In the end, Minister Yun Hanchi of the Ministry of Justice did not agree with Li Ang’s proposal.
However, this was also within Li Ang’s calculations.
Firstly, Li Shenbin was a member of the Royal Family. His father, Prince Changxiang, Li Chenghe, had a very deep friendship with Emperor Yu. This was why he was promoted from Commandery Duke to Commandery Prince.
Considering the face of the Royal Family, it was impossible to use such an embarrassing method to verify the truth.
Secondly, Li Ang wasn’t entirely clear about the capabilities of the four garrison fine dogs—whether, after several days, they could still recall Li Shenbin’s scent.
He suggested that ridiculous method only to buy time and to save Nie Shilei’s life.
As he had anticipated, a member of the Imperial Family was now involved in the case. Consequently, Minister Yun Hanchi of the Ministry of Justice announced a suspension of the judgement for this case, intending to report it higher up.
Once reported, the case’s severity would be escalated once more. It would then be reviewed collectively by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, and the Imperial Censorate.
This would secure more time.
Nie Shilei and the servants of the Prince Manor were taken away by the constables of the Ministry of Justice to be detained and await interrogation. Li Shenbin, however, was not detained due to his status as the son of a Commandery Prince and the lack of sufficient evidence. Instead, he was sent back to the Prince Mansion to await a summons.
No one suspected he would take the opportunity to flee. With the current lack of evidence, running away would directly confirm his guilt and bring endless trouble to his family.
Old Man Nie, who was kneeling on the ground, struggled to stand up. He took his daughter, his lips trembling as he was about to give Li Ang a formal bow, but Li Ang waved his hand to refuse.
It was inappropriate for Li Ang to have any interaction with the relatives of the accused now. He stepped directly out of the Ministry of Justice, signaled Wu Shiqi with his eyes to follow, and entered a quiet tavern.
Li Ang stated bluntly, "Organizing a three-party review will take at least seven days.
"The best outcome during this period is for the servants from the Prince Mansion to confess Li Shenbin’s crimes directly while in jail. But this is unrealistic.
"A lesser outcome is that the servants take all the blame upon themselves in jail to exonerate Li Shenbin.
"The worst-case scenario is that the servants, certain of the insufficient evidence, refuse to say anything. This would lead to the inability to directly associate Li Shenbin with the case during the review, and he would be acquitted.
"Meanwhile, Nie Shilei, because he was found at the crime scene, would still be sentenced."
Wu Shiqi asked anxiously, "What should I do then?"
"Ensure Nie Shilei in jail is protected and doesn’t come into contact with anyone. As for the evidence, I will request from the Academic Palace the credentials to conduct an investigation."
Li Ang gave a couple of instructions and turned his head to look at the private room of the tavern.
The door to the private room opened, and Jin Wusuan, who controlled Liu Guang Bank, and Meng Chengye, the father of the deceased Meng Ying, walked in from outside. Google seaʀᴄh novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
Knowing they would come, Li Ang went straight to the point, "Managers, what we seek is the same.
That is, to uncover the truth of this case and make the real culprit pay."
Meng Chengye’s eyes were red as he hoarsely asked, "Mr. Li, do you believe that Nie Shilei is innocent?"
"I do not entirely believe Nie Shilei is innocent; it’s just that Li Shenbin is currently more suspect. If the final investigation finds Nie Shilei to be the real murderer, I will not stop Manager Meng from seeking revenge."
Li Ang said detachedly, "You both have many connections in Chang’an City. Therefore, I hope that during these few days of preparation for the three-party review, you can ensure the safety of all civilian witnesses. Prevent them from being pressured by external forces and consequently changing their testimonies at the last minute."
Jin Wusuan nodded his head then suddenly asked, "But I want to know why Mr. Li would intervene in this case. I just heard that Prince Changxiang’s illness was diagnosed by you, Mr. Li."
"Healing is healing, justice is justice."
Li Ang replied lightly, "Just because I diagnosed Prince Changxiang’s illness, doesn’t mean I’m his friend. Nor does it mean I would compromise Yu Law for his sake."
"Aren’t you worried at all, Mr. Li?"
Jin Wusuan raised his finger, pointing toward the sky, "About the relationship with... up there."
Li Ang’s lips slightly curled up. "Manager Jin, stop joking. I am a disciple of the Academic Palace."
The Academic Palace, with a history spanning longer than Yu Country and surviving through two dynasties, stood firm despite emperors coming and going.
It didn’t rely on imperial power as much as other court institutions did.
As the Academic Palace Top Scholar and a member of the Philosophy Society, Li Ang certainly didn’t need to live in fear of a slight displeasure from the Emperor, constantly in trepidation.
As for the reactions of the Princes and Commandery Princes from the Li Family...
Li Ang watched as Jin Wusuan and Meng Chengye left. Once they returned, they would undoubtedly use their own channels to continue investigating clues in the case.
It was just uncertain whether they would uncover useful evidence.
In the following days, Li Ang was continuously following up on the investigation.
Departments such as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Censorate, and the garrison all dispatched their constables. They investigated separately in various locations in the East Market, but the results were largely the same, with little progress made.
Li Ang had also seen the remnants of the carriage from the Prince Changxiang Mansion; it was burned to mere bits of charcoal, absolutely devoid of clues.
Had the carriage not been utterly destroyed, perhaps Li Ang could have tried to detect traces of blood in his laboratory.
For instance, using blood detection reagents like benzidine, o-tolidine, and colorless malachite green.
Finally, the day of the three-party review arrived.
Outside the Ministry of Justice, huge crowds had gathered. The citizens of Chang’an flocked to witness the legendary Little Medicine King God, Mr. Li, facing off in court against the Commandery Prince’s son.