The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 115: Case Closed!

Upon hearing Zhao Feng's words, Wang Gui was first taken aback, then his eyes lit up.

It really is true that you can summon someone and they will appear; it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.

Liu Shuyi had just asked me for information about the wealthy businessman surnamed Du when the information arrived.

Wang Gui quickly opened the door, and Zhao Feng strode into the room, immediately handing the papers in his hand to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi opened the intelligence report and looked up.

next moment--

Everyone then saw Liu Shuyi's previously calm eyes suddenly narrow.

At the same time, a voice full of profound meaning rang out: "Just as I thought..."

Seeing Liu Shuyi's unusual reaction, Wang Gui couldn't help but ask, "Sir, is this intelligence useful?"

Upon hearing this, Du Gou and Wan'er both stared intently at him.

Liu Shuyi raised his eyes and, under the tense yet expectant gazes of everyone, slowly nodded and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, the murderer... should be this wealthy businessman surnamed Du, Du Shu!"

brush!
The moment everyone heard those words, their pupils dilated sharply.

They were all stunned for a moment.

Liu Shuyi's words really came as a complete surprise!
They were still frantically trying to find the killer.

The next moment, Liu Shuyi glanced at the information about the wealthy businessman surnamed Du and told them directly that the killer was this wealthy businessman surnamed Du!
This……

What exactly did the intelligence report say?!
Could it be that they've directly written that Du Shu is a murderer?
Seeing Wang Gui and the others tiptoeing to peek at the paper, Liu Shuyi handed the paper directly to Wang Gui and said, "Take a look if you want."

Wang Gui was incredibly curious. Without being polite to Liu Shuyi, he quickly took the paper and looked up.

Du Gou, Wan'er, and Zhao Feng also joined in.

They all wanted to know what exactly was written in the intelligence report that would make Liu Shuyi make such a quick judgment.

But after watching it from beginning to end, their expressions became increasingly bewildered.

Wang Gui looked at Liu Shuyi with a puzzled expression and said, "Sir, this intelligence report doesn't say that Du Shu has any problems. How can you say that he is a murderer?"

Wan'er nodded vigorously.

Du Gou frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

Liu Shuyi held up three fingers and said, "I would judge Du Shu to be a murderer for three reasons."

"First, the murderer rarely committed two crimes in the same place in the five years he committed the crimes. Because we didn't know where he would commit the crime next, we couldn't take precautions in advance. As a result, the court was always in a very passive position at that time."

"But you must know that, both then and now, the imperial court has been very strict in managing the movement of people. To travel between different prefectures, one must have a pass, and to obtain a pass, one must have a reasonable reason."

"So, what kind of identity would allow one to travel smoothly through various state cities without arousing suspicion?"

Du Gou had a sudden thought and said directly, "Merchant!"

Wang Gui clapped his hands and said, "That's right! Only merchants can apply to the government office for passage multiple times and enter various prefectures without arousing suspicion."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "It's not difficult to guess that the murderer might be a businessman. When the three departments took over the murderer's case, they also had the same suspicion..."

"In order to verify this matter, they specifically checked the records of entry and exit from the city, trying to determine whether there were records of the same merchant entering and leaving these cities when these cases occurred."

"Unfortunately……"

Liu Shuyi looked at the spread-out files on the table and shook his head, saying, "They didn't find such a person."

Wang Gui frowned: "No?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Because they haven't found such a person, although I suspected the businessman might be a murderer, I wasn't sure. After all, I only suspected, but they already had verified results."

“But now you’re saying the murderer was the merchant Du Shu…” Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi and said, “At the time, the Emperor Emeritus was furious and kept a close watch on him. The three judicial departments wanted to arrest the murderer immediately, so it’s impossible that they fabricated the record… Therefore, the murderer forged the record?”

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Several years passed between the death of the murderer's relatives and when he began to take revenge. During this time, the murderer was probably planning how to commit the crimes, how to find those enemies from back then, and what he needed for revenge. The 'Guo Suo' was one of the most important tools."

