The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 124 left me dumbfounded. How did my Imperial Guard get dragged into this?

Although Liu Shuyi was certain that Wei Ji was involved in the Ma Qingfeng family massacre and was very likely the murderer or one of the murderers who directly carried out the killings, it was ultimately just a deduction.

He deduced this conclusion by working backwards from An Qingxi's confession.

In fact, until Cheng Chumo arrived, he had not found any trace to prove Wei Ji's existence. Reasoning without evidence is like a rootless duckweed, and it is not even qualified to be brought to court.

He was actually under some pressure, after all, Wei Ji was the starting point for everything he was doing. If he could not prove Wei Ji's existence, he could not be 100% sure that his starting point was correct. And if his starting point was wrong, one could imagine what kind of setbacks and difficulties he would encounter next.

Fortunately, he finally obtained clues about Wei Ji's existence from eyewitnesses of the Imperial Guard.

This directly confirmed all his previous speculations, finally putting his mind at ease.

He gathered his thoughts, calmed himself down, and continued to confirm with Gu Wen, "What is Wei Ji's physique like?"

"Physical build?" Gu Wen thought for a moment and said, "Very strong, and seems to know some martial arts. According to Wei Ji's neighbor, Wei Ji once fought with local thugs and even won."

He was physically imposing, which is consistent with what the Jinwu Guards said.

The body type matches, the left-handed characteristic matches, and with An Qingxi's testimony... there's no doubt that this person is Wei Ji.

In what capacity did Wei Ji enter the Ma residence?
Could Wei Ji be the one who administered the drug?
Although Wei Ji's existence has been verified, even more questions have arisen.

To find out the truth, we can only wait for more relevant people to arrive and gather more information before making any inferences...

Liu Shuyi looked up and glanced at the position of the sun. He saw that the sun was already high in the sky. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's noon. Let's go have lunch first."

Qinrenfang was a gathering place for the residences of officials and nobles, so there weren't many noisy shops like restaurants. The nearest restaurant to the Ma residence was two streets away.

Fortunately, Liu Shuyi and his men all had horses, so they arrived at the restaurant in no time.

Upon entering the restaurant, a waiter warmly greeted us.

"Please come in, guest officer."

Liu Shuyi glanced around the restaurant and saw that there weren't many people inside; there were only two tables occupied in the main hall on the first floor.

It was lunchtime, the peak dining period, and there were only two tables occupied. The place was quiet and the business was not doing well.

However, things changed when they arrived.

He brought all the investigators with him. Ultimately, this case was his personal reason for investigating, and the others were all his helpers. Logically and emotionally, he should treat them well and take good care of them as a way of thanking them.

"Bring one of your restaurant's most signature and best-selling dishes to each table."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Er's eyes lit up immediately, and he looked at Liu Shuyi with the same fervor he would show a god of wealth.

He nodded quickly: "Alright! Please take a seat, sir. The food will be ready soon."

After saying that, he hurriedly ran to the kitchen to tell the cook to prepare the dishes quickly.

Liu Shuyi chose a seat by the window, and Cheng Chumo, Lu Yangyuan, and Zhao Feng also naturally took their seats.

Gu Wen hesitated. In terms of status, he should sit at the same table as Liu Shuyi, but he wanted to distance himself from Liu Shuyi to show that he was forced to participate in the case investigation and that he was not close to Liu Shuyi. Therefore, he did not want to sit at the same table as Liu Shuyi.

But if he didn't sit at the same table, he was afraid that Liu Shuyi would be dissatisfied and threaten him again.

Gu Wen was very conflicted. Liu Shuyi glanced at him and immediately understood what Gu Wen was thinking.

He shook his head inwardly, thinking that Gu Wen was overthinking things. Gu Wen didn't want to sit at the same table as him, and he had even less interest in eating with someone who harbored ill intentions towards him, as that would affect his appetite.

“County Commandant Gu, please don’t stand on ceremony. We’re just grabbing a bite to eat during a break from our investigation. There are so many tables, please make yourselves at home.”

