Preliminary Conclusion

Gu Chengyin sat upright, his expression serious. Hearing this, he nodded and began his report methodically:

To the Grand Secretaries, after receiving His Highness's assignment, I did not dare to delay in the slightest and immediately went to the residence of the Left Vice Minister of Revenue.

At the scene, I met with Head Catcher Zhu Qi from the Ministry of Justice, who is specially assigned to this case, and Censor Wang Gangfeng, dispatched by the Chief Surveillance Bureau.

We established a temporary task force with myself as the lead, assisted by Zhu Qi and Wang Gangfeng.

His speaking pace was steady, his wording rigorous:

After understanding the information and materials related to the case,

We first conducted a meticulous investigation of the crime scene, Vice Minister Xiao's study.

We confirmed that the doors and windows were intact and locked from the inside, with no signs of forced entry. The furnishings at the scene were orderly, consistent with the environment of a hanging.

Subsequently, we jointly examined Vice Minister Xiao's remains and listened to the opinion of Zhang Shan, a senior coroner from the Ministry of Justice.

After a friendly and in-depth exchange of views, we finally reached a unified preliminary conclusion.

Gu Chengyin deliberately paused for a moment before saying, The Left Vice Minister of Revenue, Xiao Bichang, committed suicide.

This conclusion was not surprising; the expressions of the three Grand Secretaries remained unchanged.

Gu Chengyin continued, As for further details, such as whether he was under the influence of drugs, or if there were any hidden ailments or old injuries in his body,

These cannot be determined merely by external examination. An autopsy is required to know for sure.

He immediately reported the follow-up arrangements, Based on the preliminary conclusion, I have issued separate directives.

For the Ministry of Justice, Head Catcher Zhu Qi is responsible for tracing the specific flow of the massive embezzled funds mentioned in the suicide note, and compiling all of Xiao Bichang's recent whereabouts and contacts, in hopes of discovering clues or contradictions.

For the Chief Surveillance Bureau, Censor Wang Gangfeng will take a warrant to station at the Ministry of Revenue to conduct a thorough investigation from top to bottom, in order to verify whether there are accomplices or more signs of embezzlement.

Speaking of this, Gu Chengyin slightly shifted the topic, mentioning the sensitive part:

As for the section mentioning the Ministry of Rites in the suicide note,

He looked up at Cui Shifan. Currently, there is only this single piece of isolated evidence without any other corroborating clues. It is difficult to make a decision based solely on these words.

I believe this matter should be temporarily shelved. It will not be too late to make a decision once more directional clues are found.

At this point, Gu Chengyin stopped speaking, his gaze calm as he waited for the three Grand Secretaries to discuss.

For a major case like this involving an important court official, if not handled well, the consequences would be terrifying.

Therefore, from bottom to top, the process is extremely strict, and skipping levels to report is absolutely forbidden.

Furthermore, the conclusion at each level must be uniformly reached by three or more officials of the same rank but from different factions.

This is to ensure that no unexpected domino effect occurs.

Gu Chengyin's report was clear and focused, stating the facts while also clarifying his stance.

Most crucially, regarding the issue involving the Ministry of Rites, he took the initiative to propose shelving it, kicking the ball to Cui Shifan, who was the general person in charge and originated from the Ministry of Rites.

He would never act arbitrarily on such a sensitive issue, especially since he still had a certain degree of cooperation with Cui Shifan.

After listening, Cui Shifan's face showed no obvious change in expression. He just pondered for a moment, turning his gaze to Hu Juzheng and Yuan Zhengqing on his left and right:

My two fellow Grand Secretaries, regarding what Marquis Gu has stated, do you have any questions or anything to add?

Hu Juzheng and Yuan Zhengqing looked at each other, exchanging a tacit understanding in their eyes.

Immediately after, Yuan Zhengqing, who possessed an upright temperament, spoke first. His voice was like his person, carrying a sense of strict righteousness:

This preliminary conclusion conforms to the common sense of the on-site investigation, but based on this alone, we naturally cannot draw a final conclusion. We still need to wait for more clues to emerge.

