Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 36 Who is the real kidnapper?

"The truth is this... I can't believe it... Inspector Wu... Humph!!"

"Dong Weng, it was a false alarm. Thank goodness, thank goodness..."

When Hai Yue rushed to the yamen and explained the situation to Ji Hua, the lawyer who stayed in the torture chamber, Ji Hua immediately woke up Shao Jing, the prosecutor who was really not asleep.

When everyone rushed to Wang's house and heard Wang Yuhui's testimony, they felt relieved at first, and then their faces suddenly turned ugly.

This case is not only the responsibility of the local government, but also related to the stability of Qionghai.

After all, no one wants their hometown to be in turmoil. When war breaks out, no one can stay out of it.

As a result, the government office was under tremendous pressure, and even the usually lazy officials had to work hard.

As a result, the "kidnapped" Inspector Wu actually left on his own?
Shao Jing felt relieved, but his tone was filled with anger. Ji Hua saw that the situation was not good and hurried to cover it up, but he could not stop him from glaring fiercely at Min Ziyong and the other two who were feeling uneasy.

"Well……"

The strong man Xiang Ang who was tied up before was also brought here. At this time, he was under the gazes of everyone and looked very embarrassed.

As the saying goes, if the master humiliates the servant, he will die. Now the master has left in a carefree manner, leaving them here to suffer hatred.

The atmosphere was tense for a moment. Shao Jing turned his gaze to Wang Yuhui, the postmaster, and said word by word, "Take this thief to jail and wait for his punishment!"

Wang Yuhui was an official, even if he was not a high-ranking official. Under normal circumstances, the prosecutor did not have the power to detain him directly, and the prefect had to step in.

But at this moment, with an order, the officers on both sides immediately grabbed him and dragged him outside.

The look of gnashing teeth on his face made him want to peel off a layer of skin from him.

My ancestor was a traitor who sold out his people and was despicable. Now he has become an official, but he has caused such a disaster because of his own selfishness. His crime is simply unforgivable!
Pooh!
Hai Yue watched silently. After the officers dispersed, she continued searching for evidence in Wang's residence. She then approached Shao Jing and said, "Shao, Magistrate, I have something to say. I'm not sure if I should speak up or not."

"Shisanlang, please feel free to speak."

Shao Jing's expression changed, and the look he gave the young man could no longer be described as pleasant.

There were two major cases in succession, one involving a foreign envoy and the other involving a provincial inspector. Although I was unlucky to encounter them, if it were not for the help of such talented people, how could I have solved the complicated cases?

I am so glad!

However, Shao Jing soon discovered that his joy was premature, because Hai Yue mentioned something he had already forgotten: "Yesterday, the government received a blood letter with sixteen bloody handprints and a short sentence, 'If you want to live, you must pay with your life first.'"

"There is this blood letter... Wait a minute!"

Shao Jing immediately realized something was amiss: "Since the second 'blood totem' was left by Wang Yuhui, the postmaster, in order to shift the blame onto the Li people, why is there also this blood letter?"

Originally, the government believed that the "blood totems" were all left by the Li people. The first time the bodies were thrown at the government gate was a demonstration, and the second time in the guest room of the inn was a naked threat. The purpose was to avenge Na Ying's tragic death and make the Annan prisoners pay with blood.

This is an important case involving foreign envoys. The Qiongzhou government has already handed over the case file to the Guangdong Censorate. I believe that after reviewing it, the Guangdong Censorate has rushed the case file to the capital.

It is simply unrealistic to ask the government to kill Mo Zhengyong and other important criminals in exchange for Wu Lin's life. No one dares to give such an order.

But now that the truth of the kidnapping has come to light, reading this threatening letter written in blood seems puzzling.

Wang Yuhui had nothing to do with the Annamites and didn't even know that there were sixteen Annamites prisoners in the cell. Who sent the blood letter?
"One more thing!"

Seeing the confusion, Hai Yue then gave a key clue: "Na Ying, the Li people who were killed by the Annan bandits, has a younger brother named Na Yan. He is quite prestigious in the Li tribe. He came to Qiongshan before, hoping to retrieve his brother's body. He heard about the blood totem in front of the government office and verified it with his own people. They confirmed that it was not the work of the Li people at all."

If someone else said this at a different time, no one might believe it.

But now that Haiyue had spoken out, everyone believed it, but inevitably became even more confused: "The first 'blood totem' wasn't left behind by the Li people? Then who killed the three fleeing Annan people?"

Hai Yue said, "Based on this, my analysis suggests that the people who killed the three Annan fugitives, left the Li totem in front of the government office, and delivered the blood letter to the government office as a threat are all from the same group. Their motives are consistent and they are all related to Annan."

"rational."

Shao Jing nodded slightly, but still puzzled: "Then why did they send a blood letter? I heard that Inspector Wu was kidnapped by thieves, so they used his name to defraud the government office?"

