With the encouragement of the Empress, the little Emperor casually suggested, "Then I shall trouble the Empress to also take a look and select a few high-waisted, loose Dragon Robes for me."
Although it was a command, to the Empress, it seemed like she had received the greatest honor.
In the Empress’s view, besides managing the Harem, she hardly had any opportunity to assist Your Majesty.
Now being needed by Your Majesty, she felt it was a great honor.
"Your servant obeys the decree."
On the other hand, Lin Yi was at the Ministry of Justice, casually watching Wu Shaogong, the Forensic Doctor, handling the cases with his legs crossed.
If it were not for General Lin Yi’s personal presence, such assassination cases would not require the personal attention of the Forensic Doctor.
But now, since the offended parties were people from Nanshan City, Wu Shaogong naturally did not dare to neglect the matter.
"Lord Lin, could you let the two parties involved appear in person to testify? Perhaps we could discover new clues."
Though Wu Shaogong was working as per regulations, Lin Yi did not want to reveal more information. Moreover, the parties involved were the Emperor.
Lin Yi stood up, glanced briefly at the case records in front of the prosecutor’s desk. The cases seemed to be handled perfunctorily with no relatively accurate preliminary judgments.
But this was not surprising, otherwise how could there be 2000 death-row prisoners who escaped the rigorous laws of You Country to sacrifice their lives at Yuquan Mountain?
"Cough, cough, those two individuals are the core members of the Nanshan Institute, deeply engaged in research on Firearms and other weapons. If their identities are exposed, facing so many assassins, wouldn’t it pose an even greater threat to their lives?"
"They study Firearms to create national defense weapons for our You Country, shouldn’t the Forensic Doctor protect them?"
Confronted with this question, Wu Shaogong was suddenly speechless.
Both inside and outside the Imperial City, from all quarters of the court, the might of Firearms was well-known, and even in handling cases, the production and research of Firearms had to be prioritized.
Moreover, since the two parties were victims, and Nanshan City was an entity independent from the Six Ministries.
Thinking of this, Wu Shaogong could only nod and bow, "What Lord Lin said is extremely true, the heroes of our You Country should indeed be protected."
Seeing Wu Shaogong give in, Lin Yi continued to ask.
"I’ve heard that Forensic Doctor Wu is almost like a divine judge; what’s your opinion on today’s case, and how has the investigation into the assassins’ identities been going?"
Being asked this, Wu Shaogong appeared somewhat embarrassed, since Fourth Prince already warned him to clear any connections after taking over this case.
Wu Shaogong owed his position as Forensic Doctor to the recommendations by Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince, and he certainly couldn’t betray Fourth Prince.
After some thought, Wu Shaogong put on a troubled expression.
"Lord Lin, according to this subordinate’s opinion, these assassins came specifically for the two parties involved; they must know the identities of these two individuals."
"Nowadays, there are many foreign merchants inside and outside the Imperial City of our Great You Country, and Firearms are our national protective weapons. Could it be that some of these foreign merchants harbored ill intentions?"
For Wu Shaogong, troublesome and unsolvable cases always end up blaming the foreigners.
This blatant act of passing the buck was all too clear to Lin Yi.
’Hmph, so your divine judgment is to blame it on the foreigners. Since that’s the case, let me test you!’
"Cough, then according to Forensic Doctor Wu, are there many assassin organizations among these foreigners in our Great You Country?"
"Please, which foreign assassin organizations are recorded by the Ministry of Justice?"
This question stumped Wu Shaogong, not expecting Lin Yi to take his suggestions seriously.
In fact, there were a few foreign assassin organizations, but they had all been eradicated long ago.
Seeing Wu Shaogong silent for too long, Lin Yi pressed on: "Forensic Doctor Wu?"
It took a moment for Wu Shaogong to recover, only then nodding awkwardly and pulling out a dust-laden dossier from the filing cabinet.
Subsequently, Wu Shaogong opened the dossier and pointed out several Hu assassins’ organizations and the details of the cases from those days.
Lin Yi noticed the date on the document, which was actually from over a decade ago, and couldn’t help but sneer.
"Lord Wu, are these matters from more than ten years ago? Could it be that these assassin organizations could spring back to life?"
These assassins were targeting the young Emperor and Ying Yi, and Lin Yi was determined to investigate thoroughly.
Seeing that he couldn’t deceive his way through, Wu Shaogong could only offer an awkward apologetic smile: "It’s merely my conjecture."
"Conjecture? Are you saying, Lord Wu, that you handle cases not based on concrete evidence but on guesses?"
At these words, Wu Shaogong was suddenly at a loss for words, his face burning hot.
In front of others, he was the dignified Third Grade Imperial Mandate officer, with the secret support of the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince.
Even if he turned black into white, no one dared to contradict him.
Now, not only was Lin Yi overpowering his authority, but his investigative capabilities were also being questioned, making him somewhat uneasy.
Seeing Wu Shaogong’s discomfort, Lin Yi did not intend to let him off.
"Forensic Doctor Zhong, show Lord Wu your autopsy report."
Forensic Doctor Zhong was a rather ordinary forensic doctor whom Lin Yi had taken to the ruins site the previous night. He came from a humble background but possessed outstanding professional skills.
As the saying goes, a higher official can crush you, and Wu Shaogong could only obey Lin Yi.
When he saw Forensic Doctor Zhong’s autopsy report and summary, those well-organized evidences and reasoning made Wu Shaogong feel inferior.
It was apparent from Forensic Doctor Zhong’s report that there were two distinct groups of assassins. The assassins from the Fourth Prince’s side barely struggled before death.
As for the assassins found at the ruins, clearly they were not from the Hu people.
After reading the report, Wu Shaogong was so nervous that he trembled uncontrollably, realizing he could no longer hide the truth. He just needed an excuse to look for the files for a moment, but actually to tip off the Fourth Prince.
"Lord Lin, please wait a moment, I’ll fetch some files, and we’ll surely clarify the identities of these assassins."
Little did he know, Lin Yi was actually hoping for the Fourth Prince to come, to confront him face-to-face, perhaps to gather more valid information.
While Wu Shaogong was away, Lin Yi gently patted Forensic Doctor Zhong’s shoulder, encouragingly saying, "You seem very passionate about forensic work, as long as you work hard, with me, Lin Yi here, you will certainly have your day."
Upon hearing this, Forensic Doctor Zhong nearly knelt down to express his gratitude, but Lin Yi promptly stopped him.
Coming from a humble background, Forensic Doctor Zhong could never have imagined that one day Lin Yi would take note of him.
Although there is the imperial examination in You Country, most positions are still appointed through recommendations, and for humble scholars wanting to become officials, opportunities are very few.
"Shush, just do your job well."
When Wu Shaogong returned, he held several thick files in his hands.
"Lord Lin, please wait a bit longer, these files contain summaries of assassination cases in recent years. I think we may find similarities to this case."
Seeing Wu Shaogong finally taking matters seriously, Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction.
"Since Forensic Doctor Zhong was the forensic doctor at the scene of the incident, please allow him to peruse with you, he might be able to find clues faster."
Rather than a request from Lin Yi, it was more of an order. Obviously, Wu Shaogong had no reason to refuse.
Although Forensic Doctor Zhong was outstanding in his field, Wu Shaogong did not take him seriously.
In Wu Shaogong’s eyes, forensic doctors like Zhong, he had plenty of them under his command.
...End of this Chapter...
ps: Today’s fourth update, presenting 9000 words!