Chapter 402 - 400: A Perfect Place for Murder (Part 2)

Chapter 402: Chapter 400: A Perfect Place for Murder (Part 2)

Xu Jing said: "Twenty-four years ago, many doctors who practiced medicine in Anping County with Lin Chengzhao had already sensed something was amiss with that epidemic, but none of them wanted to stir up trouble, so they did not investigate further.

However, Mr. Zhou from Tianyi Hall harbored a personal vendetta against the Lin Family. Over the years, he secretly pursued the case and shared his suspicions with me. When I went to Anping County a few days ago, I intended to contact the two stewards who used to be by Lin Chengzhao’s side to understand the situation. Unexpectedly, as soon as I arrived in Anping County, one of the stewards was assassinated and dismembered, the mastermind behind the murder was Lin Chengzhao."

There was no need for Xu Jing to say anything further; Mr. Yao understood. He furrowed his brow slightly and said, "If Miss Xu had started monitoring the other steward who could serve as a witness a few days ago, Lin Chengzhao should have known by then that the event from twenty-four years ago couldn’t be concealed any longer. But why did he wait until today to attempt an escape from the Western Capital?"

Smart individuals, upon realizing something is wrong, would flee immediately.

And for Lin Chengzhao to have concealed such a heinous crime for so many years, he definitely counted as a smart person.

Xu Jing sneered, saying, "Of course, he originally thought he still had a patron to rely on."

Mr. Yao paused for a moment, then immediately thought of something — behind Guangming Hall were the Jiang Family!

This was already no secret in the court.

The Jiang Family wanted to use Guangming Hall to obtain the privilege of supplying medicine to the military, they certainly could not tolerate any mishaps.

Lin Chengzhao believed the Jiang Family would support him, so he did not flee in the first instance!

But now, Lin Chengzhao was suddenly attempting to flee the Western Capital hurriedly today, could it be because — the Jiang Family was unwilling to help him, the Jiang Family abandoned the Lin Family?!

Understanding all the key points in a flash, Mr. Yao couldn’t help but exclaim, "Then there was indeed no need for Lin Chengzhao to have Shi Wenfeng poison!"

His own family was already struggling to protect itself, they couldn’t possibly continue competing with the Xinglin Hall, supported by Miss Xu.

So why go to the extra trouble of antagonizing Xinglin Hall?

Xu Jing said coldly, "Exactly, and given his current situation, adding one more crime won’t change anything, he has no need to deceive us.

The one who instructed Shi Wenfeng to poison was not him."

In an instant, everyone harbored the same question — if it wasn’t Lin Chengzhao instructing, then who?

Suddenly, Mr. Yao thought of something, his face stiffened slightly, and he cautiously whispered in Xu Jing’s ear, "Could it be that Miss Xu suspects the Jiang Family..."

Just now, he suddenly remembered that the Jiang Family and Miss Xu were in a competitive relationship now!

And to be honest, to outsiders, it seemed a bit inappropriate for Miss Xu and her people to suddenly interfere in the longstanding affairs involving the Jiang Family. Understandably, the Jiang Family might want revenge if they were upset about it.

But he honestly hoped the Jiang Family wasn’t behind this.

After all, his superior, Jiang Zhaoyin, was one of the Jiang Family, and if this were indeed a confrontation between the Jiang Family and Miss Xu, he would find himself pitifully caught in the middle as a mere underling!

But Xu Jing stated coldly, "It’s not the Jiang Family either."

Mr. Yao was taken aback and was just about to ask why, when a government official suddenly rushed in and loudly reported, "Reporting to Mr. Yao, Shi Wenfeng... Shi Wenfeng’s body has been found!"

Everyone’s expressions changed dramatically.

Mr. Yao could no longer focus on anything else, he sternly said, "Describe the situation specifically!"

"Yes, a gentleman came to report that he and his friend were fishing this morning by the Little East River and caught a... body. He was so frightened, he immediately rushed to the government office to report it. I went over with several brothers to check and confirmed that the body was the missing Shi Wenfeng!"

The Little East River is in the northern part of the Western Capital, whereas Shi Wenfeng rented a house in the southeastern part.

After escaping through the tunnel, he didn’t leave the Western Capital but went north to the Little East River!

Mr. Yao said heavily, "Let’s go there immediately!"

Since it was already almost certain that the poisoning was unrelated to Xu Jing and her group, and now there was a murder case, Mr. Yao paused and turned to Xu Jing, asking, "Would Miss Xu be willing to assist us in investigating this case?"

Xu Jing had no reason to refuse.

They quickly arrived at the place where the body was found, only to see that it was far from the dock of the Little East River, with ordinary residential buildings nearby, far less bustling than near the dock.

Mr. Liu and his friend Mr. Cao, who discovered the body, were still standing there. After Mr. Yao arrived, he did not immediately inspect the body, but instead looked at them and asked, "When did you find the body? Do you come here often to fish? Is this place crowded?"

Among the two, Mr. Cao appeared more outgoing. He stepped forward and replied, "We are friends, and since we both enjoy fishing, we regularly meet up here to fish. This area, being far from the dock and streets, has a more tranquil environment, attracting many people to fish here.

But because it is not near the main streets, not many people come here regularly.

This afternoon after lunch, Mr. Liu and I came here, and the body... was discovered around 3:00 PM."

Mr. Yao nodded and led Xu Jing to the body nearby.

Shi Wenfeng was still wearing the blue-gray outfit from the previous day. Xu Jing put on gloves and a face mask, crouched beside him, and after a preliminary examination of the body, she said gravely, "The deceased’s body is completely rigid, and livor mortis does not fade under pressure, indicating the deceased has been dead for at least six hours. It is now approximately 5:30 PM, and since the deceased went missing after returning home yesterday afternoon, the time of death should be between his return home and early this morning around 5 a.m.

Because few people frequent this area, the likelihood of finding a witness who saw the culprit commit the murder is low."

One of the government officials suddenly said, "It’s very likely that the murderer chose this place and brought Shi Wenfeng here to kill him."

This location, by all appearances, was quite suitable for committing murder.

Another official said immediately, "The one who killed Shi Wenfeng is very likely the one who instructed him to poison, but how did the murderer know Shi Wenfeng could escape from his house?"

Since knowing that it was Lin Chengzhao who arranged for Shi Wenfeng to live in the house with a tunnel, most people thought it was impossible for the one who instructed Shi Wenfeng to poison to know that Shi Wenfeng could escape through it.

After all, there was no reason for Shi Wenfeng to inform that person of its existence. If that person didn’t know about the tunnel, it would be an advantage for Shi Wenfeng.

Their relationship, strictly speaking, was subtle and dangerous. Shi Wenfeng was not naive; he surely knew there was a risk of being silenced after accomplishing his task, and the tunnel was his life-saving trump card.

How could the culprit know he had left his house? And lure him here to kill him?

Everyone exchanged glances briefly, and soon someone inhaled sharply, saying, "There are only two possibilities: either Shi Wenfeng actively contacted the murderer, or the murderer knew about the tunnel all along!"