Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1732 Untitled
Yijing, Yijing Prefecture

Yang Tao was in his cell reviewing the case file. The more he read, the more his brow furrowed, and a look of worry clearly appeared on his face. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Yang Tao instinctively said:
"Enter!"

A constable entered and addressed Yang Tao, who was seated in his seat:

"Lord Yang, the Prefect summons you for questioning!"

Upon hearing that it was Bai Changjiu who was looking for him, Yang Tao's heart sank. He knew that Bai Changjiu's visit at this time could not be good news; he was sure to be scolded, and the situation might even be worse.

Although he was reluctant to see Bai Changjiu, he couldn't argue with the saying "a higher rank can have an advantage." Thinking this, Yang Tao sighed inwardly but still nodded to the constable and said:

"I understand, I'll go see the prefect right away!"

After receiving Yang Tao's reply, the constable left the cell. After the constable left, Yang Tao put away the case file, tidied his appearance, and then walked towards Bai Changjiu's cell.

Upon arriving at Bai Changjiu's cell, Yang Tao encountered someone unexpected yet perfectly logical: his colleague and fellow chief constable, Zhang Yang.

Seeing Zhang Yang's equally troubled expression, Yang Tao's anxiety subsided somewhat. At the same time, Zhang Yang noticed Yang Tao. The two chief constables, who usually didn't get along, didn't greet each other as normal colleagues, but merely exchanged silent glances. Just then, Wu Ting, Bai Changjiu's personal clerk, approached. Seeing the two men arrive, he consulted Bai Changjiu and, after receiving permission, led them into the cell…

After Yang Tao and Zhang Yang entered the cell, they immediately greeted Bai Changjiu. After the greeting was completed, Bai Changjiu coldly looked at his two subordinates and asked:
"How's the investigation into Zhao Dahai going, you two?"

Although he had expected it, Yang Tao couldn't help but sigh again when he actually heard Bai Changjiu ask about it.

Just then, Zhang Yang spoke first:

“I’ve interrogated all the employees and the manager of Da Dechang, and there’s nothing suspicious about them so far. But just as I was about to conduct further interrogations, the people from the Ministry of Justice weren’t very cooperative, and now things are at a standstill!”

Hearing Zhang Yang bring this up, Yang Tao chimed in, saying:

"My lord, I heard that the Ministry of Personnel has put a lot of pressure on the Ministry of Justice, so those bastards in the Ministry of Justice have restricted us a lot!"

Seeing Zhang Yang and Yang Tao acting in concert, Bai Changjiu snorted coldly and continued to ask:

"Besides the clues about Da Dechang, have you made any other discoveries?"

This time, faced with Bai Changjiu's questioning, Zhang Yang and Yang Tao remained silent. Seeing this, Bai Changjiu became very angry and rebuked them:
"You two are both pretty capable, so why are you both suddenly speechless when it comes to something really important?"

"Yang Tao, aren't you a hereditary constable with superb martial arts skills? Zhang Yang, aren't you also known as a master detective?"

Hearing Bai Changjiu's words, Zhang Yang and Yang Tao both lowered their heads in shame. Yang Tao then spoke up:
"Sir, we have conducted a large-scale search of several streets surrounding the incident area, but we still haven't found the suspect. Later, we expanded the search area to the entire West City, but we still haven't found this person!"

After speaking, Yang Tao hesitated for a moment, but still mustered his courage and gritted his teeth to say:
"Sir, so many days have passed since the incident, and we still haven't found this person..."

"Enough! Stop making excuses for your incompetence!"

Before Yang Tao could finish speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Bai Changjiu, the prefect of Yijing, who solemnly addressed his subordinate:

“After the incident, access to and from the Yijing city was extremely restricted. This suspect couldn’t have escaped from Yijing; he must still be inside the city!”

After speaking, Bai Changjiu gave Yang Tao a deep look. Feeling Bai Changjiu's gaze, Yang Tao was surprised as to why Bai Changjiu was so sure that the suspect was still in the city.

