Chapter 2595 - Investigation (Part 22)
"You truly intend to use this man?" Quan Youde asked once Yuan Shuzhi had departed.
"Whether he's trustworthy matters little—he won't be able to talk regardless." Daoist Mushi gave a cold laugh. "Wouldn't you agree, Master Quan?"
"Yes, yes." Quan Youde had originally favored simply silencing Yuan Shuzhi, but present circumstances required keeping him alive.
Remaining at Jubao Tang, however, posed considerable danger. The shop's distribution of Lushi Powder was an open secret, and now that the Australians had launched an investigation at the source, it was only a matter of time before they traced it here. All important personnel and goods had been quietly relocated, leaving only a few expendable underlings at the shop as cover.
In less than two years of handling Lushi Powder and these Australian miracle drugs, Jubao Tang had accumulated nearly two hundred fifty thousand yuan in profits. Even Daoist Mushi, who had seen his share of fortunes, found the figure staggering. The money came almost too easily.
The wealthy gentry and magnates proved especially lucrative—to save their own lives, they produced dozens or hundreds of taels of silver without so much as a wince.
Yet though their earnings ran high, so did expenses. Daoist Mushi knew that over those two years, nearly one hundred thousand in silver had been submitted to Lord Shi alone. The remainder went mostly toward Master Liang's "great undertaking."
Beneath Guangdong's calm surface, discontent among the gentry quietly simmered. Daoist Mushi knew his master was biding his time. Once the Court's armies marched south, Guangdong would erupt in flames. Even if they couldn't burn the Hairy Bandits to death, they could at least wound them deeply—ensuring they wouldn't dare covet the Central Plains for decades to come.
Countless taels of silver had been deployed, and the conspiracy was gradually taking shape. The Court's attention was turning southward. Before long, the imperial edict appointing a Liangguang Military Commissioner would be issued. The Hairy Bandits' days of running roughshod over the Two Guangs were nearly at an end.
"Daoist," Quan Youde said quietly.
"What is it?"
"Will there still be Australian drugs?"
"Hard to say." Daoist Mushi shook his head. "I suspect this venture has run its course."
Quan Youde was loath to abandon such lucrative trade. Disappointment flickered across his face, and he pressed further: "Even if we've lost one channel, surely there are others..."
"You think it's that simple!" Daoist Mushi laughed inwardly at his naivety. "The Hairy Bandits aren't fools. We've profited off their drugs for two years. That's enough..." He paused, reconsidering. If he completely extinguished Quan Youde's hopes, this money-grubbing fellow might do something rash, and they still had use for him. So he softened his tone: "For now we must avoid the spotlight. Once their investigation storm passes, we can resume operations."
"I'm worried those medicine peddlers and merchants won't receive their goods and will report us to the Australians," Quan Youde continued. "It would cause us immediate trouble and ruin our ability to do business later..."
Collecting payment without delivering goods was fraud, and losing credibility would make future dealings nearly impossible. Quan Youde was still thinking ahead, trying to preserve a path for future cooperation.
Daoist Mushi understood his thinking perfectly—but he also knew with certainty that this business had no future.
"Though operations won't resume in the short term, these merchants still need placating," the Daoist said. "Have Manager Gao tell them we need three more months. We'll deliver all goods then, at a twenty percent discount upon delivery."
"Yes, that at least gives them an answer." Quan Youde brightened, still believing business could resume. Daoist Mushi sneered inwardly.
The fake drug business was a one-time venture—Lord Shi had told him this long ago. More than that, on Lord Shi's orders, he had stockpiled considerable quantities of genuine Australian drugs, all prepared for wartime use. But Quan Youde had no need to know this—and would never know.
The counterfeit operation had reached its end. The Australians' commotion in Guangzhou would inevitably expose their hospital channels. Finding Jubao Tang was merely a matter of time. His purpose here was to "clean up thoroughly."
Though only ten-odd li from the medicine market, this location lay deep in a mountain ravine, accessible only through twisting, labyrinthine routes. Without a guide, ordinary people couldn't hope to find their way. Though the Australians had eyes on Jubao Tang's exterior, checkpoint reports confirmed that every tail had lost the trail midway. The place was temporarily safe—safe enough for him to settle the accounts in hand.
Once those accounts were settled, this place would become the final resting place for Mr. Shu, Quan Youde, and the others. The tens of thousands Quan Youde had skimmed would also "return to their rightful owner."
After that, he would need to devote more attention to the fake silver dollars and counterfeit notes, Daoist Mushi mused.
He summoned Manager Gao and asked: "Have all the new Wanchun Quan Lushi Powders arrived?"
"Yes, they're all stored at Jubao Tang."
"Good. Return tomorrow. Once you're back, repackage this entire batch as Jubao Tang Lushi Powder."
"But there are no Australian drugs in them."
"What Australian drugs? Lushi Powder is Lushi Powder." Daoist Mushi laughed.
