Chapter 399 - 397: Who Is the Most Suspicious? (First Update)

Chapter 399: Chapter 397: Who Is the Most Suspicious? (First Update)

Xu Jing pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Could it be that Mr. Zhou gives them a generous housing subsidy?"

However, upon further consideration, it seemed unlikely. Everyone who opens a business aims for profit. With so many employees at Tianyi Hall, the majority of whom Zhou Qi had brought from Anping County, providing each with a substantial housing subsidy would significantly cut into their profits. It’s not that the Zhou Family couldn’t afford it, but doing so would reduce their profits by a large margin.

In such cases, the employer usually gives a small stipend. After all, there are many ways to rent a house. Those housing subsidies might not suffice for an individual, but pooling together to rent a courtyard might just be enough.

However, according to Cheng Xiao, after Li Shiheng and Shi Wenfeng went home, no one knew what they did, indicating that they were not sharing a rental with people they knew.

Xu Jing speculated, "Could they be renting someone else’s co-rental house?"

"No."

Cheng Xiao shook his head and said, "I also found this puzzling. They each rented a small courtyard alone. I inquired with Mr. Zhou, who said the housing subsidy provided was within a reasonable range. Although the courtyards they rented near the edge of the Western Capital had relatively low rents, they still had to cover at least half the rent themselves.

Mr. Zhou also mentioned that, among the many employees from Anping County, only these two were so extravagant in their housing choices. However, he didn’t see any issue with it. He explained that Li Shiheng was the only child in his family, and his parents doted on him a lot. His father is the procurement manager at Tianyi Hall’s main store, and his mother serves by Mr. Zhou’s mother’s side as a long-time attendant. They live frugally, so the Li family isn’t short of money. His parents are happy to let him spend, so Li Shiheng never compromises on his lifestyle. Fortunately, he hasn’t developed a wasteful personality and maintains a degree of moderation while being diligent in his duties.

In contrast, Shi Wenfeng has a very solitary nature, often keeping to himself. His father runs a private school in Anping County and is quite strict with him, hoping that Shi Wenfeng would inherit his school. But Shi Wenfeng has no interest in teaching and often defied his father as a child. Since he studied with other scholars in his father’s school, they often bullied him due to his father’s favoritism, which contributed to his reclusive behavior.

Later, when his father noticed that his younger brother had more talent in studies, he shifted his focus to the younger sibling, giving Shi Wenfeng the freedom to work at Tianyi Hall. Even while in Anping County, he didn’t live at home, choosing instead to rent on his own. So, upon arriving in the Western Capital, he continued to rent alone. Mr. Zhou saw nothing wrong with this decision."

Xu Jing lightly tapped the table beside her, then asked in a low voice, "What are these two responsible for in Tianyi Hall on a daily basis?"

"Li Shiheng mainly handles patient reception. He’s a good talker and can easily gain people’s trust, so many patients trust him implicitly. Shi Wenfeng, on the other hand, is skilled in writing and accounting, so he handles paperwork tasks."

"Although they both live alone, there surely are neighbors around them. Has anyone heard anything from their neighbors?"

"Our people have indeed inquired with their neighbors. The neighbors say that Li Shiheng is very outgoing and sociable. He is always very warmly greeting them when he sees them, and the neighbors like him a lot. They often give him homemade snacks and dishes. In return, whenever he shops outside, he buys some for the neighbors as well. He chooses quality items, and his neighbors speak highly of him, saying he’s very generous.

In stark contrast, Shi Wenfeng hardly interacts with his neighbors. Even when neighbors greet him, he remains very aloof, so they don’t like him much, calling him a strange person.

However, they acknowledged that these two have only been in the Western Capital for a few months, so they can’t claim to know them well. At the very least, the neighbors don’t know where they go when they leave home. They also noted that both barely have visitors."

Xu Jing’s brow furrowed deeper.

Cheng Xiao, having described all this, had also begun to suspect something. He couldn’t help but ask, "Madam, do you feel that Li Shiheng and Shi Wenfeng seem suspicious?"

Xu Jing glanced at him, "Yes, a perpetrator who resorts to poisoning could be driven by only two motives: personal vendetta or manipulation by someone else. These six individuals weren’t hired temporarily. As Mr. Cheng stated, if it were for personal vendettas, why hadn’t anyone acted earlier? The likelihood of personal vendettas is low; nine out of ten cases involve manipulation.

Besides, An He and the other three live together. If they had met someone or done something secretly, it would be difficult to hide.

The crucial point is that if the culprit is bribed into such an act, what do you think the person who bribed them would most likely do after the deed is done?"

Cheng Xiao was taken aback and instinctively replied, "Silence them permanently!"

Xu Jing’s gaze deepened, "Exactly. Someone who can be bribed by significant interests would most likely betray the one who bribed them for the same reasons. Such individuals cannot be left. Moreover, the mastermind must be aware of my connection with Xinglin Hall and couldn’t have failed to anticipate that I’d collaborate with the authorities to thoroughly investigate this case after the incident.

Now, with those six people under constant watch by the authorities — An He and his group of four living together, essentially forming a mutual surveillance situation — it would be extremely difficult for the mastermind to make a move against them.

Therefore, if I were the mastermind, I would prioritize bribing the two who live alone."

Cheng Xiao was stunned, realizing that these two indeed seemed more suspicious.

He thought for a moment and said, "I’ll immediately send someone to monitor Li Shiheng and Shi Wenfeng closely."

If the mastermind intends to kill them, there will certainly be some action in the coming days.

"No need."

Xu Jing, however, stood up, her voice cold, "Time is of the essence, and I’m not inclined to wait for the mastermind to slip up. I must personally visit these two."

Now that she had gained insight into these people’s situations, she might uncover something unexpected through appropriate interrogation techniques.

Cheng Xiao was slightly taken aback and instinctively asked, "Who does Madam plan to see first?"

Xu Jing’s eyes darkened slightly, "I’ll see Shi Wenfeng first."

Those easily bribed usually do so for money or power, and from what I see, money isn’t a lure for Li Shiheng.

As for power, both seem to lack it, but since both of Li Shiheng’s parents work for the Zhou family in high positions, betraying Xinglin Hall would equate to betraying the Zhou family. Any power he gains this way would put his parents in a difficult position, making it unnecessary.

Shi Wenfeng, on the other hand, doesn’t have such concerns.

Based on the information at hand, Shi Wenfeng seems the most likely candidate to have committed the poisoning.

Just as Xu Jing was about to leave to find Shi Wenfeng, Xiang You suddenly walked up and bowed to Xu Jing, saying, "Madam, Lord has sent me to discuss a few matters with you."