Chapter 72 A Woman Who Is Two-Faced
"Insolence!" Zhou Zheng shouted, bringing Chen Wen, who was startled by the sudden commotion, back to his senses.
He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Chen Lan's elbow, saying, "What's wrong with you! How dare you be disrespectful to His Highness Prince Jing? Do you have a death wish?!"
Chen Lan was taken aback.
Prince Jing?
Prince Jing, Li Jin, of the Six Doors?
To everyone's surprise, Chen Lan's face became even more ferocious. She raised her hand to push Chen Wen away, and then turned around to grab a wooden stool and was about to throw it at him.
The moment she turned around, she was holding the stool, her face pale.
Zhou Zheng's knife tip was now pressed against the center of her throat. The murderous aura emanating from him stunned Chen Lan, who was shouting "indecent assault."
Her previous fearless demeanor had vanished by half; her face was filled with terror, her eyes widened, and she was speechless.
Not only was she frightened, but Chen Wen was also frightened.
"Lord Zhou! Lord Zhou!" He hurriedly stood beside Chen Lan and pleaded, "My daughter lost her brother and suffered some shock. She did not do it on purpose. Lord Zhou, please don't kill her."
After saying that, he looked at Li Jin, who hadn't said a word, and hurriedly knelt down.
This was the first time Chen Wen had knelt before Li Jin. He knew how much pride he had set aside with this act, and Li Jin knew it too.
"Lord Chen, there's no need to be nervous. I understand your strong reaction to this sudden turn of events." He remained standing at the door, unmoved.
Zhou Zheng still held the knife tip against her throat, showing no intention of stopping.
He didn't sheathe his sword, so Chen Wen didn't dare to get up. He didn't sheathe his sword, so Chen Lan didn't dare to move either.
Only Li Jin remained calm and composed, standing at the doorway and looking around inside.
After a long pause, he asked with a smile, "Miss Chen, where is your husband?"
Holding the stool, Chen Lan dared not move, her arms trembling slightly, her face pale: "He, he's not in the mansion. He went to play chess and hasn't returned for many days."
"Playing chess?"
"He often went to Guilai Pavilion in the West Market to play chess and meet friends."
Li Jin nodded, pondered for a moment, turned and glanced at Jin Shu, then lowered her voice and asked, "Did you see it clearly?"
Standing behind her, Jin Shu's eyes had been wandering among the servants ever since she entered the Chen residence. Just now, she was still intently searching for the person who was always left-handed.
She didn't speak, but under his gaze, she first nodded, then shook her head.
I saw it clearly, but it wasn't the person using their left hand.
Whether it was Chen Wen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, or Chen Lan, who had just smashed a series of things and even picked up a stool, it was all because of this.
She uses her right hand to pick things up and throw things, and when the maids try to stop her, she pushes them away, also using her right hand.
It wasn't her.
Li Jin understood, looked at Chen Lan, and continued to ask, "Do you know who your brother usually argues with?"
When asked this, Chen Lan flinched slightly and took a small step back, as if she were avoiding something.
She bit her lip, pondered for a long time, shook her head, and said nothing.
That look, while not exactly one of unspoken words, suggested that he was intentionally hiding something.
Li Jin observed her discreetly for a while before raising his hand and calling out, "Zhou Zheng."
As his resounding words fell, the Tang sword in front of Chen Lan's neck drew a perfect semicircle in the air and was sheathed with a whoosh.
"If Miss Chen thinks of anything, please remember to inform the Six Doors."
After leaving those words, Li Jin glanced at Chen Wen, who was struggling to get up from the ground, said nothing, and turned to walk in another direction.
Asking more questions is pointless.
Chen Lan was clearly using her supposed emotional instability to hide something.
However, given the current situation, if Li Jin doesn't find any clues first, he probably won't be able to get her to talk.
Throwing a tantrum is a tactic, but it's not a long-term solution. Not only is it detrimental to her, but it also indirectly proves that she has something to hide.
