Chapter 459: Naturally, it's this official, the one with the hollow name who was led by the nose by you two!

Upon seeing that face, the stern shout the man had been forcing instantly dissipated, leaving only trembling disbelief.

He stumbled back a half-step, his lower back hitting the edge of the table hard.

The color on his face seemed to have been drained away in an instant, from his cheekbones to his jawline turning deathly pale, even his lips losing their color.

Only in those wide-open eyes did traces of panicked bloodshot remain.

He stared fixedly at the figure standing at the door against the light, his fingers unconsciously clawing at the corner of the table, his knuckles turning so white they almost embedded themselves into the wood, his voice shattered beyond recognition: "Chen... Chen Yan?!"

"How could it be you?!"

The woman beside him had also long since lost her previous triumph, the wine cup in her hand crashing to the ground with a "clatter."

Blue porcelain shards mixed with wine splashed everywhere.

Who could have imagined that the target they were just mocking would appear right before their eyes?

And so suddenly?!

It was just like a dream...

The smile at the corners of Chen Yan's mouth deepened slightly, but that smile did not reach his eyes, chilling one to the bone.

Stepping on the blue bricks, he walked slowly into the room, the torchlight flowing over his dark brocade robe, the jade belt at his waist swaying gently with his steps, emitting a fine sound of jade buckles colliding.

Stopping three paces away from the man, he raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at his own chest, his tone carrying a hint of self-mocking amusement, though the tail end of his words was wrapped in chill: "Naturally, it's this official, the one with the hollow name who was led by the nose by you two!"

"Otherwise, who else could it be?"

As the words fell, Chen Yan's gaze swept slowly over the pale-faced man and then landed on the woman trembling beside him, asking meaningfully: "Right? Young Master Shi, Madam Wei!"

Gao Jiong, Zhu Yi, Hongye, and the others followed closely behind and entered.

The Wannian Yamen bailiffs held torches, the firelight stretching their shadows long and casting them densely onto the wall, revealing an aura of stern killing intent.

The Embroidered Attire Envoys were dressed in dark, tight-fitting clothing, with silver patterns embroidered at their waists, standing expressionlessly at the back with cold, sharp eyes.

Gao Jiong's gaze swept first over the mess of wine stains and porcelain shards on the floor, finally landing on the cowering figures of Shi Xiuyun and Wei Lanxi. He let out a silent hum in his throat, muttering to himself: "How dare these two be so arrogant?"

"And look down on Lord Chen Yan so much?!"

At this very moment, Gao Jiong's face was filled with confusion and incomprehension...

After all, the arrogant words of this man and woman just now still rang in his ears!

Did they think they were stronger than the Tongtian Society and the Tuyuhun?

Or stronger than the two great Pillar States that had been wiped out?

Did they not know the battle record of the man standing before them?

Zhu Yi was also sizing up the two, Shi and Wei, twitching the corners of his mouth, feeling puzzled in his heart: "How are the brains of this man and woman grown?"

For so long, this was the first time he had seen someone who didn't take his young master seriously, and was even exceptionally smug...

Still popping champagne at halftime, thinking they had deceived everyone and held victory in their hands?

Just then, a rush of hurried footsteps came from behind, accompanied by the rustling of clothing, as Su Linyue stumbled in, clutching her skirt.

Her hair bun was slightly disheveled, her face still bearing lingering terror. When her gaze swept over the man and woman in the room and she saw that face she knew all too well, her footsteps nailed to the spot, her pupils contracting sharply.

She pointed at Shi Xiuyun, her fingertips trembling violently from shock, her voice carrying a sob, yet every word smashed clearly into the air: "Husband, how could it be you who murdered Father-in-law?!"

As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks. The woman turned her head abruptly, her gaze locked onto Wei Lanxi, that look filled with incredulous pain and anger, her voice rising sharply: "And with Mother-in-law?!"

Entering with Su Linyue were Shi Qingwen's third younger brother, Shi Qingli, and fourth younger brother, Shi Qingzhao.

Both were in plain casual clothes, and when they saw Shi Xiuyun's face, their terror was instantly replaced by anger and heartache.

"Xiuyun, why would you do such a thing?"

Shi Qingli's figure swayed, his right hand clutching his chest tightly, as if he were suffocated by the scene before him, while his left hand pointed straight at Shi Xiuyun, his voice hoarse from agitation: "Big Brother was the father who gave birth to you and raised you!"

The heartache in his words almost overflowed; he stared at Shi Xiuyun's pale face, his eye sockets reddening involuntarily.

The image of brothers being friendly and brothers being respectful was still before his eyes, but now he had to face the tragedy of a nephew murdering his father.

Beside him, Shi Qingzhao could no longer suppress his anger. He took a step forward, his fists clenching until they rattled, glaring at Shi Xiuyun with eyes that seemed to spray fire: "How much effort has been poured into you all these years, how could you be so wolf-hearted and dog-lunged, worse than a beast!"

Su Linyue lunged forward half a step, her eyes already blurred by tears, but her gaze locked onto her husband's face, her voice, which had previously carried a sob, completely tearing apart into a hysterical interrogation: "Why!"

"Tell me why!"

Her chest heaved violently, her fingernails digging deep into her palms, not even feeling the blood droplets seeping out.

Shi Xiuyun ignored his two uncles entirely, his gaze nailed to Su Linyue's face, as if he wanted to swallow her alive.

