Combined Investigation into Tiger Hunting

Wang Gangfeng's mind raced, and in the blink of an eye, he had figured out the majority of Gu Chengyin's train of thought.

In the case of Xiao Bichang's sudden death, from the crime scene and autopsy results to the massive amount of wealth discovered in his estate, the materials coincidentally exposed by the Ministry of Revenue, and the cooperative testimonies of the relevant personnel...

All the evidence had been meticulously prepared by someone. The ironclad proofs were interlocked, forming a perfect chain of evidence pointing to a suicide committed out of fear of punishment.

No matter who investigated, within the three-day limit set by Emperor Luo, faced with such conclusive evidence, it would be difficult to make any waves. Ultimately, they could only reach the same conclusion.

Gu Chengyin had clearly seen through this.

He knew that since the other party dared to push Xiao Bichang out, they must have made full preparations and would not leave any flaws behind.

Forcibly entangling with them would not only waste time but might even result in being bitten back, accused of ineffective investigation or having ulterior motives.

Therefore, Gu Chengyin's choice was to go with the flow and beat them at their own game.

Didn't they want to close the sudden death case as a suicide out of fear of punishment?

Fine, close it.

According to all the conclusive evidence, give the conclusion of suicide out of fear of punishment, report it to the Cabinet, follow the procedures compliantly, and make the conclusion impeccable.

In this way, it would first satisfy Emperor Luo's requirement to solve the case within the time limit, and secondly, it would paralyze the opponents, making them think the matter was settled.

However.

What was closed was only the case of Xiao Bichang's sudden death.

But the corruption case of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a case that was inevitably brought out and had even more conclusive evidence, could logically be opened for investigation.

Xiao Bichang was the Left Vice Minister, true, but the position of Left Vice Minister did not only belong to Xiao Bichang.

And the power, responsibilities, and interest network of the Ministry of Revenue represented behind it would not disappear because of one person's death.

This was an open scheme.

It was an aboveboard utilization of the rules.

Having figured this out, Wang Gangfeng could not help but feel a trace of admiration in his heart.

This man, Gu Chengyin, was truly seasoned in his grasp of human nature, officialdom rules, and timing.

He sat back down steadily, but the doubts in his heart were not completely dispelled.

He asked another key point, Marquis Gu, since you had the idea of investigating the cases separately early on, why did you directly set the preliminary conclusion as suicide at the very beginning?

Hearing this, Gu Chengyin stretched out his index finger and tapped it on the table, making a crisp knocking sound.

Lord Wang, if the preliminary conclusion was not set as suicide...

He dragged out his voice, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes. Then where would we pick up so much conclusive evidence for free?

Wang Gangfeng was instantly enlightened.

That was it.

The other party racked their brains to create the illusion of suicide out of fear of punishment and prepared a matching set of blackmail materials. What was their purpose?

It was to make the investigator follow this seemingly only reasonable path, ultimately closing the case as suicide out of fear of punishment, and ending everything with Xiao Bichang.

And Gu Chengyin had seen through their intentions from the very beginning.

He beat them at their own game and crisply gave the preliminary conclusion: suicide, and quickly confirmed it through the Cabinet.

This move was like a clear signal telling the people behind the scenes: I am not prepared to follow the script of suicide out of fear of punishment.

Receiving this signal, the other party would naturally become anxious, thinking that Gu Chengyin had found loopholes they did not know about.

So they quickly launched a response.

On one hand, they assassinated Gu Chengyin, attempting to physically eliminate this variable.

On the other hand, they stepped up the exposure of the long-prepared blackmail materials pointing to Xiao Bichang's corruption.

To ensure there was solid evidence for the fear of punishment and a motive for the suicide, making the whole case look flawless.

They thought they were feeding bait, watching the fish take the hook.

But they didn't know that Gu Chengyin, this fish, while biting the bait, had his eyes fixed on the fisherman's basket.

If not set as suicide, where would we pick up evidence for free?

A light sentence revealed all of Gu Chengyin's calculations.

He used the other party's layout to reversely collect ammunition to attack them.

