Chapter 132 - 102: Case Closed at Light Speed

Chapter 132: Chapter 102: Case Closed at Light Speed

"Mhm."

Zeng Anmin slowly nodded upon hearing this, a sharp gleam flashing across his face.

"Then this maid named Xiang Chun will be the main target for the next step in our investigation.

"In eight days, she couldn’t have gone far.

"Moreover, the mastermind behind this case probably wants to use this to coerce Assistant Minister Lou, so he won’t let this maid get far."

At this point, he slowly looked up at Bai Ziqing, a glint in his eyes. "If you act quickly, Lou Tong might... still be saved."

"Ah?" Bai Ziqing froze, his eyes widening. "What do you mean?"

Zeng Anmin slowly stood up. He glanced up at the peach blossoms on the tree, his voice faintly quiet.

"Ziqing, think about it. If she were just an ordinary maid, how could she quietly sneak into the courtyard, administer the poison, and then swiftly infiltrate Assistant Minister Lou’s study and bedchamber?

"And even manage to leave without a trace after the crime... Isn’t that suspicious?"

Bai Ziqing’s mind was a bit muddled at the moment; he didn’t grasp Zeng Anmin’s meaning.

"Cyan Viper venom is extremely difficult to preserve. To keep it from eight years ago until now would cost tens of thousands of Spirit Stones alone..." Zeng Anmin continued calmly, "But what if... that maid herself is a Cyan Viper?"

"Ah?!"

Hearing this incredibly bold conjecture, Bai Ziqing was dumbfounded. After a long time, he asked with great difficulty, "But Assistant Minister Lou is a Fifth Grade Confucian Cultivator. If a member of the Demon Race had been lurking in his mansion for years, how could he not have noticed?"

"Heh." Zeng Anmin chuckled coldly. "What if there was a special method?"

Back in Liangjiang Commandery, his father, a powerhouse of the Confucian Dao in the Third Grade Firewood Carrying Realm, hadn’t discovered that the courtesan Shiyi was a member of the Demon Race. If the same method was used, how could a mere Fifth Grade Assistant Minister like Lou Yingqi have the capability to see through it?

"You’re saying... the Hidden Breath Array of the Profound Array Department? Impossible, why would the experts of the Profound Array Department help a demon?" Bai Ziqing’s thoughts were in disarray as he continued guessing without pause. "Besides the Profound Array Department, there’s Jiang Country’s Eastern Sect... and the Daoist Sect..."

He descended into confusion. This sudden expansion of possibilities was simply too difficult for him to narrow down.

Hearing this, Zeng Anmin gently stroked his chin. He simply let out a single sentence:

"Looking for that maid right now is like searching for a needle in a haystack, and it’s highly likely to alert the enemy.

"Go to Assistant Minister Lou and tell him these speculations. Have him cooperate in putting on a show to see if we can lure the snake out of its hole. This is the best method to save his son, or rather, to find the culprit."

Bai Ziqing was momentarily bewildered. "How should we put on a show?"

"You don’t need to worry about that. Just tell him the idea. I trust Assistant Minister Lou’s mind; he will definitely put on an incredibly realistic act targeted at the mastermind." A smile appeared on Zeng Anmin’s face. He reached out, patted Bai Ziqing, and said, "Go quickly. There are less than ten hours left until Lou Tong dies from the poison."

At these words, Bai Ziqing’s expression changed. He leaped up directly and headed out of the courtyard. In a few swift bounds, he vanished from sight.

Watching Bai Ziqing’s retreating figure, Zeng Anmin’s expression turned somber.

He thought of a deeply terrifying point. This case at the Assistant Minister’s Mansion was inextricably linked to one person: Prince Qi.

And from this, another point came to mind: the Agarwood in Prince Qi’s hands! Where exactly did that Agarwood come from?!

Qi Xianlin? Or perhaps another Direct Disciple of the Profound Array Department? Or maybe... Jiang Country’s Eastern Sect? Or the Daoist Sect?

In that case, there were the shadows of even more people behind this case.

"Interesting." After a long time, an inexplicable smile surfaced on Zeng Anmin’s face.

"This seems to be good news.

"Through this case, I can not only expand my father’s influence but also grab hold of certain people’s leverage.

"I’m really looking forward to the day my father becomes the Chief Cabinet Minister..."