At this moment outside, Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and said, "Jiu Si, have you seen anything?"
Chen Jie, holding a box, replied, "I havenât found any useful information at the moment. However, I did look at the origins of the deceased, and as Wulu Tai said, they are all people from Huangzhou Prefecture."
"If we divide them according to the Huangzhou Sect and Foreign Faction he mentioned, these dead people are indeed from the Huangzhou Sect."
Zhao Ya was taken aback and said, "Hmm, you mean, the murderer is likely the Magistrate, Chu Tian, which is exactly what you guessed today."
Chen Jie said, "Commandery Princess, the evidence and clues are insufficient to confirm the murdererâs identity now. We can only say that the Magistrate is suspicious."
Ah San heard this and said, "Should we go arrest the Magistrate?"
Hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Ah Sanâs brother, donât rush. We have no evidence. Chu Tian is a fifth-rank official of the court. We need sufficient evidence to take him down, not just a hypothesis about all the deceased being from the Huangzhou Sect."
"Furthermore, Ah Sanâs brother, the deceased are not only from Huangzhou Prefecture; thereâs also Wang Wenyuan, who is the Magistrateâs Record Officer."
The Record Officer is equivalent to the Magistrateâs chief secretary, and those whoâve watched historical dramas know that the chief secretaries around high officials are usually their closest people.
He definitely cannot be part of the Huangzhou Sect, but today heâs dead, which is significant.
Hearing this, Ah Er, who had been silent, said, "Could it be that the Magistrate is worried that the Commandery Princess will come to Huangzhou Prefecture, afraid that she will investigate this old case and discover the factional disputes within, so he deliberately killed a close associate to clear his own name?"
Ah San looked at Ah Er and said, "Second brother, that canât be. If so, this Chu is truly inhumane, casually killing a Record Officer who has followed him for years!"
Ah Er said, "Sacrificing a pawn to save the general has existed since ancient times; itâs not a peculiar method!"
Ah San fell silent, looking at Chen Jie and said, "Jiu Si, what do you think?"
Chen Jie said, "Too few clues, itâs difficult to speculate."
Ah San said, "Then where should we go next?"
Zhao Ya also looked at Chen Jie and asked, "Yes, Jiu Si, where should we go next?"
Chen Jie said, "Next, weâll first go to Wang Wenyuanâs house, and then go to the Magistrate Government to see Magistrate Chu Tian."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya said, "Alright, letâs follow Jiu Siâs lead."
With that, they headed straight towards the East City. The East City is where the Magistrate Government is located and is within Magistrate Chu Tianâs jurisdiction.
Chen Jie and his group soon arrived in the East City, and with the guidance of a guide within the city, they reached Wang Wenyuanâs residence.
Wang Wenyuan lived in a small separate courtyard in the city. Chen Jie was curious; a Secondary Sixth Rank Record Officer shouldnât live so poorly!
So he asked the guide.
The guide said, "Wang Canjun is very honest, meticulous, and just, never indulging in corruption. When he first came to Huangzhou Prefecture, he lived in the government office designated by the court, and only bought this small courtyard a year ago."
Chen Jie looked up at the location of this courtyard. It was secluded, and to find it, one would have to take a detour through two or three streets.
Moreover, getting from here to the Magistrate Government also required a detour; this place had no advantage of convenient transportation, and the surrounding area was also not prosperous.
Even standing here for so long, they hadnât seen a single passerby.
Chen Jie asked curiously, "Why is it like this here, donât people walk here?"
The guide replied, "Oh, thatâs normal. Didnât you see when you came, passing by the second street, it was all funeral supply shops."
"The locals donât like to pass through here, saying itâs unlucky."
Hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Oh, I see."
Ah San looked around and said, "This place is not only shabby, what else is worth living in? Such a notable Record Officer lives here?"
The guide said, "The Lord got it wrong, there are advantages to shabbiness."
"Advantages? What advantages can this place have?"
Ah San asked in confusion, and the guide replied, "Itâs cheap here."
"Cheap? How cheap?"
Ah San asked, and the guide replied, "The house prices here are more than half of what they are on Sweet Water Street, just one street away."
"Can it be that different?"
Hearing this, Ah San was also taken aback. Being half the price was quite significant, and with such a price difference in the same neighborhood, this property had its merits.
Compared to this price, the value of this house became apparent.
Ah San and others felt that Wang Wenyuan chose this place for the affordable price, but Chen Jie felt there might be more hidden factorsâthe cheap price was just a surface issue. Why was it cheap?
Because the land was cheap, transportation was inconvenient, and few people passed by.
But for some people, these were precisely the advantages.
As Chen Jie thought this, he pushed open the courtyard door and found no one inside. The guide said, "Wang Canjun likes living alone, so there are no house slaves or courtyard workers."
Chen Jie didnât say anything more, but he silently shook his head. Itâs quite intriguing; for a dignified Secondary Sixth Rank Record Officer, no matter how hard his situation, he shouldnât have no house slaves or employees. This level of austerity was extreme.
Unless this person had something fearful, otherwise he wouldnât hide here.
Chen Jie increasingly felt that Wang Wenyuan was not a simple person.
There must be some hidden secret.
Entering the courtyard, Chen Jie saw a small martial arts practice ground, which was not surprising. In Daqian, Martial Arts was popular, and both civil and military officials, as well as merchants and commoners, practiced martial arts.