Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Resolutely Denying Accountability
Watching one after another take off, Wen Congrui expressed great irritation and quickly called for his men to follow them, for he still owed that witness.
Although Coffin Guyâs guilt could be mostly confirmed now, since he confessed to the crime himself and admitted to the murder, wrapping up a case wasnât as simple as just the criminal confessing. It also required various eyewitnesses and evidence, among other things.
But now, a mysterious person wearing a fox mask had found the culprit and then took the reward money and left. Another, even more baffling, had no clear purpose and just appeared at the crime scene.
Listening to that personâs words, could he be part of the same group as that âfox-boyâ? Was it just that the fox took the reward for himself and ditched the other guy?
Were these two playing each other?
Whatever the case was, Wen Congrui felt stifled.
He didnât believe the constables he sent would be able to catch that person. As for the âfox-boyâ, no one knew the depths of his capabilities, let alone when he had slipped away. And this âchivalrous heroâ vanished after a few leaps, clearly possessing qinggong, which meant ordinary constables would have no chance of catching up.
Wen Congrui deeply felt that he needed to enlist several bodyguards to follow him around, or else in a bit of trouble, heâd have no one useful at hand. He should also keep an adviser close by.
He flicked his sleeve, putting those two out of his mind for the moment. Jianghu people were the most unrestrained and wilful, hard to control. He shouldnât waste too much effort on them.
Right now, his most important duty was to close this case, then publicize the outcome, report to his superiors, and submit documentsâthere was plenty to do.
...
As for Wufu, after returning to the inn, he washed his face clean and then took out that five hundred taels in silver notes, looking at them over and over again, smiling with eyes curving joyfully.
It was well worth the hard work and running around of the past few days, and he almost had his prize snatched away at the last moment, luckily it turned out to be a close call with no harm done.
Lying on the bed, Wufu went through the conversation he had with the simple-minded Hoo Die carefully. Good, she hadnât revealed who she was.
And as for the simpleton, he probably hadnât recognized her either. Even if he had, it wouldnât matter since she wouldnât admit to it.
The money was already in hand; sheâd be a fool to claim any responsibility now.
Besides, if there was any dispute, she was indeed the first to catch the Flower-Picking Thief. Everything has its order, after all.
Looking at the simpletonâs master, Ninth Master, he seemed like a wealthy and generous man, likely capable of losing gracefully without forcing her to share the silver, right?
"Miss, youâre back?" Liu Jin returned from outside and was very happy to see Wufu.
"Mhm. Where did you go?"
"This servant just went to West City to check out the excitement. Miss, they are all saying that the Flower-Picking Thief was caught?" Liu Jin looked at her with sparkling eyes, a face full of curiosity.
Wufu nodded, "Caught."
"Then, Miss, was it you..." Liu Jinâs eyes brightened, but then he stopped himself, realizing this wasnât the place to talk about such matters, and the Miss didnât want people to know about her capabilities.
"Itâs good that he was caught. Such a vicious wretch should be severely punished." He changed the subject, asking, "Miss, are we going home now?"
Knowing that walls have ears, Wufu felt reassured. It was rare for someone so young to be this cautious.
"Get ready, letâs buy some things and hire a carriage to go home." Wufu had already planned to go home as soon as the matter was settled. Now that Hoo Die was here, it was all the more reason to leave quickly.
She couldnât wait for someone to come looking for her. Five hundred taels, she wasnât willing to part with even a single coin.
Cough cough, it wasnât that she was scared of the simpleton, but she had been away from home for many days, and her mother would worry, she was just concerned about her motherâs anxiety, thatâs right, that was definitely the reason.