Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 143 Breaking the Stalemate Directly (First Update)
"According to the records, it was Dengcao Hutong. I just asked, and the Jiang family has indeed moved away."

Where did they move to?

"Since the neighbors didn't know, they said that the younger brother had been mistaken for the older brother who had already been executed, so the Jiang family sold the house and moved away from the capital!"

"Should we go to the Shuntian Prefecture government office to check the red contract?"

"Yes! Chief, shouldn't we... take a break first? Or should I send my page to the government office to inquire?"

Zhao Wenhua was already panting.

Not to mention him, even Yan Shifan, who first followed Haiyue to visit the small courtyard in the south of the city, then went to the South Prison of the Ministry of Justice, and now came to the alley, was a little overwhelmed.

Light snow was still falling from the sky, and the weather in the first month of the lunar calendar was still quite cold. As he personally experienced the investigation, he suddenly began to miss the warm dormitory of the Imperial College.

Haiyue glanced at the two of them.

Where is this?

Investigating a case requires getting out there, talking until you're hoarse, and being prepared to search for a needle in a haystack. The key is that often you end up doing futile work, and if your resolve wavers even slightly, you can't keep going.

However, this snowy weather was indeed unbearable, and since these two hadn't practiced martial arts, it was normal that they couldn't keep up. Haiyue didn't force them, and turned her gaze to the teahouse across the street: "Let's go sit there!"

The three entered a private room in the teahouse. There was a heater, tea, and snacks. Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua finally breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling like they had come back to life.

Haiyue also sipped her tea, admiring the snow scene outside the window, and asked, "Was that eldest son of the Jiang family executed for a crime, but his family members were not implicated?"

Zhao Wenhua rubbed his cold hands against the heater, then quickly withdrew them upon hearing this, sitting up straight and replying, "The case file says it was adultery and murder. He had an affair with Hao, Zhao Bao's wife from the end of the alley, and the two conspired to kill Zhao Bao. Jiang's eldest son and Hao, Zhao Bao's wife, were both executed."

Yan Shifan clicked his tongue: "A lover who covets another man's wife deserves to die!"

Haiyue said, "Since this happened on the streets, it must have caused quite a stir?"

Zhao Wenhua said, "That's natural. Although the other members of the Jiang family were not implicated, they couldn't hold their heads up high either. Perhaps that's why they later sold their house and moved away from the capital in a hurry!"

Haiyue remained noncommittal, then asked, "Do the Jiang brothers look very different?"

Zhao Wenhua said, "They are said to be twins, and their appearances are quite similar, making it difficult for ordinary people to tell them apart. However, the eldest son of the Jiang family has a conspicuous birthmark on his neck, while the second son does not. The neighbors use this to distinguish between the two brothers. Of course, outsiders do not know this, which is why they mistook the second son for the eldest son and thought that the eldest son was not dead, thus causing that misunderstanding!"

Yan Shifan frowned: "If it's a misunderstanding, why did Yuanzhi make it sound so serious before, and why did you have to ask that jailer Sun Heihu to find out?"

Zhao Wenhua sensed the resentment in his words and quickly said, "It was indeed my fault. Things in officialdom are always shrouded in mystery, and people are very secretive about them. I was fooled by others and thought there was a major case involved. Knowing that Donglou was upright and incorruptible, I mustered up the courage to share it with you. Who knew I would make such a fool of myself! Alas!"

Yan Shifan said, "Oh, I see. Those people are really insidious; they even kept such a small matter from Yuanzhi."

Zhao Wenhua continued, "This is no small matter. You should know that this case was personally decided by Prefect Huo of Shuntian Prefecture. If the eldest son of the Jiang family is really not dead, wouldn't the Grand Prefect of the Capital be in trouble? So there might really be some strange things behind this case!"

Does this involve the debate over the newly rich and powerful?

Yan Shifan's expression turned serious.

He had served as Gui Zai's follower for three years, so he knew how fierce the struggle was between the new eminent figures of the Great Rites Controversy and the officials who opposed it. The current Grand Secretary Zhang Cong and the Second Grand Secretary Gui E had both been dismissed, and the content of the impeachment was shocking. However, it was later found that the charges were completely fabricated.

