The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 132: Case Closed! The Shocking Truth!
"What!?"

"Dr. Kong!?"

"How can this be?"

Liu Shuyi's words were like a bomb dropped into a calm lake.

In an instant, it stirred up a huge wave in everyone's hearts.

They were stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

Whether it was Li Xinchun, the Wannian County Magistrate who had the biggest opinion against Liu Shuyi and seemed the most domineering; or Pan Keming, the serious and rigid remonstrating official who was strict with himself and others; or Han Xi, who was always smiling and worldly-wise, at this moment, they all felt their ears ringing and could not believe what they were hearing.

Who is Kong Xiang?

Kong Xiang was a highly learned scholar who had taught hundreds of students, dozens of whom were currently serving as officials in the court. He held a very high position in the hearts of scholars, and many important officials hoped to send their children to study under him.

How could Kong Xiang, with such a background, be the treacherous, ruthless, and inhuman mastermind behind the murder of Ma Qingfeng's entire family?
They simply couldn't accept this fact.

Not to mention them, even Du Ruhui could not hide the astonishment in his eyes at this moment.

In fact, Du Ruhui had considered who might be Yaoguang. He suspected Li Xinchun because Li Xinchun had hinted to him in the palace that he should stop Liu Shuyi from investigating the Ma Qingfeng family massacre. He also suspected Han Xi, who was shrewd and worldly-wise, and rarely spoke the truth. His explanation in the brothel two years ago was also unverifiable, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

He even suspected Pan Keming, after all, Liu Yuanming, whose identity was exposed by Liu Shuyi, had a personality that was just like Pan Keming's serious and rigid personality.

The only person he didn't doubt was Kong Xiang!
Kong Xiang was outside the core of power, and compared with An Qingxi and Liu Yuanming, his power was too small. Moreover, Kong Xiang was famous for his scholarship in his early years. He did not compete or fight, but focused on teaching and educating people. In any respect, he was not the same kind of person as An Qingxi and Liu Yuanming.

But who could have imagined that the only person they had ever ruled out was none other than the Seven Stars Yao Guang, who was on par with An Qingxi and Liu Yuanming!

But if he were Yao Guang...

Du Ruhui's heart sank.

Kong Xiang was indeed not a powerful minister, but over the years he had taught a considerable number of students, many of whom held official positions in the court. Among these people... were any of them bribed by Kong Xiang? Were any of them used by Kong Xiang to work for Fusheng Tower?

If so... that would be troublesome.

Screening so many people one by one is no easy task.

Perhaps this is why Fushenglou allowed Kong Xiang, such an important member of the Seven Stars, to remain at the Imperial Academy.

They need someone who can continuously cultivate talent for Fushenglou, and they also need to leverage Kong Xiang's connections to utilize those people and subtly help Fushenglou complete certain plans.

These students thought they were just doing a small favor for their teacher, but they didn't know what kind of impact these small favors would have on the Tang Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Du Ruhui's gaze toward Kong Xiang suddenly turned cold.

Kong Xiang possessed the Yao Guang aura, making him more dangerous than the other three who also possessed it!
As if sensing the murderous intent in Du Ruhui's eyes, Kong Xiang's pupils contracted slightly. He immediately glared at Liu Shuyi, his refined voice turning icy cold: "Liu Yuanwailang, I have no grudge against you, why are you framing me?!"

"Who doesn't know that I have always been kind to others? My only two joys in life are reading and educating people! How could I possibly do something as inhumane as wiping out an entire family!"

"Just because I am merely a schoolteacher, with less power than others, does that mean you consider me a pushover and want to humiliate me? To use me as a scapegoat to gain favor with His Majesty?!"

Kong Xiang's tone was filled with anger at being wronged and schemed against. His pale hand, pointing at Liu Shuyi, was trembling violently. He was breathing heavily, giving everyone the feeling that he might faint from anger at any moment.

His words confirmed the initial suspicions people had about Liu Shuyi. They had always believed that Liu Shuyi was looking for a scapegoat for Li Shimin and wanted to gain merit in front of Li Shimin.

Therefore, as Kong Xiang revealed the biggest guess in everyone's mind, Li Xinchun and the others looked at Liu Shuyi with even more obvious suspicion.

