Chapter 152: Food Safety Demands Attention

A blazing fury ignited within Sima Ge as he rallied his men and drafted a public manifesto to demand justice. Naturally, every local shopkeeper was reminded of the past events.

Luo Gan and his companions were preparing the next phase of their plan when A Zhen returned from outside to report the situation.

"Almost everyone has learned about the manifesto. The shopkeepers are still hesitating and remain fearful of Sima Ge taking the lead."

Luo Gan asked, "The key point is, what are their views on the murder and escape?"

"They are all extremely dissatisfied and filled with righteous indignation. Committing murder at the horse farm in broad daylight—is there no longer any regard for the law?"

Liu Buwen chimed in, "Yet the authorities are still taking a wait-and-see approach. After all, the manifesto has not caused any actual incidents, and furthermore, the officials have always been slack when it comes to the affairs of Huang Changjun."

Luo Gan said, "Although doing this is unfair to them, we must now use our people to start spreading the word. The message is very simple: emphasize that Huang Changjun committed murder and wrongdoing first, went on a violent rampage against the people at the horse farm, and describe the deaths of the carpenters in the most gruesome terms possible."

Everyone began to grasp Luo Gan's intentions. This was the strategy of using a borrowed knife that Liu Buwen had spoken of earlier, which sent a chill down Xiaozhi's spine.

Noticing Xiaozhi's unease, Luo Gan's tone grew passionate. He seized Xiaozhi's hand and said, "Do not be afraid. We must use our own methods to vent this pent-up grievance for Master Sima!"

The street connecting to the East Market of Chang'an was bustling with activity today. Spectators and onlookers crowded around Huang Changjun's tavern, while people from several neighboring shops watched the commotion, temporarily holding their ground as Sima Ge stood at the very front.

Huang Changjun sneered, "Ha! Master Huang, are you perhaps reminded of what happened a few years ago and purposely came to dredge up the past?"

Huang Changjun's associates burst into cunning laughter, leaving Sima Ge's face flushed red with anger.

"You scoundrel! In the past, it was merely your craftiness at play. I originally thought your nature was not entirely evil, and that if a single kowtow of mine could turn hostility into friendship, I would gladly kneel. But who could have imagined that to this day, you are still an utter scoundrel! To brutally hack and slash my family's carpenters at the horse farm—what crime did they ever commit?"

Huang Changjun immediately counterattacked, "What crime? They struck first! They drew blades against my retainers, and people on my side died as well. Why do you omit that part?"

"Absurd! Two carpenters with no strength to truss a chicken, who hadn't even finished their apprenticeships nor ever used a weapon—how could they possibly have killed anyone? You are spitting venom and framing the innocent!"

Just as the two men were shouting at each other with flushed faces, Luo Gan had prepared a two-pronged strategy. He instructed Xiaozhi to make arrangements so that the butchers and vendors would not display any of the meats and foods used by the tavern over the next few days. On the other hand, he arranged for several diners to go and spend money at Huang Changjun's establishment.

Xiaozhi asked, "Brother Luo, I don't understand. What is the meaning of spending money to help others do business? Are we so wealthy that we can afford to squander it?"

Luo Gan told Xiaozhi not to be impatient.

"Just watch quietly. Within a few days, public opinion throughout Chang'an City regarding Huang Changjun will reach an unprecedented level of unity."

On the first day, Sima Ge and Huang Changjun quarreled fiercely until the evening drum sounded. The next day, Sima Ge went once again to the entrance of Huang Changjun's shop to hurl abuses, but the adversary chose not to respond.

Inside the shop, for reasons unknown, the meat supplies began to show signs of mold. Huang Changjun sent men out to purchase fresh meat, but after visiting several shops, they returned empty-handed, told that business was booming and a new batch of goods would not arrive from the pasture for a few days—a predicament that left Huang Changjun in frantic distress.

As it happened, Sima Ge's verbal assaults unexpectedly turned Huang Changjun's establishment into an internet-famous hotspot. Passersby spread the word, transforming it into a must-visit check-in location for both locals and travelers alike. A massive influx of diners flooded into the shop, instantly causing the existing inventory to fall drastically short of demand.

