Catching Monsters

Chapter 389 Chief Constable Xiao Yujin

Qian Buchou no longer lives in the two small houses he casually bought when he first arrived in Beijing.

After all, as the deputy commander of the Northern City Military Command, his power was certainly not comparable to that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and other government agencies.

However, it is a department with considerable power in the capital, and there is a lot of money to be made. In addition, he has no worries about money and knows how to make money. He has now purchased a three-courtyard house in the capital.

Soon, after making some inquiries, Jiang Yun found the house.

The residence is located near the North City, which is relatively remote compared to the Imperial City, but it is very close to the North City Military Command Office.

If the location were better, even if I had plenty of money, I probably still wouldn't be able to afford this house.

The plaque above the door still reads "Qian Mansion".

However, at this time, there were quite a few soldiers from the North City Garrison on duty at the entrance of the Qian residence, preventing ordinary people from getting close easily.

White flowers were also hanging on the plaque, a custom that only appeared when there was a funeral in the Zhou family.

Jiang Yun frowned and stepped forward, but was quickly stopped by the soldiers on duty. He then quickly showed his Jinyiwei commander's waist badge and handed it over: "Greetings, gentlemen. I am Jiang Yun, commander of the Eastern Garrison. I am an old acquaintance of Lord Qian Buchou."

"Please inform them."

Upon hearing that Jiang Yun had arrived, the two exchanged a glance, then hurriedly turned and went inside to report.

Not long after, Qian Buchou emerged from inside, dressed in plain white clothes. He looked rather haggard and somewhat weathered.

Upon seeing Jiang Yun, he took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "Brother Jiang."

"What happened at home?" Jiang Yun looked up at the plaque above.

Qian Buchou trembled slightly, then gestured for Jiang Yun to enter the mansion.

The Qian family has already hired some servants and maids.

Soon, Qian Buchou invited Jiang Yun to sit in the living room, personally brewed a cup of tea for Jiang Yun, and then shook his head helplessly, saying, "I have two concubines, who were attacked by villains shortly after arriving in the capital."

“The Jingzhao Prefecture government has opened a case for investigation, but my two concubines were suddenly attacked at night.”

After Qian Buchou bought this house, he settled down in the capital. Not long ago, he specially notified his family in Nanzhou Prefecture to come and settle in the capital.

The whole family came to the capital for a lively reunion, which was quite a joyous occasion.

The capital city is incredibly prosperous, and even at night, many places are brightly lit and bustling with activity.

These wealthy ladies, after arriving in this place, would go out every day to stroll around the streets and buy some novelties they had never seen before.

Unexpectedly, five days ago, his two concubines, who were traveling together, were robbed and killed.

At this point, Qian Buchou also explained the general situation of the matter.

After listening, Jiang Yun frowned slightly, took a sip of tea, and said, "How dare this robber kill someone in the street?"

"Moreover, your wife and the others have just arrived in the capital and dare not go too far. They mainly stay in the northern part of the city."

"You are the deputy commander of the Northern City Military Command..."

At this point, Jiang Yun asked astutely, "Have you recently offended any enemies?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Buchou tightened his grip on the teacup, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "Brother, you jest. I, Old Qian, am quite tactful in dealing with people in the capital. How could I dare to offend anyone so easily?"

Jiang Yun narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed Qian Buchou's reaction. He sensed that Qian Buchou was quite uncomfortable when he said those words.

This suggests that Qian Buchou probably knows something, but doesn't dare to tell himself.

"Brother Qian, if there's anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask," Jiang Yun reminded Qian Buchou, glancing at the white flowers hanging outside the living room before speaking in a deep voice.

Qian Buchou hesitated for a moment, then finally took a deep breath and said, "I do have some doubts..."

“Recently, the commander of our North City Military Command is getting old and is preparing to retire to his hometown. The deputy commanders of our North City Military Command have all been thinking about it.”

"Everyone's pulling strings to get this commander position..."

“Brother, I’m no exception. During the time you were away, I visited Madam Tao Yuelan of the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion.”

"The Beicheng Military Commandery is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War."

"Many people in the Ministry of War are former subordinates of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, which has considerable influence among military officers."

"But the next day, someone shot a letter with an arrow at my door, saying that I should not be delusional about the position of commander, or else I would be in trouble..."

Qian Buchou sighed and slowly said, "I didn't take it to heart at the time; everyone has their own role to play."

"If I don't get promoted to commander of the North City Garrison this time, who knows when I'll get another promotion."

"Besides, if I, Old Qian, were to be intimidated by such a simple trick, wouldn't all these years have been for nothing?"

Qian Buchou rubbed his temples and slowly said, "But I never expected that my two concubines would be murdered."

As he said this, he looked around and whispered, "When they died, they had a note on their bodies that read: The price of disobedience."

"Soon, the Jingzhao Prefecture sent people to investigate the case, and the note mysteriously disappeared."

