Chapter 2596 - Investigation (Part 23)
"But—"
"Hear me out, elder brother." Zheng Xiaoyu's voice was calm and measured. "If you report them, you lose the drug-selling profits at most. But with the Senate's protection, your family's safety is guaranteed. That's the first thing."
He Jun nodded without realizing it.
"Second, turning yourself in allows you to redeem your crimes through merit. If you help the Senate investigate and solve this case, they certainly won't pursue charges against you—in fact, you'll likely be rewarded. Your future business dealings in Huizhou will run smoothly, elder brother. Very smoothly indeed."
He Jun sat with his head bowed, turning the proposal over in his mind for a long while. At last he looked up. "I'll follow your advice, brother." Then suspicion flickered across his face. "But what about you? You sold me those prescription forms. That's a serious crime..."
Zheng Xiaoyu smiled, no longer concealing anything. "I, Zheng Xiaoyu, have always been a model cadre of the Senate—completely law-abiding. How could I possibly do such things?"
"So that means..." He Jun's expression shifted between alarm and dread.
"You've guessed correctly," Zheng Xiaoyu said. "I was acting under orders."
"I see!" He Jun's head drooped in resignation. "Since that's the case, I entrust my entire family's lives and fortunes to you, brother."
"You can count on me."
Zheng Xiaoyu gave this firm promise not merely to put He Jun's mind at ease, but because sworn brotherhood in medieval times was a matter of grave consequence. Betrayals for profit certainly occurred, but such men were universally condemned. Even when fulfilling "professional duties," this moral commitment still had to be honored.
He Jun's "voluntary surrender" proved to be the breakthrough the investigation needed. He confessed every detail of his dealings with Jubao Tang and revealed much information he'd previously withheld from Zheng Xiaoyu.
As they had learned, Jubao Tang served as the source of all the so-called "Australian miracle drugs," with Quan Youde at the wholesale core. Every drug flowed from him to second-tier wholesalers like He Jun.
Over sixty such second-tier wholesalers existed, varying considerably in scale. Most were peddlers without fixed shops. Yet He Jun explained that despite lacking formal business names, many specialized in "hometown networks," "mountain routes," or "waterway" distribution channels. Their sales volumes weren't necessarily lower than established wholesalers like himself. Named wholesalers with actual shops numbered only a dozen or so, and primarily served other provinces. He Jun's operation focused on Fujian. His establishment alone generated over twenty thousand yuan in annual sales, with net profits around eight thousand yuan.
Nearly fifty percent pure profit, Zheng Xiaoyu calculated silently. No wonder they were willing to take such enormous risks.
This lucrative business hadn't fallen into He Jun's lap by chance. Boluo had quite a few shops matching his strength, though not countless numbers. But when Jubao Tang first began recruiting distributors, most merchants adopted a cautious wait-and-see approach. He Jun, by contrast, possessed far more entrepreneurial boldness. Upon hearing rumors of the opportunity—uncertain whether they were even true—he still spent a hundred yuan to secure second-tier wholesale qualifications.
At the time, everyone in his shop opposed the decision. But the first batch sent to Fujian for trial sales sold out instantly. Lushi Powder actually worked.
Buoyed by this success, He Jun rapidly expanded his purchase volumes and dispatched agents to develop the Fujian market, quickly locking down exclusive distribution rights for the province.
He Jun understood that Lushi Powder's effectiveness had nothing to do with any secret formula of Quan Youde's, nor with Wanchun Quan's medicines. The key was the Australian drugs that had been added.
He'd long heard that Australian drugs were effective, but they were not only prohibitively expensive—they were virtually impossible to obtain. Boluo, supposedly Lingnan's largest medicine market, had almost no Australian drugs available. Yet somehow, through means unknown, Quan Youde had secured a supply.
"You never inquired about where the drugs came from?"
"How could I not?" He Jun replied. "With profits like that, who wouldn't want to cut him out? Before Quan Youde struck it rich, he was nothing compared to me!"
But his inquiries yielded nothing. Quan Youde's subordinates kept their mouths firmly sealed—and before long, the go-between He Jun had sent to ask questions mysteriously died.
"...After that, I understood these people were desperadoes. I never dared probe further." He Jun confessed that while the other side had proven ruthless, he'd still managed to gather some specific intelligence. He'd learned that Quan Youde's superior was a Daoist who went by "Mushi"—Wooden Stone.
"Daoist Mushi?!" Everyone in the interrogation room reacted with visible shock. Since the Guangzhou witchcraft case, this name had become notorious throughout the Senate's enforcement agencies, gradually eclipsing even the Gou Er father and son in infamy.
"That's right. But I've only ever heard the name. I've never actually seen such a person." He Jun said.
Though he hadn't discovered the drugs' source, the Lushi Powder business flourished. Later, Jubao Tang expanded their offerings to include multiple "Australian miracle drugs," each with different therapeutic effects. Sales were brisk across the board, and He Jun profited handsomely alongside them.