However, regarding the matter of the autopsy, I believe we can agree to it.

After all, Xiao Bichang was a court official. His cause of death must be ascertained, leaving no room for doubt.

This is an explanation to the royal court, to his family, and also to the people of the world.

Hu Juzheng slowly nodded and echoed, Grand Secretary Yuan is quite right. A dignified Left Vice Minister of Revenue dying in his own study has a terrible impact and has caught the attention of the entire court and the public.

Only by getting to the bottom of the cause of death can we quell public criticism and deter scoundrels. I also agree to the autopsy.

With the two Grand Secretaries successively expressing their support, and Cui Shifan raising no objections, this matter was basically settled.

Cui Shifan nodded slightly, his gaze falling back onto Gu Chengyin. Since both Grand Secretaries have no objections, the matter of the autopsy is unanimously approved.

Marquis Gu, you will be responsible for coordinating this matter. Begin as soon as possible, and ensure it is detailed and accurate.

I obey your command.

Gu Chengyin immediately complied. Although the autopsy might not necessarily yield any new results, the required procedures still had to be followed.

At this time, Yuan Zhengqing spoke again, turning the topic to the Ministry of Rites:

Since the Chief Surveillance Bureau is intervening in the Ministry of Revenue to conduct a comprehensive verification, then regarding the matter of the Ministry of Rites mentioned in the suicide note...

As Marquis Gu said, the evidence is thin. Shelving it for now and concentrating our efforts on first clarifying the issues within the Ministry of Revenue is the right way.

Once the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue yields results, it will not be too late to decide whether to extend the investigation depending on the situation.

For Yuan Zhengqing, a Grand Secretary originating from the Chief Surveillance Bureau, to take the initiative to suggest temporarily shelving it was already giving Cui Shifan a tremendous amount of face.

This was not only a respect for the logic of the case investigation but also a maintenance of Cui Shifan's leading authority.

Hu Juzheng also nodded in agreement. Grand Secretary Yuan has considered this thoroughly. First the Ministry of Revenue, then the rest. It is a sound plan.

Cui Shifan, however, proposed a different opinion at this moment:

I also agree that the Chief Surveillance Bureau should first thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Revenue, but regarding the matter of the Ministry of Rites...

It cannot be completely shelved either. How about this: let the Ministry of Rites conduct an internal self-investigation first. This is also to save time. What do you two think?

Hu Juzheng and Yuan Zhengqing nodded in agreement. Since the opinions of the three Grand Secretaries were unanimous, this matter naturally passed logically.

Cui Shifan's expression was calm as he began to make the final summary and set the tone:

Since this is the case, then regarding the case of Xiao Bichang, the Left Vice Minister of Revenue, it is confirmed by the three Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat.

We agree that the preliminary conclusion is: Xiao Bichang committed suicide out of fear of his crimes...

However, before he could finish his sentence.

A calm but exceptionally clear voice interrupted him.

Grand Secretary Cui.

It was Gu Chengyin.

The hall instantly fell silent.

Hu Juzheng and Yuan Zhengqing both looked at Gu Chengyin with some surprise, not understanding why this young Marquis would suddenly interrupt at this moment.

Cui Shifan also stopped speaking, looking calmly at Gu Chengyin, waiting for him to continue.

Meeting the gazes of the three Grand Secretaries, Gu Chengyin slowly stood up. He did not breach etiquette, but bowed slightly.

His tone remained respectful, but his wording was exceptionally solemn and firm:

Please mind your wording, Grand Secretary Cui.

He paused and said word by word:

The content of the report I just presented to the three Grand Secretaries was:

After on-site investigation, preliminary examination of the corpse, and joint discussion with officials from the Chief Surveillance Bureau and the Ministry of Justice,

The unified preliminary conclusion reached is: Xiao Bichang committed suicide.

In this, there are no words stating out of fear of his crimes.