The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 130 Listening to Miaoyinfang Again, the Brothel Liu Shuyi Was Familiar With
at the same time.

The main hall of the Ministry of Justice.

Gu Wenzheng, the county magistrate of Wannian County, was dozing off at the door. After returning to Chang'an City with Liu Shuyi, he saw that it was getting late and wanted to say goodbye to Liu Shuyi as soon as possible.

He never expected that Liu Shuyi could actually find so many clues in just a few hours, even though the three judicial departments and the Wannian County government had been unable to find any clues two years ago.

They even found Qin Xiguang, the imperial chef who had been hiding so deeply.

But the more this happened, the more panicked he became.

After all, he knew very well that this case was inextricably linked to His Majesty. The more clues Liu Shuyi found, the closer he would get to His Majesty. If he were to actually find out His Majesty's name, Liu Shuyi would surely face His Majesty's wrath.

Even though he had already asked Magistrate Li to inform His Majesty in advance that he was being forced to cooperate with the investigation, what if His Majesty worried that he would leak the information and thus silence all those who knew about it?
Therefore, he really doesn't want to have anything to do with Liu Shuyi at all now, and just wants to get as far away as possible.

But to his surprise, Liu Shuyi refused to let him leave. Even after he pleaded with Liu Shuyi that he had told him everything he knew about the case and that following Liu Shuyi would not be of any help, Liu Shuyi still refused.

Furthermore, Liu Shuyi stated that if he were to leave rashly, he would have reason to suspect that he intended to tip off the murderer.

Now that he's said that, how can he leave?

He could only curse Liu Shuyi in his heart before gritting his teeth and following him to the Ministry of Justice.

As a result, when he arrived at the Ministry of Justice, Liu Shuyi seemed to have forgotten about him and ignored him completely, leaving him without even a room to rest. He could only find a place to sit and think about how to find a reason to get away from Liu Shuyi, while also thinking about how to take advantage of Liu Shuyi's misfortune when the Emperor was holding him accountable, in order to avenge Liu Shuyi's coercion.

And so, as he pondered these thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

"County Commandant Gu, what are you still doing here?"

I don't know how long I slept, but suddenly I heard a familiar voice.

Magistrate Li?
Why would I dream about Magistrate Li? Sure enough, that bastard Liu Shuyi is going too far, making me dream about complaining to Magistrate Li.

"County Commandant Gu?"

Gu Wen was about to denounce Liu Shuyi's crimes to Li Xinchun when he suddenly felt someone push his shoulder. He was startled and then suddenly opened his eyes.

then……

He then noticed that the large face of Li Xinchun, the magistrate of Wannian County, was less than a palm's width away from him.

Li Xinchun's hand was also shaking his shoulder.

"This is not a dream!"

He finally realized what was happening and quickly stood up to bow, "Magistrate Li, what are you doing here?"

Seeing that Gu Wen had regained consciousness, Li Xinchun glanced at the empty hall of the Ministry of Justice and said, "Liu Yuanwailang sent someone to invite me to the Ministry of Justice, but I don't know why."

"what?"

Gu Wen was stunned for a moment, then quickly remembered that after returning to Chang'an, Liu Shuyi had instructed Lu Yangyuan to invite Qin Xiguang and his four benefactors.

His eyes widened, and he blurted out instinctively, "Is Magistrate Li one of those four?"

"One of the four?"

Li Xinchun looked puzzled and said, "However, I did encounter other people on my way here. Come to think of it, there were indeed four of them."

Upon hearing this, Gu Wen immediately looked behind Li Xinchun.

Sure enough, behind Li Xinchun stood three people with different temperaments, but all exuding an air of nobility.

Looking at the three men, Li Xinchun couldn't help but swallow.

"Imperial Academy Doctor, Grand Counselor, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud..."

Has Liu Shuyi gone mad?

"Just because Qin Mingfeng casually wrote down four names, they dared to call them all over as suspects!"

Seeing that Gu Wen's expression was off, Li Xinchun's eyes flickered, and he said in a deep voice, "County Commandant Gu, do you know why Assistant Minister Liu summoned us here?"

Upon hearing Li Xinchun's words, the learned Kong Xiang, the serious and rigid Pan Keming, and Han Xi, who always had a smile on his face, all immediately looked at Gu Wen.

