Chapter 268 - 266: The Most Desperate Are the Most Dangerous (Part 2)

Chapter 268: Chapter 266: The Most Desperate Are the Most Dangerous (Part 2)

Passed away?!

Xu Jing’s eyes slightly widened, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind, prompting her to say coldly, "Does Manager Yang know about Lady Wen’s death?!"

Mrs. Wen bit her lip and said, "I haven’t told him yet. I was thinking of finding a good opportunity to tell him later..."

"If Lady Wen has been dead for two months, and you summon Manager Yang every month to let him see Lady Wen, then who did Manager Yang see last month?!"

Mrs. Wen didn’t understand why this woman was so obsessed with this matter and impatiently said, "Last month, I just made some excuse and didn’t let him see Lady Wen."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but twitch her lips and said, "Every month before, you let Manager Yang see Lady Wen, and now you suddenly stop. You think Manager Yang won’t get suspicious? Mrs. Wen, you’re too confident in yourself!"

Mrs. Wen was slightly stunned.

Jiang Zhaoyin looked at Xu Jing and said, "Do you mean that the kidnapper could be this Yang Quanfu? He found out about Lady Wen’s death and believes her death is related to the Xu Family, so he used Xu San Niang as a ruse to take revenge?"

If so, he’s not just taking revenge on Xu San Niang, but the entire Xu Family!

"Yes, if the kidnapper is Yang Quanfu, many of the doubts in this case can be explained. Moreover, Yang Quanfu has worked for the Xu Family for so many years and has a general idea of how much silver the Xu Family can muster, enough to demand a ransom that could bankrupt them.

To further confirm if the kidnapper is Yang Quanfu is simple."

Deducing from results is much easier than starting from scratch.

Xu Jing said, "In front of the cabin, there are four bloody footprints, one must be the kidnapper’s. If someone compares Yang Quanfu’s shoes with those footprints, we can know how likely it is that the kidnapper is Yang Quanfu."

There were no cameras in ancient times, always inconvenient.

Chief Fang originally planned for an artist to draw the bloody footprints, but where could one find an artist late at night? And it was hard to replicate such detailed work with just the weak light of a torch. Better to wait until daylight for this task.

Xu Jing initially intended to have the suspect’s shoes sent over for a comparison. However, Qiu Lin Mountain wasn’t close, and Xu Jing originally planned to wait until the Wang Family confirmed their suspect range and then compare the shoes all at once.

Duke Qiao said solemnly, "Wasn’t it said the kidnapper might have an accomplice? What if the footprint belongs to his accomplice..."

Xu Jing shook her head and said, "If it’s Yang Quanfu, he would most likely handle such an important task as kidnapping personally."

After spending many years with Yang Quanfu, she understood his nature somewhat.

Yang Quanfu is always meticulous and cautious; otherwise, Xu Sihai wouldn’t have selected him to take care of the original subject.

"Furthermore, as I said, if the ones who kidnapped were those two guards and someone Tanyun didn’t recognize, there’s no reason to abduct all three."

Jiang Shaobai immediately called someone to the Xu Family to bring Yang Quanfu’s shoes, as well as those of other suspects.

He, like Xu Jing, believed in efficiency, so if they’re going to compare the footprints, they might as well compare all suspects at once.

A round trip from here to Qiu Lin Mountain, even at full speed, takes at least an hour or more, not counting the comparison time.

The waiting time is bound to be the most torturous; after the government officials set out, Duke Qiao paced back and forth in the hall, occasionally urging his subordinates to quickly gather the ransom.

After all, Bishui’s earlier words were correct; even if they knew who the kidnapper was, it wouldn’t change the fact that the hostage was still in their hands.

Knowing the kidnapper’s identity only helps them better predict the kidnapper’s actions. The best outcome is finding his hiding place by following the clues.

The most critical and difficult part of a kidnapping case is locating where the kidnapper is holding the hostage, which is usually also his hiding place.

Only by finding the hostages’ location can they carry out a rescue.

Therefore, before figuring out how to rescue the hostages, they still have to comply with the kidnapper’s demands.

