Chapter 984: How Bold
“Oh…” Sighs came from all around them. The expressions of the onlookers were just like those of all Zu An’s classmates from his previous world as they looked for some drama.
Tang Tian’er lowered her reddened face, looking incredibly shy. However, inside, she wanted to curse these boorish men to death! She sighed inwardly, feeling as if all of the prestige she had accumulated over the years was probably gone.
Zu An saw a string of Rage points enter through the back end. Upon closer inspection, he saw that there were fewer Rage points coming from the guests and more from the Hub of Freedom’s staff! It seemed Tang Tian’er was actually the Hub of Freedom’s idol.
Sun Xun harrumphed. “Aren’t you all making a fool of me? This woman was clearly not inside when I opened the doors, and only now did she hurry over from outside. How can she be a witness? Even if your Hub of Freedom intends to defend a criminal, there’s no need to speak such a blatant lie, right?”
Zu An feigned a shocked expression as he looked at Tang Tian’er. “Tian’er, you weren’t in the room earlier?”
The Hub of Freedom’s staff members all thought to themselves, That guy is already close enough to call her Tian’er! Sigh, this guest managed to sleep with our prettiest girl so quickly; why are the rest of us so disappointed…
Even when compared to the beautiful courtesans on the second floor, Tang Tian’er was only superior and not inferior to them in any way. Together with her sweet smile when she spoke, and her friendly vibe, she was extremely popular in the entire place.
Tang Tian’er was quite frustrated as well. When did I ever get that close to you?
However, she quickly realized that it was probably because of the dream he had after he was knocked unconscious, making him think she really had accompanied him in various ways. Yet with how things stood, she couldn't really defend herself. She could only brace herself and admit it. “Ahem, I saw that you were already asleep, so I didn’t wake you up and went out for a bit first.”
Aaah! Now everyone will think I slept with him! But the worst part is that what I’m saying is like tacitly approving it too. How am I even going to show myself in public after this…
The onlookers shot Zu An looks of disdain when they heard what Tang Tian’er said. If we had someone this beautiful accompanying us, we might not even be able to sleep all night! And yet this bastard just fell asleep? Are you kidding me?
They were all men, so Zu An could practically telepathically know what they were thinking. He was left at a loss too. He felt exactly what Tang Tian’er had been feeling earlier. There was no way for him to explain himself…
Sun Xun said darkly, “Even if what Lady Tang says is true, that can only mean she was with number 333 for a short time. He can still use the remaining time to go out and commit the deed.”
After some hesitation, Tang Tian’er insisted, “Your honor, the amount of time I left for was only long enough to drink some tea. There should be no way he could have committed the crime in such a short time.”
Chubby Senior was getting nervous. Why is she taking responsibility for this matter? She’s already going above and beyond compared to earlier when she spoke up as a witness! Even Zu An gave her a look of surprise. He really couldn't figure out why she would side with him like this.
Sun Xun gave Chubby Senior a look, revealing a penetrating gaze. “Does your Hub of Freedom dare to vouch for the credibility of her words?”
Chubby Senior panicked. This wasn’t something he could just reply to casually! Even though he didn’t feel that guest 333 could have gone out to commit the deed, he didn’t want the Hub of Freedom to get caught up in the matter either. As such, he didn’t reply directly to the question and instead said, “If the minister doesn’t trust us, you can ask the Sun clan’s people. I noticed earlier that young master Sun left behind some people to monitor guest 333 before he left.”
Hisses of displeasure filled the air. None of the onlookers were fools; they immediately realized what Sun Ji had planned to do. However, he probably hadn’t expected to not only fail to get revenge on guest number 333, but also to come to ruin himself.
Sun Xun frowned. He quickly turned around and gave orders to his subordinates. Soon, they brought a guard over. Sun Xun asked, “Did the young master leave you behind to monitor the situation?”
The guard quickly nodded. “Replying to sir, that’s correct.”
“Then, has anything strange happened since then? Did he leave his room or not?” Sun Xun asked.
The guard shook his head. “He didn’t. I was always guarding this spot without a moment of distraction. He didn’t come out.”
Zu An suddenly exclaimed, “Isn’t the whole truth revealed now? I only put up with this nonsense out of respect for your grief toward your son’s death. Isn’t it time for you to apologize to me now?”
Chubby Senior broke out into cold sweat. Kid, are you really not scared of anything? How can you say something like that?!
