The Ming Dynasty's henchmen, working from nine to five

Chapter 43 Audacious

"this......"

Pei Ci froze, then his brows gradually furrowed.

I was so shocked that I didn't think about the details.

Now, after Shen Lang's reminder, he came to his senses. This matter was indeed strange, because it didn't make sense logically.

"Yujing City is heavily guarded; even a powerful demon like Tonghui cannot sneak in unnoticed."

"The fact that it was able to get in is enough to show that someone must have been helping it behind the scenes."

"Logically speaking, from the moment the great demon appeared in the palace, everything in the palace became meat on its chopping board."

"Whatever the purpose of the person behind it, they can achieve it smoothly, but they just haven't made a move."

Pei Ci pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Shen is right, there is indeed something strange about this matter, but the reason behind it..."

"The reason is simple," Shen Lang's eyes darkened, "This tiger demon didn't come to steal money or kill people; it came specifically to scare them!"

Pei Ci was taken aback: "Trying to scare people?"

"Its attack on the princess last night was just the beginning."

"If we don't catch it today, it will continue to frighten others until everyone believes that a ghost has really come to the Prince's mansion. Then it will have achieved its goal."

A barely perceptible red glint flashed in Shen Lang's eyes. He turned to look at the orange cat that was eavesdropping, and asked slowly:

Am I right?

The orange cat's pupils suddenly contracted, and it quickly turned its head to the side, scoffing, "Random guesses, utterly absurd!"

Shen Lang's lips curled up slightly, and he chuckled softly, "You're lying."

"Looks like I was right."

Pei Ci scratched his head at a speed imperceptible to ordinary people, looking puzzled.

"Brother Shen, I didn't quite understand what you meant?"

Princess Jing'an was also completely bewildered, blinking blankly.

"Why did it come to the Prince's mansion to scare people? Does it have nothing better to do?"

Shen Lang countered, "Suppose such a thing really happened, and everyone in the Prince's mansion believed it was caused by a ghost, what would you do?"

Princess Jing'an replied without hesitation, "Of course, we should report it to the authorities!"

Princess Changning said thoughtfully, "Does Lord Shen mean... that it was deliberately trying to lure us into reporting it to the authorities?"

Shen Lang nodded: "That's right, exactly."

Pei Ci was still puzzled and asked, "The tiger demon not only didn't stop it, but actually guided the Prince's Mansion to report it to the authorities?"

"This... doesn't seem to make sense, does it?"

"If we report it to the authorities, they'll definitely investigate, and then we'll be exposed!"

"Even if it can leave in advance, once the matter of the ghost is reported, it will definitely cause a sensation. At that time, the whole city will be on high alert and patrols will be strengthened. It probably won't be able to escape."

What benefit would it gain from deliberately putting itself in danger?

Princess Jing'an blinked her big eyes, still looking completely blank.

Princess Changning's eyes widened in surprise, as if she had thought of something, and her face instantly turned serious.

Shen Lang slowly said, "The person behind the tiger demon is the real culprit in the flower thief case."

"His purpose in ordering the tiger demon to cause trouble in the palace was to get the palace to report him to the authorities on the grounds of 'ghostly disturbance'."

"Once a case file is filed with the Ministry of Justice, the nature of the case is determined."

"In this way, if something happens to the Princess Consort and the Princess, everyone, including the Ministry of Justice, will naturally assume that the murderer is a ghost."

"And the real culprit can then get away with it without a trace."

At this point, Shen Lang suddenly turned to look at the orange cat and asked again, "Am I right?"

The orange cat's eyes were wide open, but they returned to normal in an instant.

It chuckled nonchalantly, saying, "Flower thief? Ghost? I don't understand a word you're saying!"

"Given my status, how could I possibly be ordered around by others?"

"I've come here simply to have a good meal!"

"I heard there's the most beautiful woman in Kyoto here, with skin that's incredibly white and tender. That's my favorite kind of beauty, so I came."

A glint of light flashed in Shen Lang's eyes, and he coldly snorted, "You were lying again, just as I suspected."

