Chapter 404 - 402: Familiar Names (Part 2)

Chapter 404: Chapter 402: Familiar Names (Part 2)

Xu Jing was silent for a moment but eventually asked someone to fetch paper and pen, so Lin Chengzhao could list everyone who knew about the secret tunnel.

Regardless of the situation, the only lead they had pointed in this direction, so they could only start investigating from here.

After Lin Chengzhao left, Cheng Xiao, who was following beside Xu Jing, couldn’t help but ask, "Madam, what if that scoundrel is hiding something?"

Xu Jing took a sip of tea from the teacup on the table next to her and said calmly, "He wouldn’t dare. I told him that if he assists the yamen in solving the case, it will be considered as atoning for his crimes. He has committed such a grave offense; there’s no way he can escape punishment. But if he makes one last desperate effort, he might still be able to secure some consideration for himself.

The Jiang Family has abandoned him now, and ironically, the only people he can rely on are us, whom he once considered enemies."

Whenever the epidemic from twenty-four years ago was mentioned, Mr. Yao’s face turned grim. He quietly calmed his emotions and turned to Xu Jing, asking, "How can you be sure, Miss Xu, that this issue is unrelated to... ahem, the Jiang Family?"

That afternoon, Miss Xu had categorically stated that this matter wasn’t connected to the Jiang Family. He was about to inquire further when the case of Shi Wenfeng came up.

Xu Jing paused for a moment, then smiled faintly, "Rest assured, Mr. Yao, this matter truly has nothing to do with the Jiang Family."

The reason was simple—the Jiang Family was like a Mud Bodhisattva wading through a river, obviously having abandoned the competition for supplying medicine to the army.

They neither have the interest nor the need to engage in such petty tactics with her.

It was upon realizing this that she understood her initial thoughts were completely wrong.

This issue essentially wasn’t about the Jiang Family and Lin Chengzhao suppressing their Xinglin Hall!

The biggest puzzle for her now is why someone would bribe Shi Wenfeng to target their Xinglin Hall.

Because these matters might involve potential rebellion by the Jiang Family, she couldn’t share them in detail with Mr. Yao.

But Mr. Yao was quite slick; seeing that Xu Jing didn’t wish to elaborate, he cleverly refrained from asking further. He picked up the paper listing the people who knew about the tunnel and murmured, "According to Lin Chengzhao, besides himself, six people in total know about the tunnel. Lin Chengzhao can already be excluded. What’s left are his two sons and three managers. Coincidentally, those three managers are also in the Western Capital...

Moreover, they also know of Shi Wenfeng’s existence, but Lin Chengzhao’s two legitimate sons only met Shi Wenfeng once, at the time when Lin Chengzhao bribed him. After that, they never met again, which doesn’t match the characteristic that the murderer could drink with Shi Wenfeng.

Of the remaining three managers, they each met with Shi Wenfeng a few times because Lin Chengzhao needed them on errands or for intelligence. Among them, Hua Wen and Zheng Chengye have met Shi Wenfeng the most, while Lin Chengzhao recalls only sending Yan An to meet Shi Wenfeng twice."

"But that’s just Lin Chengzhao’s account. Who knows if those people met Shi Wenfeng privately?"

Xu Jing said calmly, "Nevertheless, I also think Lin Chengzhao’s two legitimate sons have the least suspicion. Their interests are too closely tied with Lin Chengzhao’s, and they have no reason to secretly meet Shi Wenfeng."

Mr. Yao nodded and said, "Then let’s investigate those three managers first. Does Miss Xu want to summon them to the yamen for questioning, or does she wish to meet them in person?"

Those three managers, Yan An and Zheng Chengye, work at the Western Capital branch of Guangming Hall.

Hua Wen, on the other hand, has always been by Lin Chengzhao’s side.

Today, the Guangming Hall in the Western Capital was still operating normally, clearly indicating that Lin Chengzhao hadn’t informed anyone of his plan to escape, nor did he intend to take them along.