The evidence originally used to confirm Xiao Bichang's crimes had now become an excellent starting point for opening a new case.

The perennially frozen serious expression on Wang Gangfeng's face rarely loosened a bit.

He cupped his hands towards Gu Chengyin, his tone much more sincere. Marquis Gu is far-sighted, this subordinate admires you.

Since Marquis Gu already has a comprehensive plan, I wonder how we should proceed next?

Gu Chengyin did not answer but asked in return:

Lord Wang, the people from the Censorate should still be conducting inquiries and investigations at the Ministry of Revenue right now, correct?

Wang Gangfeng nodded. Yes, the Censorate has dispatched capable censors who are currently conducting detailed inquiries at the Ministry of Revenue with officials and clerks who had dealings with Xiao Bichang or were within his jurisdiction. It is still ongoing.

Mhm.

Gu Chengyin nodded, a strange smile appearing on his face:

Would you say it is a coincidence? I happen to know a place that has also been investigating the Ministry of Revenue recently.

Wang Gangfeng's heart stirred, and he immediately thought of where it was.

The Crown Prince's Palace.

Gu Chengyin continued, And right now, we happen to have a large handful of corruption materials regarding the Left Vice Minister in our hands. They are genuine and rich in content.

In my opinion.

Gu Chengyin spread his hands, making an expression that said it was heaven's will:

It would be a real pity if we didn't cooperate a bit, right, Lord Wang?

Listening to Gu Chengyin's words, Wang Gangfeng didn't think much of it at first.

Cooperating in investigating a case and sharing information was also a routine operation to improve efficiency.

But the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was off.

The Crown Prince's Palace was investigating the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue.

The Censorate was investigating the people of the Ministry of Revenue.

Now they also had a large amount of corruption materials delivered right to their door.

Currently, it seemed that these materials only pointed to Xiao Bichang himself.

But as long as they were given a little time to cross-reference and deeply analyze these materials with the accounts and personnel they were respectively investigating...

Sooner or later, they would be able to dig out higher-level figures from these materials that seemingly only concerned Xiao Bichang...

How was this a separate case investigation?

This was merging the cases to hunt down a tiger!

A fine layer of sweat instantly broke out on Wang Gangfeng's forehead.

He was upright and outspoken, and he enforced the law impartially, but he was not stupid.

What kind of place was the Censorate?

It was the imperial court's supervisory agency, theoretically independent and transcendent, supervising all officials.

Once it intervened in such a complex case that might involve the Cabinet.

It was equivalent to actively jumping into a massive vortex.

The water was too deep.

Once you waded in, it would be almost impossible to pull yourself out.

You couldn't just investigate everything. What if you actually found something out?

Moreover, he, Wang Gangfeng, was only a censor; he absolutely could not make such a decision on his own authority.

Wang Gangfeng remained silent for a moment before speaking with difficulty:

Marquis Gu, this matter is of grave importance. This subordinate is of low rank and little influence, and cannot make this decision. I must report it to the Chief Censor.

Gu Chengyin was not surprised by his reaction at all and said with great understanding:

That is natural. Such a major event certainly requires the approval of the Chief Censor.

I am merely offering a suggestion. As for the specifics, the Censorate will have to consider it themselves.

He changed the subject, his voice full of urgency:

However, Lord Wang, I suggest you hurry up.

After all, time waits for no one.

The duty of the Censorate is to supervise all officials.

Now that the evidence of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue's corruption is conclusive, the amount is massive, and it involves a wide range of people, it is precisely the time for the Censorate to fulfill its duties and demonstrate its strength of character.

"If we move too slowly and give certain people time to react and make their arrangements, when that time comes, whether we advance or retreat will likely no longer be up to us."

Wang Gangfeng gave Gu Chengyin a deep, meaningful look.

Without another word, he stood up, solemnly cupped his hands in a salute toward Gu Chengyin, and said in a deep voice,

"I will engrave Marquis Gu's words in my memory. I shall return to the Metropolitan Censorate at once and report this to my superiors."