Chapter 94:
Yu Jintang frowned, "Oh? Where did you get that from, Mr. Liu?"
"Even if all three young ladies were poisoned by the same poison, it doesn't mean they were all the work of one person. It's entirely possible that the subsequent murderer imitated the previous method to commit the crime, so your second statement is not true. In addition, you said you also drank the sour plum soup from the third young lady's cup. Although many people saw it, it's more likely that you drank it to make it easier to poison her, and then secretly put the poisoned ice cube in after you finished drinking it. So, of course, you wouldn't be poisoned."
"You... you're talking nonsense!" Yu Jintang was speechless. "What's my motive? I'm her husband, why would I poison her?"
"As for this... I'm sure you know better than anyone here why you married into the Lu family. Isn't it because the Third Miss has evidence of your scandal? Do you want me to explain it more clearly in front of everyone in the Lu family?"
Before Yu Jintang could say anything, Lu Changhua slammed the table and said in a low voice, "Enough! Mr. Liu, this is not your business!"
Yin Chuan was amused. How could anyone in the Lu family not know about this? Lu Changhua was so concerned about such a well-known secret; he was truly being too proud to live. He said slowly, "Master Lu, don't get excited. While what I've said can refute Third Uncle's self-incrimination, I don't necessarily think he was the one who poisoned her. I'm just a suspect."
"So you mean the person who poisoned you is among the four people you identified?"
The other three people sitting there - Hai Yifan, Gu Yan and Lu Enting - all focused their attention on Yin Chuan.
"At least judging by the possibility of poisoning, all four of them had a chance."
Du Yunzhang pondered and said, "If your reasoning is correct and the poison was administered via ice, then the biggest suspect is undoubtedly my brother-in-law! He was the one who placed the ice in front of everyone."
Hai Yifan's eyes widened. "How did I become the murderer? Why would I harm the Third Young Lady?"
Yin Chuan shook his head. "But everyone saw it just now. When the eldest brother-in-law put ice cubes in everyone's cups, he didn't pick and choose. Instead, he used a spoon to randomly scoop ice into everyone's cup. It's unlikely that he would be able to accurately put the poisoned ice cube into the third young lady's cup. If he put it in the wrong place, he would have to risk exposing his trick to pick it out. Unless he uses some special method."
"Then how was the poison injected? Could it be that the murderer had marked the ice in advance?" Linlang asked in a muffled voice.
Yin Chuan couldn't answer this question at the moment, and the murderer's method of poisoning remained a mystery. However, it was almost certain that the murderer was one of Hai Yifan, Gu Yan, Lü Enting, and Yu Jintang. Considering the case of the second young lady, Lü Shuiqing, the previous day, Hai Yifan, Gu Yan, and Lü Enting, as parties involved in that case, might be more likely suspects than Yu Jintang. Yet, Jin Gui, the primary suspect at the time, was completely cleared of suspicion. Is this plausible? Could Jin Gui have pulled off the surreptitious murder of the third young lady?
Yin Chuan stole a glance at Jin Gui, who was sitting next to Yu Jintang, and found that there was a subtle smile on his face, as if this was the scene he most wanted to see. This made Yin Chuan secretly take a deep breath.
"Well - everyone else can go away first. Jingui, go find someone to put Shuiling in the mourning hall in front, together with Shuixian and Shuiqing." Lu Changhua stood up and said sadly.
"Father-in-law! Then we..." Hai Yifan tried to explain something, but swallowed back what he wanted to say.
"Dafang, you and a few of your disciples take these four to the side yard woodshed first. Don't let them out without my permission," Lu Changhua instructed, then turned to Lu Tai, "Uncle, I'll take care of Enting. Don't worry. Once the matter is investigated, he will be cleared of all charges. I'll have Madam take you back." He then said hello to Madam Gao. Although Madam Gao was heartbroken, she still maintained proper courtesy.
"Uncle, I was impulsive just now. Please forgive me. I will help you back to the house."
Lu Tai rolled his eyes at Gao, shook off her hand that was about to support him, and walked out with a slight limp.
An hour passed like this. After seeing Du Yunzhang and Baohan off, Yin Chuan and Linlang set up a makeshift interrogation room in the small room next to the woodshed where the four men were being held, preparing to interrogate each of them individually. During this hour, Linlang paid close attention to whether the four men in the woodshed communicated with each other, perhaps uncovering clues the murderer had inadvertently revealed. However, apart from a few complaints, there was no further meaningful communication.
However, an accident occurred during this time. Gu Yan's hand was cut by something unknown. Although it was not serious, it made this dandy boy fuss for a while, crying out in pain and saying that Lu Enting disliked him and secretly hurt him. Yin Chuan and Lin Lang ignored it, and when he got tired of it, he calmed down.
First up was Lu Enting. Yin Chuan brought him into the interrogation room and had him sit in front of him. Lu Enting seemed a little uneasy, his left hand tightly clasped around his right, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.
"Master Enting, do you have any excuse for what happened today?" Yin Chuan went straight to the point.
Lu Enting shook his head in confusion. "I don't know what you want me to say. You said it wasn't me who poisoned him? What else is there to say? It certainly wasn't me who poisoned him! And the other three people would definitely say the same thing as me."
"I remember it was you who came up with the idea of making sour plum soup for everyone to drink, right?" Linlang asked.
"No... no, it was my father's idea. He told me to soak the dried black plums that people from my hometown brought over in water and make sour plum soup for everyone."
Yin Chuan narrowed his eyes. "I've always been curious. Since your father is aphasic, how did he communicate with you? I haven't seen him use any sign language or anything like that."
"Well..." At this point, Lu Enting suddenly relaxed for some reason. "Because my mother passed away young, my father raised me single-handedly. We have lived together for more than 40 years. I can understand every look and gesture of his. So even if there is no way of signing, it won't prevent me from seeing what he wants me to do."
"In other words, the long-standing... tacit understanding between you and your father?"
"Well... you could say that."
"Isn't this a bit too mysterious?" Linlang sighed.
"Mysterious? Compared to the descendants of Lu Changhua who died one after another, how mysterious is the tacit understanding between me and my father?" Lu Enting's tone became more contemptuous.
"Who do you think has the strongest motive to kill?" Yin Chuan asked.
"Who is it... Hai Yifan? He's always been disliked by Lu Changhua, so naturally he's resentful. It's not impossible for him to explode at a certain point. As for Gu Yan... he has an exchange of interests with the Lu family, so it's understandable that he wants to cut off the Lu family's incense. As for Yu Jintang, you also said it in front of everyone. Their affair is well known to everyone, which makes him lose face in the Lu family."
"What about Jingui and Zhang Dafang?"
"I'm sure you've already investigated Jin Gui's case. He's no pushover. Only Zhang Dafang seems innocent. But... with all your suspicions, haven't you considered Lu Changhua's problem?"
Yin Chuan stared at Lu Enting closely, "What's the problem, Lu Changhua?"
"One word: do it!"
Lu Enting said angrily.
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