The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 126 Gu Wen was stunned! You actually managed to get a crucial clue out of me!?

Two quarters of an hour later.

Liu Shuyi and his entourage rode their horses to Dayefang.

Daye Ward is located in the southern part of Chang'an City. The residences of Wei Ji and Hu Hebing were both in this ward.

Gu Wen, the county magistrate of Wannian, pointed to the intersection ahead and said, "The second house on the left at the intersection ahead is the residence of Hu Jieshi. After Hu Jieshi died unexpectedly, his wife sold the house and took her young son back to her hometown in Jiangnan. Now that house has a new owner."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and asked, "Are we still going to go there to investigate?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head. The house had long since changed owners, and any clues that were left inside had long been destroyed. For ordinary people, time may just be a measure of years, but for criminal investigators like Liu Shuyi, it is the cruelest blade in the world.

Given enough time, it can destroy all evidence and clues.

That's why Liu Shuyi was so pleasantly surprised when he learned that no one had entered the Ma residence and that it remained exactly as it was when the incident occurred.

Fortunately, he never intended to target Hu Hebing, so the changes to Hu Hebing's residence didn't have much impact on him.

As for Wei Ji... his plan was to inquire about Wei Ji's neighbors, so as long as Wei Ji's memories of his neighbors did not fade so quickly, the blade of time would not have much of an impact on him.

He said slowly, "Go directly to Wei Ji's residence."

Seeing Liu Shuyi so calm, without even frowning, Gu Wen couldn't help but inwardly scoff.

"Keep pretending! There are no clues about Hu Hebing's house, and Wei Ji's place will only be worse. Let's see if you can still be so calm after you've come up empty-handed."

Gu Wen inwardly grumbled, but outwardly he was very enthusiastic. In any case, whether Liu Shuyi could prove Li Shimin guilty or not, it would not implicate him in the end. He was already in an invincible position and had nothing to worry about.

"Alright! Wei Ji's residence is to the right. Assistant Minister, please follow me..."

As he spoke, he urged the horses on and led the way.

Liu Shuyi watched Gu Wen's retreating figure, his eyes flashing.

There are very few people in this world who can hide their thoughts from him, and Gu Wen is not one of them.

Therefore, Liu Shuyi was very clear about what Gu Wen was thinking.

However, he didn't care. As long as Gu Wen didn't deliberately delay or try to cover up or cheat on the case, he could tolerate Gu Wen's little schemes. In any case, when the case was over, Gu Wen would understand what he had missed.

The group of people, each with their own thoughts, walked through the alley, turned three corners, and finally stopped.

“Liu Yuanwailang, this is Wei Ji’s residence.”

Hearing Gu Wen's words, Liu Shuyi turned his head to look.

They stopped in front of a house that looked very old.

The house was not large, and part of the courtyard wall had collapsed and had been simply repaired with a fence.

The vermilion paint on the courtyard gate has peeled off, revealing the underlying wood.

You can tell how dilapidated Wei Ji's residence was.

But the courtyard gate was tightly closed, and there was no lock on the outside. Moreover, the sound of children making noise could be heard very clearly from behind the gate... Liu Shuyi's mind stirred slightly, and he said, "Is Wei Ji's house occupied?"

If he remembered correctly, when Gu Wen introduced Wei Ji at the Wannian County government office, he said that Wei Ji had no father, no mother, no wife, no children, and was all alone. Under such circumstances, who could inherit his house after his death?
Gu Wen already knew this was going to happen, but he deliberately didn't tell Liu Shuyi beforehand, just to see how annoyed Liu Shuyi would be when he saw this scene.

However, to his surprise, Liu Shuyi, though somewhat taken aback, did not appear angry or flustered. Instead, he calmly inquired about the matter.

He frowned subconsciously, but dared not delay, fearing that Liu Shuyi would find fault and suppress him, and said, "Because Wei Ji had no relatives, the house was left uninhabited and without an heir after his death."

"But later, his neighbors said that Wei Ji's parents had died long ago, and that they were the ones who gave Wei Ji food and raised him. Therefore, they were considered to be Wei Ji's adoptive parents, and that his mansion should rightfully belong to them after his death."

"But Wei Ji only had one residence, and his neighbors all claimed that they had made the greatest contribution, so no one was willing to give way."

