Chapter 284 How Skilled He Is at Manipulating "Suspects"
The front yard of the Shen family.
In the flower hall, Gu Qianhan and Lü Qiying sat on chairs, with steaming hot tea in front of them. The servants and maids serving them were all trembling with fear and extremely respectful.
Just as we were waiting, Shen Guannian arrived.
Shen Guannian was accompanied by Shen Wantang.
She wore a crimson brocade moon-flower dress and a snow rabbit fur cloak, her lips were red and her teeth were white, her features were exquisite.
As the snow fell in abundance, she walked slowly, emerging from the icy landscape and entering Gu Qianhan's heart.
Even Lü Qiying, who was always focused on solving cases and catching criminals and never paid attention to women, had a hint of admiration in his eyes.
However, Lü Qiying dared not look at Shen Wantang too much, because he did not want to offend this Crown Princess.
He greeted Shen Guannian coldly, then cupped his hands towards Shen Wantang and said in a more amicable tone, "I didn't expect the Princess Consort to return to the Shen family today. What a coincidence! I can also take this opportunity to thank the Princess Consort!"
"Thank you, Princess Consort, for providing us with important clues about Xiang Meng. Thank you also for reminding me to seek help from Young Master Gu. Thanks to you, our Ministry of Justice was able to solve the case before the end of the year and give an explanation to His Majesty and the people of the world."
"On behalf of the Ministry of Justice and General Xin, I, Lü, extend my gratitude to the Crown Princess!"
Shen Wantang hadn't expected Lü Qiying to be so serious. She smiled gently and said, "I only provided Lord Lü with a little information about Xiang Meng's unusual behavior. I don't deserve such thanks from you. I heard that the real person who solved the case was Young Master Gu. You should thank him. Without him, even if I had discovered the unusual behavior of Xiang Meng, I wouldn't have been able to convict him."
Lu Qiying said, "Yes, Young Master Gu is the number one contributor to solving this case, but the Crown Princess also deserves credit, so I naturally want to thank her as well."
Gu Qianhan, standing to the side, remained silent. He was as indifferent and aloof as ever, seemingly uninterested in paying attention to anyone.
His gaze didn't linger on Shen Wantang for long; after a quick glance, he looked outside.
Although he felt unworthy of the credit for solving the case, Gu Qianhan understood Shen Wantang. Since she had given him the credit, he had to accept it all and couldn't give it back.
She doesn't like to be in the limelight. In both her past and present lives, she is the one who solves cases, but she is not the one who becomes famous.
What she wanted was never fleeting fame; she wanted tangible things, such as a stable life and the power to control her own destiny.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Lü Qiying finally revealed his purpose: "Lord Shen, since Xiang Meng is a bodyguard of the Shen family, and he has committed a heinous crime, you, as the head of the family, are suspected of protecting him and have failed in your duty of oversight. I request that you come with me, Lord Shen!"
Shen Guannian's hands and feet were ice-cold, and his teeth were chattering: "Lord Lü, please understand, I really know nothing about Xiang Meng's matter!"
"Whether you know it or not, Lord Shen has gone to the Ministry of Justice, and our people will interrogate him. The truth will naturally come out."
Shen Guannian looked at Shen Wantang with some panic: "Tang'er, quickly tell Lord Lü that I am innocent! The Shen family really knows nothing about what Xiang Meng did!"
Shen Wantang spoke softly, "Father, just go to the Ministry of Justice with Lord Lü. Lord Lü is the most discerning of right and wrong. You are innocent and nothing will happen to you."
Lu Qiying disliked Shen Guannian, but out of respect for Shen Wantang, he still tried to appease him: "Lord Shen need not worry. You are a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), an honest and upright official, and a pillar of the nation. Although the Ministry of Justice has ruthless methods for interrogating prisoners, these methods will not be used on you. If Lord Shen truly has no connection with Xiang Meng, I will naturally let you go home."
Instead of appeasing him, Shen Guannian became even more frightened. Although he had no connection to Xiang Meng's murder, he had used his position as an official to amass personal wealth. What if this were discovered...?
He absolutely refused to go to the Ministry of Justice!
He couldn't help but look at Shen Wantang again: "Tang'er, since you have helped Lord Lü so much, could you please ask him to be lenient? Why don't you ask him any questions at the Shen family?"
Shen Wantang sighed inwardly. She had just done Lü Qiying a favor, and Shen Guannian was already eager to use it.
No wonder he couldn't get back to his original position despite trying to pull strings and beg for favors everywhere. He's probably already exhausted all his connections, and now nobody's willing to help him anymore.
Just as she was about to force Shen Guannian to go to the Ministry of Justice with a tough tone, Gu Qianhan suddenly said indifferently, "Lord Shen, the Ministry of Justice has no precedent for interrogating people at home. You are only a suspect at the moment. If you refuse to cooperate with the procedures of the Ministry of Justice, then you will be a real criminal. When a document comes down, it will not be Lord Lü and me who come to invite you, but a team of constables and a prison cart."
Shen Guannian was startled and quickly said, "Young Master Gu, you misunderstand. I did not refuse to cooperate with the Ministry of Justice's procedures. I will go with you and Lord Lü right now!"
Gu Qianhan's expression remained indifferent: "Lord Shen, please."
Shen Guannian gritted his teeth and slowly walked out.
Shen Wantang glanced at him, then her gaze fell on Gu Qianhan. He was quite good at scaring people. How come he ended up in Dali Temple in his past life?
He's so good at handling "suspects," he should be in the Ministry of Justice!
Gu Qianhan knew that Shen Wantang was looking at him, but he did not look at her. In front of Lü Qiying, he would not reveal any of his inner emotions, nor did he want to cause any trouble for her.
He lifted his foot and strode out with a cold expression.
His aloofness made Lü Qiying somewhat embarrassed, and he quickly said, "Princess Consort, Young Master Gu is not targeting you and Lord Shen. I've found that this is just his temperament after getting to know him; he didn't do it on purpose."
Shen Wantang nodded: "It's alright. I've also heard about my second brother's temper from Miss Gu. He's objective, not personal. I know that."
Seeing that her voice remained calm and she wasn't angry, Lü Qiying breathed a sigh of relief and then took his leave.
After everyone had left, Granny Chai stepped forward and respectfully asked, "Princess Consort, would you like to return to the residence?"
"Let's go back. We've seen enough of the excitement here."
After leaving the Shen family, the carriage moved slowly along the street.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, many people are busy going to the market to buy New Year's goods. Although it is snowing heavily, there are still quite a few pedestrians on the road.
"Hey, have you heard? The Xin family case has been solved! The murderer who killed thirteen members of the Xin family has been found!"
"Of course I've heard about it. The murderer was a guard from the Shen family, and the one who solved the case was the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!"
"What? It was Young Master Gu who solved the case? Not Young Master Xiao?"
"Tch! Can that Young Master Xiao solve cases? He has no real skills at all. He only works sporadically at the Dali Temple. He's far inferior to Second Young Master Gu. Second Young Master Gu has been a child prodigy since childhood. He solved the case in less than a day!"
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