Chapter 138: Confession!

This statement exploded like water dropped into a hot oil pan.

The townspeople were in disbelief—Shopkeeper Qian was the true culprit behind the fake medicine, and he had tried to pin the blame on Doctor Su, even inciting them to attack her. 

But with this sudden turn of events, they held back their anger, learning from their previous mistake. They decided to wait for Su Wan and Shopkeeper Qian to sort things out before dealing with the real mastermind behind the scheme.

Shopkeeper Qian was stunned, not expecting that his backyard would be compromised!

In a panic, he hastily tried to explain, “It wasn’t me! Doctor Su intentionally brought someone here to frame me!”

Shopkeeper Qian desperately attempted to distance himself from the person caught making the fake medicine.

“He… and him…” Shopkeeper Qian pointed at the owner of the ceramics shop that Qi Fifth had brought, vehemently denying, “I don’t know him, nor did I send anyone to commission him to make medicine bottles.”

Su Wan let out a mocking laugh. “Shopkeeper Qian, when did we say you were the one who commissioned the bottles? You’re so quick to deny it—are you feeling guilty?”

Shopkeeper Qian was momentarily speechless but stubbornly refused to admit anything. “You’re sharp-tongued, and I can’t argue with you. Your methods are underhanded, and I can’t compete with you. I haven’t done anything wrong, and no matter how much you try to frame me or how many so-called ‘witnesses’ you bring forward, I will never admit to something I didn’t do, even if it kills me!”

Qi Fifth was furious, seeing Shopkeeper Qian’s shameless denial. Angrily, he retorted, “You’re full of crap! Do you think our young lady would falsely accuse you? Do you think you’re that important?”

He shoved the ceramics shop owner forward. “Tell us, who was it that commissioned you to make the medicine bottles?”

The ceramics shop owner stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. He looked up at Shopkeeper Qian, then glanced nervously at the people standing behind him.

The medicine apprentice, trying to hide his face by pulling his sleeve up, began to slowly back away, attempting to slip into the medical hall unnoticed.

“It’s him! He’s the one!” The ceramics shop owner pointed at the apprentice. Seeing the apprentice suddenly bolt toward the medical hall, the owner took a quick stride and grabbed him by the back of his collar, dragging him to the ground. “Where are you running off to? You gave me an empty bottle and ordered me to make ten thousand identical ones.”

The ceramics shop owner pulled a ledger from his sleeve. “I delivered a thousand bottles on the 11th, two thousand on the 13th, and another two thousand on the 15th. Last night, after receiving your message, I delivered another thousand bottles this morning. You personally came to inspect them and signed off on the delivery.”

The apprentice’s face turned ashen, and cold sweat beading on his forehead. “It wasn’t… it wasn’t me…”

“Not you?” The ceramics shop owner turned to Qi Fifth and said, “Take a sample of his handwriting and compare it with the records in the medical hall. You’ll find they match perfectly!”

The apprentice, terrified, looked over at Shopkeeper Qian, who glared back at him with a menacing look, signaling him to keep quiet.

“I’ve figured it out! I bought five hundred bottles of medicine, and I just smashed them all. Half were real, and half were fake. The other townspeople who bought two bottles, or even more, all had the same experience—half real, half fake.”

Wang Dong’s face was flushed with excitement as he spoke quickly, “Guangren Hall sold medicine on the 11th, 13th, and 15th, matching the dates and quantities delivered by the ceramics shop. It must be their fake products!”

Shopkeeper Qian’s face turned an ashen shade, his expression as dark as it could get.

Su Wan coldly declared, “With both witnesses and evidence in hand, let’s report this to the authorities!”

“Report it to the authorities! Report it to the authorities!” 

The townspeople began to shout.

At that moment, Mo Chen had brought the prefectural magistrate, Liu Zhifu, to the scene. Pointing towards Guangren Hall, Mo Chen flattered the magistrate, saying, “This medical hall has been selling fake medicine, cheating the hard-earned money of the people. You, as a good official who looks out for the common folk, will surely give them justice.”

