Chapter 984: Good Mouthmanship

"Oh!" A chorus of gasps rippled through the onlookers, their suggestive glances strikingly similar to those of the gossiping crowds in a past life's classroom.

Tang Tian'er, blushing and with her head bowed, looked incredibly shy, but inwardly, she was cursing these scoundrels to death, lamenting that her reputation in the establishment would likely be ruined from now on.

Meanwhile, Zu An felt a series of 'Rage points' being registered in the background. He examined them closely and found that very few came from guests; most were from employees of the Carefree Pavilion. It seemed Tang Tian'er was the widely admired crush of many colleagues at the pavilion.

Just then, Sun Xun scoffed, "Are you perhaps making fun of me? When the door opened, this woman was clearly not in the room; she's only just arrived from outside. How can she testify? Is your Carefree Pavilion so intent on protecting a criminal that you'd fabricate such a flawed lie?"

Zu An feigned great surprise and looked at Tang Tian'er, "Tian'er, weren't you in the room just now?"

Other staff members of the Carefree Pavilion grumbled enviously, "He's calling her 'Tian'er, Tian'er,' so their relationship must really be intimate. Ugh, this guy just arrived and already 'slept' with the prettiest girl in the building. Why are we so unlucky?" Even compared to the beautiful courtesans on the second floor, Tang Tian'er was equally, if not more, stunning. Coupled with her sweet and gentle smile when speaking to anyone, and her incredibly approachable demeanor, she enjoyed immense popularity within the establishment.

Tang Tian'er was also quite frustrated at this moment, thinking, "When did I ever become this intimate with you?" She figured he must have had some fanciful dream after being drugged by her, believing she was truly with him, doing something pleasant. However, given the situation, she couldn't come out and explain, so she had to bite the bullet and admit, "Uh, I saw you were sound asleep just now, so I didn't wake you. I just stepped out for a moment."

"Oh, great. Now everyone thinks I slept with him, and my attitude counts as an admission. This is social death, absolute social death."

Hearing her words, the other men all looked at Zu An with disdain. If they had such a beautiful woman accompanying them, they probably wouldn't sleep all night. "Damn it," they thought, "this guy fell asleep so fast. Is he even capable?" As a fellow man, Zu An instantly understood their gazes with an unspoken understanding, and for a moment, he felt a metaphorical pain in his groin. He shared the same feeling as Tang Tian'er; there was no way to explain this.

Sun Xun stated in a low voice, "Even if what Miss Tang says is true, it only proves that she accompanied Room 333 for a period. He could still have gone out and committed the crime during the remaining time."

Tang Tian'er hesitated but still said, "To the Prime Minister, I was only gone for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. It's impossible for him to commit a crime in such a short period."

The chubby Venerable was secretly anxious, thinking, "Why is she taking this upon herself? She's already done more than enough by coming out to testify." Even Zu An cast an surprised glance at her, truly not expecting her to openly side with him.

Sun Xun looked at the chubby Venerable, his gaze suddenly sharpening, "Does your Carefree Pavilion dare to vouch for her words?"

The chubby Venerable's heart skipped a beat. This was not a promise to make lightly. Although he also didn't believe guest 333 could have run out and killed someone, he didn't want to drag the Carefree Pavilion into this matter. So, instead of answering directly, he said, "If Your Excellency doesn't trust us, you can ask your own Sun family members. I noticed earlier that Young Master Sun specifically left someone outside to monitor guest 333 when he left."

Immediately, murmurs and whispers broke out among the surrounding crowd. Clearly, no one here was foolish; they instantly understood Sun Ji's intentions. It was a pity that he hadn't managed to get revenge on Room 333 but had instead implicated himself first.

Sun Xun frowned, quickly turned around, and looked for someone privately. Soon, a guard was brought forward. "Did the young master leave you here to monitor?"

The man nodded hastily, "Yes, Your Excellency."

"Then, during this time, was there anything unusual? Did he leave the room?" Sun Xun continued to ask.

The man shook his head, saying, "No, I've been guarding here the entire time, not daring to be distracted for a moment. He did not come out."

Zu An then spoke, "So, the truth is clear now, isn't it? I patiently cooperated with you earlier out of consideration for your grief over your son. Now, shouldn't you apologize?"