"at last……"

Looking at the dilapidated house before him, he said, "They locked the gate of Wei Ji's house, and then built a high wall in the center of the yard, dividing it in half between the two families."

"Therefore, to enter Wei Ji's house, one had to enter through the doors of the neighboring houses on the left and right."

Lu Yangyuan was stunned.

If everyone claims to be Wei Ji's greatest benefactor, then at least one of them must be lying.

Furthermore, they claimed to be half of Wei Ji's adoptive parents. If they really thought so, why didn't they bring Wei Ji's body back and bury it after he died in Bingzhou prison?
Even if they didn't know where Wei Ji had gone at first, after the Wannian County government closed the case, they should have known that Wei Ji had died in Bingzhou.

They kept claiming to be Wei Ji's adoptive parents, but when their child died in another city, they ignored him completely and instead seized his house. What kind of adoptive parents are they?

Wei Ji was certainly not a good person, but his neighbor... Lu Yangyuan felt he wasn't much better.

If they had followed the rules and hadn't disturbed Wei Ji's house, it would still be the same as it was two years ago, and perhaps there would still be some important clues inside.

However, they all built high walls and directly divided Wei Ji's house in half...

This house is probably more damaged than Hu Hebing's house, which was sold!

Thinking of this, Lu Yangyuan couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi with worry. He knew Liu Shuyi's purpose in coming here, and he was even more aware that this was the closest they could get to Yaoguang at present.

If Liu Yuanwailang had gained nothing because of these two greedy neighbors, he would have been tempted to curse. Liu Yuanwailang would probably be even more annoyed than him.

To Lu Yangyuan's surprise, Liu Shuyi's expression did not change at all, even though he already knew about this matter, as if everything was still under his control.

Seeing Lu Yangyuan looking at him, Liu Shuyi calmly said, "Deputy Lieutenant Lu, go knock on the neighbor's door."

Liu Shuyi was like a pillar of strength, remaining calm and composed, which immediately gave Lu Yangyuan renewed confidence.

"Yes!"

Without any hesitation, he quickly dismounted, went to the front of his neighbor's house on the right, and then clenched his fist and started banging on it.

Because he was dissatisfied with these two neighboring households, Lu Yangyuan's actions were somewhat excessive.

As his fist, as big as a clay pot, slammed down, the gate shook violently, dust fell in a flurry, and even the door frame wobbled. It gave everyone the feeling that Lu Yangyuan would smash the gate to pieces at any moment.

"Who is it? Stop knocking! You've damaged my front door, can you afford to pay for it?"

A somewhat sarcastic voice came from behind the door.

Not long after, the tightly closed courtyard gate was opened.

A middle-aged woman who looked rather plump, with wrinkles around her eyes, thin lips, and a rather mean-looking face, appeared before the crowd.

She had been opening the door while harshly demanding compensation from the person knocking, but when she fully opened the door and saw Liu Shuyi and the others riding on horseback outside, her harsh words abruptly stopped.

Her expression changed slightly, and her previous cursing instantly turned into fear and silence. She quickly lowered her head and said, "I didn't know it was an official. I spoke without thinking and offended you. I hope you will forgive me."

Seeing the woman's arrogant demeanor followed by her obsequious attitude, Lu Yangyuan curled his lip in disdain.

Unlike usual, Liu Shuyi did not gently ask the woman to rise. Instead, he sat atop his horse, looking down at the tense woman, and said indifferently, "You know Wei Ji very well?"

The woman was surprised that the official was questioning Wei Ji, and she became even more nervous, fearing that Liu Shuyi would seize Wei Ji's house. She nervously replied, "Yes..."

Then she quickly added, "Wei Ji's parents died early. I am a kind-hearted woman and I raised him as my own child. As long as we have food, Wei Ji will have food. If it weren't for my family, Wei Ji would have starved to death long ago."

“Wei Ji truly regards us as his second parents, but we haven’t made it public. That’s why this house…”

Liu Shuyi glanced at the woman. He could see through even Gu Wen's deeply hidden thoughts, so how could he hide the woman's thoughts from his face?

However, he did not explain the purpose of his visit, but instead said indifferently, "Without making it public, I cannot verify the truth of what you say."

"Therefore, I have the right to take over unclaimed houses into the hands of the imperial court."

The woman's pupils contracted, and her expression changed drastically.

The official in front of her was indeed here to take the house from her!

