Chapter 522 - Chapter 522: Chapter 509: Important Matter

Chapter 522: Chapter 509: Important Matter

And Hongyu’s uncle said that just two days ago, she had unexpectedly shown up at his door, her face full of tension and unwilling to explain anything. Despite his and his wife’s incessant prying, she had retreated into the house, not coming out. When they persisted in questioning her, Hongyu yelled wildly from inside. Concerned, they kicked open the door, only to find Hongyu laughing and goofing around, seemingly incoherent.

Unsure of what had transpired, but seeing their own niece in this state, and her father – known for his gambling habit and selling his daughter – disappeared, they thought him unlikely to care about Hongyu’s wellbeing. They decided to take Hongyu in, at least for now, and provided her with food and drink.

Fortunately, although Hongyu seemed to have lost her senses, she was not violent or prone to outbursts. She just laughed foolishly, calling everyone her parents, and put anything she saw into her mouth.

After learning about her condition, Ding Gaochang had no choice but to bring Hongyu back, find a place for her to live, and have the female prison guard look after her and try to question her.

But it seemed Hongyu really had become foolish. She laughed happily in prison every day, often singing nonsensically. At one point, if not for the quick reactions of the guard, she would have put a mouse, which she had caught, into her mouth.

Seeing that nothing could be learned from Hongyu, Ding Gaochang could only start investigating who Gentry Ma’s family had been in contact with before they were killed, what they had said, what they had done, and who had come and gone…

However, this task was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Gentry Ma was widely known for his generosity and had a good reputation in his surroundings. At the time, Gentry Ma’s only son was soon to be married and his wedding was set for the 26th of the twelfth month. The family was busy decorating the bridal chamber and shopping for wedding necessities. The house was full of people coming and going.

Moreover, there had been a lot of petty thefts in the neighborhood as the year-end approached. It wasn’t impossible that some gangsters eying Gentry Ma’s wealth decided to rob and murder him.

It was clear that Gentry Ma’s house had been ransacked. Gold and silver items were nowhere to be found, but no one knew how much had been stolen.

Ding Gaochang’s mind was in a whirl. He sighed, drained the cooled, strong tea from his cup, and called for Zhang Lin and Shen Quan to accompany him somewhere.

“Master, are we going to investigate Gentry Ma’s case today?” Zhang Lin stuffed a piece of dry bread into his bosom.

Going out at this hour, they didn’t know when they’d return. Dinner was uncertain. Anticipating this, they brought something dry so that Ding Gaochang could have a snack later.

“Hmm,” Ding Gaochang nodded.

“But we’re like headless flies, scrambling everywhere…” Shen Quan was preparing a water flask, looking frustrated.

The lack of progress in their investigation and the fruitlessness of their busywork were suffocating, like punching cotton— they just couldn’t bring themselves to be enthusiastic.

“Despite the lack of clues, we must keep investigating. So many people died; we must find the murderer,” Ding Gaochang said. “Even if we may not find anything immediately, we must still take action. Asking questions and observing around, being busy is better than doing nothing at all.”

“I’ve already reported this to Mr. Xu, who has submitted it to higher authorities. We hope to get more time, or have some competent personnel sent to assist us.”

“This year, we really won’t be able to relax…”

According to the imperial decree, common assault cases must be closed within a month and murder cases within two months. As for significant and complicated cases like this one, there was a three-month deadline. But a month had already passed and they had no leads. Closing the case within three months seemed impossible.

Seeing Ding Gaochang speak like this, Zhang Lin and Shen Quan also wore gloomy expressions.

“Alright, enough of these dispiriting talks. Let’s pull ourselves together and get on with the work. Who knows, we might find some clues soon. As soon as there’s a thread of evidence, it will be easier to uncover the whole truth,” Ding Gaochang said. He broke into a grin, “We’ve all worked hard lately. Come Lunar New Year, I’ll give you each a big red envelope to reward your efforts.”

“That’s not necessary,” Shen Quan scratched his head. “Master Ding, if you could find us a few suitable brides so we can get married sooner, that would be enough.”

“All you ever think about is that!” Ding Gaochang laughed good-naturedly, the smile not leaving his face. “Enough, let’s get a move on. The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll be back.”

“Alright!” Shen Quan picked up the equipment, and along with Zhang Lin, followed Ding Gaochang out of the County Government Office.

It was a rare sunny winter day and the warmth of the sun poured down on them.

As the lunar new year was approaching, the streets were bustling with people buying New Year goods. The county town was very lively.

Feng Yongfu wiped the sweat from his forehead after hurrying all the way. Taking a short rest against a wall and seeing the grand entrance of the County Government Office up ahead, he broke into a grin. A great part of the exhaustion from his journey faded, and he quickly walked the remaining distance.

“Sir,” a government official at the gate stopped him. “What can I do for you?”

“Could you please deliver a message for me? Tell them that I’m Feng Yongfu, the village chief of Feng’s village, and I’d like to see Master Ding,” Feng Yongfu said with a broad smile.

“Unfortunately, sir, you have come at an inconvenient time. Master Ding has just gone out to investigate a case,” the official replied truthfully. “He just left a moment ago.”

Gone out investigating?

The light in Feng Yongfu’s eyes dimmed momentarily. After thinking for a while, he said, “Then, can I wait here for Master Ding’s return?”

“Village Chief Feng, it would be better for you to come another day. The case that Master Ding is investigating is a major one. It’s uncertain whether he’ll return today. Even if he does, I expect it wouldn’t be until late in the evening. If you were to wait here, wouldn’t you be waiting until midnight?”

The official suggested, “Village Chief Feng, if it’s not a pressing matter, I recommend waiting until Master Ding finishes investigating the case before returning. If it is an urgent matter, you can tell me, and when Master Ding returns, I’ll pass the message on.”

“It’s indeed urgent, very urgent indeed,” Feng Yongfu insisted hurriedly. “But this matter cannot be conveyed through a message, it would be better for me to discuss it in person with Master Ding.”

Indeed, it was urgent.

The day Zhuang Qingning and Shi Bao had left, Feng Yongfu had been quite upset and concerned about whether the plans for the workshop would still go ahead.

But he reasoned that since Ding Gaochang had personally approved the matter, Zhuang Qingning, being a businessman, wouldn’t dare go against Ding Gaochang’s wishes. Feng Yongfu didn’t need to do anything or worry about anything. He just needed to stay at home and wait for Zhuang Qingning to sheepishly knock on his door.