Chapter 559: Ineffective, but Legal

Chapter 559: Chapter 559: Ineffective, but Legal

Li Xu walked over to Lin Guorui and asked, "Tired?"

"I’m holding up. But I’m mentally exhausted." Lin Guorui gave a bitter laugh and pointed to the pile of herbs. "After a full day of screening, we’ve found five types of counterfeit herbs, four mixed with genuine ones, and as many as fourteen substandard varieties. And that’s not even counting the ones we haven’t had time to inspect closely."

"Who’s the supplier?"

Li Xu asked coldly.

Liu Kan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurried to answer, "It’s that bastard Dong Haitao. All of the most egregious fakes came from him, and he supplied several of the other substandard ones, too."

Lin Guorui added, "We don’t source from a single supplier. Some of the other smaller merchants have also passed off shoddy goods as quality ones, but Dong Haitao’s Chuanlong Medicinal Materials is the biggest problem. He’s the most audacious."

Li Xu was taken aback.

’Dong Haitao?’

He was no stranger to that name.

In fact, you could even call him an "old acquaintance."

Chuanlong Medicinal Materials Company had something of a reputation in Feng City’s herb trade, as well as some powerful connections.

It had a monopoly on the traditional medicine supply for all the major hospitals in Feng City.

A deal involving ginger had cost the man a fortune last year.

Perhaps to recoup his losses, he’d doubled down on his unscrupulous business practices.

Liu Kan began his self-criticism in a low, submissive voice. "Everyone, I take full responsibility. This is my fault. My oversight was lacking, and I was deceived by that crooked merchant. I’m willing to accept any punishment from the administration."

Lin Guorui opened his mouth, wanting to speak up for his old colleague, but when he looked at all the counterfeit herbs on the floor, he swallowed the words back down.

The situation was too serious. No one could cover for him.

In the end, Lin Guorui could only shake his head with a resigned, heavy sigh.

Li Xu didn’t say anything more either.

After all, he was just an outside expert. It wasn’t his place to get too involved in a mess concerning the hospital’s internal management and personnel.

"Let’s report this to Dean Song,"

Li Xu said calmly.

...

After Dean Song was briefed on the details, he acted decisively and without hesitation. He called the police and simultaneously reported the situation to his superiors at the Health Commission and the Drug Administration.

This wasn’t just commercial fraud; it was a threat to public safety.

Soon, the wail of police sirens pierced the night sky.

As the primary party involved, Liu Kan led the police straight to Chuanlong Medicinal Materials Company for a confrontation.

Li Xu, Lin Guorui, and Hu Qiming, feeling uneasy, went along as well.

The lights were blazing at the Chuanlong Medicinal Materials Company.

Dong Haitao was in his office, drinking tea with his legs crossed. While the police headed straight for the warehouse, Liu Kan went to confront Dong Haitao first.

When Dong Haitao saw Liu Kan, he rushed over to greet him warmly.

"Well, Director Liu! To what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night inspection? Hahaha, welcome, welcome! Your presence brightens up my humble establishment."

Beaming, Dong Haitao reached out to take Liu Kan’s hand like an old friend. "Perfect timing! I just got my hands on a bottle of top-shelf Maotai and was wondering when I should send it over. Since you’re already here, why don’t the two of us finish it off tonight?"

Liu Kan nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard that.

The police, Li Xu, and the others were all standing right there watching.

’This bastard, bringing up Maotai now... isn’t he obviously trying to drag me down with him?’

"What are you talking about? Who wants to drink Maotai with you?"

Liu Kan was so agitated he was practically hopping on the spot, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Don’t you try to get chummy with me."

Dong Haitao looked utterly baffled and innocent. "But... what... what’s going on? Director Liu, what’s gotten into you? Let me tell you, this bottle of Maotai is a genuine vintage, not like that bottle we had last time. This one is super smooth..."

Upon hearing this, the gazes of Li Xu and the other two men snapped toward Liu Kan.