Li Xinchun said, "Master Liu, you say that Dr. Kong is the mastermind behind this, but do you have any evidence?"

Seeing Kong Xiang trembling with anger, Pan Keming nodded and said, "To catch a thief and recover the stolen goods, and to judge a case, we must rely on evidence. I hope that Assistant Minister Liu can produce evidence. Otherwise, even if His Majesty approves, I'm afraid the officials and the people will not be convinced."

Han Xi was a shrewd man. He was unsure whether Liu Shuyi's accusation against Kong Xiang was because Liu Shuyi genuinely thought Kong Xiang was an easy target, or whether it was the Emperor's decree, or whether Liu Shuyi actually had evidence. Therefore, to avoid getting into trouble, he remained neutral.

However, given his personality, the fact that he didn't offer any smooth advice to the two to downplay the matter also signifies his tacit approval of Li Xinchun and the others.

If Liu Shuyi doesn't produce something substantial, he shouldn't expect to easily pin the blame on Kong Xiang tonight.

Seeing Li Xinchun and others supporting Kong Xiang and putting pressure on Liu Shuyi, Gu Wen, standing behind Li Xinchun, subconsciously swallowed. He raised his hand to secretly wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking that Liu Shuyi had really gone mad.

In order to gain favor with His Majesty, he actually dared to lay a hand on a high-ranking official of the fifth rank!
Seeing that Li Xinchun and the others supported him, Kong Xiang's eyes flashed with a cold smile, but his face still showed extreme anger and resentment: "Magistrate Li is right! Liu Shuyi, you say that I am the real culprit, then produce the evidence! Without evidence, you are framing me! I will definitely go to His Majesty and beg him to uphold justice for me!"

Facing the pressure from four high-ranking officials of the court, even Lu Yangyuan and others behind Liu Shuyi felt immense pressure and were on the verge of bowing down. However, Liu Shuyi, who was at the center of the pressure, did not show the slightest change in expression.

He simply watched Kong Xiang's sophistry calmly, and only after everyone had stopped talking did he say to Kong Xiang indifferently, "Are you done?"

Kong Xiang frowned. Liu Shuyi's reaction was unexpected and gave him a bad feeling.

Then, he heard Liu Shuyi continue, "Do you think your plan is perfect, that every step is meticulously considered, and that you silenced everyone involved, even Qin Xiguang who knew nothing about what you did, so that I can't find any evidence pointing to you?"

Kong Xiang frowned even more deeply and said coldly, "I did not do these things, so don't try to frame me!"

"Wrongly accuse you?"

Liu Shuyi stared at Kong Xiang with his dark eyes, looking at the perfect anger of being wronged and the tenacity of upholding his innocence on Kong Xiang's face, and sighed: "Even at this moment, you can still pretend so perfectly. No wonder no one has been able to see through your true colors all these years."

Kong Xiang angrily said, "Liu Shuyi, if you have evidence, then produce it! Stop saying such slanderous things about me!"

"Evidence... is fine too."

Liu Shuyi said, "If you want it, I'll give it to you."

"What?" Kong Xiang paused, "You really have it?"
Liu Shuyi looked at him with a half-smile and said, "I don't know if you've ever heard the saying, 'There is no perfect crime in this world. If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place.' As long as you've done something, you'll leave a trace!"

"Do you really think you left no clues or evidence? Do you really think you erased everything related to you?"

Kong Xiang stared intently at Liu Shuyi: "What do you mean?"

Liu Shuyi said casually, "You may not know, but Wei Ji has a nosy neighbor. This neighbor noticed that Wei Ji's behavior was very different from usual and became very curious, so he secretly followed Wei Ji."

A busybody neighbor?
Did you secretly follow Wei Ji?
Kong Xiang's pupils trembled, and his expression changed for the first time.

Clearly, this was something he was completely unaware of.

Liu Shuyi took in Kong Xiang's reaction, curled the corners of his mouth, and continued, "However, this neighbor only noticed that Wei Ji left in the same carriage every day. Because her footwork was not as good as the carriage, she did not know where Wei Ji really went."