"Before he took action, he had already decided to provoke the imperial court, so he couldn't possibly be unaware of how angry the court would be and how much power it would mobilize to find him. Therefore, it was necessary to forge different travel routes in advance to ensure that he would not be discovered."

Du Gou pondered for a moment and said, "At that time, the Tang Dynasty had just been established, and various rules and regulations were not yet perfect. In addition, the surrounding areas were still turbulent, and the court did not have enough energy. Forging a pass was indeed not a difficult thing."

Liu Shuyi smiled slightly, held up a second finger, and said, "The second reason lies with Mo Xiaofan."

"Mo Xiaofan?" Wan'er looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi said, "I analyzed with Wan'er before that it would be very difficult for the murderer to kidnap Mo Xiaofan and bring her here without alerting anyone."

"Because Mo Xiaofan is very alert, he will be on guard if any stranger gets close to him, so it is extremely difficult to deceive him or control him in one move."

"But the truth is that Mo Xiaofan was taken to Yongpingfang by the murderer on the main road without alerting anyone, and Mo Xiaofan did not shout for help along the way... How did the murderer manage to do that?"

"Or in other words, how did the serial killer manage to get close to Mo Xiaofan without him being on guard and gain his trust?"

Following Liu Shuyi's guidance, Wan'er suddenly remembered what the little beggars had said last night, and her bright eyes widened immediately: "Mo Xiaofan is wary of strangers, so... he won't be wary of acquaintances!"

"When they encountered trouble at the Du residence before, it was Du Shu who helped them and prevented them from being bullied by local thugs. Moreover, after understanding the situation, he did not get angry at them for offending the deceased and even gave them food. In Mo Xiaofan's eyes, Du Shu was a kind and generous person."

"Even if Mo Xiaofan is wary of Du Shu, he won't be too cautious!"

Liu Shuyi continued, "If Du Shu were injured in front of Mo Xiaofan, or suddenly fell ill, and there was no one to take care of him... what do you think Mo Xiaofan would do?"

Wan'er was very clever and immediately understood Liu Shuyi's meaning: "If the kind and generous Du Shu is injured in front of Mo Xiaofan and no one takes care of him, given Mo Xiaofan's kindness and gratitude, he will definitely take the initiative to take care of Du Shu..."

"so……"

Wan'er's expression changed slightly, and her gaze suddenly turned cold: "Did Du Shu take advantage of Mo Xiaofan's kindness to trick Mo Xiaofan into getting close to him?"

Liu Shuyi sighed, "Think about where Mo Xiaofan had the accident, and the location of Du Shu's residence..."

Wang Gui's heart skipped a beat: "The Du residence is located in Yonghe Ward, which is directly west of Yong'an Ward. And to get from Feng'an Ward, where Mo Xiaofan lives, to Yonghe Ward, one must pass through Yong'an Ward..."

hiss--

He couldn't help but gasp, saying, "The route matches perfectly... It really was Du Shu who deceived Mo Xiaofan with his health condition, tricking him into taking him back to his residence. Mo Xiaofan was kind-hearted and wanted to repay the kind person who had helped him that day, but because of his kindness, he fell into the trap of a murderer!"

The expressions on the faces of the people present were not good.

They know all too well how precious kindness is in this world.

Not to mention, this was a teenager's most sincere act of kindness.

If word gets out that the serial killer exploited this kindness, will people still be willing to extend kindness and help those in need? Will they worry that the person in need might also harbor ill intentions towards them, just like the serial killer?

Will Mo Xiaofan, originally a kind-hearted boy, shut down his kindness because of this incident? Will his personality change drastically from now on?

Wang Gui clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "That Du Shu truly deserves to die!"

Liu Shuyi glanced at everyone and continued, "Guo Zhengyi said that after Du Shu drove away those thugs, he chatted with Mo Xiaofan for a while and learned about Mo Xiaofan and the others' backgrounds, so he took pity on them and gave them food..."

