Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 65: Let the murderer jump out by himself (th update, please subscribe first!)

"You've been gone for a long time this time!"

When Haiyue walked into the house, she saw a cup of tea in front of Lu Bing, but the heat in it had long dissipated.

Haiyue calmly sat down opposite him and nodded, "I've met quite a few people."

Lu Bing raised his brows, his eyes showing strange colors: "Aren't you afraid that I will suspect you?"

Haiyue asked back: "Can you?"

"Normally, there's no reason not to be suspicious. You're from Qiongshan, and you took first place in the county and prefectural exams. Putting aside the title of Jinshi, you have every chance of passing the imperial examination!"

Lu Bing said solemnly, "They can even help you achieve your goal of becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examination!"

To take the Jinshi exam, one had to compete with the best candidates selected from counties and prefectures all over the country, but to take the Juren exam, one only had to compete with local scholars.

Regions like Guangdong and Guangxi, where culture and education are backward, are actually much easier to pass the exam than Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

What's more, the provincial examination is held in the province and the papers are graded by local people. There are always tricks in this kind of examination, and it is entirely possible to show favoritism.

Therefore, Wu Lin's previous introduction was not a deception. Although Wang Shifang was hated by Jiajing, from a local perspective, Wang Shifang's background was enough for a poor scholar to enjoy endless benefits.

Lu Bingzhi also meant the same thing, and after saying that, he looked over with a sharp gaze.

Haiyue was speechless: "Alright! Brother Wenfu, is this interesting?"

The solemnity on Lu Bing's face suddenly faded, and he clapped his thigh and laughed, "Haha! Why is it so boring? Can't you just pretend to be scared and cheer me up?"

"You're already grown up, and you're still playing this game..."

Haiyue was speechless. Doesn’t this guy have a childhood? He is twenty years old, but sometimes he is serious and sometimes he acts like a middle school boy?
After the other party finished laughing, he recounted his experience in detail, especially what the mysterious man said.

"Humph! Appealing to emotion, reasoning, and always talking about hometown, local collusion is often so deeply rooted!"

Lu Bing was furious when he heard this: "They can promise you a bright future, but not me? You are such a snob! You look down on others!"

Hai Yue frowned: "I'm not investigating cases for my future. If it's for fame and fortune, then the right thing to do is to ignore these trivial matters and concentrate on preparing for the exam!"

"I know! I know! I mean… hey!"

Lu Bing gritted his teeth and hesitated to speak.

This guy definitely doesn't know who he is, and the group of people who want to bribe him will not tell them his true background.

The title of Jinshi can indeed bring honor to the family, but there are many who pass the Jinshi exam and end up in poverty, and even more who have unsuccessful careers.

In comparison, reaching the heavenly ears is the real ladder to heaven.

When I think about it this way, I’m a little excited for the reveal!

How surprised and moved will the other party be?
"Well!"

Lu Bing forced himself to suppress the thought, feeling a bit suffocated. He could only focus his mind on the case and said in a deep voice, "That street thug named Yan Xiu has a point. Fang Wei embezzled tribute pearls not only for money, but also for the protection of local officials! Although he appears to be in a good position, he has long since offended Minister Fang. He is truly a weakling. Once he colludes with the officials through the tribute pearls, he will be able to call the shots in the local area! Then the outside world will only think that he is borrowing Minister Fang's influence. How can they know the truth?"

At this point, Lu Bing's eyes suddenly fixed: "Do you remember? When my Jinyiwei initially wanted to take over this case, the three senior officials present at the time were unwilling to do so!"

Haiyue nodded slowly.

After Fang Wei's death, three local officials arrived at the scene with the Jinyiwei.

Tian Jiading, the Left Governor of Guangdong.

Zhou Xuan, the Censor of Guangdong.

Wang Shifang, Deputy Censor and Supervisor of Education of Guangdong.

None of these three people wanted the Jinyiwei to take full control of the Fang Mansion case, but their reasons were all legitimate, so they didn't think much of it at the time.

But considering the current situation, it becomes suspicious.

Among them, the "Iron-faced Judge" Zhou Xuan may really not want the Jinyiwei to interfere with the judiciary and investigate cases randomly. Was there anything strange about Tian Jiading and Wang Shifang stepping forward at that time?
"The biggest suspect at the moment is the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Lin Fu. There are letters of complaint alleging that he is two-faced and commits crimes. He even instigated the Hepu Rebellion and embezzled pearls hidden by the rebels and sold them to the Portuguese."

"The next level of suspects are the chief officers of the three divisions. They are likely colluding with Fang Wei, embezzling tribute pearls and secretly protecting this beast. However, they also know that this is not a long-term solution. They used local rumors to kill Fang Wei and silence him."

"And the first victim, the former Lingshan County Magistrate Zong Chengxue, was accused of embezzling pearls. I'm afraid he must have known the inside story, so the murderer eliminated him early and silenced him first!"

Lu Bing reviewed the case and expressed admiration: "The account book you fabricated is brilliant! This way, the murderer will reveal himself!"

