“How could my daughter kill a nobody for no reason? It doesn’t make sense! There must be something more to this! Please, Your Honor, investigate thoroughly and clear my daughter’s name. Don’t let the real culprit go unpunished.”
After saying all this, Minister Zheng began to cough and wheeze. He had been to the prison before and knew what it was like inside. Now, the longer He Yi and Qing Ju stayed in the cell, the greater the danger became.
As a father, he naturally wanted He Yi to leave immediately.
[Evidence? What evidence? That's the least important thing. What matters is that the person is caught, and the case can be closed. Heh heh, you idiot, say whatever you want, I'm just going to stay idiotic.]
Qin Wuyu, I understand your reasoning, but Heyi is my daughter. If something's wrong with the case, it must be reinvestigated.
[Ironclad evidence? That's utter nonsense. What witnesses or physical evidence could there be?]
[Qin Wuyu: Framed? I can't see it! I can't see it!]
Qin Wuyu stared at Minister Zheng for a long time, his gaze strange and peculiar.
It was as if he was investigating how she, a high-ranking official, had managed to rise to such a position, and how she didn't understand even the slightest bit of social etiquette. His shrewd eyes stared at her intently again, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
"Lord Zheng, I completely understand your feelings. As parents, we all love our children dearly. But... this case is incredibly difficult to handle!"
Having said that, Qin Wuyu stood up and moved closer to Minister Zheng.
He stretched out his hand, deliberately placing his right hand in front of Minister Zheng, and then gently rubbed it together. If Minister Zheng were a businessman, this would have been a very obvious hint.
Or, even if Minister Zheng were a frequent bribe-giver or a corrupt official, he would understand what this meant. Unfortunately, Minister Zheng was an upright and honest man.
Qin Wuyu noticed that Minister Zheng wasn't staring at his fingertips, and he thought to himself, "What's wrong with you? Don't you understand that I get paid to handle cases?"
It seemed necessary to give this Minister a little pointer, so Qin Wuyu drawled out his words slowly: "Think about it carefully. That Sun Sanlang was a bachelor, he only had himself to feed, so his death was no big deal, and no one would pursue the matter any further..."
Logically, Minister Zheng should have understood by now, but unfortunately, he was still in a daze. Qin Wuyu coughed, leaned closer to him, and continued, "To put it bluntly, this case is just a formality for me."
"What do you mean? How can a case be treated as a mere formality?"
Minister Zheng was fuming, but Qin Wuyu remained smiling. "I also want Princess Heyi to leave the prison safely, but we need to make things run smoothly and avoid any future complications. You see..." He paused, habitually rubbing his fingers together, "Understand?"
Minister Zheng looked at Qin Wuyu's constantly rubbing fingers and really couldn't understand it.
What does this mean?
[Qin Wuyu: You call me incompetent? You're clearly a fool! Money? If you pay, the case doesn't need to be solved.]
[Minister Zheng: Do you know what this means?]
Actually, when he saw Qin Wuyu rubbing his fingers, Gong Shu next to him also looked bewildered. A guard behind him coughed, walked over to Gong Shu, and reminded him of something.
At this moment, Gong Shu hurriedly approached Minister Zheng and told him exactly what the constable had said. Upon hearing this, the minister immediately flew into a rage.
He had just realized what Qin Wuyu was implying by rubbing his fingers together, and now an unparalleled anger surged into his heart.
"Outrageous! I have lived a life of integrity and honesty, and I am naturally incomparable to you corrupt and lawless fellows. You have repeatedly hinted to me that you want to give me money. Since when did you, the dignified Prefect of the Capital, start to openly engage in private bribery? This is a case, you should investigate it seriously, but you actually want money. It's disgusting."
After finishing his speech in one breath, Minister Zheng was so angry that he was trembling all over.
"I have served as an official for over ten years, always maintaining an upright and honest character. How dare you imply that I should accept a bribe? This is utterly outrageous! Your reckless behavior is a crime! You, a mere seventh-rank official, are you not afraid of the law at all?"
Minister Zheng was furious and wanted to teach Qin Wuyu a lesson. Qin Wuyu, on the other hand, found it strange. Why did you have to make such a fuss? You have money and shops, you could have just given me a little something.
But if you insist on pestering me, don't blame me for being impolite.
[Minister Zheng: You corrupt official, you deserve to die! What are you trying to do by gesturing like that? Are you trying to read my palm?]
[At the scene of soliciting a bribe, he refused to give her any money, hahaha!]
When an honest official meets a corrupt one, they can't understand each other at all; both Qin Wuyu and Minister Zheng's blood pressure spikes!
Qin Wuyu naturally knew Zheng Shangshu's financial situation and understood that Zheng Shangshu was willing to do anything for Heyi. However, he never dreamed that Zheng Shangshu would not only not give him money, but would also bluntly blame him.
This put him in an awkward position, and both of them felt that the other was being stubborn.
Qin Wuyu's face flushed red and then turned pale; he was furious.
"Show them out!" Enraged, Qin Wuyu slammed his fist on the table and roared furiously, "Lord Zheng, I respect you as a senior and gave you this excellent idea, but you yourself didn't use it. What bribery? When have I ever asked you for anything?"
Qin Wuyu's face turned a true liver color. "I'm telling you, sir, this case is complicated and difficult to handle. Your daughter committed murder, and now the evidence is conclusive. I'm handling this impartially! Since ancient times, even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. What do you mean by this, Lord Zheng?"
Clearly, that damned Lord Qin was hinting at doing favors for money, but Minister Zheng exposed him, yet he did so with such a high-sounding air. Hearing this, Minister Zheng was furious.
He had come here to handle matters while he was ill, but he never expected to encounter such an official. Minister Zheng couldn't understand how such a guy could serve under the emperor.
By now, he was so angry that his shoulders were trembling. Seeing this, the steward, Uncle Gong, worried that something might have happened to the master, and hurriedly approached, "Master, are you alright?"
Minister Zheng coughed violently, looking as if he could barely breathe. Gong Shu was naturally frightened and rushed over to support Minister Zheng.
"Sir! This is not the place to reason. Let's go, let's leave this filthy courtroom. Sir, please don't be angry, please take care of yourself!"
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