MWC – Chapter 143 The Hongmen Banquet

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

“Madam Jia announced her candidacy for the Fourth District Council? The current Fourth District Councilor, Cao Ying, is running for the Third District?”

Lu Ming chuckled, “Interesting.”

Beside him, Murong Xue nodded, feeling a bit nervous inside. This was because behind Madam Jia stood the Bucklow family, and old Bucklow was the chief member of the North District’s Seven-Person Committee.

Originally, it was clear that Madam Jia intended to run for the Third District Councilor position, but she was thwarted by the boss. After all, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for Yang Guiren to go around reclaiming the mooncakes and vouchers that had already been distributed, which would have caused chaos.

Now, Madam Jia was running for the Fourth District, and Councilor Cao was running for the Third District.

The Bucklow family would inevitably fully support Councilor Cao’s campaign in the Third District because, in effect, Councilor Cao was ceding the Fourth District to the Bucklow family.

Councilor Cao Ying was a writer and current affairs commentator with a good reputation and was known for speaking up for ordinary people in newspapers and magazines.

If it came to political debates, the boss might not necessarily be his match since Councilor Cao specialized in that field.

However, during a TV interview, the boss had already expressed his willingness to debate any candidate on TV regarding their community policies and political views, and the program had already been aired.

So, if the Bucklow family was supporting Councilor Cao Ying in the Third District, did it mean they were planning to defeat the boss comprehensively in a TV debate?

“Let’s stick to our plan. I have some things to take care of in the next couple of days, so you’ll have to handle more of the workload!” Lu Ming waved his hand.

Murong Xue sighed internally. Running for councilor wasn’t even the highest priority on the boss’s schedule. Where could she find someone to reason with?

However, she naturally bowed with the election staff and saw the boss off.

…

On the desk in front of Lu Ming were two photos.

Both were half-body shots, showing a manservant and a maid in the typical white attire of servants from wealthy families, each appearing to be in their thirties.

The photo of the male servant was labeled “Zhao Si,” and the maid’s photo was labeled “Gao Sao.”

The large shadow on the desk was cast by Fumors’s body under the lamp.

“Young master, I sorted through things over the past few days and looked into the backgrounds of all the Gao family servants. These two seem the most suspicious.”

“I believe Gao Sao is the most suspicious. She was the wet nurse for Gao Yulong, raising him herself. She used to have a son who was the same age as Gao Yulong, but most of her milk was given to Gao Yulong, so her son was weak from a young age and suddenly died four years ago, at the age of five. At that time, Gao Yulong was with Gao Sao in her hometown because Gao Depei always wanted his son to endure hardship, so he often asked Gao Sao to take him to the countryside, which was Gao Sao’s hometown.”

Lu Ming nodded, listening.

Fumors pointed to Zhao Si, “He was originally a bricklayer, hired by the Gao family for maintenance work. But his son is studying at Mafa University, which you should know has very high tuition fees. His son lives in an apartment outside the university and lives quite well, which seems strange to me.”

“Logically, even if Gao Yulong did those things, his father probably wouldn’t have known initially. Otherwise, there would have been some unusual changes in his education, but there were none. So, if his father didn’t know, and Zhao Si was indeed helping him, Gao Yulong was just nine years old. How would he have had the money to reward Zhao Si?”

“Young master, I plan to visit Xihuang, which is where Gao Sao’s hometown is.”

Xihuang is one of Donghai’s satellite towns.

Lu Ming nodded, “Good.” In a few days, finding out so much is likely due to Fumors’s special background.

“I’ve arranged for someone to get close to Zhao Si’s son to see if we can get any information.”

Lu Ming nodded again.

At this point, Fumors chuckled, “But it will cost more for informants, young master. I need you to approve this. The woman I picked is quite pretty, and she charges a lot, but I have faith in her. She’s great at acting and getting information, and if it works, she might even get Zhao Si’s son to willingly become a witness.”

Lu Ming waved his hand, “We can gather information, but if it involves potential court testimony, we must ensure the informant is willing to testify later. We cannot interfere or coerce them. Your methods from the Federal Bureau of Statistics don’t all apply here. As for funding, I’ll talk to Minister Liu about allocating extra funds for your investigation room.”

“Understood!” Fumors thought for a moment and added, “The Stewart case looks simple, but it might be a setup. Clearing his name could be challenging.”

Lu Ming nodded. Indeed, there were many doubts, but unless the real culprit is found, the current evidence points to Stewart as the murderer. If no new clues emerge, he would have to be prosecuted, and as a prosecutor, Lu Ming would do the same.

