Guo Xi sat down with a smile and said, "An Sizhi, let me tell you about this case from the beginning. I haven't been so relaxed in several days."
An Ying nodded hurriedly. Even Yun Pan and Xiao Yi found it very interesting and sat down to listen to Guo Xi talking about the case.
"The kidnapped Fan family is a wealthy family in the west of the city. The family owns hundreds of acres of farmland in the suburbs, as well as a garment shop and a silk shop in the city. The head of the family, Fan Xianlong, is forty years old. The one who was kidnapped is his only son. Fan Xi. He only got this son when he was nearly forty years old, and it hurts like a pearl."
"Hey, don't tell me, this kidnapper is really good at picking. He must have been in the right place for a long time." Xiao Yi also thoughtfully took out a handful of dried incense and gave a little to everyone, eating and listening at the same time.
"On the first day of September, Fan Xi disappeared on her way home from the academy. Usually the family's old servant Fan Tian went to the academy to pick her up. That day Fan Tian left home a quarter of an hour late. As a result, when he arrived at the academy, the people from the academy Said Fan Xi had gone home on his own."
"Fan Tian didn't think much about it, because things like this usually happen. He went home, only to find that Fan Xi hadn't come home yet. The Fan family sent all their servants to look for him, but they couldn't find him all night long. .”
"Early the next morning, the Fan family servant found a note at the door."
An Ying pulled out a piece of paper from the case file and read: "At noon on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Hongqiao is south to west, and there are tea shops in the north and south. There is the third table by the window. One hundred taels of silver, twenty taels of one ingot, wrapped in blue cloth, placed on On the table. Once you get the money, you will naturally let your son go."
"Yes, the kidnappers left the first note." Guo Xi continued: "Fan Xianlong immediately collected the money and prepared to pay the ransom. However, Fan Xianlong's younger brother Fan Xianhu felt that he should report it to the government in case the kidnappers took the money and refused to release it. What should I do? I persuaded my brother to report the case to the government office in Beijing."
"The governor of the capital at that time contacted the capital's military department after receiving the report. He arranged for ten detectives to separate tea shops in the north and south, and waited for the kidnappers to come to collect the money."
"As a result, a group of people waited for a long time but no one came to pick up the baggage. It wasn't until the shop closed that the police officers went to check and found a note taped with rice under the table."
An Ying took out another piece of paper and read: "Wang Po's foot shop at noon on the fourth day of the lunar month."
Guo Xi nodded, "At that time, Mr. Liu, the prefect of the capital, wondered if someone from the Yamen was acting as an internal agent. Otherwise, how would the kidnappers know that there was an ambush agent nearby. But how on earth he posted the note under the table in front of everyone, it was really disappointing. People are puzzled.”
He continued: "Master Liu immediately replaced all the people who were involved in the operation, and transferred ten people from our Criminal Department. This time, I carefully selected the people in the Criminal Department, and there will definitely be no problem. .”
"But on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, we waited all afternoon at the Wangpojiao shop. When it was closed, we walked over. Just like last time, we were stuck behind the table with rice again. This time it was written."
"At noon on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the second table next to the river on the second floor of Jiu Fu Ji is." An Ying read.
"Fan Xianlong really can't bear the failure of this mission. He doesn't want people from our government here. He just needs to pay for it himself."
"We found a group of people from the Forbidden Army, pretending to be the clerks of Jiu Fu Ji, or the beggars at the door. We followed Fan Xianlong quietly that day and saw him putting the blue baggage on the table on the second floor of Jiu Fu Ji. We thought this time it was definitely I was able to catch it. But when it closed in the middle of the night, no one showed up."
"No note was found near the table this time." Guo Xi sighed, "The case is over here. No one has contacted the Fan family again, and Fan Xi has never been seen alive or dead. The Fan family blames us for harming Fan Xi and even going to the capital. There was a scene in the government office."
After hearing this, Yun Pan said: "This case is indeed strange. What do you think? Look, you keep writing and drawing. What on earth did you write in this book?"
