Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 144 Zhao Wenhua: The leader is truly a divine being! (Second update)
Dengcao Hutong was originally named after the sale of rush pith.

But just as Pitiao Hutong has now become a red-light district where the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district) is located, Yan Shifan would go there whenever he had some spare money, and the businesses in Dengcao Hutong have also become more diverse.

However, there is still one of the oldest lampwick shops here, which is said to have been passed down for three generations. However, the storefront has become smaller and smaller, and a few bundles of dried lampwick hang under the eaves, rustling in the cold wind, which looks quite shabby.

Haiyue, Yan Shifan, and Zhao Wenhua entered the shop and found that the lighting was even dimmer, with the oil lamp flickering gently, casting the shop owner's thin face in alternating light and shadow.

He was fiddling with the abacus beads with his withered, twig-like fingers when the blue cloth curtain was lifted and three distinguished-looking men walked in. He hurriedly greeted them, "Oh dear, what brings you three honored guests?"

Zhao Wenhua, considering himself to be the highest-ranking official and lowest-status person, took the initiative to speak: "Are you Feng Gui, the owner of this shop?"

The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly as he sensed a familiar tone of voice, and he dared not be negligent: "Yes! I am Feng Gui!"

"I am Zhao, a chief clerk in the Ministry of Justice!"

Zhao Wenhua took out his original waist token and waved it around. Although he had been stripped of his official position, not all of his personal belongings had been confiscated. He took it out now to show it off and said coldly, "I'm asking you a question. You must tell the truth. If you utter even a single falsehood, you know the consequences!"

The shopkeeper immediately bowed low and hurriedly replied, "Yes! Yes!"

Zhao Wenhua asked, "At this time last year, wasn't there a murder in this alley?"

The shopkeeper slowly said, "Yes! There was a murder! Something happened to the shoemaker Zhao Bao..."

Zhao Wenhua said sternly, "Explain yourself clearly!"

"Zhao Bao's wife had an affair, which ruined him..."

The shopkeeper swallowed hard and added, "Zhao Bao was a shoemaker, very skilled. He often went to the homes of wealthy people to repair shoes. When he wasn't home, his wife would have an affair with her lover and kill him. It was terrible! So terrible!"

Yan Shifan chimed in from the side, "Oh! You even know about adultery?"

The shop owner chuckled dryly, "I attended a private school in my younger days and know a few characters!"

Zhao Wenhua asked, "Who is the adulterer?"

The shop owner said, "Jiang Dalang is also from our alley; he sells steamed buns."

Zhao Wenhua stared at him coldly: "How did you know he was an adulterer in the first place?"

The shopkeeper met his gaze, his throat bobbing, and said in a hoarse voice, "The officials from the government came to the alley and asked every household. When they got to me, I happened to see Jiang Dalang sneaking into the Zhao family's house that day. Before he even picked up his load, I reported it to the officials. Later, the magistrate of the government arrested him, and he confessed!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Wenhua asked the crucial question: "That's strange. The Jiang family has twins who look extremely similar, making it difficult for outsiders to tell them apart. How can you be so sure that the person who broke into the Zhao family was Jiang Dalang?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly said, "Young master, you may not know this, but although the two sons of the Jiang family look alike, the eldest son has a birthmark on his neck, which makes him easily recognizable. That's why I know this!"

"Is it?"

Zhao Wenhua sneered: "Come here!"

When the shopkeeper came over, he grabbed him, lifted the blue cloth curtain, and looked outside: "Point me out to me which of these pedestrians on the street can you clearly see the birthmark on their neck? Tell me!!"

The shop owner's expression changed completely as he watched the hurried pedestrians pass by.

In the freezing cold, he was shivering, and you couldn't even see his neck.

"I wasn't on the street at the time... I was... I was..."

He tried to argue his way out, but Yan Shifan, with his excellent memory, quoted the "Great Ming Code" that Hai Rui liked to read: "The Great Ming Code stipulates that if a witness does not tell the truth and deliberately gives false testimony, the principal offender's crime will be reduced by one degree. The principal offender has already been executed. Even if your crime is reduced by one degree, you will still receive at least one hundred strokes of the cane and your whole family will be exiled to the frontier! Heh, you really have some nerve!"

"no no!!"

