The gossip from the old housekeeper was abundant and intense.
Old Boss Jiang did not approve of his eldest daughter Jiang Lian's marriage. His second son Jiang Qi was at odds with his father over his sexual orientation. His third child's ambiguous attitude clearly showed that the Chairman also lacked trust in him.
Each of them had their own issues. Then what about Mrs. Jiang?
The housekeeper did not want to talk much about it.
Jian Jing smiled and deliberately asked a romantic question, "Were they in love?"
The housekeeper immediately revealed an amused expression, half persuading and half mocking, "You're still young and don't understand this. When a young woman marries an old man, the man wants someone to serve him and the woman is after money. Where is love involved?"
"I thought the Chairman married Mrs. Jiang because he especially liked her," Jian Jing said.
The housekeeper said, "The boss is not focused on this. The madam is a good woman. She's very polite to us and good to the children too. She's more like their mother than the previous chairman's wife."
"What was the previous chairman's wife like?"
As past events slowly surfaced in her mind, the housekeeper sank into her memories, "She co-founded the company with the Chairman and was rarely at home. I was originally introduced to take care of her postpartum recovery, but in the end, I was the one raising the kids while she went back to work after her confinement. She was very capable, shrewd, somewhat petty, and too stubborn. She had to take that flight going abroad no matter what, and as a result...sigh."
"Have any of the children mentioned her?"
"Of course!" At first the housekeeper answered without thinking, "The older ones didn't want the madam to come in at first, afraid that she would take away money from the family. The third child always said that this was the company the late madam built together with the Chairman, so why should an outsider get any shares? That's why they didn't host a wedding ceremony."
Jian Jing understood.
It was evident that the three Jiang siblings felt that Jiang Water Group was founded by their birth mother and father, so it should be inherited by them. Mrs. Jiang, the second wife, and Jiang Xue, the illegitimate daughter, getting a small share was fine, but letting them take away core company shares was intolerable.
And of course Mrs. Jiang didn't marry the Chairman for love either. She could endure it on a daily basis, but absolutely would not continue enduring when it came to dividing the estate.
She already had a number in mind and asked the housekeeper about the other residents of the villa.
According to the housekeeper, in addition to the Jiang family and her, Fan the Secretary, Yu the Nurse, and Jiang the Caregiver also lived here. During the day, Dr. Tao, Lawyer Cai, the driver, and the cooking auntie would come to work.
Jian Jing asked, "Were Fan the Secretary and Jiang the Caregiver here on the night before last as well?"
"Yes."
She had wanted to chat with Fan the Secretary first, but he seemed to have been sent by Jiang Lian to handle the funeral arrangements. She could only inquire with Jiang the Caregiver first.
Jiang the Caregiver was a female caregiver in her mid-twenties, good-looking, responsible for taking care of the Chairman's daily life over the past half year.
Jian Jing asked, "How long have you been taking care of the Chairman?"
"Half a year ago," Jiang the Caregiver answered awkwardly, "when the Chairman had a recurrence of stomach cancer."
Jian Jing softened her tone, "In the last few days before the Chairman's passing, did he say anything to you? Or did you overhear him scolding anyone?"
Jiang the Caregiver fell silent.
"Anything is fine. Let's just chat casually," Jian Jing tried her best to reduce her wariness.
After half a beat, the girl finally said, "Many people."
"He scolded many people?"
"He felt..." She glanced at Jian Jing, and upon receiving an encouraging look, continued, "He felt that his children were all waiting eagerly for him to die sooner."
Jian Jing was surprised. "Why?"
"The Chairman believed none of them was capable of managing Jiang Water Group properly," Jiang the Caregiver said. "Ms. Jiang Lian tried to get on the board of directors several times but was blocked by the Chairman. He even scolded her for coveting power she shouldn't have."
"Anything else?"
Jiang the Caregiver thought for a bit before continuing, "It seems like the Chairman had said to someone that he was afraid his wife would remarry after his death and his money would fall into a stranger's pocket. So he wouldn't give her any shares, but the madam kept wanting to join the group."
Jian Jing sank into thought. This was another clear clue regarding the will.
