Chapter 42

After a few minutes, Zhou Xiaomin walked into the office alone.

"Mr. Zhang, if you could, please tell us where your handicraft factory's products are distributed. Otherwise, we cannot clear your suspicion and will have to ask you to stay at the police station for further investigation.

According to the law, you may need to stay for twenty-four hours, and if necessary, it could be extended to forty-eight hours. Even after the specified time, if we need to, we can ask you to assist with the investigation again."

Zhou Xiaomin stood opposite Zhang Hao, speaking in a calm voice, but her eyes gleamed with an indescribable light.

This woman was driven by curiosity. The story Zhang Hao had just told should have cleared his suspicion. Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but Zhou Xiaomin always felt that Zhang Hao was hiding something significant. That's why she came to try again.

Zhang Hao raised an eyebrow. "What I've said should be enough to prove that my handicraft factory has nothing to do with this. Besides, the destination of my products is none of your business. I have the freedom to throw them into the sea if I want to."

Zhou Xiaomin's face hardened as she said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhang. Perhaps the destination of your handicraft factory's products has nothing to do with the tomb robbery. But your products are ancient weapons, and the materials used are substantial.

Although you have records, we have no way of knowing if they were sharpened later. To maintain public safety, I can require you to answer this question.

Additionally, I have another question. You mentioned selling three wild ginseng plants. Where did these wild ginseng plants come from?"

Zhang Hao looked at Zhou Xiaomin, feeling increasingly annoyed, especially by the mention of the possibility of being detained for dozens of hours and potentially being asked to assist with the investigation again. This touched a sensitive spot for him.

If it were any other time, it might be fine, but now, the world of the Three Kingdoms was in a busy and tense period.

The Inspector of Yangzhou, Chen Wen, along with various powerful clans, was gathering a large army to prepare for a decisive battle with Zhang Hao. The longer he was delayed here, the more it would affect the progress in the world of the Three Kingdoms due to the time rate difference.

Ultimately, Zhang Hao was the King of Gan. Even though he had delegated power to others, decisions concerning the future development of the entire force still had to be made by him. After all, it was still a chaotic era, and they were still at war.

How could Zhang Hao afford to waste time here?

No matter how formidable Zhang Hao was in the world of the Three Kingdoms, in the modern world, he still could not resist the authority of law enforcement. This made him feel somewhat frustrated and uncomfortable.

"I found them by chance. What's the problem with that?" Zhang Hao asked, looking at Zhou Xiaomin. Surely there couldn't be any issue with the wild ginseng, right?

Zhou Xiaomin's bright, charming almond eyes gleamed with satisfaction, making Zhang Hao instinctively feel something was wrong.

Zhou Xiaomin cleared her throat and said in a gentle, pleasant voice, "To protect, develop, and reasonably utilize wild plant resources, protect biodiversity, and maintain ecological balance, the 'Regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants' stipulates: No unit or individual may illegally collect wild plants or destroy their growing environment.

Especially for first-class protected wild plants, collection, sale, and purchase are strictly prohibited.

As a well-known medicinal herb, ginseng was listed as a first-class protected plant in the first batch of 'List of Precious and Endangered Protected Plants' officially announced in 1984, being the only herbaceous plant among the eight national treasure-level precious and endangered protected plants.

According to the 'Regulations on the Protection of Wild Medicinal Resources' issued by the State Council in 1987 and the accompanying 'List of Key Protected Wild Medicinal Species,' ginseng is listed as a second-class protected wild medicinal plant.

Collecting it requires a medicinal plant collection permit and a logging permit; otherwise, it is an illegal act, and the local county-level or higher pharmaceutical administration department, together with relevant departments, can confiscate the illegally collected wild medicinal plants and the tools used, and impose a fine."

Zhou Xiaomin's lengthy explanation left Zhang Hao somewhat stunned. There were such laws?

"Aren't you from the police?" Zhang Hao asked.

"We are all government departments and need to cooperate with each other."

Zhou Xiaomin said with a hint of satisfaction, raising her chin slightly. "What do you think? Is Mr. Zhang ready to explain to me?"

"What do you mean? Are you done yet?!"

Zhang Hao finally couldn't contain his frustration. Recently, he had spent most of his time in the world of the Three Kingdoms, where, as the King of Gan, he had already united the entire Jiangdong. Anyone who saw him, even if they didn't bow in submission, showed him sufficient respect.

