Chapter 2071: Caught Back

Chapter 2071: Caught Back

Indeed, it didn't take long for Cao Jiang's body to be brought back to the county yamen, where the coroner conducted an overnight examination to determine the cause of death.

Early the next morning, the results were out: Cao Jiang had indeed been killed by that hoe, and the time of death was approximately half a month ago.

Following this, Constable Jiang began his inquiries in Ruan Village and the village where Cao Jiang's family lived. He questioned anyone who had any connection to Cao Jiang, asking them about their whereabouts and activities on the evening of that day half a month ago. He also checked if they had any witnesses to confirm their alibis.

Most of the people had alibis that aligned with the timeline, and those whose accounts conflicted with the time frame were ruled out as suspects. However, there were a few individuals who couldn't provide an alibi, and they were temporarily kept at home, awaiting further questioning.

Unfortunately, among those who had conflicts with Cao Jiang recently, there was Ruan Kewei and his group of friends. According to these friends, Cao Jiang had developed an infatuation for a courtesan and intended to redeem her and bring her home. However, he lacked the money, and the Cao family was financially struggling. Cao Jiang had been trying to raise funds, but unexpectedly, the courtesan, who had promised to wait for him, became involved with Ruan Kewei.

Unlike Cao Jiang, Ruan Kewei came from a family with some financial stability, and he could afford to visit the brothel occasionally. This had fueled Cao Jiang's resentment toward Ruan Kewei. It was reported that the two of them had even engaged in a physical altercation.

During the altercation, Ruan Kewei, accompanied by his friends, had the upper hand, and Cao Jiang was overpowered. Cao Jiang had threatened to return, but he had fled instead. Ruan Kewei had considered chasing him, but his friends had restrained him and taken him to drink instead.

This incident had occurred over twenty days ago, just before Cao Jiang's murder. Since the two had a clear motive and a recent altercation, Ruan Kewei naturally became a key target for questioning.

However, when the constables went to Ruan Hai's house, Ruan Kewei was nowhere to be found. Ruan Hai stated that he had gone out, and due to his frequent absences, the rest of the Ruan family didn't know his current whereabouts.

Head Constable Jiang conducted routine inquiries and asked if Ruan Kewei was at home on the evening in question. Ruan Hai mentioned that his son wasn't home during the day and was likely out with friends, but he couldn't provide any information about which friend or where they were.

In this situation, Ruan Hai understood that the most crucial task was to establish an alibi for Ruan Kewei and make sure they communicated with him.

However, to his shock, he couldn't find Ruan Kewei.

Just as Shu Yu had mentioned, letting Ruan Kewei escape was the worst move he could have made. Given the circumstances, he should have kept Ruan Kewei at home so that both parties could provide statements. Now, he couldn't even find him to take his statement.

Ruan Hai had no choice but to send his family to search for Ruan Kewei. At this point, some of the more discerning members of the Ruan family were already beginning to suspect something. Especially Ruan Hai's wife, who had been awakened and asked to wash her husband's clothes when they returned home late that night.

Despite searching all the places where Ruan Kewei might have gone, they couldn't find him.

Ruan Hai was furious but realized that his desire to meet Ruan Kewei had led to this situation. Unfortunately, he couldn't go home in person and instruct Ruan Kewei due to Shu Yu's presence, and this miscommunication had serious consequences.

At the same time, the constables from the yamen were also looking for Ruan Kewei.

As Ruan Hai hoped that he would find Ruan Kewei before the constables, Constable He returned to the yamen with a disheartened Ruan Kewei.