Upon hearing this, Kong Xiang subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could even catch his breath, Liu Shuyi said, "This neighbor discovered that this carriage was not the kind commonly seen in horse trading companies, but rather a carriage used by a wealthy family. Furthermore, she also noticed that the carriage curtains were quite special, made of the finest silk fabric from the Zheng family of Yangzhou, and embroidered with golden auspicious cloud patterns!"

"Just now, when I sent Lieutenant Lu to your residences to verify your testimonies, I also asked him to inquire with the maids and servants in your homes if they remembered that your carriages had ever used similar curtains..."

"Oh, right."

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "In order to make the questioning of Deputy Lieutenant Lu go smoothly, I specifically instructed him to use your names and say that you, the masters, do not remember what happened back then, but now need to confirm some things, so you need their help."

"It must be said that your servants and maids are very attentive to your masters' affairs. Lieutenant Lu only needed to ask a question to get an answer quickly!"

"And the answer..."

Liu Shuyi's dark eyes met Kong Xiang's: "That carriage with the special curtain is the carriage from your Dr. Kong's residence! And that curtain is still gathering dust in your Kong family's warehouse!"

"Dr. Kong..."

He stared intently at Kong Xiang: "How do you intend to explain this?"

The half-breath he had just managed to exhale caused Kong Xiang to cough violently.

His expression changed drastically, and he couldn't control the look of someone who had been wronged.

"me……"

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but he had not expected Liu Shuyi to find out about his carriage, so in his panic, he didn't know how to refute it.

Upon seeing this scene, Li Xinchun and the others' expressions changed.

They originally thought that Liu Shuyi had no evidence at all and was just looking for a scapegoat for His Majesty. Even if there was any evidence, it was fabricated and could be easily refuted by Kong Xiang.

To everyone's surprise, faced with Liu Shuyi's overwhelming evidence, Kong Xiang was unable to utter a single word of explanation for a long time.

This caused their previously firm resolve to waver.

"Isn't Liu Shuyi wronging Dr. Kong?"

Everyone's heart skipped a beat.

Li Xinchun quickly turned to look at Gu Wen behind him and asked, "County Commandant Gu, is it true that Assistant Minister Liu just mentioned Wei Ji's neighbor?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Gu Wen.

Gu Wen was completely bewildered. He did know what the woman was saying, but he had no idea that Liu Shuyi had actually found the carriage.

Moreover, judging from Kong Xiang's appearance, he seemed powerless to refute.

No way……

Could Liu Shuyi have really found the mastermind behind this? Could the mastermind really not be His Majesty?

If so...

If I personally submit a memorial to His Majesty explaining that I have absolutely no connection with Liu Shuyi's investigation, wouldn't that mean... I've personally pushed away such a great achievement?!

The thought of all this made him feel like his heart was about to break.

What kind of opportunity did I just reject with my own hands?!

"County Commandant Gu?"

Seeing that Gu Wen was ignoring him, Li Xinchun frowned and raised his voice.

Gu Wen then snapped out of his heartbreak. Seeing his superior's grim expression, he disregarded his own suffering and quickly replied, "Yes, that's exactly what Wei Ji's neighbor said. I heard it clearly."

"It's really true!"

Li Xinchun and the others felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

They realized that things might not be as they had imagined at all.

Sensing the changing situation, Kong Xiang couldn't help but feel anxious. He never expected that some neighbor would suddenly appear!

"That woman didn't touch the carriage curtain herself, so how could she be so sure that the curtain was made of silk from the Zheng family of Yangzhou? What if she's wrong? Besides, there are many families in Chang'an who own carriages, and sometimes you might encounter similar curtains. Is it not a bit too prudent of you, Mr. Liu, to rashly conclude that the carriage belongs to my household based solely on a curtain?"

After a brief moment of panic, Kong Xiang finally came up with a reason to explain.

Although the reason isn't particularly clever, he'll stubbornly deny it as long as there's a possibility.

Liu Shuyi listened to Kong Xiang's rebuttal without any change in expression. He looked at Kong Xiang with deep eyes, giving Kong Xiang the illusion that all his reactions were within Liu Shuyi's expectations.

This caused him to feel immense pressure, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Then he heard Liu Shuyi say, "That's right, it's not appropriate to conclude that the carriage belongs to your household just because of a curtain."