An Ying: "There are some doubts." Yun Pan stretched his neck to look, but An Ying blocked it with his hand. Yun Pan said disgustedly: "An Sizhi, please pay attention, I am your boss."
An Ying asked Guo Xi, "Have you ever asked the old servant of the Fan family why he was half a quarter of an hour late that day?"
Guo Xidao: "Of course I asked. Fan Tian was the first person to suspect. Fan Tian went there that night because Fan Xianlong had a bad stomach at noon, so he asked Fan Tian to ask the doctor to come and have a look, but he was delayed after going back and forth.
"Fan Xianlong has a bad stomach? Have you checked this?"
"I checked and asked the doctor. I just ate greasy duck and some cold food. I prescribed a few doses of decoction and it will be fine."
Xiao Yi said: "I can't think of any doubts? Tell me quickly. I don't have the patience. I have to go to the Soldiers and Horses Department to run errands later."
An Ying said: "The Fan family is rich enough. They can afford not to mention a hundred taels, but even a thousand taels. Why do the kidnappers only want a hundred taels?"
Guo Xi pondered: "We really didn't think of this problem back then. After all, one hundred taels is not a small amount."
Yun Pan thought for a while and said, "Maybe it's not easy to get? You see, the kidnapper specified that he wanted silver. Maybe he was afraid that if he used a banknote, he would be easily caught if he went to the bank to exchange money. One thousand taels cannot be carried by one person."
"One thousand taels of silver weighs almost eighty kilograms, so it's really not easy to get. Even if two hundred taels of silver only weighs twenty kilograms, a woman can take it away. Why doesn't the kidnapper want more? This kind of thing always happens Ask for more money.”
Guo Xi looked at the case file and said, "I really haven't thought about this. So what does this doubt mean? Maybe the kidnapper needs a hundred taels urgently?"
Xiao Yi said: "Hey, it's a matter of kidnapping the gangster's ticket, and he's still holding on to the number and asking for money. That's a thief with a lot of backbone."
Yun Pan flipped through the case file again, "Are there any other doubts?"
"Well, who first found the note stuck under the table with rice? How could this place be found?" An Ying asked, pointing to the case file.
"It's true. Who would have thought of going under the table to look for it? The first time they looked for it, they were all police officers from the capital government, right?" Xiao Yi said.
Yun Pan and Guo Xi looked at each other, and Yun Pan said, "Your idea is interesting. What else?"
"The three places and times chosen by the kidnapper were all when there were many people."
"Isn't this just to take the money so that you can blend into the crowd and escape?" Yang Ye on the side also asked strangely, isn't this a normal operation?
"It is easy for him to blend into the crowd, and it is also easy for officers and soldiers or people from the Fan family to blend into the crowd. Usually people who extort money will choose an address where it is easy to observe and retreat. For example, the place chosen for the first time is near Hongqiao The branch tea shop. If it were me, I would choose the one next to Hongqiao. Standing on the second floor of the hotel next to the bridge, you can clearly see the movements nearby. Spend money to hire a few porters to disturb the view. If there are helpers, it will be better Okay, one person will keep an eye on the situation, and the other person will take advantage of the situation and take the money."
Xiao Yi scratched his head and said, "Maybe this kidnapper is not very smart? Look, I didn't expect this."
Yun Pan and Guo Xi calmed down and went to look through the case files. Guo Xi said: "I really didn't consider this at the time. If you are not smart, you will always think of a suitable place the second or third time. Why? Do you always choose such a lively place?”
Yang Ye lowered his head and looked at An Ying. She was supporting her face with one hand and a smile on her face. Only after listening to what she said did she realize how deep she was thinking. What a strange woman. How can she think so carefully and thoughtfully even though she hasn't read much?
Yun Pan raised his head and asked, "Why do you want to investigate this case?"
An Ying tilted her head and looked at him: "Yun Pingshi, can you?"
"Okay, I've been very busy lately anyway." Yun Pan patted Guo Xi on the shoulder, "What do you think? Lao Guo?"
"Hey, this case was also a knot in my mind. The people who participated in the case are familiar to me, and I am one of them." Guo Xi thought of something again and said, "I will talk to Mr. Su about this."