Since Prefect Bai took office, some of the rules of the prefectural government have changed. Compared with his predecessor Liu Ning, Prefect Bai is not as refined as Liu Ning. He often scolds those who make mistakes. Therefore, the people in the prefectural government do not have as good an impression of Bai Changjiu as they did of his predecessor Liu Ning.

The only reassuring thing was that, although Bai Changjiu had a bad temper, he still respected professional knowledge. In specific matters, such as apprehending criminals and managing financial records, he didn't interfere excessively or rudely. In Yang Tao's memory, this was the first time Bai Changjiu had contradicted his professional opinion. While Yang Tao was still puzzled, Zhang Yang, standing nearby, seemed to realize something, his expression becoming thoughtful…

While Zhang Yang and Yang Tao were each lost in their own thoughts, Bai Changjiu solemnly said:

“I’m telling you both very clearly, Lord Cui has already taken charge of this matter. So many days have passed, and our Yijing Prefecture government should give the higher-ups an explanation no matter what. I don’t care how you two investigate, you must catch the murderer within five days!”

"If you fail to catch the murderer in five days, then there's no need for further discussion. Just resign. In addition to your resignation, the court will also hold you accountable for your poor performance. So, you two, you'd better figure it out yourselves!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Tao and Zhang Yang were both shocked. They looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Bai Changjiu, on the other hand, waved his sleeve and continued working. Seeing that Bai Changjiu was ignoring them, Yang Tao and his mother bowed and left the office.

Yang Tao, still preoccupied with Bai Changjiu's threat as he left the cell, didn't notice Zhang Yang's expression and went straight back to his cell.

Zhang Yang, who was lagging behind, watched Yang Tao's departing figure, and his expression changed slightly before he returned to his cell.

Back in his cell, Yang Tao sat down and sighed again, feeling a pang of grievance.
In his view, today's events were a completely undeserved disaster, a fight between celestial beings, and they, the mortals, were simply caught in the crossfire...
Limited by technology and other conditions, some cases in the Great Qian Dynasty cannot be solved either because the criminals cannot be caught. This situation is frustrating, but it is the reality, and reality does not change according to human will!
However, due to political and other reasons, some cases are forced to be solved by higher authorities. No matter how difficult or powerless you are, in their eyes there are only two options: solve or not solve. If you solve the case, you pass the test; if you fail, you are considered incompetent and useless. They will strip you of your official position and send you back to farm. Some may even hold you accountable.

Faced with such a helpless reality, the constables had to find ways to circumvent the rules. In order to protect their own interests and maintain their official positions, they could only shift the focus of the problem. This is the reason for forced confessions and torture. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some constables did this voluntarily in order to curry favor with their superiors.

In Yang Tao's view, this case was a very typical one. The person who killed Zhao Dahai was obviously a professional assassin, highly skilled in martial arts, and had planned his escape route. After killing Zhao Dahai, he fled far away, giving the constables no time to react and make a capture. After searching several streets near the scene of the incident that day, Yang Tao, who had caught the suspect, realized that the person had probably already escaped.

Although he realized that this person might not be caught, Yang Tao had no choice but to expand the search area in order to give an explanation to his superiors. He worked himself to exhaustion for more than ten days, turning the entire West City upside down. But just as he had expected, the suspect had long since disappeared.

Although the culprit wasn't caught, Yang Tao understood that the case had already reached the cabinet, so it couldn't be swept under the rug like some ordinary cases...

As the saying goes, "A word from above makes those below run themselves ragged." Although lower-level departments like the Yijing Prefecture were helpless and overworked, they still had to give the cabinet an explanation!
As a constable with rich experience, Yang Tao knew exactly how to handle a situation like this!
As a constable who has dealt with crime for decades, Yang Tao also has some understanding of these professional killers. He knows that these people do one job and then disappear for thousands of miles, at least one or two years before returning, or even never returning at all.