"but if……"

He said with a half-smile, "The time your carriages were used during that period coincided exactly with the time Wei Ji rode in the carriage. What should we do then?"

Kong Xiang's pupils contracted.

Liu Shuyi said calmly, "Deputy Lieutenant Lu, you can speak now."

Lu Yangyuan grinned and stepped forward, saying, "Liu Yuanwailang instructed me that if we find out the ownership of the carriage, we should further inquire about the time when the carriage was used around January of the ninth year of Wude."

"As a result, Dr. Kong, the maids and servants in your mansion all said that during that period, because you had tasks at the Imperial Academy, you left early and returned late every day, and you didn't even have a proper New Year. Your wife complained a lot. Since all of this happened around the New Year, and your wife was unhappy, the maids and servants didn't have a good New Year either. They didn't dare to show any happy expressions, so they remember it very well."

"The Imperial Academy is quite far from your residence, so you need to take a carriage to get there. Therefore, during that period, this carriage accompanied you every day from early morning to late at night."

Kong Xiang quickly replied, "I have official duties to attend to. Can't I handle official business during the New Year?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Of course!" "But..." He stared at Kong Xiang: "Does the Imperial Academy really have such important official business that it requires you to work so hard when everyone else is on New Year's Day holiday?"

Kong Xiang's pupils dilated: "You're not a member of the Imperial Academy..."

"I am indeed not a member of the Imperial Academy."

Liu Shuyi seemed to know how Kong Xiang would refute him, so he interrupted Kong Xiang directly and said calmly, "Therefore, I also asked Deputy Lieutenant Lu to further verify the testimonies of the maids and servants."

"Confirm?" Kong Xiang suddenly looked at Lu Yangyuan.

Then Lu Yangyuan grinned and said, "I have asked General Cheng to investigate this matter."

Kong Xiang then looked at Cheng Chumo.

Cheng Chumo's dark face revealed his gleaming white teeth. He gave Kong Xiang a cold smile: "I dragged the people from the Imperial Academy out of their beds in the middle of the night to question them about what happened back then. They said that there was nothing important at the Imperial Academy that needed to be dealt with at the New Year. They said that you did go to the Imperial Academy every day at that time, but that was because you volunteered to take over the duty at the Imperial Academy for others."

"Moreover, even if it's just for guard duty, there's nothing important to do. It's just to ensure that the Imperial Academy is staffed at all times, just like other government offices."

"Besides, being on duty isn't a regular shift, so there's no need to be so punctual, much less to leave early and return late like you do!"

Kong Xiang's expression changed repeatedly.

Clearly, he never expected that Liu Shuyi would be able to find so many clues in just a few hours over one night.

And I knew nothing about it!
At this moment, he finally understood why Liu Shuyi had trapped them in the Ministry of Justice; Liu Shuyi simply didn't want him to know what Lu Yangyuan was investigating.

Seeing Kong Xiang's drastically changed expression, Liu Shuyi said, "Dr. Kong, how do you intend to explain this?"

Kong Xiang's mouth was agape, and this time the silence was even longer than before.

Li Xinchun and the others watched this scene with a sigh in their hearts.

They are now basically certain that Liu Shuyi's identification of Kong Xiang was not a false accusation, nor was it an attempt to gain merit or to pick on the weak.

There's a high probability that Kong Xiang really has a problem!
The thought of how much they doubted Liu Shuyi, and even how they put pressure on Liu Shuyi on behalf of Kong Xiang, made them blush.

If word gets out about what happened tonight, many of their colleagues will laugh at them for it.

In particular, Li Xinchun, after receiving Gu Wen's message, personally met with His Majesty, handed him Gu Wen's memorial, and subtly hinted to His Majesty that Liu Shuyi had become arrogant and no longer respected His Majesty...

Now, Liu Shuyi has proven with facts that he was most likely wrong.

The thought of what he had said to His Majesty and His Majesty's fury at the time made his legs go weak.

"Gu Wen! You've ruined my life!"

Li Xinchun turned around and glared fiercely at Gu Wen.

Gu Wen, who understood his boss's personality, immediately understood what Li Xinchun meant when he was glared at by her.

