Clouds of Suspicion

"Then I won't trouble you further."

Xu Yunfeng saw Zeng Anmin completely absorbed in the case files, a strange smile creeping onto his face.

He lightly stroked the two wisps of his mustache and took his leave.

Zeng Anmin watched Xu Yunfeng's retreating figure thoughtfully.

His father had placed him as Left Clerk in the Xuanjing Division—this was no idle move.

"Golden Taiping, the Shen Family..."

Zeng Anmin cast a faint glance at the case file, a glimmer of understanding dawning in his heart.

This case was inextricably tied to Prince Jiang's Estate!

It likely concealed some unspeakable secrets of that household!

What secrets could they be?

Interest stirred within Zeng Anmin.

He slowly lowered his head to the file in his hands, his gaze contemplative, silent.

All the details of the case were recorded in the file.

"The current patriarch of the Shen Family is named Shen Liu. Aged forty-one, he died of consumption fifteen days before the incident."

The file's account of Shen Liu was thorough. In his youth, he had been hot-tempered and brawling; only after taking over the family business did he settle down, traveling north and south with the family fleet and making a name for himself.

The crux of the case was this:

During the Shen Family's funeral rites for Shen Liu.

His widow, Madam Shen, was murdered while observing mourning in the main hall.

"At a quarter past Yin Shi, the nephew Shen Jun entered the hall drunk, intending to keep vigil with his uncle. At three quarters past Yin Shi, he fled in panic."

"Nephew" here meant his brother's son.

"At a quarter past Mao Shi, a servant outside entered the hall. The widow, Madam Liu Shen, had died of suffocation. Finger marks were found on her neck, and she clutched a jade pendant belonging to Shen Congjun."

"The Xuanjing Division's Red-robed Guards captured the nephew Shen Jun at the Jiaofang Division the next day at Chen Shi."

"After three days in the Imperial Prison, Shen Jun steadfastly refused to confess to murdering his aunt, and the case stalled."

At first glance, this was a clear and straightforward file.

It not only detailed the state of Madam Liu Shen's death but also laid out everyone's testimony with clarity.

Yet in Zeng Anmin's eyes, every word crumbled under scrutiny.

He lifted his head, gazing out the window, murmuring to himself:

"What was Shen Jun's motive for killing his aunt?!"

That was a critical question.

The entire file recorded everything clearly, yet it alone omitted the motive.

And beyond that, there was another vital issue.

After killing his aunt, why didn't Shen Jun's first thought turn to escape—but to the Jiaofang Division?

What, was it now fashionable to visit brothels after murder?

Nonsense.

Zeng Anmin's Phoenix Eyes narrowed slightly.

The Shen Family shipping business held a significant economic position in Two Rivers Prefecture.

And after Shen Liu's death, Shen Jun was the sole heir to the Golden Taiping Shipping.

If this case were mishandled...

Zeng Anmin slowly raised his head, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Far too many threads would be tangled in that.

Still, Zeng Anmin glanced at the densely packed characters in the file and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

He already knew how to crack the case.

Inside the Imperial Prison.

Zeng Anmin looked at the pale "prisoner" lying motionless in a pile of straw, his expression dark as water.

The man's prison garb was filthy black, reeking of a foul stench.

He lay utterly still on the straw.

Only the faint rise and fall of his chest showed he was still alive.

This man was Shen Jun.

It was plain to see he had been tortured without mercy.

The Imperial Prison of the Xuanjing Division—enter it, and you've already lost half your life. That was no empty saying.

Zeng Anmin merely cast a faint glance at the yamen runner beside him.

Though young, he harbored Vast Righteous Qi within him, and his every gesture already carried considerable authority.

"Release him!"

"Yes, sir."

Two Red-robed Guards opened the cell door with utmost deference and hauled the young man up from the ground as if dragging a corpse.

"Thud!"

The youth was thrown onto the floor, his body limp and boneless as momentum carried it forward.