"You said it yourself..." Gu Wen's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "This humble official will sit with the yamen runners, so that they won't be too embarrassed to start eating."

Liu Shuyi nodded indifferently: "Of course."

After Gu Wen left, Lu Yangyuan muttered to himself, "I'm afraid that once he's gone, the yamen runners won't dare to eat freely."

Seeing that all the constables at the table had instinctively straightened up after Gu Wen sat down, Zhao Feng said in a low voice, "Why are you speaking such obvious truths?"

Lu Yangyuan chuckled.

Liu Shuyi didn't join in the two's complaints. While waiting for the food, he looked at Cheng Chumo and said, "General Cheng, I wonder if your Jinwu Guard's night patrol personnel are arranged such that a team of people patrols a fixed area, or are they reassigned every once in a while, or are they different every day?"

Cheng Chumo said, "We assign personnel and areas of responsibility every half month."

"Every half of the week..."

Liu Shuyi nodded in understanding and continued, "When you distribute them, do you do it randomly, or is there some other method?"

"To ensure that patrol personnel can cooperate well in case of unexpected events, we rarely change the team members. Even if there are changes, they are all made by each battalion according to the actual situation."

Cheng Chumo said, "However, we do assign patrol areas randomly. After all, some neighborhoods are remote, some are lively, some have complicated populations, and some are all high-class, quiet and relaxed... Only by assigning them randomly, and having them draw lots, can we make each other feel that it is fair."

"Then why not take turns?"

Cheng Chumo laughed and said, "In the Tang Dynasty, there are hundreds of wards. It would take four or five years to complete a full rotation. That's too long a time span... Moreover, if they rotate, they will know where they will be patrolling next month, or even several months from now. If someone has ulterior motives and wants to do something bad, they can plan ahead based on that information."

"Therefore, randomly changing areas can also ensure that the Jinwu Guard is not exploited by others to the greatest extent possible."

Liu Shuyi nodded. Every rule and regulation was the result of countless lessons learned through blood and tears. The world had only recently been at peace, so he wasn't surprised that the Imperial Guards were being so cautious.

He thought for a moment and said, "So, the fact that Hu Hebing is in charge of night patrols in Qinren Ward can't be determined in advance?"

"Yes!"

Cheng Chumo nodded without hesitation, but hesitated for a moment before saying, "At least that's how it would be under normal circumstances, but as you know, there is no such thing as absolute fairness in this world. Even a lottery doesn't mean that it can't be manipulated in secret."

"So I can't guarantee the specifics."

Liu Shuyi understood Cheng Chumo's meaning. After a moment of contemplation, he asked again, "On the night the accident happened at the Ma residence, which night was Hu Hebing patrolling Qinrenfang?"

"Wait a minute, let me ask them."

Cheng Chumo immediately got up and went to find the Imperial Guards he had brought.

Not long after, he returned and said, "I asked, and they said it was the third night."

"The third night?"

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed.

Even if you wipe out an ordinary family, it would take some time to prepare so that no one would find out. Let alone wiping out a family that was a favorite of the Crown Prince at the time, a powerful official in the Ministry of Personnel.

Even if Yao Guang were incredibly cunning, it would be impossible for her to prepare the sleeping potion, bribe Wei Ji, and plan every step perfectly in just two or three days.

He suddenly stood up, went to Gu Wen's desk, and said, "County Commandant Gu, I wonder on what day Wei Ji applied for his place of residence from the Wannian County government?"

"Where did Wei Ji go?"

Gu Wen was taken aback by Liu Shuyi's question. After thinking for a while, he said, "I remember when I found Wei Ji's transit record, I even cursed him, saying that Wei Ji was too insidious, having prepared the transit last month..."

"If I remember correctly, it should be in February of the ninth year of Wude."

February?

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed intensely. Wei Ji had prepared the place of departure in February, while the Ma family was not wiped out until March.

In other words, Wei Ji had already prepared an escape route for himself in February.

