Zhao Jiaqi agreed with these words, primarily because these were not cultivated anywhere else.
"Yes, no other place is as magnificent as this."
Due to the rain, Wang Hui supported Zhao Jiaqi as she descended the mountain to get a closer look at the flowers. Upon entering the flower patch, Zhao Jiaqi examined them carefully, hoping to confirm if she had seen incorrectly. However, when all she saw were rows of poppy flowers, she despaired and closed her eyes.
Wang Hui assumed she was overwhelmed and was composing herself, then she giggled foolishly, "Sister, pick as many of these flowers as you want. After another month or two, it will be difficult to see them again."
Zhao Jiaqi opened her eyes and looked at the harmlessly smiling person, her heart bleeding.
"Can I take some back and put them in a vase in my room? They would make nice decorations. Honestly, these flowers are more beautiful than peonies, I genuinely can't part with them."
Wang Hui nodded, "Of course, pick as many as you like, you can't possibly pick them all from this place anyway."
This was true; even if she wanted to pick them all, it would be impossible. Setting fire to them would also destroy a large part of the forest, which was not feasible.
Melancholy, she feigned a sigh and symbolically picked some in full bloom, as well as some buds, in various colors. They stopped after gathering two large bunches.
On the way back home, Zhao Jiaqi inquired, "Since this thing is so profitable, why didn't your father open more shops? Wouldn't that earn even more money?"
Wang Hui shook her head, "I don't know. I asked him, but my father said, how much is enough profit, as long as it's enough to spend, he didn't say anything else."
From Wang Hui's indirect words, Zhao Jiaqi felt that Wang Yuanzhi was aware of the harmful nature of this substance, but Wang Hui herself seemed oblivious.
Zhao Jiaqi didn't know how to describe Wang Yuanzhi. As a father, he was acceptable, but as a person, and as the village chief, his actions were utterly despicable.
They returned home just in time for lunch.
Because a deal was struck today, Wang Yuanzhi was in high spirits and invited Fan Zehao to stay for a drink. Fan Zehao also wanted to secure the village to ensure his wife's matters could be handled smoothly.
It had to be said, the couple was quite in sync. When Wang Hui learned that her father was drinking with the young master, she decided not to leave and stayed for lunch with Zhao Jiaqi.
During the meal, Wang Hui's chattiness, much like her father's, was quite evident.
Zhao Jiaqi mostly listened, occasionally offering a word of response. After the meal, Wang Hui noticed Zhao Jiaqi showing signs of fatigue and proactively took her leave, reminding her as she departed, "Keep the items safe, and I'll await your news."
Zhao Jiaqi also promised her, "Don't worry, I will definitely come back to find you."
This was a certainty, a definite promise, as there were still things she needed to do.
After everyone left, Zhao Jiaqi looked at the flowers on the table and fell into deep thought. Now, she could roughly guess why Gangshang Village belonged to Yun Country, while Gangxia Village was unclaimed.
She recalled that during her husband's reign as emperor, he had explicitly forbidden the cultivation of poppies, with the penalty for being caught being decapitation.
However, after Yun Country and the inner city were separated, her husband no longer managed Yun Country's affairs. Thus, when the authorities stopped their investigations, poppies began to be quietly cultivated at the border between the two countries.
The choice of this location was indeed deliberate.
Gangshang Village was not part of the inner city, so even if inner city officials saw it, they had no jurisdiction.
But if the village chief maintained a good relationship with the Xiuzhou Prefect, then this place could be ignored. One had to admit that the mastermind behind this scheme had a sharp mind.
However, it seemed they had forgotten one thing: her husband was not only the de facto ruler of the inner city but also the Regent of Yun Country. If he decided to intervene, he would certainly have jurisdiction.
When Fan Zehao returned after drinking, he saw his wife's expression and sensed that things were not simple.
He, still carrying the scent of alcohol, sat at the round table, waiting for his wife to speak. As expected, Zhao Jiaqi recounted what she had seen, the information she had gleaned, and her own conjectures.
She also took out the items for him to see, "It's this thing that once led a powerful nation to ruin. It's this thing that caused countless families to be destroyed, turning people into neither human nor ghost."
Fan Zehao looked at the brightly blooming flowers and then at the harmful substances on the table, finding it hard to imagine them together.
Like a scorpion in a beautiful guise, was that what it meant?
Fan Zehao sneered, "They have indeed gone to great lengths to plan all this. Did they count on me not coming here?"
"Even if I did come here, given their current cautious approach, we would be at a disadvantage and even helpless!"
Zhao Jiaqi was about to say these words when her husband spoke first. She couldn't help but smile; indeed, they were a couple, with the same thoughts.
"Husband, my concern now is that cave. If we alert them, the contents of that cave might be destroyed, leaving no evidence."
Fan Zehao pointed at the flowers, "This is also evidence."
Zhao Jiaqi wanted to shake her head but couldn't. She still shook her head, "This doesn't count as evidence. The villagers claim these grew on the mountain themselves, not cultivated. And it's a unified story from the village. What can you do? Without witnesses or physical evidence, whom can you convict?"
Fan Zehao opened his mouth, "The village chief's storeroom still has quite a lot!"
"And then? Are we just going to convict one person? What's the point of this investigation then? You could arrest him right now; with what's in his house, he can be convicted. But that's not our original intention!" Zhao Jiaqi voiced her thoughts completely.
Fan Zehao fell silent, sitting on the stool with his head bowed, his hands resting on the table clenched into fists.
Seeing this, she sighed, "Husband, this is not the time for anger, especially now. We need to remain calm. There are still many things we need to do, do you understand?"
Fan Zehao nodded heavily, "Yes, I understand."
It was good that he understood. She was truly afraid that if her husband became angry, he would cause a major uproar, and then they wouldn't be able to catch anything.
The village chief was just a pawn. When necessary, the higher-ups could sacrifice him to protect themselves.
They could even devise such a secret method as creating the Elixir of Immortality, so they should be quite adept at using the strategy of sacrificing a pawn to save the king.
After a long period of contemplation, Fan Zehao finally remembered, where was the Elixir of Immortality sold?