I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 256 The Lady's "Gift"! Goodbye, Holy Maiden of the Witchcraft Cult!

Feng Jinyu stared at Yan Peizhi with a stiff expression.

This old guy was just saying that he'd latched onto the Jiang family's coattails and would settle accounts with Chen Mo sooner or later... and then he turned around and knelt down before them?!
That's an incredibly fast change of expression!
"Yan Peizhi, have you lost your mind?!"

Feng Jinyu strode forward, grabbed his collar, and gritted her teeth, saying, "What's the use of backing down at this critical moment? Where's your backer? Hurry up and bring him out!"

In this situation, the more you show weakness, the more you will be manipulated!

If they fall into Chen Mo's hands, the two of them will be truly finished!
"You know nothing!"

Yan Pei pushed Feng Jinyu away, looked up at Chen Mo with a fawning smile on his face, "Lord Chen, there were many people outside just now. What I did earlier was wrong. I hope Lord Chen can forgive me."

"..."

Chen Mo frowned slightly.

He had anticipated various reactions from Yan Peizhi, but he never expected it to be like this.

The two previous high-profile attacks on their doorstep, including the arrest of Yan Linghu, were clearly a slap in the face to the Yan family... If Yan Peizhi had stubbornly resisted to the end, it would have been fine, but this sudden act of kneeling made him more wary.

To protect himself, he would sell anything, including his own son and his dignity...

Such enemies, who have no bottom line, are often the most dangerous.

"Lord Yan is a third-rank official, yet you're so weak-kneed. If others saw this, they'd think I was abusing my power," Chen Mo said, shaking his head as he sat in his chair, his words showing no intention of getting him up.

Yan Peizhi knelt upright on the ground, waving his hands repeatedly and saying, "What nonsense! Lord Chen enforces the law impartially and upholds justice. How could he be accused of abusing his power? Cough cough... I just feel more comfortable talking while kneeling like this."

"..."

Chen Mo's lips twitched, gaining a new understanding of this person's shamelessness.

No wonder he could rise to the position of Vice Minister of Justice; it really is true that the lower your bottom line, the higher your official rank...

Yan Peizhi's emotions were churning like waves at this moment.

When he first saw the jade slip, he still held a sliver of hope, after all, it was an old case that could be suppressed back then, and it could be suppressed now as well.

But when Chen Mo mentioned Zhuang Jingming, he finally realized that something was wrong.

"Since Chen Mo knows about my relationship with Chief Minister Zhuang, he must have already blocked all my escape routes."

"In fact, since the day Chief Minister Zhuang entered the palace, there has been no news of him, and the communication talisman the Jiang family gave me has not responded..."

With Yan Peizhi's keen sense of smell, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

Clearly, Zhuang Jingming didn't want to get involved in this mess; he was being used as a pawn again!
If you want to get out of this mess now, you can only rely on yourself. The first thing to do is to "delay"!
No matter what, let's get through this first!

As long as you are out in the world, you still have a chance to make a move. But if you are thrown into prison, you will really have no choice but to wait for death!

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "I'm not used to Lord Yan being like this. I still prefer your unruly self from earlier."

"Lord Chen is too kind," Yan Peizhi said seriously. "You are very busy with official duties, and I am truly sorry to have troubled you with such a small matter..."

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does Lord Yan think this is a trivial matter?"

Yan Peizhi cleared his throat and said in a low voice, "Whether it's a big matter or a small matter, isn't it all just a matter of a word from Lord Chen?"

"If Lord Chen really wanted to arrest me, he would have done it already. Why would he have waited until now?"

"Since you're still talking to me, it means there's still room for negotiation..."

"clever."

Chen Mo gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "It seems that besides being corrupt, bribing, and forming cliques, Lord Yan is quite insightful. No wonder he can still hold the position of Vice Minister after experiencing so many ups and downs."

"..."

Faced with Chen Mo's sarcasm, Yan Peizhi remained unfazed and cupped his hands, saying, "You flatter me, sir."

"However, as I just said..." Chen Mo said in a nonchalant tone, "Opportunities must be earned, not given by others. Whether you two can keep your official positions depends on yourselves!"

Yan Peizhi reacted quickly and immediately said, "I will follow Lord Chen's lead!"