They were also curious as to why Liu Shuyi, a mere junior official in the Ministry of Justice, had summoned them to the Ministry of Justice late at night.

"This...this..."

Gu Wen hesitated.

Li Xinchun said, "Just say what you know. Since Master Liu has called us here, he certainly won't hide anything from us. Whether you tell him now or he tells you later, it makes no difference."

The other three remained silent, clearly agreeing with Li Xinchun's statement.

Since his superior had spoken, Gu Wen naturally wouldn't hide anything for Liu Shuyi. He said directly, "This is what happened. Today, Liu, the Assistant Minister, suddenly and inexplicably wanted to investigate the case of the murder of the Ma family, and then during the investigation..."

He spoke at an extremely fast pace, recounting how Liu Shuyi analyzed that on the night of Ma Qingfeng's family massacre, the Ma family was hosting a banquet for distinguished guests, and that there were outsiders in the kitchen. He also explained how Liu learned from the restaurant that the outsider in the Ma family's kitchen was Wei Ji, and how he learned culinary skills from Wei Ji, and how he found the imperial chef Qin Xiguang.

When they finally found Qin Xiguang, he had already been killed. How did Liu Shuyi analyze the situation and conclude that the murderer of Qin Xiguang was actually Qin Xiguang's benefactor?

"...That's how it is. So, the reason why Assistant Minister Liu invited you all here is because you have all helped Imperial Chef Qin, right?"

Gu Wen's voice fell, but the four people present remained silent for a long time.

Whether it was the secret hidden in the Ma Qingfeng family massacre case, Liu Shuyi's miraculous speed of investigation, or their own inexplicable becoming of suspects... none of these events were things they could have predicted in advance, and they all had a great impact on them.

They thought that Liu Shuyi might have invited them to the Ministry of Justice because of a case and wanted their cooperation.

But they never expected that they were here not to cooperate, but to be the ones being investigated!
That was the case of Ma Qingfeng's entire family being wiped out!

A massive case involving more than thirty lives!
If they were really implicated in this case, let alone their current rank, even someone of Du Ruhui's rank wouldn't be able to survive.

Moreover, it is well known that this case was secretly orchestrated by His Majesty the King of Qin at the time.

Therefore, they could not be sure whether Liu Shuyi was genuinely investigating the murderer or simply looking for a scapegoat for His Majesty.

Furthermore, once this matter gets out and other colleagues and ordinary people know that Liu Shuyi suspects them, even if Liu Shuyi doesn't have concrete evidence, how will other officials view him based on the reputation he has built up? How will the people view him?
Even if Liu Shuyi ultimately fails to prove anything and the matter is dropped, his reputation will inevitably suffer.

The suspected murderer of thirty-five lives... Who but His Majesty could bear such a title?

Even His Majesty, because of this title, was unable to successfully subdue the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi, and their situation will only get worse.

Upon thinking of these things, their faces darkened, and even Han Xi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud who had been smiling all along, lost his smile.

Li Xinchun's tone also turned cold: "Does Master Liu have enough evidence to prove that the murderer is among us?"

"This……"

Gu Wen thought about it carefully, then shook his head: "I don't think so."

"No?"

Li Xinchun sneered, "Without sufficient evidence, just based on a conversation with the son of a mere imperial chef, he labeled the four of us as suspected murderers and even summoned us for interrogation... Does Liu Shuyi think we're easy to bully?"

The other three remained silent, but their silence at this moment also signified their agreement.

And the expressions on their faces already proved how ashamed and angry they were at that moment.

Gu Wen felt the atmosphere instantly become oppressive and murderous, and couldn't help but shiver. He knew things would turn out this way. He really didn't know what Liu Shuyi was thinking, daring to offend so many people in one go.

Fortunately, I had informed His Majesty in advance through Magistrate Li, who already knew that I was being forced to cooperate with the investigation.

Otherwise, even Magistrate Li might have thought he had betrayed him.

Where is Liu, the Assistant Minister?

Pan Keming, the Grand Counselor, looked at the empty hall of the Ministry of Justice. He was already stern and unsmiling, but now his brows were furrowed, making him even more intimidating: "He summoned us here, but he hasn't shown himself yet. Is he looking down on us?"

Kong Xiang said, "Perhaps there was some important matter to attend to, which delayed the time."