Just as I expected...

Yao Guang had already planned everything by at least February.

In other words, it was no coincidence that Hu Hebing would go on night patrol in Qinrenfang!

This is also part of the plan.

So……

Liu Shuyi hurried back and said to Cheng Chumo, "General Cheng, if Hu Hebing's assigned night patrol area was manipulated, who do you think could have done it?"

"This……"

Cheng Chumo knew Liu Shuyi's temperament; Liu Shuyi would never pry into things unless he was absolutely certain of success.

His asking this question now implies that someone within the Golden Guard might be problematic.

This made him click his tongue, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He hadn't expected that helping others would end up getting the Imperial Guards caught in the crossfire.

However, he also understood the seriousness of the matter. If there were really problems within the Imperial Guard, it would directly threaten the safety of the capital and even the palace, which was by no means a trivial matter.

His mind raced, and he quickly replied, "Two possibilities."

"One possibility is that someone prepared the result for Hu Hebing before the lottery was drawn. If that's the case, then everyone who came into contact with the lottery box before the draw might have a problem."

"Another possibility is that after the lottery, Hu Hebing exchanged places with the person who drew the Qinrenfang lottery. However, we usually need to immediately compile the statistics and record them in the book after the lottery. Therefore, this situation is very difficult to handle. Hu Hebing only has a very short time to find the person who drew the Qinrenfang lottery. Without the lottery results being made public, Hu Hebing probably wouldn't be able to find the other party."

Liu Shuyi nodded, agreeing with Cheng Chumo's assessment.

However, his reasons were different from Cheng Chumo's.

If it is indeed the second scenario, the person who exchanged with Hu Hebing might not know Hu Hebing's purpose at first, but as long as the unexpected incident at the Ma residence is exposed, this person will inevitably begin to suspect Hu Hebing.

Hu Hebing is at risk of exposure.

Yao Guang went to great lengths to conceal all the hidden dangers and shift the blame onto Li Shimin, thus exacerbating the conflict between Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng. How could he possibly allow his plan to encounter such an uncontrollable risk?
Therefore, the most likely scenario is the first one: that one's own people control everything.

And the first type...

Liu Shuyi looked at Cheng Chumo and said in a deep voice, "After dinner, General Cheng should go back to the Jinwu Guard headquarters to investigate who participated in the lottery that year and who had the opportunity to make their move before the lottery was held..."

Cheng Chumo felt overwhelmed, but he also understood that this matter had to be done.

He sighed and said, "Leave it to me."

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and then added, "It's best to investigate discreetly. If the participant is someone of high status, you might be in danger if you alert him."

Cheng Chumo's heart skipped a beat. After a moment of silence, he said, "I understand. If all else fails, I'll ask Father for help."

With Cheng Yaojin backing him up, Liu Shuyi no longer needed to worry. He said, "Okay, I'll wait for your news."

Cheng Chumo nodded emphatically.

Just then, the waiter came over with the dishes.

As dish after dish was served, the table was quickly filled with colorful, fragrant, and delicious food.

Liu Shuyi stood up, picked up his water glass, looked at everyone, and said, "I am grateful to all of you for accompanying me on this journey. This meal is my way of thanking you all. Please feel free to eat as much as you like. If it's not enough, we can have another meal."

"Since we need to continue investigating the case, we must remain sober. Therefore, I offer you this water instead of wine."

"After the case is closed, I will host a grand banquet for you all. We will drink until we drop."

After saying that, Liu Shuyi tilted his head back and drank the water in the cup in one gulp.

Seeing this, everyone quickly stood up, exchanging polite words while tilting their heads back to drink the water in their glasses.

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Alright, everyone, enjoy your meal. Don't worry about the rules. The most important thing is to eat your fill and be well."

After saying that, he sat back down.

"Master Liu..."

At this moment, the restaurant manager came over, carrying several plates of dishes. He said, "Honorable guest, business is not very good at our small restaurant, and we don't have anything to offer to thank you for your support. We can only offer you a few of our restaurant's most distinctive dishes. We hope you won't find them too offensive."

