TGCFNM -Chapter 423 I Will Catch Them for Sure

The items that Wan Sanjin and Su He had obtained hadn’t even been looked at by Chu Ling and the others before Lord Lu took them directly.

After Lord Lu left, Uncle Hong wore a headache-filled expression and had the kitchen send over some food.

Once the three of them had eaten, Uncle Hong looked at them and said, “Alright, you don’t need to worry about what comes next. Let Lord Lu handle the investigation.”

“What about Wu Ting’s case? Are we not investigating that either?” Wan Sanjin asked, glancing at Chu Ling.

Chu Ling nodded slightly. “At this stage, it’s better to leave the rest of this case to Lord Lu. But I’m very interested in that mysterious young master. I want to investigate him.”

The ones who had killed the entire Wu family were beggars who had been recruited—this could certainly be traced, and once found, the information could be relayed to Lord Lu through Uncle Hong.

The one responsible for causing the tragedy for the Wu family, however, was that young master—a detail Lord Lu wouldn’t be able to uncover for now.

As for the Si family, it’s better to leave them to the Minister of Justice.

Wan Sanjin nodded. “True. That mysterious young master is indeed the real culprit.”

Chu Ling hummed in agreement; that little master was the source of everything.

“Master, how are you going to investigate this? You don’t even know what he looks like,” Su He said. “You don’t know his height, weight, or build either.”

Chu Ling propped her chin on her hand. “This is indeed troublesome.” She couldn’t mention the matter of Wu Huan, so she had to come up with another reason.

The Ghost Scholar offered a suggestion: “Facial features can be disguised with makeup. Height and build can be altered with clothing or raised shoes. These can all be faked. But a person’s aura is hard to fake, especially for someone this formidable.”

Chu Ling fell into thought.

“Tomorrow, when I have some time, I’ll go to the Justice Ministry. I need to meet Wu Ting and ask him about the similarities between those three people,” Chu Ling said. “Even with disguises, the eyes remain the same. Eyes can’t be changed.”

Su He nodded. “I’ll go with you. I can sketch their eyes.”

Wan Sanjin raised his hand. “Then I’ll come too.”

Chu Ling said, “Fine. Then we’ll go together tomorrow.”

After agreeing, the three of them looked at Uncle Hong.

Uncle Hong exhaled deeply. “Do as you wish, but be discreet—don’t let anyone notice anything off. Also, the eldest young master will return tomorrow; just be aware of that.”

The three nodded immediately.

They were guaranteed to leave safely and return safely.

Seeing that the three looked obedient, Uncle Hong got up and left—he still had his own matters to attend to.

The three of them returned to their respective courtyards, washed up, and lay down to rest.

At the same time, Mei Gao led his men to Feima Villa. He stared silently at the towering flames.

“Lord Mei… could it be…”

His subordinate hesitated, but Mei Gao shook his head firmly.

“They wouldn’t harm innocents, nor would they secretly do something so shameful, but they must know something,” Mei Gao said, then looked at the person being carried out and walked over.

“Lord Mei, no fatalities have occurred so far. However, those who drank excessively are still not fully conscious. Some were even burned, but they don’t seem to feel much.”

Mei Gao frowned. “They don’t feel burns? Were they poisoned?”

“I’m not sure. Even the doctor couldn’t detect anything unusual.”

“What about the servants in the residence?” Mei Gao asked.

“Quite a few were burned, but the Si family sent people to treat them. It didn’t cause any delay.”

Mei Gao nodded. This time, the Si family actually knew how to handle things. Otherwise, if another scandal broke out, the Si family would truly lose all face.

“Sir, there’s one more thing,” a subordinate lowered his voice. “The eldest Si son looked pale and was sent back to the capital ahead of time by the Si family. It’s said that the person who came to assassinate him tonight is the prison warden from the Dali Temple, named Qiu Wu.”

Mei Gao was taken aback. “How do you know that?”

“Someone claimed to have seen him. The Si family’s servants also said they saw him. Their descriptions were vivid and consistent, even matching his appearance. They said it was he who set the fire beforehand, deliberately disturbing the gathering to assassinate Si Yuanqi.”

Mei Gao pointed toward the sky in disbelief. “The crescent moon tonight made the sky dim. Are you telling me someone could clearly see Qiu Wu’s face and describe it in detail? He didn’t sneak in masked, but brazenly tried to assassinate him?”

The subordinate realized the problem but continued, “…Sir, there are many witnesses and evidence.”

Mei Gao could only laugh angrily. “They knew his name, knew his appearance, knew he came to assassinate? Then does anyone even know the motive?”

The subordinate pressed his lips together and nodded. “They say it’s an old grudge. The servants of Feima Mountain Villa can testify. They heard the eldest Si son discussing it before.”

Mei Gao was utterly stunned.

What was this? A carefully arranged accident?

“This isn’t good. The Si family might take him secretly!” Mei Gao’s expression changed. He quickly called over his men with horses. “I’ll ride back to the city first to see Lord Lu. Hold this place steady. No one is allowed to take him. Tell them Lord Lu will personally oversee this case.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mei Gao’s face was grim as he rode swiftly back to the city.

—At the Lu residence.

Lu Shi was just about to rest when Mei Gao arrived abruptly, interrupting him.

Out of breath, Mei Gao explained the strange events. Lu Shi immediately ordered his men to the Dali Temple to have the prison warden Qiu Wu brought in first and locked up.

“Sir Mei, this isn’t right,” Lu Shi frowned. “This is clearly a chain of traps, a well-laid plan.”

Just like the theft case from years ago.

Mei Gao frowned. “I don’t understand why, but why would a Dali Temple warden get involved with the eldest Si son?”

“This matter is long and complicated. It involves an old case from eight years ago,” Lu Shi said, frowning. He hadn’t expected that, even though he secretly assigned Chu Ling and the others to investigate, someone had still noticed.

Mei Gao hesitated before speaking. “Lord Lu, actually today I saw Lord Chu…”

Lu Shi raised a hand and lowered his voice. “It concerns me. I had them investigate the case. But the fire has nothing to do with them—it was set by someone else, though the culprit hasn’t been caught yet.”

Mei Gao exhaled in relief. He had genuinely feared letting them in would bring misfortune again.

“Lord Lu, the Si family’s servants’ accounts are remarkably consistent. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is that it’s impossible for fires to be set at all four corners simultaneously while coincidentally chasing after the eldest Si son.”

Lu Shi frowned, as if he had realized something.

“If anyone claims they were ordered by Qiu Wu or received money from him, make sure to ask them a few questions and have them sign a confession as evidence,” Lu Shi instructed.

Mei Gao was shocked. “But… claiming you were ordered by him could get you killed. Who would be that foolish?”

Lu Shi’s face turned ashen. “Because someone might be holding their family hostage. But the person truly behind this—I must catch them.”