66: Chapter 66 Men, Cry Your Heart Out!

"Seven liang is ginseng, eight liang is treasure." Of course, these 'seven liang' and 'eight liang' do not refer to the common units of measurement used today, but to the liang from the ancient system where sixteen liang made one jin. In that ancient system, one jin was equivalent to 596.82 grams, meaning one liang equaled 37.30 grams. Thus, 385 grams was equivalent to over ten ancient liang. Since a known rare treasure weighed only 285 grams, this particular ginseng was certain to make the Jiang Family feel the sting of the loss.

The middle-aged policeman went outside to make a report. A few minutes later, he returned in a hurry and spoke to Mr. Cao with a grave expression. "Mr. Cao, this matter has exceeded our jurisdiction. I have reported it to my superiors, and they are taking it very seriously. A leader will be arriving shortly with the Criminal Investigation Team to take over."

"You're all teaming up to frame me! Do you even know who I am? Let me go right now, I need to make a phone call." Jiang Hengyu had stopped crying. He hadn't taken it seriously when he was first handcuffed; with his background and status, he figured he'd just spend a little time at the station and walk out with no trouble. When he heard Cao Xiao accuse him of stealing ginseng, he didn't even bother to argue. He knew what he had done, but eight-hundred-year-old ginseng? He hadn't seen so much as a common ginseng root in Cao Xiao's house. How could a nouveau riche like Cao Xiao possess such a treasure? Even in his own home, his grandfather kept a half-used piece of hundred-year-old ginseng hidden away like a precious heirloom. He thought Cao Xiao's imagination was simply too wild. He sneered at the claim, thinking a wise man knows when to retreat, and was already planning how to retaliate against Cao Xiao once he got out. However, things weren't going as he expected. The policeman actually believed Cao Xiao's nonsense and was calling in the Criminal Investigation Team. A sense of unease suddenly washed over him. Were these people deliberately setting a trap for him? If this was pinned on him, he couldn't afford to pay it back even if he were sold. He needed to call home and get himself out of this first.

"Xiao Zhang, confiscate his communication devices and gag him. This person is involved in a major criminal case; we cannot allow him to contact the outside world. We must prevent him from tipping anyone off to move important evidence," the middle-aged policeman instructed.

"You can't do this... mmmph!" Jiang Hengyu nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this. He just wanted to call his family to bail him out—where was he supposed to find evidence to move?! Before he could finish his sentence, the officer gagged him with his own sock. The sensation was indescribable; they were truly treating him like a common criminal.

"Officers, since you rushed over here, I assume you haven't had dinner yet. We happen to have a meal ready, so why don't you join us for a bit?" Cao Xiao didn't care how things developed from here; he had already prepared all the evidence. All he had to do now was wait for the result.

"Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Cao, but we won't trouble you. Someone needs to keep watch here," the middle-aged policeman politely declined. In his eyes, Cao Xiao was no simple character; he couldn't take the man's politeness for granted.

"I'm really sorry! I had to trouble you to respond to a call after hours. How about this: I'll have someone bring out some tables and chairs, and we can eat right here in the courtyard." Cao Xiao knew they felt a bit constrained. Though he was considered a wealthy man in the eyes of ordinary people now, his mindset hadn't changed because of money. To him, equality wasn't about status or wealth, but respect! Even a beggar on the street deserved sufficient respect.

"Girls, go help serve the food. I'll go bring out the tables and chairs." Without waiting for them to refuse again, Cao Xiao turned and headed into the villa.

Entering the basement, he retrieved two rectangular Red Pine tables and some chairs from his space. He had made these in Changbai Mountain during boring nights; they weren't carved or lacquered, possessing a natural wood grain with sharp, clean angles.

The tables weren't heavy. Cao Xiao could carry a table one meter wide and two meters long by himself. After a few trips, he had everything set up in the courtyard. Since there were many people today, his mother had added a few more cold dishes and cooked meats, making the spread look quite festive.

The middle-aged policeman maintained his composure, but the younger officers were practically drooling. Seeing this scene, Jiang Hengyu started crying again. Poor kid! Who told you to seek your own destruction?

"Officers, please sit down. Don't be shy!" After setting the food out, Cao Xiao politely invited the policemen to the table.

"Everyone, sit down and eat. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Cao!" Seeing his subordinates eyeing the food longingly, the middle-aged policeman no longer hesitated. This wasn't a case of them extorting or accepting bribes; it was a sincere invitation from the host. Besides, this was just a home-cooked meal, not a bribe. Moreover, did someone like him even need to bribe them? If he did, they wouldn't even be here right now.

