On the 28th, the weather was fine. Fang Zilan stood in the courtyard of the government office basking in the sun. She raised her head and half-squinted her eyes, looking like a satisfied cat.
The panic on the street came at this time. She heard someone outside shouting "killer" from a distance, and subconsciously glanced back. Inside the room, Yang Zhiqing was sitting in front of the case, carefully reviewing the official documents. .
Hearing the noise, Yang Zhiqing stood up and walked out, asking: "Master Fang, what happened?"
"I don't know, I'll go take a look." After that, Fang Zilan called Cao Hong and asked him to look at Yang Zhiqing. He walked out of the government office, grabbed someone from the panicked crowd, and asked what happened.
The person she caught was at a loss and couldn't even speak clearly. She vaguely understood that there was a murder case at the Criminal Department, and an adult died in front of the door when he came in and out.
No wonder there was such a big fuss. Fang Zilan's heart sank. He killed someone in public. Is Ji Ningtian crazy? It’s just the Ministry of Punishment...
Before she could think about it, Yang Zhiqing had already walked up to her to ask about the situation, and Cao Hong who followed him also looked curious.
After listening to Fang Zilan's words, Cao Hong frowned and said, "The Ministry of Punishment has always been strictly guarded. How could an official die in front of the door?"
"Master Fang, can you find out who died?" Yang Zhiqing looked anxious, and Fang Zilan was stunned, "Why..."
"Master Wu was ordered to revise the law, and he went to the Ministry of Punishment!" Yang Zhiqing raised his voice, and Fang Zilan suddenly woke up as if a basin of cold water had poured down her head.
Making excuses in the east and attacking in the west was Ji Ningtian's real purpose.
Fang Zilan felt her hands and feet were cold and ran out subconsciously. Even though Cao Hong shouted behind her, she couldn't hear a single word.
The entrance to the Criminal Department has long been surrounded by guards and people from the Jingzhao Yin Mansion, and is tightly blocked. After Fang Zilan arrived, she held the official's token in hand and forced her way in.
The moment she saw the person lying on the ground clearly, Fang Zilan's hands hidden in her sleeves clenched into fists, and her whole body was full of killing intent, which provoked the guard next to him to take a step back.
"Master Fang..." As soon as Qian Qianfu, the head of the Criminal Department, opened his mouth, Fang Zilan said: "Why did Master Wu come out of the Criminal Department at this hour?"
"This..." Qian Qian hesitated for a while before saying, "I think Mr. Pei came to call me for something..."
"Lord Pei Pening?" Fang Zilan interrupted Qian Qian's words coldly, and he nodded hastily, "Exactly."
Fang Zilan's expression became even colder, "Master Pei is not in the Punishment Department, so where is he?"
"Master Pei has been feeling unwell recently and is on leave." Cold sweat broke out on Qian Qian's forehead. Fang Zilan glanced sideways at him and said, "Why are you the one who replied to me? Where is the Minister of Punishment?"
"Master Shangshu went to the Ministry of Personnel to find Master Zhuge, so he left it to the lower official to take charge." Qian Qian's voice had an imperceptible tremor. Fang Zilan stared at him and said: "Master Wu was transferred from the government office I am in charge of. You guys from the Punishment Department died here, I want an explanation, isn't it too much?"
"It's not too much." Qian Qian responded quickly, and Fang Zilan nodded slightly, "Okay, in that case, if your punishment department can't give me an explanation within three days, I will go to the imperial court in person to ask for it."
"Master Fang, three days is too tight, isn't it?" Before Qian Qian finished speaking, Fang Zilan had turned around and left, leaving him standing there, dejected.
As the chief of the Criminal Department, Qian Qian knew that this matter was not trivial. In just a few months, there have been several murder cases in the capital, and the victims were all powerful people. However, the Jingzhao Yin Mansion could not find anything, and their criminal department was even more silent.
Who would have thought that as long as you stay safe, the murderer won't come. Now, the murderer not only found the Ministry of Punishment, a place of justice, but also killed an official of the Ministry of Punishment in broad daylight. Once this matter spreads...
