MWC – Chapter 171 The Changing Times

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

The Donghai New Fadi Racetrack, completed three years ago, is the empire’s most luxurious and spectacular racetrack. Spanning thousands of acres, it can accommodate over 5,000 horses. It features six tracks with curves and 64 individual training grounds for trotters, showcasing the finest facilities in the empire. The annual Imperial Equestrian Championships are traditionally held here.

The six-story grandstand of the New Fadi Racetrack can host 80,000 spectators. The second and third levels are VIP zones with business suites and prime-viewing rooms for the true magnates of society to enjoy the races.

Suite No. 12, a luxury box, was a gift from Sir Reynold to Jennifer on her 12th birthday. Additionally, he gave her an Arthur-class racehorse named “Princess Love.” Now 3.5 years old, the horse is at its peak racing form.

However, its performance is subpar, making it a Class 4 horse.

Racehorses are categorized from Class 1 to Class 5, with Class 1 being the highest.

Today is the weekly race day at the New Fadi Racetrack, with eight races scheduled this afternoon and evening. The highlight is a Grade 3 race, the “Grand Liberty Sprint Championship,” a 1,000-meter handicap race.

In a handicap race, lower-class horses are allowed to compete and are given an advantage, making it possible for them to achieve good results.

Without this system, there wouldn’t be much to bet on for gamblers.

However, in Grade 2 and Grade 1 races, there are no handicaps, meaning lower-class horses cannot participate.

While it feels somewhat different from the Hong Kong racing system, the rules are broadly similar, and Lu Ming quickly grasped them.

After several days of non-stop busyness, today’s race day was a chance to unwind. Lu Ming had arranged to watch the races in the evening with Han Annie. He specifically asked Jennifer not to attend the races tonight. Occupying the luxury Suite No. 12, Lu Ming felt a bit guilty about it.

Although he wasn’t very interested in horse racing, he soon started reviewing some information recently transferred from the police station.

Meanwhile, Han Annie, standing on the outdoor balcony with binoculars, seemed thoroughly entertained.

The police had forwarded some new details about the Xiao Cui case, though Lu Ming hadn’t paid much attention initially.

In recent days, he had been focused on deploying Fu Moses and her team of officers to discreetly search for visitors from the north.

There was a high likelihood that assassins had come from the north.

They seemed to have realized it would be difficult to directly attack him, but they had found Li Mingxuan instead.

After all, any case Lu Ming worked on could be discovered in the archives of Donghai’s old newspapers with enough effort.

The leader of these assassins was undoubtedly a formidable figure. Upon discovering the Li Mingxuan case, they devised this insidious plan.

Li Mingxuan, who had once escaped from their clutches, had reappeared in Donghai and crossed paths with Lu Ming. In their eyes, Li Mingxuan likely knew their whereabouts and was acting as Lu Ming’s accomplice.

Furthermore, since they had already killed Li Mingxuan’s entire family, Li Mingxuan had to die as well.

By killing Xiao Cui, they significantly increased the chances of Lu Ming falling into their trap.

This way, Lu Ming might suspect Li Mingxuan and even take action to eliminate him for them.

Alternatively, it could lead Lu Ming to target Liu Shoucheng, potentially triggering a direct conflict between him and the local powerful families.

Ultimately, their goal was to force Lu Ming to make a move, creating an opportunity to assassinate him.

Not only was Fu Moses searching for these northern visitors, but Lu Ming had also spent a hefty sum hiring Old Ghost, while Wen Liangyu mobilized key union members to keep an eye out for newcomers from the north.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Lu Ming refrained from using the full strength of the union. Otherwise, with over 10,000 construction workers and their extensive networks across various inns and lodges, identifying these northern visitors wouldn’t have been difficult.

However, relying on such a wide net could result in the targets fleeing before Lu Ming’s team could arrive. Worse, someone might get hurt.

And capturing them alive? That would be even harder.

