Chapter 60 A Monstrous Surprise

Yang Che, the Commandant of Hanzhou, led his men to the Jiang residence to question Jiang Yi and Shen Rong in person.

The operatives who had been monitoring the Jiang estate had already reported that no one had left the premises this afternoon.

Even so, Yang Che still suspected Jiang Yi of having a hand in Cao Lian's murder. If he failed to solve the case, he would have no way to answer to the Chancellor.

Jiang Yi woke up, dressed, and told Shen Rong to stay in the room.

"The authorities are here to ask me some questions. I'll be back shortly."

Jiang Yi stepped out of the bedroom. Pang Yueting clasped her hands gently, her head slightly lowered.

"Xiaoting, go back to your room and rest."

"Yes, Master."

Pang Yueting was very obedient; she never said what shouldn't be said, nor did she ask what shouldn't be asked.

Jiang Yi arrived at the front parlor, where five people were waiting, among them Hanzhou Commandant Yang Che.

"What brings Commandant Yang here so late?"

Jiang Yi walked into the parlor, adjusting his collar with one hand. His hair looked slightly disheveled, and his eyes were half-closed.

"My apologies! I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but a homicide took place near damang Village today, a matter that has alerted both the Governor and the Prefect."

Over a hundred people had been killed, and among the dead was Cao Zhang's cousin. This was by no means a trivial matter.

"Since a murder has been committed, you should hurry up and catch the culprit. What is the use of coming to see me?"

Jiang Yi appeared completely calm, easily handling Yang Che's inquiry.

One must never underestimate government investigators; they were adept at observing the most minute changes in a person's facial expressions.

"The Hanyang prefectural office has already sent men to question every household. I'm just here to make routine inquiries, so don't get excited."

"Ask whatever you like. I will do my best to cooperate with your investigation."

Jiang Yi yawned and rubbed his eyes with his hand.

"Did anyone in your household go out today? Or perhaps someone who went out recently hasn't returned?"

"A few of my guards and servants went hunting in Niutou Mountain, and they are camping on the outskirts of the mountain tonight. Could it be that you suspect them of being connected to this murder?"

Jiang Yi's words were half-true. If he had claimed that all his servants and guards were at home, a simple investigation by Yang Che would have exposed the lie.

"You sent them hunting, but did you give them any other tasks?"

"No. If I want them back, I will send someone to notify them."

Yang Che clearly remained skeptical. The guards and servants who had gone to Niutou Mountain were prime suspects.

After asking Jiang Yi a few more questions, Yang Che still felt he harbored deep suspicion.

"Cao Lian and his guards were murdered, and only four women miraculously survived. They claim they saw the killer."

Yang Che's statement was not entirely truthful; he merely wanted to observe any subtle changes in Jiang Yi's expression.

"Since they are survivors and saw the murderer, you should have portraits drawn based on their description and issue a warrant for his arrest."

Jiang Yi remained as composed as ever; his psychological fortitude far surpassed that of an ordinary man.

Half an hour later, all necessary questions had been asked, yet no anomalies were discovered.

Yang Che wondered whether Cao Lian's murder had nothing to do with Jiang Yi, or if the man simply possessed an extraordinarily strong nerve.

Even so, Jiang Yi could not be cleared of suspicion.

"Commandant Yang, is there anything else you wish to ask?"

Jiang Yi yawned a few more times; he was indeed beginning to feel sleepy.

"Sorry to have disturbed you. We shall take our leave now."

Since no suspicious points could be wrung from him, there was no reason to interrupt Jiang Yi's rest any further.

As Yang Che walked out of the parlor, he ran into Shen Rong coming from the opposite direction.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the room? It's a bit chilly outside."

"Husband, I've been waiting for you in the room for a long time. When you didn't return, I came out to check."

Shen Rong was still somewhat worried; government officials were not easy people to deal with.

Among the authorities were seasoned detectives who could judge whether someone was the murderer simply by observing their expressions and choice of words.

Yang Che glanced at Shen Rong and found that she was growing more and more beautiful.

When Shen Rong went to the Hanyang prefectural office to participate in the matchmaking matches last year, her appearance had been quite ordinary.

