The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Chapter 536: Chapter 523: Investigating the Case

Whether Chu Jinnian would compensate or not didn’t really matter. After all, he had plenty of money and a bit of compensation wouldn’t impact him much.

On the other hand, Zhuang Qingning’s business had been thriving. If it were to be hit by this setback…

Fan Wenxuan’s brows suddenly furrowed.

“It’s this soap.” Jing Zhao appeared oblivious to Fan Wenxuan’s downcast mood and began talking enthusiastically. “Miss Zhuang said that this soap had just been made. This is the simplest kind, but many other variations can be made in the future.”

“She said that there will be soap with added petals of orchids and roses, mugwort soap with added mugwort, medicated soap with various kinds of herbs, and even pearl whitening soap with added pearl powder…”

“There are so many different kinds that I’ve heard of, but there are too many to remember. These are the ones I recall.”

Fan Wenxuan’s previously dull eyes immediately brightened.

True to form for Zhuang Qingning, even a bar of soap could be turned into something exceptional.

While a plain bar of soap might be overlooked, perceived as something only used by housewives and unfit for display, if it were as Jing Zhao indicated, enhanced with many ingredients to create a variety of soap, the soaps added with flowers and herbs would certainly charm for their elegance. The medicated soaps would likely be sought after by those aiming for good health, and as for the whitening soap…

Both genders would cherish it!

Fan Wenxuan suddenly understood why Jing Zhao said that he also wanted to start this business.

Because now…

He also wanted to do the same.

After all, in this world, who would complain about having too much money? Especially him, a poor teacher?

However, chances were, Chu Jinnian and Zhuang Qingning had already negotiated this business and certainly wouldn’t give him an opportunity to get involved.

What a pity.

That said, there are no completely dead-end roads in this world. If he could find an alternative, he might be able to breach through the thorns.

Fan Wenxuan absentmindedly stroked his own beard.

—-

After finishing their lunch, Zhuang Qingning and Chu Jinnian chatted briefly, before they both went to see Chu Jinzhou. Zhuang Qingsui and Zhuang Mingli joined them for some lighthearted fun.

As the sun set, Zhuang Qingning and the others prepared to take their leave.

Chu Jinnian ordered Jing Zhao to prepare the carriage and personally saw Zhuang Qingning’s party home. Only after watching Zhuang Qingning enter her house did he board the carriage.

Jing Zhao cracked the whip, steering the carriage towards Qingzhuyuan.

“To the County Government Office.” Chu Jinnian commanded.

“Are you going to investigate the case, Master?” Jing Zhao emotion darkened, he advised, “If you want to investigate, it is not too late to go tomorrow…”

Having traveled through the night and arrived at Qingzhuyuan at daybreak, Chu Jinnian had initially planned to rest in the morning and inquire about the Ding Gaochang and Xu Zhengping cases in the afternoon. However, Zhuang Qingning’s visit disrupted his plans.

Jing Zhao thought after a day of entertaining guests, Chu Jinnian would need to rest, and should rest for the night.

“To the County Government Office.”

Chu Jinnian’s hand that had just lifted the curtain dropped.

Naturally, there was no need to repeat his command for a third time.

Jing Zhao understood his master’s temperament and didn’t argue further. He tightened the reins and led the horses in the direction of the county government office.

On the way, he drove the carriage as smoothly and slowly as possible, allowing Chu Jinnian to rest in the carriage.

By the time they reached the County Government Office, it was dusk.

At the arrival of Chu Jinnian, Xu Zhengping and Ding Gaochang were both shocked and pleased, quickly kneeling to welcome him.

“Both of you, please rise.” Chu Jinnian strode into the government office, sitting down on the chair at the higher end. “The case of the Ma family’s extermination has been at a standstill. The Emperor ordered me to look into it once it reached the Ministry of Justice.”

“Both of you, briefly describe the situation of the case.”

“Yes.” Ding Gaochang bowed and began to recount to Chu Jinnian the case of the Ma family, which had involved the poisoning deaths of the entire household.

“Hongyu has gone insane, and there are no other witnesses in this case. In these past days, I have led people to visit various places to investigate those who hold a grudge against the Ma family.”

“However, after inquiring around, we found that Gentry Ma was a generous and kind-hearted person, very respected by others. His wife, Mrs. Jiang was virtuous and admired by everyone. Their son, Ma Liangcai, was intelligent since childhood, modest, hard-working, and has recently passed the scholar examination. Their daughter, Ma Wenqian, was only six years old…”

“This family all had reputable conduct, treating their servants strictly but fairly. On regular days, they had no significant quarrels with others. Even if there had been any conflicts, they were only trivial matters and wouldn’t result in a murderous intent to the entire family.”

“Furthermore, the poison taken by the Ma family was arsenic, which is rarely stocked in pharmacies. The amount that it would take to poison the entire family was not sold by the nearby pharmacies. Those who had conflicts with the Ma family had not been out of town for long periods of time recently, so there were no oddities to be found.”

“At first, we suspected bandits wanting to steal. But bandits usually prefer direct attack, and wouldn’t use complicated methods like poisoning. Besides, the Ma family’s house was not located in a remote area. It is estimated that the poisoning happened around dusk. If it were the act of bandits, there surely would have been some noise.”

“So, in my view, considering that there were no signs of disturbance at the Ma family’s house on the day of the incident, it is more likely that the crime was committed by someone familiar to the family. However…”

However, it was utterly unclear who the familiar person might be.

To everyone it appeared nobody was suspicious, yet it appeared everyone was suspicious. Besides, the absence of substantial evidence, there wasn’t even a prime suspect.

The lower Ding Gaochang’s voice got, the deeper the shame on his face.

“Where is Hongyu now?” Chu Jinnian interrupted Ding Gaochang.

“Given Hongyu’s madness, she is currently the only survivor in this case. We feared that if the murderer found out, they would try to kill her. So, we had her placed in a clean prison cell and assigned a prison guard to watch her.”

“We’ve requested a doctor to examine her, but the verdict was that the shock had driven her to severe insanity, beyond medical help.” Ding Gaochang answered.

“If the Ma family all died from poisoning, why was Hongyu left unscathed?” Chu Jinnian’s brow furrowed. “Have you unraveled this suspicious point?”

“Hongyu is insane, and no information could be extracted from her. I visited various places for inquiries and learned that on the day when the Ma family was victimized, Hongyu went to a pastry shop in town to buy peach cakes. The shop manager said that since Mrs. Ma was particularly fond of the peach cakes from his shop, Hongyu was sent to buy them every few days.”

Ding Gaochang continued, “Moreover, Hongyu had been sent to buy the peach cakes for two consecutive days. The shop manager also mentioned that Hongyu chatted with him for a while when she was buying the cakes, and said that after buying the cakes, she would help Mrs. Ma with some chores. In the evening, she would go to Mrs. Ma’s maternal home to deliver some items.”