Honestly, Lu Ming wanted to believe Stewart wasn’t a murderer. As an old noble, Pamela’s father shouldn’t be a killer.

But in this world, who can say for sure?

“The clues you’re investigating might help him if he’s innocent.” Lu Ming smiled, “Alright, you can get back to work. Thanks for your hard work.”

Having Fumors indeed made things easier. Previously, Lu Ming would have had to investigate these matters himself.

Standing up, he looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. The sky was getting dark, and the streetlights were on.

A truck was entering through the gate, unloading many tables and chairs, and many people were moving into the building.

The merger with Liu Hanming’s law firm was underway. In a couple of days, Liu Hanming’s lawyers would officially start working here.

The day after tomorrow, Lu Ming would cut the ribbon with Liu Hanming to announce the new firm’s establishment.

Of course, two of Liu Hanming’s senior partners, dissatisfied with their compensation, decided to terminate their contracts.

Someone gently knocked on the office door.

Lu Ming responded, and the door was slightly opened, revealing Tie Xiaojia peeking in.

His second apprentice, nicknamed Iron Cannon, was introduced by Brother Wen.

“Xiaojia, come in!” Lu Ming smiled.

His three apprentices were largely left to their own devices, and he hadn’t checked on them for a while, even though they were in the west wing of Freedom Building.

“Master, do you have time today? We’d like to treat you to dinner.” Tie Xiaojia said, sticking out her tongue, perhaps feeling her request was a bit much since her master was very busy.

“Dinner isn’t necessary!” Lu Ming waved his hand, “But from now on, write down your case-handling experiences each week for me to review, and I’ll provide feedback. Every month, I’ll pick a case for you three to simulate a court session, and I’ll be the judge.”

“Okay!” Tie Xiaojia was overjoyed, “Master is the best!”

Lu Ming thought for a moment, “I have a case now. Whoever among you three isn’t busy can come help me.”

“Xiao’e and I are both free!” Tie Xiaojia responded without hesitation.

Lu Ming shook his head, “You’re just trying to dump your cases on Qinghua, aren’t you?”

Tie Xiaojia stuck out her tongue again.

“All three of you can come. I’ll inform Da’an to reassign your cases to others.”

“Alright, I’ll go tell Xiao’e!” Tie Xiaojia whispered before closing the door, “Master is the best!” Then, she rushed out like the wind.

Lu Ming smiled, looking at the documents on his desk. This case should be quite educational for them.

Of course, their involvement would be limited to reviewing the current evidence and offering opinions, without the authority to investigate.

The phone rang, and the operator’s sweet voice came through, “Boss, Councilor Gao Depei is calling. Should I tell him you’re not here?”

Lu Ming’s office secretary’s position was still vacant. Murong Xue had initially filled in, but after the campaign got on track, she focused entirely on the campaign office.

Thus, the secretary position remained unfilled.

So, when someone called Lu Ming’s office number, the switchboard would screen the call.

Additionally, there was a direct line in the office, known only to a few.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Ming replied, “Put him through.”

Soon, Councilor Gao Depei’s loud voice came through, “Commissioner Lu, do you have time tonight? Let’s meet up.”

Lu Ming smiled, “Sorry, Councilor Gao, I have plans tonight.”

Given the time, it was understandable that this last-minute invitation lacked sincerity. Besides, he did have plans for the evening—to go home and celebrate Bess’s eighth birthday.

“No, Bucklow is here. You really won’t come?” Gao Depei’s tone hinted at drunkenness.

From the noise and the feminine voices in the background, it seemed he was at a nightclub, drinking since the afternoon.

A voice in somewhat broken Chinese said, “Tell him if he doesn’t come, he should never come again!”

Gao Depei laughed, “Commissioner Lu, Mr. Bucklow is very eager to see you!”

Lu Ming pondered for a moment, “Alright, I’ll stop by briefly to greet Mr. Bucklow, but I really do have plans, so I can only stay for a few minutes.” The voice sounded young, not like someone in their fifties or sixties.

“Haha, great! See you soon!” Gao Depei hung up, and someone in the background said, “Would he dare not come? Haha!” It was someone else, not Bucklow.

Lu Ming smiled, releasing the phone, which gently swayed back into place.

However, it’s normal for the person on the other end to feel good about this.

For someone who hasn’t even been elected as a councilor yet, attending a gathering with the chief councilor Bucklow was indeed a huge honor.

Gao Depei might not even be maliciously flaunting, but rather trying to rope him in, implying that joining their circle would greatly elevate his status.

Were they suggesting he withdraw from the Third District election for a remote district like District 49?

Lu Ming pondered for a moment, then stood up and headed out.