At that time, her clothes were ragged, and she was very thin.

Yet in less than a year, she had transformed so dramatically.

"I remember when you weren't this pretty, and you were quite thin. Marrying Jiang Yi is truly your good fortune."

"Thank you for the compliment, Commandant Yang! Being able to marry my husband is indeed my greatest blessing."

Shen Rong never expected that her destiny would undergo such a profound transformation after marrying Jiang Yi.

"Very well, we won't disturb your rest any longer. Do not leave the house for the time being, and be prepared to answer further questions at any time."

Yang Che led his men away. Early the next morning, he still needed to question Wang RenGui's household to see if any clues could be unearthed.

"He just praised me for changing so much. I found it rather inexplicable."

"You really have changed a lot. You look just like a celestial maiden. If one didn't look closely, they might think I had replaced my wife."

If photographs existed, comparing Shen Rong's former appearance with her current one would reveal two entirely different people.

"It's because my husband has given me a wonderful life, with good food and fine clothes every day. Come, let's go back to the room and sleep."

The couple walked hand-in-hand back to their room to sleep, and the night passed quietly.

The next morning, Pang Xiong returned to the Jiang residence through the secret tunnel.

Jiang Yi was in the study, waiting to teach Shen Rong how to read and write. Over this period, she had learned many characters, and her handwriting was growing increasingly elegant.

"Master, I have returned."

Pang Xiong was somewhat excited. Yesterday, he had driven several carriages to Niutou Mountain and hidden the cargo inside a cave.

"I won't disturb you two from discussing serious matters."

Shen Rong put down her writing brush and rose to leave the study.

"Just stay here by the desk and practice your calligraphy. It won't affect our conversation."

Jiang Yi trusted Shen Rong implicitly; letting her in on certain matters did no harm.

"I will do as you say."

Shen Rong did not insist on leaving. Only by obeying Jiang Yi would she avoid arousing his displeasure.

"Master, the carriages were loaded with plenty of grain, treasures, gold, silver, and copper coins. It's estimated to be worth tens of thousands of taels."

Pang Xiong and twenty guards had spent the entire night moving the contents of the carriages into the mountain cave.

Once hidden, they had sealed the mouth of the small cave and sworn the guards to absolute secrecy.

Shen Rong was deeply shocked to hear this. Such a vast sum of wealth had been acquired all at once, not even counting the value of the grain and treasures.

"The contents of the carriages are all safely hidden, I trust? These things will be useful to us."

"Rest assured, Master. I brought several reliable men to conceal those goods in the small cave. They will never breathe a word to outsiders, let alone hide anything for themselves."

The twenty men taken yesterday were utterly loyal to Jiang Yi; they would never misappropriate the spoils of war.

"You all did a fine job. Yesterday's seized loot will be treated as public property. Once they return, reward each man with a hundred taels of silver."

Hearing that the gold, silver, and copper coins were worth tens of thousands of taels, Jiang Yi felt a surge of intense excitement.

With this money, he could recruit many able-bodied young men to join the guard unit, or fund the wages of his guards, servants, and artisans for a very long time.

"The goods on those carriages were originally meant as a gift for Cao Zhang. Now that they have fallen into our hands, Cao Zhang will undoubtedly fly into a rage when he finds out."

Jiang Yi could easily picture Cao Zhang's furious expression, and the thought alone brought him immense satisfaction.

Yet on second thought, the ensuing trouble would not be small.

"Master, on our way back, we also brought along some game."

Pang Xiong and the guards had hunted many wild beasts in the mountains, and everyone in the village had seen them when they returned.

"Process that game and make smoked meat."

Unfortunately, there was no ice in the cellar right now to preserve things by freezing.

Smoked meat would keep for a long time without spoiling, ensuring that the people working for him would have meat to eat for months to come.

"If we had a sufficient supply of salt, we could cure this meat into preserved bacon."

Regrettably, they lacked edible salt in large quantities, and salt was quite expensive.

"Master, we discovered a salt mine deep in the mountains. The salt reserves appear quite substantial, though the crude ore still contains many impurities."

Pang Xiong informed Jiang Yi of the salt deposit discovered deep in the mountains, bringing him a truly miraculous surprise.