No. 49 Crimson Lotus Tribulation (5)

  Luo Da Chun returned on the second afternoon. Since I was an eyewitness at the scene, it was natural that I was also called to go.

  As expected, the task of Master Yuye was to investigate the cause of death of the victim, while the other two people went to the victim's home to understand the situation and another one chatted with Zhang Er Lang for a whole morning.

  I want to know is that if it was Zhang Er Lang who killed him, then what "benefit" could he possibly gain from it.

  "Firefly, you're so sharp! This Zhang Er Lang is really not good!" Lu Da Chun said with a smile.

  Luo Da Chun went to visit the Zhang family in an official capacity, which is basically impossible to get any deep information. He brought some comfort items, indicating that such a thing happened, and the local parents' officials also couldn't escape the responsibility of dereliction of duty, so coming to offer condolences was also necessary.

  The news of the young master's death had already spread to the Zhang family, so the household was in an uproar. Fortunately, there were still a few young men at home, who managed to hold things together during this unfortunate moment.

  Lu Da Chun was able to speak and comfort them, of course, such an unfortunate event may have also evoked some sympathy in his heart. In short, he consoled them for a while, and surprisingly, just by talking, he moved the Zhang family to tears, and their emotions calmed down a lot. Through conversation, he had already grasped the general situation of the Zhang family.

  The Zhang family is the largest timber merchant in the county, with business extending to the provincial capital. They are a wealthy and prominent household. The head of the household, Zhang Yuanwai, was also awarded the title of "Yuanwai Lang" during the tenure of the previous county magistrate. Their business has always been prosperous and smooth-sailing. Zhang Yuanwai has four sons and six daughters, and the whole family lives in harmony and mutual love.

  "What's the point of this... it's completely useless! I despise it in my heart, but can't show it on my face. Controlling my tone, I said softly: 'It seems that family and beauty are not suspicious after all.'"

  "Don't worry, those official things are useless, but naturally there are people who sneak into the servant's quarters and kitchen, and they've heard some things that can't be heard in public."

  It turned out that Lao Da Chun had sent someone else, bringing comfort goods into the kitchen and helping with the work for half a day. As they chatted, some words came out.

  Zhang's father married one wife and four concubines, but only had one legitimate son, Zhang Dala. Zhang Dala was a kind and frugal person who didn't like to fight or compete, which made him somewhat unsuitable for doing business. Therefore, when Zhang Erlang was still young, he began to help his father with commercial affairs. Zhang Erlang was born intelligent and had a talent for doing business, and as he grew older, he managed the family business even more successfully, earning the old master's favor.

  Unfortunately, Zhang Er Lang's mother was the one with the lowest birth among the concubines in the family, and she was from a slave background. Although on the surface everyone seemed to be getting along harmoniously, deep down, she was always looked down upon by others.

  "Don't look at the surface, the Zhang brothers seem to have a good relationship, but in fact, the two brothers have been at odds for a long time. The servant who serves the second brother has even heard him cursing his elder brother to death!"

  "Isn't it a struggle between the legitimate and illegitimate members of the family? But why did they choose to harm someone at this time? Is it because of deep-seated resentment, or..."

  "This time I went, actually didn't get to see the old master," said Lu Da Chun slowly, "because he was ill, very seriously ill, can't let him know about this matter, otherwise it would be hastening his death."

  A gleam of light in my heart. With the old master's serious illness, the next thing to consider is who will take over the family business. The younger brothers are too young and can't do much. Although Zhang Er Lang is capable, he has his older brother as the eldest son blocking his way, which is a threshold that cannot be crossed.

  So it's better for big brother to die now, and die before father.

  Or maybe this is the motivation.

  The story is not brilliant, nor are there any unexpected parts. In short, the evil thoughts in people's hearts are mostly like this. When greed takes over, they can do some crazy things. Wearing a hypocritical mask to commit unforgivable sins makes it even more detestable.

  But the Hongda Chun virus is still very powerful, and as I listened, my spirit ran astray once again.

  "Lu Da Ge, you were at Ming's place. Brother stayed in the county government office talking to Zhang Er Lang. Then, who was it that infiltrated the Zhang household and gathered so much information?" This question makes me even more curious than Zhang Er Lang's motive for murder itself.

  "Haha, Liuyue, you're indeed sharp and found the problem! This matter is something that has been making us proud recently. Your brother discovered a talented person in the county yamen's runners and brought him along to help out, it's been very useful! This time, I'm just borrowing him." Rong Dachun said with pride.

  Is it him?

  I suddenly thought of the case file that Master Yu Ye brought to me the other day. Before we arrived in Yichuan County, a humble and unknown small catcher recorded an excellent case file with modern eyes, successfully helping a scholar named Liu Danqing escape from injustice. Ye said that this person has been promoted by Autumn to his side, so is it him who Luo Da Chun brought?

  "Ah, so you haven't met him yet!" Ruo Da Chun suddenly realized and turned his head to shout towards the main hall, "Lin Jiu!"

  The door creaked open with a faint "creak", the sound of the door opening was very light, and the footsteps of the person entering were also very light. I stared at the newcomer in surprise, only to see that he wore a uniform police uniform, but had a face that was too delicate for a man. He was very young, slightly older than me, slender in build, and looked relatively weak.

  Lian Jiu looked up at me and hesitated for a moment before making a polite bow, saying: "I've seen Miss Liu Xuan."

  "We haven't met before, have we? How did you know I'm Ye Liu Yue?" I was extremely surprised.

  Lin Jiuli lowered her head and smiled shyly, revealing two shallow dimples on her face: "And there's another one, Miss Mei Lan, I've already met her."

  In short, he is very clear about who are around the new boss and he is a man with a mind.

  As a top student, when I met another top student, I couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and appreciation. I blurted out in praise: "Your writing skills are truly remarkable, you're indeed a rare talent! My brother is lucky to have your help."

  His words fell, and everyone was in a daze, while I was in a black line. For a moment, I was so excited that I completely forgot that I shouldn't have seen his documents at all.

  "I... I've actually long admired your reputation, they all say you're capable and have a good memory, handling things..." I was a bit incoherent.

  How embarrassing, I wish Nie Qiuyuan wasn't here. But he seemed to be thinking of something else and didn't notice my awkward words, instead successfully changing the subject.

  "I spoke with Zhang Er Lang today, and indeed he's a shrewd person, not leaking any flaws in his words. What we lack now is evidence." Nie Qiuyuan said calmly.

  "Sir, I'm not sure if I should say this." Jianjiu raised his head and said with great caution.

  "There's nothing wrong with saying what you want to say, no need to be so cautious."

  It seems that Lin Jiu always speaks in such a polite manner.

  "When I mixed into the Zhang household, after investigating and piecing together what I found, it seems that Zhang Er Lang... really believes in ghosts and spirits!" said Lin Jiu.

  Do you believe in ghosts and gods? Believing in ghosts and gods can still lead to such heinous crimes that both humans and gods detest. The evil thoughts of humans are truly terrifying.

  However, this is indeed a way of thinking, and I'm sure brothers have already understood it.