Minister Zheng is currently on sick leave; do you think he resigned?
[If the old cat doesn't roar, do you think I'm on my deathbed?]
Logically speaking, the Prefect was merely a lowly seventh-rank official, while Minister Zheng was at least a third-rank official; they should have been the ones to kowtow to, but…
Qin Wuyu knew that Minister Zheng had something to ask of him. He smiled "amiably," said nothing more, simply cupped his hands in a casual gesture, and sat down next to Minister Zheng.
Minister Zheng was very dissatisfied with this arrogant attitude, but there was nothing he could do about it.
At this moment, Qin Wuyu spoke up, "Master Zheng, you are a rare guest! Tell me, what brings such a great person as you to my dilapidated temple?"
Minister Zheng disliked these words even more. He disliked Qin Wuyu very much, but there was nothing he could do about it. Qin Wuyu smiled and began to speak in official jargon, "Master Zheng, you are not feeling well. Instead of resting and recuperating at home, what are you doing here at the Jingzhao Prefecture? Tell me."
Minister Zheng was already feeling very uncomfortable sitting there, and now, hearing Qin Wuyu's sarcastic words, he felt nauseous. He was barely suppressing his anger.
Now that he had finished speaking quickly, he had to leave. So Minister Zheng got straight to the point and said, "Lord Qin, I have come here to seek justice for my daughter, Princess Heyi!"
"Princess Heyi? Seeking justice?" Hearing this seemed quite surprising. Qin Wuyu glanced at one of the men working nearby. The man walked over and whispered something in Qin Wuyu's ear. Qin Wuyu understood, but his attitude became even more dismissive.
As for Minister Zheng, he was determined to do it and said what he had been preparing for a long time: "I should have been resting at home, but I heard that a murder has occurred in the West Market. A few nights ago, your constables arrested three women in the West Market, including my daughter Zheng Heyi and a maid named Qingju."
“Zheng Heyi,” Qin Wuyu nodded, “I know her. She is Princess Yong’an and also the manager of Zhiweitang. What’s wrong? What’s your opinion?”
It was clear that Qin Wuyu was deliberately making things difficult for her. "In this case, the evidence is irrefutable. Regardless of whether she is a princess or not, even if she were the emperor's own daughter, she would still be dealt with accordingly."
Upon hearing this, Minister Zheng was furious. "This is a miscarriage of justice! My daughter, He Yi! She is kind-hearted, how could she possibly go to the West Market to commit murder? Lord Qin, I guarantee you with my life that there is something fishy about this case. I urge you, Lord Qin, to investigate thoroughly and not assume that the presence of a dagger and witnesses means He Yi did it. Please investigate again and clear He Yi's name!"
Although Minister Zheng spoke calmly, his attitude was actually firm. He naturally hoped that Qin Wuyu would conduct a serious investigation instead of immediately issuing a verdict.
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyu remained expressionless, merely giving Minister Zheng a cold look.
After a short while, Qin Wuyu actually slowly picked up the Jianzhan cup next to him, slowly blew away the foam on the tea leaves, took a sip, and then looked at Minister Zheng.
"My lord, you are a high-ranking official who can easily suppress anyone. Why is it that when the evidence is conclusive, you still need to investigate further? Does my lord mean that I am not 'clever enough' to investigate?"
Minister Zheng was furious. "This case itself is problematic. You should investigate it thoroughly."
Little did Qin Wuyu know that he was not afraid of Minister Zheng at all. After all, someone had impeached Minister Zheng in the court not long ago, and now Minister Zheng was terminally ill and might die at any time.
Everyone says Zheng Yu is capable, but Zheng Yu is currently just a student. In the capital, the Zheng family is completely finished.
“My lord, it’s not that I’m ignoring this matter, but you must understand the six words ‘one should fulfill one’s duties’ in our office. Evidence is always the most important thing in handling cases here. As for the matter of Princess Yong’an that you mentioned, she is indeed a princess with a noble status, but even a three-year-old child understands the principle of ‘a life for a life’ and ‘a debt must be repaid’.”
[Minister Zheng, let's show him the power of rank and see what he can do.]
This is outrageous! How can they be so arrogant?
"I've already said that my daughter wouldn't kill anyone. I hope you'll handle the case seriously." Minister Zheng was also annoyed, almost roaring. He was usually a very amiable person.
Even the steward, Gong Shu, rarely saw the master so furious, but today, because of He Yi's matter, Minister Zheng had completely changed.
Qin Wuyu was not afraid at all and continued to speak confidently: "Sir, a dagger was left at the murder scene in the West Market. The dagger was covered in blood. The third sister-in-law next door has also testified that your daughter and I killed the person. This is a case of catching them red-handed!"
"you……"
“I am also a father, and I know what you are thinking right now, but the murder weapon is on the deceased, and your daughter is inside the house! Sun Sanlang is lying there, and this is irrefutable evidence. You can’t change all of this with just a few words.”
Having said that, Qin Wuyu smiled coldly and swept the table hard with his sleeve. In his previous sentence, Qin Wuyu deliberately emphasized the words "caught red-handed" and "irrefutable evidence".
The purpose was nothing more than to make Minister Zheng understand that the matter could not be undone.
Zheng Heyi's case is over. At this moment, Minister Zheng was furious. He felt hot blood rushing to his head. His voice trembled with excitement: "Lord Qin, how could you do this? You are so incompetent."
Minister Zheng was restless and began to cough urgently. Seeing Minister Zheng's violent coughing, Qin Wuyu ignored him and even prepared to get up and leave.
"Master, please be careful." Seeing Minister Zheng cough, Uncle Gong was worried that he would upset the old man, so he quickly patted Minister Zheng's back.
"Cough, cough..."
Minister Zheng glared angrily at Qin Wuyu and shouted hoarsely, "You keep saying 'caught red-handed,' but how do you know it's 'caught red-handed' and not someone framing you? Besides, what would my daughter, a weak woman, be doing in the West Market late at night? Don't you find that strange?"
“What’s so strange about that? I see murders every day, and even,” Qin Wuyu stared into Minister Zheng’s eyes, “people kill even without any motive.”
"Very well," Minister Zheng laughed instead of getting angry, "Then let me ask you, if my daughter fought with such a big and burly man, wouldn't there be any signs of a struggle at the scene?"
“This is none of my business.”
Yes, how could He Yi possibly be a match for Sun Sanlang? Secondly, even if we concede that He Yi was the murderer, and that Sun Sanlang was killed by He Yi or by He Yi in collusion with Qingju and Liu Yun, wouldn't there be some signs of a struggle at the scene?
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