As for Bi Zhu, unless it was absolutely necessary, Lu Ming decided not to involve her. He refused to believe that after a year in Donghai, he—a grown man—couldn’t deal with a few small-time assassins.

That was the general outline of the case, and Lu Ming hadn’t cared much about the new police materials.

But when he flipped them open, he was slightly stunned.

It turned out Liu Shoucheng had personally gone to the police to report Li Mingxuan, presenting a handwritten letter from Xiao Cui.

This letter, written by Xiao Cui, was included in the file.

In it, Xiao Cui claimed she was being forced to stay with Li Mingxuan.

Li Mingxuan had captured her and held her captive for a month, threatening to kill her family.

After a month of torment, Xiao Cui had become neurotic, deeply afraid of Li Mingxuan.

Her letter, filled with fear, was evidently addressed to Lu Ming.

It seemed she didn’t know how to get it to him.

Liu Shoucheng stated that he happened to be in the area on business when Xiao Cui gave him the letter, asking him to pass it to Attorney Lu Qianxing.

In Liu’s testimony, he admitted hesitating to deliver the letter, especially as the Lunar New Year was approaching.

Then, a few days later, Xiao Cui’s tavern caught fire.

Li Mingxuan accused Liu Shoucheng at the police station. Through contacts, Liu learned of Xiao Cui’s death and eventually decided to hand the letter over to the police.

In his view, the real murderer was undoubtedly Li Mingxuan.

Lu Ming stared blankly at Liu Shoucheng’s testimony and Xiao Cui’s letter.

The handwriting had been verified by the police as Xiao Cui’s.

After sitting in silence for a while, Lu Ming picked up the phone on the coffee table and dialed a number. When the call connected, he spoke briefly, frowning slightly.

“Arrest Li Mingxuan. Treat him like any other prisoner from now on.”

Li Mingxuan, currently under strict protection at a secret location, was to be treated no differently.

Hanging up the phone, Lu Ming smiled bitterly. In the end, he couldn’t escape involvement in this matter.

“What’s wrong? What happened to Li Mingxuan?” Han Annie walked in just in time to hear Lu Ming’s phone conversation, looking puzzled.

Lu Ming pointed to Liu Shoucheng’s testimony and Xiao Cui’s letter on the table. “See for yourself,” he sighed.

Han Annie sat down and began reading.

Lu Ming lit a cigarette, smoking silently.

But suddenly, the cigarette in his hand was taken away by a small, pale hand beside him and extinguished in the ashtray.

“This isn’t your fault,” Han Annie said firmly, her clear, bright eyes shining with determination. “It’s Li Mingxuan’s mistake and the crime of those assassins!”

Lu Ming smiled bitterly. “You don’t understand. I still feel largely responsible for what happened to him.”

“I’ve noticed since Wuan that his personality was problematic—too gloomy.”

Lu Ming shook his head.

Han Annie frowned. “You’re such a smoker; I didn’t think highly of you either. But unlike him, you don’t carry that sinister air. Even if you’re bad, you’re bad in plain sight. Don’t you believe me?”

_{That’s because he’s not the original. It was not his entire family that was killed. He’s just transmigrator with corrupt morals. I really don’t like harem novels and their leads, including females. They are cheap enough to share the man who doesn’t love them. I translating this just because i started it by mistake and I want to finish it.}

Lu Ming chuckled, stood up, and said, “Alright, let’s stop talking about it and enjoy the races. No need to spoil your mood.”

Just then, the phone on the coffee table rang again.

Lu Ming answered, said a few words, and frowned slightly.

“Let’s go,” Han Annie urged, smiling. “Don’t delay your business. Thanks for inviting me to the races today, though I wonder which noble mistress’s room you borrowed.”

The suite’s decor was unmistakably that of a noble young lady, featuring lace, elegant oil paintings, and girlish elements.

Lu Ming smiled bitterly at her teasing, thinking he had miscalculated and made a bad impression. He hadn’t considered these details beforehand.