But she was just an ordinary person. It was fine for her to bully others, but how could she possibly compete with this official who looked so imposing?
The woman's face was deathly pale, and her heart was bleeding.

"but……"

Unexpectedly, Liu Shuyi's voice continued: "I have a few questions to ask you. If your answers satisfy me, I might forget that Wei Ji's house has no heir in my joy."

The woman was taken aback at first, then her eyes suddenly lit up.

It felt as if the previously desolate world had suddenly been illuminated.

She subconsciously looked up at Liu Shuyi. She had initially thought that this official was being too arrogant, but now she felt that Liu Shuyi was radiant.

She quickly replied, "Please speak, sir. I will tell you everything I know."

Seeing that he had grasped the woman's weakness and guessed that she would not dare to hide or deceive him, Liu Shuyi did not delay any longer and asked, "How is Wei Ji's cooking?"

"Cooking skills?"

The woman paused for a moment, then said without hesitation, "What does he know about cooking!"

As soon as she spoke, the woman realized that her words were too rude and might displease the official.

She nervously glanced at Liu Shuyi, and seeing that he showed no displeasure, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "To be honest, sir, I have never seen Wei Ji cook."

“Since his parents died, there has never been any smoke coming from his family’s kitchen.”

“I also told him that not everyone in this world is as kind as I am and will often give him food. If he doesn’t cook for himself, he will starve to death sooner or later.”

"But he said that a gentleman does not cook, that cooking is something only lowly people do, and that he would not do it."

"Sir, look at what nonsense he's spouting! He's starving to death, and he's talking about being lowly or not. It's utterly absurd!"

As the woman spoke, her brows furrowed and her tone unconsciously rose, revealing her genuine dissatisfaction with Wei Ji.

Aside from the discrepancy in her statement that she was kind-hearted and would often feed Wei Ji, Liu Shuyi didn't find anything wrong with her other words.

"Wei Ji doesn't know anything about cooking..."

"Later, he was able to make unique dishes like 'Golden Minced Fish and Jade Slices,' which means either he had an amazing talent for cooking or he spent a lot of time practicing..."

"The woman also said that no smoke had ever been seen coming from Wei Ji's house, so the place where he practiced was not his residence, but his place of learning his skills?"

The woman had no idea how much information Liu Shuyi had gleaned from her few words.

She secretly raised her head, wondering if the official was satisfied with her answer.

Then she met a pair of eyes she had never seen before, eyes as deep as stars. The woman was stunned for a moment, then realized something and quickly lowered her head.

Before she could think further, Liu Shuyi's voice rang out again: "Did Wei Ji ever tell you that he had a miraculous encounter that would change his life?"

The woman shook her head: "No, Wei Ji does nothing but steal chickens and dogs all day long. I don't even want to talk to him. When he meets me, he has to lower his head and walk with his head on the ground. He doesn't dare to brag like this in front of me."

Did Yao Guang not say that... that he asked her to keep it a secret?
Liu Shuyi rubbed the reins with his fingertips and continued, "Before Wei Ji's accident, was there a period of time when he behaved strangely, differently from his usual self?"

"Strange behavior? What do you mean?"

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "For example, he used to get up late every day, but for a while, he went out early and came home late every day. Also, he used to steal chickens and dogs every day to find food, but for a while, he stopped stealing chickens and dogs, and he didn't seem hungry." "That's strange..."

The woman thought about it carefully for a while before saying, "It seems there really was such a period of time."

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he said, "Tell me."

The woman hurriedly replied, "I remember, it should have been the New Year of the ninth year of the Wude era."

“According to Wei Ji’s old habit, he would come to our neighbors’ homes during the New Year to ask for some food.”

“We are not rich. We usually can’t afford to eat meat. We only buy some meat during the New Year and cook things we don’t usually eat.”

"Wei Ji was all alone and couldn't cook, so he would come to our door every New Year, shamelessly begging us for food. If we didn't give him any, he would throw a tantrum."

"Therefore, every New Year, we can't help but give him a small portion; it's almost become a habit of ours."

"As a result, on New Year's Day of the ninth year of Wude, he did not come to ask for food. The woman felt very strange and wondered if he had changed his nature or if he had obtained enough food from others."

"So during those few days, I paid extra attention to him..."

Indeed, gossip is the driving force behind many behaviors!

Liu Shuyi asked, "And then?"

The woman said, "Then I discovered that Wei Ji seemed to have really changed his nature."

