novelhk Chapter 500: The Wealthy Businessman Surnamed Lin
Chapter 500: The Wealthy Businessman Surnamed Lin
He Jinnian gritted his teeth, ignoring his injuries, and continued his attack.
At this moment, Fang Xiaoxiao noticed a flaw in the leader of the men in black's moves, and she shouted, "He Jinnian, attack his lower body!"
Upon hearing this, He Jinnian immediately changed his stance, aiming his sword at the leader of the men in black's lower body. The leader of the men in black panicked, revealing an opening, and He Jinnian seized the opportunity to stab him in the shoulder with his sword.
The leader of the men in black was injured, and his movements slowed down. Seeing their leader wounded, the other men in black became somewhat distracted.
Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba seized the opportunity to exert their strength and repel their opponents.
"Surround them!" He Jinnian shouted.
The remaining soldiers surrounded them again, and the man in black was in trouble.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the leader of the men in black said, "Retreat!"
The men in black used their lightness skills to try and escape.
He Jinnian was not about to let them go, and led the group to chase after them.
In a grove of trees, they finally managed to intercept all the men in black.
After a fierce battle, the man in black was finally subdued.
He Jinnian, panting heavily, said, "Take them back and interrogate them thoroughly!"
The crowd escorted the man in black back into the city.
Fang Xiaoxiao and the others followed along, hoping to get more clues from the men in black.
But as soon as she reached the men in black, they collapsed to the ground. Lifting their veils, she discovered they had all died from poison hidden in their mouths. Pei Yan remarked that they were a group of assassins, and Ouyang Tuoba was amazed, praising them for sacrificing themselves to protect the secret.
Helpless, He Jinnian had no choice but to take the body back to the Criminal Investigation Department for further consideration. After Fang Xiaoxiao bid farewell to He Jinnian, Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba followed the group back to the courtyard.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Li Wan'er said, "What should we do? The clues have gone cold again."
Hongxiu also asked worriedly, "Yes, Miss, what should we do next?"
Fang Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment and said, "Although the man in black is dead, the account books and letters we found at Hongfo Temple may provide some clues."
Pei Yan said, "Let's first look at what's written in the ledger and the letter."
Fang Xiaoxiao took out the account book and letter, and everyone sat together to study them carefully.
The records in the ledger are intricate and involve numerous people and transactions, making it difficult to sort them out at a time.
The letter then abruptly ended, leaving everyone puzzled.
Ouyang Tuoba said, "This is really troublesome."
Fang Xiaoxiao bit her lip: "No matter what, we can still deduce some things from these few words."
Just as everyone was discussing, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Hongxiu asked alertly, "Who?"
"It's me, Li Renyi." A voice came from outside the door.
Hongxiu opened the door, and Li Renyi walked in.
“I heard about what happened to you at Hongfo Temple, so I came to see,” Li Renyi said.
Fang Xiaoxiao showed him the account book and letter. After looking at them, Li Renyi said, "Among these names, I feel like I've seen a few of them in my father's study."
Everyone was shocked. Could it be that the Prince Jing's mansion was also involved in this matter?
Fang Xiaoxiao said, "This matter still needs further investigation; we cannot draw conclusions lightly."
In the days that followed, Fang Xiaoxiao and the others continued to study the ledgers and letters while secretly investigating the people associated with these names.
Fang Xiaoxiao made rubbings of the names in the ledger and gave them to Li Renyi, instructing him to check what kind of dealings those people had with the Jing'an Marquis's mansion. After Li Renyi left, Fang Xiaoxiao reopened the ledger and found that one name had been deliberately crossed out.
Li Wan'er and Hongxiu went over to take a look. Li Wan'er looked at the scribbled-out name and said curiously that no matter how she looked at it, it looked like the character "Lin".
Fang Xiaoxiao frowned, pondering, "Lin? Who could that be?"
Hongxiu guessed, "Could it be an official surnamed Lin?"
Li Wan'er shook her head: "But there are quite a few officials in the capital with the surname Lin, so this scope is too broad."
Fang Xiaoxiao said, "No matter what, this must be a key person, otherwise they wouldn't have been deliberately erased."
Just then, there was a noise outside.