Liu Shuyi was surprised to receive complimentary dishes. He smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, you're too kind. I'm not exactly a distinguished guest. We just need to eat, and it just so happens that you can cook here. There's nothing to thank me for."

The restaurant owner shook his head: "I'm sure you can see how bad business is at our restaurant. It's an honor for us that you're dining here. We haven't had this many customers or this lively atmosphere in a long time."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi asked with some curiosity, "There aren't many restaurants in Qinrenfang, but there are quite a few people. Although most of them are from wealthy and powerful families, there will always be some who want to try something different and dine out. Your restaurant's decor isn't bad; it looks very upscale. So why is business so bad?"

"Hey."

The innkeeper sighed and said, "Master Liu, you may not know this, but our restaurant used to be quite popular and we were often full. Former Ministry of Personnel official Ma was a regular customer of our restaurant. He would come to our restaurant to eat at least half a month a month."

"Because Doctor Ma likes to eat and knows how to eat well, and because of his noble status, many people come to our restaurant to try our food because of Doctor Ma. Once they come, they like the taste of our restaurant and become regular customers."

Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected to hear Ma Qingfeng's name while casually chatting with the shopkeeper.

However, Gu Wen had told him that Ma Qingfeng was a glutton, and this restaurant was the closest to the Ma residence, so it wasn't surprising that Ma Qingfeng often came here to change his palate.

The innkeeper continued, "The popularity of our restaurant can be largely attributed to Ma Langzhong."

"But Xiao He was both the one who made us successful and the one who brought us down."

"Who could have imagined that the entire Ma family would be wiped out overnight?" "Afterwards, rumors spread that the murderer had targeted Ma in our restaurant, that our restaurant was an ominous place..."

"And just a few months after Physician Ma died, His Majesty ascended the throne. The families of officials who used to like coming to our restaurant no longer dared to come."

"And that's how our restaurant became what it is today. If it weren't for the fact that this restaurant was passed down from my father, and I really couldn't bear to give it up, I would have closed it down long ago."

Liu Shuyi finally understood why the restaurant was doing so poorly.

Ma Qingfeng, a glutton of noble status, brought many customers to the restaurant, but this also made other restaurants resentful. So when Ma Qingfeng died, no one supported the restaurant, and other restaurants took the opportunity to spread rumors to steal customers.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, officials believed that it was Li Shimin who led the downfall of Ma Qingfeng's family, so they naturally dared not associate with Ma Qingfeng anymore. Therefore, this restaurant became a place for officials to avoid suspicion.

No matter how delicious the food was, it couldn't compare to their own future prospects for those officials.

This is what is meant by "when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer."

This restaurant did nothing wrong, yet it became one of the victims.

Looking at the innkeeper's worried expression and his immense gratitude for his presence at the restaurant despite his official robes, Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "If I told you that the massacre of the Ma family would soon no longer affect your restaurant, and that other officials would no longer mind dining here, could you restore the restaurant to its former glory?"

The innkeeper was taken aback at first, then suddenly looked up, his face flushed with excitement, his eyes fixed on Liu Shuyi: "This... really? They really dare to come to our restaurant again?"

Zhao Feng said, "Master Liu never jokes."

The shopkeeper was overjoyed.

He bowed repeatedly to Liu Shuyi, saying excitedly, "If it's true, I'll risk my life to revive the restaurant and prevent my father's business from being ruined in my hands!"

"If the restaurant can truly be restored to its former glory, then Master Liu will be my benefactor. From now on, the restaurant will always reserve a private room for Master Liu, and we will never charge him a single penny whenever he comes to dine."

Liu Shuyi waved his hand: "If it's just verbal thanks, I'll accept it. After all, I have indeed been working hard on this matter, and you can be considered a beneficiary."

"But let's forget about the rest. You all earn your money through hard work, and I'm not going to embezzle your money for a few meals."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper felt even more strongly that Liu Shuyi was the legendary upright official.