"The next day, the constables of the Jingzhao Prefecture claimed that they had caught the murderers of my two concubines. They were two vagrants who were seventeen or eighteen years old, and the two of them confessed to their crimes and accepted punishment."

"I've been a constable for so many years, don't I know how inefficient a constable is?"

"Catching the murderer overnight and making him confess and accept punishment, isn't it obvious that they're just looking for a scapegoat?"

At this point, Qian Buchou covered his forehead, sighed, and said, "Brother, I underestimated the capital city. I was lucky enough to come to the capital with Lord Zhang and was immediately appointed as the deputy commander of the Northern City Garrison."

"I originally thought that as long as I was tactful and knew how to make and give away money, I could rise through the ranks."

"Can……"

Jiang Yun frowned, narrowed her eyes, and slowly said, "What do you plan to do?"

"Of course, I wanted to find the real culprit as soon as the case occurred. If the Jingzhao Prefecture doesn't want to investigate, then my Beicheng Military Command can investigate it myself, right?"

"We went to the Jingzhao Prefecture to ask for evidence, but they refused to provide it."

"I was an official of the imperial court, yet they killed my family, and there was nothing I could do about it."

"Brother, can I ask you for a favor?" Qian Buchou said in a deep voice, his eyes filled with tears, "Find out who killed my two concubines."

"Of course, all I need to know is who did it. I won't bother you with revenge, lest I cause you any trouble."

"If I ever have power, I will kill that son of a bitch's whole family."

"In addition, the bodies of my two concubines are still kept at the Jingzhao Prefecture government office as evidence. I have gone there many times to ask for them back, but they are unwilling to give them up."

"Could you help me bring their bodies back first? I need to find an auspicious burial site to give them a proper burial."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Yun looked at Qian Buchou for a while before nodding and agreeing, saying, "I'll take care of this for you."

"Come with me, let's go to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office."

Qian Buchou was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Just like that, it's over?"

……

The Jingzhao Prefecture government office was very large, managing all administrative affairs of the capital city, including household registration, land tax collection, and social order...

It is a department with immense power.

Although the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture was only a third-rank official, his status was not low.

That afternoon, Jiang Yun, accompanied by Qian Buchou, quickly arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.

At the entrance of the yamen, two huge stone lions and two constables stood guard.

Upon seeing Jiang Yun and Qian Buchou, the two constables immediately frowned. In the past few days, Qian Buchou had come to this place many times.

"Go quickly and call the head constable out."

"Yes."

Soon, a constable ran inside, and not long after, a portly man in his forties walked out of the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.

This man is Xiao Yujin, the chief constable of the capital.

With a smile on his face, Xiao Yujin said, "Deputy Commander Qian, didn't we already say last time that this case is closed and the murderer who killed your two concubines has been caught? As long as you are willing to sign the case closure document, you can take the bodies of the two ladies back."

"But you're unwilling to sign the case to close it, and you insist on taking your wife's body away. This puts me in a difficult position."

"I heard you used to be a constable in Nanzhou Prefecture, so you should understand this process."

"If you ask me, you should sign the case and close it as soon as possible, then take the bodies of the two ladies back to bury them."

Upon hearing this, Qian Buchou took a deep breath and said, "Chief Constable Xiao, there's something strange about this case."

Xiao Yujin frowned, looking somewhat impatient. If it weren't for the promise of money and official position, he wouldn't have bothered to waste so much breath.

He said, "I have no worries about money, Mr. Qian. I've said all I can, good or bad. If you don't listen, then it's none of my business."

After saying that, Xiao Yujin turned around and was about to go back.

"Stop!" Jiang Yun shouted, his hands behind his back and his face cold.

Xiao Yujin paused, looking at Jiang Yun from head to toe.

Jiang Yun has just returned from outside the capital and hasn't had time to change back into his Jinyiwei uniform.

Xiao Yujin said in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

"Jiang Yun, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Jiang Yun casually tossed over the waist token of the Eastern Garrison Command. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yujin's expression changed slightly, and he quickly caught the token with both hands.

After confirming that it was indeed him, he looked at the other person in surprise: "You are Jiang Yun?"

As the chief constable of the Jingzhao Prefecture, he had naturally heard of Jiang Yun's name long ago.

He is the future son-in-law of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, a favorite of Commander Li Wangxin in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and also has a certain relationship with Eunuch Feng in the palace.

As a seasoned veteran of the capital, how could he not know Jiang Yun?

To his surprise, the two of them came together.

"You're here?" He glanced at Jiang Yun and Qian Buchou, guessing what their relationship was.

Jiang Yun said calmly, "I've come to invite Chief Constable Xiao back to the Imperial Prison for a visit."

Xiao Yujin was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "Commander Jiang, you must be joking. I haven't done anything illegal, so why would you arrest me and take me back to the imperial prison?"

"Bringing you back to the Imperial Prison will tell us whether you've done anything illegal," Jiang Yun said calmly. He then took a rope from a constable and walked towards Xiao Yujin.

(End of this chapter)