After finishing his report, Pang Jin glanced at Eunuch Cui, his meaning obvious.
Li Chen had Eunuch Cui take everyone nearby away first.
From Pang Jin's expression, he could tell there was probably something important to report.
Eunuch Cui understood. He closed the door on his way out, then ushered the nearby eunuchs away.
"Go on. What is it?" Li Chen set down the memorial and looked at Pang Jin.
"Your Majesty, Minister Feng investigated for half a year without making any progress whatsoever. Yet I have only just taken office, and I have already found a crucial missing person, along with leads to investigate. Do you think that is normal?" Pang Jin asked earnestly.
"It's just the two of us here. Say it straight. I can understand you." Li Chen rolled his eyes at him.
Don't talk in riddles, you brat. There are only two of us here. There's no need for official doublespeak.
And I'm not so stupid that you need to guide me through the analysis step by step.
Pang Jin gave an awkward smile, then explained the whole situation.
He felt that Fan Kuai had appeared too suddenly, and had even left behind leads they could follow.
If the people who had killed the Crown Prince were truly responsible, they should have wiped away every trace.
So he believed someone must have done this deliberately to steer his investigation.
In other words, someone was setting a trap and waiting for him to walk into it.
Whoever had set this trap was not necessarily the Crown Prince's killer. They might be trying to exploit the pressure His Majesty had placed on the Ministry of Justice, forcing it to follow the leads they provided and serve their purposes.
That would make this a trap within a trap.
So