252 Theory
“Tell me about it.”
“I suspect that it was the owner of the Hundred Flavors Restaurant in Wangshan Town who did this last night,” Shang raised his chin and vowed.
“It happened at the Lantern Festival yesterday, and my attendant met the owner of the Hundred Flavors Restaurant on the street.
“Speaking of which, I have no enmity with them. Unfortunately, the guest I asked you to release a few days ago was Lin Chenzhi. He was originally imprisoned because he was framed by the owner of the Hundred Flavors Restaurant.
“You’ve investigated that case yourself. The former County Magistrate obviously didn’t have enough evidence to imprison him. He believed the elder’s one-sided statement and rashly imprisoned my good friend without sending people to verify it.
“I think it’s possible that the owner of the Hundred Flavors Restaurant came to Huai County yesterday. He held onto this old grudge and asked someone to find out about my whereabouts. In the end, he found out that Lin Chenzhi had been released in advance.
“The resentment in his heart might not have been completely eliminated, so he came to me. Then, in the middle of the night, he sneaked into my residence. First, he deliberately set fire to my residence and caused a commotion. Then, he took advantage of the fact that we were not on guard to do such an evil thing!
“I’ve heard Lin Chenzhi mention to me that there’s a young master with the surname Zhao somewhere. He was originally a hunter in the mountains, so I think he’s definitely taking revenge! County Magistrate Zheng, think about it, with his vengeful personality, it might be your turn next time.”
Shang gave County Magistrate Zheng a meaningful look and then flicked his sleeve, hinting at something.
County Magistrate Zheng stroked his beard and his eyes darkened.
“If what you said is true, then I have to call this Sir Zhao, no, I’ll have to call all the owners of the Hundred Flavors Restaurant for questioning.
“Since they came to attend the Lantern Festival last night, I don’t think they will leave Huai County in a hurry. You mentioned that your attendant crossed paths with them, do you know where they are staying?”
“The most obvious place would be with the Huai Jing Inn which has a partnership with Sir Zhao!”
“If that’s the case, I’ll have someone go to Huai Jing Inn to invite them over for questioning. You should go back and freshen up first. When there is more information, I’ll have someone invite you over.
“In addition, since you’re familiar with Lin Chenzhi, ask your guards to bring the officers to invite him over.” County Magistrate Zheng’s tone was firm, and his face was unquestionable. “If Sir Zhao really has such a deep hatred for Lin Chenzhi that he wouldn’t even want to let you off, Lin Chenzhi might have been persecuted last night.”
“Think about it, while Lin Chenzhi was in prison, Kelai Xiang’s business took a huge hit. After he was released from prison, Lin Chenzhi sold Kelai Xiang disheartened. Now, he has to leave Huai County and return to the capital. If he were here, I might not have suffered from his revenge.”
“Oh?”
County Magistrate Zheng had originally thought that Shang’s words were reasonable, but seeing him refuse, again and again, he couldn’t help but have a trace of doubt in his heart, but he didn’t show it on his face. “In that case, let’s invite the person in and ask him about it first. The truth of the matter will always be revealed after more investigation. Go back and have a good rest.”
“Yes, I will be taking my leave.��
Shang bowed and took his leave.
County Magistrate Zheng watched him leave, then turned to order the secretary, who had not left after fetching water. “How can the owner of a small shop in Wangshan Town have so much power to find out about the secret of my county government?”