Upon hearing Ouyang Wen's purpose, Yao Jieyan was somewhat surprised. He never expected that a case from four years ago could be reopened.
However, he wasn't flustered, as he had connections in high places.
"Captain Ouyang, I truly don't understand what you're saying. Yu Qianning has already been brought to justice, and all the evidence and witnesses were conclusive. How can it now be considered a miscarriage of justice?"
Initially, Yao Jieyan was quite polite to Ouyang Wen. But as soon as the latter mentioned the case being re-examined and suspected him of errors or omissions, Yao Jieyan dropped his subservient demeanor.
"I've reviewed the case files. Yu Qianning, unable to speak, could only write and gesture. He only admitted to entering the Wei family's residence and attempting to assault Wei Xiumei, but he never confessed to murder until his death," Ouyang Wen stated.
"That's a capital offense. Of course, he wouldn't confess," Yao Jieyan replied.
Heh.
Ouyang Wen sneered. "If he didn't confess, how could you conclude the case?"
Yao Jieyan's expression stiffened. "He pressed his fingerprints. How can that be considered not confessing?"
Ye Fengyi couldn't bear to watch any longer. The statements were contradictory.
Besides, the fingerprints of some criminals might not have been willingly given.
"Did Director Yao never consider why he didn't confess?" Ouyang Wen, tired of arguing about fingerprints, continued his questioning.
Yao Jieyan glanced at Ouyang Wen, remaining silent.
Ouyang Wen didn't expect an answer and continued, "I've carefully examined this case file, and I have a few questions I'd like to discuss with Director Yao."
There were many aspects of this case that defied common sense. The most obvious was that after having his tongue bitten off, the intense pain and shock would likely make someone abandon their violent act. A person with a severed tongue would flee in agony, making it impossible for them to tie the victim to a chair and continue their assault.
If the tongue-bit individual were truly the murderer, he couldn't have accomplished this alone, as Wei Xiumei would have fought back desperately.
With his injuries, the tongue-bit individual would be preoccupied with seeking medical attention, so how could he possibly continue his attack?
Ouyang Wen's barrage of questions left Yao Jieyan speechless.
"Director Yao, please think carefully, did Yu Qianning at the time clarify these issues?" Ye Fengyi, seeing Yao Jieyan's prolonged silence, couldn't help but remind him.
"Shut up! Do you have the right to speak here?" Yao Jieyan was wary of Ouyang Wen, but that didn't mean he feared those around him.
"So, Director Yao's answer is?" Ouyang Wen, seeing Ye Fengyi chastised, spoke himself.
Yao Jieyan was in a panic. How could he answer? After all, he was determined to frame Yu Qianning back then.
In his helplessness, he stiffened his neck. "Captain Ouyang, you know I am the director. My rank is above yours, after all. Do you think it's appropriate for you to converse with me like this?"
Since he couldn't answer, he would evade the issue indirectly.
Heh, Ouyang Wen completely ignored Yao Jieyan's challenge. "Since you have nothing to say, we will let the new round of investigation speak for itself."
...
From dawn till dusk, from late night until sunrise, watching the mist rise and listening to the roar of the waterfall, Hu Jia and his companions still hadn't figured out what "cold flower" was.
"Shall we just go back and ask Captain Wen?" Zhan Ruoxuan suggested withdrawing. The reason was simple: all the items mentioned in Hu Shilong's four sentences could be identified and were known to Hu Jia, except for the cold flower.
Clearly, this wasn't Hu Shilong speaking randomly, but Hu Jia genuinely didn't know what a cold flower was.
Since Hu Jia didn't know, they naturally had to ask Ouyang Wen.
Hu Jia pondered and agreed.
Wandering aimlessly was less effective than returning for clarification.
...
As for Luo Wenwu's side, it was the most successful mission among all tasks.
After several probing attempts, Luo Wenwu had confirmed that the other party would no longer inspect his yebaba.
Therefore, he made his move.
Madam Xie discovered a rolled-up piece of paper inside the freshly steamed yebaba. It was tightly wrapped in plastic film, successfully resisting the steam.
Madam Xie, cautiously hiding in a corner, cast a hasty glance and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Finally, Old Xie's rescuers had arrived.
That night, roof tiles were pried open. Through the small opening, Madam Xie saw the starry sky above.
A moment later, a large face appeared before her, a bald head.
If not for being mentally prepared, Madam Xie might have screamed out in fear.
This person had a rather memorable face.
She seemed to have seen him before.
"Madam Xie, my name is Luo Wenwu. I am Ouyang Wen's subordinate." Luo Wenwu didn't mention Hu Jia, feeling that mentioning Ouyang Wen was more appropriate at this moment.
Indeed, upon hearing Ouyang Wen's name, Madam Xie's slight suspicion vanished.
"I'll keep it brief," Luo Wenwu dared not linger, handing Madam Xie a small medicinal packet. "This contains sleeping powder. Find a way to make them consume it."
Madam Xie deftly took it and tucked it into her bag.
Luo Wenwu wasn't worried about Madam Xie's ability to administer the poison. He had observed for several days, and Madam Xie's movements were unrestricted.
To be precise, the kitchen she used was also the kitchen used by the guards.
However, the guards didn't cook themselves; meals were delivered by restaurants. But while they didn't eat the food, they had to drink water, and also wine.
As long as the sleeping powder was added to the drinks, everything would be settled.
...
For the past two days, Tong Meng was feeling annoyed. Li Yang had actually returned.
Why couldn't you have stayed with Hu Jia and gone sightseeing in Zhongxian? Why did you have to come back and stir up trouble?
According to Tong Meng's plan, she only needed to pretend to search for the vagrants.
But Li Yang appeared and watched her every day.
One moment he'd remind her it was time to leave the city, the next he'd warn her not to take the wrong road, and then he'd ask if a certain area had been searched yet.
Infuriating!
Tong Meng initially planned to avoid the Jialing River area as much as possible, as the headquarters of the Dao Ren were located there.
But Li Yang was always by her side. By the time Tong Meng became alert, she realized her search area was shrinking, and she was getting closer to the Dao Ren headquarters.
Tong Meng even began to suspect that Li Yang wasn't leading the way intentionally.
Leading a group of people to investigate the Dao Ren headquarters.
"Wait, haven't we been in this direction before?" Standing at a fork in the road, Li Yang offered his opinion again.
Tong Meng took a deep breath. That direction was one she absolutely could not go.
"We've already been there before, and there were no problems," Tong Meng said.
"Have we been there?" Li Yang glanced in that direction, which led to the riverside. "But I think this kind of place is most likely to harbor criminals. Isn't there a saying? The most dangerous place is the safest place. Precisely because you've searched it, we need to conduct a surprise raid again."
"What's the point of searching a place that's already been searched? Let's go through the places that haven't been searched first," Tong Meng refused without hesitation.
"Sigh, as police officers, we shouldn't be afraid of hard work, and we should be more meticulous in our work."
Li Yang said languidly, as if speaking casually.
Tong Meng felt a throbbing pain in her head. Just as she was thinking of another excuse to decline, Li Yang retreated and gave her a look. "Let's go. Didn't you say that area hasn't been searched yet? We'll go search it first."
Uh...
Tong Meng felt an even worse headache.
This person was truly infuriating.
Li Yang walked at the forefront, a slight smile on his lips. He wanted to deliberately annoy Tong Meng, enjoying seeing her face turn pale with anger but unable to do anything about him.
Hmph, a mole.
Serves you right!