Chapter 36: The Truth Revealed

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Truth Revealed

Xu Yunfeng stroked his upturned mustache with a hint of smugness. "It’s very simple. Shen Liu has to die."

Shen Liu?

Zeng Anmin remained silent, keeping his eyes on Xu Yunfeng.

"As a martial arts practitioner—a Martial Artist who has entered the Grades—he was perfectly healthy. Yet, in just a few days, he began coughing up blood from an illness and soon passed away. I’m afraid there’s something suspicious about this, isn’t there?

"If someone tampered with Shen Liu’s death, who would be the prime suspect?" Xu Yunfeng’s expression was relaxed as he slowly turned to look at Shen Jun. "It must be Shen Jun, who is eager to take over the merchant fleet!"

"Nonsense!"

Shen Jun’s face instantly flushed red at Xu Yunfeng’s words. He wished he could charge forward right then and there to bite this wretched Observation Department Shangguan to death.

"My uncle treated me like his own! How could I possibly do something so beastly?! Let alone taking over the fleet, if giving up my entire family fortune could bring him back, I wouldn’t be human if I hesitated for even a second!"

Clearly, being slandered like this had crossed his bottom line. As a result, he spoke without any regard for the setting.

"How dare you! Such insubordination—do you have a death wish?!"

A Red-clothed Guard’s expression suddenly turned cold as he drew the blade from his waist. The Observation Department didn’t care which wealthy merchant family he belonged to.

Zeng Anmin smiled faintly. He looked at Xu Yunfeng and said, "The Right Chief Clerk’s words have actually enlightened me."

"Oh?" Xu Yunfeng raised his brows slightly, a gratified smile appearing on his face. "Do you agree with my deduction, little brother?"

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions shifted subtly. Shen Jun’s body trembled before he looked at Zeng Anmin in disbelief. Those close to Shen Jun also looked devastated. Of course, a small group of people subconsciously clenched their fists, their faces turning tense and excited.

"No, your words have only made me more certain that Shen Jun is not a suspect," Zeng Anmin said, slowly turning his gaze toward Shen Jun. "Shen Liu had no descendants, and Shen Jun is the only remaining legitimate heir of the Shen Family. All he had to do was live his life as a wealthy young master and smoothly take over the fleet after Shen Liu passed away of old age.

"Why would he go out of his way to do this? He is rich, not insane.

"And more importantly..."

Hmm? Xu Yunfeng’s hand paused mid-stroke on his mustache, staring at Zeng Anmin in surprise and doubt.

The corners of Zeng Anmin’s lips curled up slightly. He slowly walked over to Shen Jun and asked softly, "Have you ever practiced martial arts?"

Shen Jun looked a little dazed and subconsciously nodded. "No. I’ve been frail since childhood. Forcing myself to practice martial arts would only shorten my lifespan."

"Are you sure?" Zeng Anmin’s eyes sharpened.

"I’m sure," Shen Jun said, increasingly confused about what Zeng Anmin meant.

Several nearby servants corroborated his statement. "The young master indeed has never practiced martial arts."

"Yes, we all know that."

"I’ve watched the young master grow up since he was a boy."

"..."

Hearing this, Zeng Anmin nodded with a chuckle. He looked at Ms. Zhenzhu standing beside Shen Jun and spoke softly. "To strangle a woman in her early thirties to death without alerting anyone...

"Can an ordinary man do that?"

His voice was quiet, but everyone present heard him loud and clear! With a single sentence, he smoothed out the entire train of thought.

"This..."

"These two could hear Shen Jun scolding Mrs. Shen. If Shen Jun was strangling Mrs. Shen to death, the commotion would definitely be much louder than a few reprimands..."

Zeng Anmin’s expression turned serious, his voice slowly drifting into the crowd’s ears. "Let alone him, even a sturdy, well-built man couldn’t possibly do it.

"Therefore, the murderer must be, at the very least, a Martial Artist who has entered a Grade!"

Zeng Anmin’s gaze swept across them one by one. The intensity in his Dan Feng eyes was so overwhelming that many lowered their heads, not daring to look up.