Gu Wen felt even more bitter.

I didn't get any credit and I even offended Magistrate Li... How could I be so miserable!

Kong Xiang could no longer maintain his composure. He glared at Kong Xiang and said, "But I was in the manor all night..."

"Are you saying that you stayed in the mansion the whole time, and kept showing up after midnight, so you didn't have a chance to commit the crime?"

Kong Xiang was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi said calmly, "First of all, I have confirmed that Hu Hebing, the street magistrate, is one of the accomplices in the massacre of the family."

"His mission was to appear precisely outside the Ma residence at midnight, thereby misleading the authorities into believing that the massacre of the Ma family occurred after midnight."

Therefore, the true time of the Ma family massacre was before midnight! It was the first half of the night!

"Of the four of you, only you, Dr. Kong... only you were completely alone during the first half of the night, and no one could verify what you were doing. So the person who truly has no alibi is not Han Shaoqing, but you!"

"Furthermore, you've said that you don't like being disturbed when you're doing something important, and your family is probably well aware of your habits, so you can be sure that once you speak, they won't interrupt you, and you'll have the opportunity to do whatever you want."

"And you later said that at midnight you went to the kitchen to find food and were mistaken for a thief by the guards... As the person who knows your residence best, I find it hard to imagine how much noise you would accidentally make to make the guards mistake you for a thief."

"Furthermore, since you've already decided to go to the kitchen to find food yourself, so what if the guards find out? You could just keep looking for food, right? But after you were discovered, you immediately chose to have the cook prepare food for you. Your behavior is so inconsistent, which means that your purpose wasn't simply to find food at all."

"I think all of this is a kind of insurance you made specifically for yourself because you were worried about being investigated. You want to create a perfect alibi for yourself through all of this."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Kong Xiang subconsciously took a step back.

The fear in his eyes as he looked at Liu Shuyi was barely concealed.

When he was with Liu Shuyi, he felt as if he were facing another version of himself.

Liu Shuyi could know in advance every word he was about to say and his true thoughts, and he knew them all accurately.

Even with his exceptional mental fortitude, it would be difficult for him to remain calm at this moment.

Seeing Kong Xiang retreat, Liu Shuyi suddenly stepped forward, pressing down on Kong Xiang with an extremely strong aura, and said, "Are you still going to say that this is just my deduction and that I have no evidence?"

coming……

It's that terrifying feeling of being completely predicted again.

Liu Shuyi said, "That's right, the above cannot be considered final evidence."

Kong Xiang's eyes lit up, and he was about to say something when Liu Shuyi continued, "But don't forget, you didn't just handle the case from two years ago. Just recently, you almost silenced the last person who knew about it right under my nose!"

Kong Xiang was taken aback at first, then seemed to realize something, and suddenly raised his head, his expression revealing unconcealed panic: "You..."

Liu Shuyi curled his lips and said, "You are indeed very cautious. Even if you want to silence Qin Xiguang, you know you can't do it yourself."

"But you were at the Imperial Academy at that time, who could you have done it for you?"

"And the person who did this for you will inevitably learn your secret indirectly through Qin Xiguang."

"Given your cautious nature, how could you allow more people to know this at this critical juncture?"

"Therefore, it is easy to determine who you will send."

"He must be at the Imperial Academy, and he most likely knows the truth about the Ma family massacre. He must have been involved in some aspects of it. Moreover, Qin Xiguang must know him and know that he is one of your people. Only in this way can he kill Qin Xiguang as quickly as possible before I do!"

Liu Shuyi stared intently at Kong Xiang, watching Kong Xiang's face grow paler and paler, and said, "I've meticulously recounted your arrangements in the Ma Langzhong family massacre case, and I've actually found such a person!"

"He's very close to you, he's with you almost every day, and he was clearly involved in some of these things..."

"This person……"

"That's your coachman! The coachman who drives your carriage!"

When Kong Xiang heard the word "coach," his whole body trembled involuntarily. His tension and panic were so obvious that even Lu Yangyuan and Cheng Chumo, two martial artists, could see it clearly.

"I..." He tried to say something, but Liu Shuyi interrupted him directly.