The shop owner immediately knelt down: "Spare me! Spare me! It's not that I wanted to frame someone, someone told me to say that!"

Haiyue watched coldly from the sidelines.

Zhao Wenhua's questioning skills were almost straightforward, even revealing too much too early, which put the other party on guard. In contrast, Yan Shifan's two interjections were perfectly timed.

However, dealing with ordinary people doesn't require much conversational skill. These people are already insecure when facing officials, and if they have something to hide, they'll reveal their true colors in just a few words.

Zhao Wenhua was overjoyed, never expecting the case to be solved so easily: "Speak! Who told you to give false testimony!"

The shopkeeper said in fear, "It's not false evidence! I did see the Jiang family's son enter the Zhao family's house, but I didn't know if it was his eldest son or second son. That's what I said when the authorities first came to our door!"

Yan Shifan narrowed his eyes: "You changed your tune the second time?"

The shopkeeper said, "That very night, an official came to the door and asked how to distinguish the two brothers. After learning about the birthmark, he kept asking me to recall if I had seen the birthmark on the neck! I was confused at the time, so I said I thought I saw it. He immediately wrote it down and left in a hurry! After he left, I regretted it. What if it wasn't the eldest brother but the second brother? Wouldn't that be arresting the wrong person? I only felt relieved after hearing that the eldest brother had confessed at the government office..."

Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua both sneered: "Is it so strange to give an explanation?"

There are many examples of forced confessions. Even though Huo Tao was the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, which made things a little better, he still couldn't resist the many arrangements made by his subordinates.

The two exchanged a glance and reached a consensus: 'It seems the second son of the Jiang family is highly suspicious. No wonder he was mistaken for someone else and hurriedly sold his house and disappeared without a trace. He's guilty!'

Haiyue finally spoke: "What does Jiang Erlang do? What are the two brothers like?"

The shopkeeper said, "The two Jiang brothers both sell steamed buns. They take turns carrying the load and going from street to street. The elder brother is talkative and often flirts with Hao under the eaves of the Zhao family's house. Even after he got married, he was still like that. The younger brother is taciturn and works hard in silence. So I was more suspicious of the elder brother at the time."

Haiyue then asked, "Are there any other members in the Jiang family?"

The shopkeeper whispered, "The two brothers' father died early, and they originally had an elderly mother. After the eldest brother was executed, the mother died of illness... The eldest brother of the Jiang family was married and had a son and a daughter. After the incident, his wife took the children back to her parents' home. The second brother is not married yet..."

"So, a while ago, Jiang Erlang sold the house and left on his own? Have any of you neighbors been talking about it?" "No... We're happy he's gone, and that's the end of it. Otherwise, everyone would be a little scared!"

"What are you afraid of?"

"After all, four lives were lost..."

"Wait a minute!"

Upon hearing this, Haiyue immediately said, "Four lives? Zhao Bao, Hao Shi, and Jiang Dalang, weren't three people dead? Why are there four lives?"

The shopkeeper's expression changed, this time not from panic, but from some apprehension. After a moment of hesitation, he said in a low voice, "I heard that Hao was pregnant when she was executed. Some people said they should spare her life, but she committed one of the ten heinous crimes, so she was executed even though she was pregnant!"

"Two lives lost, one unborn child!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shifan's expression changed slightly, Zhao Wenhua remained indifferent, while Hai Yue frowned slightly: "How long has Hao Shi been pregnant? Why is there no record of it in the case file?"

The shopkeeper shrank back: "I don't know about that..."

"Take him back to the yamen!"

Haiyue spoke directly to Zhao Wenhua.

"No! No! I'll tell! I'll tell!"

The shop owner was horrified: "I heard that she was three months pregnant when she was arrested. At the time, the neighbors all said that we should wait until the child was born before beheading her. It might be the adulterer's, but what if it was Zhao Bao's? That would be his only bloodline! But we still beheaded her. Later, when people passed by Zhao's house, they always heard faint weeping sounds coming from inside. It was the child's spirit!"

Hai Yue said in a deep voice, "Who heard it? Specify the person!"

The shop owner said, trembling, "The neighbors all heard it. I was passing by once and curiously peeked inside. I also heard someone crying in that house. I was so scared that I ran back home and didn't sleep well for several nights!"

