The Ming Dynasty's henchmen, working from nine to five

I don't accept this result in Chapter 74!

After the girls left, Da Hu trotted over, patted his chest with his right hand, and bowed.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Shen Lang asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Reporting to you, sir, three days."

Shen Lang nodded slightly; it was pretty much as he had expected.

"How has the Prince's residence been these past few days?"

Da Hu said, "Everything is normal, but your colleagues come over several times a day to see if you are awake, as if there is something urgent."

"I understand." Shen Lang nodded.

Three days have passed. Given the efficiency of the Northern Garrison Command, the case of the flower thief should have been resolved by now.

Zhang Xian was probably getting impatient and wanted to find out the whereabouts of the stolen national treasure as soon as possible.

Shen Lang already had a plan for dealing with this. After much deliberation, he decided to reveal the matter of the Jade Bead of National Fortune.

Although we haven't figured out how this thing came about, since the fortune teller said that the Imperial Observatory would understand once they saw it, there must be some mystery behind it.

He had already prepared his explanation: "During the struggle with the fortune teller for the jade bead, the battle became too intense, and I accidentally knocked the jade bead off the cliff, where it fell into the Gu River."

The Gushui River originates from Guyuan in the border region, flows through Chicheng and Yanqing and enters the northern border of Yujing. It stretches for more than 300 li, with extremely deep water and rapid currents.

If Jiajing wants it, then let him take it slowly!

Shen Lang smiled, pulling himself out of his thoughts, and asked, "I forgot to ask you the other day, how much silver did the Princess spend on those wooden swords and talismans at the Lao Jun Temple?"

Da Hu scratched the back of his head and said, "I heard Steward Li mention it briefly, it seems to be... more than eight thousand taels!"

"Normally, we don't need this much, but they said that Her Highness the Princess was in a hurry and the temple's reserves were insufficient, so they had to ask the Ancestral Master to descend to earth temporarily to help with the consecration, which is why they collected an extra amount of incense money."

"Eight thousand taels? The cost of this patriarch's descent to the mortal realm is not low." Shen Lang chuckled.

"What was the old Taoist priest's name?"

Da Hu frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I can't remember, I'll have to ask Manager Li."

Shen Lang said, "After you finish asking, go find the Princess. She has a small notebook. Have her write down this person's name."

"Also, what was the name of that Ministry of Justice official who made things difficult for the Prince's residence the other day?"

"Write his name down in the princess's notebook too!"

He had promised the princess that once the case was closed and he had received his reward, he would help her get revenge and settle scores with all those who had bullied her.

It's about time!

"Yes!" Da Hu replied and took off running.

"etc."

Shen Lang stopped him again and said, "After you finish this, go to the black kiln factory in the outer city..."

He gave a general description of Huang Cuier's address.

"Tell the old woman that the flower thief case is about to be solved, and she can rest easy."

He had promised Huang Cuier's grandmother that he would catch the real culprit to comfort Huang Cuier's spirit in heaven.

In addition, he promised Chen Ruowei that he would not let her die in obscurity, and that the person who killed her would be punished as he deserved.

Although he has many flaws, he always keeps his word.

Now that we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel, let's go and spread the word.

Once the case is officially closed and the real culprit is brought to justice, he will personally visit the culprit's home to offer incense and settle this karmic debt!

"clear!"

Without asking any questions, Da Hu readily accepted the order and left.

Shen Lang took out the jade bead symbolizing national fortune from his pocket, weighed it in his hand, and then turned to head towards the inner courtyard.

After having dinner with the princess and the noblewoman and chatting for a while, he immediately went to the government office.

We can't delay any longer, or Zhang Xian will probably be anxious to death.

After all, Emperor Jiajing was not known for his good temper, and if he couldn't obtain a definite clue about the fate of the nation, he was very likely to go mad.

However, just as Shen Lang was on his way to the stable, the steward Li Zhong hurriedly caught up with him.

"Lord Shen, Lord Xu from the Court of State Ceremonial has arrived!"

"Xu Jingde?" Shen Lang stopped in his tracks. "What does he want?"