Han Xi's smile returned, but there was no smile in his eyes: "He called us here, so it's obvious we're the most important thing. What other important matter could he possibly have?"

Li Xinchun sneered, "I have never left anyone hanging like this in Wannian County. I never expected to experience being left hanging in the Ministry of Justice. What a grand display of power, Mr. Liu."

Listening to everyone's words, Gu Wen got goosebumps. He felt that Liu Shuyi was doomed.

Not only will His Majesty not tolerate him, but these high-ranking officials will not let him off the hook either.

Fortunately, I was wise enough to distance myself from Liu Shuyi, otherwise I would have regretted it to death.

Not far away, at the corner of the corridor.

Listening to the intermittent sounds coming from the entrance of the Ministry of Justice and seeing the displeased expressions on their faces, Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Aren't you going over there?"

In fact, Liu Shuyi and his group had already arrived when Li Xinchun and the others were talking to Gu Wen.

However, Liu Shuyi did not go to see them. Instead, he stopped when he saw them asking Gu Wen questions.

Upon hearing Du Gou's words, Liu Shuyi's dark eyes finally shifted from the people opposite him. He smiled and said, "With County Magistrate Gu explaining for me, I can save myself some breath. That's good."

Save your breath?
Du Gou couldn't help but say, "We've saved ourselves the trouble of talking, but we've also created more problems."

Liu Shuyi smiled and looked at Du Ruhui behind him, saying, "With Master Du here, there will be no trouble."

Du Ruhui looked intently at Liu Shuyi, and only then did he understand why the first thing Liu Shuyi did after returning to Chang'an was to have Du Gou bring him here as soon as possible.

Liu Shuyi clearly anticipated how embarrassed and angry Li Xinchun and the others would be, to the point that they would be unwilling to cooperate.

Moreover, it's quite obvious that Liu Shuyi did this on purpose.

If Liu Shuyi had just passed by and hadn't given Gu Wen a chance to explain, given Liu Shuyi's eloquence, he could have given a much better explanation, at least one that wouldn't have made Li Xinchun and the others so embarrassed and dissatisfied.

But Liu Shuyi didn't. He deliberately stopped, intentionally creating an opportunity for Gu Wen...

Its purpose...

Du Ruhui recalled the reactions of the others just now, his eyes flashing slightly.

"Are they observing them to determine who might be Yao Guang?"

Du Ruhui took a deep breath. Since Liu Shuyi had already started taking action, he couldn't hold him back.

He met Liu Shuyi's gaze and nodded slightly: "With me here, you certainly won't have any trouble."

Liu Shuyi smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "With Lord Du's words, I feel more at ease. It's about time; we should indeed head over there."

…………

"I was busy with official duties and lost track of time. I apologize for keeping you all waiting."

Li Xinchun and the others were angrily blaming Liu Shuyi when suddenly a clear voice came from behind them.

They paused for a moment, then quickly realized who it was.

Li Xinchun frowned and turned around, about to coldly reprimand Liu Shuyi for his lack of time management and wasting their precious time, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Du Ruhui next to Liu Shuyi.

then……

The rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue was immediately swallowed back down.

The coldness on his face quickly turned into a smile. He ignored Liu Shuyi and hurriedly bowed to Du Ruhui: "Greetings, Minister Du. It turns out that Assistant Minister Liu was handling official business with Minister Du. It is normal that you were delayed for a while due to official business. Assistant Minister Liu need not feel sorry."

When Pan Keming and the others saw Du Ruhui, they all quickly bowed.

However, Pan Keming was old-fashioned and serious. Unlike Li Xinchun, he was not smooth and said, "Master Liu should respect our time in the future. We are not prisoners. We were invited by Master Liu. We arrived quite late. It is really not right that we arrived so late."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi remained calm and bowed, saying, "Doctor Pan is right. I will take this as a warning and never repeat this mistake."

Pan Keming's expression improved slightly.

With a smile on his face, Han Xi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, clapped his hands and said, "Doctor Pan is too serious. This is not a big deal. Why should we question Minister Du about it in front of Minister Du?"

Kong Xiang stroked his beard and, as if instructing students at the Imperial Academy, said, "Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Being a person is the same as doing scholarship; there can be no slackness. Doctor Pan is only doing this for the good of Assistant Minister Liu."