Manager Gao's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "Your humble servant understands!"
"After repackaging, notify all the peddlers and merchants who've prepaid to come collect their goods. Reassure them. Tell them: if they still wish to sell miracle drugs, they should prepay for six months' worth. We'll supply at twenty percent off, but delivery will be delayed three months. Understood?"
"This..." Manager Gao hesitated—this differed somewhat from what Master Quan had said. But he quickly grasped the Daoist's meaning and nodded. "Your humble servant understands!"
"You're a clever one." Daoist Mushi nodded approvingly. "Serve well, and I'll see you promoted."
"Yes, thank you, Daoist!" Manager Gao bowed, delighted, and withdrew.
"Qiao Yan!" Daoist Mushi called into the darkness. A large man materialized from the shadows.
"Guard this place well with the others. Watch for anyone trying to leave without permission—especially Jubao Tang's people. Understood? Don't let a single one escape."
"Australian pen?" Zheng Xiaoyu nodded slowly. This meant someone in the health sector was colluding with Quan Youde, siphoning off publicly-funded drugs. The note must have been communication between them.
"What did it say?"
"I didn't see. A servant took it away immediately." He Jun shook his head. "But this Quan Youde definitely has connections with Australian cadres! How else could he obtain so many of their drugs?"
"Naturally, naturally." Zheng Xiaoyu nodded. "Do you have any idea who he might be connected with?"
"Who else could it be?" He Jun had drunk several cups and was already tipsy, his words flowing unguarded. "Obviously someone from the Australian hospital in Guangzhou!"
Zheng Xiaoyu thought to himself—wasn't that obvious! But distributors like He Jun knew very little. Quan Youde would never reveal something as critical as his supply source to a mere seller. He pressed patiently: "Besides this Australian cadre, there must be some vulnerability? Some weakness?"
"There is one peculiar thing. Can't say it's a weakness exactly—just strange."
He Jun recounted how he'd once seen a Kunlun slave selling medicine at the medicine market. Nothing unusual in that—local drug peddlers from Southeast Asia often came to sell medicinals. But this particular man had walked straight into Jubao Tang.
"Jubao Tang doesn't compound its own medicines. What use would they have for Southeast Asian medicinals?" He Jun said. "Very suspicious."
"Was the native alone?"
"Yes, just him. And he seemed to know his way around—didn't move like a first-timer at all..."
Zheng Xiaoyu knew the Luofu Mountain medicine market well and was familiar with the Southeast Asian merchants who operated there—most were actually Chinese, but to project an "exotic mystique," they would bring along Southeast Asian natives with distinctive features as "living billboards" to hawk their dubiously authentic "medicinals." This was especially common at the medicine market's "ghost market."
These natives, unable to speak Chinese, rarely ventured out alone. Most stayed with their masters at the inns.
So why would such a Southeast Asian native visit Jubao Tang?
Zheng Xiaoyu couldn't puzzle it out. But there was advice he could offer—both from duty and personal friendship.
"Elder brother, I think this miracle drug business cannot continue," Zheng Xiaoyu said. "Keep at it, and you'll lose not just your silver but possibly your life. Cut ties with them completely. The money you've prepaid for goods—consider it thrown into the river. Let it go."
"I truly want nothing more than to quit. But since ancient times, boarding a pirate ship is easy; getting off is hard." He Jun's voice grew heavy. "These people are outlaws who appear and vanish in the dead of night. A few days ago, when peddlers couldn't get their goods and gathered to make trouble, two of the ringleaders ended up dead—cause unknown. I've dealt with them longest among anyone and know scattered bits about their operations. I'm probably already a thorn in their side!" He Jun's eyes reddened. "Just days ago, that Quan Youde threatened me openly—told me to do my business honestly and keep my mouth shut around outsiders, or watch out for my whole family." He sighed. "I'm a man with family responsibilities. How could I dare confront them? And besides, Australians are involved. Even if these criminals don't act, one letter exposing me, and I'd be finished. I can only take it day by day."
Zheng Xiaoyu maintained his composure, sensing the moment was ripe. He lowered his voice: "Elder brother, if it comes to that, perhaps you should strike first. He's been unkind—why should you be just? Report them to the Australians yourself. What do you think?"
"Report?!" He Jun went rigid with shock. The wine evaporated from his blood as he stared at his sworn brother in alarm.
"Yes, report." Zheng Xiaoyu nodded. Turning He Jun wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea but the result of careful discussions with Lu Cheng.
As a fairly significant distribution channel for Jubao Tang's external sales, He Jun likely possessed many valuable threads and connections. If they could bring him over as a "guide," the case would progress far more quickly—and given current circumstances, they couldn't afford delays. Under Zheng Mingjiang's pressure tactics, Quan Youde's recent movements made clear that the other side was already preparing their escape route.
(End of Chapter)