Chapter 352 When something happened, his daughter really protected him!

"It has nothing to do with me, it has absolutely nothing to do with me."

Jiang Chengye spoke these words without batting an eye, and Jiang Yu nodded earnestly after hearing them. He then offered his condolences to the Lu family and said to Tong Taichuan, "Lord Tong, since that's the case, I won't interfere with your investigation any longer. I'll take my leave with my father."

After speaking, she turned to leave, with Jiang Chengye following behind her, pulling Xiang Xinping along with him. The expressions on the faces of those in the room were unusually complex. They had never imagined that the renowned Duke of Chu would be like this.

"Jiang Chengye, you're talking nonsense... You're spouting lies." Ren Guanfei rushed over to block them, but when he saw Jiang Yu's face, the words he was about to say were swallowed back.

Jiang Chengye glanced at Jiang Yu, and seeing that she didn't intend to stop him from speaking, he immediately said, "How am I talking nonsense? Everyone saw it clearly at the time. I didn't say a word after I entered this room, let alone touch Lu Peichen with a single finger. What does his death have to do with me?"

"No," Ren Guanfei was almost in tears. He gathered his thoughts and said, "You invited me to the Lu family, saying you wanted to show Lu Peichen who he could mess with and who he couldn't. You even promised me 500 taels of silver and gave me a 200-tael deposit, telling me to be the one to fight. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't even know Lu Peichen. Why would I bother coming here to insult him?"

Jiang Chengye shrugged. "Then I don't know. Maybe you're just bored and have nothing better to do? You said I invited you to the Lu family and gave you 200 taels of silver as a deposit to let you fight on the front lines. Do you have any proof?"

"I...I..." Ren Guanfei looked at Xiang Xinping, who quickly waved his hand and said, "I just came to watch the show, I don't know anything."

"You...you all..." Ren Guanfei felt like dying.

“Second Master Ren.” Jiang Yu’s voice rang out at this moment. Ren Guanfei seemed to have found a savior. He wiped his face and looked at Jiang Yu, saying, “Duke of Chu, you are a reasonable person. I am really innocent! Lu Peichen suddenly collapsed for some reason. I didn’t even touch him with a finger!”

Jiang Yu nodded in agreement with his words, and then reassured him, "Don't worry. As far as I know, even a person with a weak constitution wouldn't lose their life just because someone scolds them, let alone Lord Lu, who has always been in good health."

When Ren Guanfei heard her speak up for him, he quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, his death has nothing to do with me."

“But you are indeed the prime suspect right now,” Jiang Yu said seriously. “You should hurry up and notify someone who can help you.”

"Yes, yes, yes." Ren Guanfei clenched his fist and said, "I have to inform my cousin and the Crown Prince."

Jiang Yu nodded in agreement and added, "I believe this matter is definitely not simple."

Ren Guanfei frowned in thought upon hearing her words. Yes, Lu Peichen couldn't have died just from a few words of abuse. His death must be suspicious, and it must be investigated thoroughly. Only in this way could he clear his name.

Seeing that he had taken her words to heart, Jiang Yu started to walk out, but Tong Taichuan immediately called out to her, "Duke of Chu."

Jiang Yu turned around, "Is there anything else, Lord Tong?"

“I’m afraid your father can’t go with you right now,” Tong Taichuan said with a smile. “After all, your father witnessed the entire incident and needs to stay and cooperate with the investigation.”

Jiang Chengye panicked upon hearing this and was about to refuse when he received a reassuring look from Jiang Yu. Then he saw her walk back, sit down on a chair, and say, "Alright, I'll accompany you."

Tong Taichuan: "......."

Could he refuse? Obviously not.

Jiang Chengye silently breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to Jiang Yu. At this moment, he had no resentment towards Jiang Yu for bypassing him in inheriting the title. His daughter had truly protected him in this situation!

Tong Taichuan frowned. He suddenly felt that it might not be a good thing for Jiang Yu to stay at this time. Just as he thought of this, Jiang Yu's voice rang out again, "Lord Tong, I believe this case is definitely not simple. It would be best to invite your Dali Temple's Assistant Judge Shan over."

The magistrate, Shan Wenli, is a master investigator, incorruptible and impartial, and has solved many unsolved cases.

Tong Taichuan remained silent after hearing her words. Others might not know what was going on, but he knew very well. Chu Guogong was currently vying with the Prime Minister, and today's events were clearly a scheme orchestrated by the Prime Minister for Jiang Chengye. He wanted to pin Lu Peichen's death on Jiang Chengye so that the Prime Minister wouldn't be in such a passive position in this struggle.

Although he wasn't one of the prime minister's men, he didn't dare offend him. Having been in officialdom for so many years, he knew that even if the prime minister lost this struggle, he would at most suffer minor setbacks, not be completely defeated.

So, will the Prime Minister let him go after this is all over?

Seeing his silence, Jiang Yu sneered and said, "Lord Tong, you don't think that the death of an official of the court doesn't need to be explained to the Emperor, do you?"

Tong Taichuan clenched his fists tightly, struggling with an internal conflict.

"In my opinion, the best solution is for Lord Tong to handle his cases selflessly," Jiang Yu added.

Tong Taichuan looked at her with complicated emotions, and Jiang Yu returned his smile. Tong Taichuan looked away and sighed silently in his heart. Indeed, he needed to investigate the case thoroughly and impartially to give the Emperor an explanation and satisfy him in order to keep his official position and his life.

"The Duke of Chu is right." Tong Taichuan instructed someone to invite Shan Wenli and put him in charge of the investigation. In fact, doing so would also shift some of the responsibility and pressure onto Shan Wenli.

Prime Minister's Residence

Pei Chengkun returned to his residence early this morning, awaiting the outcome of his carefully laid plans. If Lu Peichen died in his argument with Jiang Chengye, he would have leverage to negotiate with Jiang Yu.

His grandson committed murder, but a high-ranking official died because of Jiang Chengye. In comparison, Jiang Chengye's crime was far greater. Therefore, during negotiations, he could persuade Jiang Yu to stop.

Time seemed to pass slowest while waiting. Pei Chengkun sat at the tea table, drinking tea and reading, but more than an hour had passed without him turning a single page, though he had drunk quite a bit of tea.

His eldest son, Pei Hanming, sat opposite him, his heart filled with anxiety as well. But fearing that Pei Chengkun would accuse him of being unreliable, he tried his best to suppress it.

"Prime Minister."

The butler's voice came from outside. Pei Hanming suddenly stood up and went to the door to open it. When Pei Chengkun saw him like this, he frowned but said nothing. In his heart, he sighed that this son was not capable of being of great use.

He put down the book in his hand and looked at the butler, whose face was not very good, and said, "Tell me."

The butler glanced at Pei Hanming, whose face was filled with anxiety, then looked at Pei Chengkun, clenched his fist, and said, "Lu Peichen is dead..."

"real!"

Upon hearing this news, Pei Hanming felt a great sense of relief and joy. This meant the current crisis could be resolved.

Lost in his own joy, he ignored the expression on the butler's face. Pei Chengkun was even more disappointed in his son, and he frowned as he said to the butler, "Go on."