Listening to the four people's comments about his lateness, Liu Shuyi found it amusing.

The two remained convinced that they were wrong and wanted to correct themselves, but because of Du Ruhui, they directly extricated themselves from the predicament.

At this moment, the personalities and stances of the individuals became concrete in Liu Shuyi's mind. Liu Shuyi's thoughts raced, but his face remained apologetic. He apologized again before entering the main hall with the others.

Upon entering the lobby, Liu Shuyi invited Du Ruhui to sit in the seat of honor.

Then the others were allowed to take their seats.

Because of Du Ruhui's presence, Han Xi and others did not show their dissatisfaction with Liu Shuyi, no matter how much they were dissatisfied with him.

After everyone was seated, Liu Shuyi coughed to draw everyone's attention and said, "It's getting late, let's get down to business."

"I imagine you superiors are quite curious as to why I have invited you here..."

Before Liu Shuyi could finish speaking, Pan Keming said, "County Lieutenant Gu has already explained the ins and outs of the matter to us, so there is no need for Assistant Minister Liu to repeat it."

Even though Liu Shuyi already knew about this, he still glanced at Gu Wen, who was standing behind Li Xinchun, as if to make an excuse.

Even though he had Magistrate Li Xinchun by his side to back him up, Gu Wen still felt a sudden tightness in his chest when Liu Shuyi glanced at him with a meaningful look. He quickly smiled and said, "This humble official also wants to help the young master and save him time."

Liu Shuyi said with a half-smile, "Then I should thank County Magistrate Gu?"

"No...no need." Gu Wen quickly waved his hand.

Liu Shuyi ignored Gu Wen and looked at everyone again, saying, "Since County Magistrate Gu has already explained what happened, then I will get straight to the point..."

"Based on the clues I have received, all of you are indeed suspects."

The gazes of the crowd quickly turned cold.

Even Kong Xiang, a teacher and educator, put down his hand that was stroking his beard, and his expression became a bit stern.

The atmosphere instantly turned tense, and to Gu Wen, it felt as if the temperature in the hall had dropped several degrees as Liu Shuyi spoke.

Even though the people weren't targeting him, he still subconsciously shrank his neck and straightened his back.

If even he felt so pressured, one can imagine how much pressure Liu Shuyi, who was at the center of the attack, must be under right now.

To Gu Wen's surprise, Liu Shuyi showed no nervousness in the face of the cold stares of the crowd. Instead, he made eye contact with everyone and said calmly, "So, in order to help you clear your names and find the real culprit, and to avenge the Ma family of thirty-five and Chef Qin, I will ask you some questions. I hope you will cooperate and answer truthfully."

If Du Ruhui hadn't been there, Li Xinchun and the others would definitely have attacked Liu Shuyi.

You've jeopardized our reputations and may even make us scapegoats. How can we cooperate with you?

However, Du Ruhui sat there like a pillar of strength, clearly intending to support Liu Shuyi. Even if they were displeased, they couldn't slap Du Ruhui in the face from the start.

So they could only nod with cold faces.

Li Xinchun said, "I can cooperate with you, but I hope that Liu Yuanwailang can speak with evidence in the end. If there is no actual evidence to prove that we have done something wrong, Liu Yuanwailang should announce it to the public to avoid us suffering an injustice and having our good reputation affected."

Liu Shuyi smiled and nodded: "Of course, after all, my original intention was to help you all clear your names."

The crowd clearly did not believe Liu Shuyi's words. If it were really to clear his name, why would he have called them here in such a grand manner?

However, one shouldn't hit a smiling face, and since Liu Shuyi had said so, they naturally had no reason to make things difficult.

“Please ask, Mr. Liu,” Pan Keming said. “Hurry up, I have a lot of official business to attend to tomorrow, and I can’t afford to be delayed for too long.”

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Okay."

He looked at everyone and said, "My first question is..."

"Where are you all this evening, between 4:40 PM and 4:40 PM?"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's question, everyone looked thoughtful, while Du Gou's eyes flickered slightly.

When they arrived at the wooden house where Qin Xiguang lived, it was about 4:45 PM. At that time, Qin Xiguang had been killed no more than an hour earlier. So Liu Shuyi asked about this time period in order to confirm who did not have an alibi for killing Qin Xiguang.

He immediately stared intently at the four people, wanting to know if Liu Shuyi could narrow down the scope of Yao Guang through this question.