The police officer who had just entered shot him a meaningful glance as well.

Liu Kan’s face turned a furious, mottled red. He looked like he wanted to rush over and sew Dong Haitao’s mouth shut. "Shut up! What are you talking about, drinking? When did I ever drink with you? Stop your slanderous accusations! I’m here on official business today, so you’d better start talking."

Dong Haitao had seen the police by now, but he didn’t seem flustered in the least. "Talk about what? What have I done?"

Liu Kan pointed a finger at his nose, roaring with rage, "Still playing dumb? Just look at the herbs you sent me! What is all this garbage? Counterfeits, shoddy products... selling sweet Knotweed as bitter Knotweed, passing off dried radishes as Ginseng! Are you trying to kill people?"

At these words, Dong Haitao began to wail as if he were the most wronged man on earth. "Oh, Director Liu, you’re killing me with these accusations! I would never! I swear on my life!"

"I only send you the highest quality medicinal materials! I personally inspect and hand-pick every single batch. My devotion to our City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is absolute! How could you say such things about me?"

Liu Kan cut off his performance with a wave of his hand. "Enough of this nonsense. The facts are right in front of us. I’ll just ask you this: what’s the deal with the sweet Knotweed? If that’s not a counterfeit, then what is?"

Dong Haitao was no longer flustered. He retorted, his confidence restored, "Director Liu, now on that point, I have to set you straight. What’s all this about ’sweet Knotweed’ and ’bitter Knotweed’? I’ve been in the herb business for years, and nowhere in the national Materia Medica does it say that Knotweed has to be bitter."

"Furthermore, according to our country’s inspection regulations for Knotweed as a medicinal herb, as long as the Knotweed saponin content is over 6%, it’s considered a qualified product suitable for medicinal use."

"We pay to have every single batch of our Knotweed tested by a licensed, third-party pharmaceutical testing agency, and it meets all the required standards."

Dong Haitao turned and yelled out the door, "Xiao Li! Go get the inspection reports for our Knotweed. Bring them here for Director Liu and the police officers to review. We’re a law-abiding business, and we’re not taking the fall for this."

"I..."

Liu Kan was left speechless by Dong Haitao’s one-two punch. It felt like a stone was lodged in his throat, and he struggled to breathe.

Standing to the side, Li Xu’s expression gradually darkened.

’This is the crux of the problem for Traditional Chinese Medicine today,’ he thought, ’and the tragedy of the modern herb market.’

’In Traditional Chinese Medicine, what matters are concepts like an herb’s energetic properties and flavor profile, its effect on the meridians, its tendencies to rise, fall, float, or sink, and the authenticity of its place of origin.’

’Northern Knotweed is bitter and acrid, which helps to open the chest and diffuse the Lungs. Southern Knotweed is sweet and mild; it’s only good for cooking.’

’To a TCM practitioner, the two are worlds apart.’

’But the current regulations for traditional medicine and their Westernized testing standards only look at "active ingredients."’

’As long as the Knotweed saponin content meets the standard, it doesn’t matter if it’s sweet or bitter, from the north or the south—it’s all considered a "qualified herbal medicine."’

’Dong Haitao was exploiting this exact loophole.’

’Even though sweet Knotweed has poor medicinal efficacy—or none at all—its saponin content can still meet the official standard.’

’So, according to the law and the lab reports, what he’s doing is "legal."’

’You could never win a case against him.’

’This is why the market is flooded with sweet Knotweed, and why so many doctors who genuinely want to treat patients can’t find reliable herbs.’

’What’s even more absurd is the situation with Ginseng.’

’According to these "scientific" standards, the ginsenoside content in Ginseng leaves is even higher than in the root. Does that mean everyone should stop eating Ginseng root and just chew on the leaves instead?’

’It’s an absolute farce.’

’But that’s the reality of the situation.’

’The authority to define what constitutes a proper traditional medicine no longer lies with TCM practitioners, but with cold, unfeeling chemical analysis equipment.’