bayedsolid Chapter 422 The Gate
Chapter 422 The Gate
"How could this be? It really is him!"
Upon seeing the deceased's face, Zhang Lai's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. Those who had witnessed the deceased's appearance the previous night were also terrified, their faces turning deathly pale, and they retreated repeatedly.
Sun Wu, the waiter who led this gentleman to his room last night, shook his head in horror and said, "No... this is absolutely impossible. I personally escorted him upstairs last night. He never came out of his room after that. How could he have died outside?"
"Are you sure he didn't come out after he went into the room?"
Ding Yun's piercing gaze shot towards Sun Wu, and he questioned him in a deep voice. The voice frightened Sun Wu so much that his face turned pale, and he stood there, trembling, unable to utter a word.
Zhang Lai quickly said, "Lord Ding, please don't be offended, he was just frightened." He then looked at Sun Wu and comforted him, "What's the panic? Just tell me what you saw, whatever the lord asks you."
Sun Wu nodded several times, trembling, and said with certainty, "I'm sure, his... his gatehouse can also testify to that!"
"Entrance hall?"
Zhang Lai took over and explained, “Yes, sir. This guest’s name is Lu Huaijin. The room on the second floor, the one furthest north, is the one he has booked long-term. Because he has many personal belongings in the room and is worried about them being stolen, he hired a guard to stand watch in front of his room. However, he also instructed that all the guard’s expenses on the ship be deducted from his prepaid room fee.”
"How many people were hired? Are there any vacancies during rotation?"
"We hired four people in total, and they rotate every four hours. They only leave when the previous shift is over, so there are no gaps in their shifts. If he really left the room, the gatekeepers on duty would definitely know."
Where are they now?
"Two people should still be guarding outside the cabin, and the other two should be waiting in the lower cabin for their turn."
One of the officers, looking displeased, said angrily, "They're incredibly audacious! Such a serious case has occurred on the ship, and they still dare to disobey orders and act on their own."
Zhang Lai looked somewhat embarrassed and at a loss, and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Sir, please calm down. These four men are all employed by this gentleman and obey his orders. We instructed them that no matter what happens, they must not leave the room. Even on ordinary days, when our shop assistants go to clean the room, they always leave the door open and let them watch over it the whole time. After all, this is their duty, and they are probably afraid that someone might take advantage of the chaos."
Ding Yun's gaze was cold and sharp, and his expression was serious as he said, "Even if you are hired by someone, you must first find out the truth of the case. Since their employer was the one who died, and they were familiar with the layout of the house, they are suspected of murdering their master to steal his money."
The official asked Ding Yun for instructions: "Envoy Ding, I will go and arrest them and bring them here for questioning."
Qin Fu and Sun Wu both wanted to stay for questioning, and Zhang Lai, with his keen insight, immediately arranged for one of his closest employees to lead the officials to search for the people.
“Envoy Ding.”
An official who was accompanying Ding Yun to examine the body carefully removed the thin rope that was stuck around the deceased's neck from both ends of the rope, which was free of bloodstains. He then placed it in a white cloth he carried with him and handed it to Ding Yun.
Ding Yun took the handkerchief; it was a slender rope, as thin as a flower stem.
Lin Lezhi estimated that the rope was no more than four millimeters in diameter. The middle part was soaked in blood and was somewhat swollen and loose. There were also many burrs on the rope.
At this moment, a merchant on the boat recognized it and exclaimed in shock, "This...this is the straw rope we usually use to tie cloth!"