"From 4:45 PM to 4:45 PM... The yamen office closes at 5:00 PM. I was at the county yamen before my shift ended, and I returned to the prefecture afterward."

Li Xinchun answered first: "The people from the yamen, as well as the people from this government office, can all testify."

Liu Shuyi asked, "How long did it take Magistrate Li to get from the yamen to the prefectural office?"

Li Xinchun said, "I walked back slowly, but my residence is not far from the county government office, so it only took me less than 35 minutes."

Du Gou pondered to himself that it had taken them more than two quarters of an hour to travel from Chang'an to the wooden house, so it was impossible for them to make a round trip in less than three quarters of an hour. Therefore, it seemed that Magistrate Li could be ruled out as a suspect.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly and then looked at Kong Xiang.

Kong Xiang, with his refined and scholarly demeanor, said, “I have been staying at the Imperial Academy recently. At the time that Assistant Minister Liu asked about, I had just finished teaching my students and then played chess with the Chancellor. During the game, some students came to ask me for advice, and I gave them some pointers. Assistant Minister, you can have someone investigate these matters to find out the truth.”

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Who doesn't know that Dr. Kong has the integrity of a scholar and never lies? I naturally believe Dr. Kong."

He then looked at Pan Keming.

Pan Keming said in a serious tone, "Recently, the court and the country have been in turmoil, and the number of memorials has exceeded that of the past. I was busy in the Secretariat and only left the Secretariat when Liu Yuanwailang sent someone to invite me."

Liu Shuyi nodded, then looked at Han Xi.

Han Xi has a round face and always has a smiling face, making her seem very easy to talk to.

He said, "The Imperial Stud has been relatively quiet lately. After I finished my shift, I thought I'd enjoy a few cups of sake, so I went to a restaurant."

Liu Shuyi asked, "Which restaurant is it?"

Han Xi said, "In Pingkangfang, at Tongle Restaurant, I ordered the most exclusive private room. Liu Yuanwailang sent someone to ask the restaurant manager and waiters; they should remember me."

"When did Han Shaoqing arrive at the restaurant?" Liu Shuyi asked again.

Han Xi thought for a moment and said, "The Imperial Stud is not far from Pingkang Ward. It took me less than a quarter of an hour to walk there."

It took less than 15 minutes, even less than the time it took Li Xinchun.

Du Gou frowned. None of the four people's answers met the conditions for killing Qin Xiguang.

I originally thought that this problem could directly narrow down the range of Yao Guang, but it turned out to be of no use at all.

He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi with concern. Liu Shuyi said that Yao Guang acted hastily and might have left some flaws, but as it stands now... he hasn't found any flaws.

Du Ruhui also thought of this, and his expression towards Liu Shuyi became increasingly profound. He wanted to know what Liu Shuyi would do in the face of this predicament.

Li Xinchun and the others exchanged glances, their expressions turning even colder as they looked at Liu Shuyi.

They had no opportunity to commit the crime; it was obvious that Liu Shuyi harbored ill intentions.

Gu Wen shook his head, his eyes filled with pity as he looked at Liu Shuyi. He had always thought that Liu Shuyi's conclusion that the murderer was just a joke among Han Xi and the other three based on Qin Mingfeng's few words was indeed true.

"Lieutenant Lu."

To everyone's surprise, Liu Shuyi, who should have been extremely nervous and flustered after finding nothing, went directly to the front of the hall and called Lu Yangyuan over after asking them questions.

"Master Lu," Lu Yangyuan said, bowing to Liu Shuyi.

“Go do something for me…”

He said to Lu Yangyuan, "I just asked my superiors a question. Please go and confirm it for me."

Then, he relayed Han Xi and the other three's answers to Lu Yangyuan.

Lu Yangyuan nodded: "This official understands, this official will go and confirm it immediately."

"Wait a moment."

Liu Shuyi stopped Lu Yangyuan, took two steps forward, and whispered in Lu Yangyuan's ear, "None of these things are important. Go and investigate something else for me..."

Hearing what Liu Shuyi had actually asked him to investigate, he was first stunned, then seemed to understand something and nodded repeatedly.

Liu Shuyi straightened up and said, "Go, find out everything as quickly as possible."