He hurriedly expressed his gratitude to Liu Shuyi again, and at the same time vowed in his heart that if the restaurant really had a chance to be revived as Liu Shuyi said, he would remember Liu Shuyi's kindness and would never accept a single penny from him.

"okay."

Liu Shuyi said, "We need to hurry up and eat. You go ahead and get busy. We'll wait for good news."

The shopkeeper dared not disturb Liu Shuyi's meal any longer. After thanking him a few more times, he reluctantly left.

Liu Shuyi shook his head. Seeing that Zhao Feng and the others hadn't started eating yet, he said, "You all eat. I told you not to worry about the rules..."

But Zhao Feng and the others just chuckled. Liu Shuyi had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks and start eating first, and then Zhao Feng and the others followed suit.

"Don't say it..."

Liu Shuyi chewed on the mutton and said, "It tastes really good. No wonder Doctor Ma likes to come here. It's really delicious."

Cheng Chumo also took a big bite of lamb leg and said, "Indeed, it's better than what the chef in my mansion makes. I must come here more often in the future."

Liu Shuyi nodded in agreement. He had already made his decision to bring Du Ying here after the case was over. He believed that with Du Ying's love of food, she would be very happy to eat such delicious food.

In less than 15 minutes, everyone was burping from their full stomachs.

Seeing that everyone had put down their chopsticks and were patting their round bellies, Liu Shuyi raised his hand and said, "Waiter, the bill."

The waiter quickly came over and said, "The manager said that our esteemed guest has been kind to us, so we'll waive the fee—"

"Exempt from what?"

Liu Shuyi interrupted the waiter directly: "Your restaurant is already struggling financially. If you give us dozens of people free meals, aren't you afraid of going out of business? Take as many as you can. I don't like being accused of freeloading."

Seeing Liu Shuyi say this, the waiter looked back at the innkeeper with difficulty before telling him the amount of money needed for the meal.

Liu Shuyi nodded in satisfaction, paid for the meal, and was about to leave.

Zhao Feng suddenly walked over and said, "Master, the vegetable farmer has arrived."

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he quickly walked out of the restaurant.

A middle-aged man, dressed simply, with a tanned complexion and an honest-looking face, stood nervously and fearfully outside the door.

"This humble subject pays his respects to the Assistant Minister."

When the vegetable farmer saw Liu Shuyi come out, he quickly bowed.

Liu Shuyi quickly stepped forward, helped the vegetable farmer up, and said, "Don't be nervous. I've asked you to come here because I have a few questions to ask you. Just answer them truthfully."

The vegetable farmer nodded repeatedly.

Seeing that the vegetable farmer was too nervous, Liu Shuyi stopped the pleasantries and went straight to the point, asking, "How often do you deliver vegetables to the Ma family?"

The vegetable farmer said, "About once every three days."

Is the amount the same each time?

"more or less."

"Besides the frequency of once every three days, are there any times when you are asked to deliver groceries on short notice?"

"Yes," the vegetable farmer said. "About ten or so times, I've had to deliver an extra batch of vegetables."

Liu Shuyi looked at him: "Do you know the reason?"

The vegetable farmer said, "On special holidays, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Spring Festival, or the birthday of Ma Langzhong's mother, we need to deliver more vegetables in addition to the frequency of once every three days."

"In other words, when they need to prepare more banquets than usual, the amount of food needs to be increased?"

"Yes."

"The day before the incident at the Ma residence..." Liu Shuyi stared intently at the vegetable farmer and asked, "Did you deliver an extra batch of vegetables?"

The vegetable farmer shook his head: "No."

"No!?"

Liu Shuyi frowned; this was different from his guess.

"However..." the vegetable farmer continued, "I was supposed to deliver the next batch of vegetables two days later, but the manager asked me to deliver it a day earlier."

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he said, "So, the food that originally took them three days to finish was used up in just two days?"