Manager Li said, "They said they came specifically to visit you; they have important matters to discuss with you!"

Shen Lang paused for a moment, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly: "Take me there."

Manager Li led Shen Lang to the East Guest Hall, where Xu Jingde was sitting and drinking tea.

Upon seeing his appearance, Shen Lang's heart sank. He closed the door and strode over.

"You seem to have grown much more haggard in the few days I've seen you."

When I last met Xu Jingde, he had a bright look in his eyes and a straight back. Although he was thin, he had a sharp and imposing presence.

Now, however, he seems to have aged ten years, his eyes are lifeless, and even his back is somewhat hunched.

Upon hearing Shen Lang's voice, Xu Jingde's eyes gradually focused. He nodded slightly, gesturing for Shen Lang to sit down, and poured him a cup of tea.

"You've been recuperating at the Jing'an Prince's Mansion these past few days, so you probably don't know yet."

He paused deliberately at this point.

"The case of the flower thief is closed."

Shen Lang didn't touch the cup of tea, but looked into his eyes and asked, "What was the verdict?"

"It's the work of a ghost!"

"The city is now plastered with notices saying that the evil spirit has been subdued, and discussion of the matter is forbidden!"

As Xu Jingde spoke, he suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

"Is it the work of ghosts?"

"How dare the Ministry of Justice?"

"Didn't the Embroidered Uniform Guard report the evidence I gathered to His Majesty?"

Shen Lang's eyes widened in surprise, then slowly narrowed.

Where did the Ministry of Justice get the audacity to deceive the Emperor in the face of irrefutable evidence?

Xu Jingde wiped his eyes and said, "With the strong support of the Qingliu faction and His Majesty's tacit approval, of course they dare!"

"Um?"

"We all miscalculated. Do you know who the murderer is?"

Before Shen Lang could answer, Xu Jingde continued, "This person's surname is Qi, and his given name is Yan."

"He is Qi Xiaoyun's son, the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!!!"

"I don't understand, with so many powerful and dissolute young men in the capital, why him of all people?!"

Shen Lang asked, "What's so special about this person?"

Xu Jingde said, "Qi Xiaoyun has guarded the northern border for over twenty years, and now he is leading an army of 400,000 to fight the Tartars on the grasslands!"

"Qi Xiaoyun's eldest son died in battle three years ago; Qi Yan is the last trace of his bloodline left in this world!"

Shen Lang's eyes darkened, and he instantly understood.

Why did Emperor Jiajing tacitly allow the Ministry of Justice to cover up the truth?

Because Qi Yan was a hostage left in Yujing by the Duke of Zhenguo!

Emperor Jiajing wanted to use the Duke of Zhenguo as a weapon, but he was also unwilling to be harmed by it.

Therefore, Qi Yan must not be harmed at least until the Duke of Zhenguo returns to the capital!

Xu Jingde chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Man proposes, God disposes. I truly didn't expect that the murderer who killed Shu'er wouldn't even need to drink a cup of poisoned wine. Hahaha!"

"Qi Yan has been placed under house arrest, and all news about this matter has been completely blocked. His Majesty's intention is to discuss everything after the Duke of Zhenguo returns to the capital!"

"Just house arrest?"

Shen Lang's gaze grew increasingly cold.

Suddenly, a virtual panel unfolded before his eyes, displaying a line of blood-red text:

The project you're in charge of has encountered a major crisis, and someone is trying to steal your credit. Please protect your legal rights and give it a shot!

The next moment, Da Hu, who had gone to deliver the message to the black kiln, returned, carrying a tattered wooden box in his hand.

"Sir, the old woman you mentioned is dead. This is what she was holding in her arms before she died."

As he spoke, he opened the wooden box and handed it over.

Shen Lang looked down and saw the dirty copper coins and silver fragments inside, and instantly understood everything.

This is the "service money" that the old woman had saved up to give him as a token of her respect.

A deep, blood-red hue slowly spread across Shen Lang's eyes.

"He's innocent?"

"I don't accept this result!"