護花近衛 - 第684章 作案動機 - 翰墨軒

Of course, Jin Maoxing had weighed the consequences when he did this. But the poison he used, he reflected, was an ancient formula long since lost, learned from an old physician back in the days when he traveled the jianghu buying medicinal herbs. Its preparation was intricate, and one could be poisoned only if all seven herbs were present at once. A poison so peculiar should be beyond the reach of both the hospitals and the police, and in the end the matter would simply fade away.

But what he had not expected was that Guan's Pharmaceuticals had actually detected it and handed the poison's formula over to the police. That left Jin Maoxing unable to sit still a moment longer; he could not withstand the pressure, and so he came to the police station to surrender.

Jin Maoxing's account was reasonable and plausible, and his motive for the crime was sufficient. The remaining seven medicinal herbs were also recovered from his home, which allowed the police to close the case quickly. As for Zhong Yongliang, Jin Maoxing made it plain that he had merely used the boy; Zhong Yongliang had little to do with it. A man should answer for his own deeds, so Zhong Yongliang need not be punished.

Liu Wangli had been filled with sympathy for Zhong Yongliang from the start. After a meeting and deliberation, and in view of the fact that Zhong Yongliang was a victim of the organ-harvesting ring—at a time when the city was working to play down the ring's impact on the public, and it would not do to publicize Zhong Yongliang's case too loudly—and further in view of the fact that Zhong Yongliang had been beguiled and deceived by Jin Maoxing and was thus a victim as well, he was exempted from criminal punishment. Criticism and education, however, were still required.

Still, it was unknown whether all the remnants of the organ-harvesting ring had been caught. As a victim of that ring, Zhong Yongliang was given the necessary protective measures by the police during his hospital stay, with officers posted around his ward around the clock. The police would need the victim to testify in court against the criminal syndicate, and Zhong Yongliang—

Afterward, however, Liu Wangli telephoned Ding Binggong and had a private talk with him about Zhong Yongliang.

"Principal Ding, this student Zhong Yongliang is really quite pitiable," Liu Wangli said. "Having a kidney cut out of him was tragic enough, and now his classmates are mocking him besides. That is very bad for his psychological development. I would suggest the school organize a show of compassion—a collective visit to young Zhong Yongliang in the hospital…"

Liu Wangli had truly done his duty by Zhong Yongliang. So that the boy's mind would not be warped any further, he had put this suggestion to the school.

Ding Binggong naturally agreed at once. After all, while students' academic results mattered, their psychological well-being could not be neglected either.

And so the mass fainting at First High School was, for the time being, brought to a close. The school's reputation was now more or less restored, and all that remained was for the police to hold a press conference and announce the truth of the matter.

……………………

Tang Zhi had called Wei Zhao and asked him to go rescue her romantic rival, which left both Liu Xinlan and Kang Xiaofeng somewhat at a loss. But since Tang Zhi was willing, what could they possibly say?

There was nothing on the agenda that afternoon, so Kang Jingming decided to take Xiaofen to the hospital for a follow-up visit. After a period of treatment, Xiaofen's schizophrenia had improved markedly. And ever since she had seen Kang Jingming the last time, Xiaofen had lost all faith in him and struck him from her heart for good.

This was exactly what Kang Xiaofeng was glad to see; otherwise he would always have felt like a mere substitute for Kang Jingming.