"I think it was around that time that Du Shuying learned that among Mo Xiaofan's relatives, there was someone who had participated in the construction of the Grand Canal, and happened to be one of the farmers who killed his relatives."

"That's why he set his sights on Mo Xiaofan."

"Otherwise, Mo Xiaofan would have been separated from his family long ago and had been wandering and begging for so long. Du Shu would never have known that Mo Xiaofan's enemies were among his relatives."

Wan'er sighed, "Even I didn't know that Mo Xiaofan had relatives who participated in the construction of the Grand Canal. He never told me about it..."

Liu Shuyi said, "When a normal person introduces themselves to you, they will at most mention who their father is. They will not go into detail about the years they spent working on or what events they participated in, let alone mention building the Grand Canal, which is not something to be praised."

"It is only because Du Shuxin is thinking about revenge that he specifically asked these questions or guided Mo Xiaofan to say these things."

Wan'er pursed her lips and finally nodded.

Liu Shuyi looked at her and said, "However, Mo Xiaofan was ultimately clever and resourceful enough not to be truly tricked into going to Du Shu's residence. He discovered Du Shu's true colors halfway there and managed to outmaneuver Du Shu, which led to Du Shu being trapped in Yongpingfang. Moreover, he used the naan crumbs to leave us clues, which ultimately led us to the Du family. Otherwise..."

He shook his head: "Even I probably wouldn't be able to save him in time."

Everyone understood Liu Shuyi's meaning. If Du Shu hadn't been trapped in Yongpingfang, they wouldn't have been able to find Du Shu and Mo Xiaofan's hiding place. Without finding their hiding place, they wouldn't have discovered the food clue left by Mo Xiaofan. And without finding the food, they wouldn't have known about the Du family's existence...

Therefore, the starting point of each and every step stems from Mo Xiaofan's quick wit.

Although Mo Xiaofan was deceived by Du Shu, he still managed to find a glimmer of hope for himself.

However, it was fortunate that Liu Shuyi was the one investigating the case. If it had been someone else, Mo Xiaofan's hard-won chance of survival might not have even been discovered.

It was all about timing and luck!
"I had already guessed these two points after I learned that Mo Xiaofan had visited the Du family..."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's voice continue, everyone quickly cleared their minds and looked at him intently.

Liu Shuyi continued, "But I don't know enough about the Du family, nor do I know enough about Mo Xiaofan. I don't know if Mo Xiaofan has encountered anyone else similar to the Du family. In addition, there is no evidence to prove that Du Shu is a murderer. So although I suspect Du Shu, I am not very confident."

"What truly convinced me that he was the killer came from the third reason."

Liu Shuyi extended his third finger, his gaze falling on the paper in Wang Gui's hand: "Information about the Du family!"

"Because time was very tight, the information that the yamen runners could find was very limited. This information did not even include how the Du family became rich, nor did it include the experiences of their relatives."

"But it doesn't matter, this contains the information I need most!"

Wang Gui swallowed hard, stared at the simple intelligence report in his hand, and asked, "What information?"

"name!"

"name?"

"Du Shu's grandfather's name."

"grandfather?"

Wang Gui was taken aback and quickly looked at the names recorded in the intelligence report.

Sure enough, among the names of the direct descendants of the Du family was the name of Du Shu's grandfather...

And this name is...

"Du Ming?"

Liu Shuyi walked to the table, picked up the dossier that Du Gou had spent an entire night and most of the day finding for him from the Ministry of Revenue, raised his hand, pointed to the list of deceased officials in the dossier, and said, "Here, there is also a name, which happens to be Du Ming!"

"What? It's Du Ming too?"

Wang Gui quickly stepped forward to take a look.

His eyes widened immediately: "It really is Du Ming!"

"And he's an official!"

"Could it be... that this Du Ming is Du Shu's grandfather?"

Liu Shuyi said, "If I had never suspected Du Shu, I would have thought it might be a coincidence, but when all the clues point to the Du family, it can no longer be a coincidence."