The meal lasted about twenty minutes, mainly because everyone ate quite quickly. The atmosphere was fairly harmonious, with the only miserable person being Jiang Hengyu, who was still on the ground. Cao Xiao noticed that the poor kid's facial swelling had actually gone down within half an hour. Was it because he had consumed some of the ginseng? That was for the best; with no obvious external or internal injuries, Cao Xiao wouldn't face any trouble for hitting him.

"Xiao Xiao, is that eight-hundred-year-old ginseng you mentioned real? Many influential people know about it now. I need the truth, otherwise the consequences will be very serious, and you'll be in trouble too." Just after dinner, Chen Huaiyu called, his tone very grave on the other end of the line.

"Of course it's real. I wouldn't mess around with something like this. Once the ginseng is found, the truth will come to light," Cao Xiao replied firmly.

"Then it must be found. I hope it hasn't been damaged, or many people will be disappointed. You brat, why would you just leave something so valuable lying around at home? You should know that if it's as heavy as you say, it's practically a national treasure. Your heart must be aching now, eh? Haha!" Chen Huaiyu joked, sounding a bit gleeful at his misfortune.

"It hurts like hell!" Cao Xiao replied. He thought to himself that his performance seemed to have a flaw; anyone who lost such a precious treasure would be searching for it frantically, yet he was acting a bit too calm.

He hung up after a few more words with Chen Huaiyu. Just then, a series of screeching brakes sounded outside, and a group of fully armed police officers appeared in the courtyard.

"You must be Mr. Cao Xiao. I am Liao Kai, the Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau. We are going to conduct a search of the suspect's quarters and collect evidence from Mr. Cao's bedroom. I hope you will permit this."

"I do. I also hope to recover my property as soon as possible!" Cao Xiao agreed without a second thought.

"Team One, search the suspect's quarters. Team Two, interrogate the suspect on the spot. Team Three, go collect evidence. Mr. Cao, please have someone lead the way." Having received Cao Xiao's consent, Director Liao gave orders to the officers behind him.

"Xiao Fan, take them to that guy's room. Xiao Chang, you take them to my bedroom." Cao Xiao had Liu Chang and Mi Fan lead the way while he remained in the courtyard to wait for the results.

Before long, the police who had entered the villa came back out. The detectives who had been interrogating Jiang Hengyu also brought him back.

"Director, the item has been found. Upon comparison, we found fingerprints belonging to the suspect and one other person on it. However, the contents are no longer intact; only some rootlets remain."

"Team Three found traces left by the suspect in Mr. Cao's bedroom. Evidence collection is complete."

"The suspect refuses to admit to the theft, claiming it's a frame-up and that he knows nothing about any ginseng. He is demanding to see a doctor, claiming he is seriously injured and needs hospitalization. He also wants to call his family. However, according to our observations, he only has minor external injuries to his face and a few missing teeth."

"Team One, take the item to the experts outside for appraisal immediately. Also, if it is genuine, we must determine the cause of the damage. Deny all of the suspect's unreasonable requests. Team Three, file all collected evidence and temporarily seal off the crime scene." Upon hearing the reports, especially about the item being damaged, Director Liao's brow furrowed into a knot, but he immediately made the appropriate arrangements.

"Director, it's real. After a physical assessment by several experts, chemical composition analysis, and Carbon-14 dating, the age matches perfectly. Saliva and oral matter from the suspect were found on the break points. The preliminary judgment is that the suspect ate it."

It was over an hour later when the officer who took the ginseng for appraisal returned to report. Just then, the officer guarding Jiang Hengyu came over to report as well.

"Director, the suspect's nose has suddenly started bleeding uncontrollably, and he is crying very hard. Do we need to send him to the hospital?"

"Hospital my ass! This idiot doesn't know how much ginseng he ate—and several-hundred-year-old ginseng at that! It would be a miracle if his nose didn't bleed! Stop the bleeding, then take a blood sample. Have the experts get the analysis results out; this is also evidence, ironclad evidence that leaves him no room for denial. And now he's crying? He was quite bold when he was eating the ginseng raw, but this is just... he's going to be the death of me!" When Liao Kai heard that Jiang Hengyu had eaten more than half of the ginseng raw, he felt incredibly frustrated. Hearing that the man was now bleeding from the nose and that his subordinate was asking about a hospital, Liao Kai lost all his previous composure.

Cao Xiao had long expected this situation. Jiang Hengyu's nosebleed was his handiwork; he had 'accidentally' added quite a bit of ginseng powder to the man's stomach earlier. He was delighted. Looking at Jiang Hengyu crying his eyes out nearby, he silently offered a blessing: Man, cry your heart out!