Chapter 19 Interrogation
Qi Heng turned to look at him, then lowered her eyes, her expression unreadable.
After the court session, the crowd gathered around Duan Gan to congratulate him, but before they could reach him, they were blocked by the military officers led by Wu Lei.
Duan Gan strode forward, his eyes fixed straight ahead, his movements swift and powerful.
"Master Duan!"
Suddenly a shout came from behind him.
He recognized the voice, slowed his pace, and turned his head to look. Qi Heng walked over, stood in front of him, and smiled gently.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Lord Duan. I believe that the position of Right Chancellor will soon be reinstated for you."
"Your Highness is joking. It is all thanks to His Majesty's kind words."
"There were rumors that the death of my uncle was related to Lord Duan. Now that my father has appointed you as the Grand Councilor, it is clear that my father trusts you very much."
Duan Gan suddenly chuckled, "Perhaps Your Highness has heard that the higher you stand, the more likely you are to fall and be shattered to pieces. Whether Your Highness believes it or not, I have not been involved in the death of the Chief Envoy in the slightest."
Qi Heng seemed surprised that he would speak so boldly and frankly. She was stunned for a moment, and the smile on her face gradually returned to calm.
Duan Gan's expression instantly turned calm as he bowed and said, "I have urgent business to attend to and must take my leave."
Qi Heng watched his departing figure, lost in thought.
A lone carriage was parked at the palace gate. After his master got into the carriage, Chen Jinghe automatically became the coachman. It was too late, so he sent the others back.
"Fourth Master, shall we go back to the Duan family?"
He tilted his head and asked.
There was a moment of silence inside. "Go to the Privy Council."
"Yes, Fourth Master."
There was no daytime heat, the night breeze was cool and pleasant, and the sound of cart wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs echoed on the silent street.
Half an hour later, the carriage slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the Privy Council.
He jumped off the carriage with a thud, turned around and lifted the curtain: "Fourth Master, we've arrived."
Duan Gan got off the carriage and glanced to the side. A white patch on the ground caught his eye, and he stopped abruptly before taking a step forward.
He looked at the thing on the ground, squatted down, picked it up with his fingertips, and it was a lifelike little cat made of paper. Its white body was painted with brown and black spots, and it had small ears, whiskers, and even its cheeks were painted rosy.
Chen Jinghe exclaimed in surprise, "Who dropped this? The kitten is quite interesting, so cute!"
As he was speaking, he was about to make a move when the person in front of him suddenly dodged. He looked up and caught a glimpse of his master's cold gaze.
They said nothing, yet it was as if they had said everything.
Chen Jinghe's throat tightened for a moment, then he chuckled dryly a few times.
Duan Gan put his hand down, put the paper cat into his sleeve, and strode into the Privy Council.
The sun was blazing hot, and Tao Tao got up very early again.
Since she came here, her biological clock has been adjusted. She goes to bed early and gets up early every day, and she is in great health, has excellent energy, and eats a lot.
It's good, but she's not used to it. There's nothing she can do about it; it's not like modern times where you can have whatever you want.
After she finished washing up, Tao's mother was preparing breakfast, and her younger brother was also getting ready. The little guy was quite sensible, otherwise she wouldn't have bought him candy.
The three were happily eating when suddenly there was a loud banging at the door, as if they were trying to tear it down.
Tao's mother's expression changed slightly, and a hint of fear flashed in her eyes. Just as she was about to get up, Tao Tao had already headed towards the door.
"Who is it?! Trying to break down the door?! Don't you have any manners?"
She pulled the latch off in an annoyed manner, opened the door, and stared blankly at the person in front of her.
"We meet again."
Zhao Li smiled slightly.
"Sir, is there something you need?"
She remained expressionless and indifferent.
"Have you ever worked at the Chen residence for a funeral?"
She nodded. "Yes, I have to go today. The funeral isn't over yet."
"The person you're dealing with is the Vice Minister of Works. His death is suspicious. You'll be coming back with us for questioning."
"good."
You agreed so easily?
Zhao Li raised an eyebrow in curiosity and doubt. Wasn't this young lady afraid or worried?
"Could you wait a moment? I need to go in and explain something. Otherwise, I'm afraid my mother and brother will worry."
She pointed inside.
He nodded.
She is not a suspect at the moment, but is just being interrogated. The Dali Temple is not such a harsh person.
If those who had been treated ruthlessly by him knew what he was thinking right now, they would probably curse him out.
Tao Tao quickly turned back to her mother and told her, "Mother, I have to go out for a bit. If anyone comes looking for me later, just tell them I have to go and ask them to go home first."
"Also, here are three hundred taels of silver notes. I don't know if I'll be back on time tonight. If the people from the gambling den come looking for me, just give them to them."
This whole situation left Tao's mother completely bewildered. Seeing that she was about to leave, she hurriedly grabbed her hand and asked, "Tao'er, where are you going? Who's that person at the door?"
"And where did you get so much money?"
"Mother, don't worry, I earned this money. I asked the Privy Council for it. Just remember what I told you."
"Wait for me at home."
Tao Tao smiled, gave her a reassuring look, patted her hand, and then turned and walked away decisively.
After boarding the carriage of the Dali Temple, the carriage gradually came to a stop in less than half an hour.
She was taken to the Dali Temple prison. The dark and dirty environment, with its damp and rotten smell, made her frown and feel very uncomfortable.
The prisoners in the cages were disheveled, their faces ashen, their eyes vacant, as if they had lost all hope of living.
It gives people a strong sense of oppression, and may even create a psychological suggestion that once you enter, you can't get out.
Having seen so many dead people, Tao Tao remained remarkably calm and strong. After a brief moment of self-comfort, she was able to smile as she faced the people interrogating her and the blood-stained instruments of torture in the interrogation room.
Zhao Li and she sat facing each other, with a table between them.
"You can start speaking now."
He stared at her, his expression solemn and cold.
Tao Tao pondered for a moment before beginning to recount everything she had seen at the Chen residence, omitting, of course, the bizarre detail of how she had staked out the mansion's gate for seven days and seven nights.
If this happened in modern times, he would definitely get beaten up if discovered.
"Didn't you notice anything wrong?"
"When the mouth of the deceased was pried open, a large amount of black blood gushed out, and nothing else."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Li remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up and looked down at her with eyes as sharp as an eagle's: "Nothing else?"
"There really isn't any more, sir. I'm not a coroner, so I can't tell anything more."
She looked up and met his gaze without fear, a hint of helplessness on her face.
"What kind of black blood was it? Was it poisonous? Did you tell them at the time?"
"It's just dark blood, I don't know if it's poisonous, but as I've already said, they don't seem to care."
Throughout her speech, Zhao Li kept his eyes fixed on her face, scrutinizing every nuance of her expression, trying to discern whether she was lying.
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