"That means the people I sent to find the victims' relatives haven't returned yet. Otherwise, asking them would have been more likely to confirm Du Ming's situation."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui had no more doubts: "It must be him! Du Ming! An official! I never expected that after searching high and low among the laborers, we would find out he was an official! No wonder Du Shu wanted to provoke the Tang Dynasty; this man still remembers the good times of the former Sui Dynasty!"

Wan'er didn't understand: "His grandfather was killed by the former Sui Dynasty, so why doesn't he hate the former Sui Dynasty? Instead, he still remembers the good things about it?"

“The Sui Dynasty acted according to the rules, and it wasn’t specifically targeting him.”

Wang Gui understood perfectly, saying, "The reason he was killed was mainly because the laborers in charge of managing him failed to complete their tasks. So, the root cause lies with those farmers."

Wan'er nodded thoughtfully.

Wang Gui looked at Liu Shuyi and said excitedly, "Master Liu, give the order! Now that we've found the murderer, it's time to bring him to justice!"

Upon hearing Wang Gui's words, Wan'er looked at him with sparkling eyes, as did Du Gou and Zhao Feng. This case, while not as serious as the major cases Liu Shuyi had previously solved, which threatened to shake the very foundations of the Tang Dynasty, was still significant.

However, in terms of difficulty, it is in no way inferior to those cases.

More importantly, time was of the essence. With every breath they took, the killer's knife drew closer to Mo Xiaofan, making them anxious and heartbroken as they watched the sun rise and set.

Moreover, the case spans too long, the clues in the old files are deeply hidden, and there are time constraints...

This case caused them far more suffering than any other case.

Now, after enduring hardship, the time has finally come to reap the rewards.

Liu Shuyi's gaze swept over the crowd, noticing the excitement and anticipation on their faces. He smiled and said, "Of course we'll take action, but before we do, we need to clarify one thing—"

"That is, should the other murderer also be brought back to the yamen?"

"what?"

"Another serial killer!?"

Liu Shuyi's words left the excited Wang Gui and the others completely bewildered.

The excitement that had just appeared on their faces was immediately replaced by bewilderment.

Wang Gui couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what... what do you mean by that? What do you mean by another serial killer? Does that mean there are other serial killers besides Du Shu?"

Du Gou hadn't expected Liu Shuyi to say that, and now he was looking at Liu Shuyi with a furrowed brow.

Liu Shuyi looked at the group and said, "Haven't you ever thought about why the serial killer would suddenly stop committing crimes without any warning after five years of continuous offenses?"

"Why did he suddenly start committing crimes again after not killing anyone for five years?"

Wang Gui hesitated, "This..."

He had thought about it before, but he was too excited to remember the killer's identity after just learning it, so he forgot about it.

Du Gou's eyes flickered, as if he understood something, and he said, "Could it be that the serial killer from five years ago and the serial killer from five years later are not the same person?"

Liu Shuyi's gaze returned to the paper in Wang Gui's hand, and he said, "In the intelligence gathered by the yamen runners, there is this sentence... Du Shu's father, Du Feng, had an accident five years ago, which resulted in hemiplegia. Du Shu traveled to Chang'an to seek treatment for his father, but his father was ultimately not cured and died after being paralyzed in bed for five years."

"five years ago……"

Liu Shuyi said, "Don't you guys find this timing interesting?"

"Du Shu's father was paralyzed in an accident five years ago, just when the murderer stopped committing crimes."

"Just a few days after Du Shu's father died, the murderer reappeared."

"Moreover, the mark left behind this time is different from the mark five years ago; it now includes a bloodstained long blade."

He said, "Generally speaking, serial killers with such strict requirements have unimaginably high standards for every aspect of their crimes, much like obsessive-compulsive disorder, and they will not allow anything to change."

"As a result, the only step that could be guaranteed to be unaffected by unforeseen circumstances—the logo design—has undergone such a major change..."

"Has his mindset changed over the past five years? Or is it..."

Liu Shuyi squinted and said calmly, "The person is no longer the same, so this new serial killer needs to create something different to let everyone know that he is the new serial killer!"

