Zou Huainan

"Heh." Liang Yue smiled. "You don't dare, do you?"

Chen Ju also saw that something was wrong. Seeing the guilty looks on the faces of the men opposite them, he asked, "What's going on here?"

"Looking at his symptoms, what poison has he been afflicted with? This is clearly 'Alcohol Intolerance Syndrome.'" Liang Yue scrutinized the two men. "You're quite practiced at rescuing him. You probably know full well what this is about. You came here deliberately, didn't you?"

"Officer, what are you talking about?" The man who had been shouting all along softened his voice now, his face full of unease. "How could we joke around with our brother's life? We're sworn brothers, close as hands and feet! I don't even know what that syndrome you mentioned is. This must be a misunderstanding."

"Whether it is or not, take them back first and investigate their backgrounds." Liang Yue said to Chen Ju.

Judging by their behavior, he felt that this matter was far from simple.

If they were merely ruffians and scoundrels trying to extort money, they should not have been so eager to see the authorities. Besides, Linmen Street had just suffered an arson case not long ago, and now another disturbance had arisen. It was hard not to draw connections.

As for this man's method, it truly was not complicated. He simply had a severe alcohol allergy. After drinking a bowl of wine, his whole body flushed red, his throat swelled, and he had difficulty breathing. None of those symptoms were faked, and that was precisely why they looked so convincing.

If he had been pretending, he definitely would not have fooled people so easily.

This world might not yet have had a clear concept of "allergies." Only some medical texts recorded the so-called "Alcohol Intolerance Syndrome," and even their descriptions of the symptoms were incomplete. His appearance really was quite frightening.

Unfortunately, he had run into Liang Yue, who spotted the problem with him after only a glance.

Seeing that the situation had gone wrong, the two men exchanged a look and suddenly turned to run!

Their companion lying unconscious on the ground immediately opened his eyes and cried weakly, "Hey! You can't just abandon me!"

So he had been faking unconsciousness too. Now that he saw his companions running off without intending to take him along, he finally panicked and spoke up. As for those two, they had just put on such concerned expressions, going on about sworn brothers and being close as hands and feet...

Now, there were only two words for it.

Not close.

They ran fast, but Pang Chun was standing at the door. Before they had taken three steps, the two discovered that all four of their legs had left the ground. They kicked helplessly, yet did not move forward an inch.

Da Chun had grabbed one in each hand and lifted them up like little chicks.

He stood there like an iron tower, acting in silence, and cut a rather intimidating figure.

But when he turned to Liang Yue, he gave a simpleminded grin, showing two rows of big teeth. "A Yue, I completed the mission."

The moment they had entered, Liang Yue had told him to stand outside near the door and make a move if anyone tried to flee. Sure enough, he had caught the two without any effort.

Liang Yue raised a thumb to praise him.

"Esteemed Guards, this really is... thank you so much." The elderly couple came forward and thanked them repeatedly. The three young Imperial Capital Guards waved their hands politely.

After thinking for a moment, Liang Yue pulled the elderly couple aside into a corner and asked in a low voice, "Has anyone suspicious approached you recently? Or have you offended any gangs or powerful factions?"

"Well..." The old couple thought back before answering, "There really was one suspicious person!"

"A few months ago, there was supposedly a traveling merchant from Yue Province who wanted to buy up all of Linmen Street in one grand stroke and turn it into his own row of shops. Since his price was a little higher than the usual price for selling a shop, and there were also some threats involved, half the merchants on the street sold. Look, all those shops are closed." The old tavern keeper pointed toward the street outside as he explained.

"But those of us old neighbors who remained had inherited ancestral property from childhood, and our families had done business here generation after generation. We could not bear to sell. They came twice more afterward, raising the price as high as double. Between the lines, they meant that if we still refused to sell, they would make sure we could no longer stay in business. But us remaining old neighbors stood united. We all communicated with one another and agreed not to sell, so they never appeared again."

"Then came the arson case a few days ago, followed by what happened today..." The old woman continued indignantly. "I suspected long ago that it was that lot!"

"What are the names of the people who wanted to buy your properties? Do you know their exact backgrounds?" Liang Yue asked.

The culprit from the previous arson case had already been taken away from the station and vanished without a trace. All they knew was that he was connected to the Dragon Tooth Gang, a powerful force in the southern city. But the role the Dragon Tooth Gang played in this remained unclear. Were they taking money to do a job, or were they the true masterminds?

Looking at wave after wave of incidents, if they wanted to solve the problem for the merchants of Linmen Street once and for all, they still had to find out who was stirring things up behind the scenes. The enormous Dragon Tooth Gang would be difficult to use as a breakthrough, but if there was a specific person, they would have a much easier trail to follow.

"We only know that he is a wealthy southern merchant. We know nothing else." The old man answered again. "But according to the neighbors who sold their shops, the authorities made every part of the handover convenient for them. His background must be very significant."

"Good." Liang Yue nodded. "We will do our best to investigate. For now, you should remain on guard. Someone else may come and cause trouble next time."

"Alas." The old man sighed. "They have wealth and power. How can small households like ours fight them? Had I known, it would have been better to sell..."

"What are you afraid of?" The old woman's brows rose sharply. "We're already this old, and we've lived enough! Even if we die, we'll die here!"

