Those were two servants dressed in coarse linen clothes, with white cloth tied around their arms, sitting beside Lin Ji.
The voices of the two were very low, but they couldn't escape Lin Ji's eavesdropping.
"How could the master be so ruthless, the old master is over eighty years old, yet he suffered such great torment."
"Who wouldn't say so, directly starving people to death. When I went to collect the bodies, I saw it myself, the old master and mistress were both as thin as sticks."
"I wonder if the demon in our mansion has been dealt with, this matter has caused quite a stir..."
"That demon has been causing trouble for so long without any consequences, it's just that our master is too ruthless, those are his own parents after all."
Upon hearing this, the two seemed to realize Lin Ji was nearby, subconsciously glanced at him, and quickly fell silent.
However, Lin Ji was not ready to let it go.
"Are you two servants of the Zheng Mansion?" Lin Ji walked over and directly asked.
The two servants exchanged a glance, getting up to leave.
"Hold on." Lin Ji slapped his token on the table.
Naturally, the two servants did not recognize the Golden Beheading Order of the Chief Constable, but that didn't stop them from realizing that the person in front of them was an official.
"Sir, we are indeed servants of the Zheng family."
"How did you say the two elders of the Zheng family died?" Lin Ji squinted slightly, feeling somewhat incredulous.
"I don't know about this."
"How dare you, do you think I'm easily fooled? If you don't confess truthfully, be careful I'll have you arrested and taken to the yamen for punishment."
"Sir, it was starvation. After the demon appeared in our backyard, the master ordered the entire family to move out of the backyard, leaving only the two elders living next to the backyard." The two finally seemed a bit scared and spoke truthfully.
"Also, the master didn't allow us to send food to the two elders, nor did he allow the two elders to leave the backyard, saying that they had already provoked the demon and couldn't let them harm more people."
The two servants spoke one after another, giving a general idea of the situation.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ji breathed a sigh of relief, losing all appetite for noodles.
"Come with me to the yamen." Lin Ji got up to leave.
The two servants' faces changed instantly.
"Sir, we haven't committed any crime!"
"You can't wrong good people, we just spoke the truth."
"I'm not accusing you, stop talking nonsense, come with me to the yamen." Lin Ji glared, and the two servants dared not say another word, obediently following behind Lin Ji.
Soon, Lin Ji brought the two Zheng family servants to the yamen.
After arranging a room for the two Zheng family servants to stay in, Lin Ji went straight to his study in the side hall.
By now, he probably had a rough idea of the Zheng family's situation.
But it was precisely because of this that he found it unbelievable.
"No wonder that plant spirit claimed innocence, it turns out the two elders were not killed by the spirit, but by their son Zheng Yunxuan starving them to death!"
The two servants definitely weren't lying, they had no idea Lin Ji was listening to their conversation.
"To starve his own parents to death, it's truly despicable. But why would you do such a thing?" Lin Ji frowned.
If it was a poor family that truly couldn't afford to support their parents, there might be some flimsy justification for such actions.
But the Zheng family was not poor, owning seven or eight shops in the city, living in a large mansion. How could they not afford to support two elderly people?
"Unless... Zheng Yunxuan was well aware of what was happening in their backyard, knowing it was the work of the Tian family!"
With this realization, Lin Ji's mind suddenly cleared.
"Yes, that's it! It seems that before Tian Jiufeng arrived, Zheng Yunxuan had already gone to report to the yamen!"
"Tian family is the mastermind behind the scenes, Zheng Yunxuan is the weapon in the Tian family's hands, and I am the target."
Lin Ji finally sorted things out.
With this premise, there was an explanation for Zheng Yunxuan killing his own parents.
"So ruthless! Since the Tian family asked the Zheng family for help, they definitely wouldn't want the Zheng family to die. After all, it was just a plant spirit, the Tian family didn't intend to cause any deaths from the beginning!"
"Earlier, Zhou Ying also said that the Zheng family had just moved to Liang City not long ago."
"So Zheng Yunxuan deliberately killed his own parents, to show the Tian family that he had paid a significant price for their help? Or was it to further ingratiate himself with the Tian family?"
Having figured out the key points, Lin Ji's mind flashed with Zheng Yunxuan's cautious expression, involuntarily feeling a chill.
Not fear, but shock.
What a ruthless character.
"Snakes and rats in the same lair, truly in need of cleaning up." Lin Ji squinted slightly.
He had never expected this matter to end easily from the beginning. If the Tian family dared to plot against him, he naturally had to retaliate.
Now, it was just adding the Zheng family to the mix.
"Someone!" Lin Ji shouted outside.
"Lord Lin." Several yamen runners walked in, with Zhou Ying among them.
Seeing Zhou Ying, Lin Ji casually threw his token over.
"This is my Golden Beheading Order, take this token and bring someone from the Tian family!" Lin Ji said coldly.
Zhou Ying's eyes widened.
"Sir, the Tian family?"
"That's right."
Zhou Ying shrank his neck, but seeing Lin Ji's serious expression, he didn't dare to say more.
"Sir, who should we bring?"
"What's the name of the head of the Tian family?"
"Tian Zechuan."
"Bring him, arrest him and throw him into the dungeon, we'll interrogate him in the morning." Lin Ji waved his hand.
This matter was not small, although Zhou Ying had intentions to ingratiate himself with Lin Ji, he had to clarify.
"Sir, should we inform the Inspector-General before the interrogation?"
Liang City was the capital of Liangzhou, and generally, cases in the city were interrogated by the Inspector-General before being sent to the Ministry of Justice.
Lin Ji naturally knew these rules. Although he rarely interacted with officials outside the Monitoring Bureau, he was clear on these common practices. But if the case involved demons, that was another matter.
"No need, the Tian family is involved in instigating demons to harm people's lives, this matter does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Inspector-General." Lin Ji shook his head, "Since Lord Zhan is not here, and such a thing has happened in the city, I will personally conduct the interrogation."
"Hurry and bring him." Lin Ji urged.
"Yes, sir." Zhou Ying quickly saluted, leading a group of yamen runners out.
Tian Mansion.
In the main hall, the head of the family, Tian Zechuan, was sitting in the main seat, his expression indifferent.
Beside him was his younger brother, Tian Zeming, and sitting below was Tian Jiufeng, the deputy chief constable of Liang City.
There were only these three people in the hall, and in the open space in the hall, several boxes were neatly arranged.
"That Lin Ji truly has great power. Our Tian family took the initiative to show goodwill, and he still dares to refuse? Does he think that as a sixth-rank chief constable, he can dominate Liang City single-handedly?" Tian Zechuan slammed the armrest of his chair fiercely.
Tian Zeming shook his head, "Big brother, we were at fault first in this matter, giving him a handle."
"So what?" Tian Zechuan sneered, "Does he dare to make a big deal out of it?"
"I think Sir Lin is truly daring." Tian Jiufeng sighed lightly, getting up to bow slightly to the two elders.
"Father, Uncle, we must not neglect this matter. Lin Ji is different from the previous chief constables, he is not someone to be trifled with."
"Jiufeng, why are you..." Tian Zechuan's words were cut off as a chaotic sound of footsteps came from outside.
Immediately after, Zhou Ying led a group of yamen runners into the hall.
"Master Tian, by order of Sir Lin, please come to the yamen with us."