The Double
Chapter 280 - 111 Mute Granny_3

Chapter 280: Chapter 111 Mute Granny_3

"So, the commoner you’re looking for is the witness?" Ye Mingyu asked.

"No," Jiang Li shook her head, "What the commoners can say is only about Feng Yutang’s evil deeds and County Magistrate Xue’s integrity. These words can only be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back, not something to be revealed now. At another time, their impact will be much greater."

Ye Mingyu was even more puzzled, "Then Jiang Li, who is the witness you are looking for?"

"It’s the government officer," Jiang Li said with a deep look in her eyes, "They are Xue Huaiyuan’s former subordinates, and now all the officers in the county government office have been replaced by Feng Yutang’s men. Those officers were steadfast in character, and with Feng Yutang installing his own people, we don’t know whether the original men are dead or alive. If they’re alive, they’re the evidence; if they’re dead, their bodies are evidence. If all the officers in the county government office were to die an unnatural death, it would certainly be considered an odd event in Northern Yan, wouldn’t it?"

Ye Mingyu was stunned.

Jiang Li had a calm look in her eyes, but there was a chill emanating from them when she spoke. Imagining the scene Jiang Li described, Ye Mingyu felt a shiver down his spine. Annihilating an entire family was a rarity in the martial arts world, and those incidents usually involved deep hatred. Of course, there is the saying, "New king, new officials," but Feng Yutang was just a petty county magistrate. Could it be that merely replacing the staff under a county magistrate required so many lives?

"Jiang Li, how do you know these officers were all replaced by Feng Yutang’s men? You haven’t met them," Ye Mingyu suddenly recalled something and asked.

Jiang Li smiled, "You can tell with one glance. How could proper government officers behave like that, not even knowing the basic official etiquette? I wonder where Feng Yutang found such a motley crew. Likely they were thugs and ruffians before. When County Magistrate Xue was in charge, how could he have such subordinates, unless he wanted to ruin his own reputation?"

Ye Mingyu found her reasoning sound and nodded, "Indeed, those officers didn’t seem like decent people."

"Jiang Li, do you want our guards to search for people all over Tongxiang?"

"That’s not necessary. Tongxiang may be small, but its terrain is complex. It would be better if I could get a map. However, the problem is, once Feng Yutang finds out we’re looking for these officers, he is likely to hide them."

"Then we’ll just snatch them!" Ye Mingyu said without hesitation.

"We do need to snatch them, but not now," Jiang Li pondered for a moment. "Uncle, there’s a Mute Granny in the county government office who burns incense at night. Could you have your men find a way to bring her to meet me without alarming anyone or letting Feng Yutang’s people discover it?"

"Just one person?" Ye Mingyu slapped his chest, "No problem, kidnapping is something I’m good at." Seeing the look from Tonger and Bai Xue, he scratched his head, "Wasn’t it me who personally kidnapped Tong Zhiyang’s concubine and son? To this day, Tong Zhiyang hasn’t figured out it was my doing." He said this with a hint of pride.

"It’s not about kidnapping her. This Mute Granny might know the whereabouts of the officers," Jiang Li said. "So, you must be careful."

Ye Mingyu stood up, "Don’t worry, when has your uncle ever let you down in handling matters?" He walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back and asked, "But this Mute Granny, she’s not actually mute, right? If she’s mute, how will you ask her questions? Can she read?"

"She’s not mute," Jiang Li said from behind him. "She can speak."

...

Ye Mingyu left.

After Ye Mingyu had left, Jiang Li had someone bring in paper, brush, and ink, and she began to carefully sketch a map for Ye Mingyu. No one knew Tongxiang better than her; she was familiar with every part of it. If there was something she didn’t know, then it must be the transformed county government office, which Feng Yutang had made "his" own, and Jiang Li couldn’t be certain how much it had changed.

But for other places in Tongxiang, she knew them like the back of her hand. With this map, Ye Mingyu would have an edge in his movements around Tongxiang, and no one could do a more detailed job than her.

After finishing the map, she started to look through case files, taking note of any gaps that might yield further evidence in the future.

Unknowingly, time passed quickly, and Bai Xue and Tonger called Jiang Li to eat, but she was too preoccupied to bother. The sky gradually darkened, and a lamp was lit in the room. Only then did Jiang Li realize it was already night. She looked out the window and frowned, asking, "Uncle hasn’t come back yet?"

Bai Xue shook her head.

"Why has it taken so long..." Jiang Li muttered. As she was speaking, Ah Shun, a man from Ye Mingyu’s side, came to report, "Miss Biao, Third Master has come back, and the Mute Granny has been brought back as well. Do you want to meet her now?"