Chapter 150: Losing All Face

Losing All Face

Wang Tianhai's disappearance caught everyone off guard. After a while, they heard Zuo Wei, the Minister of Punishments, say that after the morning court session today, the Emperor Shuncheng called several important ministers into the imperial study to discuss this matter.

It turned out that during the morning court session yesterday, Wang Tianhai was not seen. At that time, Emperor Shuncheng and the ministers of the court thought that Wang Tianhai had something to do at home or something else, so they didn't pay attention. But this morning, Wang Tianhai still didn't come, which caught Emperor Shuncheng's attention. Emperor Shuncheng sent someone to the Wang mansion in the capital to ask what was going on, and only then did they know that the Minister of Revenue Wang Tianhai hadn't been home for two days!

Zuo Wei told the story of what happened in the imperial study. At this moment, hearing this, the people in the room were stunned, and then Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"So, Wang Tianhai has been missing since the day before yesterday?!"

"Mm, yes. It is said that he hasn't appeared since he left the Ministry of Revenue the night before yesterday. So that makes it two nights!"

Frowning slightly, Zuo Wei replied to Yin Fengxiang in a low voice, then looked up at Nie Jinxuan, who had been silent, and then lowered his eyes without a word.

For a time, the large room was unusually quiet. No one spoke, and even the air was filled with indescribable tension... After an unknown amount of time, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but purse her lips and say:

"Has the Emperor already handed this case over to the Ministry of Punishments?"

Nie Jinxuan said this to Zuo Wei. Upon hearing this, Zuo Wei nodded directly.

"Mm, yes, the Emperor ordered to find Wang Tianhai in the shortest possible time..."

Speaking of this, Zuo Wei sighed directly.

"Sigh, there's no way. The people who died before didn't have official positions. Even the likes of Wang Fang and Huang Hu didn't have official titles, and the murderer left notes, so until now, the Huang and Wang families both knew... But Wang Tianhai is different. Wang Tianhai is the Minister of Revenue, a first-rank official of the current court, so whether he is there or not, people around can see. Therefore, if Wang Tianhai is not found as soon as possible, it will certainly lead to speculation!"

Zuo Wei made a lot of sense, so as soon as he finished speaking, Yin Fengxiang's eyebrows moved.

"So, Wang Tianhai's disappearance is also the work of the murderer?"

"Very likely!"

Nodding to Yin Fengxiang, Nie Jinxuan raised her eyebrows instantly.

"Wang Fang's corpse was found five days ago, and three days later, his father went missing... I think there must be a necessary connection here. After all, if it were a coincidence, it would be too unbelievable."

"It's just that what's unclear now is that judging from the existing clues, the murderer's series of crimes should have a great relationship with Jin Jingyuan's death more than two years ago! Among the seven people who have died now, Wang Fang, Huang Hu, and Zhou Si were the direct people involved in Jin Jingyuan's accident. Concubine Tong's death, because it involves the fake Biyao, can also be considered indirectly related to Jin Jingyuan's accident... And Wang Tianhai is Wang Fang's father and is now missing. So is there some kind of connection here too?"

At this moment, Nie Jinxuan looked serious and earnest. Speaking of this, she couldn't help but scan the men present.

"And, actually, after learning the truth about what happened back then on Yanxia Mountain, I had a very confusing question, that is... more than two years ago, Huang Hu, Wang Fang, and Jin Jingyuan went out to study together. Mo Gongzi also provided an explanation for this. So everyone, think about it, since the relationship between the three of them was so good, why did Huang Hu and Wang Fang kill Jin Jingyuan for no reason?"

"Moreover, among the three, although Jin Jingyuan's temper was a bit upright, he was not someone who loved to cause trouble or was self-willed. So why did Huang Hu and Wang Fang want to harm him?! For money? Impossible. Old grudges? Also impossible... So what was it for?"