Only then did Zeng Anmin get a clear look at his face.

Dull eyes, a body mottled with bruises and blood, a numb expression.

"Shen Jun!"

Zeng Anmin lowered his head and spoke to him in a deep, calm voice:

"I am the newly appointed Left Clerk. The case of your aunt's murder—I intend to retry it. You must confess truthfully, without the slightest concealment!"

His voice was full and resonant, carrying the air of a righteous Lord presiding over a court.

Hearing this, Shen Jun on the ground paused, then laboriously turned his gaze toward Zeng Anmin beside him.

Zeng Anmin's face was composed as he met his eyes.

He saw a tangle of complex emotions in Shen Jun's gaze.

Numbness, tenacity, stubbornness...

"I've said all there is to say. I stand upright and sit straight—my aunt wasn't killed by me."

Shen Jun had uttered these words countless times already.

But every official who came to interrogate him would, as a matter of course, put him to the torture again.

He had long since grown used to it.

"Mm."

Zeng Anmin's face was expressionless. He sat down on a chair brought over by the attendant, gently twisting the Jade thumb ring he'd swiped from his Father on his thumb. After a long time, he asked in a deep voice:

"What I want to ask is this—that night in the Spirit Hall, was your aunt the only one there?"

Hearing this, Shen Jun's heart sank, and bitterness spread across his face.

Every official who came to question him started with that very question.

"Yes."

Shen Jun's answer came smoothly.

"What happened in the Spirit Hall?"

"How did your jade pendant end up in her hands?"

Zeng Anmin had only skimmed the case file once; his understanding of the matter was far from thorough. Now he needed to extract more information from Shen Jun's own mouth.

Of course, as a suspect, Shen Jun's words couldn't be taken at face value.

"I..."

Shen Jun pressed his lips together. "My Uncle had no children of his own. He raised me like his own son since I was young, and we were deeply attached. When I heard he had died of illness, I grieved for many days. That day, I hid in my room and drank some wine alone."

As he spoke, his expression grew extremely complicated:

"After I entered the Spirit Hall, that aunt of mine..."

"She actually tried to seduce me while I was drunk, to commit that shameless act right there in the Spirit Hall!!"

Zeng Anmin could hear the intense hatred in Shen Jun's tone.

This... there was actually such explosive business in the world??

And in a Spirit Hall, of all places!

Even the island nation's entertainment industry had advanced so far, yet they'd never come up with a theme like this!

If only he could somehow travel back, maybe he could...

Ahem, getting off track!

Zeng Anmin continued to stare at Shen Jun with a stern face.

"My Uncle had always treated her well. Who would have thought she... and his coffin was still right there!!"

Every time Shen Jun thought of this, his face flushed red with rage:

"I stormed off in fury. I must have been too hasty, and she grabbed hold of my pendant... After I left the Spirit Hall, I went to the Jiaofang Division..."

The corner of Zeng Anmin's mouth twitched slightly.

This one's actually a man.

But the way he spoke made it sound exactly like his aunt had seduced him in the Spirit Hall, and he, blinded by rage, had choked her to death...

No wonder you've got so many bruises—who wouldn't suspect you?

Still, lucky for you, you ran into me.

"So you're saying she died after you left?"

"Mm."

Shen Jun felt a twinge of unease at the smug smile curling on Zeng Anmin's face.

"Alright."

Zeng Anmin rose slowly, his gaze fixed on Shen Jun's face, a playful smirk on his lips:

"Then let me ask you this—after you left the Spirit Hall, when you went to the Jiaofang Division, which lady did you seek out?"

"Courtesan Shiyi."

Shen Jun answered without hesitation.

"An Shiyi..."

The most renowned courtesan of the Two Rivers Prefecture Jiaofang Division.

Zeng Anmin seemed lost in thought, then slowly stood up: "Dachun!"

"Young Master!"

"Come, let's pay a visit to the Jiaofang Division!"

"Right away!"