Chapter 31: Being Tricked
Back in the pre-trial room, the silence was so quiet that only the faint click of the recorder's keyboard could be heard. The interrogation had clearly concluded, and the air was filled with a sense of exhaustion and heaviness after the dust had settled. Ji Feng and Wang Ping exchanged a glance. Wang Ping nodded, motioning for him to sit down. Then, leaning slightly to his side, he lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, "He's confessed almost everything: murder, gang involvement, tomb robbery, smuggling, and intentional injury."
Ji Feng nodded and asked softly, "What about the murder of his brother-in-law Shen Zhaoran?"
Wang Ping shook his head, a complex expression flashing across his brows: "You can ask him in person."
Ji Feng patted Wang Ping on the shoulder to express his gratitude, and then said, "Lan Renxuan, have you explained everything you need to?"
"I've confessed everything." Lan Renxuan's voice trembled slightly.
"I advise you to be smart and not take any chances."
"I've told you everything. I dare not hide anything." Lan Renxuan responded eagerly.
"Let me ask you, how did Shen Zhaoran die?"
"Officer, I really don't know. I didn't do it, I swear." He straightened up and spoke quickly, as if he was afraid that if he was a second slower he would be considered a liar.
"After Shen Zhaoran died, your Lan family inherited all his property, as well as a huge insurance compensation. This is an astronomical figure. You said his death had nothing to do with you? Do you believe it yourself?"
"Officer, I've said everything I need to say. Saying nothing less won't reduce my sentence. There's really no need for me to hide anything."
"What do your father and sister think of your brother-in-law's death?" Ji Feng felt that Lan Renxuan hadn't lied about this. Of course, it was just a feeling, and further confirmation was needed.
"They... don't matter. Anyway, it doesn't matter if he's there or not." Lan Renxuan muttered, with a hint of disdain in his tone.
"You don't even care if your own family is killed?"
Lan Renxuan shook his head and said nothing.
"After your brother-in-law died, all his property was inherited by your sister Lan Ruojin, right?"
"His money was originally earned from my family's auction commission. So, my family didn't take advantage of him much."
"Also, why were flights to the UK booked and then cancelled several times?"
"Because..." Lan Renxuan hesitated.
"Speak!" Ji Feng slammed the table heavily.
"I know you're spying on my house, so I thought I'd play a little trick to confuse you."
"Tell me more about it."
"First, we want to wear you down. Second, once you've worn yourself out and become complacent, our antiques will have been shipped away and you won't be able to come back."
"Are you trying to cry wolf with us?"
"Yeah." Lan Renxuan nodded.
"How cunning!" Ji Feng said angrily. "Also, how did you win over the corrupt city leaders?"
"No, we didn't corrupt them." Lan Renxuan defended himself with his eyes wide open.
"No? Are you up to your tricks again?"
"No, officer, I'm not playing any tricks. How could I dare to do that?" Lan Renxuan almost cried.
"Then why do the city leaders take such good care of you?"
"They just want to keep my family's company in Langu City because they're afraid we'll move away. They're really not corrupt."
"You still cancelled it in the end, didn't you?"
"Yes... because you were investigating too closely." Lan Renxuan took a breath, his eyes flickering. "The day you first asked my sister to come to your office, we sensed something was amiss. After she came back, we held a family meeting that night and began the procedures for deregistering the company and transferring the assets."
"So, this so-called cancellation of the company in Lan Valley and registration of a new one outside the province is a complete scam. They're using fake cancellation to threaten the city leaders in order to suppress us?"
"Yeah. Actually, I cancelled the registration a long time ago, and I had no plans to register a new company outside the province. I just wanted to run away." Lan Renxuan answered guiltily.
Upon hearing this, Ji Feng felt the blood rush to his head, his face flushing crimson. He nearly slammed the table, but a calm voice within him pulled him back—it was Dean Lu and Captain Jiang's admonition: "Be careful, start and end well, and verify all the evidence!"
He closed his eyes, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and spoke again: "Why not move the family property to England all at once? Why do you have to do it in multiple installments?"
"First, we're moving too much at once, and the transportation is risky, so we want to spread the risk; second, the warehouse isn't fully organized; third, we can also use up your resources."
Wang Ping, listening from the side, was seething with anger. He cursed in a low voice, "Cunning and vicious! How hateful!"
"Also, do you know Lin Wantang?" Ji Feng knew that Wang Ping was angry for him, so he patted Wang Ping on the shoulder, signaling that it was okay and that he should focus on the interrogation first.
"That murderer? I don't know him, I really don't know him." Lan Renxuan looked confused.
"Don't you know anyone in your family?"
"We didn't know any of them. We had never heard of this man before he killed my brother-in-law."
"What do you want to say about your brother-in-law's death?"
"I think both of their deaths were in vain. My brother-in-law lost his life for those 'little dragons'. It was a loss." Lan Renxuan glanced at the cigarette box in front of Wang Ping. "That Lin Wantang was even more worthless. He killed my brother-in-law, stole the 'little dragons', and died of illness before he could enjoy them."
