Yanfu: Starting with the Six-Eared Macaque

"Such precise targeting, specifically choosing small, portable, and valuable items, it seems this thief is very familiar with the pawnshop's inventory." Chen Xing stared at the list of stolen items in his hand, pondering to himself, his brows unconsciously furrowing slightly.

He looked up at Wang Fu'an and asked in a calm tone, "Manager, have any of the pawnshop's employees been behaving strangely lately? Have any of them suddenly taken leave, acted suspiciously, or secretly inquired about the warehouse?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Fu'an lowered his head and thought carefully for a moment. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and said, "Now that Officer Chen asked, there really is something strange about it. A few days before the pawnshop fire, a clerk named Zhang Wanlin came to ask me for leave, saying that there was an urgent matter at home and he had to go back to deal with it for a few days."

"I saw that the store wasn't too busy at the time, so I granted him leave. But five or six days have passed and he still hasn't returned, nor has I heard any news. I'm wondering if I should send someone to ask him."

"Zhang Wanlin?" Chen Xing's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "How old is he? Where does he live? What are his physical characteristics? What's he like as a person? How do he get along with the other guys?"

"He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and lived in Zhangjia Village outside the city, not too far from the county seat," Wang Fu'an recalled. "He wasn't very tall, quite thin, and seemed honest and hardworking. Officer Chen, do you suspect he did it?"

"This is just speculation at the moment, and we don't have any solid evidence yet, so we can't draw any conclusions." Chen Xing waved his hand and solemnly instructed, "Please, Manager Wang, don't make a fuss for now, so as not to alert the enemy and affect the follow-up investigation."

Wang Fu'an nodded hurriedly, his expression becoming serious: "Understood, understood, Officer Chen, rest assured, I will keep my mouth shut."

Afterwards, Chen Xing carefully reviewed the list of stolen items from beginning to end, and after confirming that no key information had been missed, he looked up and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Wang Fu'an: "Shopkeeper, do you have a copy of this list?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Wang Fu'an nodded hurriedly, turned around and took out another piece of paper from the drawer of the counter. "Officer Zhou specifically instructed me beforehand that this is important evidence, and asked me to make a copy and keep it safe. I have both the original and the copy."

"Thank you very much for your cooperation, Manager Wang." Chen Xing took the backup list and put it away, returned the original to Wang Fu'an, and bowed again to take his leave. "If we need anything later, we may have to trouble you again, Manager Wang. We'll head back to the yamen now."

After saying that, he turned around and left Jubaoge with Lin Ce.

After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, Chen Xing didn't stop. He turned to Lin Ce beside him and asked in a deep voice, "Do you think what Old Wu just said was the truth?"

Lin Ce slowed down, carefully recalling the situation in the guest room, and said thoughtfully, "Judging from Old Wu's expression, his eyes were quite earnest when he spoke, and he didn't look away. Manager Wang's reaction was also quite natural, so it doesn't seem like he's lying."

"It seems like the truth to me, but I still feel there's something fishy about this case." Chen Xing frowned slightly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hilt of the knife at his waist.

He possesses the "Principles of the Mind," making him more sensitive to people's expressions and emotional changes than ordinary people, yet he hadn't noticed anything amiss with them just now.

He paused, then changed the subject, his tone becoming more certain: "What's strangest is that the thief specifically targeted small, valuable, and easily portable items. The way he picked them was too precise; it's not something an outsider could do. I suspect it was an inside job."

"A traitor within the family?" Lin Ce's eyes widened suddenly, and he immediately realized what was happening. He pressed on, "You mean Zhang Wanlin, the one who's been on leave for several days and hasn't come back?"

"It's too early to say for sure, but we're suspicious." After a moment's thought, Chen Xing immediately instructed in a deep voice, "You go to Zhangjia Village outside the city right now and quietly inquire about Zhang Wanlin's situation. See if something really happened at home, whether he's been home these past few days, and if there's been any unusual activity. Remember to keep a low profile and don't alert him."

"Yes, boss!" Lin Ce clasped his hands in acceptance and turned to hurry towards the outskirts of the city.

Chen Xing watched Lin Ce leave, then hurried back to the county government office. As soon as he stepped through the gate, he went straight to the west hall where the county magistrate was located, intending to report all the clues and suspicious points he had found.

He stood in front of the west hall door and gently knocked three times.

"Come in," came the county magistrate's deep, powerful voice from inside the house.

Chen Xing pushed open the door and entered. He saw the county magistrate sitting behind the desk, dressed in a dark official robe with a jade belt around his waist and a neat tuft of short beard on his chin. He was looking down at the official documents on the desk.

Hearing the noise, the county constable looked up and saw that it was Chen Xing. He immediately put down his brush, leaned forward slightly, and asked, "Is there any progress in the case of the pawnshop theft? The Li family of Linjiang has sent someone to urge us again. The pressure is not small."

"Reporting to the County Commandant, I was just about to report to you." Chen Xing walked to the table, stood up, bowed, and said in a calm tone, "Today, while investigating the case at the pawnshop, I discovered two rather unusual things."

"Firstly, the thief's targets were exceptionally precise, specifically targeting valuable and portable small items. Moreover, he avoided the guards on the outer perimeter when he entered. If it weren't for Old Wu, the accountant, suddenly deciding to take inventory, the theft would probably still be undiscovered."

After Chen Xing finished speaking, he paused and continued, "Secondly, the area around the accounting office was deliberately doused with kerosene, which was obviously arson by the thieves. Their purpose was to burn the account books and receipts so that we could not verify the stolen property."

The county constable tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound, his brows furrowing slightly. "You mean, it was an inside job?"

"Exactly." Chen Xing nodded, his tone certain. "But observing the pawnshop manager Wang Fu'an and the accountant Lao Wu's demeanor and behavior, I didn't find any obvious flaws or signs of lying. However, the thief's familiarity with the pawnshop's interior is something no outsider could do, so the most likely suspect is an insider."

"Are there any suspects?" the county constable asked immediately, his voice tinged with urgency.

"We currently have a prime suspect named Zhang Wanlin, who works at the pawnshop," Chen Xing replied truthfully. "He suddenly took leave a few days before the pawnshop theft, saying there were family matters to attend to. It's been five or six days now, and he hasn't returned or sent any messages. I've already arranged for people to go to his hometown, Zhangjia Village, to investigate."

"Zhang Wanlin?" A hint of surprise flashed in the county magistrate's eyes, then he said in a deep voice, "The aristocratic families behind Jubaoge have repeatedly come to put pressure on us, urging us to recover the stolen property."

"Now that the account books are burned, we can't even verify what's missing or how much is missing. If these people start making a fuss, not only you and me, but even the county magistrate can't control them. In my opinion, if there's nothing serious, we should just send someone to arrest Zhang Wanlin. Under severe torture, he'll surely confess."

"County Commandant, we still need to investigate further." Chen Xing quickly advised, "Arresting someone rashly might alert the real culprit. If he's not the real killer, it could alert the real criminal, who might destroy evidence and escape, making it even harder to track them down."

The county constable pondered for a moment, then looked up at Chen Xing, his tone grave: "Chen Xing, this case is no small matter and cannot be delayed. You must investigate the thief within the family and recover the treasure as soon as possible. You must not be careless."

"Also, I heard that the female corpse in the reed marshes north of the city has been found; it's also a murder case. If you can't handle it all, I'll arrange for someone else to investigate. After all, human lives are at stake, and we can't afford to neglect one thing for another."