Just as Madam Xing's face darkened in fury at Xing Xiuyan's words, the case review meeting in the Dali Temple's inner offices was also drawing to a close.
Though it was called a case review meeting, it was really mostly an exercise in singing praises.
After all, capturing the true culprit behind the Tianshi Mansion headless corpse case in only two days was, for the Dali Temple—which had been coasting along for years—an achievement well worth celebrating.
Even Wei Yi, Minister of the Dali Temple, had abandoned his previous attitude of exclusion and neglect and lavishly praised Sun Shaozong's professional abilities.
After all, this had been an imperial assignment. Thanks to Sun Shaozong, as the Dali Temple's nominal highest-ranking leader, he naturally got to share in some of the benefits.
At the very least, he would no longer lose three measures of confidence before even opening his mouth when facing the Ministry of Punishments and the Censorate.
Besides...
He was also worried that Sun Shaozong would stir up more trouble. All signs indicated that Sun Shaozong still suspected Hongyuan Zhenren of involvement in the case.
That did not serve either the Dali Temple's interests or Wei Yi's personal interests.
Hongyuan Zhenren was one of the Emperor's most favored alchemists. Given the current state of affairs, even if he could be identified as the mastermind behind it all, he would most likely receive only a light punishment in the end.
After all, he had intended to kill an adulterous couple—though he had ultimately killed the wrong people. But as the old saying went, "Judge the heart, not the deed." Besides, he had most likely been deceived, and he had not personally carried out the murders.
In this age where illicit sex was considered the foremost of all evils, a wronged husband