"Yes."

really……

Although it wasn't about asking the farmers to deliver an extra batch of vegetables, the result was the same.

The amount of food consumed at the Ma residence was greater than usual, which matched his speculation... On the night of the incident, Ma Qingfeng was hosting a banquet for distinguished guests!

This point can be confirmed by evidence.

Da da da……

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came.

Liu Shuyi subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and saw Du Gou riding a fine horse toward him.

Why did Du Gou come?

Liu Shuyi's mind stirred slightly, as if he had thought of something. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Minister Du."

Du Gou dismounted and, without any preamble, went straight to the point: "Father does know of a few people who were once invited to a banquet at Ma Qingfeng's residence."

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed; Du Gou had indeed come to tell him the result.

He was so familiar with Du Gou that there was no need for pleasantries; he went straight to the point: "Who's there?"

Du Gou said, "Several of them were former officials of the Eastern Palace. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, they all died."

"Now there are only two left..."

"Before coming to see you, I went to meet with them and asked them a question on your behalf..."

For me?

Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What question did you ask?"

Du Gou said, "After hearing the whole story, I think you specifically sought them out because you wanted to know whether Ma Qingfeng had prepared the two special dishes, Shengpingzhi and Jinjiyukuai, when he hosted them."

Liu Shuyi's eyes lit up, realizing that Du Gou truly deserved to be his brother.

This is such a perfect understanding!

He said, "Brother Du understands me best! I wonder how they answered?"

Seeing that he had guessed Liu Shuyi's intentions correctly, Du Gou breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that Liu Shuyi's time was precious, so he made a special trip for Liu Shuyi, just so that Liu Shuyi wouldn't waste any more time on this matter.

Without any hesitation, he said, "They all said that when Ma Qingfeng hosted them, these two dishes were not served."

"No!?"

Liu Shuyi suddenly started pacing.

Ma Qingfeng's colleagues said that Ma Qingfeng really wanted to try the golden minced fish sashimi...

When he entertained other people, these two special dishes were not served.

However, after the incident, leftovers of these two dishes were found in the kitchen...

and so……

Liu Shuyi suddenly stopped in his tracks, his mind already processing everything.

The chefs at the Ma family's residence simply don't know how to make Shengpingzhi and Jinjiyu Kuai!

These special dishes are often the chef's secret recipes and are generally not passed on to outsiders.

In other words, the chefs at the Ma family's residence had no opportunity to learn how to cook these two dishes.

However, these two dishes were served at the banquet that evening.

"The Ma family hired other chefs that night!"

"There are outsiders in the Ma family's kitchen!"

"But there were no outsiders among the corpses..."

"This outsider is, without a doubt, the murderer or one of the murderers..."

"Furthermore, the one who administered the drug must be the person in the kitchen who makes Shengpingzhi and Jinjiyu Kuai!"

"Who is he? Where did Ma Qingfeng find him?"

Liu Shuyi's mind raced. These two dishes were very special, reserved for the nobility, and not something an ordinary chef could make.

In other words, the area where this chef can be found is within reach...

Liu Shuyi suddenly looked at Du Gou and said, "Du, do you know whose cook can make Shengpingzhi and Jinjiyukuai?"

"This..." Du Gou hesitated, "My cooks at the Du residence do know how to cook it, but as for which other households have cooks who can, I haven't been to any other households, so I can't be sure..."

Liu Shuyi frowned.

Indeed, cooks usually only work in the back kitchen of the mansion and rarely go out, let alone casually announce what dishes they can cook.

Without dining at the other party's residence, it's impossible to know the specifics.

Should we use the authority granted to us by Li Shimin to ask all the officials if their cooks can make these two dishes?
This sounds a bit far-fetched...

But there's no other way at the moment.

"that……"

Just as Liu Shuyi was frowning in thought, the manager's voice suddenly came from the restaurant behind him: "If it is 'golden minced fish,' I know someone who can make it, and Doctor Ma has praised it highly."

(End of this chapter)