“He used to never get up before noon.”

"But during that period, as soon as the curfew ended, he would get up, even earlier than us. If I hadn't happened to go to the outhouse a few times and seen him leaving, I would never have known that he would get up so early."

"And he came back very late, almost always just before curfew began."

"As soon as he came back, he went to sleep, as if he had forgotten his habit of asking us for food in previous years."

He leaves early and returns late, a completely different behavior from before!

Are you going to learn cooking skills?
The New Year of the ninth year of the Wude era, which was in January...

Wei Ji met Ma Qingfeng in February at a restaurant through his culinary skills, and in March he massacred Ma's entire family.

If we follow this timeline, learning culinary skills in January does indeed align with Yao Guang's plan.

Moreover, Wei Ji doesn't need to learn everything or be particularly skilled; he only needs to learn how to make a few dishes to attract Ma Qingfeng.

If you practice like this every day for more than a month, you should have a chance to learn how to make those dishes.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He went to Wei Ji's residence and personally inquired about the neighbors' actions. It was indeed worth it.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to know this information by simply looking at the case files.

He gathered his thoughts and continued to ask, "Do you know where Wei Ji went during that time?"

The woman shook her head: "I haven't even had a chance to speak with him, how would I know? But..."

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I was really curious and wanted to know how Wei Ji, who is usually lazy and slacking off, suddenly became a different person. So one morning, I secretly followed him for a while."

"Oh?"

Liu Shuyi asked quickly, "Where did he go?"

The woman said, "I followed him all the way out of the North Gate, and then I found a carriage parked outside the North Gate. After Wei Ji came out of the gate, he got into the carriage very skillfully, and then the carriage went west."

"I couldn't possibly outrun the carriage, so I didn't chase after it. Therefore, I don't know exactly where it went."

West of Beifangmen... that area is too large.

But the carriage...

Liu Shuyi said, "That carriage was not an ordinary carriage, but a very luxurious one, the kind that only wealthy families would own?"

The woman recalled for a moment and said, "It wasn't an ordinary carriage. The carriage looked very spacious, and the curtains were made of very fine fabric. It must have been the best silk from the Zheng family of Yangzhou. I've always wanted to buy a piece of Zheng's silk, but it's too expensive for me. Sir, tell me, what good fortune did Wei Ji have to have the opportunity to ride in a carriage with silk curtains..."

The woman seemed to have some kind of obsession with the Zheng family's silk fabric. She kept telling Liu Shuyi how good the fabric was, and then kept talking about Wei Ji's good fortune. Her words were full of envy and jealousy, which gave Liu Shuyi a real headache.

"stop!"

He stopped the woman's rambling directly.

The woman was terrified of Liu Shuyi. Upon hearing this, even though she had countless feelings she wanted to express, she quickly shut her mouth and dared not utter another word, for fear that Liu Shuyi might seize Wei Ji's house if he was dissatisfied.

With the noise finally gone, Liu Shuyi was able to seriously consider what the woman had just said.

In the Tang Dynasty, ordinary people usually traveled by donkey cart or oxcart.

Horse-drawn carriages were the exclusive vehicles of the wealthy, officials, and nobles.

There are two types of carriages. One type is the ordinary carriage that can be rented by carriage companies. These carriages are usually standard and not very comfortable to ride in, but they are faster than donkey carts and oxcarts and can also show some status.

Another type is the carriages of wealthy families, nobles, officials, and merchants in their own residences. These carriages are not all the same; different families will make their carriages have some characteristics according to their own habits and preferences.

Therefore, if one knows the characteristics of the carriage, there is a chance to find the person behind it.

Liu Shuyi asked, "Besides that piece of cloth, do you have any other impressions of that carriage?"

"Other impressions..."

The woman pondered for a while and then said, "I only remember that the horse pulling the cart was a black horse. It looked very beautiful and tall..."

"And then the carriage...that's right!"

The woman suddenly raised her head and said, "I still remember that there was a pattern embroidered on the carriage curtain, which looked like... a golden auspicious cloud."

Golden auspicious clouds?

Liu Shuyi looked at Lu Yangyuan and Gu Wen and said, "Do you know whose carriage has a pattern of golden auspicious clouds?"

Gu Wen shook his head directly: "This humble official has never seen anyone's carriage with auspicious cloud patterns."