"With business going so well, why did you decide to recruit Comrade Zheng Xiaoyu? Who suggested you try purchasing prescription forms?"
"That was Quan Youde." Shortly after Zheng Xiaoyu took up his post in Huizhou, He Jun explained, Quan Youde had secretly summoned him and instructed him to attempt drawing Zheng Xiaoyu "into the water."
Establishing a Joint Clinic with prescribing authority for Australian drugs was merely a pretext—also the personal benefit Quan Youde had reserved for him. The real objective was obtaining prescription forms through Zheng Xiaoyu afterward. As for why they were willing to pay such high prices for the forms, He Jun didn't know.
"...They only said that as long as I could procure prescriptions, I'd receive a ten percent discount on all future purchases."
Compared to ten percent savings on his wholesale costs, one yuan per prescription form was negligible.
Lu Cheng's mind raced: drawing Zheng Xiaoyu into the water clearly meant their original extraction channel had run into problems. After all, they'd been running this operation for over two years, but the attempt to recruit Zheng Xiaoyu had only occurred two months ago.
By pinpointing that timeframe and cross-referencing personnel changes in the health sector's drug-related departments, they could probably compile a list of suspects.
"Did Quan Youde explain why he wanted you to recruit Zheng Xiaoyu specifically?"
"He didn't." He Jun grew wary—this line of questioning felt hostile. He added a note of caution: "He only told me there was a money-making opportunity and asked if I was interested. I naturally agreed. So he instructed me on how to approach Comrade Zheng, how to entice him into establishing a Joint Clinic..."
"There are several doctors in Huizhou. Why target Zheng Xiaoyu in particular?"
"He said Dr. Zheng not only possessed excellent medical skills but also headed Huizhou's health department—the most influential position. Once he joined, everything would proceed without obstruction."
Lu Cheng circled back to questions about Zheng Xiaoyu from various angles, but nothing particularly revealing emerged. She felt a twinge of disappointment. Some instinct told her that Quan Youde's targeting of Zheng Xiaoyu wasn't random.
Still, He Jun's confession made one thing clear: Quan Youde possessed comprehensive knowledge of the Senate's cadre system and health regulations. There had to be an inside source within the Senate's health department.
"How much do you know about Quan Youde personally? Tell us everything." Lu Cheng fixed him with a steady gaze. "This is your chance to redeem yourself through merit."
"Yes, yes. I'll tell everything!" He Jun agreed eagerly.
His account of Quan Youde matched what Peddler Qian had already revealed, though he possessed additional details. He explained that the Quan family's ancestral residence lay within Boluo's county seat. But because the family had earned their living at the medicine market for generations, they also maintained a residence there—the servants called it the "new residence." He also mentioned that Quan Youde had purchased a farm estate in rural Boluo the previous year—reportedly in a very remote location that few people had ever visited.
"Tell us about the Southeast Asian native."
In truth, He Jun knew far more about the "Kunlun slave" than he'd revealed to Zheng Xiaoyu. Quan Youde had tried selling him "aphrodisiacs."
"Aphrodisiacs?" Lu Cheng asked, surprised. "Not fetus-changing medicine?"
"He never mentioned that. Only aphrodisiacs."
This Southeast Asian native had gained some notoriety at the medicine market's "ghost market" for selling medicinal wine. As a local "ground dragon," He Jun had naturally heard of him.
But aphrodisiacs, frankly, were ubiquitous throughout the medicine market. Late Ming gentry were notorious for their extravagant hedonism, and various "chamber battle" cultivation methods only amplified the culture. The wealthy generally overindulged in carnal pleasures, creating enormous market demand for aphrodisiacs and sexual enhancers.
Where there's demand, there's supply. The Boluo medicine market overflowed with such products—ointments, pills, elixirs, powders, wines. A complete inventory would likely number in the hundreds. Many varieties appeared briefly and vanished just as quickly—even He Jun couldn't track them all.
"...But this Southeast Asian native's medicine was genuinely effective. Over time, even people in the Huizhou prefectural capital heard about it and sent agents to purchase some." He Jun said. The only problem was that the man appeared at the ghost market unpredictably—not every day, and always with limited stock. Whether you could buy depended entirely on luck.
Lu Cheng found herself confused. She couldn't yet connect "fetus-changing" with "aphrodisiacs"—the concept of androgens was entirely foreign to her.
But since this Southeast Asian native existed and was connected to Quan Youde, he naturally warranted investigation.
"How did this lead back to Quan Youde?"
"This Southeast Asian native had been appearing at the market for five or six months. Then one day Quan Youde summoned me and asked if I'd be willing to distribute these aphrodisiacs. He said the medicine came from that ghost market vendor—genuinely effective stuff."
"Did he say, or even hint, that these aphrodisiacs were connected to the Australian drugs?"
"No, nothing like that." He Jun shook his head. "At the time, I only found it strange. This medicine had always been available sporadically—so why suddenly seek someone to distribute it properly? I asked Manager Quan directly. But he just looked impatient and would only ask whether I was willing or not. He refused to explain anything further."
(End of Chapter)