng Wang's residence to demand justice.
With so many people, Heng Wang's residence couldn't fend them off. Coupled with the sensitive situation, the guards of Heng Wang's residence dared not lay hands on ordinary civilians. They had no choice but to close the gates of Heng Wang's residence, preventing those troublemakers from barging in and harming the master of the household.
The development of the situation was entirely under the control of Xiao Ruiyuan and Chu Heng. Even if Emperor Huian intended to protect Heng Wang, the two of them weren't worried.
When news of a large number of soldiers at the border being poisoned by moldy grain reached the capital, even if Emperor Huian wanted to protect Heng Wang, he would have to consider whether the 50,000 troops at the border would agree.
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