Qian Qian did not dare to think about it. He and Zou Hongqi, the Minister of Punishment, both belonged to the Dugu faction and were of the same mind as the Queen Mother. Logically speaking, the Dugu family spans across the Western Territory, and there are no timid people under their command, but the capital city is peaceful after all, and there is always a bit of fear when things happen.
What's more, with the Duke of Yue Fang Zilan on one side and the brother of Duke Pei Juiqing on the other, neither could afford to offend him. The Jingzhao Yin Mansion is also unreliable. In the end, the Ministry of Punishment can only bear the responsibility.
Qian Qian sighed for a long time. He had already felt the pressure from Fang Zilan just now. If he couldn't give her a satisfactory explanation in three days, she would probably dismantle the Ministry of Justice.
But if Pei Juiqing, the Duke of Guo Guo, openly goes to Pei Mansion to question Pei Pening, will he still survive?
Qian Qian thought about this and looked at the people in the Jingzhao Yin Mansion next to him, and saw the same fear on their faces. He felt a headache more and more. If their punishment department was arguing with the Jingzhao Yin Mansion, let alone three days, or even thirty days, they might not be able to come up with an answer.
However, what Qian Qian didn't know was that while he and the people from the Jingzhao Yin Mansion were hesitating, Fang Zilan had already done it for them to interrogate Pei Pening.
Fang Zilan jumped over the Pei family's courtyard wall lightly and deftly without disturbing anyone. She fumbled for less than a cup of tea before she found Pei Pening.
Pei Poming was pacing back and forth in the room, seeming very uneasy. Fang Zilan observed it and made sure there was no one else in the house, then pushed the door open and entered.
When Pei Pening saw someone breaking in, his mouth was covered before he could shout. Fang Zilan, who was close at hand, said softly: "Master Pei, you recover from this illness so quickly."
Pei Po whined a few times, and Fang Zilan slowly put down his hand. He became angry and said, "Master Fang, what are you doing?"
"What are you doing?" Fang Zilan's lips curled up in a playful smile, but there was no smile in her eyes. "I came here all the way and heard people saying that Mr. Pei was drinking in the flower house today and was very happy. Who knows that the boy in the Pei Mansion said that Mr. Pei was sick? Chong, I haven't stayed at the hotel all day. I always like to get to the bottom of things. Since the servant in the Pei Mansion doesn't allow me to visit, I can only make this decision. I hope Mr. Pei won't be surprised. "
"You..." Pei Pening's eyes widened and he was choked to the point of being speechless.
Fang Zilan suppressed a smile and said, "Master Pei should know why I am here. I wonder if there is anything I want to say?"
"I don't know, and I don't have anything to say." Pei Pening was furious. Fang Zilan grabbed him by the collar and said word by word: "The people from the Ministry of Justice told me that Mr. Wu only left the Ministry of Justice after being summoned by Mr. Pei. , died in front of the door."
"Nonsense!" Pei Poming shouted, but his tone was awkward, "I didn't..."
Fang Zilan exerted force on her hands, "Master Pei is so frightened when I ask him questions. If he is being interrogated by the Ministry of Justice, will he be able to withstand it?"
Pei Pening's face was full of horror, and he watched helplessly as his collar split slightly. Fang Zilan let go of him and patted his shoulder gently, "I'm done asking. I'm really sorry for ruining one of Mr. Pei's clothes."
After she finished speaking, she turned away and Pei Pening couldn't help but said: "Master Fang, Wu Sheng's death really has nothing to do with me. With his temper, he might have offended someone..."
"So Lord Pei thinks he deserves to die?" Fang Zilan turned around, the cold cruelty in his eyes made Pei Pening suddenly stop talking.
However, Fang Zilan had no intention of leaving, as if waiting for an answer. After a long while, Pei Pening said softly: "I don't know."
"Master Pei revised the law, and he should know that even if there are people who deserve to die in this world, they should be punished by the law." Fang Zilan said solemnly: "Killing is killing, and no sophistry can cover up the fact of his crime."
"But..." Pei Poming hesitated, and Fang Zilan snorted coldly, "If Mr. Pei wants to protect the murderer, you might as well think about what would happen if you were the one who died today?"
