Chapter 523: Secret Investigation

Chapter 523: Chapter 523: Secret Investigation

The methods of the Four Divisions are growing more refined; Wang Jian always speaks of them with smiling eyes. Thanks to the continual improvements and in-depth investigations carried out by the Document Library, much intelligence, once gathered, can be quickly deduced and extrapolated, effectively aiding specific investigative and infiltration operations.

For instance, this time, according to the Four Divisions’ analysis, Qin Xiuyuan’s interest in fragrant candy was not limited to mere consumption; he had some expertise in the subject. It was said that he was particularly exacting about the aroma—if it failed to please him or the blend was off, he would refuse it. Hence, Qin Xiuyuan always bought his fragrant candy from the same Candy Shop, and never delegated the task; he always inspected the goods personally.

This creates the first filter in the case, eliminating many minor speculative threads. One key point emerges: since Qin Xiuyuan bought and checked his fragrant candy personally, and he was knowledgeable about it, if the killer used the candy as the method, how did they manage to deceive him?

Shen Hao’s thinking matched the Four Divisions’ conclusion: either Qin Xiuyuan lacked proper judgment when he ingested the poison—perhaps his taste or smell was impaired—or he failed to distinguish the fake and thus consumed it by mistake.

The autopsy report, as provided earlier in the "preliminary scroll" from the Major Case Department, was somewhat cursory, yet it briefly described the body’s condition and did not mention any issues regarding Qin Xiuyuan’s sense of smell or taste.

Of course, this world’s means of autopsy lag far behind those of another, yet this portion of the report still provides some reference. Additionally, none of the informants, nor any rumors received, mentioned any impairment to Qin Xiuyuan’s taste or olfactory faculties. Therefore, it can be basically ruled out that Qin Xiuyuan died because of his own lack of discernment.

The other possibility—"unable to distinguish true from false fragrant candy"—is the most likely cause of death.

Shen Hao knew nothing about fragrant candy; he did not even eat the stuff. Yet he could compare it to "wine," which he favored and studied. Suppose someone tried to trick him with a jug of fake wine and succeeded—then that jug could not just be "fake wine" but must also be "fine wine."

It sounds contradictory, yet it is the truth: to fool a connoisseur, you must present nine parts genuine as a front, mixing in one part false. Anything less and you will not succeed.

Thus Shen Hao commanded the network of undercover agents spread throughout the Imperial City to closely monitor a certain Candy Shop called "Jin Fengyuan." Qin Xiuyuan had been a regular patron before his death, buying all his candy there. Moreover, Jin Fengyuan was highly reputed in the Imperial City’s fragrant candy circles; many high officials and nobles purchased from them.

Keeping tight watch over the shop was not enough—you had to trace it back to the workshop where the candy was produced. Each establishment had its own secret recipe, which they kept well-guarded, typically setting up their workshops outside the city. These locations were not hard to find, but staking them out for actionable intelligence took time and patience.

Yet Shen Hao certainly did not have that much time to spend on this case; he needed to break through quickly. He was already convinced that Qin Xiuyuan’s death could be cracked through fragrant candy, and that the perpetrator must be connected to the Qin Family itself.

Accordingly, an order landed on Wang Jian’s desk, who then passed it to Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao oversaw the final phase in the Black Water Plan, that is, the Impermanence Department. This branch executed the operational phase based on intelligence gathered and analyzed by the other three departments.

This time, the Impermanence Department was led personally by Zhang Liao; in two days, six agents arrived at the Imperial City in shifts. Using the informants’ intelligence, they carried out a series of investigations into Jin Fengyuan’s shop and workshop, finally drafting a plan for infiltration.

Despite Jin Fengyuan’s fame, it was still a civilian shop. While the workshop had its own guards and warriors for defense and employed some arrays for precaution, it posed little challenge compared to the Impermanence Department, whose operatives had undergone long-term training in infiltrating varied targets.

The aim of the infiltration was not to steal money, but to stamp the account books. Whether tracking materials entering and leaving the workshop or finished goods and cash flow at the shop, anything Jin Fengyuan recorded and archived belonged within Zhang Liao’s mission scope.

The six agents spent two full nights before concluding the task—returning with stamped documents three feet thick.

Shen Hao had no need to sift through them one by one; that was naturally left to Wang Jian’s Four Divisions.

The Four Divisions would overnight screen out intelligence they deemed questionable, then send it to the Impermanence Department for secondary review and investigation. That second round of review would provide further evidence for the analyses of the other three departments. This cycle would repeat until the final intelligence briefing was formed.

Shen Hao received a brief Thousand-Mile Sound message from Wang Jian, containing confirmation of what Shen Hao had long suspected; the detailed report would later be sent to the Imperial City by Copper Rod for Shen Hao’s inspection.

The shop accounts and such for Jin Fengyuan were above board—at least, not containing the kind of problems Shen Hao was looking for. Likewise, the records of materials entering and leaving Jin Fengyuan’s candy workshop showed no issues. The "problem" was with a master candy-maker at the workshop, who drew a high monthly wage.

This person caught the Four Divisions’ eye because, in recent days, he had repeatedly withdrawn candy-making materials from the workshop’s supplies, but the quantity of finished products entering storage did not match his usual output rate.

A veteran candy-maker suddenly turns out fewer successful batches? No one in the workshop would voice the slightest complaint, even if someone noticed, they wouldn’t say much right away. But the timing of his "mistakes," as flagged by the Four Divisions, was far too coincidental—precisely the few days before Qin Xiuyuan’s incident.

Consequently, the Impermanence Department investigated this candy-maker; they found him, but he was lying in the wake hall—dead for two days. The story goes he drank himself drunk, wandered at night, and drowned in a pond by accident.

Dead? The two coincidences stacked together would unsettle even the most careless observer. This candy-maker’s death was far too suspicious.

Further investigation thus fell to Zhang Liao and his associates. However, unfamiliar with the locale, they could not expect quick results—time was required, and haste would not help.

Fortunately, Shen Hao was presently working in the shadows, having successfully placed Prince Shou and the Ministry of Justice Major Case Department on the front lines to divert attention; there was a window of opportunity. At minimum, Shen Hao estimated that Xue Gui and the others would need another three to five days to reach the level of progress he currently possessed; should anything unexpected arise, the delay would only increase.

"Prepare the carriage, to the Ministry of Justice. It’s about time I urge that Xue fellow along—otherwise, he’ll get suspicious." Shen Hao grinned at Wang Yiming, who was just going to ready the carriage, when a Small Banner Officer from the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office ran over.

"Is there something?" Wang Yiming stepped forward to meet him.

"Sir, this is a note just handed over for Lord Shen."