Unconsciously, Zhang Hao had developed a bit of a temper, especially after noticing Zhou Xiaomin's expression and actions, which further irritated him.

Boom, crack.

Zhang Hao's hand slammed down on the marble coffee table, shattering it instantly. The teacup on the table fell to the ground and broke, causing quite a commotion. Not only was Zhou Xiaomin startled, but Zhang Hao himself was also surprised.

He was surprised not only by his loss of control but also by the fact that he had inadvertently released his internal energy. Zhang Hao had been practicing internal energy for some time. Although he practiced diligently and had used various precious herbs to strengthen his body, he had never reached the point of releasing internal energy. The fact that he had done so in a moment of anger was a significant breakthrough.

"What happened? Xiaomin, are you okay?"

The office door opened, and two or three police officers rushed in, one of them even drawing his gun, causing Zhang Hao's eyes to twitch. He began to consider what to do if the situation became serious. Although he had been in the wrong just now, it didn't mean he could endure some of the rumored treatments.

After assessing the situation in the office, the three police officers were somewhat surprised.

"I'm fine, it was just an accident. The quality of the marble coffee table we bought for the office is too poor. It broke with just a light tap."

Zhou Xiaomin, having recovered, said, "That's all. You can go out now. Mr. Zhang and I still have some things to discuss."

At Zhou Xiaomin's urging, the three police officers left the room, but not before giving Zhang Hao a stern warning with their eyes. Clearly, Zhou Xiaomin, the police flower, was quite popular, and many were willing to be her protectors.

After the door closed, Zhou Xiaomin squatted down, picked up a piece of marble, and pinched it, her eyes widening in surprise. Her gaze then turned strange and intense as she looked at Zhang Hao.

"Are you okay? Have you practiced martial arts?"

Zhang Hao was puzzled by the sudden change in Zhou Xiaomin's attitude. However, he was relieved that she didn't make a big deal out of it. He didn't want things to get to the worst-case scenario.

"I've practiced some martial arts, so my skin is tough. I'm fine." Zhang Hao spread his palm for Zhou Xiaomin to see and then said, "I'm sorry, Officer Zhou. I've been dealing with some urgent matters recently, and I've been quite frustrated. I overreacted just now. This whole situation is too bizarre. I have urgent matters to attend to, and I don't want to spend too much time at the police station."

Zhou Xiaomin, seemingly ignoring Zhang Hao's last words, looked like she wanted to take his hand to examine it.

"As for the destination of our factory's products, it involves some personal privacy, and I don't want to talk about it. But I can assure you that I will not allow these ancient weapons to enter society. I will not engage in any illegal activities," Zhang Hao said solemnly.

"Were you expelled from Zhonghai University because you couldn't control your strength during a fight?" Zhou Xiaomin asked, completely ignoring the previous topic.

What was this woman up to? Zhang Hao gave Zhou Xiaomin a puzzled look.

"You've checked my records, haven't you? Isn't it recorded there? It wasn't because of a fight. I was framed by a dorm mate. I smoked a cigarette, and then I was taken to the police station for a urine test, which confirmed drug use. A drug dealer even claimed to have sold me drugs, so I was expelled.

Of course, that's my version. The official version is different."

Zhou Xiaomin raised her eyebrows, her face full of surprise and anger. "Such a thing could happen? Such a dorm mate?"

"There are even those who would poison their roommates, so he's not that bad. Besides, he might have climbed the social ladder and doesn't have to worry about finding a promising job," Zhang Hao said in a calm tone.

To be honest, Zhang Hao no longer hated the dorm mate who framed him or the culprit. There was no point in it. His current perspective was beyond what they could imagine. He would wait for the right moment to take revenge.

"Don't go and take direct revenge just because you have good martial arts skills. The judge doesn't know you were framed.

Now that you have money, you can find your dorm mate and the drug dealer. There are always clues to investigate. That way, you can clear your name properly," Zhou Xiaomin said seriously.

Zhang Hao really couldn't understand this woman. She had been so aggressive earlier, but now she seemed understanding. Could it be that she admired strength because he broke the marble coffee table? Regardless, it was helpful for his current situation.

"I know that. If I didn't, I would have taken revenge long ago. The mastermind is powerful, so I'm working hard to build my own capital. I will make him confess in a proper way. Because I understand this, I won't take any wrong paths."

Zhang Hao looked resolute.

"I'm glad you understand." Zhou Xiaomin nodded in satisfaction.