Chapter 274 Slapping Xiao Qingyuan in the Face

Before Xiao Qingyuan could speak again, Gu Qianhan indifferently walked past him and went inside.

Originally, if Xiao Qingyuan had treated Shen Wantang well, he wouldn't have spoken so harshly, nor would he have embarrassed Xiao Qingyuan in front of the entire Ministry of Justice.

But before he came to the Ministry of Justice, he went back to the Duke's mansion. The servants there told him that early this morning, Xiao Qingyuan had caused trouble for Shen Wantang again, and even complained that Shen Wantang had stolen his credit.

How could he tolerate this?

The woman he couldn't marry and dared not touch, the woman he had protected with all his heart, was actually disliked by Xiao Qingyuan like this. The fact that he didn't kick Xiao Qingyuan out was already a great act of restraint.

He originally planned to solve the case in three days so as not to appear too much of a genius.

But he doesn't want to wait any longer.

The case was solved in a single day, which was a perfect slap in the face for Xiao Qingyuan.

He entered the main hall of the Ministry of Justice and began giving orders to his subordinates.

Lu Qiying and Xin Huailin didn't care about Xiao Qingyuan at this moment. The two of them stood on either side of Gu Qianhan, looking like they were following his orders.

Logically speaking, Gu Qianhan's temporary official position as a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice was not as high as Lü Qiying's official rank as a vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. However, Lü Qiying did not treat him as his subordinate. Instead, he was very pragmatic and took the initiative to become Gu Qianhan's subordinate.

Who can blame Gu Qianhan for his genuine talent and learning? Who can blame him for being the Empress's nephew? Who can blame him for being the second legitimate son of the Duke's mansion?

Any one of these qualities would make one a person who could walk with impunity in the capital.

Lu Qiying wasn't some greenhorn; how could he possibly offend Gu Qianhan? He was shrewd!

As for Xiao Qingyuan...

Lu Qiying glanced back at him and saw him standing on one side of the hall with a gloomy face. He couldn't help but shake his head.

He had warned Xin Huailin before that Xiao Qingyuan only solved cases on a whim and wouldn't take it too seriously, and that he shouldn't place too much hope on Xiao Qingyuan. But Xin Huailin didn't listen and treated Xiao Qingyuan like a lifeline.

And now? Hasn't Xin Huailin also realized that the real person who can solve the case is Gu Qianhan? Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing by Gu Qianhan's side.

The Ministry of Justice quickly deployed its personnel; some went to track Xiang Meng's father, some to interrogate Xiang Meng's mother, some to search for clues at the Shen family's residence, and others were assigned to conduct a thorough search of the Xin family's residence.

Everything was arranged perfectly by Gu Qianhan.

However, the only person Gu Qianhan did not arrange for to continue interrogating was Xiang Meng.

He didn't say why, but Lü Qiying felt that Gu Qianhan's thoughts were probably the same as his.

Since Xiang Meng was able to kill thirteen members of the Xin family, young and old, it's enough to show that he's extremely strong-willed and a tough nut to crack. Interrogating him would be pointless.

Instead of wasting energy interrogating Xiang Meng, it would be better to send more people out to search for the remains of the Xin family's thirteen members.

As darkness fell, the moonlight shone on the still-unmelted winter snow, casting a pale white glow that made the already oppressive Ministry of Justice even more somber.

Time passed slowly, and one by one, the people Gu Qianhan sent out returned.

As soon as one of them returned, Xin Huailin stepped forward expectantly and asked, "Any clues? Any news about my family?"

However, everyone shook their heads at Xin Huailin.

The hope in Xin Huailin's eyes gradually turned back into despair.

Xiao Qingyuan watched from the side and mocked, "Gu Qianhan, aren't you the number one genius of Dafeng? Why aren't you working? I thought you were so capable, but it turns out you're just like me, having gained nothing!"

"Oh, it's different. I didn't treat the entire Ministry of Justice like monkeys, making them run around in this cold weather, acting like you're some kind of big shot."

"Everyone was intimidated by your pretentious demeanor, but in reality, you're nothing but a paper tiger, all show and no substance."

Gu Qianhan sat in the main seat of the hall, her expression indifferent, ignoring Xiao Qingyuan's provocation.

He was reborn, so he already knew where the Xin family's remains were buried.

However, he also had his own pride, and he disdained to use the advantages brought by his rebirth to deal with Xiao Qingyuan.

Of course, some of the people he sent out were assigned to the actual burial place of the Xin family. However, that place was quite far away, and he deliberately sent people there last, so the news naturally came back late.

He knew the outcome himself, so he remained calm.

But the others couldn't sit still any longer, and the people in the hall began to whisper and murmur among themselves.

"Are we really going to have wasted another day? The New Year is just around the corner, and if we can't solve this case before the New Year, we won't be able to explain it to the Emperor!"

"This case isn't so easy to solve. Otherwise, the Court of Judicial Review and the Embroidered Uniform Guard would have already stolen the credit. How could it be our Ministry of Justice's turn?"

“But we already have clues about Young Master Gu, right? We should just convict Xiang Meng directly. He has a rare poison from the Western Regions in his body and half a needle hidden in his cheek. He is clearly the murderer.”

"You're supposed to be from the Ministry of Justice, and you've only got this much information? How can you convict Xiang Meng? So what if he was poisoned by a rare Western Region poison? Does that prove she killed him? That's only half the evidence. The other half depends on whether our genius, Young Master Gu, can find it."

"Tsk, this is bad. It's already past midnight, and most of the people who went out have come back. Just like the past few days, we haven't found anything. That Xiang Meng has erased all traces!"

"Sigh, I thought geniuses would be different, but it's another disappointment. I think General Xin is almost at his breaking point."

Gu Qianhan's hearing is much more acute than that of ordinary people. They thought they were speaking very softly and that he couldn't hear them, but in fact, he could hear everything.

However, he didn't care.

Whether in his past life or this life, he never paid attention to other people's opinions of him, rarely wavered because of external things, and never doubted himself because of other people's doubts.

Xiao Qingyuan was visibly relaxed at this moment. He even strolled around the main hall leisurely, constantly lingering in front of Gu Qianhan.

He occasionally heard people in the main hall questioning Gu Qianhan's genius, which made him feel much better—it wasn't that he was incompetent, but that the Xin family's case was truly difficult to solve, even geniuses were helpless!

He glanced at the water clock and saw that it was already midnight. He patted Xin Huailin on the shoulder and said, "Huailin, it's getting late. Come back to the Ning Prince's Mansion with me! Let's rest for a while. We can continue solving the case tomorrow. If you keep staying here, you might collapse before the case is solved."

Xin Huailin shook his head slightly and said in a dry, hoarse voice, "Your Highness, I want to wait a little longer. There are still two people who haven't returned yet. Perhaps they will bring back clues."

"Don't even think about it, it's impossible. Do you really think Gu Qianhan can solve cases? He's just here to challenge me. He won't find any clues!"

However, just as Xiao Qingyuan finished speaking, a figure rushed in.

"Report! Lord Lü, Young Master Gu, our men have discovered thirteen sets of remains in the south of the city!"