Wanjin Lady

Chapter 313 Witness
Lord Wu looked at the shaky woman, feeling that she was troublesome. He looked at Xiong Daiping hesitantly, "This..."

Jia added, "I know my son's habits and hobbies, and I also know who his enemies are. Perhaps I can provide clues for you two adults."

Mr. Xiong made the final decision, "In that case, Madam, please just watch from the sidelines and don't walk around and disrupt the scene."

The old maid who served Jia immediately brought a stool for her to sit on.

Others were already busy.

The entire private room was surrounded from front to back. The two officials in charge of criminal cases had already inspected the scene from front to back. They then said to Cheng Yunzhang, "I've already asked the shop owner and the waiter, and they say that a woman wearing a veil met with Master Yuan Wu here yesterday. The woman specifically told them that they were discussing business matters and that they were not allowed to interrupt."

Mr. Xiong pointed to a place outside the window and said, "According to the coroner, Yuan Wulang died of an arrow in the head. The murderer must have been lying in ambush on the south eaves."

"He had a dagger wound to his chest, but it wasn't fatal."

"The height of the wound, as deduced by the coroner, matches the woman's stature provided by the waiter. Therefore, there are at least two murderers in this case: one is the woman, and the other is the archer lurking in the shadows."

Jia clutched her chest and trembled as she spoke, "My son was born with a birth defect. His heart is on the right side. This is something few people know."

Cheng Yunzhang was also stunned. "So, that woman must have been the first to strike, and then when she realized she couldn't kill my cousin, the second murderer took action."

"But the question is... if there were two murderers, why did they act separately?" Lord Wu raised the key question. "Why not just let the murderer, hiding in the shadows, do the deed directly? You must know that the woman was short. Judging from the depth of the dagger wound, she was only slightly stronger than an average woman, but definitely not a martial artist. And the mess on the ground shows that Master Yuan Wu had fought with her before his death. The sound of such fighting would surely have aroused alarm."

Mr. Xiong waved his hand and said, "Go and call the shopkeeper and the waiter."

Soon, two important witnesses were called forward.

Cheng Yunzhang then asked the waiter, "Didn't you hear any fighting yesterday?"

The waiter replied, "Sir, our Tianxian Restaurant is quite large, divided into the front and back buildings. This private room is located in the side courtyard. There were hardly any customers in the restaurant yesterday afternoon. Plus, the woman wouldn't let us get close, so I... I took a break... and rested for a while in the front courtyard. I heard a little noise, but I didn't think anything of it..."

"What does that woman look like? How old is she?"

"She is wearing a veil, so you can't see her face at all! But her voice sounds very young, and the volume is about..." The waiter gestured, and Cheng Yunzhang saw that she was about the same height as Wen Wan, and then he felt uneasy.

He was provoked by Jia's few words and subconsciously compared Wen Wan with the murderer.

"When did you find the body?"

"About an hour later, I woke up and found that the guests at that table hadn't left yet. I thought they'd been talking for too long..." The waiter hesitated. "I was worried they might have been meeting secretly, so I went to check on them under the pretext of getting more tea. That's when I found Master Yuan Wu lying in a pool of blood."

Lord Wu asked him, "Did any of you see when the murderer left?"

The waiter shook his head, "I really didn't see it."

The shopkeeper also said: "Sir, I have been guarding the lobby all afternoon, and I really didn't see any young lady with a curtain! If there is one, I will definitely remember it!"

Cheng Yunzhang frowned. "You didn't see anyone come in or out?" The shopkeeper shook his head vigorously. "I didn't see anyone! Business was bad yesterday, but I know exactly how many people went in!"

"You didn't see any armed men?"

"no!"

Lord Xiong pondered for a moment. "The archer's accuracy and strength are exceptional. I'm afraid he's a skilled archer. Perhaps he climbed the eaves. As for that woman, could she have also climbed the eaves and walls with that man?"

"Let's not even talk about how those two got into the Tianxian Tower. The most bizarre thing is... if that woman had such a master by her side, why did she resort to killing people herself? She could have just waved her hand, and the man could have delivered a fatal blow, silently and without a sound. Wouldn't that have made it harder to be discovered?"

"Unless..." Cheng Yunzhang leaned on the railing, looking at the lake, "These two people are not of the same kind."

"Master Cheng, do you mean that the two people are not in the same group? They just happen to have a grudge against Yuan Wulang?" Lord Wu pondered for a moment and felt that this was a possibility. He turned his gaze to Jia.

Jia's face turned pale, and she bit her lower lip tightly. "There is absolutely no such enemy in my Wulang's business world!"

Cheng Yunzhang's eyebrows twitched.

Sure enough, the next moment Jia blurted out, "Except the Wen family!"

The room fell silent. Lord Xiong raised his eyebrows and asked, "Which Wen family?"

"Which other Wen family member is there in Bozhou City?" Jia gritted her teeth, her face twisted. "It's Wen Wan, the one who caused such a stir the moment she entered the city!"

When the two unworthy gentlemen asked questions, Jia told Accountant Zhou exactly what he had guessed.

Even if Yuan Qi had stolen the recipe from someone else, he was already dead! Death settles all debts, and now it's Wen Wan's turn!
"To tell you the truth, my son has business rivals, but the only one so vicious as to take someone's life is Wen Wan! My son once tried every possible means to obtain the Wen family's Rui fruit syrup, and thus offended Wen Wan. Wen Wan harbored a grudge, hired someone to kill her, and then escaped!"

Jia bent her knees and fell to the ground. "My Lords, you must stand up for my son! He died unjustly, and the murderer is Wen Wan! Send someone to arrest her and give her dozens of beatings. I don't believe she won't confess!"

Xiong Daiping was shocked. He had not expected such a complicated situation. Thinking of the unsolved case left by Wen Wan during her investigation, he exclaimed in surprise, "Was it Yuan Wulang who ordered Widow Wang to steal the prescription?!"

Jia burst into tears and said, "Sir, my son may not be innocent, but his crime does not deserve the death penalty!"

Of course, Jia never mentioned anything about Lu Ping.

The death of a maid from the Wen family could not constitute a motive for Wen Wan to kill, but instead ruined Yuan Qi's reputation.

Although Jia was grief-stricken, her mind was now clearer. Even without evidence, she intuitively felt that Wen Wan had done everything.

"This woman is cruel and ruthless, and she's vindictive. Back in Ping County, she even chopped off the fingers of the winery's master chef. My son has offended her and caused her father to be imprisoned. How can he possibly have a good outcome?"

"Third aunt!" Cheng Yunzhang frowned and ordered someone to pull Jia up. Then he clasped his fists and said, "Master Xiong, my aunt has suffered a shock and is in a state of confusion. She's talking nonsense. I've already sent people to investigate. Yesterday afternoon, Junior Sister Wen hosted a banquet at Lanyue Pavilion. She didn't leave the pavilion at all that afternoon. More than a dozen young ladies in the city and the owner of Lanyue Pavilion can testify to this."