Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 201: Pretending to serve the public good for personal gain
Xie Li’s face turned slightly pale.

He spoke in a low voice because he felt guilty. "During festivals, merchants in the city would give gifts to officials. I also got some."

Si Buping looked at him deeply.

Xie Li did not dare to look him in the eye. He bent down, bowed his head, and begged, "I know it is against the rules to do this. I will not dare to do it again. I will return all those things tomorrow. I beg the Grand Master to show mercy and not report this to the Saint."

Si Buping turned to look at Xie Chusong and asked, "Did your father also accept gifts?"

Xie Chusong pursed his lips slightly and said softly, "Everyone accepts them. If father is the only one who doesn't accept them, those merchants will feel uneasy. The gifts father received are all stored in the warehouse, and there are detailed records. If the chief minister wants to see them, he can ask Uncle Feng to bring the account book."

Si Buping asked Afeng to get the account book.

Afeng took the order and left.

Soon Afeng came back with an account book in his hand.

Si Buping took the account book and glanced through it. Xie Tanyu was a very careful person. He recorded the identity of the gift givers as well as the time, place, and quantity of the gifts clearly. From the contents of the account book, it seemed that almost all the well-known big merchants in the city had given him gifts. If those gifts were converted into silver, it would be a considerable amount.

But in fact, accepting gifts during festivals has become the norm in Daye officialdom. Not only do private merchants give gifts to officials, but officials also give gifts to each other. Everyone is tacitly aware of this, so Si Buping did not dwell on the matter. The most important thing at the moment is to find the real culprit.

He put the account book aside and said casually: "These are all stolen goods. We have to confiscate them all."

Xie Chusong lowered his head and replied docilely: "Everything is under the command of the Grand Council."

Si Buping then looked at Xie Li, who understood and said, "All the things in my room shall be handed over to the court."

Si Buping nodded slightly and put the issue of bribery aside for the time being.

He looked at the sky outside which was already bright, then looked at the tired expressions of everyone, and said.

"Ning Ci and Xiao Liulang stay here, and everyone else go back and rest. You are not allowed to leave the governor's mansion until the case is solved."

Everyone responded in unison and then left.

Afterwards, Si Buping dismissed all the palace soldiers and internal guards, leaving only him, Yan Ciwan and Xiao Wang in the Justice Hall.

Si Buping's eyes wandered between the two of them, and he suddenly asked, "Ah Feng went to Yongchun Court to look for Xiao Liulang tonight. Why didn't Xiao Liulang want to follow him to the study to see Governor Xie?"

Xiao Wang responded calmly: "This is my personal matter and has nothing to do with the case."

Si Buping raised his eyebrows slightly: "Do you want me to call Ah Feng over before you tell the truth?"

Xiao Wang repeated it with a stronger tone: "This matter is indeed irrelevant to the case!"

Si Buping sneered: "Someone, bring Ah Feng over here!"

Fu Bai outside the door took the order and left, and called Afeng back after a while.

A Feng looked uneasy, not understanding why the Grand Lord suddenly brought him here again?

Si Buping looked at Afeng with an extremely oppressive gaze.

"Tell us carefully what happened to you at Yongchunyuan tonight from beginning to end. Remember, don't miss any details."

A Feng was feeling uneasy. He turned to look at Xiao Wang and Yan Ci Wan and asked hesitantly.

"Can I, can I say it?"

Si Buping said sternly: "If you know about this and don't report it, I will have you dragged away and tortured!"

Ah Feng was so frightened that his knees went weak and he fell to his knees.

He did not dare to hesitate any longer and said quickly: "I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything! I beg you, Grand Master, to have mercy on me and not torture me!" Then he recounted from beginning to end what had happened since he entered Yongchunyuan.

After Si Buping heard what he said, his face turned grim.

"Xiao Liulang, when you say something happened, do you mean that you stayed in Ning Ci's room all night without leaving?"

Afeng knelt on the ground, not daring to move, and tried his best to reduce his presence.

Xiao Wang said: "Aci is sick, I stayed in her room to take care of her."

Si Buping sneered: "Is there no maidservant or old woman in the governor's mansion?"

"Of course there are maids and old women, but they are all strangers. I don't feel comfortable letting strangers get close to A Ci."

Si Buping's eyes became more hostile, and his tone became more severe: "Then tell me, why is there a piano sound coming from Ning Ci's room? Is that you playing the piano?"

Xiao Wang said frankly: "Aci felt uncomfortable and depressed, so I played a song for her to help her relieve her depression and relax."

Si Buping didn't believe his explanation at all. He turned to look at Yan Ciwan and pressed the issue.

"What is the relationship between you and Xiao Liulang?"

Yan Ciwan frowned: "Xiao Liu and I are just ordinary friends."

Si Buping took a deep breath and suddenly said something to Afeng who was kneeling on the ground.

"You step back."

As if he had been pardoned, Ah Feng quickly replied, "Yes."

He didn't even dare to raise his head and ran out.

As a result, only Yan Ciwan, Xiao Wang and Si Buping were left in the Justice Hall.

Without outsiders present, Si Buping no longer had to worry and asked directly, "In the middle of the night, you two, a man and a woman, are playing the piano and laughing in the same room. This can't be just a relationship of ordinary friends, right?"

Yan Ciwan did not answer but asked: "Why is the Grand Chamberlain so concerned about the affairs between me and Xiao Liulang?"

Si Buping was silent for a while before speaking: "I am investigating a case. If you don't want to be suspected, answer all my questions honestly."

How could Yan Ciwan not see this? This was clearly his excuse. He was using his power for personal gain!
She frowned and said righteously, "Uncle Feng has just proved that Xiao Liu and I were both in Yongchun Courtyard when the crime happened. We two can't be the murderer, but you just don't believe it. If that's the case, why do you have to keep asking us? Anyway, you won't believe it even if we tell you."

Si Buping said in a deep voice: "But if you don't tell me, it will only deepen my suspicion of you."

Yan Ciwan looked at him steadily, then suddenly took a step forward, approached him, and asked in a tone that seemed ambiguous but was actually sarcastic.

"The Grand Master is so concerned about my personal emotional issues, which makes me wonder if the Grand Master has any special feelings for me?"

At this time, the two of them were standing very close to each other, and they could see every subtle change on each other's face.

Si Buping did not answer, but just stared at her quietly.

Yan Ciwan always felt that the way he looked at her was strange. Before, she had heard Xiao Wang say that Si Buping had that kind of feelings towards her, so she attributed that strange look to the other party being attracted to her.

But now, the distance between the two of them is only half a foot, which can be considered ambiguous for ordinary people.

But Si Buping remained motionless and had no intention of taking advantage of the opportunity to do anything.

Even the look he gave Yan Ci Wan did not contain the slightest bit of lust.