Chapter 706 Full of Suspicious Points
Upon hearing Jin Ji's description, Jiang Jinyan's first reaction was that Jin Ji had been framed.
Jin Ji was terrified. He couldn't figure out who was trying to frame him. "Brother, save me! I'm truly innocent. I didn't kill anyone."
"Calm down, I believe in you, we will definitely save you." Jiang Jinyan continued, "Was your trip to buy silk thread planned or a spur-of-the-moment decision? Where did you go to buy the silk, and who did you contact? Tell me the whole story."
“In the past, the silk collection was always planned out in advance. They would prepare the goods, and I would go to inspect them before they were taken away. Yesterday, I suddenly received a message from Boss Yu. He said that a batch of silk thread had been canceled by someone and he wanted to give me a refund at a low price. He asked me to go and see the goods. I thought that the weaving workshop also needed some, and Boss Yu's goods were also good, so I went…”
Jiang Jinyan said, "So you're saying that leaving the capital wasn't your own idea, but someone made you go. Where is Boss Yu from, and what's his name?"
“His name is Yu Dong, we all call him Yu Laoba. His family is from Xingfu Village. He often helps villagers sell their goods. Everyone in the surrounding area knows him. He has a wide network of connections. If we, the people who run the cloth business, are short of goods, we will ask him to help us find them. He can then resell them to us and earn some hard-earned money. We have had business dealings before.”
"Brother, could it be that he's trying to harm me?" Jin Ji asked again. In his memory, Yu Dong was a good person, and he couldn't believe that Yu Dong would frame him.
“There’s no such thing as a coincidence. There’s definitely something fishy about Yu Laoba.” Jiang Jinyan said in a deep voice, “Think again about any other details. Did you encounter any suspicious people at the inn? Did Yu Laoba know you were staying at this inn?”
“He knows,” Jin Ji said with great certainty.
"Yesterday I finished collecting the silk threads and was preparing to go home. He said it was too late and wanted me to stay in the village for the night, but I didn't. I was thinking of coming back early. Old Yu said he wouldn't try to keep me. He said if it got dark, there was an inn called Fulai Inn on the road where I could stay for the night. He told me not to walk at night and that it might rain at night. He also said that we in this line of work are most afraid of water and fire. The silk threads will be ruined if they get wet in the rain..."
When we passed by Fulai Inn, everyone was hungry. I led the people into the inn to find something to eat, without planning to stay overnight. When I woke up, it was the next morning, and that's when the accident happened.
I brought two helpers with me. We rode in the same carriage, and the goods were all inside. Where are my goods? Where are my helpers? They can vouch for me.”
Jiang Jinyan knew that the owners of Fulai Inn were originally quite kind people, and the inn wasn't a shady place. He said, "I'm afraid the owner of this inn has already changed, and someone is waiting for you to jump into a trap."
"Yes, yes, yes, the owner has changed. When I entered the store, I specifically asked about Uncle Fu's whereabouts. The waiter said that the previous owner went back to his hometown and the store was sold to someone else."
“We’re already at our doorstep, there’s no need to stay at an inn. Boss Yu even specifically reminded you to stay at a hotel. You and your companions can go straight into the city,” Jiang Jinyan said.
Jin Ji added, "That's right, why would I go into the inn? I could have just come back and everything would have been fine. If I hadn't gone into the inn and hadn't eaten anything, no one could have framed me."
Jiang Jinyan thought there were loopholes everywhere, but the key was that it was Li Cheng's wife, Shu Xue, who died. The relationship between the Li family and the Jiang family was not good to begin with, and now the Li family would be even more relentless.
To find out the true cause of Shu Xue's death, the only way is to ask a coroner to examine her body, and the Li family will have to make that trip.
Jiang Jinyan said, "You should stay here and not worry. Only by finding the real culprit can your name be cleared."
He also needs to find two of his men; why weren't they handed over to the authorities?
Jin Ji then said, "Brother."
