Ripe Town Episode 2 Recap
> Ripe Town Recap
Based on the information provided by Lin Siniang, Leng Wuji left Cuihua Building around the Rooster Hour and headed straight home. Qu Sangeng and Gao Shicong conducted interviews along the way. A few days ago, Leng Wuji was strangled in a courtyard near the back door of Cuihua Building. There was a hole in the wall revealing a stash of silver coins. Out of curiosity, Leng Wuji leaned in, but someone inside immediately looped a rope around his neck through the hole, and shortly afterward, he was strangled.
Later, Leng Wuji's body was placed in a carriage and taken out of the county.
The hole in the wall had been filled with soil, and Qu Sangeng and Gao Shicong walked past it without noticing.
Investigations and crackdowns have always been important sources of clues for the Fast Squad. "Investigations" refer to the gangs of street ruffians who specialize in various illegal activities, while "crackdowns" involve groups that gather enforcers for debt collection and kidnapping. Most illicit activities on the streets are related to them. There are five gangs in Duxian County, self-proclaimed as the "Five Waiting Mansions." The dealings of investigations and crackdowns require connections within the official government. Before the incident with Leng Wuji, he had connections with these groups.
On this day, members of the investigation gang extorted money from a farmer named Liu Laoer. Qu Sangeng exposed their scheme, angering them. Qu Sangeng questioned why they were interfering with his financial affairs, and they revealed that the "Five Waiting" had shifted their allegiance since Leng Wuji's incident and were now aligned with Squad Leader Yi from the Soap Division. Currently, the "Five Waiting" and Squad Leader Yi were drinking heavily in a bathhouse. According to the rules, people meeting in the bathhouse would be completely naked, with no weapons allowed.
As for the rules that Leng Wuji had established for the "Five Waiting," they had already been forgotten. Seeing that they had no intention of introducing him to their leader, Qu Sangeng informed them that the Fast Squad had arrested a 60-year-old undercover prostitute the previous day, who turned out to be the leader's mother.
Returning home in the evening, Qu Sangeng's mother advised him not to continue being a constable, reminding him of his father's fate who died in a fire while on duty. She emphasized that justice could not always prevail over evildoers. Qu Sangeng assured his mother that he would do his best to protect himself.
Song Chen gave Qu Sangeng a special molar with four roots, without explaining its significance. When Qu Sangeng was about to leave, Song Chen mentioned that Lin Siniang and Leng Wuji were old acquaintances. Qu Sangeng pretended to be unaware and noted down this information.
Yi Youkao was determined to weaken the prestige of the Fast Squad and thought of targeting Qu Sangeng first. He inquired about the progress of an old case, and Qu Sangeng reported the details without any flaws. He also showed Yi Youkao the molar gifted by Song Chen.
Aware of Song Chen's formidable methods in handling cases, Yi Youkao was concerned about Qu Sangeng's connection with him. Though he dared not make things difficult, he still wanted to vent his frustration. He ordered Gao Shicong to surrender his badge and leave the Fast Squad.
Gao Shicong's departure angered Qu Sangeng, who started drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Leng Guier brought Qu Sangeng home, and in the courtyard, there was a cellar with a coffin inside. Leng Wuji, being a constable, had prepared it in advance, warning his family of the possibility of an unfortunate event. When Leng Guier opened it recently, she found the coffin filled with silver coins, totaling ten thousand taels.
Qu Sangeng speculated that Leng Wuji, always meticulous, had kept the silver coins as leverage for something. Under the silver coins, there was a stack of papers recording a tragic fire that occurred twenty years ago in the Lu family. Coincidentally, Qu Sangeng's father died in that fire.
There was also a prescription from a physician named Cheng Yizhi for two patients, Lu Yuanbao and Chen Wang. Qu Sangeng asked his mother if she remembered the details of his father's death twenty years ago. She revealed that after the incident, Leng Wuji had given her a large sum of money, and only then did she learn about the close relationship between Leng Wuji and her husband.
Qu Sangeng visited neighbors who had made statements at the time, and opinions varied. When he found Cheng Yizhi, the physician informed him that the prescriptions for Lu Yuanbao and Chen Wang were for minor ailments. Cheng Yizhi then asked if his testimony from that year was still preserved, to which Qu Sangeng expressed ignorance.
After leaving Cheng Yizhi, Feng Kezhui suddenly approached Qu Sangeng, revealing that his uncle had been found hanged in Wu Leizhai early in the morning. They rushed to the scene and discovered Mr. Wang hanging upside down, holding a copper ruler in his hand, a peculiar sight.
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