Hearing Mo Qianzhi’s words, Zhu Yan couldn’t help but feel awkward. They had traveled such a long distance, and without even a sip of water, they were immediately starting the investigation. It seemed a bit too rushed.
Shen Du, however, didn’t seem to mind. His expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing.
“How can this be? The Grand Secretary has traveled so far. Even if there’s no welcoming banquet, there should at least be tea prepared to receive him. Now there’s nothing at all. Isn’t this clearly disrespectful to the Grand Secretary?”
Upon hearing this, Mo Qianzhi’s face turned extremely unpleasant. He was about to explain when Shen Du waved his hand and said, “It’s fine. We’re here to investigate, not for a picnic. The sooner we can close the case, the sooner we can return to Chang’an to report.”
With Shen Du saying this, neither of them said anything more and followed Mo Qianzhi towards the Prefect’s office.
Zhu Yan was puzzled. Although Mo Qianzhi had a reputation for diligent governance and care for the people, his attitude towards Shen Du was clearly perfunctory.
Walking behind Mo Qianzhi, Zhu Yan tugged at Shen Du’s clothes and asked in a low voice, “This Lord Mo doesn’t seem very friendly towards you. He knew you were coming but didn’t even prepare a welcoming banquet. Isn’t he clearly biased against you?”
Zhu Yan’s tone was sarcastic. Shen Du held such a high official position, yet even a small prefect didn’t seem to respect him. It was a shame that he had rushed here full of enthusiasm to solve their problems.
Shen Du, however, completely ignored Zhu Yan’s words, only curling his lips with a meaningful expression.
Due to past events, Shen Du had always viewed Mo Qianzhi through a filter. He was a good official who diligently served the people and always considered their interests. What was a welcoming banquet compared to working for the people? That was the true principle.
Seeing that Shen Du wasn’t responding, Zhu Yan felt confused. “What’s wrong with you? I’m speaking up for you, and you’re not even acknowledging it. Have you gone mute?”
Shen Du finally looked at Zhu Yan with disdain. “He’s famous for his diligent governance and care for the people, a rare good official. Rather than those empty gestures like welcoming banquets, it’s better to get straight to the investigation.”
“Hmph…” Zhu Yan pouted, showing her disbelief. Even the coldest and most arrogant people liked to hear flattery. Moreover, under normal circumstances, no one ever praised Shen Du. He must be secretly longing for approval and recognition.
As she was thinking, Zhu Yan lightly patted the token in her bosom. This was given to her by Xu Xiangren, the head of the Local Constable, allowing her to command the Local Constable. In times of crisis, it might even save her life. She had to keep it safe, and Shen Du didn’t know about this.
Shen Du went with the prefect to retrieve case files, while Zhu Yan went alone to examine the body. As she entered the morgue filled with the stench of decay, just as she was about to lift the white cloth, she was suddenly stopped by a cold shout, “Who goes there!”
In a flash, a figure appeared, and the next moment, a dagger was pressed against her throat.
Zhu Yan was startled. Could someone have mistaken her for a body thief?
“Sneaking around like this, you’re definitely not up to any good. Are you related to the murderer?”
The person behind her questioned coldly. The voice was very magnetic, but unfortunately, Zhu Yan hadn’t even seen the face before the dagger was at her throat.
Hearing the question, Zhu Yan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Related to the murderer? Yes, you’re right. I’m here to investigate the murderer.”
Zhu Yan tried to remain calm. Based on what the person behind her had just said, she could conclude that he wasn’t the killer.
But having a knife at her throat was indeed unsettling.
Hearing Zhu Yan’s response, the person behind her seemed to have some doubts. His tone softened a bit, “A woman, what case are you investigating? Leave quickly.”
After saying this, he pushed Zhu Yan away and walked to the door, scolding the yamen runners outside for their negligence. “Were you all asleep? How did you let a delicate woman in here?”
The two yamen runners looked confused, glancing at each other. Before they could explain, the man turned back to look at Zhu Yan and said, “Do you know what you were about to uncover? It’s a headless corpse, very horrifying. Don’t scare yourself so much that you can’t sleep at night. You’d better leave here quickly.”
His words were filled with disdain, and his cold expression deeply attracted Zhu Yan’s gaze.
This man was about the same height as Shen Du, with skin as fair and delicate as a woman’s. Between his brows was a visible air of heroism.
He was a rare beauty.
How could such an extraordinary man appear in a place like this? Could the victim in this case be related to him?
On one hand, Zhu Yan was enchanted by the man’s stunning appearance, and on the other hand, her mind was racing with wild thoughts, completely forgetting the man’s question.
Seeing Zhu Yan not responding, the man in front of her waved his hand in confusion, thinking to himself: Could such a beautiful girl be a fool?
“Hehe…” Unconsciously, Zhu Yan began to giggle stupidly, almost drooling. The man then realized that this woman was admiring his appearance.
Faced with such a scene, the man felt helpless.
Being handsome was just troublesome. He was the center of attention wherever he went. He was already used to such situations.
At this moment, Shen Du and Mo Qianzhi also entered. Seeing the scene before him, Shen Du immediately felt uneasy.
Zhu Yan was staring blankly at this unknown man, seemingly drooling. Not only was this man young, but he was also extremely handsome. In all these years in Chang’an, there had only been one such handsome man, but he had long since left the city. Thinking of this, a wave of jealousy surged in his heart.
“What’s going on here? How can unrelated people be allowed into such an important investigation site?”
Shen Du spoke coldly, his tone full of reproach.
Mo Qianzhi hurriedly bowed and said, “Grand Secretary Shen, you misunderstand. This gentleman is the civilian detective, Young Master Pan Chi. He has come to assist this official in solving the case. He is not an unrelated person.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Du immediately realized that this man was the only son of Pan Duanlian, the Governor of Jiangnan, and a descendant of Pan An, Pan Chi.
This man was truly extraordinary. Young and talented, he didn’t follow the conventional path. Like Li Bai, he traveled the world writing unconventional poems and solving cases, gaining popularity among the people.
More remarkably, not only did he have a stunning face, but he was also extremely gentle with people. It was rumored that the line of women deeply in love with him could stretch from here to Chang’an!
He didn’t want to bother with those rumors.
But now, even Zhu Yan was attracted to this man, acting infatuated right in front of him, looking as if she wanted to marry this man on the spot. How could he tolerate this!
“Ahem!” Shen Du cleared his throat coldly, immediately pulling Zhu Yan’s wandering thoughts back to reality.