I woke up as the Villainous Empress
Chapter 352: Being greedy is an understatement.

Upon receiving Gu Lan's report, Zheng Liang, who had been idly toying with the jade paperweight in his hands, paused in his actions and let out a chuckle in disbelief, replaceing the situation rather ridiculous.

He glanced at Gu Lan with raised eyebrows and a sarcastic expression, questioning mockingly, "Coincidental, you say? Isn't all of this a bit too much of a coincidence?"

"Don't tell me the police officer in charge of the investigation at that time happened to be the current Head Officer of the Royal Bureau of Investigation?" Zheng Liang raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of suspicion.

Gu Lan was taken aback by Zheng Liang's question and nodded solemnly. "Indeed, Your Highness. It was Officer Wang Rong who led the investigation back then. And shortly after the case was closed, he was promoted from the Police Officer to the Chief of the Department.," he confirmed.

Zheng Liang fell into deep thought, his expression darkening. "So that's how Yang Luoyang managed to evade every crisis. Not only does he create trouble, but he also has someone to clean up the mess behind him," he concluded with a nod, a sense of gravity in his tone.

As Zheng Liang pondered over the situation, he recalled Yang Ning's recent interactions with Wang Rong's second beloved consort and her frequent visits to his residence. Despite his warnings to stay away from Wang Rong and his consort, Yang Ning had assured him to trust her judgment and insisted that she knew what she was doing.

With the revelation that Wang Rong was involved in the investigation of Madam Yang's death, Zheng Liang realized that Yang Ning must have known about the close relationship between Wang Rong and Yang Luoyang.

There must be a reason why Yang Ning is befriending Zhu Yating, the second beloved consort of Wang Rong, with whom she almost got into an argument at the Gu Residence.

Thinking about this, Zheng Liang decided to intervene and prevent Yang Ning from further visiting Wang Residence.

Regardless of her intentions, he couldn't risk her safety, especially considering Yang Luoyang's ruthlessness in pursuing power and his willingness to manipulate others to achieve his goals.

While pondering Yang Ning's security, Zheng Liang sighed, realizing how much he had underestimated Yang Luoyang until now.

He used to believe that this man was a shameless, power-driven, greedy man, who cares about nothing but corruption and dirty politics. However, upon discovering the details of Madam Yang's death, the word "greedy" seemed like an understatement for that man.

Although Madam Yang's death seemed like an accident, after hearing about the 'coincidences' surrounding this incident, it didn't seem like an accidental death anymore but more like a fully planned murder.

Because there was no way that there would be so many coincidences, and all the coincidences were hinting towards Yang Luoyang.

However, the question was, why did Yang Luoyang kill his wife? Madam Yang was a kind-hearted woman and had a nice reputation in the capital, and many people at the court supported Yang Luoyang because of her.

From what he had heard, Yang Luoyang married Madam Yao Ru because he loved her and even pampered Yang Ning when she was young, treating her like a princess. However, things seemed to change drastically after Madam Yang passed away, and Yang Ning was confined behind the walls of the Yang Household.

There must be a reason why he would go to the lengths of killing his wife.

If he was greedy for power, there was no need for him to kill her. He could have simply made use of her to strengthen his connections and political and personal relations with the other ministers at the court.

After all, a man needs to have his wife to build connections with other officials' wives, and that's how things work in the political world.

However, rather than using Madam Yang's reputation to build connections, he chose to remove her from his path. What could be the reason that he needed to plan this so-called accident?

'Did she replace out about something that she shouldn't have? If it is true, what could it be?' Zheng Liang wondered.

___

Zheng Liang looked up at Gu Lan and asked, "It seems like there are many hidden secrets behind Madam Yang's death. Try to replace out what could be the motive behind this incident."

"Also, replace out about his partner as well. After all, Yang Luoyang couldn't be in two places at the same time. Was it Officer Wang? Or someone from the patrol team who found her injured that night?"

"Dig deeper into Wang Rong's records as well. Find out if he only closed the investigation and hid the evidence or if he actually actively participated in this crime."

"Investigate this matter more deeply. Maybe while investigating this matter, we will replace out more about Yang Luoyang's disgusting side." Zheng Liang ordered Gu Lan to focus his attention on this case urgently and replace more details about it while being careful to not let Yang Luoyang replace out about it.

"That disgusting man has tortured my wife for so many years and even snatched her mother from her at such a young age. I will not let this man go easily; I will make sure he will get punished for every crime he committed." Zheng Liang gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, promising to punish Yang Luoyang and take revenge for abusing Yang Ning for years.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will send some of my loyal officials to search in detail about Wang Rong and will focus on looking for the motive for the murder." Gu Lan responded swiftly, knowing his responsibility.

Even after completing his report, Gu Lan didn't move to leave. Zheng Liang raised his brows at him in surprise and asked, "You're still here? What is it? Do you have something else to say?"

Gu Lan pursed his lips and hesitantly revealed, "Your Highness, there is something that I haven't reported to you yet. However, it is just an assumption for now; there is no evidence to back up this statement." He said.

Seeing him acting out of his character, Zheng Liang asked, "Speak whatever it is. Do not hide anything from me."

Gu Lan hesitated before speaking, but there was no way he could hide this detail from him. "Your Highness, there is another strange thing related to Madam Yang's death."

"The day Madam Yang passed away, after a few days, Her Majesty fell severely ill and soon after that…." Gu Lan didn't complete his words, but it was enough for Zheng Liang to understand his hints.

Zheng Liang's expression stiffened when he heard this. He tightened his jaw and clenched his fists, "It cannot be another coincidence, is i

t?" He pursed his lips, the turmoil of emotions going inside him.