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

Chapter 36 Comprehensive Investigation

This place is no longer safe to stay.

Shen Lang subtly removed his hand and gently placed Princess Changning on the bed. Then he said to Princess Jing'an:

"The princess is already asleep. I will go to the flower hall to ask her questions now."

"Go quickly and come back quickly."

Princess Jing'an responded and gently covered Princess Changning with a blanket, then touched her face.

Shen Lang cupped his hands in greeting and strode away.

.....

Xiulou, a reception hall.

The small hall was packed with dozens of people, who were now gathered in twos and threes, asking each other about the situation.

"Why were you suddenly called here?"

"It seems Lord Shen sent him; he said he wants to question us!"

"Hey, have you heard? The princess is in trouble; it seems she's having a hysterical episode!"

"Shut up, stop saying such unlucky things. How could the princess suddenly develop hysteria when she was perfectly fine?"

At this moment, Pei Ci walked in carrying a sword.

"Greetings, Attendant Pei!"

"Greetings, Attendant Pei!"

The crowd immediately stopped talking, moved aside to make way for him, and greeted him respectfully.

Pei Ci ignored him, walked coldly to the corner, then put his hands on his sword and closed his eyes to rest.

The servants didn't pay much attention and turned away to continue whispering among themselves.

It's normal for Pei Gongfeng to look down on servants like them, since he's a big shot. People like Lord Shen, who are kind and gentle, are the real oddities.

Before long, Shen Lang arrived.

"Big Tiger, is everyone here?"

"Reporting to Lord Shen, all those you called out are here!"

The guard, Da Hu, stepped forward and pounded his chest with his right hand.

He was originally inconspicuous among the three thousand guards in the Prince's mansion.

However, because he had run errands for Shen Lang a few times, his name was remembered, and his status suddenly began to rise. Now he had become a small leader, managing dozens of people under his command.

Shen Lang nodded slightly, a crimson light flashing in his eyes!

"Torture and forced confession LV10, activated!"

With time running out and the task at hand, there was no time for idle chatter, so he immediately began to ask questions one by one!

Half an hour later, Shen Lang suppressed the glint in his eyes and rubbed his temples, looking slightly tired.

Although I was exhausted, the result was quite pleasing.

There were no problems with the doctors, guards, or servants; the Prince's mansion remained a monolithic entity.

After resting for a while, Shen Lang ordered Da Hu to summon the guards in charge of the Lotus Garden area and continue questioning them.

After asking each question, Shen Lang frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.

According to these people, everything was normal at the Jing'an Prince's Mansion last night.

Even after the princess caused a ruckus, the defenses of the palace remained intact. The guards performed their duties diligently, strictly following his instructions and keeping a close watch on their assigned areas.

"Without a trace... just who is this person who secretly attacked the princess?"

Three thousand guards is no small number.

Shen Lang asked himself honestly, even he probably couldn't have infiltrated the Prince's mansion without leaving a trace.

Then, recalling the strange black aura emanating from the princess's meridians...

Shen Lang had a vague answer in his heart, but at the same time, he was also puzzled.

Why would the ghost from the flower thief case appear in the Prince's mansion at this time?

Just then, a voice tinged with anger interrupted his thoughts.

"Lord Shen, if you have questions, I, Pei, have come here to give you face."

"But you ignored me, chatting animatedly with these servants, leaving me waiting for a full hour!"

"What an arrogant official you are!"

Shen Lang looked up and saw Pei Ci standing tall, holding his sword in front of his chest, his face slightly turned to the side, looking at him with an arrogant expression.

Shen Lang's gaze froze, then suddenly became somewhat strange.

For some reason, he always felt that something was off about Pei Ci.

Chin slightly raised, face turned at a 45-degree angle, looking at people sideways...

There was an unnatural aura about him from head to toe, as if he was deliberately posing.

Seeing that Shen Lang remained silent, Pei Ci sneered again, "Lord Shen, are you silent because you know you are in the wrong?"

As soon as Shen Lang came in, he quickly got into position, waiting for Shen Lang to come over and talk to him.

However, he did not expect that this wait would last for an hour.

To maintain his expert demeanor, his body had been tense, and his muscles were now somewhat stiff!

Shen Lang chuckled: "Lord Pei, I did not mean to ignore you."

"Things have varying degrees of importance and urgency, and naturally, there is a sequence to them."

"Don't rush, it'll be your turn soon."

After speaking, Shen Lang thought for a moment and added, "I think that what Pei Gongfeng said just now was inappropriate."

"In my view, whether they are officials or servants, they are all born of parents and raised on grains."

"Among all people living in this world, there is essentially no distinction between high and low, noble and base."

Why does Pei Gongfeng place himself above others?

Pei Ci's expression froze, and his face suddenly flushed red:

"Lord Shen, by comparing me to a servant, are you deliberately humiliating me?!"

"You can't talk about ice with a summer insect."

Shen Lang shook his head slightly, and then ignored him.

This person's brain is too watery; it needs to be cooled down a bit more.

Shen Lang continued to ponder, putting himself in the killer's shoes and trying to deduce the killer's plans based on the clues he had gathered.

Pei Ci stood to the side, sword in hand, his face still cold, but his heart was growing increasingly agitated.

He felt that Shen Lang was doing it on purpose, ignoring him and embarrassing him.

If he weren't worried about not being able to explain himself to Marquis Yong'an when he returned, he would have liked to just leave!

Just as he was about to explode, Shen Lang walked over and got straight to the point:

"Consort Pei, before you came to the Prince's residence, did the Marquis of Yong'an say anything to you?"

Pei Ci was taken aback and squeezed his eyes hard.

He seemed to have seen a glimmer of red light flash across Shen Lang's eyes, but when he looked again, it had returned to normal.

Pei Ci assumed he was just seeing things because he'd been posing for too long, so he didn't think much of it, snorted coldly, and said arrogantly:

"The Marquis said that the Jing'an Prince's Mansion is now only inhabited by a widow and her child, who are already pitiful, and are now surrounded by thieves. He has ordered me to protect them!"

Shen Lang nodded almost imperceptibly, and the surging true energy within his dantian quietly dissipated.

Pei Ci wasn't lying; he was indeed there to protect the princess and the noblewoman, and had nothing to do with the real culprit behind the scenes.

"Since I arrived, I have devoted myself wholeheartedly to my duties and never slacked off in the slightest, yet I am being treated like this!"

"May I ask, Lord Shen, what is your intention in humiliating me in public like this?!"

Pei Ci was unaware that he had just narrowly escaped death, and indignantly demanded an explanation.

Shen Lang was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "When did I humiliate you?"

Pei Ci snorted coldly: "You're ignoring me!"

Shen Lang said, both amused and exasperated, "You're overthinking it, Elder Pei. I was just following the rules and didn't mean to embarrass you."

This Pei Gongfeng's thought process was clearly somewhat different from ordinary people. He didn't want to waste time on such trivial matters, so he asked instead:

"If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who accompanied Princess Changning and Princess Qingping out of the city yesterday, weren't you?"

"Did you see anyone suspicious on your way here and there?"

"I've heard that Pei Gongfeng is an outstanding expert among the top-ranked martial artists. He must be able to discover those clues that others have overlooked."

"Please inform me in detail, Venerable Pei."

P.S.: I revised the previous text today, fixed a few minor bugs, and renamed the "True Vision Realm" used for arresting criminals and solving cases to "Virtual Realm". Please be aware of this.