After a bitter internal struggle, Huang Changjun gestured to the chef.

"As for the meat, process it a bit better. Many won't be able to tell the difference anyway, right? Rest assured, if you do a good job, your pay will not be short, and you'll even get a bonus share. But let me make it ugly upfront: if any word of this leaks out, your fate will be just like this meat."

Caught between coercion and inducement, the chef had no choice but to agree to falsify the ingredients for Huang Changjun. Not long after, bowls of meat dishes were served to the diners.

Suddenly, a diner finished a bite and cursed loudly.

"What kind of meat is this! The texture is all wrong, they must have used spoiled stuff that's been sitting around for days!"

Diners in the surrounding area chimed in together, shouting, "We traveled from afar, and you actually feed us spoiled meat! Pay us back! Compensation, we demand compensation!"

Huang Changjun rushed out to argue his case, "That is not true at all, everyone please calm down! The meat in our establishment is fully quality-assured, sourced daily from a designated butcher right here in Chang'an City to guarantee freshness. It's possible our chef simply didn't prepare it to your liking—I will go and discipline him right now!"

Under normal circumstances, such an explanation would have been enough to pacify the crowd, but unexpectedly, one of the diners decided to press the issue rigorously.

"May I ask, Tavern Keeper Huang, which butcher is it?"

Huang Changjun's eyes darted around, his mind drawing a blank, leaving him no choice but to name Old Zhang's family in the East Market.

"Everyone, I am a regular customer of Old Zhang's family myself, and Old Zhang hasn't sold any meat at all for the past two days! How can there possibly be daily deliveries!"

Huang Changjun panicked. He had never imagined a customer would be so thoroughly prepared! Nor could he have foreseen such a coincidence striking right in the line of fire.

"We want to inspect your back kitchen! Does Tavern Keeper Huang dare to prove your innocence to us? If your conscience is clear, we will leave; otherwise, do not blame us for being merciless!"

Huang Changjun hurriedly blocked the path of the diners attempting to push inside, sweat already beading on his forehead. He absolutely could not let these people waltz in; otherwise, there truly would be no room for turning things around.

At that exact moment, a diner began to convulse, a strange and distorted expression twisting his features as he cried out in agony. Shortly thereafter, he collapsed to the ground, frothing at the mouth with his eyes rolled back white.

The crowd scattered in panic, leaving behind only a few diners as Sima Ge charged in from outside to check on the victim's condition.

Sima Ge shouted, "Quickly summon a physician! This man has been poisoned! What a vicious and venomous heart, to actually resort to such ruthless methods against diners!"

Huang Changjun was utterly unable to clear his name. Turning around, he hurriedly ordered his men to fetch a physician, only to discover that a physician happened to be passing by outside and had already arrived on the scene to inspect the situation.

After a brief examination, the physician confirmed it was undoubtedly food poisoning. Upon inspecting the pork inside Huang Changjun's establishment, the physician let out a long sigh.

"This pork is already thoroughly molded! To think that right beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven, there are still scoundrels committing crimes and daring to perpetrate such fraud!"

The crowd surged forward in anger. Huang Changjun immediately ordered his men to throw all the diners out—including the one who had collapsed—completely ignoring the fact that the man was poisoned and unconscious. He barked orders to wipe the man's face clean before having him directly dumped onto the floor, causing the physician's medicine pouch to spill and break as the physician rushed to check whether the poisoned man's life was in danger.

Sima Ge roared with indignation, "By heaven and earth, justice still exists! Huang Changjun acts like a wolf in power, devoid of all morality—shall we simply sit here and await our doom!"

On the other side, Huang Changjun hastily arranged for men to go and seize meat from other taverns.

"It seems this money cannot be saved after all. All of you, go to the other taverns and procure some meat, and make it quick."

"What if they refuse to hand it over? Won't those taverns be doing business?" Huang Changjun snapped, "Are your brains malfunctioning? Are they more important than us, or are they feeding you a pack of dogs, or am I? If they don't hand it over, take it by force!"