Sun Xun gave Chubby Senior a deep look. Then, he gave the window a look. “Is there a chance that he left through here? That way, the guards outside wouldn’t be able to see him.”
Chubby Senior said, “That is impossible. Outside is the auction hall with many people passing by, and there are many powerful cultivators there. If he left through the window, he definitely would have been noticed by someone.”
Zu An sneered. That Sun Ji wanted me to die so badly, but he never would have imagined that the person he left to keep an eye on me would instead become my witness!
Sun Xun waved his hand, saying, “Drag him back and slowly interrogate him later.”
Tang Tian’er and Chubby Senior’s expressions changed. They quickly asked, “Xiang Minister, why must you do this? His innocence has already been proven!”
“Then why did Yang Long leave his number behind before his death? Even if it wasn’t him who did it, he might have colluded with a criminal outside. Arrest him.” Sun Xun clearly didn’t wish to waste any more words on them. He directly gestured for his men to arrest Zu An.
“Your highness is a glorious court official; do you judge cases without any regard for life like this?” Zu An sneered. “Many people saw my conflict with Sun Ji earlier, so if anyone was going to frame me, I would naturally be the most suitable candidate.”
That was also why he hadn’t erased that number. Firstly, he wasn’t the one who had killed them, so he had a completely clear conscience. The second was that everyone knew about his grudge with Sun Ji, so even if he erased it, the other party would still seek him out. In that case, he might as well leave a clear point of contention behind.
“A brat like you dares to teach this minister how to do things? Drag him back, have him carefully interrogated, and search this room for any stolen property,” Sun Xun said expressionlessly. Even if he isn’t the criminal, just the fact that he offended Ji’er like that means I have to make him regret living.
“Furthermore, not a single one of the guests who participated in today’s auction is allowed to leave. I’ll have people interrogate you one by one,” he continued. After saying that, he said to Chubby Senior, “Give me the list of names of everyone who participated in the auction today. I’ll check them one by one.”
The surroundings erupted into a commotion when Sun Xun spoke those words. They had just been here to join in on the liveliness, how had they all gotten caught up in this disaster? None of them were having it anymore. They argued noisily, saying that they wanted to leave, and they also publicly denounced the Hub of Freedom for going against its rules.
Chubby Senior was starting to panic. He quickly pulled Sun Xun aside and said quietly, “Xiang Minister, you must not do this! These guests are all important individuals! If their identities are exposed, we will all lose our dignity. I ask the minister to please be lenient; our Hub of Freedom will definitely cooperate with you as much as we can!”
Sun Xun frowned slightly. He felt a bit of regret after saying what he had just said. Forget about the Hub of Freedom’s hidden background, just these guests alone were likely his colleagues in court or some other commandery’s big shots. If he really offended them, he might be biting off more than he could chew.
After realizing all of that, he took the chance to say, “Fine, I’ll leave your Hub of Freedom some dignity. However, this person must have his body searched.” He clearly still hadn’t given up on his suspicion towards Zu An. At the same time, he wanted to find a reason to bring him away.
After some hesitation, Chubby Senior still didn’t say anything in the end. Sun Xun was already showing him quite a bit of respect. If he didn’t take a step back and completely angered the other party, the situation would only become even worse. As for having a connection to the ocean races, he couldn't be bothered with that. He would just think of some other way to contact them in the future.
Tang Tian’er wanted to say something, but Chubby Senior stopped her. She could only look at Zu An with worry.
Zu An didn’t look panicked in the slightest and retorted indifferently, “What, I’m going to get searched just because you say so? Why? Doesn’t that mean that if I tell you to eat two bowls of shit, you have to cut open your stomach to show me you ate them?”
Sun Xun had never heard such a phrase before, but he could hear the mockery behind the other party’s words. He immediately became angry. How many years had it been already since someone dared to speak to him that way? Furthermore, it was from a young junior!
You have successfully trolled Sun Xun for +272 +272 +272…
“Why? Because I’m the Yan State’s most senior minister.” Sun Xun’s gaze was completely cold.
“Even the most senior minister has to obey the law. My innocence has already been proven through all manner of evidence, so why do you still insist on searching me?” Zu An replied indifferently.
Sun Xun finally couldn't take it anymore and exclaimed, “The law? In this place, I am the law!”
Just then, someone sneered in the distance. “You are the law? How bold!”