Luojia Mountain. Bamboo Sea Mansion.

When Shen Jianping hurried over, the important figures of the Shen Family had already gathered.

Shen Wuxiang, Shen Boyu, and Shen Wanshan, three brothers, were seated in high positions on the Taishi Chairs, while others were arranged on both sides according to seniority and prominence, either standing or sitting.

To have a place in this Shen Family council hall is more significant than having a position in the Empire's court.

Shen Wuxiang, the uncrowned king of the Empire, had also rushed over from the Mountain Qi Camp, indicating that the matter of Shen Lewen had a great impact on the entire Shen Family.

This crisis sensed by Shen Wuxiang and Shen Boyu necessitated such an exhaustive gathering of the family at such a critical moment.

Seeing Shen Jianping enter the room, Shen Boyu pointed to the first seat on the left and said: "Jianping is back? Sit down and rest."

Shen Jianping is the Empire's Vice Minister, the prime candidate to take over the position of Minister Su Zhenlie after his retirement.

Once Shen Jianping stabilizes in the position of the Empire's Minister, he will be the head of the three ministers, ranking as the first person below the Emperor.

Therefore, despite not being the eldest in his generation, his eminent status makes him especially cherished by the family.

"Thank you, Second Uncle."

Shen Jianping sat down obediently, his face mournful.

Shen Boyu looked at Shen Jianping's unrestrained grief, sighed deeply, and comforted him: "Jianping, death is irreversible. Take care of yourself."

"Second Uncle..." Shen Jianping's eyes were red, his voice hoarse: "I feel terrible. A white-haired person sending off a black-haired one... there's no greater agony in life."

"My mind is blank right now, my whole body feels like it's being pricked... seeing Lewen lying there, I really wish I could take his place... I really wish I could lie there instead."

Clutching his chest, the pain of losing his son almost shattered him completely, he couldn't even sit in the chair properly, seemingly on the verge of collapsing in grief.

"Jianping..." Shen Boyu walked up, lightly patting Shen Jianping's shoulder, offering words of consolation: "I understand, I truly do, I feel it."

"Jianping was a child I watched grow up; for him to meet such a cruel hand... can my heart not ache? Can my heart not hurt?"

"However, we still have to look forward. The family needs you, the Empire needs you, Le Wu needs you..."

"If you succumb to despair, how can we avenge Lewen? We must find the perpetrator, we can't let our child die in vain..."

"Second Uncle, you must stand up for us... Lewen died horrifically; this vengeance... must be taken."

"They killed a son of the Shen Family, this enmity is irreconcilable. I don't care who he is, what status he holds... we will uncover him even if we have to dig three feet deep. Ling Chi him won't even suffice to quell my anger," Shen Boyu immediately stated.

"Thank you, Second Uncle... thank you, Second Uncle..." Shen Jianping also knew his 'performance' was sufficient, prolonging it further would evoke annoyance.

He wiped the tears from his eyes and said: "With those words from Second Uncle, I am at ease."

"What nonsense?" Shen Boyu glared, straightforwardly saying: "Is Lewen not a child of the Shen Family? It's only natural for me to avenge him."

"Yes, yes, forgive me, Second Uncle, I spoke thoughtlessly."

"I'm not blaming you; anyone encountering such matters will feel uneasy. A white-haired sending off a black-haired... even an old man like me can't withstand such an impact."

He glanced around and then fixed his gaze back on Shen Jianping's face, saying: "So, I hope there won't be another occurrence of such events in the family."

Everyone echoed agreement, no one daring to defy Shen Boyu.

Shen Jianping understood Shen Boyu was advising him not to target family members.

Inwardly enraged, but dared not show it on his face.

Shen Boyu returned to his original seat, looking at Shen Jianping, asked: "Jianping, Lewen was murdered... do you have any leads?"

Shen Jianping shook his head, said: "None. I only heard from Zhang Jin that when they were drinking, a woman disguised as staff entered the private room and poured Lewen a drink..."

"After the incident, Le Wu had people control the Imperial Mansion and check the surveillance... the girl used the identity information of an employee named Kong Sheng..."

"The guards at the gate even inspected her work badge and identity information, there was completely no issue..."

"It proves the opponent came prepared, with incredibly high computer skills, able to hack into the Imperial Mansion's intelligent system unnoticed and alter Kong Sheng's identity information," Shen Boyu deciphered.

"Indeed." Shen Jianping nodded, said: "After harming Lewen, she just pushed a garbage cart and left swaggeringly."

"Disappearing beside the garbage disposal truck at the back of the Imperial Mansion, then vanished without a trace. We scanned her face for information and could only find Kong Sheng..."

"But, Kong Sheng was found at her residence, she had been fed Soul-Draining Powder, drunk for three days, still not awake now."

"Could it be the Lu Family's doing?" Shen Cong suggested a suspect, saying: "The Lu Family's skills in intelligence are extremely outstanding... especially Lu Siyu, the Empire's top hacker... for them to breach the Imperial Mansion's computer and alter information is a piece of cake."

"Can't rule out the possibility." Shen Jianping glanced at Shen Cong, said: "But the Imperial Mansion's intelligent system had low security, anyone could crack it."

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