Lu Yangyuan thought about it carefully for a while, and then shook his head.

Liu Shuyi frowned.

Gu Wen and Lu Yangyuan didn't know that they might have genuinely never seen this carriage before, or perhaps the curtain embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns had already been replaced.

For wealthy families, a horse-drawn carriage was also a symbol of their status.

The carriage travels every day, and the curtains get dirty very easily.

Therefore, they would likely replace the carriage curtains with new ones after a period of time, or even throw them away and replace them with new ones.

Therefore, the carriage curtains from two years ago have probably already been replaced.

However, this does not diminish the carriage's status as a crucial clue... as long as the carriage curtain existed, someone will surely remember it.

If there is any doubt about the target, this carriage might be the key to everything!

He slowly exhaled, looked at the woman again, and said, "If you see this carriage again, will you recognize it?"

The woman replied without hesitation, "Of course! I will never forget the carriage that used Zheng's silk cloth as a curtain."

Although he was still fixated on the Zheng family's silk fabric, he at least had a deep impression of the carriage. From this perspective, the silk fabric actually made a contribution.

Liu Shuyi shook his head, thought for a moment, and then asked, "After Wei Ji's accident, did any strangers come to Wei Ji's house? Or wander around the neighborhood?"

The woman did not understand Liu Shuyi's meaning. Who would care about a thief who was ignorant and incompetent, whose family was dirt poor, after his death?

However, she still replied respectfully, "No, at least I didn't find anything."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly: "Alright, that's all for now. You may go back and rest."

The woman's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Then Wei Ji's house?"

Liu Shuyi gave her a deep look and said indifferently, "I have no interest in her."

After saying that, he led his men directly to the door of another neighbor's house.

Lu Yangyuan knocked on the door again, and Liu Shuyi, using Wei Ji's residence as a deterrent, asked the same question to this neighbor.

However, this neighbor was less gossipy than the previous woman, and the information she provided was noticeably less than what the previous woman had given.

Fortunately, the question he could answer matched the woman's answer, which allowed Liu Shuyi to indirectly confirm the woman's answer.

After asking both households, Lu Yangyuan couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Wenwen subconsciously perked up her ears and secretly listened.

He originally thought that Liu Shuyi's visit was a waste of time, since his investigation into Wei Ji was already detailed enough and all the information was written in the dossier. It was impossible for Liu Shuyi to ask him for information he didn't know.

But who knows...

He had no idea what the woman had just said.

This made him doubt himself, wondering if he had actually worked hard two years ago.

Liu Shuyi did not immediately answer Lu Yangyuan's question. Instead, he looked at Gu Wen, who was eavesdropping, and calmly said, "County Commandant Gu, after Wei Ji died, no one inherited his mansion. According to the law, this mansion should be disposed of by the imperial court... As the county commandant of Wannian County, you see someone in your jurisdiction violating the law and forcibly occupying the imperial court's mansion, yet you do nothing. Isn't that somewhat inappropriate?"

Gu Wen was stunned for a moment, and then cold sweat immediately poured down his forehead.

He never expected that Liu Shuyi would immediately turn against him after taking his statement.

Especially after recalling that he knew about Wei Ji's residence but deliberately concealed it from Liu Shuyi, he felt even more guilty and didn't dare to say anything in rebuttal.

Moreover, didn't Liu Shuyi just promise the woman that he wouldn't seize Wei Ji's house?
How could you turn your back on me so quickly?

Gu Wen wiped away his cold sweat, unsure how to answer.

Liu Shuyi seemed to see through Gu Wen's thoughts and said calmly, "I only said that I am not interested in Wei Ji's residence, but I did not say that the court is not interested."

"This is the imperial court taking away Wei Ji's residence according to the law. What does it have to do with me?"

Gu Wen immediately understood Liu Shuyi's meaning and nodded hastily: "Yes! Yuanwailang is right. According to the law, this house should belong to the imperial court."

"I've been too busy lately to notice what's going on here. Now that I know, I will definitely take action."

Seeing Gu Wen nodding vigorously, Liu Shuyi finally nodded in agreement.

Then he looked at Lu Yangyuan and said, "Let's go, let's go up and talk about what we've gained this time..."

With that, he and Lu Yangyuan rode away, leaving Gu Wen, who had wanted to eavesdrop but could only watch the two getting further and further away, standing there dumbfounded.

(End of this chapter)