"What about others?"
But Jiang the Caregiver said, "Ms. Jian, cancer patients suffer agonizing pain at every moment. Over the past half year, the Chairman's condition kept deteriorating. He was especially averse to talking about death. Even the slightest action could anger him greatly."
She admitted frankly, "I feel that asking this is meaningless."
"Then let's talk about the night before last," she said, now steering the conversation to the crux of the matter. "You know many people went in and out of his room that night. Do you recall the Chairman's mood back then?"
Jiang the Caregiver pondered for a good while before answering, "At around 9:30 PM, the Chairman asked me to get something for him. He didn't look very happy back then."
Jian Jing flipped open her notebook. 9:30 PM - that was right after Jiang Xue left!
"What did he say?"
"Something about how foolish his daughter was, still eyeing his money even when he didn't have much time left, and how he had never shortchanged her one bit," Jiang the Caregiver recounted.
Jian Jing jotted it down.
"You must have seen the Chairman before he fell asleep. How was his condition back then?"
Jiang the Caregiver said, "He seemed a bit tired and had some breathing difficulties. Nurse Yu gave him an injection and he looked much better afterward. I left after making sure he fell asleep peacefully."
"What time was that?"
"At most ten minutes. The Chairman dozed off very quickly."
Jian Jing asked, "Where do you sleep at night?"
"Over the past couple nights, Nurse Yu and I have been taking turns accompanying the Chairman at night. It happened to be her shift that night. I slept in the guest room," Jiang the Caregiver explained clearly. "After 3 AM, the alarm suddenly went off and I rushed over to find Nurse Yu performing CPR on the Chairman."
Jian Jing raised her brows. "So you were the second person on the scene?"
Jiang the Caregiver nodded.
"Describe to me the scene when you first entered."
Jiang the Caregiver immediately said, "The Chairman's face had turned bluish. Nurse Yu was doing CPR while the monitor kept beeping loudly and jarringly."
"Anything especially peculiar?"
Jiang the Caregiver hesitated briefly before answering, "There were a few broken vials on the floor. I don't know if Nurse Yu knocked them over in her hurry."
"Were there shards of glass on the floor when you entered? You're certain?"
"I remember very clearly. I almost stepped on them with my slippers."
Jian Jing made another note. "Who arrived after you?"
Jiang the Caregiver frowned, deep in recollection. "I think it was Jiang Qi. I didn't pay much attention actually. Everyone was so anxious at the time, not knowing if the Chairman could be saved. I didn't notice the other people."
"I see..." She pondered, "Anything else that struck you as odd?"
Jiang the Caregiver's expression turned uneasy and she was about to speak when the door to the small dining room opened and in walked Fan the Secretary. "Ms. Jian, you wanted to see me?"
He glanced at Jiang the Caregiver, a flicker of displeasure in his brow, while asking Jian Jing at the same time.
"Yes, just let me finish asking Ms. Jiang here."
"I've nothing more to add," Jiang the Caregiver stood up to vacate her seat, taking the chance to ask, "Secretary Fan, now that the Chairman has passed, do I still need to stay here?"
Fan the Secretary nodded.
"Alright. Hopefully things end quickly." She left the room.
Jian Jing began questioning Fan the Secretary.
"Were you here on the night before last?"
"Yes, I've always had a guest room in the Jiang residence in case the Chairman had any sudden instructions." Unlike the cautious and meticulous Lawyer Cai, Secretary Fan had a tight lip too but was more slick.
He seemed to realize that with the Chairman gone, the next boss could well be one of his children. Hence even for the least likely candidate Jiang Baiyan, he was emitting some goodwill.
"I went to bed early that night and didn't hear anything unusual until I was woken later on."
Jian Jing said, "You must know something about the Chairman meeting each of his children that day?"
Fan the Secretary pushed up his glasses, pondering for a bit before speaking, "It's normal for the Chairman to want to spend more time with his children in his final days."
"But I heard things didn't go too well."
