Chapter 1002

Chapter 1002: Sudden Change

"How fragrant!"

Sitting on a woolen blanket, Sun Zhengheng couldn’t help but exclaim as he inhaled the aroma of grilled meat.

He smiled at Wang Chen and said, "Hanhai County doesn’t have many specialties, but the taste of the Gobi lamb is truly exceptional. I once had it in Daye, and the memory is still vivid!"

The Gobi lamb produced in Hanhai County had always been a tribute to the royal family.

Due to the long journey, very few of the lambs survived to reach the imperial capital, making them extremely precious.

The lamb served in Hanhai City was undoubtedly the freshest and most delicious.

A chef skillfully wielded a sharp curved knife, expertly slicing off two large pieces of sizzling, juicy lamb with bones, placing them on a silver platter, which was personally delivered by the fat merchant to Wang Chen and Sun Zhengheng.

"Please enjoy, gentlemen," the fat merchant said respectfully, kneeling on the ground while holding the silver tray with both hands.

Sun Zhengheng laughed heartily, "Taibao Wang, please go ahead."

Wang Chen did not hesitate and immediately grabbed a piece of perfectly grilled, tender lamb, bringing it to his mouth for a bite.

As Sun Zhengheng had said, the taste of this grilled lamb was extraordinary; it had no gamey smell at all, and the meat was juicy and rich, bursting with flavor when chewed!

The spices sprinkled on the surface of the lamb had a very special taste, perfectly complementing the lamb.

It made one feel as if they wanted to swallow their own tongue along with it!

However, after chewing a couple of bites, Wang Chen’s expression changed dramatically. Instead of swallowing, he slammed the piece of lamb into the fat merchant’s face, who was kneeling on the ground.

Smack!

The merchant, with a flattering smile fading from his face, was left stunned, seeing stars.

"Good courage!"

Wang Chen shouted in a deep voice, “You dared to poison the meat to harm the emperor’s guards!"

His voice instantly echoed throughout the grand palace, and all the Yulin Guards heard it clearly!

Sun Zhengheng was furious upon hearing this, grabbing the fat merchant by the collar and delivering two hard slaps across his face.

"Speak! Who ordered you to poison it?"

After the battle on the West Sea Prairie, the trust between the Yulin Guards’ leader and Wang Chen had reached its peak.

Thus, he had no doubts about Wang Chen’s words, and his anger was about to burst from his eyes.

The fat merchant, receiving two slaps, lost several teeth, blood pouring from his mouth, nose, and ears.

Fortunately, in his rage, Sun Zhengheng did not lose his composure; otherwise, it would have been simple to smash the merchant’s head.

"It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

In intense pain, the fat merchant suddenly regained his wits and cried out, "I— I wouldn’t dare harm you gentlemen even if I had the courage of a bear!"

He was terrified beyond belief.

This merchant was the head of a trading firm in Hanhai City, primarily dealing with Dayan in business.

When he learned that the marriage convoy was coming to the border county, he had done everything possible to establish a connection with the county government to win this military reward contract.

He had originally hoped to use this opportunity to forge a connection with Princess Qingyun, even if it was just for a word of praise; when Princess Qingyun became the crown princess or even empress of Dayan in the future, he believed he would surely benefit from it.

Never in their wildest dreams did they expect that the carefully prepared feast that evening would run into such a big problem!

"Still daring to argue!"

Sun Zhengheng grew even angrier as he tightened his grip on the fat merchant’s throat, ready to make him wish for death.

"Wait."

Wang Chen raised his hand to stop Sun Zhengheng and called out sternly, "Where are the royal physicians?"

As soon as he finished speaking, three physicians from the marriage convoy hurried over.

At that moment, all the chefs, cooks, and miscellaneous workers had been taken under control by the Yulin Guards, creating an extremely tense atmosphere in the room.

Wang Chen pointed to the spice jars next to the grill and said, "Check the spices; I sense something is off."

His perception was highly sensitive; he had sensed something was wrong as soon as the lamb touched his tongue.

Although the rich aroma of the lamb and spices completely masked any oddity, it could not escape Wang Chen’s discerning palate!

One physician immediately brought over a spice jar, took out a pinch of spices, and shared it with the other two physicians.

These three royal physicians were incredibly skilled in medicine and well-versed in pharmacology.

They took out various tools to test the spices and whispered among themselves for a while. Then one physician clasped his hands toward Wang Chen and said, "My lord, my colleagues and I believe that this spice very likely contains century-old rosemary!"

"Rosemary?"

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow.

Rosemary is a type of wild herb with mild hallucinogenic effects; it can be used as a spice to enhance the flavor of food.

Ordinary rosemary is harmless to humans; even if consumed in large quantities, it would only cause minor hallucinations, somewhat like eating low-toxicity mushrooms.

But century-old rosemary has such potent properties that even fourth-rank martial artists cannot withstand it!

It is considered a high-grade narcotic.

However, century-old rosemary is incredibly rare and cannot be bought on the market. The ability of the three physicians to identify it undoubtedly indicates their strong expertise in herbal pharmacology.

Wang Chen turned to the fat merchant, who had just been released by Sun Zhengheng, and said lightly, "Do you have anything to say?"

The merchant had collapsed to the ground, immediately prostrating himself and banging his head desperately, "My lord, my lord, I know nothing! I am truly wronged!"

With his life hanging by a thread, he banged his head with great force, his forehead already covered in blood from severe injuries.

Yet the fat merchant was oblivious, continuing to knock his head.

Wang Chen observed for a moment and suddenly said, "I believe you."

No matter how skilled the merchant was at acting, he couldn’t deceive Wang Chen’s keen perception. Since the merchant was speaking from the heart, it seemed he was being made a scapegoat.

The merchant banged his head several more times before realizing what was happening, and he burst into tears, sobbing loudly.

He felt wronged beyond measure!

Wang Chen furrowed his brow and said, "Take him away. Lock everyone else in the side hall. Anyone who dares to act recklessly will be killed on the spot!"

The situation had erupted so suddenly that Wang Chen had no time to discern who among the merchant’s people were good or bad.

Merely imprisoning them was already a show of his greatest mercy!

With Wang Chen’s command, the fierce Yulin Guards immediately herded all these people into the side hall for detention.

Sun Zhengheng’s face turned pale as he asked, "My lord, what should we do now?"

This matter was serious; if it were some shady characters causing trouble, the situation would still be manageable.

But if it involved the Hanhai County government or even the Hanhai army stationed at the pass…

It would be a grave matter indeed.

One must understand that the Hanhai army is the elite of the border troops, numbering a full fifty thousand!