"For someone who dared to dump a body at the government gate, the possibility of blackmail by impersonating someone else is not high. I think the other party is really confident!"

Hai Yue looked at Min Ziyong and said, "Master Min, can you go to the dock now to look for Zong Tongpan's entourage and see if there is any other news?"

Min Ziyong's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "I'll be back soon!"

After saying that, he strode out.

The servant Sun Bin and the strongman Xiang Ang also heard something was wrong and looked panicked: "Master..." "Don't worry, it's not too late to wait for the confirmed news."

Haiyue comforted him a little, stepped aside, closed her eyes, and waited calmly.

The place fell silent, except for the low yawns, only the flickering candlelight expressed the uneasy thoughts and feelings.

Just when the elderly master Ji Hua could no longer hold on and was about to fall asleep, a figure rushed in. It was Min Ziyong.

He trembled and said, "I just saw the attendants left behind by Zong Tongpan. Dong Weng was kidnapped along the way!"

Everyone had strange expressions.

He said before that the person was missing and left on his own, which almost caused a big mess.

Now it’s lost again?
Do you want us to believe it or not?
"This time it's true!"

Min Ziyong's eyes were red, and the composure he had maintained until now collapsed. He emphasized again: "Dong Weng hid in the last carriage of Zong Tongpan's convoy. Just as he arrived at the dock, before he got on the boat, several thieves suddenly rushed out and kidnapped him. Zong Tongpan sent someone back to report the news, but he happened to find that the government was dispatched. Because of the "blood totem" on the wall of the post station, they were searching for Li people everywhere. So they thought they were Li people and didn't tell anyone..."

Everyone was stunned.

This is really a coincidence!
The people at the post station thought the person was lost, but it was a false report.

People were really lost at the dock, but they were influenced by the false information from the post station and misjudged the situation.

"Please, Magistrate Shao! Save my master!"

The scene was silent for a moment. Sun Bin and Xiang Ang, as if awakened from a dream, immediately knelt down and kowtowed vigorously. Min Ziyong, disregarding everything else, prostrated himself on the ground, "I beg you, Magistrate Shao, to have mercy on me and help me. Mr. Dong's actions are not for personal gain, but to promote national policy to alleviate the suffering of the people. If we have offended you, we are willing to atone for our sins and apologize!"

"Ugh! Get up!"

Shao Jing had heard that Wu Linzhen was missing before, and his expression was a little subtle. Seeing the three people like this, he felt a little bit reluctant: "I want to rescue Inspector Wu, but since it wasn't done by the Li people, there are too few clues. Where can I go to rescue him?"

After a pause, he said in a deep voice, "How to rescue Inspector Wu requires further planning. Everyone is tired tonight. Go and rest first. We will discuss it tomorrow morning."

"Tuiguan Shao! Tuiguan Shao!"

Sun Bin and Xiang Ang wanted to beg, but Min Ziyong had recovered from his panic-stricken state and knew that it was useless to say anything now. He stood up and saluted Shao Jing first, then turned to Hai Yue and bowed to him again before leaving with the two of them.

"You guys should go and rest too."

Shao Jing waved his hand, letting the clerks and constables leave. When only Hai Yue and Ji Hua were left in the hall, he exclaimed, "I never expected this case to have such a dramatic turn of events, to have come to this!"

The Guangdong Provincial Inspector and the Qiongzhou Prefecture Magistrate were both of the seventh rank in the officialdom, but their status and prospects were very different. Shao Jing had really hoped that he would be appreciated by the Provincial Inspector by virtue of his contribution to solving the case by the Annan delegation.

But after learning about what the other party had done, Shao Jing was quite angry. Now that the other party was in trouble, he couldn't help but feel a little gloating.

Ji Hua felt this was an opportunity. He looked at Hai Yue with a warm tone, "Shisanlang, are you confident in rescuing the inspector?"

Haiyue didn't hide it: "I'm not sure."

Ji Hua was a little disappointed and sighed.

Shao Jing saw through it and asked, "How about finding the kidnapper?"

Haiyue smiled: "I have some ideas about this."

Shao Jing was quite expectant: "How do you say it?"

"The key lies in Liren Nayan."

Hai Yue said, "Nan Yan was eager to avenge his brother, but even after mobilizing his tribe to search, they couldn't find the escaped Zheng Wu and his two companions. Just imagine, Li merchants roam the streets, have numerous spies, and have a deep hatred for these Annan assassins disguised as envoys. If they couldn't find the three fugitives, how did the murderer do it?"

Shao Jing looked thoughtful: "Yes! How did the murderer find the fugitive?"

"So I have a bold guess. It wasn't the murderer who found Zheng Wu and his companions, but it was Zheng Wu and his companions who escaped from the academy and took the initiative to find the murderer!"

Hai Yue said, "Mr. Shao, if I want to find the murderer, I need someone's help."

"Who?"

"Princess Annan Fanglian."

(End of this chapter)