Jiang Zhe laughed heartily and said, "Brother Lu, you’re putting me in a tough spot! How can I take the main seat in this hall?"
Jiang Zhe glanced at Yang Yi and said, "After all, this is a judicial investigation! Among the Judgement and Rectification Department, Internal History Department, and Ministry of Communication, the Judgement and Rectification Department handles major sect cases. I think the main seat in this hall is most suited for Brother Yang to take."
Upon hearing this, Yang Yi immediately waved his hands repeatedly and said, "With Lord Jiang saying so, I don’t even dare sit in the side seat."
Though Yang Yi was just a registered disciple, Yang Sixuan was a confidant of Chu Qiushan, which alone made no one dare underestimate him.
Lu Geng, however, said, "Brother Jiang, if we keep pushing this back and forth, it will make us look like a joke to the juniors."
Jiang Zhe glanced over at the three people kneeling below the hall, smiled slightly, and said, "Alright, since I’m the one who arrived late, I deserve this punishment."
As Jiang Zhe spoke, he stepped to the middle seat, stood there, looked at the old man at the entrance with a pitch-black medicine box on his back, and said, "Pharmacist Guo, please have a seat and wait for a while."
The old man said nothing, and sat down on a grandmaster’s chair.
Lu Geng had already given the old man several looks, especially that odd-looking box he carried on his back. Only when Jiang Zhe called him a pharmacist did Lu Geng have a sudden realization.
Jiang Zhe then lifted his robe and sat in the middle of the hall, followed by Lu Geng and Yang Yi taking their respective seats.
Jiang Zhe sat there and glanced at Liu Shushan, who was standing below the hall, and instructed, "Shushan, take a seat below and pay more attention."
"Yes, Senior Brother!" Liu Shushan cupped his hands and sat on a grandmaster’s chair closest to the entrance.
Lu Geng and Yang Yi had been wondering who the young man following Jiang Zhe was. Seeing him call Jiang Zhe "Senior Brother" made it clear — Ge Rusong had accepted a disciple a little over two months ago, said to be quite talented.
After Liu Shushan took his seat, Yang Yi looked at the three people crouched on the ground and said, "You three may rise, it’s time to discuss the matter."
"Yes!" Chen Shanmeng, Ge Hengtai, and Lin Yuan stood up and sat down with arched backs.
Yang Yi gave Chen Shanmeng a glance and said, "Lord Chen, the Ministry of Justice should have conducted an initial investigation into the Li Shensi case. Is there any preliminary investigation document?"
Chen Shanmeng stood up immediately, took three documents out of his sleeve, placed them before the three judges, and then stepped back a few paces to bow, saying, "These are the preliminary investigation results from the Ministry of Justice, Advisory Bureau, and Guanglu Mansion. Please review them, Lords."
Jiang Zhe, Lu Geng, and Yang Yi picked up the documents and quickly browsed through them.
Jiang Zhe said, "Lord Chen, there’s no conclusion in this preliminary investigation either?"
Chen Shanmeng said, "I am dull and did not find the cause of Li Shensi’s death."
Jiang Zhe pressed on, "Then what are the speculations?"
"This..." Chen Shanmeng hesitated.
Jiang Zhe said, "Lord Chen has been in criminal law for decades. As for that nonsense about Li Shensi offending some great rhino... Surely Lord Chen doesn’t believe in such absurdity? After your investigation, you must have some thoughts. The document doesn’t need to mention it, but this is a discussion, and you needn’t worry about speaking freely."
Standing there, Chen Shanmeng was already sweating profusely. He took a deep breath and bravely cupped his hands, "Reported to the three lords, Li Shensi’s death was indeed strange, but I found no clues or avenues for investigation. I beg your forgiveness."
With that, Chen Shanmeng prostrated himself again.
Jiang Zhe looked at the kneeling Chen Shanmeng with a suddenly grim expression.
Though Chen Shanmeng was respectful, he was also resolute, clearly standing firm against the pressure.
At this moment, Ge Hengtai suddenly stood up, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "Lords, I have something to report!"
Jiang Zhe’s expression eased slightly as he looked at Ge Hengtai and said, "Lord Ge, please speak!"
Ge Hengtai said, "The talk of the great rhino is pure street gossip. In my view, Li Shensi was poisoned, leading to madness and his eventual death from falling off a cliff."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhe nodded slightly. Yang Yi and Lu Geng looked at him with impassive expressions.
Ge Hengtai continued, "However, Li Shensi was in the True Qi Realm Fourth Level, and ordinary poisons couldn’t penetrate his protective true qi. The only explanation is that the poison came from beneath Changling Mountain, from the Dark Forest in the Underworld. Only the poisons from the Dark Forest could erode true qi, and some can even penetrate primordial qi."
At this point, the old man sitting in the corner, who had been silent, suddenly looked up and stared intently at Ge Hengtai.
Yang Yi and Lu Geng’s expressions turned peculiar. Ge Hengtai was just a worldly figure, yet he spoke so confidently about the Dark Forest’s secrets, a sect’s closely guarded secret. How could he know so much and speak with such certainty?
Clearly, someone had coached him on this!
Jiang Zhe said, "That makes sense! If it wasn’t poisoning, could it really have been some great rhino that killed Li Shensi? The dignified Ministry of Justice should not entertain such absurdities!"
Jiang Zhe said the last sentence while glaring at Chen Shanmeng, who was prostrate not far away.
"Wise judgment, my lord!" Ge Hengtai cupped his hands and said, "Moreover, when Li Shensi was killed, a direct disciple of the sect was secretly lurking in the Divine Cloud Prefecture. I strongly suspect this individual was connected to Li Shensi’s death."
Jiang Zhe cleared his throat upon hearing this and glanced sideways at Lu Geng, "Brother Lu, as far as I know, the individual Lord Ge mentioned should be your junior brother, Duan Rong, correct?"