None of them had considered these things, and upon hearing this, their minds were buzzing.

Wang Gui felt goosebumps rising on his skin: "So, Du Shu's father, before he died, passed on his identity as a serial killer to his son, so that his son could inherit his identity as a serial killer?"

"I've seen people inherit property, family businesses, and even debts, but I've never seen anyone inherit the identity of a murderer? Do Du Shu and Du Feng have psychological problems?"

How could someone who commits such a cruel act of dismemberment to seek revenge not have psychological problems?
Du Gou thought for a moment and said, "I remember the records in the case file. Although that murderer provoked the imperial court, he was very cautious. He would only leave a mark before committing the crime and then disappear completely to avoid being caught by the imperial court."

"And now, this serial killer, after discovering that you've come to investigate in the vicinity, has become even more audacious, keeping an eye on you. He even risked everything to draw a skull in the yard to put pressure on you and provoke you further..."

"From this perspective, his personality is indeed different from that of the serial killer five years ago."

He frowned, somewhat remorseful: "Such an obvious difference, I should have realized they might not be the same person anymore..."

Liu Shuyi glanced at Du Gou and said, "It's normal for people to be limited by their past experiences. Even I only confirmed this when I discovered the accident that happened to Du Shu's father five years ago."

Du Gou understood that Liu Shuyi was trying to comfort him. He pursed his lips and reminded himself that he must never make the same mistake again.

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "So, you're thinking about whether or not to dig up Du Feng, who's already been laid to rest?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "After all, they only buried it less than ten days ago."

"Humph!"

Wang Gui scoffed, "Who cares how many days he's buried! He has sixty lives on his hands, and yet he dies so easily, leaving the victims' families in pain to this day. Is there such a thing as a free lunch?"

"As long as he is a murderer, even if he is dead, his corpse must be desecrated and his bones ground to dust, so that those sixty innocent and pitiful people can rest in peace!"

Du Gou thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Death is not a reason for him to escape responsibility."

Liu Shuyi knew how kind Du Gou was, but he didn't expect even Du Gou to say such a thing. It seems that he was still more influenced by later generations. After all, in later generations, people usually just die and that's it. They wouldn't dig up the corpse and whip it to torture people after they've been buried.

But now that we are in the Tang Dynasty, we should adapt to local customs.

Moreover, he also agreed with Wang Gui's words, how could they let the other party live out his days in peace and die comfortably, and let his sins just pass by like that...

He said, "However, all of this is still speculation. We do not have any concrete evidence to prove that Du Shu's father was also a murderer."

"Therefore, we should first arrest Du Shu, search his residence, interrogate him, and also question the Du family servants about whether they knew Du Feng's whereabouts when those cases occurred five years ago. If no one knows his whereabouts, we can confirm that Du Feng is also a murderer, so we should dig him out and deal with him according to the law."

"Anyway..."

He looked at the group and said, "Those who commit crimes will not escape!"

…………

Half an hour later.

Yonghefang, a restaurant not far from the Du residence.

Wang Gui strode into the private room and said to Liu Shuyi, who was standing by the window, poking a hole in the window paper and observing the Du residence, "Master, the front and back gates of the Du residence have been sealed off, and the intersections are also guarded by our men, who can block the roads at any time."

"We are unsure whether Du Shu is in the Du residence or whether Mo Xiaofan is being hidden there. If we act rashly and either of them is not in the Du residence, we might alert Du Shu and put Mo Xiaofan in danger. Even if both of them are in the Du residence, I am worried that Du Shu might take Mo Xiaofan hostage."

Having learned from the experience of Changsun Chong's kidnapping, Wang Gui is now quite experienced and fears that the same thing might happen again.

Liu Shuyi gently stroked the jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips. He was not surprised by Wang Gui's words. His expression remained calm and composed: "Since we are not sure if he is in the manor, let's wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"Wait for the people from the Du residence to come out."

Liu Shuyi said, "As soon as anyone comes out, we should take them into custody immediately. That way we can find out if Du Shu is inside the residence."