"The Chairman had always been blunt. His final words of advice likely came across as rebukes," Fan the Secretary said sincerely. "Think about it Ms. Jian. What meaning was there for a dying man to still scold his children? He must have wanted to exhort them. Unfortunately, his sons and daughters misunderstood his intentions, thinking he still wanted to control them even when death was near."
Knocking her pen against her knuckles, Jian Jing said, "I'm a little confused here. From what I know, the Chairman had an overbearing style. It would be very like his temperament to want to maintain control till his last breath."
"Uh, that's not wrong either," Fan Secretary explained, "What I mean is that although the Chairman can act according to his own will in the end, he also understands his own health. His ultimate goal is still to hope that everyone will be fine."
Jian Jing neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead asked, "Then who is the person the Chairman worries about the most?"
Fan Secretary said, "Xiao Xue and Jiang Ou, one is still young and the other is unpredictable, so he must worry more."
"What about the next generation? Jiang Lian has a child, doesn't she?"
Fan Secretary sighed sentimentally, "When the little one was just born, the Chairman doted on her very much. He even prepared shares for her. But in recent years..." He shook his head, "After all, she's not a blood relative, so precautions must be taken."
"Isn't Jiang Lian the default successor in the group for the people in the group since she works there?"
Fan Secretary hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "She counts. But some traditionalists also favor Qi Zong, but in recent years he has been helping the Chairman handle overseas matters and hasn't stayed in the group much."
"Water, energy or telecommunications?"
"Telecommunications," Fan Secretary answered. "Water was back in the early 2000s, energy was around 2010. As you can see, the Chairman values traditional industries more. Telecommunications was planned after Qi Zong came back.
"To be honest, at first the Chairman wasn't interested in these high-tech things. In order to convince him, Qi Zong specially designed an identification system for the group to improve coordination efficiency between departments. Only then did the Chairman take out a large sum of money to acquire that American telecommunications company.
"This was handled by Qi Zong alone, so I think there is no doubt that part is for him."
Jian Jing asked, "Then who do you think wants the water business in the conversation Jiang Xue overheard?"
Fan Secretary shut his mouth and said nothing.
"Don't be nervous," she smiled. Her calm appearance suddenly became vivid and vibrant, "We're just casually chatting about feelings, not asking you to reveal any secrets. Besides, after working by the Chairman's side for so many years, you can't bear to see him die in confusion."
In fact, after conducting so many interrogations, she had gradually learned to take the pulse of various types of people.
Some people were upright and willing to cooperate; others had to deliberately say something they didn't agree with in order to draw out their true thoughts; and still others, like Fan Secretary, had to be given a reason to convince themselves because of certain concerns before they could let go of their worries.
Fan Secretary's lips quivered. His attitude softened in the silence: "Lian Zong's energy is in the group. Madam knows very little about overseas investments."
In other words, it was either Jiang Qi or Jiang Ou.
And since Jiang Qi was almost certain to get telecommunications, the probability of him taking water as well was slightly less than Jiang Ou.
Jian Jing nodded, "I'm done with my questions."
There was still plenty of time, so she decided to return to the scene of the crime to see if she could find more clues.
The body had already been sent to the funeral home, and the broken glass on the ground had been cleaned up by the diligent auntie. But the medicine box was still in its original place. Jian Jing deliberately counted - 10 vials per box, 2 left.
Dr. Tao had used one vial, at 11 o'clock. Nurse Yu broke one vial. The other 6 vials had been smashed.
60 mg was enough to cause acute poisoning.
"Interesting, but why?" she murmured to herself.
The bedroom wasn't big, with medical equipment taking up at least half. But basically everything was piled on the left side. Jian Jing recalled the scene she saw when she entered last time - the Chairman was clearly lying on the right side of the bed.
Could it be... She put on gloves and lifted the bedding inch by inch, feeling around.
This was a red wood bed, with exquisite carved patterns, obviously valuable. But no matter how expensive it was, it couldn't change one fact - intricately carved beds were difficult to clean and prone to accumulating dust.
There was a thin layer of dust between the bed and bedside table, but one area was very clean.
She reached out and lightly pried it open.
A hidden compartment popped out from under the bed frame, revealing a small, all-metal safe.
