Chapter 31: Lure Them Out!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
No matter what Shen Mingjiao said, the one-track-minded Wang Dashan followed His Highness' instructions firmly.
Shen Mingjiao had no choice but to say, "Then can you send someone to deliver a message to His Highness?"
Wang Dashan hesitated for a moment before calling for a guard at the door.
Feng Lisheng and the rest only returned in the evening with tired eyes.
Shen Mingjiao instructed Haitang to pass the dishes and waited for them to finish eating.
Eventually, Shen Mingjiao could not hold it in any longer. She asked anxiously, "How was it? Did you see Miss Yun Shu? She…"
Feng Lisheng shook his head apologetically. "Official Zhao is detained, and the women of the Zhao family are also being watched. The people we had sent over found out that Miss Yun Shu disappeared three days ago."
Shen Mingjiao was a little disappointed. Although she felt that with her sister's personality, she would never be a concubine, the world was difficult for women. She could not imagine what had happened to her sister all these years after she was kidnapped.
Therefore, she could not miss any clues about her sister.
"Did you find out what Miss Yun Shu looked like?"
"I heard from the servants of the Zhao Residence that Miss Yun Shu always wears a veil."
"Oh," Shen Mingjiao said in disappointment.
Feng Lisheng saw that her long eyelashes were drooping and she was poking at the rice listlessly. He could not help but comfort her drily, "It's okay. Take your time to search. You'll find her."
Shen Mingjiao responded emotionlessly and turned to ask them, "By the way, did you guys find anything from going out today?"
At the mention of this, Feng Wu took a sip of tea and said dejectedly, "Sigh! Don't mention it. I've never seen such a mysterious case. If we continue investigating, even I will suspect that the murderer is really some demon!"
Shen Mingjiao was surprised. "You mean you didn't manage to find any useful clues at all?"
Although she had experienced a strange rebirth, she still could not believe that there were really demons in this world.
"We went to several crime scenes first. Apart from traces of Top Millionaire Fang's tea table being overturned at his house where the earliest incident happened, there were no other traces of crime in the homes of the other two families. We can see that the murderer is either a demon or someone who has very strong anti-detection abilities."
Shen Mingjiao said, "Since there are signs of the table being overturned, it means that those people resisted before they died. This can be considered a clue!"
Feng Wu sighed. "That could be because the murderer was not familiarized during his first modus operandi. Princess Consort, the first crime scene was the home of the richest man in the Fang family. Before dying, all the deceased individuals were located in different areas of the residence, and this is understandable. After all, there were nearly two hundred masters, maidservants, old maids, servants, and guards in such a huge residence. Usually, if it wasn't a big occasion, it's very rare for them to gather."
"As for the Magistrate Residence and the Subprefect Residence, they might have taken precautions because of the Fang Family's massacre. Apart from a few guards who were on duty, almost everyone was gathered in the main courtyard. Even so, they died silently in the end. You see how terrifying the murderer was!"
Shen Mingjiao asked, "What about the corpses? You should be able to tell what bit them since they were bitten to death, right?"
Although it did not sound like it could be done by humans, she still did not want to believe that there were really demons in this world.
Feng Wu took the tea from Haitang. "After that, we went to the Yi Village where the corpses were stored. Most of the wounds had already festered, but from the depth of the wounds, we guessed that they were relatively large animals.
"In addition, one of the soldiers guarding the warehouse had a violent struggle before he died. He held a few red threads in his right hand. We believe that they are from the knots attached to the jade pendant on the murderer's waist. This is also the only physical evidence in the entire case."
Shen Mingjiao held her chin and pondered. "Since there's too little evidence to identify the murderer, let's look at it from another angle. What's the murderer's motive for killing? Vengeance, love, or money?"
"First of all, if the murderer is really after money, then let's not talk about the other two families. As the richest family in Luo Capital, the Fang family must have a lot of assets, but the murderer didn't take any."
Feng Lisheng continued, "Magistrate Jia and Subprefect Xu's reputations are neither good nor bad. However, in a wealthy place like the Luo Capital, you just can't avoid corruption and it's the same for these two. The gold and silver items found in the two residences amount to two million taels. However, although these two people are greedy, they have never caused any deaths.