Hai Yue was already known as a local detective. He had solved the Annan envoys and the subsequent blood totem case with remarkable skill, earning praise even from the stern judge, Zhou Xuan. Naturally, the Sansi Yamen would be aware of this. Based on this, the suspects he had brought forward were, in their view, genuinely suspects.

Once the Jinyiwei released these people from Fang's house, someone would definitely arrest them and interrogate them about the whereabouts of the account books.

Compared to sitting there anxiously waiting for the Jinyiwei to investigate the case, this undoubtedly means taking the initiative.

But they didn't know that the Jinyiwei was also at a loss due to the shortage of manpower and hoped to obtain further clues and evidence.

As soon as the other party takes someone, he will not hesitate to jump out.

This is a game of who can sit still.

"These local officials are very shrewd, and the bait must be chosen carefully..."

Lu Bing rolled his eyes and ordered, "Bring that villain up here!"

Soon, Zheng Yishu was dragged over by two strong men.

Compared to the steward Lai Fu, he was not tortured, but it was impossible for him to be let go. At this time, his face was pale and he was trembling.

Lu Bing looked at the scholar with disgust in his eyes. "I hate villains the most in my life. You may be innocent, but I feel sick when I see you like this. Do you know what will happen if you disgust us, the Jinyiwei?"

The color drained from Zheng Yishu's face and his teeth began to chatter.

Lu Bing looked down on her even more, and even hesitated. He looked at Hai Yue and whispered, "Will he get into trouble by being so cowardly?"

Haiyue said, "Zheng Yishu, do you know why we asked you to come?"

Zheng Yishu said in a trembling voice: "Brother Hai, I am blind and have offended you before. Please be magnanimous and let me go!"

"Let you go? Do you know that this case is no longer a simple homicide..."

Hai Yue recounted the key points of the case: "Have you ever considered that you were at the scene the night Fang Wei died? You've already been deeply involved in the case. Even if the Jinyiwei let you go, some people won't let you go."

Zheng Yishu didn't know whether he understood or not, but he immediately fell to the ground and said, "Brother Hai, save me!"

Hai Yue said, "We can indeed try to save your life now, but you have to do one thing. Tomorrow we will let you go. If someone catches you and asks Fang Wei if he has an account book, you must pretend that you know about it and that you saw the name of a certain senior official written on the account book. But you must make that senior official come to see you in person before you are willing to confess! You must not be forced to confess everything by those thugs. Do you understand?"

Zheng Yishu was stunned, his eyes rolling around, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Lu Bing knew what he was thinking at a glance and sneered, "Don't even think about snitching. Do you think they'll believe you if you fall into their hands? All they want is the account book. If you tell them you don't know anything, it'll be considered a lie, and you'll be subjected to all kinds of torture..."

Zheng Yishu began to tremble, and said in a trembling voice, "You are using me as bait! Why? Why am I the only one?"

Lu Bing said coldly, "Of course you're not the only bait. You were one of them, the one who shared the bed with Fang Wei that night! Caiyun, the maid who let you go the next morning, was another!"

Zheng Yishu trembled even more violently when he heard this: "Caiyun...Caiyun..."

Haiyue asked, "What's wrong?"

Zheng Yishu suddenly fell to the ground and said in a hoarse voice, "Can you please not... not let Caiyun go? I think that the steward Lai Fu is more suitable than her!"

Lu Bing snorted, "Laifu has been tortured and can't escape. If we let him go, wouldn't it be too obvious?"

Zheng Yishu kowtowed repeatedly: "Caiyun is innocent, please let her go! I will do whatever you ask, and I am willing to be the first to leave the house!"

"what?"

Lu Bing was a little surprised: "Have you found your conscience?"

Zheng Yishu cried, "I'm not without a conscience. Now that I'm going to die anyway, why not repay her for saving me?"

Hai Yue nodded slightly and sighed, "When a dying man is about to die, his words are kind. But you don't have to think that we are going to kill you. This is a fight for survival. As long as you hold on until the mastermind behind the scenes shows up, the Jinyiwei will appear. By then, that person will have no time to care about you. This is truly saving your life, instead of being captured one day and dying quietly!"

"Ok!"

Lu Bing's expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "You're quite courageous in what you said. That's what a real man should do! Well, we'll grant your wish. We won't let Caiyun leave the house, and let Laifu go first. You'll go second, and then choose a servant. Anyway, we'll have all three baits!"

Hai Yue thought for a moment and said, "We can't have all of them be servants. Why not choose a secret address in a third place and pretend to reveal that Fang Wei hid the account book there? That way it will seem more convincing, and the news can be passed on through this person!"

Lu Bing hesitated, sizing up Zheng Yishu. He still felt that he had an unstable temperament, so he whispered, "Can he handle such an arrangement?"

Hai Yue smiled: "The key is not how genuine he can be, but how deep down those people fear the truth being revealed! Just like the saying of Nightmare Town, people with open minds, even if they are temporarily trapped, will eventually see the light and reveal their true hearts; only those with ulterior motives will be trapped in the 'Hidden Mist Village' of their own creation, wandering for a long time, and never able to escape!"

(End of this chapter)