Chapter 980: Good Big Mouth

"Oh~" Exclamations rippled through the crowd. Their suggestive gazes were eerily similar to the gossiping classmates from his past life.

Tang Tian'er blushed and lowered her head, appearing incredibly shy. Yet, inwardly, she was cursing the men to no end, lamenting that her reputation in the building was probably ruined forever.

Meanwhile, Zu An noticed a stream of 'Rage Points' being generated in his system. He checked carefully and saw that very few came from guests; most were from the Carefree Pavilion's own staff. It appeared Tang Tian'er was the beloved crush of many colleagues there.

At this point, Sun Xun snorted, "Are you trying to make a fool of me? This woman was clearly not in the room when the door opened; she just rushed in from outside. How can she testify? Is your Carefree Pavilion fabricating such a flimsy lie to protect a criminal?"

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

The other Carefree Pavilion staff thought enviously, "He's calling her 'Tian'er, Tian'er'... their relationship must be really close. Ugh, this guy just arrived and already got with the prettiest girl in the building. Why are we so unlucky?" Even compared to the dazzling courtesans on the second floor, Tang Tian'er was equally, if not more, captivating. With her sweet, gentle smile for everyone and incredibly approachable demeanor, she enjoyed immense popularity in the establishment.

Tang Tian'er was quite annoyed at this moment, thinking, "When did I become this intimate with you?" She figured he must have had an enchanting dream after she drugged him, believing it was truly her sharing a pleasant time with him. However, given the circumstances, she couldn't step forward to 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, no. Now everyone thinks I slept with him, and my attitude practically confirms it. This is so embarrassing!"

Hearing her words, the other men glared at Zu An with disdain. "If I had such a beauty with me, I wouldn't sleep a wink all night," they thought, silently fuming. "Damn it, this kid fell asleep so fast. Is he even a man?"

As a man himself, Zu An instantly understood their looks. He felt an intense wave of awkwardness. He shared Tang Tian'er's feeling; there was no way to explain this situation.

Sun Xun stated in a low voice, "Even if Miss Tang's words are true, that only proves she accompanied customer 333 for a period of time. He could still have gone out and committed the crime during the remaining time."

Tang Tian'er hesitated for a moment before replying, "To Your Excellency, I was only gone for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. He couldn't possibly have committed the crime in such a short period."

The stout venerable felt a surge of anxiety, thinking, "Why is she taking this upon herself? She's already gone above and beyond by testifying."

Even Zu An glanced at her in surprise, genuinely not expecting her to openly side with him.

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

The stout venerable's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't a promise he could make lightly. Although he didn't believe customer 333 could have gone out and committed murder, he also didn't want to implicate the Carefree Pavilion. So, instead of answering directly, he said, "If Your Excellency doesn't trust us, you can ask your own people from the Sun family. I noticed earlier that Young Master Sun specifically left someone outside to monitor customer 333 when he departed."

A wave of jeers immediately swept through the room. Clearly, no one present was a fool; they instantly grasped Sun Ji's intentions. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to exact revenge on customer 333, but had instead implicated himself.

Sun Xun frowned, quickly turned to search discreetly, and soon a guard was brought forward. "Did the Young Master leave you here to monitor?"

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

"Were there any anomalies during that time? Did he leave the room?" Sun Xun continued.

The man shook his head. "No, I've been guarding here without daring to lose focus for a moment. He didn't come out."

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

The stout venerable secretly broke into a cold sweat. This young man truly was a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger; he dared to say anything.

Sun Xun gave him a deep look, then glanced at the nearby window. "Could he have left this way, so the guards outside the door wouldn't have seen him?"

The stout venerable then spoke. "Impossible. Outside is the main hall, with people constantly coming and going, and many experts present. If he had left through the window, he would certainly have been discovered."

Zu An, meanwhile, sneered inwardly. "Who told Sun Ji to be so malicious and try to kill me? In the end, the person he left to monitor me became my best witness."

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

Tang Tian'er and the stout venerable's expressions changed. They quickly asked, "Your Excellency, why is this? His innocence has already been proven."

"Then why did Yang Long leave your room number before he died? Even if he didn't do it himself, it's highly possible an accomplice outside collaborated. Take him away." Sun Xun clearly had no desire to waste words with them and simply gestured for his subordinates to apprehend him.

"Is this how a distinguished imperial official like yourself disregards human life and makes arbitrary judgments?" Zu An sneered. "So many people witnessed the conflict between me and Sun Ji earlier. Naturally, the true culprit would choose me as the most suitable scapegoat." This was also why he hadn't erased the writing on the floor earlier: first, he wasn't the killer, so his conscience was clear; second, his conflict with Sun Ji was common knowledge. Even if he had erased it, the Sun family would still have come for him immediately, so it was better to leave this obvious point of suspicion.

"A mere youngster dares to lecture me on how to do my job? Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly, and search the room for any stolen goods," Sun Xun said expressionlessly. Even if the man wasn't the true killer, given how much he had offended Ji'er, Sun Xun intended to use this opportunity to deal with him and appease Ji'er's spirit. "Furthermore, no one who attended the event today is permitted to leave. I will send people to question everyone individually."

After saying this, he turned to the stout venerable. "Give me a list of today's attendees. I intend to cross-reference them all."

This statement immediately caused an uproar throughout the venue. Everyone had been enjoying the gossip; who knew they would get implicated themselves? At this, everyone immediately protested, clamoring to leave and openly questioning the Carefree Pavilion's inaction.

The stout venerable grew anxious and quickly pulled Sun Xun aside, whispering, "Your Excellency, this is not advisable. These guests are all prominent figures. If their identities are exposed, it will cause great embarrassment for everyone. Please, Your Excellency, show leniency. The Carefree Pavilion will fully cooperate with everything else."

Sun Xun's brow furrowed slightly. He felt a twinge of regret after speaking. Not only was the Carefree Pavilion's background unclear, but these guests might also be his colleagues in officialdom or powerful figures from other prefectures. If he truly offended them, it would be difficult to manage the fallout.

Considering this, he seized the opportunity to relent, "Very well, I will grant your Carefree Pavilion this favor. However, this person must be searched." Clearly, he still hadn't dismissed his suspicions about Zu An and simply wanted to find an excuse to take him away.

The stout venerable hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing more. Sun Xun had already shown him considerable respect. If he didn't yield at all, he would likely completely enrage the other party, making the situation even more difficult to resolve. As for the severed connection with the Sea Race, it wasn't a major concern; they could find other ways to re-establish contact next time.

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

Zu An, however, showed no trace of panic. He calmly stated, "You say search, and I must comply? On what grounds? By that logic, if I randomly claim you ate two bowls of noodles, would you have to cut open your stomach to prove your innocence?"

Sun Xun didn't understand the "two bowls of noodles" reference, but he could discern the mockery in Zu An's tone. He couldn't help but feel inwardly enraged. For so many years, who had dared to speak to him this way? And a young junior, no less?

Rage Points from Sun Xun: +272, +272, +272...

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

"Even a Prime Minister must abide by the law," Zu An said calmly. "All the evidence just now has proven my innocence, so why insist on searching me?"

Sun Xun finally lost his patience. "The law? In this territory, I am the law!"

Just then, a cold laugh echoed from a distance. "You are the law? What audacity!"