"So, your guess is that it was done by the fleet’s guards?" A sneer flickered across Xu Yunfeng’s face. The Shen Family relied on their merchant fleet and managed transportation, so naturally, they would have a basic Garrison in their home.

"Setting aside whether those guards had any motive, if a guard had done it, these two servants wouldn’t be alive right now," Zeng Anmin said, his gaze incredibly calm. "Moreover, if the killer wanted to slip into the mourning hall unnoticed right in front of two servants, it would be impossible unless a middle Third Grade Martial Artist struck personally.

"However, a mere merchant’s wife could never involve a middle Third Grade Martial Artist."

Zeng Anmin slowly turned his head, his gaze settling on the main hall. An image seemed to play out in his eyes—the exact scene of the mourning hall murder from that day.

"Strictly speaking, this case is a locked-room murder," Zeng Anmin said. "A locked-room crime where the killer is a Martial Artist.

"There also needs to be a motive for murder...

"Only one person meets all these conditions."

Zeng Anmin slowly looked toward the crowd. At this point in the case, the mystery was instantly unraveled!

"Who?!" Xu Yunfeng asked subconsciously.

Everyone looked at Zeng Anmin nervously.

"Shen Liu, who is inside the coffin." Zeng Anmin slowly uttered a name that gave everyone goosebumps.

In an instant, the entire courtyard became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. When all impossibilities are eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

After reading the case files that day, Zeng Anmin had carefully scrutinized every detail within them. In fact, before coming to the Shen Mansion, Zeng Anmin had never even focused his attention on the other deceased person. It wasn’t until Xu Yunfeng spoke that he was given a new train of thought.

How could he not see that Xu Yunfeng only appeared to be helping him solve the case, but was actually directing all the blame toward Shen Jun? Although Xu Yunfeng’s words were watertight, Zeng Anmin could still sense his intent to guide his thinking. He wanted Zeng Anmin to definitively pin the crime of murdering his aunt on Shen Jun and then bring him to justice.

He wondered why Xu Yunfeng would do such a thing. Zeng Anmin slowly let his gaze rest upon the Shen Mansion’s main hall. He didn’t know yet. However, he had a faint feeling that Xu Yunfeng’s actions were somehow connected to Prince Jiang’s Mansion.

"This... isn’t this a bit too bizarre? I saw my uncle’s corpse with my own eyes." Shen Jun’s face betrayed an unparalleled sense of absurdity. He felt as if he were listening to a fairy tale.

"Once a Martial Artist enters the Grades, they naturally possess some miraculous abilities." Zeng Anmin lifted his eyelids. "Faking death is not difficult."

"This..." Shen Jun was utterly dumbfounded. This deduction was far too bold—he simply couldn’t accept it.

"Before your aunt seduced you in the mourning hall, she definitely said some unspeakable things, correct?" Zeng Anmin looked at Shen Jun impassively.

Shen Jun nodded, his face pale.

Zeng Anmin remained unruffled, his voice as steady as ever. "That is Shen Liu’s motive for murder. As for why he faked his death..." Zeng Anmin shot a stealthy glance at Xu Yunfeng and sighed softly. "He likely offended someone he shouldn’t have and feared implicating his family."

"Hahahaha! Absurd!" Xu Yunfeng burst into laughter. He even felt that Zeng Anmin had lost his mind, laughing so loudly that his voice echoed. "In my opinion, Left Chief Clerk Zeng might as well resign from the Observation Department and go to a teahouse to be a Storyteller! With such gripping tales, you would definitely make a fortune!"

Who couldn’t hear the blatant mockery in his words? Zeng Anmin merely sneered. "We only need to head to the tomb and open the coffin for an autopsy. Whether what I said is true or false will be revealed in an instant, won’t it?!"

"Ridiculous!" Xu Yunfeng abruptly stopped laughing. Raising his chin, his two mustaches trembling, he looked coldly at Zeng Anmin. "The dead have passed. Shen Liu has been buried for days. Left Chief Clerk Zeng should hand this case over to me. Although I’m not a master detective, I am much more reliable than your absolute nonsense!"

Zeng Anmin let out a cold laugh. "It’s just opening a coffin for an autopsy. What is Right Chief Clerk Xu so worried about?"

The ambiguous words made Xu Yunfeng’s expression change.