Indeed, after finding out that Jin Jingyuan's death was not an accident, everyone had been thinking about what the relationship between the murderer and Jin Jingyuan was. Therefore, they had completely forgotten a blind spot, which was why Huang Hu and Wang Fang wanted to kill Jin Jingyuan!

After all, the three of them had a good relationship, and it wasn't just for a day or two. Otherwise, how could the three of them travel far together?! Even now, thinking about it carefully, that trip to Yanxia Mountain back then was designed for Jin Jingyuan!

But the relationship is—why?!

So, at this moment, Nie Jinxuan raised a question that everyone had been ignoring. Upon hearing this, the people present were stunned, and Zuo Wei couldn't help but blink his signature bean-like eyes and said in a daze:

"For... for what?"

Everyone looked confused, and the room was silent. But just at this moment, in this silence, a cold voice said:

"Instigated by someone!"

It was Yin Fengzhan who spoke. Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

"Instigated? Does the Prince mean that someone instigated Huang Hu and Wang Fang to commit the crime behind their backs? But the key is... who could it be?"

"Their fathers!"

It was Zuo Wei who asked. But this time, it wasn't Yin Fengzhan who answered him, but Nie Jinxuan. Upon hearing this, Zuo Wei was even more confused. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan smiled and continued:

"Lord Zuo, think about it. According to Mo Gongzi's investigation, Huang Hu, Wang Fang, and Jin Jingyuan were all famous scholars in the capital and children of officials. They walked close to each other on weekdays, and their relationship was very good. And it was precisely because of this that the three of them traveled together to study, and that trip two years ago was not the first time... But under such circumstances, why did Huang Hu and Wang Fang want to kill Jin Jingyuan? There was no motive, and this was the most fundamental reason why no one suspected Huang Hu and Wang Fang after Jin Jingyuan's death back then!"

"But now, according to the evidence we have, Jin Jingyuan was indeed killed by Huang Hu and Wang Fang. So if the motive was not in Huang Hu and Wang Fang themselves, then there is only one possibility—someone instigated them! But who are Huang Hu and Wang Fang? Children of high-ranking officials in the current court, and they themselves were arrogant. So who could instigate them?! And considering that all three were children of official families, there is only one possibility: it was their fathers who were officials who instigated them!"

Huang Hu, Wang Fang, Jin Jingyuan... all three were children of official families. And their fathers, Huang Baiqi, Wang Tianfang, and Jin Qi, were all officials in the same court back then! And this had to make people feel a bit intrigued.

So, at this moment, being reminded by Nie Jinxuan, the people in the room were stunned, then looked at each other. Finally, Mo Yujue, who had been silent, said with a dark face:

"If this is the case, things are complicated... After all, Jin Jingyuan didn't have an official position at the time, and as far as I know, Huang Baiqi, Wang Tianfang, and Jin Qi had a very good private relationship back then. So even if Huang Baiqi and Wang Tianfang wanted to strike at Jin Qi, why did they have to strike at Jin Jingyuan?! Strike at Jin Qi? I don't think so. But if it wasn't for this, why did Huang Baiqi and Wang Tianfang want to do this? So, I think if Jin Jingyuan's death back then was really instigated by Huang Baiqi and Wang Tianfang, then there must be something we don't know!"

Having worked in the Ministry of Punishments for many years and handled hundreds of various cases, Mo Yujue always had the sharpest intuition for cases. But at this moment, hearing him say this, Zuo Wei raised his eyelids.

"Something we don't know? What could it be? Mm... could it be related to Jin Qi being beheaded back then!? But that's not right either. Although Jin Qi's case affected his whole family back then, what direct relationship did it have with Jin Jingyuan?! And if Huang Baiqi and Wang Tianfang really had bad intentions back then, and even knew about the case Jin Qi committed, then they wouldn't need to strike at Jin Jingyuan. Anyway, even if they didn't kill him, he would be executed along with his whole family because of his father's case later!"