The chubby Venerable secretly broke into a cold sweat. This young man was truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers; he dared to say anything.

Sun Xun gave him a deep look, then glanced at the window nearby, "Is it possible he left through here, so the guards outside the door wouldn't see him?"

The chubby Venerable then spoke, "Impossible. Outside is the main hall, with people coming and going, and many skilled individuals are present. If he left through the window, he would certainly be discovered by others."

Zu An, meanwhile, sneered inwardly. It was Sun Ji's malicious intent to try and kill him that had backfired; the person he left to monitor had become Zu An's best witness.

At this point, Sun Xun waved his hand, "Take him back and interrogate him slowly."

Tang Tian'er and the chubby Venerable's expressions changed. They hastily asked, "Prime Minister, why is this? His innocence has already been proven."

"Then why did Yang Long leave your number before he died? Even if he didn't do it himself, it's very likely an accomplice outside cooperated. Take him away." Sun Xun clearly didn't want to waste words with them and directly signaled his subordinates to seize the man.

"Is this how a distinguished imperial official like yourself arbitrarily disregards human life and judges cases?" Zu An sneered. "My conflict with Sun Ji earlier was witnessed by so many people. If the real culprit wanted to frame someone, I would naturally be the most suitable candidate." This was also why he hadn't wiped away the writing on the ground earlier: firstly, he hadn't committed the murder, so his conscience was clear; secondly, his conflict with Sun Ji was common knowledge, and even if he had erased it, the Sun family would still have come for him first. So, it was better to leave this obvious point of suspicion.

"How dare a mere youth presume to teach me how to do my job? Take him away for thorough interrogation, and search the room for any stolen goods." Sun Xun said expressionlessly. Even if the other party wasn't the true murderer, he had offended Ji'er so greatly that Sun Xun would seize this opportunity to deal with him and bring solace to Ji'er's spirit in heaven. "Furthermore, no one who attended the event today is allowed to leave. I will send people to question everyone individually."

After speaking, he turned to the chubby Venerable and added, "Give me a list of all attendees today. I want to cross-reference them one by one."

As soon as he said this, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. Everyone had been enjoying the gossip; who knew they would end up implicating themselves? At this, people immediately became agitated, clamoring to leave and openly questioning the Carefree Pavilion's inaction.

The chubby Venerable grew anxious and quickly pulled Sun Xun aside, whispering, "Your Excellency, this won't do. These guests are all prominent figures. If their identities are exposed, it will cause immense embarrassment for everyone. Please, Your Excellency, show leniency. We at the Carefree Pavilion will fully cooperate with everything else."

Sun Xun frowned slightly. After he'd spoken, he too felt a touch of regret. Not to mention the Carefree Pavilion's unclear background, these guests themselves could be his colleagues in official circles or powerful figures from other prefectures. Offending them would not end well. Considering this, he took the opportunity to back down gracefully, "Very well, I will grant your Carefree Pavilion this favor. However, this person must be searched."

Clearly, he still harbored suspicion towards Zu An and simultaneously wanted to find any excuse to take him away. The chubby Venerable hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing more. Sun Xun had already shown him considerable respect. If he were to refuse further, he might completely infuriate the other party, making the situation even worse. As for the severed relationship with the Sea Clan, it didn't matter; he could find other ways to re-establish contact next time.

Tang Tian'er wanted to say something, but he stopped her. She could only look at Zu An with concern.

Zu An, however, showed no sign of panic. He said calmly, "You say search, and I must be searched? On what grounds? Does that mean if I accused you of something trivial, you'd have to prove your innocence with an absurd demonstration?"

Sun Xun didn't understand his reference, but he could discern the mockery in the other's tone. He couldn't help but feel secretly enraged. For so many years, who had dared to speak to him like this? And a mere junior at that?

Rage points from Sun Xun +272 +272 +272...

"On what grounds? On the grounds that I am the Prime Minister of Yan," Sun Xun said with a frosty expression.

"Even the Prime Minister must abide by the law. Various pieces of evidence have already proven my innocence, so why insist on a forced search of my person?" Zu An said calmly.

Sun Xun finally grew impatient, "The law? In this territory, I *am* the law!"

Just then, a cold sneer came from afar, "You are the law? What an arrogant claim!"