Yanfu: Starting with the Six-Eared Macaque

Upon hearing the county magistrate mention the case of the burned corpse, Chen Xing's heart skipped a beat. He instantly recalled the traces of kerosene left at the crime scene in the reed marshes and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Magistrate, I suspect that the case of the burned corpse may be related to this theft case. Please allow me to investigate both cases together, as this may help us find a breakthrough in solving the case more quickly."

The county constable was taken aback, clearly not expecting that two seemingly unrelated cases would be connected. He immediately looked up and asked, "Do you have any solid evidence? Case handling requires evidence; you can't act based on guesswork."

"The evidence lies in the kerosene." Chen Xing reported quickly and clearly, "At the arson scene in the pawnshop's accounting room, we found obvious traces of kerosene burning; and in the case of the burned corpse in the reed marshes north of the city, kerosene was also used to burn the body."

"The two cases occurred shortly apart, both took place around the county seat, and both used kerosene as an accelerant. This is no coincidence and there is a high probability that they are related."

The county constable looked troubled, his fingers tapping the table more rapidly, clearly weighing the pros and cons: "Investigate the cases together? But the gentry behind Jubaoge are pressing us hard, and we can't afford to delay."

"Alright, you can start investigating by combining the cases. I'll handle things with the magistrate and the local gentry. You must push things forward as quickly as possible; we can't delay any longer."

"Thank you for your understanding, Magistrate!" Chen Xing quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude, his tone earnest. "I will go back to the yamen immediately to arrange for manpower to investigate the clues in both cases and strive to solve them as soon as possible."

The county magistrate nodded in agreement, then emphasized, "You must act with utmost caution. Do not alert the culprit and let him escape, but do not overlook any clues either. The gentry are not to be trifled with, but the real culprit cannot be allowed to go unpunished. You must strike the right balance."

"Understood, Your Excellency. I will not fail in your trust." Chen Xing respectfully replied, bowed again, and then turned and steadily withdrew from the west hall.

After leaving the west hall, Chen Xing went straight back to the yamen runners' quarters, asked Su Wenyuan for the two case files on the arson case and the theft case, and sat down in a chair by the window to carefully review and verify them.

Shi Wu was sent to investigate missing persons in Lin'an County and surrounding villages, Zhou An was visiting oil shops in the city one by one to trace the source of kerosene, Lin Ce went to Zhangjia Village outside the city to investigate Zhang Wanlin, the most suspicious shop assistant, and Su Wenyuan stayed in the yamen to organize case files and summarize scattered clues.

According to the original owner's memories, these four were his most capable subordinates, reliable and dependable in handling affairs, while most of the other yamen runners lacked experience and were not up to the task.

"The most important clue we have right now is Zhang Wanlin. Hopefully, Lin Ce can bring us some useful information." Chen Xing closed the file, thinking of the pressure from the county magistrate and the gentry, and sighed inwardly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the file.

While pondering the suspicious points of the two cases, he patiently waited for the investigation results from the others.

Finally, at dusk, the door to the yamen's office was suddenly pushed open, and the first message came back!

"Boss!" Lin Ce rushed in from outside the door and rushed to Chen Xing's desk as soon as he entered. He put his hands on the table and gasped for breath, with beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"I went to Zhangjia Village to check, and Zhang Wanlin's house was empty. According to the neighbors, Zhang Wanlin went home once five days ago, and then took his wife back to her parents' home."

"Oh? Was there anything unusual before you left?" Chen Xing pressed.

"No, the neighbors said that Zhang Wanlin's wife is beautiful. Every time he goes out on business, he would send his wife, Li Yue'e, to her younger brother's house in Lijiazhuang for safety reasons, so no one took it seriously," Lin Ce added.

"Did you go to Lijia Village?" Chen Xing asked, his eyes sharpening.

"Not yet." Lin Ce wiped the sweat from his brow, his tone urgent. "I was afraid you'd be getting impatient, so I rushed back to report. Should I call the brothers now and we go to Li Family Village to look for them?"

"You did a great job!" Chen Xing looked at Lin Ce, who was still panting heavily from running all the way, and said with approval in his tone. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the dossier and looked serious. "If the murderer is really Zhang Wanlin, he must be ruthless since he dared to commit arson and steal treasure. It was indeed too dangerous for you to go alone."

