"It seems like they arrived in less than fifteen minutes. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I think about it carefully, it seems a bit fast, as if they knew in advance that there was a murder here." Normally, there are at most one or two constables patrolling an area, but that day there were four or five, as if they had made an appointment.
Do you remember that guest?
"I remember what he looked like. He was a thin, middle-aged man with a mole on the corner of his mouth and a beard. He was wearing a blue long robe, but I felt something was off about him because his demeanor didn't seem like that of a businessman. Instead, he seemed more like a government official. Oh, and he was with someone else. That person had a scar on his face and triangular eyes. He looked very gloomy. The middle-aged man said that this person was his bodyguard."
"A scar, triangular eyes?" Xi Chun connected this person with the one An Wuji had mentioned. She seemed to have found a clue, but the most important thing now was to find the person. If he got away, it would be troublesome.
"I understand. This is food I brought from the stall. There's no problem. You should eat it quickly. After I go back and tell your parents, I'll go find someone to locate these two people." Xi Chun said calmly. A quarter of an hour had passed, and she followed the yamen runners out of the prison.
When Master Fu learned of this news, his hatred intensified. It was clearly a scheme orchestrated by the Luo family, and those two so-called guests were definitely in cahoots.
At this point, Xi Chun had not yet determined whether those people were related to the thieves from before. However, considering that Master Fu had a wider network of connections than she did, and now that she had some evidence, she thought he could try his best to find a way to investigate from both sides and find out the villains as soon as possible.
"Thank you for informing me of this important information, Miss Chen. Don't worry, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. My Fu family is not one to be bullied. Don't investigate, otherwise I'm worried those people will cause trouble for you."
"I'll be as careful as possible. I'll head back now." After leaving the Fu family, Xi Chun went to the brothel where the crime had occurred. Through inquiries, she learned that the constables who came that day had come from the yamen (government office), not from patrolling the vicinity of the brothel.
That's something worth investigating. After all, she made two trips back and forth. She calculated that even if they walked at a fast pace, it would still take them about fifteen minutes to get there. But if it was from the time those people discovered the murder and rushed to the yamen to report it, and then the constables learned of the situation and rushed over, it would have taken at least fifteen minutes. So it seems more like a deliberately designed trap. She then went to the Fu family and told them about her discovery.
Aunt Zhang and the others all knew that she was running back and forth for the sake of the Fu family.
“Xichun, the young master of the Fu family must have been wronged. I think the second young master of the Fu family is so approachable. Moreover, many people in my mother’s village have rented land from the Fu family. My parents have rented more than ten acres. The Fu family are indeed good people, not like what outsiders say. I think there’s probably something fishy going on in this matter.”
Even Aunt Zhang could see that there was something wrong, so how could others not see it? It's just that some people saw how rich the family used to be and now they've fallen into poverty, so they wanted to lend a hand. Others had their eyes on the family's assets, and if the Fu family fell, they could take the opportunity to seize them.
“I think this matter is aimed at the Fu family’s business. Aunt Zhang, you should not disclose it to the public for the time being. Let’s see how many more people will come forward. Once the Fu family finds evidence to prove Young Master Fu’s innocence, I will ask everyone to testify.” This was something she and Mr. Fu had agreed upon.
"Alright, I think Young Master Fu has definitely taken a liking to you. His family was very wealthy and powerful back then, so I was worried that his family might not agree. Now that we can help out, the Fu family will see how good you are." Aunt Zhang said with a smile. This was also what the rest of them thought. Xichun is a good girl, and they would be happy if she married a good man in the future.
"I didn't think that much about it. Young Master Fu saved my mother back then, so I just wanted to help if I could. Anyway, I'm going to find Taozi to talk to him about something."
Xichun found Taozi and asked him to tell the apprentices in the village that if they met the person she described, they should tell her, but not to let anyone find out.
"Don't worry, Sister Xichun. Thanks to your introduction, many shops in the city have friends from our village. They can handle finding people for us right now." Taozi said, as if he had everything under control.
"Alright, then I'll leave this glorious and arduous task to you."
The next morning, Fu Changjin was put on trial. Xi Chun, of course, did not have the ability to find the murderer overnight, so she could only come to watch and hope that he could hold on a little longer and that he could clear his name once the evidence was found.
Chen Lizhong arrived at the scene early in the morning with his henchmen. There were quite a few people around. Such a big case rarely occurred in the county, so most people came out of curiosity.
"Make way, make way, don't block the way." Chen Lizhong arrogantly pushed aside the crowd blocking his way, and his henchmen followed suit.
The person who was pushed was about to curse, but when they saw that it was Chen Lizhong and the people around him, they all silently made way for him.
"I heard that even the constables in the yamen respectfully call him Young Master Chen. Moreover, his family has bought a house and started employing servants. They've really risen to prominence. No wonder they dare to be so rude."
"Hmph, he's just a dog kept by the county magistrate. He's so arrogant, isn't he afraid of getting his comeuppance?" Some people were very dissatisfied with him.
"That girl is pregnant. Once she gives birth to a son, her position will be secure. Otherwise, how could he dare to be so arrogant?"
"If you keep talking about me behind my back, I'll make sure you go bankrupt. Hmph, you ungrateful wretches, it's your honor to let me pass." Chen Lizhong also saw these unfriendly looks, but now that he had the county magistrate backing him up, he was no longer as afraid as before.
"They're here, they're here, the interrogation is about to begin." Just as he spotted Chen Xichun in the crowd and was about to threaten him, someone said.
"You're next." He looked at Chen Xichun and muttered to himself.
Xi Chun also saw his expression and even deciphered his lips. He stared at Xi Chun like a venomous snake for a while before focusing on the case. However, Xi Chun was not in the mood to look at the case now. Instead, she was wondering if Chen Lizhong was involved. What could he do in a case like this? No one had mentioned him before.
However, recalling the tenant farmers on the Fu family's side, Xi Chun suddenly had a clue. It seemed that what he did was probably to threaten those tenant farmers into changing their minds. Xi Chun thought that he could investigate from this angle.
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