The case fell into a dead end again, and the room fell silent. But after a while, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips:

"Although we don't know what the secret is yet, we have finally found a clue. And now, judging from the current situation, there are still several problems that we haven't solved. So, in my opinion, we might as well find all the problem points, then find the clues, and then connect these clues one by one. Maybe there will be great progress in the case!"

"Not bad, the Third Young Lady is right. Although the case is still confusing, there are clues after all. And although we still can't see the full picture of the case, if there are more clues, they can be connected together!"

Mo Yujue agreed with Nie Jinxuan's opinion. Upon hearing this, Zuo Wei and Yin Fengxiang beside them also nodded. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan then said:

"Alright, since that's the case, let me talk about it first... Just as I said just now, from the occurrence of the bloody case to the present, a total of seven people have died. Among these seven people, the deaths of Huang Hu, Wang Fang, and Zhou Si can now be confirmed to have a direct relationship with Jin Jingyuan's death. So the key is the remaining four people. Among these four people, especially Chen Xin's corpse was the most severely damaged, and there was a phenomenon of whipping the corpse after death. So I think, the top priority is to investigate the background of these four people, especially Chen Xin!"

"Yes, I have already arranged it. There are already some results, and I think there will be results tomorrow. However, Concubine Tong is a concubine of the inner palace after all, so I cannot investigate, so..."

"I understand Mo Gongzi's meaning. Don't worry about Concubine Tong's matter. I will investigate this in the palace privately later!"

Looking at Mo Yujue, Nie Jinxuan said slowly, and after she finished, her gaze turned.

"At the same time, not only the background of the deceased who have already occurred, but also other things need to be thoroughly checked... After all, from the beginning of the bloody case, it has always revolved around Jin Jingyuan. So, the investigation of Jin Jingyuan must not be relaxed."

"In addition, besides the background of these people, there is another very strange thing, and that is the note! You know, since the case started, we can find a total of three notes. Two of them were left by Huang Hu and Wang Fang, and the other one was left by a mysterious person to my second sister Nie Jinhui at Zuixiashanzhuang. But the key problem now is that the note left to my second sister is exactly the same as the handwriting written by Jin Jingyuan!"

"But it can be confirmed now that Jin Jingyuan is already dead. That is to say, someone is imitating Jin Jingyuan's handwriting. And this person, since they can imitate Jin Jingyuan's handwriting, can naturally also imitate Huang Hu and Wang Fang's! So, although the Prince said before that the murderer might be someone who is good at imitating their handwriting, there is another possibility, which is that the murderer found some letters from Jin Jingyuan, Huang Hu, and Wang Fang in advance, and then asked someone to imitate them to write the note! Therefore, it might be worth investigating all the people in the city who can copy other people's handwriting to see if we can find some clues... However, this matter must be kept secret to avoid alerting the enemy."

After speaking, Nie Jinxuan turned to look at Yin Fengzhan, who was sitting next to her but had been like a wooden gourd. Then their eyes met, and then she saw Yin Fengzhan nod slightly.

Yin Fengzhan didn't speak, but Nie Jinxuan knew he would arrange how to do it himself! So, seeing him nod, Nie Jinxuan withdrew her gaze and continued:

"And besides the above three things, there is also the matter of Wang Tianhai's disappearance. Of course, it cannot be confirmed yet, but just from the fact that Wang Tianhai went missing just after Wang Fang's corpse was found, it is likely related to this matter. Even, I have been thinking just now, is it possible that the murderer also suspected that Jin Jingyuan's death back then was instigated by the fathers of Huang Hu and Wang Fang... After all, everyone, don't forget, Wang Fang was only found after being missing for many days. So I suspect that the reason the murderer didn't kill Wang Fang immediately like before was because they realized that there was a mystery hidden in Jin Jingyuan's matter back then!"

Speaking of this, Nie Jinxuan paused slightly, and then her gaze sank.