From Yan Shifan's perspective, he was unaware that the emperor was deliberately trying to suppress the newly powerful figures in the Great Rites Controversy before entrusting them with important responsibilities. In his view, the emperor had truly believed the instigation of those ministers and almost cut off his own arm.

Although Haiyue was well aware of Jiajing's methods of controlling his subordinates, she did not ignore the power of the opposition: "So the case did not escalate because of the Grand Magistrate?"

"maybe……"

Zhao Wenhua said with a wry smile, "As a mere manager, I dare not get involved in such important matters, let alone inquire about them casually. But now, for the sake of the leader and Brother Donglou, and for the sake of our Yixin Society, it is of course my duty to do so!"

Yan Shifan secretly scoffed at his constant displays of loyalty, while Hai Yue nodded: "Yuan Zhi is right, now this matter needs to be investigated thoroughly."

Zhao Wenhua said with difficulty, "But the Jiang family has already moved away!"

Haiyue said, "It's precisely because the Jiang family moved away, and why now of all times, not earlier or later, that something seems amiss."

Zhao Wenhua looked bewildered: "I don't know..."

Haiyue said, "After the adultery case, the Jiang family must have been infamous in this alley. It would have been natural for them to leave at that time. But they didn't move away. Perhaps they had nowhere to go, or perhaps they were too attached to life in the capital and didn't want to leave their hometown and go elsewhere!"

This is normal. People in ancient times were not like people in later generations. They could simply sell their houses and move to another city. As long as they could adapt to the living environment, it was not a big deal. For people in ancient times, leaving their hometown was a huge challenge with all sorts of problems. In particular, the Ming Dynasty restricted population movement. Unless they really couldn't survive, they generally wouldn't take this route.

So it's not surprising that the Jiang family didn't move out despite the stigma of being murderers. What is surprising is that they eventually did move out: "Compared to the impact of adultery and murder, this misunderstanding was originally insignificant. Twins look alike, and passersby don't know the difference. They might mistake one for another, but why did the Jiang family leave so immediately? Was it voluntary or forced? Is there something fishy going on behind the scenes?"

After hearing this, Zhao Wenhua first frowned, then after a well-timed moment of thought, suddenly revealed a look of sudden realization: "Oh~~!" After saying "Oh," he stood up and bowed, saying with heartfelt admiration, "The head of the association truly has discerning eyes! If it were me, I would never be able to be so meticulous! Compared to the head of the association's extraordinary talent, my two years of service in the Ministry of Justice are truly insignificant!"

Yan Shifan became very vigilant.

Damn it, how come I never realized before that this guy was such a formidable opponent! We absolutely cannot recruit him into our group!

'That's too much! That's gone too far!'

Haiyue was speechless, but her smile brightened: "There's no need to belittle your own potential. Do you understand now?"

Zhao Wenhua nodded repeatedly, his voice firm: "Once my page brings back the case files and the red contract, I am willing to investigate the Jiang family case thoroughly!"

The three rested in the teahouse, while Zhao Wenhua's page, Yanzhou, ran errands to the Shuntian Prefecture government office.

When Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua's icy hands and feet finally warmed up, a soft knock sounded at the door. There stood the pageboy Yanzhou, holding case files and contracts.

Zhao Wenhua stood up, took the items, and was about to ask him to leave when Haiyue, seeing the pageboy's face, which was red and purplish from the cold, beckoned him in: "Come in and warm yourself up too."

The pageboy Yanzhou immediately looked at Zhao Wenhua, who gave him a look, indicating that he should quickly obey. Only then did he come in and carefully warm himself by the fire.

Zhao Wenhua then opened the case file and contract, quickly found the key, and handed it over: "Please take a look, Chief."

Haiyue took it, and Yan Shifan also leaned closer, where they saw that it contained a detailed record of the case.

The general situation is similar to what Zhao Wenhua said. The case happened in February last year. Zhao Bao, a shoemaker on the street, suddenly died. His wife, Hao, was beautiful and often hung clothes to dry on the second floor. Men passing by on the street liked to look up and admire that beautiful sight.

