Chapter 101: No Clues

Li Wenqing sucked in a breath of cold air—this is no small number!

Jiang Xiaomu carefully examined the note, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Constable Captain!" Jiang Xiaomu turned his head to look at Pei Dongyong, who was waiting nearby.

"Please immediately take people to Assistant Official Zhang's residence and search thoroughly to see if you can find any clues!"

"No problem!" Pei Dongyong accepted the order and left.

Jiang Xiaomu then turned to Assistant Official Zhang and asked in a low voice:

"Assistant Official Zhang, have you recently offended anyone?"

Assistant Official Zhang thought carefully, shook his head, and said:

"No… I've always been kind to others and never held grudges…"

"Really none?"

Jiang Xiaomu's gaze was as sharp as a blade.

"You'd better think it through before speaking—this is no joke!"

Assistant Official Zhang was startled by Jiang Xiaomu's aura, his whole body trembling, and he hurriedly said:

"Truly… truly none… Mr. Jiang… I… I'm telling the truth!"

"As for that young lady, does she have any enemies outside?"

"Impossible, my daughter may have a bad temper,"

"But they're just petty squabbles—surely they couldn't have attracted bandits!"

Jiang Xiaomu stared at Assistant Official Zhang for a long time; seeing that he indeed didn't seem to be lying, he then spoke slowly:

"All right, then let's wait for Constable Captain's news."

Li Wenqing now had a headache over the caravan affairs, which weren't settled yet, and now a kidnapping case had arisen.

Although he was a county magistrate, he was merely a civil official—where had he ever seen such a scene?

Madam Wang's wailing grew louder and louder, making people feel agitated and uneasy.

Just then, Pei Dongyong returned.

"How was it? Did you find anything?"

Jiang Xiaomu asked immediately.

Pei Dongyong shook his head, looking dejected, and said:

"Nothing… we turned Assistant Official Zhang's residence inside out, but found no useful clues…"

"Nothing at all?"

Jiang Xiaomu's brows furrowed even tighter. Just what background did this band of bandits have?

They were surprisingly cunning!

Li Wenqing pondered for a moment, looked at Assistant Official Zhang, and tried to soften his tone as he asked:

"Assistant Official Zhang, have any strangers recently come to your manor?"

"Or, has anything strange happened in your household?"

Assistant Official Zhang's plump face was full of worry; with a mournful expression he carefully recalled:

He rubbed his fleshy hands together, his brows knotted tightly.

"Let me think… a few days ago I caught a chill and rested in bed."

"The steward summoned a doctor to see me… then a few old friends came to visit… the cook went out to buy vegetables."

"The maid went out to shop… besides that… it seems… there's… nothing unusual…"

"A doctor? Old friends? Just who are they?"

Jiang Xiaomu's eyes were sharp.

Assistant Official Zhang felt uneasy under Jiang Xiaomu's gaze and hastily replied:

"The doctor is from the eastern part of town, the chief physician of Jishitang… his surname is… uh… what was it again…"

"Oh, right—surname Sun, Doctor Sun!"

"As for the old friends, they're business partners, also known to Sir Li."

"It's… it's… the shopkeeper Wang at the tailor's shop."

"And… and… the boss Zhao of the rice shop…"

The more he spoke, the softer his voice grew, as if he himself were unsure of what he was saying.

"Any new servants in the household?"

Jiang Xiaomu continued his questioning.

"No… no…" Assistant Official Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"The servants in the household are all old-timers who've been here for years—we know their backgrounds…"

Jiang Xiaomu fell silent, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on Li Wenqing.

Li Wenqing felt nervous under his stare and coughed awkwardly twice.

"Jiang… Mr. Jiang, look at this… this…"

Jiang Xiaomu ignored Li Wenqing's plea for help and walked straight to the paper bearing the extortion note, examining it closely once more.

The paper was coarse, the ink blotchy, the characters crooked—clearly done on purpose.

"Interesting…"

A faint, almost imperceptible cold smile curled the corner of Jiang Xiaomu's mouth.

"It seems this band of bandits is no ordinary rabble…"

At that moment, Madam Wang, who had been wailing incessantly, suddenly shouted shrilly:

"Master! Master! I remember! I remember!"

"A few days ago… a few days ago I… I saw…"

"What did you see?"

Assistant Official Zhang and Li Wenqing asked in unison.

Madame Wang trembled as she pointed her hand toward the window.

"I… I saw… saw outside the window… there… someone's shadow swaying…"

"A swaying shadow?" Li Wenqing looked puzzled.

"What can that prove?"

Madame Wang cried out:

"That… that figure… sneaky… I… I thought at the time it was… a thief…"

"A thief?" Jiang Xiaomu's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Are you sure what you saw was a human shadow, and not… something else?"

Madame Wang was stunned by Jiang Xiaomu's question, then her face turned even paler.

"I… I'm not sure… I… I at the time… frightened… frightened, I hurriedly… hurriedly hid…"

Jiang Xiaomu didn't press further, but walked to the window, opened it, and looked outside.

Assistant Official Zhang's residence lies in the west of the city, surrounded by low houses, with an open view.

"Constable Captain," Jiang Xiaomu turned his head to look at Pei Dongyong.

"Please lead people to search the surrounding houses, see if there's anything suspicious."

"All right!" Pei Dongyong accepted the order and left.

Jiang Xiaomu returned to the room, seeing Madame Wang still sobbing and Assistant Official Zhang looking anxious, and already formed a preliminary judgment in his mind.

In less than half an hour, Pei Dongyong returned with his men, his face showing excitement.

"Mr. Jiang, indeed we have found something!"

Pei Dongyong cupped his fists and said:

"On the west side of Zhang Fu, at a civilian house about a hundred steps away, we discovered numerous footprints on the roof."

"There are also clear signs of surveillance! That position and angle happen to overlook the entire Zhang Fu."

Upon hearing this, Li Wenqing's face changed, and he suddenly realized, saying:

"Ah, I see! Someone has been secretly watching Zhang Fu!"

"The shadow Madame Wang saw must be the thief who sneaked into the residence to scout!"

Assistant Official Zhang turned deathly pale with fright, stammering:

"What… what… what are we to do? Could it be… aimed at me?"

Jiang Xiaomu merely gave a faint smile, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Assistant Official Zhang, don't panic; this may not be aimed at you."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Madame Wang.

"Madam, do you still remember the exact time you saw that shadow?"

Madame Wang strained to recall, her voice trembling as she said:

"Around… around three days ago at dusk, when the light was fading but not yet dark…"

Jiang Xiaomu nodded, then walked to the window again, opened it, and carefully observed the surroundings.

Just then, a constable rushed into the room, dropped to one knee, panting as he reported:

"Mr. Jiang, I, your humble subordinate, have been following the tracks left by the bandits."

"I pursued eastward for ten li, but the traces grew faint and finally vanished completely."

Jiang Xiaomu furrowed his brows, turned back into the house, sat down in a chair, and lightly tapped his fingers on the table, producing a rhythmic "duk-duk" sound.