"You stinking bitch, you have the nerve to ask me why!" He roared, his voice as hoarse as a broken gong, the malice around him exploding instantly.

Before the words had even finished, he lunged forward, his palm fiercely gripping Su Linyue's throat, his knuckles turning blue-white from the force, dragging her slender body half an inch off the ground.

Saliel's face instantly turned purple-red, her hands scratching desperately at Shi Xiuyun's wrists.

Her toes kicked uselessly at the air, her original crying turned into fragmented whimpers.

"Come on!"

Seeing this, Chen Yan snapped his fingers unhurriedly and ordered: "Take them all down first!"

The good show had only just begun, Chen couldn't let the actors smash the stage...

The bailiffs behind him were already poised for action, and upon hearing the command, they responded in unison: "As you command!"

Seven or eight men stepped forward, their movements as swift as tigers.

Two men pinned Shi Xiuyun's arms, forcibly prying open his hand gripping Su Linyue's throat, and pinned him to the ground with his arms twisted behind his back.

Two others stepped forward, ignoring Wei Lanxi's crying and struggling, and quickly bound her tightly with rope, forcing her to her knees.

Su Linyue, rescued and freed, slumped to the ground, her chest heaving violently, gasping for air, the clear red marks on her neck reddening slightly with her breathing.

She looked at Shi Xiuyun and Wei Lanxi, who were pinned to the ground, her eyes filled with hatred, and she gritted her teeth and shouted: "Yes, take down this pair of conscience-less dog-men, execute them with extreme punishment, to comfort..."

But before she could finish, two rough hands suddenly gripped her arms from both sides, the force so great that her expression changed instantly.

Su Linyue turned her head abruptly, and upon seeing the two expressionless bailiffs, she was so shocked that her pupils contracted: "Eh, what are you doing?!"

She twisted her body desperately, trying to break free, her hands waving wildly, slapping at the arms of the bailiffs.

But the bailiffs remained as motionless as if cast in iron, instead increasing the force of their hands, pressing her firmly toward the ground.

Su Linyue lifted her head with effort, her hair sticking messily to her tear-stained face, her gaze passing through the surrounding bailiffs and looking straight at Chen Yan, who was standing not far away, her voice trembling with urgency: "Lord Chen Yan, you have arrested the wrong person!"

As she spoke, she twisted her bound wrists desperately, her fingertips scratching fine lines into the blue bricks, her tone filled with pleading and defense: "It was them who murdered Father-in-law..."

"Why arrest me!"

Chen Yan smiled calmly and spoke slowly, his voice as calm as a pool of water without waves: "This official has his reasons for acting this way..."

Su Linyue felt her heart panic, struggling to defend herself again, her voice carrying a pleading sob: "Lord Chen Yan, you are the 'Blue Sky of the Age,' you cannot wrong an innocent person!"

Chen Yan seemed not to hear her crying, his gaze passing over the crowd and walking straight toward Shi Xiuyun, who was pinned to the ground.

He stopped, looking down at the other's pathetic state, his fingertips gently rubbing his jade belt, and asked meaningfully: "Young Master Shi, will you tell the truth about this case yourself, or shall this official tell it for you?"

Shi Xiuyun, pinned to the ground, was silent for a moment, a dull sigh emitting from his chest, and he smiled bitterly: "Since Lord Chen Yan knows everything, then you tell it..."

"Good."

Chen Yan nodded slowly, his fingertips moving away from the jade buckle, his gaze sweeping over the three people on the ground, his voice still calm, yet every word fell clearly into everyone's ears: "Then let's start with the cause of Master Shi's death..."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Shi Xiuyun and Wei Lanxi, his tone even carrying a hint of true-or-false admiration: "I have to say, the methods of you two are truly quite clever!"

"Knowing to use drugs to control Master Shi, letting him commit suicide in front of everyone, as an alibi for yourselves..."

After saying this, he couldn't help but smack his lips.

If nothing else, this operational logic was indeed quite good...

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiuyun let out a light laugh, a hint of self-mockery curling the corners of his mouth, and he opened his mouth: "Not a single bit off!"

Chen Yan blinked and continued: "Then release the so-called clues, pointing the finger at Shi Woyu, making everything a perfect closed loop!"

The motive was there, the murderer was there, the modus operandi was there; if it were a different presiding official, the case might have been closed right then and there...

Shi Xiuyun raised his head abruptly, flames of resentment burning in his eyes, his teeth chattering, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with bone-eroding ruthlessness: "He deserved to be the scapegoat!"

"Who told the old thing he wanted to pass the family business to that piece of trash!"

The words "that piece of trash" were almost roared out.

His chest heaved violently, his hand pinned to the ground clenching into a fist, his fingernails digging deep into his palm, not even feeling the blood seeping out.

The previous resignation and numbness had long been washed away by this resentment.

After hearing this, Shi Qingli trembled even more violently, his hand pointing at Shi Xiuyun unable to stop shaking, his chest heaving violently, and he shouted an interrogation: "Shi Xiuyun, your father treated you well!"

"How could you have the heart to lay such a poisonous hand on him!"

Chen Yan smiled half-heartedly, the amusement at the corners of his mouth thickening, and he opened his mouth: "Then we have to talk about the little things between Master Shi and Young Mistress Su..." ===== CHAPTER 460 =====