Chapter 90 First Release "There's something wrong with this paper."...
Only then did Jia Ren pull his gaze away from the letter paper. His eyes seemed filled with confusion, and he didn't know where to look for a moment. After a moment of pause, he looked into Song Linsheng's eyes.
"Sir Song, I have no clue at the moment." Jia Ren's face was solemn, his tone calm, and he spoke quietly to Song Linsheng, "But I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation."
This answer was not surprising. Song Linsheng thought to himself that he had not expected Lord Jia to reveal all the details.
Besides, he doesn't need any explanation, only the people of Jiangyang Prefecture need an explanation.
Song Linsheng held the letter paper in his hand. He rubbed the paper with his right fingertips, kneading it repeatedly to feel the thickness of the paper.
"There's something wrong with this paper."
Song Linsheng's words were like thunder breaking through the clouds, lightning flashing across the sky, blowing the whole hall apart.
"Something's wrong? What's wrong?" Yang Sheng asked hurriedly, even more hurriedly than Lord Jia. It would be great if Lord Song could see some clues and prove that there was something fishy going on.
"Can you please let me see it, sir?" Xiyan, who was standing aside, stepped forward and took the letter from Song Linsheng with both hands.
The moment he got the paper, Xiyan suddenly understood what was wrong with what the young master said.
Xiyan turned around and looked at Song Linsheng. He saw a look of affirmation in Song Linsheng's eyes. Xiyan thought for a moment and then spoke carefully.
"When it comes to calligraphy, besides the inkstone and brush, there are also many different types of writing paper."
He had followed the young master since he was young, serving the young master's calligraphy and painting. He knew all the tricks of this trade very well, and remembered every detail of it meticulously.
The Song family is particular about things, and the young master is even more particular. Naturally, they use paper that corresponds to the type of content they are writing.
The so-called bamboo slips, wooden tablets, and white paper notes are a rough classification.
Even if you are not a nobleman, scholars from ordinary families have this habit.
But……
"But this paper is clearly not for writing." Xiyan raised his hands half an inch so that everyone could see it clearly. "It's soft and coarse, not to mention its cold white color. This is clearly Dongchang paper, often used for packaging."
It is not paper specifically designed for writing letters.
Song Linsheng, who was standing aside, remained silent, but showed an approving look towards Xi Yan.
"Dongchang paper..." Yang Sheng murmured when he heard this. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember it.
A breeze passed through the wall, swirling between the people in the main room, and making Yangsheng feel cold on his face. He seemed to wake up from a dream and looked out in the direction of the wind.
The half-open window lets in the weeping crabapple trees in the courtyard, but one can only admire them from a distance. The fragrance of the crabapple flowers seems to be blocked by the window sill, not getting through at all, making it difficult to smell the fragrance.
The window panes creaked in the wind, casting dappled light and shadows on them, casting diamond-shaped window panes.
Yang Sheng looked at the window leaf. The paper pasted on it was a little wrinkled. He couldn't help but remember that it was the paper he had pestered the master in the mansion to paste for him.
Wait, window paper...
"Dongchang paper is the paper used for pasting windows, right?" Yang Sheng's heart was filled with light as if illuminated by a bright lamp.
Xiyan nodded slightly, agreeing with Yangsheng's words.
"Exactly. Dongchang paper is soft and rough, yet cheap and readily available. It's often used for window pastings and packaging." Xi Yan pondered, "A discerning scholar would definitely not use this paper for letterheads."
Unless, the person who wrote this letter was in a really urgent situation and couldn't care less about so many things, or, he was not a scholar to begin with.
Xiyan's heart moved, and he unconsciously turned to look at Song Linsheng beside him.
Could it be...
"That is to say..." Jia Ren spoke at the right time.
The words were like a sharp knife stuck between Xi Yan and Song Linsheng. Xi Yan quickly stopped thinking, let alone asking. He was a little reckless sometimes, but he would never fail to see the current situation clearly, and he would not cause trouble for the young master at this time.
"In other words, the other party is very likely completely unfamiliar with writing, let alone anything about calligraphy." Yang Sheng seemed to see hope in clearing Lord Jia's suspicions. "In that case, he can't be a scholar or something, but more likely a peddler or hawker."
Yang Sheng raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Lord Song and Xi Yan opposite him.
"Based on this, we can narrow the scope of our investigation, which will be more helpful for the investigation."
Xiyan nodded, thinking that what Yangsheng said made sense.
"If Dongchang paper is used to paste windows, it's usually seasonal. Ordinary people would have already redone the corners, window sills, and eaves tiles during the New Year."
After Xiyan finished speaking, he did not pause, but continued to explain.
"But if it's peddlers, especially those dealing in goods, whose packaging is consumed quickly every day, they must always have some Dongchang paper in stock."
It’s even cheaper if you pick it up at hand.
After hearing this, Yang Sheng felt that it made sense. What he needed to do now was to quickly check it out, otherwise...
He glanced at Song Linsheng calmly, otherwise, the waves surging in Lord Song's eyes might have drowned Lord Jia completely.
"But if they're deliberately trying to be mysterious and chose this paper to fool us, in order to divert our attention, blur our focus, and mislead our investigation."