Feng Jinyu then realized that their lives were in Chen Mo's hands, so he bowed and said, "Lord Chen, please give your orders. I will do my best and serve you with utmost loyalty!"

Although Chen Mo felt disdain, he did not show it.

With a gentle wave of his hand, a breeze emerged and lifted the two of them up.

"Please sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen."

Yan Peizhi and Feng Jinyu had half their buttocks resting on the chairs, their backs ramrod straight.

Chen Mo crossed his legs and waved his hand, saying, "No need to be so reserved, just make yourself at home."

Yan Peizhi: "..."

At this moment, a fragrant breeze blew over.

Qin Shu walked over gracefully.

He was holding a tray with tea sets on it.

She placed the tray on the small table, picked up the teapot with her delicate hands, and poured tea into the cup until it was seven-tenths full. Then she presented it to Chen Mo with both hands and said softly, "My lord, please have some tea."

Chen Mo reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Madam."

"You're too kind, sir. Please feel free to ask me anything if you need anything." Qin Shu's eyes shimmered with light.

After saying that, she didn't even glance at the two of them, and silently retreated with small steps.

Yan Peizhi felt a little strange. Even though this was the Yan residence, it felt like he was the outsider... But he didn't have time to think about it now. His priority was to save his life.

"Cough cough."

Feng Jinyu cleared her throat and tentatively asked, "What does Lord Chen want us to do?"

Chen Mo didn't rush to answer. He slowly scraped away the foam with the edge of the lid, took a sip carefully, and nodded, saying, "Hmm, good tea. Madam Yan's skills are indeed excellent."

Yan Peizhi said in a flattering tone, "My wife is indeed an expert in tea ceremony. If you like, sir, you are welcome to come and enjoy tea and discuss tea with her often."

"Let's talk about that later."

Chen Mo gave him a strange look, put down his teacup, and said, "The root cause of how things have developed to this point should be clear to both of you."

Feng Jinyu and Yan Peizhi exchanged a glance.

They were well aware, of course, that it all stemmed from the Crown Prince.

Originally, this was a conflict between Chen Mo and the Prince Yu's Mansion. They wanted to use this opportunity to suppress the Chen family, but instead, they got themselves into trouble...

Feng Jinyu, in particular, was filled with hatred and remorse.

If he hadn't been instructed by the Prince Yu's mansion, how could he have ended up in such a predicament?

They abandoned him after the incident, and now his life and fortune are in someone else's hands...

"I was out of my mind back then, and said some things in court that were detrimental to Lord Chen..."

Yan Peizhi wanted to explain, but Chen Mo interrupted him impatiently, saying, "There's no point in talking about this now. The feud between the Chen family and the Yan family can't be resolved in just a few words... If I fall into Lord Yan's hands, I don't need to say more about what will happen to me, do I?"

Yan Peizhi was speechless for a moment.

He didn't expect that by giving in, the other party would take pity on him and let him go.

“Logically, I should take this opportunity to crush the Yan family, but right now I have an even more important goal…” Chen Mo said softly, the white porcelain tea lid dancing and spinning between his fingertips.

Yan Peizhi said knowingly, "Lord Chen wants us to help you deal with the Crown Prince?"

Chen Mo said calmly, "Chu Heng is, after all, a member of the royal family. If the Tianlin Guard wants to investigate him, they either need His Majesty's decree, or they can only go through the Three Judicial Offices... You two should understand what I mean, right?"

The two of them understood, of course.

Chen Mo is about to use a knife on Chu Heng!
His Majesty cannot interfere in such matters, otherwise he would be branded as engaging in fratricide.

Only by joining forces with the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review can they break down the gates of Prince Yu's mansion and truly pose a threat to Chu Heng!

Yan Peizhi did not hesitate at all and immediately declared, "The Ministry of Justice will fully support Lord Chen!"

Although he was only the second-in-command of the Ministry of Justice, overstepping his authority would inevitably displease the Minister, but he couldn't worry about that now; he had to get through the immediate crisis first.

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "The Ministry of Justice alone is not enough. How much do you two know about Xu Lin, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"

Feng Jinyu pondered for a moment and said, "Xu Lin and I are old friends, and we've been in close contact lately. I might be able to think of a way..."

