Doted By The Regent King
Chapter 217: Reward Increases Again

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Reward Increases Again

The crime scene was cordoned off, and Wufu didn’t linger any longer. Instead, he took Liu Jin and left, recognizing that staying too long in a place where someone had died would bring bad luck.

"Miss, why didn’t you let me have a look just now?" Liu Jin, who hadn’t witnessed the scene, expressed some regret.

Wufu, who was still thinking about the young Wen Si who had become the county official at such a young age, couldn’t help but laugh at Liu Jin’s words, "You’re still a child. You shouldn’t look at such bloody scenes; they could scare you, and you might have nightmares."

So she was worried that it would scare him into having nightmares!

Liu Jin felt a warmth in his heart and puffed out his little chest, "Miss, I’m not scared. I must experience these things to grow up."

"Hmm, but it’s also important to progress step by step." Wufu ruffled his hair. She lacked experience in raising children, but from her perspective, the more things children are exposed to, the less easily they can be deceived by others, and they won’t panic when confronted with situations—especially boys.

But she wouldn’t rush his growth; everything had to be taken step by step.

Liu Jin was in high spirits, and with the carrying basket on his back, he didn’t feel the weight, hopping and skipping along.

Seeing this, Wufu asked, "Liu Jin, do you know how old the officials in our Nanyue Kingdom usually are?"

Wen Congrui looked too young. To become an official so soon, did he have genuine ability, or had he taken a backdoor?

Liu Jin replied, "Miss, it’s hard to say precisely. However, I know that civil officials have to pass the civil examination to enter officialdom while military officers are promoted after they have served in the army and earned military achievements."

"You know quite a bit."

Liu Jin scratched his head sheepishly and said, "My mother told me all this."

Wufu didn’t ask any further. It was impressive enough that Liu Jin knew so much at the age of seven, considering his mother was originally from an official’s family, whereas a typical rural boy likely wouldn’t know anything.

As for finding out about Wen Congrui, there was no need to ask anyone; Shopkeeper Lin would have the answers.

The master and the servant walked briskly toward Wozi Village.

Meanwhile, at the Huayang County Government Office, Wen Congrui was rubbing his temples, his eyebrows furrowed.

This Flower-Picking Thief case was the first major case he had encountered since taking office. The criminal was brutally vicious, shocking those who heard of it. If he didn’t solve it quickly, there could be even more victims.

It was infuriating that, so far, there was not a single piece of convincing evidence.

"My lord, this is the report the coroner has sent up." Grandmaster Liang presented the latest case report.

Having browsed through it, Wen Congrui asked, "Just like the previous cases, what do you think, Grandmaster Liang?"

"My lord, the thief is elusive, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. After studying several cases, I’ve found that he doesn’t seem to target any specific type of person; it seems very random."

Wen Congrui had also reviewed the case files, and it was precisely because of this lack of a pattern that it was difficult to establish the criminal’s identifiable traits, making him even harder to catch.

Thinking of the crying woman, Wen Congrui felt a wave of irritation and clenched his hand into a fist, pounding the desk forcefully, "No matter what, I must catch him." Otherwise, to let him roam free was intolerable; he might as well not be an official at all.

"Issue the orders, increase patrols by the Yamen guards in three shifts, and thoroughly inspect the commoners entering and leaving the city," Wen Congrui commanded further.

"Yes."

"Also, increase the reward. Whoever can provide information will receive one hundred taels of reward money, and those who capture the criminal will receive five hundred taels."

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Liang looked up at Wen Congrui only to see the young man’s face filled with anger; he was truly enraged.

It was understandable. Such a heartless Flower-Picking Thief was unprecedented, and if he wasn’t caught, the people of Huayang County would grow increasingly panicked. No official would want to see this happen.