Seeing that his expression seemed genuine, Zhao Wenhua looked frightened, glancing around as if genuinely afraid that an infant might come out to claim a soul. Yan Shifan's expression also seemed off. Haiyue then said, "You just said that after the Jiang family sold the house and moved away, the neighbors all breathed a sigh of relief. Is it from that time that the crying in the Zhao family's haunted house also disappeared?"

The shopkeeper blinked, thought carefully for a moment, and slowly said, "It seems that it really is over. Anyway, no one has mentioned it for the past two or three months. If it weren't for the officials coming to inquire today, I would have forgotten about it..."

Yan Shifan's eyes immediately lit up, and he chuckled, "If that's the case, then isn't the person crying the second son of the Jiang family?"

The shop owner was stunned: "Huh?"

"You don't understand this?"

Yan Shifan scoffed: "The child in Hao's womb is Jiang Erlang's. He's hiding in the Jiang family's haunted house crying because he's heartbroken that his child was executed before it was even born. You think it's the ghost of a child? How foolish!"

The shopkeeper then realized what had happened and stared in disbelief: "Jiang Erlang is the murderer? He had an affair with Hao Shi and became pregnant? He killed Zhao Bao?"

Yan Shifan said smugly, "It's obvious. If I were to investigate, I would never wrongly accuse an innocent person or kill a good one!"

The shopkeeper said, "But Jiang's eldest son confessed..."

"The brothers are deeply devoted to each other; this man is undoubtedly taking the blame for his brother!"

Zhao Wenhua then turned to Hai Yue, looking for her guidance: "These are my humble opinions; please enlighten me, Chief!"

Haiyue ignored him and said to the shop owner, "Do you still remember the appearance of the official who came to urge you to identify the suspect?"

The shopkeeper tried hard to recall, and finally said bitterly, "Sir, that person was wearing a hood at the time, which covered most of his face, so I couldn't see his features. Besides, so much time has passed, I really can't remember!"

Haiyue said, "Alright! Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Zhao Wenhua shook his head, while Yan Shifan said, "If you think of anything, go to the Ministry of Justice and find Chief Zhao. If you provide crucial clues, not only will your previous crimes be wiped clean, but you will also be richly rewarded. Do you understand?"

"Yes Yes!"

The shopkeeper bowed and scraped as he saw the three out. Once they were out of the alley, Yan Shifan sighed, "Mingwei, now that we're certain that Jiang Erlang is basically the real culprit, he's already left the capital. Shouldn't we issue an arrest warrant to the Ministry of Justice?"

"Let's go back to the teahouse first!"

Haiyue didn't answer immediately. She led them back to the teahouse, changed them to a private room, and opened the window, which offered a clear view of the front and back doors of the lampwick shop: "The view here is good. Let's start taking turns monitoring them!"

Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua were stunned at first, then realized: "This guy wasn't telling the truth just now?"

"I'm not sure either."

Haiyue said calmly, "There were no flaws in the conversation just now. This person seemed nervous, but answered fluently... However, he also said that he attended a private school when he was young and can read. In addition, given his social interactions, his reaction is normal! So let's stay for a day and a night to confirm that the witness's statement is accurate before proceeding to the next step!"

Yan Shifan was clearly unwilling, but he had no choice but to agree: "Alright!"

Zhao Wenhua nodded repeatedly: "The leader is right! Let's keep watch, maybe this guy is lying!"

Despite being told it was a shift, Haiyue, as the leader, only looked out the window for a short while before being taken over by two subordinates eager for advancement, and then went to close her eyes and rest.

After watching for half an hour, Yan Shifan also consciously started ordering Zhao Wenhua around.

Zhao Wenhua ultimately dared not slack off too much, and he and his page Yanzhou took turns keeping watch.

Time flew by, and as the city lights began to twinkle, curfew was fast approaching. Suddenly, Zhao Wenhua shouted excitedly, "Quick! Come and see! That guy sneaked out the back door!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of wind suddenly swept through, and Haiyue was nowhere to be seen in the room.

Yan Shifan rubbed his eyes, still somewhat bewildered, while Zhao Wenhua exclaimed sincerely, "With keen insight and swift action, the leader is truly a divine being!"

(End of this chapter)