Chapter 2589 - Investigation (Part 16)
Zheng Xiaoyu's successful "fall into corruption" greatly encouraged Lu Cheng and her team. The investigation now had two breakthrough points: Bailing Tang and Jubao Tang. They suspected these represented the head and tail of the smuggling ring—Bailing Tang gathering drug sources while Jubao Tang handled distribution.
Their theory was soon partially confirmed. A medicine peddler who frequented Jubao Tang was secretly arrested, and various drugs were recovered from him. Not only did the Lushi Powder contain compound ingredients, but several other medicines also contained substances not derived from traditional medicinals. When sent to Zheng Xiaoyu for identification, even he was shocked.
Besides certain biochemically synthesized antibiotic preparations, he had detected opium components in multiple medicines.
Opium was a powerful sedative with potent analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal effects. In the old timeline, it had earned a "miracle drug" reputation and been badly abused. However, precisely because it worked so well, it had long been classified as a controlled substance.
The Senate's various preparations derived from Indian-sourced opium were subject to the same controls—strict regulations governing usage scope and dosage. Yet now, opium had been detected in multiple medicines sold by this peddler.
As a health school graduate, Zheng Xiaoyu naturally understood the implications. Lu Cheng immediately telegraphed Zheng Mingjiang with a full report.
When the telegram arrived, Zheng Mingjiang had somewhat expected the forged prescriptions and fraudulent drug claims. But clearly the situation was far from simple. This wasn't merely an "Australian drug" leak—it also involved controlled substance abuse.
Opium's introduction to China and the addiction problems it caused allegedly began during the Ming dynasty. Its medicinal properties were possibly already known to a select few at that time, just not widely enough for abuse to emerge.
"How strange—who's been spreading these secrets?" Zheng Mingjiang found this even more troubling than the "Australian drug" leak.
"Send Lu Cheng a telegram," he told Guo Huiwen. "Tell her not to rush closing the net—let out more line to catch the big fish. Most importantly, clarify where the drug supply channel originates."
Lu Cheng subsequently sold a batch of prescription forms with recorded serial numbers to He Jun through Zheng Xiaoyu, then settled in for silent surveillance to track where these prescriptions would surface.
The peddler the investigation team had caught was surnamed Qian. He didn't possess much intelligence value, but from him Lu Cheng learned how this network operated.
According to Peddler Qian's confession, all the peddlers sourced their goods from Jubao Tang. There were roughly ten types of "miracle drugs"—mainly for reducing swelling, relieving pain, suppressing coughs, and stopping diarrhea—with varying degrees of effectiveness.
By trade convention, even small-scale peddlers who had "established business relations" through long-term cooperation could obtain credit from pharmacies. If not settling accounts at the three major festivals, they could at least overlap payments. Jubao Tang, however, never sold on credit—always cash.
Beyond the cash-only policy, prices ran quite high. But Jubao Tang offered one sweetener: once someone's sales reached a certain level, they received rebates of one to ten percent. Conversely, if monthly sales fell below a threshold, Jubao Tang would cut them off entirely.
Under this incentive structure, peddlers seeking greater profits transported medicines to distant markets, wholesaling to other peddlers and earning both the price difference and rebates—essentially becoming wholesalers themselves.
Under questioning, the team learned that Peddler Qian alone purchased several hundred yuan worth each month. One could only imagine how vast Jubao Tang's total business was.
Because Australian drugs were effective and business was booming, many peddlers and merchants wanted in on the action. Though Jubao Tang's sale of Lushi Powder was no secret, not just anyone could buy. You needed recommendations from two "established" peddlers willing to vouch for you before you could purchase genuine "Australian drugs."
No wonder when they'd sent someone to make a test purchase, the product hadn't matched—there was a vetting procedure. Lu Cheng thought Jubao Tang certainly understood business.
"What's Jubao Tang's owner's background?"
"I've heard he's surnamed Quan. Mr. Quan is local, originally also in the pharmacy trade."
This "Mr. Quan" was named Quan Youde. Since his grandfather's generation, the family had worked this medicine market—not as pharmacy operators, but as broker-middlemen.
Of course, his family's broker operation couldn't compare to the "official brokers" at county seats, prefectural cities, or major trading hubs who lorded over merchants with their licenses. To broker at the Grotto Heaven medicine market required judgment no less sharp than professional drug merchants, plus the ability to predict market fluctuations.
The Quan family had painstakingly built their reputation at the Grotto Heaven medicine market over three generations. In Quan Youde's time, though his pharmaceutical knowledge was inferior to his father's and grandfather's, he was eloquent, well-connected, and quite influential at the market.