Liu Zhifu never imagined that after dealing with the governor’s daughter, he would now be called upon by someone from the Regent’s camp to investigate a case.

The pressure was immense, but he knew that if he handled this case well, it could earn him some favor with the Regent.

“Tell the Regent that I will thoroughly investigate this case!” Liu Zhifu declared as he straightened his official robe and stepped down from the carriage.

“The Prefect is here! Lord Prefect is here!” The townspeople, sensing his authority, instinctively made way for him.

“Lord Liu, you must bring justice to us common folk. Guangren Hall has been selling fake medicine, causing our wounds to fester. They are heartless and lack any trace of a healer’s compassion. Such a person is not fit to be a doctor!” one of the townspeople pleaded passionately.

Liu Zhifu raised his hand to calm the crowd. “Everyone, please remain calm. I will thoroughly investigate this matter. If it is indeed true that Guangren Hall has been selling fake medicine, I will ensure that justice is served.”

Su Wan raised her eyebrow, surprised at how timely Liu Zhifu’s arrival was. “Lord Liu, I am the owner of the Xinglin Workshop in Xihe Town. I previously collaborated with Guangren Hall, selling ten thousand bottles of wound medicine to Shopkeeper Qian.

They counterfeited my medicine and sold the fake products to the public, causing serious harm. I have gathered both witnesses and physical evidence. If you search Guangren Hall, the truth will be revealed.”

Liu Zhifu discreetly took a deep breath. He recognized Su Wan—she was the one who had recently saved Cao Wanqing and was acquainted with Zhao Wei.

Liu Zhifu instantly became more alert, adopting a more cautious tone as he said, “Rest assured, I will handle this matter impartially.”

With a wave of his hand, he commanded, “Men, search the premises.”

The constables immediately filed into Guangren Hall.

Su Wan pointed to the man on the ground who had been making the fake medicine. “Lord Liu, this is Guangren Hall’s doctor. He’s the one responsible for producing the fake medicine. The small workshop is in the backyard, where you’ll find many unfinished products.”

A few of the constables who were at the back quickly turned around, grabbing the doctor and dragging him into the backyard workshop.

Qi Third hurriedly followed them to guide the way.

Soon, the constables brought out the tools used for making the fake medicine, along with the unfinished products and empty medicine bottles.

Wang Dong stepped forward, examining the powder. He sniffed it and immediately recognized it as the fake medicine. “Lord Liu, look here. This powder is identical to the fake medicine I spilled on the ground—the scent, the color, everything matches! Although they made it very similar to the real medicine, if you smell carefully, there’s a difference. The fake one has a stronger, more pungent odor, and the color is slightly paler.”

Liu Zhifu, though not knowledgeable in medicine, carefully compared the two based on Wang Dong’s observations and indeed noticed the subtle differences.

“And these are the thousand empty bottles that Guangren Hall received today,” the ceramics shop owner pointed out.

While all this was happening, Su Wan quietly slipped into Guangren Hall unnoticed.

Lord Liu, now fully exuding his authority, addressed the guilty parties with stern command. “Confess the truth, and you may still have a chance to atone for your crimes. But if you continue to resist, the full weight of the law will be brought down upon you!”

“Lord Liu, I confess!” The doctor responsible for making the fake medicine, seeing no way out, finally broke down. “Shopkeeper Qian saw how effective the medicine from Xinglin Workshop was, but he was unhappy that each bottle only earned him two wen. He wanted more profit, so he ordered me to create a similar medicine to pass off as the genuine product from Xinglin Workshop. The cost was just a few wen, but he sold it at a high price, making ten to twenty wen per bottle.”

“I was forced into it, obeying my boss’s orders. If I didn’t go along with his plan, I’d lose my job, and I have a whole family depending on me!”

The medicine apprentice, who was already timid and easily frightened, panicked as the evidence mounted and the doctor confessed. He quickly pleaded, “Lord Liu, Shopkeeper Qian only instructed me to order the bottles from the ceramics shop. I wasn’t involved in anything else. Please, believe me!”