"Please rest assured, elders." Liang Yue said solemnly. "We will never stand by and do nothing."

"A Yue!"

While they were speaking, Pang Chun shouted from outside.

Liang Yue hurried out. The moment he stepped out of the tavern, he saw three more Imperial Capital Guards blocking the entrance, confronting Chen Ju and Pang Chun.

The leader was a tall, thin young man with arrogant, sharp features. He too wore the official uniform of the Imperial Capital Guard, but the scabbard at his waist was set with golden patterns, making him look exceptionally noble.

"I am Zou Huainan from the Southern City Main Office. From now on, the Main Office will take over this poisoning case. You people from Fukang Ward need not concern yourselves with it." The young man gave orders to Chen Ju.

"Someone from the Main Office?" Chen Ju frowned at him, seeming to have realized something.

"That's right." Zou Huainan waved a hand at his subordinates. "Take these three people and the two shop owners back with us."

The elderly couple, who had just walked Liang Yue out, immediately panicked upon hearing this.

Ordinary people naturally feared government offices, especially when they did not know the other side's background. Out in public, they might still be somewhat reasonable, but once they were taken back, would they not be able to call black white and white black as they pleased?

"Wait."

Liang Yue stepped forward and held out an arm to stop them. "This case has already been solved. These three used their own medical condition to come here and cause trouble for no reason. They should be taken back now and interrogated about whether anyone instructed them and where exactly they came from. These shop owners are entirely innocent, so why take them away?"

"Get lost." Zou Huainan completely ignored what Liang Yue had said and rebuked him indifferently. "It is not the place of a subordinate guard to speak."

"Guard Zou, you do not get to speak of my brother either." Chen Ju immediately looked displeased. "We have already handled this case. You may take the criminals back if you wish, but there is no need to take innocent shop owners, is there?"

"Hmph." Zou Huainan snorted coldly. "How do I know whether you have colluded with the shop owners to oppress ordinary citizens? Take them!"

At his command, the two Subordinate Guards behind him stepped forward again.

"Stop!" Liang Yue shouted, stepping forward as well to block them. Instantly, the atmosphere turned as taut as drawn swords.

"Roar—" Seeing someone clash with Liang Yue, Pang Chun immediately let out an angry roar and strode forward like a ferocious beast. His imposing presence frightened the two Subordinate Guards into retreating several steps in succession.

From childhood to adulthood, he had always been Liang Yue's guardian vajra.

Sometimes, he did not even care if he himself suffered a little bullying. But if someone wanted to lay hands on Liang Yue, that was absolutely impossible.

"What are you trying to do?" Seeing how terrifying Pang Chun looked, Zou Huainan hurriedly shouted.

"I don't know what I'm trying to do either!" Pang Chun answered with mighty grandeur. Do not listen too closely to what he said; his sheer volume alone was quite intimidating.

"Calm down!" Chen Ju hurriedly grabbed Da Chun, then lightly tugged Liang Yue as well and whispered, "I've heard the name Zou Huainan before. He is the son of Zou Fang, the Southern City Chief Commander. What happened today is strange. They must be in league with this bunch. Until we understand what is going on behind the scenes, try not to fight."

Liang Yue's gaze shifted, and he had already seen the situation clearly.

The Main Office's men did not patrol the streets in their daily duties, nor did they easily come out to handle cases. Their sudden appearance here today meant they had surely been informed in advance.

This gang of ruffians had caused trouble here, and once they had drawn a crowd from the surrounding area, several Imperial Capital Guards would appear and take the shop owners away in the natural course of things. Once they were back at the government office, there would be no fear that the shop owners would still refuse to sell.

With such a bloody example before them, the other old neighbors on Linmen Street likely would not dare resist any longer.

Officials and criminals were colluding. It was truly vicious.

The only unexpected factor was that Liang Yue and the others had happened to patrol through this place. They had arrived before the Main Office's men and swiftly solved the case. Those ruffians had probably thought they were the constables they had arranged things with, which was why they had kept exchanging meaningful glances.

By the time the troublemakers were about to be escorted away, they had finally arrived late.

Now, they seemed somewhat anxious.

"You still want to fight?" Zou Huainan's gaze turned sinister. "It seems the Fukang Ward station's collusion between officials and merchants is severe. It is time for a thorough investigation from top to bottom."

"Alas." Chen Ju let out a sigh.

He did not wish to casually use his aristocratic family background to crush others. But if he could not deter the other side today, this matter would be difficult to resolve.

With his status as a collateral member of the Chen Family, he did not need to fear the son of an Imperial Capital Guard Chief Commander too much. The reason he had urged Liang Yue and the others to stay calm was that he did not know who was pulling strings behind the scenes, so he did not want to expand the conflict for the time being.

For the other party to be able to command men from the Imperial Capital Guard's Main Office, their background had to be considerable. It would not be wise to provoke them rashly. If they fought and blew the matter up, whether they won or lost would not be a good outcome.

However.

While avoiding a fight, there was no need to indulge the other side with words.

He immediately opened his little mouth, and it was as though it had been smeared with honey.

"Hehe, my name is Chen Ju. You can go back and check what family I come from." Chen Ju raised his head and said sharply, meeting him needle for needle. "Today, whoever colludes with evildoers can die with his father. Do you dare bet on it?"

Good morning.