That would be bad.
Jia Ren frowned and looked worried, seeming very hesitant.
"Sir, Sir Jia," Yang Sheng urged hurriedly, "No matter what, we must give it our all. We can't be afraid because of these few concerns."
"The other party dared to write a letter, it must be intended to frame you, sir. We can't let them slander us like this—"
Yang Sheng was analyzing everything one by one when he was interrupted by Jia Ren's voice.
"not good!"
Jia Ren had served in Jiangyang for many years and had handled many matters, big and small, both inside and outside the prefecture. Even if he hadn't handled a thousand or eight hundred, it was not much.
Yang Sheng’s words just now woke him up. The other party actually dared to write a letter to him. He must have some leverage in his hand.
"Has anyone in Jiangyang Prefecture, inside and outside, disappeared recently?"
Jia Ren's attention was no longer on the mysterious letter. He turned around and asked Yang Sheng very seriously.
Yang Sheng was stunned by his sudden question, but after all, he had been with Lord Jia for a long time and was not stupid, so he reacted quickly and replied quickly.
"I checked everything before last night, and there's nothing unusual. Every security detail is in perfect order, with no lapses."
Yang Sheng's mind flashed through the sealed records he had previously consulted, and he answered smoothly.
"The patrol officers didn't even file a missing person, and no one came forward to report the case..."
Song Linsheng raised his eyebrows, and the change on his face was almost imperceptible. His eyes passed between Yang Sheng and Jia Ren, but he did not interrupt.
"What about the days after Shangsi? What about the days off?"
Jia Ren took Yang Sheng's words into his ears, and soon realized that something was wrong, so he asked.
Yang Sheng paused, this...
"I was delayed today by other things, and I haven't checked the files for the day off yet."
"Go check it out quickly and get back to me." Jia Ren was anxious and hurriedly stood up. "Forget it, I'll go with you."
"Master Jia, please wait a moment."
Song Linsheng saw the urgency on Jia Ren's face, and the anxiety between his eyebrows did not seem fake, but there was another matter at hand, so he had to speak out to stop him.
"Sir?" Jia Ren asked doubtfully, but then he realized that he hadn't even asked for Sir Song's opinion. "Please forgive me, Sir. I overstepped my bounds."
"It's not this matter, Lord Jia, don't worry about it." Song Linsheng didn't even raise his eyebrows.
This Lord Jia seemed to attach great importance to his position and always put the prefect under a high esteem.
Song Linsheng smiled helplessly in his heart, but he didn't know that he had never taken these things to heart. Lord Jia was senior and experienced. If it weren't for...
Song Linsheng sighed inwardly and suppressed his many conjectures. No matter what, Lord Jia deserved his respect.
"It's just that what you just promised Linsheng..." Song Linsheng raised his hand to press down a piece of rice paper that was blown by the wind on the table. "Master Jia, first I was kidnapped by bandits, and then there was an inexplicable letter threatening you."
"Master Jia, do you think there's some connection between these two incidents? Or even more so, could they be the work of the same group of people?"
First he threatened Xiyan's life, and then he blackmailed Lord Jia with a large sum of money. One of them was the prefect of Jiangyang Prefecture, and the other was the prefect's deputy. The other party really did not leave any one out and had two plans prepared.
This matter is very strange no matter how you look at it.
Upon hearing this, Jia Ren stopped moving and didn't stand up, but he was so anxious that he couldn't sit down any longer.
His knees bent, and for a moment he was neither sitting nor standing. Finally, Jia Ren straightened his body and stood up straight.
"Lord Song is right." Jia Ren thought for a moment and then replied decisively, "In my opinion, we should investigate these two cases together."
"I will first lead a search for missing persons in the city to understand what leverage the other party holds. We will then use this information to track down the whereabouts of the person who came."
Chips?
Song Linsheng's eyes, washed by spring water, now resembled a thousand-year-old cold pond, deep and silent, its depth difficult to discern. A shallow ripple rose from the cold pond, leaving a trace of scratches.
Lord Jia didn't know, but Song Linsheng knew.
If the person who wrote this letter is the same group of people who kidnapped Madam Wen Yu outside the city yesterday.
Of course he knew that the man had kidnapped Madam Wen Yu, but he didn't know that Madam Wen Yu, as the so-called "bargaining chip", had actually made the other party offer a price of ten thousand taels of gold.
If that person handed this letter to him, he would be willing to give him not only ten thousand taels of gold, but also all the land, property, shop fronts, gold, silver and other valuables under his name, as long as he had them.
As long as he can get Madam Wen Yu back.
However, the letter specifically stated that it was to be delivered to Lord Jia.
But the letter clearly did not mention Madam Wen Yu at all. If that person really wanted to use Madam Wen Yu as a threat to force Lord Jia to hand over ten thousand taels of gold, why didn't he say so?
Moreover, Madam Wenyu and Lord Jia had no connection. To Lord Jia, Madam Wenyu was probably just a girl who had quarreled with him in East Street Market. How could he be willing to...
Did he really come here for gold and silver?
Song Linsheng was startled, thinking that it might not be the case.
I'm afraid what that person meant in the letter was not "millions of taels of gold", but "being with you again".
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