Hongxiu went out to check, and when she returned, her face was not good: "Miss, a group of thugs are causing trouble, saying they want to collect some kind of protection fee."
Fang Xiaoxiao snorted coldly: "This is outrageous! Go out and see what's going on."
Upon arriving outside the courtyard, several thugs were baring their teeth and shouting.
"Pay up now, or you won't have a peaceful time here!" the leader of the thugs shouted.
Fang Xiaoxiao said sternly, "How dare you openly extort money in broad daylight? Is there no law left?"
The thugs laughed loudly: "The law? In this area, we are the law!"
Just as Fang Xiaoxiao was about to teach them a lesson, an old man suddenly stepped out from the crowd.
The old man said, "Young lady, don't be impulsive. These people are not to be trifled with."
Fang Xiaoxiao said, "Are we just going to let them run rampant?"
The old man sighed, "They have powerful backers. Young lady, you'd better spend the money to avoid further trouble."
Fang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Old man, do you know who's behind them?"
The old man lowered his voice: "I heard it's related to a powerful figure, but I don't know the specifics."
Fang Xiaoxiao seemed to be deep in thought. At this moment, Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba arrived.
"What happened?" Pei Yan asked.
Fang Xiaoxiao recounted the incident, and Ouyang Tuoba, without saying a word, stepped forward and knocked the thugs to the ground.
Seeing that things were going badly, the thugs all fled.
Fang Xiaoxiao said to Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba, "I don't think this matter is that simple. It might be related to the case we are investigating."
The group returned inside and continued to examine the names that had been crossed out on the ledger.
At this moment, Li Renyi rushed over.
“I’ve made a discovery!” Li Renyi said.
Fang Xiaoxiao and the others turned to look. Li Renyi shook his head and said that he found that his father had no interaction with those officials. At most, they would come to the house to give gifts during festivals.
Fang Xiaoxiao and the others were speechless and ignored the young master of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion.
Li Renyi felt wronged and muttered under his breath that there was always a woman surnamed Lin in their family who would send gifts to their manor every now and then.
Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoxiao perked up and quickly asked, "Then what is this woman's identity?"
Li Renyi scratched his head: "I'm not too sure either, I only know that she seems to be the daughter of some wealthy businessman."
"The daughter of a wealthy businessman?" Fang Xiaoxiao fell into deep thought. "Is there any connection between them?"
Li Wan'er said, "Could it be that this wealthy merchant is colluding with some powerful figures and trying to win over the Prince Jing's mansion by giving gifts?"
Ouyang Tuoba shook his head: "It's hard to say right now, but it's a clue worth investigating."
Hongxiu suggested, "Why don't we investigate this wealthy merchant's background?"
Fang Xiaoxiao nodded: "Yes, that's the only way to start. But we have to be careful and not alert them."
The group had reached a decision and prepared to split up and take action.
Strangely, their investigation revealed that there were not many wealthy merchants with the surname Lin in the city. Even if there were, they were either elderly men over fifty or their sons. There were no women with the surname Lin at all.
Fang Xiaoxiao and her group were once again at an impasse, but at that moment, He Jinnian suddenly arrived.
As soon as He Jinnian entered, he said, "I heard you're investigating the Lin family's wealthy businessman. I have some leads here."
Fang Xiao's eyes lit up: "Tell me quickly."
He Jinnian said, "I found out about a wealthy businessman surnamed Lin who has been secretly running some illegal businesses. However, he is extremely low-key, and few people know his true identity. Moreover, he seems to have close ties with a powerful figure in the court."
Li Wan'er asked, "Is there any news about that woman surnamed Lin?"
He Jinnian shook his head: "Not yet, but I think this wealthy businessman might be the key."
Fang Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment: "Then how should we find him?"
He Jinnian said, "I have already sent people to keep an eye on his several strongholds. As soon as there is any movement, we will take action immediately."
Just then, a subordinate rushed over and whispered a few words in He Jinnian's ear.
He Jinnian's expression changed: "Something's happened, let's go!"
The group followed He Jinnian to a secluded courtyard.
He Jinnian signaled everyone to be careful, and then quietly led his men in.
Inside the courtyard, several figures were busy, seemingly moving something.
Fang Xiaoxiao and the others slowly approached when suddenly a voice shouted, "Who goes there?"