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "That flower thief is probably planning to make a move against the Prince's mansion in the next few days!"

Now, Shen Lang has completely figured out the flower thief's purpose and motives.

He wanted to take action against the Prince's Mansion, but he was wary of the Princess and the County Princess's status and worried that His Majesty would personally investigate. So he changed his method and ordered the tiger demon to come and pave the way in advance!

"They're really bold. The whole city is on high alert, and the three judicial departments are conducting a joint trial, yet they still dare to defy the rules and try to take advantage of the prince's widow."

"How dare you be so arrogant?"

A cold glint flashed in Shen Lang's eyes.

"Why would this tiger demon be sent by the flower thief?!" Princess Jing'an couldn't sit still any longer and quickly asked.

Shen Lang cupped his hands in greeting: "The matter was sudden, and I haven't had time to report to the Princess yet."

"After several days of investigation, I have determined that the flower thief case was caused by human intervention, not by ghosts."

"The strange things mentioned in the rumors, such as red silk, joss paper, and thick fog, are all means to cover up the truth."

"The tiger demon's sudden appearance in the palace, using its demonic mist to sow chaos among people's hearts, was a pre-planned scheme."

"The day news of the haunting of the Prince's mansion spreads will be the day the true culprit makes its move!"

"Therefore, this matter must not be reported!"

"Even if someone asks you directly, you must keep quiet!"

At this point, Shen Lang's eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly said, "I think the people from the Ministry of Justice will be here soon."

"Let's prepare in advance!"

The killer laid the groundwork in advance to confirm the "ghostly" involvement.

This means that he was only worried about His Majesty's personal investigation, and not at all worried that he would be unable to succeed after the Ministry of Justice strengthened its defenses.

Where does his confidence come from?

Considering the Ministry of Justice's previous treatment of Princess Jing'an, everything makes sense now.

Those in the Ministry of Justice are probably enemies, not friends!

Princess Jing'an trusts Shen Lang the most now, so she naturally has no doubts about what he says.

Upon hearing this devastating news, she immediately became distraught.

She had long heard of the flower thief's methods.

This man was extremely cruel. The girls he targeted were all tortured beyond recognition, a truly tragic sight.

The Prince's mansion is already in enough chaos, with bandits from the martial world and mysterious assassins...

Now, with an even more vicious flower thief added to the mix, it's truly unbearable for anyone to live like this.

Princess Jing'an frowned deeply, and asked anxiously, "If we can't report this to the authorities, what should we do?"

"We can't just sit here and wait for him to come knocking on our door without doing anything, can we?"

"Princess, don't be anxious," Shen Lang said. "As long as we suppress the news of the ghosts appearing in the mansion, they won't dare to make any rash moves."

The other party has already demonstrated through their actions that he dares not act rashly.

After all, Princess Jing'an is wealthy.

The three thousand guards weren't raised for nothing; even if they stood still and were killed, it would take a very long time.

If the enemy does not make preparations in advance, even if they only reveal the slightest flaw, they will face a collective encirclement and annihilation by the Three Departments and Six Ministries.

The emperor may not like Prince Jing'an, but even for the sake of the imperial clan, he will personally conduct a thorough investigation.

Therefore, only by classifying the nature of the crime as "ghostly mischief" can he escape responsibility.

Shen Lang was not worried about the safety of the princess and the noblewoman for the time being. He gently reassured them for a few moments, and then said:

"Your subordinate has discovered a clue and will soon be able to identify the real culprit and bring him to justice."

"Just wait patiently."

Mentioning the clue, Princess Jing'an suddenly remembered what Shen Lang had asked her to do before, and quickly said:

"By the way, there's news from Xu Jingde, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies."

"Just as dawn broke this morning, his wife sent someone to the Prince's residence to deliver a message, saying that he had given up."

"I agree to let you come over tomorrow so we can talk in person."

"I felt terribly unwell after waking up this morning and almost forgot about important matters. Thank goodness..."

Princess Jing'an patted her chest and let out a soft sigh of relief.