"As for the Fang family, they can't be very pure and innocent if they are be able to become the richest family in Luo Capital. They have caused many deaths, but the Fang family's reputation is not bad. Almost all the officials in the Luo Capital have received silver in appreciation from the Fang family."
In the end, he concluded. "If it's a revenge massacre, it's most likely related to the richest family, the Fang family."
"From this perspective, the murderer hates the Fang family for some reason, so much so that he hates the officials of Luo Capital who protect the Fang family."
Shen Mingjiao said, "So the murderer probably stole the assets from the treasury because he felt that they were ill-gotten gains from plundering the people's wealth, or because he wanted to use it to get all the officials in Luo Capital convicted."
After all, if they really lost all the treasury in the end, all the officials in Luo Capital would suffer.
"So--"
Shen Mingjiao looked at Feng Lisheng. Their eyes met and they said at the same time,
"Lure them out!"
…
The next day, Feng Lisheng ordered the release of all the officials. He posted a notice saying that the murderers had been executed. They were a group of bandits wearing sharp false teeth who killed others while pretending to be demons.
Although some people were skeptical, they couldn't help it as the officials were coming out to refute the rumors.
The commoners were no longer in a panic. The streets became lively again, and the Luo Capital gradually returned to its bustling state.
Feng Lisheng took this opportunity to plant people in the residences of various officials who were related to the Fang Family.
When Shen Mingjiao thought of Miss Yun Shu who had suddenly left, she still felt indignant. So, she invited herself to the Zhao Residence to check on the situation.
Previously, she had already told Feng Lisheng to ask Official Zhao about Miss Yun Shu.
Official Zhao said that Miss Yun Shu was a gift from a good friend of his, so he could not refuse. He planned to bring her back to the residence and let her settle down first. After a few days, he would send her away with some money.
Miss Yun Shu had been wearing a veil, so Official Zhao did not know what she looked like.
After hearing her plan, Feng Lisheng frowned and rejected her. After all, no one could guarantee when the murderer would attack again.
However, Shen Mingjiao was determined to go, and Feng Lisheng could not dissuade her. In the end, he agreed to go with her.
Coincidentally, the Zhao Residence had recruited skilled guards today. Feng Lisheng planned to pretend to be a poor couple with Shen Mingjiao who had come from elsewhere to make a living.
Shen Mingjiao stared at his beautiful blue gem-like eyes. "How are you going to do this?"
Feng Lisheng took out a tube of medicine and dripped it on his eyes. A moment later, his pupils slowly turned black.
Shen Mingjiao looked at the potion in surprise. "What kind of potion is this? It's quite magical!"
Feng Lisheng endured the slight pain in his eyes and said casually, "Just some little tricks."
"Then… will it hurt your eyes?"
Feng Lisheng shook his head without any change in expression. "No, this is similar to a disguise."
Shen Mingjiao did not suspect anything. After all, this was something she did not understand.
She stared at Feng Lisheng's dark pupils that were different from before and exclaimed, "You look quite good like this!"
Feng Lisheng's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his eyes and said casually, "Oh, you mean I didn't look good before?"
Shen Mingjiao didn't seem to notice the abnormality and she replied casually,
"Of course you were. It's just that I'm used to seeing your blue eyes and now it has changed to black. It's quite new to me. After all, people tend to be exceptionally curious about new things, that's all."
When he met her beautiful eyes that were exactly the same as before, the gloominess that had accumulated in his heart dissipated in an instant, as if he had suddenly been enlightened.
The two of them disguised themselves and arrived at the Zhao Residence. A moment later, the gatekeeper invited them in.
He brought them to the butler of the Zhao Residence.
Butler Zhao asked Feng Lisheng what he used to do and whether he knew any martial arts.
Feng Lisheng said that his family used to run a martial arts school. Later, his father was seriously ill and spent all his savings. He had no choice but to bring his wife to Luo Capital to make a living.
At this moment, he was dressed in short, rough clothing. His skin was slightly dark, his eyebrows were thick, and his facial features made him seem tough. He looked very much like a martial arts teacher.
Butler Zhao did not suspect anything. After seeing Feng Lisheng's extraordinary martial arts, he decided to let him stay.
Then, he glanced at Shen Mingjiao.
Shen Mingjiao said hurriedly, "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be responsible for washing and cooking for my husband at home."
-- Gift
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