The Ministry of Rites oversaw the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau), which controlled a large amount of "resources." Many female relatives of convicted officials were secretly sent to the residences of certain ministers as their concubines before they were even exiled. Therefore, Feng Jinyu had extensive connections in the court and was very popular.

"Then this matter will be left to Lord Feng."

"I'll give you two days. Don't let me down."

Chen Mo stood up to leave, but then seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you both, Her Majesty the Empress has already seen this evidence, and was immediately furious, even reprimanding Chief Minister Zhuang..."

"Your Highness already knows?!"

The two of them felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Yan Peizhi's face was ashen. No wonder Zhuang Jingming had suddenly disappeared. This explained everything!

"but……"

Chen Mo changed the subject, saying, "I also told Your Highness that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. How many officials in the court can be completely clean and honest? As long as they make amends for their mistakes, they are still good comrades."

He patted the two men on the shoulders, lowered his voice, and said, "Remember, His Highness doesn't care if you're greedy or not, he cares if you're useful... If you want to keep your official positions, then let His Highness see your value."

"That's all I have to say. Please stay." With that, he turned and left.

After a long time.

The two snapped out of their daze and turned to look at each other.

Chen Mo was the one who pushed them to the edge of the cliff, but now he has become their only lifeline...

"Is this guy really only in his early twenties? He seems even more troublesome than those old foxes," Feng Jinyu said, frowning.

Yan Peizhi dusted off his knees, his expression turning cold, and said, "We have no choice but to do as he says for now, but we're afraid we'll offend the Crown Prince to the death..."

"Heh, didn't you have a 'backer'? How come it didn't work out at the crucial moment?" Feng Jinyu sneered.

Yan Peizhi's expression was somewhat unpleasant, and he waved his hand, saying, "Let's not talk about it."

"There's something I just can't figure out. How did he find all this evidence?" Feng Jinyu frowned and pondered, "Such detailed correspondence must be the work of someone close to you... Could there be a mole in your family?"

Yan Peizhi remained silent, his gaze growing increasingly somber, his hands clenching tightly beneath his robes.

……

As Chen Mo stepped out of the main room, a woman's voice rang out: "Please wait, sir."

Turning my head, I saw Qin Shu walking slowly towards me, her figure swaying under her light green gauze dress, her plump hips almost swinging to the sky.

"Is there something you need, Madam?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.

If it weren't for this crazy woman, Shen Zhixia wouldn't have been with Li Yuan... and there wouldn't have been the bold actions she took later.

After calming down, Shen Zhixia was too ashamed to face anyone. Before dawn, she left without saying goodbye and secretly returned to her sect alone.

Noticing Chen Mo's cold attitude, Qin Shu bit her lip and said softly, "Actually, it's nothing. I just wanted to talk to Lord Chen..."

"Don't worry, Madam. Since I have already promised to release them, I will absolutely not go back on my word," Chen Mo said calmly.

"I trust your character, sir, and that's not what I wanted to say."

Qin Shu looked around to make sure no one was around, and said in a low voice, "Back then, this case of leaking the imperial examination questions was suppressed with the help of the Qin family... Now that the old case has been brought up again, I don't care about the Yan family, I only hope that you will not involve the Qin family."

Chen Mo nodded and said, "Of course, I have a good relationship with the Shangguan family, and I know what I'm doing."

The current Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, Shangguan Jin, is Shangguan Yunfei's father. The Qin family and the Shangguan family are close friends and are related in some ways.

Qin Shu was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this, never expecting that there was such a relationship between the two.

"So you're one of our own, then I'm relieved."

"By the way, there is one more thing..."

She took out a stack of letters from her sleeve and handed them to Chen Mo, saying, "Please take a look, sir."

"What is this?" Chen Mo asked curiously.

Qin Shu said softly, "I know that Lord Chen wants to deal with the heir, so he had someone investigate carefully."

"Although there were no major discoveries, we did find some clues..."

“Over the years, people have frequently reported to the authorities that after their relatives went to work at the Prince Yu’s Mansion, they would write letters home at first, but soon they would completely disappear without a trace, as if they had vanished into thin air.”

"If it were just one or two cases, that would be one thing, but there were more than a dozen similar reports, and without exception, they were all covered up..."

"I found something strange, so I collected the relevant information, hoping it will be of some help to Lord Chen."