"Therefore, I suspect that the murderer likely interrogated Wang Fang severely during the time they imprisoned him, forcing him to tell the truth! And this also explains why there were traces of whipping the corpse on Huang Hu's body before, but Wang Fang didn't have them... Because this is the murderer's mercy! Or rather, this is the moment when the murderer, after killing Wang Fang, thought they had completely avenged Jin Jingyuan, but discovered that there was another real murderer behind the scenes, and the resentment shifted!"

Word by word, Nie Jinxuan's voice was low and peaceful, but every word she said made people feel terrified! So, after a moment of silence, Zuo Wei couldn't help but ask:

"Uh... resentment shifted? What, what does this mean?"

Zuo Wei asked in a very low voice. Upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan smiled.

"It's very simple, because Lord Zuo, think about it. When the case started, it happened very quickly, and according to Mo Gongzi's investigation, the deceased were all harmed within a day of going missing! So what is this? This is venting anger!"

"And this case involves many people, but the murderer never softened their heart, killing one after another, and the interval was very short. It can even be expected that such crazy killing made the murderer feel a sense of pleasure! So the murderer killed those people one by one, and originally thought Wang Fang was the last one, but didn't expect that at this time, the murderer suddenly realized in the pleasure of revenge that this matter might not be so simple. So after catching Wang Fang, the murderer didn't kill them immediately like before, but interrogated them. Until they found out the hidden situation behind the scenes..."

"And at this time, everyone, imagine, the matter that was thought to be a great success, but suddenly found that the matter was not over yet... Then what will the murderer do?"

After a slight pause, Nie Jinxuan looked up at the people around her. At this time, she heard Yin Fengzhan, who was sitting next to her, say coldly:

"Surprised, excited, crazy!"

The three simplest words were exactly what Nie Jinxuan thought. Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but look at him again and smiled slightly, but then her face sank instantly.

"Yes, the Prince is right! The murderer is even crazier! At the same time, Wang Tianhai is also in more danger!"

"Then does that mean Wang Tianhai is already dead now?"

Turning to look at the people around her, Zuo Wei asked incredulously. After he finished speaking, everyone's face froze, and after a long while, they heard Yin Fengxiang say in a low voice:

"That depends on Wang Tianhai himself!"

Yes, it all depends on Wang Tianhai himself!

If he tells what he knows immediately, then the moment he says it, the murderer will cut off his head without hesitation!

And if Wang Tianhai is a tough nut to crack and says nothing, then the murderer will torture him slowly, but won't kill him, because the murderer hasn't achieved their goal!

So, it all depends on Wang Tianhai himself!

In one morning, Nie Jinxuan and the others sorted out the case again, and then everyone went out to get busy. After everyone left, Nie Jinxuan didn't stay idle, quickly tidied up her appearance, and then took Xiao Xiu in a carriage back to the Nie mansion.

Nie Jinxuan was a bit anxious, and after a while, she arrived at the Nie mansion. As soon as Nie Jinxuan got off the carriage, she headed straight for the backyard, but she didn't expect to be called out while passing through the front hall! And the person who called her was her father, the Senior Minister Nie Wenhao!

At this time, there was more than just Senior Minister Nie in the front hall; the First Madam Chen and the eldest brother Nie Jinhong were also present.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan, who was standing at the door, was stunned, but then she walked in. At this time, seeing Nie Jinxuan return, the people in the room couldn't help but look up at her.

The room was unusually quiet, and a strange air swirled around. So, after looking around, Nie Jinxuan stepped forward and came to Senior Minister Nie.

"Jinxuan greets Father."

"Mm, you're back."

"Yes... but I don't know why Father, Mother, and Eldest Brother are so serious? Could it be that something big happened at home?"

Nie Jinxuan was confused. But as soon as she finished speaking, she heard the eldest son of the Nie family, Nie Jinhong, snort and say:

"Hmph, isn't it because of that bitch! It's really losing all our family's face!"

Sorry, sorry, something happened at home in the past two days, so the update was delayed.

I hope everyone will be understanding.

So the update starts now, updating without stopping! There's more later~ Also, a PS, I wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year~! ===== CHAPTER 151 =====