Quan Youde had been selling "Lushi Powder" for nearly a year now. Originally he had operated without a storefront, but as business grew, he opened Jubao Tang. He never admitted the product contained "Australian drugs"—only claimed he'd obtained a "proven formula" from overseas contacts and formulated it himself.
"...Actually, everyone at the medicine market knows his shop produces nothing in-house. Everything comes from various pharmacies, just repackaged. The real secret is Australian drugs, from who knows where..."
Seeing that Peddler Qian had nothing new to offer, Lu Cheng ordered him temporarily detained and instructed her subordinates:
"Tomorrow, send two people to tail him. Have him continue selling medicine as usual. Don't cut off the wholesale channel and alert them."
Though Zheng Xiaoyu had made breakthrough progress with He Jun, his own work had stalled. Despite secretly selling two prescription pads at his sworn brother's request and receiving fifty yuan in compensation, He Jun hadn't requested more forms in the month since.
This was strange. According to He Jun's account, they easily used several hundred forms monthly. Had they not even exhausted fifty? Or did they have other channels for obtaining prescription forms?
Zheng Xiaoyu grew secretly anxious. He vaguely sensed that He Jun wasn't a core member of the ring—probably just one channel for obtaining drugs, acting entirely on orders. Even if asked directly, he probably wouldn't provide useful answers.
Moreover, their "sworn brotherhood" was founded on mutual interest. Though they got along well enough day-to-day, a barrier remained between them. Even if He Jun knew the truth, he might not dare share it.
As the investigation stalled, anxiety gnawed at Zheng Xiaoyu. Though Zheng Mingjiang hadn't said anything and the team hadn't obtained other major leads, he still felt uneasy—fearing Elder Zheng would deem him useless and earn him an evaluation of "talks big, lacks ability."
Yet he couldn't approach He Jun proactively, lest he reveal some flaw. He could only wait in silence.
Lu Cheng's side was equally anxious. Particularly regarding Jubao Tang—after Yuan Shuzhi went in, no news had emerged. And this Jubao Tang, though outwardly ordinary, maintained extremely tight security both inside and out. Non-regular customers and outside merchants could only enter the storefront; advancing even an inch further was impossible.
Though she could turn the captured Peddler Qian and leverage various connections at the Grotto Heaven medicine market, even if these people got inside, they couldn't contact Yuan Shuzhi. Even if he obtained useful information, he had no way to transmit it. The only option was intensifying surveillance of Jubao Tang.
Yuan Shuzhi's mood matched theirs—he was burning with anxiety.
The longer he kept accounts at Jubao Tang, the clearer it became that this shop harbored serious problems. But he had no way to notify the outside investigation team. At Jubao Tang, he might as well have been in prison. Good food, good drink, comfortable sleep every day. They even sent him a woman weekly for "entertainment." But beyond these comforts, he couldn't even leave the courtyard. Whether it was the "manager" who occasionally appeared, the "assistant" constantly by his side, or the "woman" who visited weekly—none ever spoke an unnecessary word. Yuan Shuzhi might be thick-skinned as a city wall and smooth-talking, someone who "could make conversation even with a rock," but facing them, no matter what he said, he received only cold expressions.
"I've truly entered the tiger's den this time!" Yuan Shuzhi muttered to himself.
Having lived over fifty years, his experience was well-seasoned. He knew Jubao Tang's owner must be engaged in something deeply shady. What passed through his hands were important secrets. As for what shady business—that was easy to guess: the fake drug case.
Though the ledgers didn't reveal the complete picture, the original running accounts clearly showed how enormous their operation was. He didn't dare take notes, but his ability to memorize by rote had been honed since childhood. Just the running accounts that had passed through his hands involved amounts exceeding two hundred thousand yuan—a figure terrifying enough to get a man killed.
He did his best making the tax ledgers appear compliant. Yuan Shuzhi knew that given the Senate's current fiscal and tax capacity in Boluo and Huizhou, no problems would be found in his ledgers—unless an Elder personally led an inspection team. Naturally, Jubao Tang's business wasn't clean, and dirty money needed laundering...
Then he recalled how he, a complete stranger, had been actively recruited. The manager had specifically asked about his background, and upon hearing he "had no family burdens," his face had shown what seemed like satisfaction...
Thinking this through, Yuan Shuzhi felt his hair stand on end. Wasn't this obviously setting him up to be silenced when the time came?
(End of Chapter)