Xu Jing suddenly looked at Mr. Yao and asked, "Does the ransom note specify when the ransom should be delivered?"

Mr. Yao nodded immediately and said, "It states in the note that the ransom transaction should occur today at 7 p.m. in a forest area near Qiu Lin Mountain."

Xu Jing mused, "When the kidnapper goes to collect the ransom, those two children must have been left at his hideout."

Mr. Yao, with a serious face, said, "Exactly. So tomorrow, while exchanging the ransom, is an opportunity. If we don’t use this chance to find his hideout, it will become difficult to find it later."

At around 7 a.m., the government officials sent to Qiu Lin Mountain finally returned, excitedly announcing, "Jiang Zhaoyin, one of the footprints in front of the cabin is exactly the same size as Yang Quanfu’s shoe! Moreover, the pattern on the sole matches too!"

This confirms that the footprint indeed belongs to Yang Quanfu!

Shoes being the same size could be a coincidence, but the matching sole pattern greatly increases the probability!

Jiang Shaobai immediately said sternly, "Someone, go investigate what Yang Quanfu has been doing recently, where he’s been, and if there’s anything suspicious!"

With a breakthrough in the case, everyone got excited and quickly went to work after receiving their orders.

Mrs. Wen and Xu Guangyi were shocked that the kidnapper was indeed Yang Quanfu. Once they understood what this meant, their backs were suddenly drenched in sweat.

In this case, Wang Baojun was entirely implicated because of their Xu Family and got kidnapped.

Realizing the murderous glares the Wang Family directed at them, they immediately kept silent, retreating to a corner with pale faces.

After all, they still had to rely on the Wang Family to help raise another ten thousand taels!

Xu Jing then suddenly said, "Since earlier, I’ve been wondering, if Yang Quanfu likely kidnapped the children for revenge, what will he do next?"

Mr. Yao immediately responded, "Isn’t it obvious? He’ll kill the kids to vent his anger! Then hide the money and watch the Xu Family’s agony!"

Xu Jing remained silent.

Jiang Shaobai glanced at her and asked, "Does Miss Xu have any thoughts?"

"I’m thinking, the reason Yang Quanfu seeks revenge is that he thinks the Xu Family caused Lady Wen’s death."

Xu Jing slowly said, "Yang Quanfu is an orphan. As a child, he wandered the streets until he was twelve when he was discovered by my uncle and taken into the Xu Family."

For Yang Quanfu, Xu Sihai practically gave him a second chance at life.

Therefore, when he betrayed the Xu Family, they were in disbelief and anger.

"For the sake of Lady Wen, he even betrayed the Xu Family, and now that Lady Wen is gone, it’s as if he’s lost everything again..."

Mr. Yao paused, and Xu Jing said solemnly, "Those who have nothing to lose are the most dangerous. I have a feeling things won’t be that simple."

Jiang Shaobai exchanged glances with Mr. Yao and, noticing the fatigue on Xu Jing’s face, said, "Miss Xu, you needn’t think too much now. Once the people investigating Yang Quanfu return, maybe there will be new clues. There’s still time before the ransom exchange; Miss Xu can rest in the carriage for now."

Since new information could come in at any time, Xu Jing couldn’t return home.

She was indeed tired and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Jiang Zhaoyin."

After speaking, she slowly walked to the carriage, feeling somewhat dazed as she walked.

Last night, it was Xiao Yi who escorted her to the carriage, keeping watch outside for nearly two hours.

However, Xiao Yi had long since returned, preparing to start his duty at the Ministry of Justice.

He didn’t sleep all night; I hope nothing happens to him?

Realizing her thoughts were drifting too far, Xu Jing quickly shook her head and got into the carriage.

This rest lasted until 3:00 PM. Xu Jing only got out during lunch to exchange information with the officials, but upon learning there were no useful updates, she went back to sleep.

Lastly, it was Mr. Yao who woke her up. After Xu Jing got off the carriage, he immediately said, "The people we sent to investigate Yang Quanfu have brought back some news, and they are preparing to report to Jiang Zhaoyin. Please follow me, Miss Xu."