Chen Mo flipped through the folded document in his hand, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Generally, the servants serving in the Prince's mansion were mostly family servants who had been slaves for generations, and occasionally there were servants bought from the slave market and short-term hired workers.

In comparison, the number of servants purchased by the Prince Yu's residence seems rather excessive...

Where did all these people go?

Thinking of the bloody scent emanating from Chu Heng, Chen Mo vaguely understood the answer. He put away the memorial, cupped his hands, and said:
"Thank you, madam, this is very helpful."

"I'm glad I can help."

Qin Shu revealed a faint smile.

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment before speaking, "This time, Yan Peizhi and I have laid our cards on the table. Regarding the source of the evidence, he will definitely suspect Madam. Madam should be careful these days..."

"Yan Peizhi?"

Upon hearing this name, Qin Shu's eyes were filled with disdain, and he sneered, "Don't worry, based on what I know about him, as long as the Qin family is still of use to him, he won't say anything... Believe it or not, even if I cheated on him right in front of him, he would pretend to have an eye disease and pretend not to see it!"

"..."

Although your words are rough but the reasoning is sound, your words are just too rough.

Noticing Chen Mo's strange expression, Qin Shu realized what was happening and hurriedly explained, "My lord, please don't misunderstand, I absolutely did not do such a thing!"

Whether you did it or not is none of my business… Chen Mo twitched his lips and said, “I still have official business to attend to. If Madam has nothing else to attend to, I will take my leave now.”

"...Please take care, sir."

Watching Chen Mo's retreating figure, Qin Shu bit her lip and cursed herself for being so careless with her mouth.

At this moment, a maidservant hurried over, bowed, and said, "Madam, Master requests your presence."

Qin Shu's expression turned indifferent, and she snorted coldly, "Tell him that I'm busy. Also, prepare a sedan chair. I'm going back to my parents' home, and I won't be staying in the mansion for the next while."

"Yes."

The maid responded and retreated.

……

Chen Mo returned to the courtyard, where the Tianlin Guards were still waiting.

Li Yuan stepped forward and asked, "My lord, how is the situation?"

Chen Mo nodded and said, "It went fairly smoothly. Let's go now."

His main purpose in coming here was not to deal with the Yan family, but to drag the Ministry of Justice into this mess.

As long as we have the evidence, Yan Peizhi is like a fish on a chopping board, at our mercy. It doesn't matter whether he's killed sooner or later. The most important thing is to use this matter to deal with Chu Heng.

Actually, given Chen Mo's style of doing things, he felt that it would be more satisfying to just cut it off, but he couldn't always let the Empress clean up his mess.

In order not to cause her trouble, we should try to make use of the rules rather than break them.

At this moment, Li Yuan leaned forward, her nostrils flaring as she carefully sniffed the air.

Chen Mo asked in confusion, "What are you smelling?"

Li Yuan blinked and whispered, "My lord has been inside for so long, I'm worried. Let me smell if you smell like a vixen."

Ever since her last "poisoning," she has harbored resentment towards Qin Shu.

This woman harbors ill intentions towards Chen Mo; who knows what outrageous things she might do next...

Chen Mo smiled wryly and said, "Is that the kind of person you see me as?"

Li Yuan retorted, "Otherwise what?"

"..."

Chen Mo shook his head and sighed.

It seems the world has a deep misunderstanding of me...

After leaving the Yan family, everyone returned to Huaizhenfang.

As soon as Chen Mo entered the yamen, he saw a familiar figure.

A woman dressed in a red silk robe sat on a chair. She was pretty and had a beautiful figure. A string of silver bells was tied around her ankle. She had a strange beauty that was a mixture of innocence and allure.

"Yu Hongyin?"

Chen Mo frowned slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Yu Hongyin stood up, her gaze towards Chen Mo somewhat complicated.

The last time the two met was when the Imperial College held its first classes.

Since then, she has always gone to class on time, but Chen Mo has never come again...

She suppressed her turbulent emotions and said, "I'm here to report a crime."

"Report a crime?"

Chen Mo sat on the public chair.

The black cat opened the cage, jumped into his arms, and rubbed against him, meowing incessantly.

While petting the silly cat, he said, "If you want to report a crime, go to the Six Doors. What are you doing here at the Tianlin Guard?"

Yu Hongyin shook her head and said, "This case can only be handled by you."

"Ok?"