After speaking, Chen Xing thought for a moment and quickly came up with a deployment plan in his mind.

"There's no time to lose, let's set off now! I'll go to the county constable to apply for an arrest warrant. You go and fetch Wen Yuan, and then pick four quick and experienced men from the yamen runners. Bring your weapons, and we'll meet at the yamen gate in fifteen minutes!"

"Yes!" Lin Ce clasped his hands in acceptance, turned around and left quickly, his steps hurried but not disordered.

Chen Xing didn't dare to delay. He quickly straightened his official robes and strode towards the west hall.

Knocking on the door and entering the west hall, the county magistrate, seeing Chen Xing again, had a general idea of ​​what was going on. He put down his brush and asked, "Is there any new progress in the case?"

"Yes, County Commandant." Chen Xing strode to the table, bowed, and said directly, "When Lin Ce went to investigate Zhang Wanlin, the pawnshop clerk we suspected earlier, he found that he had absconded from home and the house was empty. According to the neighbors, he took his wife to his father-in-law's house in Lijiazhuang five days ago, and his whereabouts are now unknown."

Upon hearing this, the county constable's brows furrowed sharply, and his expression instantly turned serious. He said in a deep voice, "The case of Jubao Pavilion involves a wide range of issues, and the local gentry are pressing us hard. We absolutely cannot let Zhang Wanlin escape! Once he escapes, the follow-up investigation will be even more difficult."

After saying this, the county magistrate immediately pulled out a blank official document from the corner of the desk, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote his reply on the document with strong and powerful handwriting.

After finishing writing, he carefully checked it over. Once he confirmed that there were no errors, he picked up the county magistrate's seal, which faintly exuded a golden dragon aura, from his desk and pressed it heavily at the end of the document. The bright red ink was clearly imprinted on the paper, exuding an unquestionable majesty.

The county constable neatly folded the stamped arrest warrant and handed it to Chen Xing, his gaze sharp as he solemnly instructed, "Take your men and set off immediately! You must bring Zhang Wanlin to justice; there can be no failure. If he resists arrest, as long as his life is not harmed, you may handle the situation leniently. Remember, this case is of utmost importance; there can be no mistakes!"

"Yes!" Chen Xing responded, carefully taking the official document with both hands and putting it into his pocket. After bowing, he turned and left the hall, then immediately hurried towards the direction of the yamen gate.

As soon as Chen Xing arrived at the yamen gate, he saw Lin Ce, Su Wenyuan, and four constables carrying fire and water sticks and with ropes around their waists, all ready to go.

He immediately said in a deep voice, "Brothers, there's no time to lose, let's go!"

The group of six quickly left the city and sped towards Lijiazhuang.

By the time they arrived at Lijiazhuang, it was completely dark, and only the outline of the village could be vaguely seen in the night.

Chen Xing and his group found the village head, but before they could explain their purpose, they unexpectedly met Shi Wu, whom they had sent to investigate the missing persons.

"Xiao Wu? What brings you here?" Chen Xing's eyes flashed with surprise as he stepped forward and asked, "Has someone gone missing in Li Family Village too?"

Just as Shi Wu was about to explain, the village head interrupted, saying, "Li Sanlang came to me early this morning, saying that his sister had gone missing and hadn't returned all night. I found the situation suspicious, so I reported it to the county government this afternoon."

"It's that Li Sanlang again." Chen Xing frowned, and without further delay, immediately had the village head lead the way to the home of Li Yue'e's younger brother, Li Sanlang.

On the way, Chen Xing asked as they walked, "Li Village Chief Li, what does Li Yue'e look like? What color and style of clothes was she wearing when she went missing?"

The village head thought for a moment and said, "Li Yue'e is very beautiful. She is a famous beauty in several villages around us. At the time, we thought she would marry into some wealthy and powerful family. Who knew that she would end up marrying such a poor boy."

The village head sighed, and seeing Chen Xing's serious expression, he quickly steered the conversation back on track.

"However, Li Sanlang couldn't say what she was wearing when she went missing. He went out to work early in the morning and came back in the evening to find that his sister was missing. He thought she had gone to visit a neighbor, but she didn't come back until midnight, so he got anxious and called me to report it to the police."