Therefore, these three people are still staying in the Western Capital.

The only one who might be aware of Lin Chengzhao’s escape plan could be Hua Wen because he’s often with him.

Listening to Mr. Yao’s words, Xu Jing pondered for a moment and said, "My suggestion is not to alert them prematurely. We should investigate their backgrounds first."

Mr. Yao immediately nodded and said, "I was thinking the same. It’s already late today; neither summoning them nor meeting them personally is appropriate. I’ll send someone to check on them first."

After reaching a consensus, Xu Jing went home first.

As she rode beside her carriage, Cheng Xiao held back for a segment of the journey before finally blurting out, "But, madam, I can’t figure out why those three managers would poison our herbal medicine.

Is the murderer really among them? Could it be... we’ve been investigating in the wrong direction?"

This strange matter was even sensed by Cheng Xiao.

Why would someone harbor hostility and go to such lengths to do something so thankless if there’s no enmity with another?

Xu Jing didn’t even know those three managers, and today was her first time learning of their existence.

If it was because of resentment over competition between Xinglin Hall and Guangming Hall leading to such actions, it would be far-fetched. Their boss hadn’t even reached such a stage of desperation, let alone that they should know Guangming Hall is backed by the Jiang Family. Why would they need to take action?

Lin Chengzhao wasn’t sure that the Jiang Family had abandoned their Lin Family until the day before, which is why he planned to leave in haste today. However, Shi Wenfeng had already decided to proceed with the poisoning before that.

Besides, Lin Chengzhao also mentioned earlier that these three managers were not ones to act on their accord. At least, he had never discovered them doing anything concealingly.

Her intuition told her that if they weren’t investigating in the wrong direction, then the culprit’s motive for the crime would be the key to unraveling all mysteries.

Her right index finger unconsciously tapped lightly on her skirt. After a while, she said, "Let’s not go home yet. Head back to my old residence. I need to ask Mr. Cheng something."

If the culprit wasn’t targeting her, could it be Cheng Xianbai or Cheng Qingqing?

However, when she presented the names of the three managers to Cheng Xianbai, he looked puzzled and shook his head, "These three managers’ names are somewhat familiar to me. After all, our family and the Lin Family are both in the medical business in Anping County. I’ve always been inevitably a bit... well, very admiring and envious of large medical halls like Guangming Hall and Tianyi Hall. I tend to pay more attention to matters related to them, so it’s normal for me to have heard of a few managers around Lin Chengzhao.

But I’m quite certain that neither Qingqing nor I know these three people, let alone have any enmity with them."

Xu Jing frowned deeply; it wasn’t aimed at the Cheng Brothers and Sisters either.

She couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed and was just about to put the paper away when she noticed Cheng Xianbai staring intently at those three names with a thoughtful expression. She asked, "Have you thought of something?"

Cheng Xianbai shook his head again, helplessly saying, "I tried to recall when I had heard the names of these three managers. I only remembered Zheng Chengye, which was when Miss Xu was in Anping County looking for channels to sell medicinal materials. Zheng Chengye used to be the manager in charge of procurement at Guangming Hall’s main store, and many merchants often mentioned him.

I just can’t recall when I heard about the other two, but I’m sure I’m familiar with those names..."

Xu Jing could only smile and say, "Alright, when you remember something, come to me right away."

Though for now, the person most suspect of poisoning is Shi Wenfeng, they haven’t found concrete evidence yet.

That means Xinglin Hall’s suspicion hasn’t been completely cleared, and they still can’t open the shop for now.

Only by finding the person who instructed Shi Wenfeng can they see a turning point for Xinglin Hall.

That night, Xiao Yi didn’t return until very late. Xu Jing sat by her bedside waiting for a while before turning off the lamp and lying down by herself.

As she lay down, her mind kept pondering over the culprit’s motive for the crime. Was the target really Xinglin Hall? Or was it... someone related to Xinglin Hall?