Chapter 7 A small-time merchant with a big attitude
Jin Shu couldn't figure out the answer to this question even after thinking about it the whole way.
The carriage swayed and rocked as it headed towards Dingzhou Fish Market.
On the way there, Zhou Zheng made a special detour to the Dingzhou government office, asking Liu Cheng'an to lead men to meet him.
The mystery of this case is almost obvious. However, the final link in the chain is missing the most crucial element: the motive.
Dingzhou Fish Shop is the only one in the entire Dingzhou area. It was started by a merchant surnamed Su many years ago and has become a well-known merchant over the past century.
Looking at the imposing shop entrance in front of her, Jin Shu glanced around and saw horse-drawn carriages carrying large buckets of live fish going in and out of the alley not far from the entrance.
The hemp rope on the bucket was made of three strands, and its size and thickness were almost identical to the marks on the girl's wrist.
Is this the rope?
"Well, the size, thickness, and weaving pattern are basically certain." After Jin Shu finished speaking, she paused for a moment, turned her head, and saw Li Jin standing next to her, also staring intently at the rope on the cart.
She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "...How did you manage to combine that hemp rope with the fish in the restaurant?"
Li Jin lowered his eyes slightly, smiled, and glanced at her: "Rope is a tool, and tools have uses and value. Two strands of hemp rope are enough for ordinary people, so what's the point of having three strands?"
"I see!" Jin Shu suddenly understood after hearing his explanation.
Three-strand hemp rope is inexpensive and stronger than ordinary hemp rope, and is more resistant to water immersion. It is mostly used by people who work with aquatic products.
Seeing her knowing look, Li Jin burst out laughing: "Actually, it's intelligence."
After saying that, he looked at Jin Shu, who was standing there in a daze, and suddenly waved his fan open.
Rather than researching what industry it was or who would use the rope, Li Jin had more faith in the "Shadows" he had personally trained.
This is his most trusted and powerful secret group that gathers intelligence for him.
"I just wanted to eat fish yesterday, and I was just asking around." He didn't turn his head and walked forward with a laugh.
Eating fish is just a pretext; the real purpose is to bankrupt her and force her to rely on the Six Doors' monthly salary for survival.
While the two were talking, Zhou Zheng was stopped by two servants at the shop entrance.
"Our fish shop only wholesales, not retails. If you want to buy fish, please visit the market in Dingzhou city."
He remained expressionless, glanced at the empty fish market behind the two men, and pulled a sign from his chest pocket.
A black rectangle, engraved with dragon patterns, with the three large golden characters "Six Doors" written in seal script in the center: "Six Doors is handling a case, call your manager out!"
Zhou Zheng exuded a solemn killing intent, which made the two servants in front of him look at each other in dismay. After hesitating for a moment, one of them quickly turned around and ran into the inner hall.
The remaining one immediately put on a smiling face and said in a rather mercenary manner, "Well... please wait a moment, sir, we'll go and inform them right away."
Although their words sounded nice, they had no intention of letting them in.
Looking at the scene before him, Li Jin glanced at Jin Shu, whose face was full of displeasure, and said in a low voice, "When handling cases, you should call me Sect Leader."
Behind him, Jin Shu took a deep breath, suppressing his reluctance, and kept the words "calm mind" on repeat in his mind. He smiled and replied, "Yes, Sect Leader."
This powerful figure in front of her was someone she couldn't afford to offend; offending him would surely lead to financial ruin. For the sake of Jin Rong's tuition next month, even if she really wanted to quit and leave, she had to hold back!
"Mr. Jin, just go ahead and investigate." Li Jin could see that she was extremely angry, but for some reason, he wanted to tease her a little, so he moved closer to her, put his arm around her shoulder and patted her like a buddy.
While filming, he said earnestly and solemnly, "In future investigations, if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you."
Is there more to come?
Seeing Jin Shu's terrified face and her entire upper body stretching to the other side, Li Jin withdrew his hand with great satisfaction, suppressing his laughter, and walked to Zhou Zheng's side.
Jin felt relieved. The spoiled brats in the capital were indeed different from others; how could they even touch a "man" inappropriately?
As Li Jin reached the door, the servant who had rushed in earlier staggered back, panting and bowing, saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir. My master said he would like to invite you to the guest room for a chat!"
"A mere merchant, yet so arrogant." Li Jin closed his fan and looked at the servant in front of him with a smile. "Lead the way."
The Six Doors of the capital city hold a pivotal position in both the martial arts world and the imperial court, yet in this fish market in Dingzhou, they don't even have a reliable host.
Having been in business for a century, the fish market should be worldly-wise and sophisticated. The manager of the fish market could not possibly be unaware of the status of the "Six Doors" (a government agency).
Therefore, it seems that there must be some unknown secret hidden in the Su family's fish shop.
"Mr. Jin, do you still remember what the restaurant manager said yesterday?"
Zhou Zheng was in front, but Li Jin slowed down and walked alongside Jin Shu: "He said that this rope seems to be a secret, and no one else can touch it. Even if you send fish, it will be taken back."
"Furthermore, now that the Six Doors have sent people, not even a steward has come out to greet them..."
He narrowed his eyes slightly: "What do you think, sir?"
How do you see it?
Jin Shu couldn't hold back any longer and sneered, "However the sect leader interprets the intelligence, that's how I interpret it."
Li Jin wasn't angry when she heard her say that; she still smiled and said, "Yes, great minds think alike."
She was bewildered. How could they have such similar views?
After passing through the corridor behind the shops, the group stepped through a beautiful auspicious gate, where the fishmonger finally arrived, smiling as he greeted them.
"Oh dear, sir, I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please come in, please come in!"
Dressed in fine clothes, with graying temples, his every move exuded both the elegance of a wealthy family and the shrewdness of a common merchant.
Li Jin glanced at him and asked directly, "Where is the second young master of the Su family now?"
"This..." Upon hearing that they were looking for his second son, Su Youwei's scalp tightened, and he hesitated.
"When the sect leader asks a question, you must not hide anything." Zhou Zheng stepped forward, his aura extremely imposing.
"Ah?!" Su Youwei was shocked and quickly knelt down. "I didn't know it was the Lord of the Six Doors and His Highness Prince Jing who had arrived. I deserve to die!"
Then, crouching low and lying on the ground, he frantically winked at the servant standing dumbfounded at the door: "Quick! Go and drag that unfilial son out here!"
Sure enough, the head of the Su family knew about the Six Doors.
What happened next was somewhat unexpected. Su Youwei's second son was furious and kept yelling the whole way.
His hands and feet were tied, and his body was wrapped in a bed sheet. He was being carried into the living room by four people, cursing and swearing.
"I want to see Xiaoli! Put me down! You bunch of bastards! I'm the second young master! Are you all blind?!"
Looking in the direction of the sound, Jin Shu immediately noticed the knots on his hands and feet, which were exactly the same as the ones Li Jin had tied around her wrists yesterday.
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