Chapter 69 Return it the way you took it.
Behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony, in the Imperial Study, Emperor Li Yi of the Great Wei Dynasty sneered:
"That's quite rare. Normally, if the Court of Judicial Review encounters such a thorny case, it would be eager to pass it on to the Six Doors. Even the Prefectural Government of the Capital would try to pass the case on to the Six Doors for the smallest matter."
Without raising his head, a half-smile played on his lips, and the imperial edict in vermilion ink in his hand never stopped: "You Ministry of Justice are quite something, brazenly blocking Prince Jing's door and intercepting his case."
He paused, then chuckled, looked up at Chen Wen who stood there speechless, and asked, "What, you're not confident at all?"
Li Yi's words made Chen Wen's face turn pale and then red. He was sweating profusely, his eyes darted around, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He didn't dare to utter a sound.
He never expected things to turn out this way.
The reason he retrieved his second son's body was twofold. First, out of old-fashioned thinking and not wanting to see his son disemboweled by those coroners from the Six Doors (a criminal investigation agency). Second, he felt that the Ministry of Justice had been observing Li Jin's crime-solving methods for so many years and could at least learn about 80% of them by simply copying them.
Isn't it just a simple matter of analysis, negotiation, and qualitative visits? If the Six Doors can do it, then the Ministry of Justice certainly can too.
But after he brought the person back, the entire Ministry of Justice worked for seven or eight days, and not only did they fail to solve the case, they are still arguing about the nature of the case.
At this moment, Li Jin stood smiling in the corner of the study. Chen Wen seemed to sense the mockery in his gaze, lowered his head, turned his face slightly, and glared at him fiercely.
What's with all the smugness?
After a long while, Li Yi raised his eyebrows and glanced at the top of Chen Wen's head.
"I ask you, what caused this case? And how was the scope of the investigation into the suspect determined?"
Chen Wen hurriedly replied, "The preliminary assessment is that it is a robbery committed for money and murder. The scope is currently narrowed down to the bandits outside the capital."
After he finished speaking, as if in a show of defiance, he turned to look at Li Jin again.
But the man's face still wore a gentle smile, completely impassive; he showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Bandits?" Li Yi put down his pen, sat up straight, and looked at Chen Wen with a dark and unfathomable gaze.
After a long pause, he raised his hand and pointed at Li Jin: "Come on, tell me, do you agree with what Lord Chen said?"
Li Jin shook his head: "Your subject does not agree."
He smiled slightly and continued, "Lord Chen is questioning the Jingzhao Prefecture. Since the matter of the bandits has been linked to the capabilities of various prefectures, even petty thieves are rare near the capital, let alone bandits."
Chen Wen grew anxious: "Your Highness Prince Jing, I understand your desire to protect Feng Chao, but you can't be so certain that there are no bandits, can you?"
"Without the bandits, how could my poor second son have ended up dead in the wilderness? How could he have..." As he spoke, his eyes reddened, and he became particularly emotional.
Li Yi looked at him for a long while, then chuckled softly: "Come on, Li Jin, tell me, how did you die? And how should we investigate the case?"
Li Jin stepped forward and bowed very solemnly: "Your subject has already determined that the murder that day to be a revenge killing, within the victim's social network."
"A revenge killing?" Li Yi narrowed his eyes. "Look at Lord Chen's expression; he clearly doesn't believe it. Does Li Jin have any evidence?"
"Yes, but not in my possession." He turned his head to look at Chen Wen. "Just now, Lord Chen said that he was murdered for money. I am really worried about whether the evidence that was taken away is still intact in the Ministry of Justice."
Upon hearing this, Chen Wen became flustered: "Your Highness Prince Jing, the evidence I took away that day included no murder weapon and only a blood-stained garment as physical evidence. How can we conclude that it was a revenge killing based on just a blood-stained garment?"
"What material is that blood-stained garment made of?" Li Jin asked with a faint smile, looking at his face.
"silk."
"Do you offer permanent makeup?"
“This… embroidered with small cloud patterns.” Chen Wen frowned. “A silk blue robe with small cloud patterns! Your Highness wouldn’t make this judgment based solely on this item, would you? That seems rather far-fetched.”
Li Jin nodded slowly and deliberately. In the magnificent study, under Li Yi's watchful eye, he explained in an orderly manner: "The cloud-patterned blue robe may not seem useful on its own, but when viewed in combination with other items, it becomes quite different."
"The victim still had his purse with over ten taels of silver on him, which is no small sum for bandits." He looked at Chen Wen. "Think about it, why wouldn't bandits who kill for money take the victim's money after killing him to cover their tracks?"
“This…” Chen Wen’s face turned pale.
“The money is still there, so the possibility of him being after money should be ruled out first.” He paused. “At the crime scene, the young master of the Chen family was fully clothed and had no shortage of outer garments, but the one covering his head was an expensive silk robe with cloud patterns. Who else could afford such a material besides someone of similar wealth and status as Lord Chen? And who else, besides an acquaintance, could have the ability to arrange a meeting with the victim outside Yanxing Gate in the middle of the night with someone of the same financial means?”
"Finally..." Li Jin cupped his hands and bowed to Li Yi, who was sitting in the center of the study, "After being stabbed eleven times, the young master of the Chen family was still decapitated, and his face and scalp were covered with sharp wounds, a bloody mess. This is a typical case of revenge. This proves that the young master of the Chen family died in a revenge killing, and the suspect should be someone he knew."
In the study, Li Jin waited there with his hands clasped and his back bent, while Chen Wen kept his head bowed deeply, not daring to look at Li Yi's face.
Li Yi, however, stood with his arms crossed, saying nothing.
This eerie silence lasted for a long time, so long that beads of sweat from Chen Wen's forehead dripped onto the ground, making faint pattering sounds.
After a long silence, Li Yi chuckled softly: "Do you know how the people are evaluating the Ministry of Justice now?"
Before Chen Wen could respond, Li Yi raised an eyebrow, his expression one of disdain and mockery: "The common people are now used to reading it backwards, 'Ministry of Justice,' no good."
These few simple words sent a chill down Chen Wen's spine, and he hurriedly knelt on the ground.
“Originally, the Ministry of Justice and the Six Doors had reached a consensus, and I had no intention of interfering.” Li Yi took a deep breath, his majestic gaze falling on Chen Wen’s head. “But unfortunately, this matter has caused a great uproar in the city, the people’s hearts are unsettled, and everyone is in danger.”
"Since the Ministry of Justice has been investigating for so many days, why don't the Six Doors just stand by and watch for two hours?" He crossed his arms and chuckled. "What face does the Ministry of Justice have left to hoard evidence and corpses? Are they planning to just arrest some bandit, torture him into confessing, and incidentally smear the Jingzhao Prefecture?"
Li Yi raised his hand and rubbed his temple: "Pass on my decree: the Ministry of Justice should return the items to the Six Doors in the same way they were seized."
He raised his eyes and looked coldly at Chen Wen: "If you can't, then sign a 'military pledge' to me. If you can't solve the case in three days, it's time to dismiss you from your posts and strip you of your titles. It'll be time to replace you bunch of lazy old guys who are just waiting to die!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
