Chapter 263 - 261: More Troublesome Than the Kidnappers (1 Update)

Chapter 263: Chapter 261: More Troublesome Than the Kidnappers (1 Update)

Mr. Yao was slightly taken aback, "Intimidation?"

"Yes."

Xu Jing returned the finger to the box and said, "Since the kidnapper is someone close to Xu San Niang, they surely know that the Wang Family and Xu Family have already reported to the authorities.

For the kidnapper, the most dangerous moment is the ransom exchange. Even if we are too worried about the hostage’s safety to openly confront him, we would definitely use the opportunity of the ransom exchange to follow him and locate his hideout.

How to prevent being followed is a concern most kidnappers have."

Mr. Yao immediately understood, "The kidnapper sent this finger to give us a warning, making us afraid to make any small moves! It’s all preparation for the ransom exchange!"

"Precisely, and looking at the result, the kidnapper’s strategy was very successful."

Xu Jing glanced at the pale Xu Guangyi.

Mr. Yao frowned and said, "Then we must be more cautious in our operations. The letter says the ransom must be delivered the day after tomorrow. Before then, we must plan our personnel deployment..."

Before he could finish, Xu Guangyi abruptly stood up and walked out quickly without saying a word.

Xu Jing deeply watched his retreating figure, while Mr. Yao was taken aback and only reacted after a moment, "Minister Xu is probably anxious and is rushing to gather the ransom. After all, a ransom of ten thousand taels is not easy to gather."

Xu Jing did not comment and said, "We were halfway through questioning Mrs. Wen. Let’s go back and finish that question."

However, unexpectedly, when they went back, Mrs. Wen refused to even see them.

The maid beside Mrs. Wen, Bishui, said with a sour face, "Our lady knows the kidnapper sent... sent that item, and she was so frightened she almost fainted. She is still in shock and cannot accept your inquiry. Please leave!"

Mr. Yao, trying to be patient, said, "It is precisely because the kidnapper is so ruthless that we must quickly confirm their identity. This is also for Young Master Wang. Please go back and tell Mrs. Wen again..."

"I said, the lady will not see you!"

Bishui suddenly turned to Xu Jing and fiercely said, "Miss Xu, although you’re no longer part of the Xu Family now, the lady has been like a mother to you for so many years. Don’t you care for her at all?! The lady is exhausted, barely able to speak, and yet you’re still insisting on questioning her!

And those questions you ask, are they of any use? Can they rescue our Young Master?! Even if you identify the kidnapper, it doesn’t change the fact our Young Master is in his hands! Knowing his identity, will he release the Young Master voluntarily? Wouldn’t that possibly provoke him, putting our Young Master in more danger?!

Even I, a maid who doesn’t understand investigations, know the most important thing in a kidnapping case is a safe rescue! Instead of entangling here, you should think about how to safely rescue Young Master!"

Even the usually mild-mannered Mr. Yao was starting to get impatient, taking a deep breath, "You don’t know the purpose of our questions, how can you say they’re useless, you..."

Seeing Mr. Yao was about to continue, Xu Jing tugged at his sleeve and said calmly, "Forget it. It seems Mrs. Wen is determined not to see us. Let’s approach this from another angle."

Mr. Yao looked at Xu Jing in surprise.

Miss Xu didn’t seem like someone who would give up so easily.

Could it be because the other party is from the Xu Family, Miss Xu is affected?

However, this was not something to discuss in front of Bishui, so Mr. Yao held his tongue and left with Xu Jing.

After just leaving Mrs. Wen’s courtyard, he couldn’t help but say, "Miss Xu, right now only Mrs. Wen can tell us why she calls Manager Yang over every month. The other servants either don’t know or wouldn’t dare to say. We can’t really send someone to Bianzhou to check if Manager Yang is truly back, can we?"

By the time our people return, it’ll be too late.

He’s already sent people in a hurry to check on Mrs. Tao and Guard Zhang, as their hometowns aren’t far from Western Capital.

"But, she doesn’t want to see us, what can we do."

Xu Jing said calmly. When Mr. Yao seemed like he wanted to say more, she added, "Besides, her attitude is rather peculiar."

Mr. Yao was momentarily stunned.

Seeing his confused look, Xu Jing said, "If you were the victim’s family, and a kidnapper sent you a finger, how would you feel?"

Mr. Yao immediately replied, "I’d be extremely anxious, desperate to find him immediately, even if the finger wasn’t my child’s, who knows if the kidnapper’s next knife would harm my child..."

Saying this, he paused and suddenly realized something.

At this point, Xiao Yi, standing next to Xu Jing, said calmly, "In such kidnappings, often the family causes more trouble for the authorities than the kidnapper. The kidnappers usually contact and demand ransom from the victim’s family, so they have more chances to interact with the culprit. For us to solve the case, we need the victim’s family to completely trust us and cooperate with us.

If they won’t cooperate, we’re left in a very passive position."

"So, Miss Xu and Vice Minister Xiao suspect that Mrs. Wen is deliberately not cooperating with us?"

Mr. Yao drew a sharp breath, suddenly connecting some previously overlooked points, "No, it’s not just Mrs. Wen. Minister Xu’s attitude is also strange."

After seeing the finger, Xu Guangyi did not, as before, continuously urge us to quickly solve the case. Instead, he silently walked out.

This was a stark contrast to the previous Xu Guangyi!

Xu Jing sighed, "I’m afraid the shock of that finger is far greater than we anticipate. If the kidnapper is secretly contacting the Wang and Xu families, and they don’t inform us, there’s nothing we can do."

Having worked at Western Capital’s government office for years, Mr. Yao had encountered such situations before and fell silent.

After a while, he said, "Then there’s nothing we can do?"

"We can only do what we can."

Xu Jing said calmly, "There are numerous cases where the victim’s families try to bypass authorities and negotiate with the kidnappers themselves, but very few succeed. This is something the average person doesn’t know, but Mr. Yao is certainly aware of.

Once they hit a wall, they’ll come back to seek our help."

Mr. Yao: "..."

Though true, Miss Xu’s words were too calmly put.

Xu Jing paused, and somewhat insincerely added, "Of course, I hope they might miraculously succeed. Come on, since Mrs. Wen won’t see us, let’s inquire further with other Xu Family servants to see if we can find any leads."

During their questioning, a government official who went to verify at Gui Xiang House returned, stating that everything Steward Dou claimed was true, and he likely didn’t have time to commit the crime.

Moreover, the many servants they asked at the Xu Family said that while Steward Dou was dishonest in his dealings, he was a slick talker, cowardly, and most importantly not very smart, unlike someone capable of such an act.

Suddenly, Mr. Yao approached Xu Jing and said gravely, "Miss Xu, I just uncovered some information."

Saying this, he glanced around with a strange expression and whispered, "This is not something suitable to discuss openly. Let’s find a private place, and I’ll tell you."