On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2221 Night Visit to the Fresh Produce Store

After saying that, the waiter looked at Yan Ruyu pitifully.

His voice trembled with tears: "Your Highness, I really didn't know anything about it!"

I was just confused for a moment, blinded by those ten taels of silver, and that's why I listened to the shopkeeper!

Please, have mercy on me this time! I was truly deceived by him!

Yan Ruyu's lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes full of sarcasm: "You yourself said that your manager is extremely stingy, and he is reluctant to pay wages on time. But this time he gave you ten taels of silver for no reason. Such an abnormal thing, don't you have any suspicion in your heart?"

She paused, her tone growing colder: "Until just now, you were still denying everything, refusing to tell the truth, and trying to hide it from me forever."

Now that things have come to this, you still have the nerve to say you're innocent?

The waiter was speechless after being rebuked by Yan Ruyu's words. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Yan Ruyu stopped looking at him and turned to Sun Qing, instructing him, "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him die, and don't let him pull any tricks."

“Yes!” Sun Qing replied in a deep voice.

Yan Ruyu walked into the courtyard and ordered someone to immediately invite Ma Liyu over.

Before long, Ma Liyu hurried over, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Your Highness, what are your orders?"

"Take a team of men immediately and quietly go to the fresh produce shop in the west of the city. Bring the shopkeeper back to the Prince's Mansion." Yan Ruyu's tone was firm and her eyes were sharp. "Remember, be quick and discreet. Don't alert him. Make sure to bring him back safe and sound."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Ma Liyu's heart tightened, and he immediately responded, turning around and quickly leaving.

The night was as dark as ink, and the palace lanterns hanging under the eaves emitted an orange glow. Huo Changhe stood in the center of the courtyard, gazing in the direction of the mansion gate.

A faint sound of footsteps came from afar. Huo Changhe looked up and saw Yan Ruyu walking towards him.

"You're back." Huo Changhe quickly stepped forward, his voice gentle, filled with obvious concern. "How's the situation at the treatment center? Any leads on the person who poisoned you?"

Yan Ruyu stopped and brushed the dust from her hair. A faint smile appeared on her lips: "Don't worry, the person who poisoned us has been caught. He's a shop assistant at the fresh produce store in the west of the city. We have both witnesses and evidence. He can't get away."

A fierce glint flashed in Huo Changhe's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, I'll go and interrogate him right now. I'll make sure to get the mastermind out of him."

After saying this, he turned around and ordered his servants to prepare a carriage.

"There's no need to go." Yan Ruyu raised her hand to stop him, took out a silver ingot from her brocade pouch, and handed it to Huo Changhe. "I've already interrogated him, and this is the evidence of the clerk's confession."

He said the ten taels of silver were a reward from the shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper's surname was engraved on it.

Huo Changhe reached out and took the silver. It was cold and heavy to the touch. He examined it carefully by the light of the corridor lamp.

Sure enough, a small "Zhou" character was engraved on the side of the silver coin. Although the strokes were shallow, they were clearly discernible.

"Manager Zhou?" he murmured, a hint of understanding creeping into his eyes. "It seems the manager of this fresh produce shop is the key figure in this drug trafficking chain."

Yan Ruyu nodded: "That's right. That shop assistant was timid and afraid of trouble. He couldn't withstand the interrogation and confessed everything, saying that Manager Zhou had instructed him to do it."

However, the shopkeeper is being very meticulous this week. If we rashly go to the shop to arrest him, we might alert him, causing him to destroy evidence, or even alerting the person behind him.

"You've already made all the arrangements?" Huo Changhe looked at her.

“I sent Ma Liyu.” Yan Ruyu said calmly, gazing at the flickering lamplight in the courtyard. “Ma Liyu is cautious; we just need to wait here.”

Huo Changhe nodded and walked with Yan Ruyu to the stone table under the corridor and sat down.

As night deepened, the area around the fresh produce shop in the west of the city was quiet, with only a faint candlelight shining through the window on the second floor, and the sound of even, soft snoring could be faintly heard coming from inside.

Dressed in night clothes, Ma Liyu stealthily slipped into the alleyway like a ghost, his footsteps so light they made no sound.

He looked up at the second-floor window, confirmed that his target was inside, and then, with a swift movement, silently landed under the eaves of the shop.

He slid down the wall slowly to the door, and gently pushed it. The door was not locked, but just ajar.

A hint of wariness flashed in Ma Liyu's eyes as he took out a specially made sleeping pill from his pocket. This sleeping pill was colorless and odorless, but its effects were extremely strong, and it would only take a moment for someone to fall into a deep coma.

He carefully pushed open a crack in the door and gently tossed the sleeping pill inside. The moment it hit the ground, it turned into a wisp of white mist, silently spreading throughout the room.

Ma Liyu did not go in immediately, but waited patiently outside the door for a while to ensure that the drug had taken full effect before slowly pushing open the door and slipping into the room.

The interior was simply furnished, with several shelves against the wall, still bearing traces of mushrooms and fresh produce. The air was filled with the damp scent of earth and a faint aroma of mushrooms.

He followed the snoring into the inner room, where he saw a man lying on the bed. He was slightly overweight and had an honest face. It was none other than Manager Zhou of the fresh produce shop.

At this moment, Manager Zhou was fast asleep.

Ma Liyu swiftly took out a black cloth bag that he had prepared beforehand from his bosom and suddenly put it over Manager Zhou's head, completely covering his head.

Then, they took out the ropes they had prepared beforehand and quickly tied up Manager Zhou's hands and feet tightly, and then carefully searched the room.

He first looked through the cabinet under the shelf, where there were several thick ledgers filled with detailed records of incoming and outgoing goods. He then carefully put the ledgers away.

Then he took out two sets of clothes that Manager Zhou usually wore from the wardrobe.

After doing all this, he carefully checked the room again to make sure everything was in its original place and there were no traces of anyone having been there. Only then did he carry Manager Zhou on his back and leave the fresh produce shop quietly, disappearing into the vast night.

When they returned to the Prince's Mansion, it was still dark, and the palace lanterns in the courtyard were still lit. Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe were still waiting under the eaves.

Seeing Ma Liyu carrying people back, the two stood up at the same time.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, the person has been brought, along with account books and some items found during the search." Ma Liyu placed Manager Zhou on the ground, bowed, and reported, then handed over the account books.

Yan Ruyu nodded and instructed, "Take him to the side courtyard and keep him under guard first, then go and call Beibei here."

"Yes," Ma Liyu replied, dragging Manager Zhou to a side courtyard.

Before long, Beibei came quickly to see him.

"Your Highness, what are your orders?"

"Well, there's something I need you to do." Yan Ruyu led Beibei to the side courtyard and pointed to Manager Zhou, who was tied up on the ground. "Take a good look at him."

Beibei took the clothes from Ma Liyu, squatted down and carefully examined Manager Zhou's face, memorizing everything from the wrinkles on his forehead to the contours of his chin and the size of his body.

He looked at her for a while, and a look of understanding gradually appeared in his eyes. A confident smile appeared on his lips: "Your Highness, rest assured, leave it to me. I will make sure that no one can see through my tricks."

After saying that, he took the clothes, turned around, and left to prepare the items needed for his disguise.

Yan Ruyu instructed Ma Liyu: "Give him the antidote, so we can ask him some questions."