Lu Yangyuan knew how important his mission was, and without any hesitation, he nodded emphatically: "Wait for my news, sir!"

After saying that, he turned around and ran away.

Watching Lu Yangyuan's retreating figure, Liu Shuyi let out a soft breath.

Immediately, they returned to the lobby.

He looked at Li Xinchun and the others, cupped his hands and said, "This humble official needs to confirm the words of your superiors. This is also to be responsible to your superiors. I hope you will understand."

Li Xinchun and the others all frowned.

After they finished answering, Liu Shuyi nodded with a look of conviction, making them think that Liu Shuyi believed them. But to their surprise, Liu Shuyi immediately sent people to investigate.

Then why are you pretending to trust us?
However, they all believed they had acted uprightly and were not afraid of investigation, so no one said anything.

As Liu Shuyi watched this scene, a glint of shrewdness flashed deep in his eyes. He said, "The investigation will take time. While we wait, let's continue with other questions."

He didn't give anyone a chance to react and went straight to the point: "The second question is, on the night of the massacre of the Ma family, I wonder what you all did, and if anyone can testify to that."

"The night of the Ma family massacre?"

Li Xinchun frowned subconsciously: "That was a long time ago."

Liu Shuyi said, "Two years has passed, which is indeed a long time, but such a serious event as the Ma family massacre must have left you all with some memories of that night."

Li Xinchun thought about it carefully and said, "Now that you mention it, I do remember that I had a lot of official business to finish that day, so I brought it back to the mansion to deal with it."

"I finished my official business around 1:00 AM and didn't sleep for long before I got up and went to the court assembly. As soon as I returned to the yamen after the assembly, I was told that Doctor Ma had an accident."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "When Magistrate Li is handling official business, does anyone accompany him?"

Li Xinchun shook his head: "Official business is no small matter, how can I let others see it? I was handling it alone in my study, but my wife did bring me some pastries once in the middle of it."

Liu Shuyi nodded, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Kong Xiang.

Kong Xiang said: "At that time, I was not yet a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. I was a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. I remember that I gave the students some homework that day, asking them to write a policy essay. In order to be able to comment on the strengths and weaknesses of their policy essays the next day, I stayed at the residence that night and almost didn't sleep at all, reviewing their policy essays."

Liu Shuyi asked, "Is anyone accompanying you?"

Kong Xiang shook his head: "I prefer quiet when I am reading and doing things, so I naturally won't let anyone disturb me. However, I stayed up too late that night and was both tired and hungry, so I went to the kitchen to find some food to fill my stomach. As a result, I was caught by the guards on night watch. They almost thought that the mansion had been robbed. In the end, they woke up the cook, who made some food for me late at night."

"What time was it?" Liu Shu asked.

Kong Xiang thought for a moment and said, "It seems that it was past midnight. It's been too long, and I don't remember very clearly. I only remember that this matter took up a lot of my time. By the time I finished eating and went back, the candles were almost burned out. I had someone relight the candles and then reviewed the documents for about an hour. It was almost dawn before I went to rest."

Liu Shuyi gently stroked the warm jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips, thought for a moment, and nodded.

He then turned to look at Pan Keming, and before he could speak, Pan Keming said directly: "Study from 7 PM to 9 PM, sleep after 9 PM, and get up at 4:45 AM."

Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised: "The timing is so precise?"

Pan Keming said in a serious tone, "I have maintained this routine for the past ten years. Unless I am overwhelmed with official duties and have no other choice, I will not change it."

That's really a good habit... Liu Shuyi said, "Can anyone prove it?"

“Madam, servants.” Pan Keming’s words were concise and to the point.

After confirming that Pan Keming was sparing with his words and would not say anything more, Liu Shuyi nodded slightly and then looked at Han Xi.

"I wonder how Han Shaoqing fared that night?"

Han Xi was slightly embarrassed and said with a smile, "You might laugh at me if I told you, but that night... I went to a brothel."

"A brothel?" Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

Han Xi nodded: "It's still Pingkangfang, and Liu Yuanwailang should be very familiar with this brothel."

"I'm familiar with you?"

Liu Shuyi was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to retort, "Don't slander me in front of my future father-in-law and brother-in-law."

But the next moment, he seemed to realize something, staring intently at Han Xi, and said, "Miaoyin Pavilion?"

Han Xi nodded: "Yes."

(End of this chapter)