Wang Gui looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was about to set, and curfew would begin in an hour.

He couldn't help but say, "It's getting dark. What if no one comes out before curfew?"

"Then let's wait until tomorrow."

Liu Shuyi said, "The serial killer won't make his move until tomorrow night at the earliest. We have plenty of time now. No one may come out of the Du residence at night, but it's impossible for no one to come out during the day."

Hearing Liu Shuyi say that they had plenty of time, Wang Gui couldn't help but click his tongue.

Even in broad daylight, they were all so anxious about the time that their mouths were full of blisters.

As time went by, they found themselves with plenty of time, enough to waste an entire night.

But Wang Gui also knew that what Liu Shuyi said was true; after they learned the killer's identity, they really had plenty of time.

Moreover, having reached this point, with only the final push left, no one wants any unexpected events to occur at the last moment. Therefore, seeking stability is more important than anything else.

He nodded emphatically: "This subordinate understands, this subordinate will give the order immediately..."

"Wait a moment--"

Before Wang Gui could leave, Liu Shuyi's voice suddenly rang out.

Wang Gui subconsciously looked at Liu Shuyi, only to see Liu Shuyi looking out through the hole in the window paper, a slight smile playing on his lips: "No need to wait until tomorrow, someone from the Du residence has come out."

…………

Two quarters of an hour later.

Yonghefang, near Nanfangmen.

Two women dressed in blue maid's clothes quickly arrived at the front of a quiet and secluded house.

The shorter maid looked at the tightly closed courtyard gate and nervously rubbed her hands together, only then realizing that her palms were sweaty.

The maid quickly wiped the sweat from her clothes, then secretly glanced at the tall woman beside her. She saw the tall woman nod towards the door. After hesitating for a moment, she finally took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked on the red lacquered door.

dong dong dong.

The sound spread through the quiet streets at dusk.

A moment later, a calm and gentle voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

The short, thin maidservant hurriedly said, "Master, it's me. Madam is very ill and hasn't eaten all day... Madam knows you're busy and need peace and quiet, so she didn't want me to tell you, but..."

The maid's voice trembled with emotion: "But I see Madam growing thinner and thinner every day, and it breaks my heart. The doctor also says that Madam's illness is strange, so I dare to beg you, sir, to go back and see Madam..."

"Madam loves Master the most. If Master goes back, perhaps Madam will be happy and her illness will be cured."

The tall woman instinctively clenched her hands, staring intently at the tightly closed courtyard gate in front of her.

The short, thin maid was also nervously swallowing.

At that moment, a voice came from inside the door: "You go back first, I'll be back later."

The short, thin maid breathed a sigh of relief and was about to agree when she saw the tall woman glare at her.

She instinctively shrank her neck and hurriedly said, "Master, curfew is approaching. If you still want to go back to the other courtyard to rest, please come with me. Otherwise, I'm worried that you won't be able to return in time..."

There was another silence behind the door.

Just when the two women thought there would be no further response, a sigh rang out: "Very well, I'll go back with you to see the Madam—"

As they were talking, a noise came from the courtyard gate.

It sounded like the latch being removed.

then……

Then a creaking sound was heard, and the courtyard gate was slowly opened.

A man in his thirties, dressed in fine clothes and with a refined appearance, appeared before the two women.

Upon seeing the short, thin maid, the man said, "Let's go, don't waste time, I'll be back soon..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed the tall woman beside him.

Looking at the woman's delicate and beautiful face, the man frowned: "Are you a new maid in the household? I don't remember having such a pretty maid in my household?"

"Your maid is your grandmother, I am your Aunt Wan—"

No sooner had the man finished speaking than the beautiful, tall woman kicked him out.

Despite looking like a frail woman, her kick sent him crashing into the door, and as the door swung open, he fell to the ground with a thud.

Then the woman rushed up to him and stomped on his face, saying, "So you're the murderer, huh? Come on, try killing another one! Who gave you the guts to arrest someone like this!"

(End of this chapter)