Seeing that he looked exhausted and was covered in injuries, Jiang Jinyan handed him a bottle of anti-swelling ointment, saying, "Take care of yourself."
Jin Ji nodded heavily. "Don't tell Mengmeng that I've been captured. She'll be scared. Just say I'm on business and haven't come back yet."
"Second sister already knows."
"She must be very worried. It's all my fault. After running this business for so many years, I didn't even have this much vigilance. It's all my fault..."
“This is not your fault. Someone wanted to harm the Jiang family. You are the Jiang family’s son-in-law, so they attacked you. The Jiang family should apologize to you.” Jiang Jinyan said, “You have suffered.”
"My elder brother has already said that I am the son-in-law of the Jiang family, so I am a member of the Jiang family. If I die, please take care of Mengmeng for me." Jin Ji is not afraid of death, but he is afraid that Jiang Rumeng will be sad and heartbroken.
Jiang Jinyan said, "The Jiang family will not let anything happen to you."
Just then, someone suddenly appeared outside the prison cell. A constable rushed in, "Lord Jiang, hurry up, someone's here!"
"Who could be here so late?"
"Lord Zhang is dealing with people outside; it seems to be someone from the Ministry of Justice. You should leave quickly, sir. If you show up in the prison without permission, Lord Zhang won't be able to explain himself."
Jiang Jinyan followed the yamen runner to the other side.
Zhang Anyu stopped Vice Minister Wang, who had come to escort the man, saying, "I have not received any orders to send Jin Ji to the Ministry of Justice prison. I am still investigating this case..."
“If the Jingzhao Prefecture can’t investigate it, then hand it over to the Ministry of Justice! This case is serious, and the Minister of Justice has personally ordered the criminal to be brought to the Ministry of Justice for investigation.” Vice Minister Wang didn’t mince words.
Zhang Anyu deliberately said, "I know that the Ministry of Justice can come to arrest people in the event of a major case, but there's no need to do it in the middle of the night! Lord Wang is being too hasty."
Vice Minister Wang sneered, "I am merely following orders. Lord Zhang is truly dedicated to his duty, still guarding the prison cell so late at night. Has something happened to the prisoner in the Jingzhao Prefecture? I shall go in and take a look."
Zhang Anyu understood the unspoken meaning. He was just making things up to buy time for Jiang Jinyan. He continued, "I am naturally investigating a case. What could possibly happen to the criminal? He is perfectly safe. Didn't Lord Wang also rush to the Jingzhao Prefecture late at night to arrest him? If we're talking about being responsible, Lord Wang is the one who is truly responsible. I am ashamed of myself. However, this case is under the jurisdiction of the Jingzhao Prefecture. Lord Wang, please go back!"
Wang Mian frowned slightly. "Lord Zhang should know who Jin Ji killed! The niece of Vice Minister Shu, the daughter-in-law of Minister Li..."
"No matter who dies, I will handle this impartially, without letting a bad person go unpunished or wronging an innocent one." Zhang Anyu knew that if the person was indeed taken away by the Ministry of Justice, the Jiang family would be in a very passive position. He had investigated the case and found many suspicious points.
He added, "Lord Wang, is it only because the deceased were members of the families of Vice Minister Shu and Minister Li that your Ministry of Justice is so diligent in its investigation? If it were an ordinary family where someone had died, and a murder had occurred, you wouldn't have bothered with it."
Wang Mian's eyes were filled with anger. "When did I say such a thing? Zhang Anyu, you are just a lowly Prefect of Jingzhao. Are you trying to smear the Ministry of Justice by saying these things? This case is a major criminal case. Rape and murder, the methods are cruel and the crime is unforgivable. The Ministry of Justice intervened in the investigation in order to give the victim justice. Lord Zhang won't let me in. Is it because someone inside is someone you know?"
He added, "I've heard that Lord Zhang is close to the Jiang family. Surely you're not trying to exonerate the Jiang family's son-in-law!"
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