"So, you're sure Lin Wantang is the real murderer?" Ji Feng picked up a cigarette and handed it to Lan Renxuan, lighting it for him.
"Ah? Are you sure? Isn't Lin Wantang the murderer?" Lan Renxuan took a deep puff of his cigarette and asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Does your brother-in-law have any enemies, such as competitors?"
"How can there be any rivals?" Lan Renxuan said, "It's not the place for outsiders to interfere in my father's business."
"Your sister and your brother-in-law have an average relationship, so do they have lovers outside?"
"Impossible." Lan Renxuan shook his head like a rattle. "Although he and my sister have an average relationship, they are both focused on making money. My father would not allow such things to happen in our family. They are very clean outside."
Ji Feng paused. He felt that Lan Renxuan had no reason to lie at this point. It seemed the Lan family was a profit-driven, unscrupulous group of cultural relics smugglers. But killing people might not be such a good deal for them.
"Finally, let me explain to you that if you confess or provide important clues about Shen Zhaoran's murder, it will be considered a major meritorious service and will greatly help with your sentencing. Of course, the reverse is also true. This is a trade-off. Do you want to reconsider?"
After comprehensive judgment, Ji Feng has basically determined that the Lan family has little to do with the murder of Shen Zhaoran, but he still wants to scare this playboy in the end.
"Officer, I also want to make a contribution, but I really don't know. If you say my family is only interested in profit, I admit that. But I really don't dare to kill people."
"You really don't dare? Didn't you kill someone too?" Seeing that Lan Renxuan was indeed unaware of the Shen Zhaoran case, Wang Ping angrily scolded Lan Renxuan.
Lan Renxuan lowered his head again.
Ji Feng looked at the interrogation record. It seemed that everything that needed to be confessed had been confessed, and he had nothing else to ask.
He nodded to Wang Ping and Aiermuhe, indicating that he had no further questions.
"Lan Renxuan, do you have anything else to say?" Aiermuhe asked.
"there is none left."
Aiermuhe carefully reviewed the interrogation record and saw that Lan Renxuan had pressed his fingerprints in every place where they were required to be signed. He said to the police officer next to him, "Take him away."
Two policemen, one on each side, took Lan Renxuan out.
After Lan Renxuan left, Ji Feng stood up, shook hands with Ai Remuhe and Wang Ping gratefully, and said, "Thank you so much for solving several major cases for us. Our bureau leader said he will come to present you with a banner to express his gratitude."
"Captain Ji, don't be so polite. All criminal police in the world are one family. Who knows, we might go to Langu City to trouble you one day." Airemuhe spoke Mandarin with an Ishgar accent.
"Captain Ji, the truth of the case has been revealed. More importantly, you have proved yourself. They are so bad and cunning, and you have been wronged." Wang Ping said sincerely.
"No wonder, these criminals are really difficult to deal with. They are considered high-IQ crimes." Ji Feng said generously.
"Captain Ji, you haven't eaten for two days. Let's go and celebrate in the evening." Aiermuhe said cheerfully.
"I didn't feel hungry just now, but now that you mentioned it, I really do feel a little hungry. I'll treat you tonight as a simple thank you."
"How can we let you treat us? We must do our best to be hosts." Several people walked out of the pre-trial room talking and laughing.
That evening, a celebratory banquet was held at a Uyghur restaurant. Everyone gathered happily, chatting and laughing. The generous and down-to-earth Yishijiang brothers were very happy for Jifeng and raised their glasses to congratulate him. Jifeng expressed his sincere gratitude to the Yishijiang police and cordially invited them to visit Lan Valley.
During the banquet, Ji Feng left his seat and called Jiang Bo to announce the final outcome of the preliminary investigation. Jiang Bo told Ji Feng to wait in Kakeshiku. He would travel to Xinjiang with Ji Chuan and Xin Xiao, and escort Lan Renxuan back with him. Ji Feng quickly calculated the time in his mind and realized he could use this opportunity to visit Lin Wantang's parents—he still had too many unsolved mysteries about Lin Wantang.
Although he drank a few more glasses than usual that night, Ji Feng would not forget the agreement he made with Maitiwuzi - tomorrow morning, Maitiwuzi would drive him and he would go to Lin Wantang's parents' home, which was 600 kilometers away.
The road to Kuzhaolan was sometimes smooth, sometimes bumpy. After solving several major cases, Jifeng felt a sense of relief, a rare moment of leisure. Maitiwuzi served as both driver and guide, introducing the majestic and magnificent scenery of the frontier as he drove along.
On either side, snow-capped mountains stretched endlessly, pines and cypresses draped in thick frost, their branches adorned with shimmering icicles. In the distance, the snow-capped peaks of Kunling Mountain stood tall in the cold wind, like a giant guarding this land. Occasionally, we passed a frozen river, its surface as solid as a mirror, reflecting the gray sky. The air, mingled with the crisp scent of pine needles and moist earth, felt both cold and refreshing.
The journey, though bumpy and tiring, was also refreshing, allowing me to feel the vast magnificence of nature and the tenacious power of life in the bitter winter wind. By the time Kuzhaolan gradually came into view, it was already past lunchtime.
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