I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon

Chapter 641 - 245: The Empress Baby’s Background! Massage First, Bath Later!

"Has Chen Mo arrived?"

The Empress furrowed her brows slightly.

Chen Mo entering the palace at this critical moment is definitely because of the Yan Family’s case.

In such a short time, there can’t be any major discoveries. It’s highly likely that he’s encountered some trouble.

Zhuang Jingming obviously realized this as well and said, "It’s just the right time for Mr. Chen’s arrival. Regarding these two cases, I happen to have some questions I wish Mr. Chen could clarify... Your Highness shouldn’t mind me eavesdropping, right?"

This request wasn’t unreasonable.

If he were deliberately asked to avoid it, it would seem somewhat lacking in confidence...

"Let Chen Mo come in," the Empress nodded and said.

"Yes."

Sun Senior Palace Lady responded and retreated.

A moment later, a tall figure dressed in a Dark Scale Black Robe walked into the hall.

"Your lowly servant greets Her Majesty the Empress," Chen Mo bowed in salute.

"No need for formalities," the Empress said indifferently.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Chen Mo stood up and, noticing the elder in red beside him, bowed again and said, "Chief Minister Zhuang is here as well?"

"Mr. Chen," Zhuang Jingming stroked his beard and smiled warmly, "It hasn’t been many days, and you are still as impressive as ever."

"You flatter me, Chief Minister."

Chen Mo inexplicably felt a bit uneasy.

Though Zhuang Jingming’s smile seemed amiable and kind, his eyes held a cold indifference. It was the same when they last met at the Golden Water Bridge... If Lv Huaiyu was a fierce, cunning wolf, then Zhuang Jingming was like an old, shrewd fox.

Cunning and slick, leaving one unable to ever grasp his true thoughts.

"Earlier, I was discussing the Barbarian Slave Case with Chief Minister Zhuang, and Deputy Households Commander Chen arrived just in time," the Empress said casually, "The deadline is still early; I wonder what brings Deputy Households Commander Chen to the palace?"

Chen Mo replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, I came here precisely because of this case."

"..."

The Empress looked somewhat helpless.

This big fool can’t seem to tell I’m hinting at him to ease the situation, yet he stubbornly stays the course...

Isn’t this blatantly giving Zhuang Jingming a chance to find fault?

But having said that, the Empress couldn’t pretend not to have heard and said, "Then go ahead, are there any developments in the case?"

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "The Barbarian Slave Case is too old; many clues are already lost. Cracking it in a short time is indeed very difficult..."

"So what you’re saying is, Mr. Chen hasn’t discovered anything in these past few days?"

Zhuang Jingming maintained his cordial smile, but his words were like needles hidden in silk, "I heard that Mr. Chen made a grand entrance to arrest people, imprisoned the Yan Family’s young master in the Imperial Prison, used various tortures repeatedly, yet achieved nothing. This seems hard to justify, doesn’t it?"

Without waiting for Chen Mo to answer, the Empress said in a bland tone, "The one-month deadline hasn’t even passed, Mr. Zhuang. Aren’t you a bit impatient... If you disagree with Chen Mo’s way of handling the case, why not take charge yourself?"

"I do not mean to question Mr. Chen’s capabilities," Zhuang Jingming impliedly said, "However, the Chen Family and Yan Family have long-standing grudges. I also heard that Mr. Chen and Yan Linghu once competed for favor and fought in the Imperial Music Bureau, so this might carry a hint of personal vendetta..."

"After all, Mr. Chen is still young and should know to cherish reputation, as earning a bad name might negatively impact his future career."

"Haha, in terms of officialdom, Chen Mo is indeed far behind Mr. Zhuang, but young people need some vigor; if they only know how to play it safe, they may struggle to be of great use in the future, wouldn’t you agree?" the Empress commented with an indifferent tone.

Zhuang Jingming’s fingertip traced the edge of the white porcelain teacup as he nodded, "What Your Highness says is true. It seems I fell into the trap of conventional thinking... But back to this case, how long does Mr. Chen plan to hold the person?"

"If indeed nothing problematic is found, the Yan Family deserves an explanation, don’t they?"

Although their tones remained calm, there was a clear tension in the air.

Even if Chen Mo was slow to respond, he could see Zhuang Jingming was targeting him.

Seeing that the Empress wanted to speak, he cleared his throat and interrupted, "Wait... who said I found nothing?"

?

Zhuang Jingming raised an eyebrow, "From what Mr. Chen suggests, is there a breakthrough in the case?"

Chen Mo pulled out a Confession Paper from his robe and said, "This is Yan Linghu’s confession. He personally admitted that from entry to transaction, all channels of the Barbarian Slave Case were arranged by Princely Heir Chu Heng, and Yan Liang was just a minion acting on his behalf."

Zhuang Jingming asked, "Besides this, do you have any substantial evidence?"

Chen Mo honestly replied, "Not at this moment."

Zhuang Jingming chuckled speechlessly, "Is this what you call a major discovery? As a Deputy Thousand Households of the Sky Scale Guard, you should well know that without concrete evidence, a confession alone cannot convict."

"After all, considering the means of the Imperial Prison, not many can withstand them. It’s possible Yan Linghu was beaten into confessing..."

"Mr. Zhuang, hold on, I haven’t finished," Chen Mo pulled out a Jade Scroll and said, "Although the Barbarian Slave Case hasn’t progressed much, I had an unexpected discovery, perhaps involving an old case. Please, Your Highness, have a look."

"An old case?"

Zhuang Jingming’s heart jumped, an inexplicable sense of unease creeping in.

Chen Mo handed both the confession and the Jade Scroll to Sun Senior Palace Lady, who passed them to the Empress. Then, the hall plunged into a lengthy silence.

It took a full quarter of an hour before the Empress’s icy voice sounded, "Unexpectedly, it truly is a surprise discovery."

Thud—

The Jade Scroll was thrown from behind the screen, tracing an arc through the air and landing right on the carpet before Zhuang Jingming.

"Mr. Zhuang might want to personally take a look."

"Is it my duty to give the Yan Family an explanation, or should the Yan Family provide one to me!"

Zhuang Jingming’s heart shuddered, finally realizing something was amiss.

He bent down to pick up the Jade Scroll, his mind sinking into it, and his expression suddenly turned grave.