Not to mention that Guo Xun's edition of "Water Margin" is selling like hotcakes in bookstores, the story of Wu Song angrily killing Ximen Qing, which is circulated by storytellers, is enough to make people think of the story.

The case quickly escalated. Li Ming, the coroner of the Shuntian Prefecture, examined the body and discovered that Zhao Bao's body had been concealed by grinding madder juice into powder, mixing it with vinegar, and applying it to the body to cover up the wounds.

However, Li Ming was known as the Iron Mirror, and his autopsy skills were superb. He discovered this trick, made the wounds reappear, and confirmed that Zhao Baosheng had been beaten before his death, and that he had not died of illness.

Prefect Huo Tao of Shuntian Prefecture ordered that Zhao Bao's wife, Hao, be brought to the prefectural office for questioning. After inquiring with the neighbors, he learned that Jiang's eldest son had been seen entering and leaving Zhao's house not long ago, and it seemed that he was having an affair with Hao.

After being arrested and imprisoned, the two quickly confessed to their adultery. Evidence of their plot to murder Zhao Bao was also collected. According to the law, they should be executed. The two were executed together last autumn.

This was originally a very ordinary case, but half a month after the execution, a passerby saw that Jiang's eldest son was still alive. Rumors spread immediately. Huo Tao, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, was alarmed. After investigating, he found that the person who saw him was Jiang's second son, who looked very much like him, and then he stopped the matter.

Upon seeing this, Haiyue asked, "After this incident, the Jiang family moved out of Dengcao Hutong in less than ten days? Was their house sold off cheaply?"

Zhao Wenhua said, "According to the red contract, the Jiang family's house was sold for eighty-five taels. The market price of such a house is about one hundred taels, which is indeed a bit cheap, but it cannot be said to be a bargain."

Yan Shifan frowned: "Isn't the person who took over the Jiang family mansion suspicious? Spending eighty-five taels to buy such a mansion?"

Zhao Wenhua explained, "The Jiang family's house is not a haunted house after all. No one died inside. There aren't many houses for sale in the capital. It's already a bargain that it's more than ten taels of silver cheaper than the market price."

Yan Shifan immediately said, "The Jiang family's house isn't haunted, but what about the Zhao family's? Zhao Bao was murdered, and Hao was executed. Were any elderly people or children left behind?"

Zhao Wenhua shook his head: "No, Zhao Bao has no children, and his father has passed away. It's just the two of them. The house is currently empty. I'm afraid the real estate agent will only sell it after this matter has completely died down..."

Yan Shifan clicked his tongue: "So that means that of the two families related to the case, one family is completely dead and the other family has moved away. Even if there is something suspicious about it, we won't be able to find out?"

Zhao Wenhua responded and couldn't help but glance at Haiyue.

His sudden realization was to please the gang leader, and in fact, he vaguely felt that there was something strange about this case.

However, he also believes that even if such old cases contain some unknown truths, they are difficult to uncover.

Does this renowned detective from the Imperial Academy, famous throughout the capital, really have a way to break the deadlock?
Just as one of them was frowning in thought and the other was secretly doubting, Haiyue's gaze fell on the pageboy Yanzhou who had come in to warm himself by the fire, and she asked a seemingly unrelated question: "Was it this cold last February?"

The pageboy Yanzhou was taken aback, and cautiously replied, "Replying to young master, it was quite cold last year as well."

"I'm from Hainan, where it's spring-like all year round. The winters there are truly different from those in the capital!"

Haiyue, being very meticulous, asked again, "In such cold weather, can you see other people's necks when you're walking on the street?"

The pageboy Yanzhou shook his head blankly: "I...I can't see them! They're all covered up tightly!"

Zhao Wenhua was completely baffled, but Yan Shifan's body stiffened, and he slammed his hand on the table, saying, "I understand! There's a problem with the neighbor they identified!"

Haiyue nodded slightly and stood up: "The two families related to the case are indeed gone, but the person who is really suspicious should still be here! Let's go! Let's ask the neighbor who provided the yamen with the key clue. In the dead of winter when everyone's necks are wrapped up tightly, how did he, who can't see the birthmark on his neck, distinguish between the eldest and second sons of the Jiang family!"

(End of this chapter)