In such a situation, finding a scapegoat to take the blame is the best solution. The incident can be framed as the suspect being killed during the pursuit, making it even more impossible to verify the facts. If the real suspect returns to commit the crime, it's not a problem; they can find various angles to claim it wasn't the same person, or even say it was a copycat crime. It would be even better if the real suspect never returned.

Yang Tao's plan was well-thought-out. Since Sun Wenheng of Da Dechang was arguably the prime suspect, even if nothing suspicious was found in Da Dechang's shops in Yijing, he, as the chief constable, could fabricate a story. After all, the matter was entirely up to him. As for testimonies, that was even simpler. None of the shopkeepers or managers at Da Dechang seemed like tough nuts to crack; he didn't need to use any of those methods on them. They would all obediently sign and fingerprint documents…
Just as Yang Tao's plan was proceeding smoothly, the Ministry of Justice suddenly went crazy. Their previous attitude of turning a blind eye suddenly became very strict, and they even demanded that the real culprit be caught. Yang Tao was very surprised by the sudden change in the Ministry of Justice's attitude.

This time, their investigation was conducted in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, which means that the two sides are in the same boat. If the Yijing Prefecture fails to solve the case, the Ministry of Justice will also suffer the consequences. This is why the Ministry of Justice's attitude was rather ambiguous at the beginning.

Yang Tao was quite surprised by the Ministry of Justice's change in attitude. At the same time, he was also somewhat wary and dared not use his old methods again. After all, if this were to be discovered, it would be a serious crime. He would not only have to lose his official position, but he might also end up in prison.

To this end, he also learned about the situation through some connections. After drinking several times, Yang Tao also learned the whole story.

It turned out that Gu Sansi, the Minister of Personnel, challenged Liu Ning, the Minister of Justice, at a cabinet meeting, demanding that the Ministry of Justice handle the murder case seriously, and that the case be closed hastily without being forced to confess. He insisted on catching the real culprit.

Faced with the pressure from Gu Sansi, Liu Ning, as the Minister of Justice, was also somewhat overwhelmed. Therefore, the only thing he could do was to pass the pressure down the chain of command, which led to the Ministry of Justice's unusual behavior.

Upon receiving this news, Yang Tao was furious. He couldn't understand what this Minister Gu was thinking, why he was so fixated on this matter. These important figures could come up with an idea so easily, while they, the lowly officials, were left to deal with it...
Although he was angry and helpless, Yang Tao knew that this wouldn't change anything. After all, Gu Sansi was a powerful figure, the Minister of Personnel and a strong candidate for the future Grand Secretary. Even Liu Ning, the Minister of Justice, couldn't afford to offend him. Although he, the chief constable of Yijing Prefecture, seemed respectable in front of others, he was nothing in front of such a big shot!
For him, the most important thing now is to figure out how to resolve this matter, as Bai Changjiu has only given him five days.

If I still can't catch the murderer in five days, then all my efforts over the past half of my life will have been in vain!

But where can we find this murderer?

So many days have passed, if the murderer had acted quickly enough, he might already be in Hebei, Henan or Liaoyang by now!

Finding him again would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!
Thinking about this, Yang Tao had a headache. After racking his brains, he still didn't have any good ideas. The only solution he could come up with was to go to Zhang Yang and see if he had any clues.
Although he had always been at odds with Zhang Yang, Yang Tao had to admit that Zhang Yang's investigative abilities were superior to his own. This was also the main reason why Zhang Yang, whose martial arts skills were inferior to his, was able to become the chief constable earlier than him. Since there were only five days left, Yang Tao did not dawdle. Once he had an idea, he went straight to Zhang Yang's cell.

At this moment, Zhang Yang was leisurely drinking tea in his cell, seemingly having anticipated Yang Tao's arrival. Upon seeing this, Yang Tao spoke in a sarcastic tone:
"Zhang Gutou, you really are calm under pressure! I'm on pins and needles, but you're as steady as a mountain!"