Li Jin waited outside until Chen Wen struggled to step out of the courtyard gate before turning around and glaring at Chen Wen's face: "Your youngest daughter has a grudge against the victim?"
Chen Wen was taken aback: "No, right?"
His surprised expression made Li Jin chuckle lightly, his hands behind his back: "Lord Chen, who are you asking about?"
Before Chen Wen could speak again, Li Jin said directly, "Where did the Second Young Master live before his death? I would like to meet the servants who took care of his daily life."
Although Chen Wen loves his son and daughter, he clearly doesn't understand them well enough.
Chen the Second Young Master may not know who he has a grudge against, but those closest to him might know something.
After hesitating for a while, Chen Wen led Li Jin to the courtyard where Chen Feng had lived before his death.
Before long, the servants gathered together, looking at each other in bewilderment.
Li Jin sat on the octagonal chair in the center of the courtyard, looking at the four people in front of him with a slight frown.
There were four people, but it was impossible to tell who was a personal attendant and who was a third-class servant sweeping the courtyard. Their clothes were noticeably better than those seen in the other courtyards, and some even wore jade pendants and brocade.
This left Li Jin at a loss for words. He glanced at everyone's faces and asked with some surprise, "Only the four of you?"
"Your Highness Prince Jing, there are only the four of us," said the servant standing in the center. "The Second Young Master is kind-hearted. Although he is a bit playful, he is very considerate of us. He knows that we have elderly parents and young children to support and need money. So, since the four of us can handle the affairs in the courtyard, he hasn't added any more people."
Li Jin understood. He picked up the teacup beside him and looked at Chen Wen, who was also standing in the courtyard: "Lord Chen, please excuse us."
Chen Wen paused for a moment, bit his lip, and turned to leave, somewhat indignant.
He felt uncomfortable.
Even though he knew Li Jin was investigating a case, he couldn't swallow the fact that Zhou Zheng had pointed a knife at his daughter.
He walked to the door, turned around and beckoned to the steward beside him, and ordered in a low voice, "Go to the Crown Prince's residence right now and tell him that Prince Jing caused a scene of indecent assault here and even threatened my daughter with a knife."
After saying that, he patted the butler on the shoulder and urged, "Go quickly."
In the courtyard, Jin Shu and Zhou Zheng closed the gate. After drinking half a cup of tea, Li Jin slowly asked, "Which of you is the personal attendant?"
The man who had spoken earlier stepped forward: "That's me."
He raised an eyebrow: "Tell me, who does your young master usually have conflicts with?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the brows of the people in the courtyard furrowed, and their gazes darted away.
This appearance further confirmed Li Jin's speculation that perhaps the person with the biggest conflict with the second young master of the Chen family was not far from him.
The servant remained silent for a long time, as if he had gone through a long internal struggle, before finally sighing: "Our young master has some conflicts with the master, the young lady, and even the son-in-law."
He pursed his lips, looking helpless: "Master is, after all, a scholar, and now he has entered the court as an official, with a promising career path that many people aspire to. But the young master is determined to go into business, and he and Master have argued incessantly about this matter, almost to the point of breaking off their relationship."
It's not hard to understand. "Of all professions, only studying is noble." This is perfectly embodied in the Chen family, which was already like an ancient relic.
Whether it's obstructing autopsies or planning their children's careers, he exudes an air of old-fashioned pedantry.
Jin Shu stood to one side of the group, her eyes carefully examining them.
While Li Jin was asking her questions, she kept looking for the person who was usually left-handed.
Before him, a servant sighed, "The eldest young master is somewhat better off. He often brings food and supplies to visit you, but the kind-hearted eldest young master lives at the Imperial Academy and doesn't come back often."
"So the young master is often caught between the master and the young lady."
As he said this, he raised his left hand and scratched his neck.
The moment she raised her hand, a noticeable new scar on her arm caught Jin Shu's attention.
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