Chapter 1628: 1628: Body Search (5)

Chapter 1628: Chapter 1628: Body Search (5)

“You’re spouting nonsense.” The fat man, having recovered, shouted loudly, “We came here to eat, and then found cockroaches in the food…”

“But my staff clearly saw you putting the cockroach in after you’d eaten your fill,” Yang Ruxin said calmly.

“That’s your staff. Of course, it’s going to be your word!” The fat man yelled, “Sir Officer, I know this shop owner is the county magistrate’s adopted daughter. Naturally, she’ll be protected…”

“It has nothing to do with whose adopted daughter I am.” Yang Ruxin sighed, “The evidence is on the four of you. Otherwise, how would I dare speak up?” If only there were surveillance cameras, she thought, but alas, she hadn’t the ability to invent them.

“Nonsense…”

“Why don’t we just search you and settle it?” Yang Ruxin spread her hands and then looked at Xie Zhanfei, “Captain Xie, we must ask you to clear our name.”

“Rest assured.” Xie Zhanfei turned to the group, “Will you handle it yourselves, or should we do it for you?”

“By what right are you searching us?” the skinny man shouted, “Clearly, there’s something wrong with this shop. You—”

“If you’re truly blameless, why fear a search?” Yu Qingge stepped forward, “Refusing to be searched definitely reveals guilt. Everyone, am I right? Bringing something into the shop, eating your fill, and then tossing it into the soup—not only can you avoid paying, but you might even extort some Silver. Folks, watch out for people like them in the future…”

Yang Ruxin cast a look of approval toward Yu Qingge.

Yu Qingge raised an eyebrow smugly.

The crowd began to murmur, realizing this made sense. After all, the hotpot shop had always been spotless. So why did these particular diners suddenly find something in their food? Earlier, the others had seen them downstairs eating with great enthusiasm.

“Search away! What’s there to fear?” the fat man snorted, “If you find nothing, then you must shut this place down and compensate us one hundred taels of Silver…” They had brought two dead cockroaches with them, but there was no way there would be additional cockroaches—or mice? Ha! What a joke!

Xie Zhanfei looked at Yang Ruxin.

“Very well, if my shop is truly unclean, I’ll compensate you a thousand taels,” Yang Ruxin nodded, “But if it turns out you’ve framed my shop, you’ll spend the rest of your days in prison.”

Seeing that both parties had agreed, Xie Zhanfei gestured, and the government officials surged forward, pressing the four people down.

The onlookers craned their necks to watch intently.

In truth, when Yang Ruxin mentioned that the evidence was on them, the four individuals had subconsciously started checking their own clothing. Upon realizing something unexpected was indeed there, cold sweat immediately broke out.

“Sir,” one of the government officers pulled a pouch out of the fat man’s boot, opened it for inspection, and turned to report, “A packet of arsenic has been found.”

The crowd gasped audibly.

Meanwhile, the other three individuals were similarly found holding a porcelain bottle, a paper packet, and a pouch. The porcelain bottle contained three or four live cockroaches, the paper packet held two dead rats, and the pouch contained a bag of Badou powder.

The fat man swallowed hard and glanced at Yang Ruxin, who remained utterly composed throughout. His heart sank to rock bottom—clearly, their actions had been anticipated all along. She had likely been waiting for them to make their move.