Liu Shuyi said, "Two years ago, when you used the excuse of being busy at the Imperial Academy to leave early and return late, this was the coachman who drove you. Since you had to keep pretending at the Imperial Academy, the person who picked up and dropped off Wei Ji could only be your coachman!"

"Your groom knows everything about you; he is your most trusted confidant!"

Kong Xiang opened his mouth wide: "You're talking nonsense!"

"nonsense?"

Liu Shuyi sneered, "You don't actually think that Deputy Lieutenant Lu and his team spent so much time, almost until dawn, only to find such a small amount of information, do you?"

"You...what do you mean?"

"What do you mean?"

Liu Shuyi said calmly, "If I told you that before Lieutenant Lu set off, I told him to immediately arrest and interrogate the coachman after confirming who the carriage belonged to, and that his master had been arrested and confessed that he was an accomplice and that he was the one who killed Qin Xiguang, what do you think your coachman would do?"

Kong Xiang stared wide-eyed, his pupils trembling violently: "You...you're trying to induce me to confess!"

"Inducement to confess?"

Liu Shuyi said, "As long as it's useful, as long as it can uncover the truth, what does it matter if we induce a confession?"

"Besides the real culprit, who do you think would object to my coercion?"

“You…” Kong Xiang didn’t know how to refute.

Liu Shuyi stared at him, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Your groom is indeed tight-lipped and has a strong backbone, but when he learned that his master had confessed and implicated him, the backbone that had been supporting him all along seemed to break."

"He no longer hides it."

"He told us that after he received your order, because you were worried that he would attract attention if he drove the carriage away, you told him to go to a horse shop in Chang'an to rent a horse and then go to kill Qin Yuchu."

“He knows everything about everything you’ve done over the years, and he has told you everything without reservation.”

"Otherwise, do you really think I'm a god?"

Liu Shuyi sneered, "How could I possibly know so many of your secrets?"

Upon hearing this, Kong Xiang abruptly raised his head, his once refined face now contorted with rage. He gritted his teeth and said, "So, all those things you just said were... were told to you by this traitor? I didn't lose to you, but to this foolish traitor!"

"traitor?"

Liu Shuyi chuckled and said, "In his eyes, you are the traitor."

"That traitor! That stupid bastard!"

Kong Xiang gritted his teeth, cursing, "What did I tell him? I told him that even if he died, he couldn't reveal any secrets! How could he be so stupid! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have lost to you!"

Seeing Kong Xiang's furious expression, Li Xinchun and the others couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing feelings, thoughts, and feelings).

Who would have thought that the extremely treacherous Kong Xiang would ultimately be defeated by his own confidant?

Then they heard Liu Shuyi say calmly, "So it was your instruction that he must not reveal any secrets. I was wondering why he wouldn't say a word."

"Fortunately! He's tough enough and loyal enough... but his master isn't steadfast enough."

"What did you say?!" Kong Xiang was stunned for a moment, not understanding what Liu Shuyi meant.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Actually, I just lied to you. Your confidant didn't say a word."

"I asked Lieutenant Lu to investigate the matter of the horse shop. The murderer would have ridden a horse to kill Chef Qin in order not to waste time, and he probably wouldn't have used his own horse to avoid being discovered."

"Therefore, it is highly likely that the murderer rented a horse from the horse shop! As a result, Lieutenant Lu had someone inquire about the horse shop and found that someone had indeed rented a horse before dark and returned it in just over an hour."

"This confirmed my decision on the horse rental and gave me a plan..."

He looked at the stunned Kong Xiang and said, "You are indeed cautious enough, and it is difficult for me to find concrete evidence to prove your guilt. Therefore, I can only ask you to confess yourself."

"But you are cunning enough and very calm, how could you admit it so easily?"

"So, I deliberately pretended to know everything in advance, constantly putting psychological pressure on you, making you gradually lose your composure, and finally using the horse rental matter that only you and your confidant knew, to make you believe that your confidant really told everything, thus completely breaking down your last defenses!"

"Now it seems……"

Looking at Kong Xiang, who stood there dumbfounded with a pale face, Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "My plan was a success."

"You actually admitted it!"

…………

P.S.: I rushed to finish this with all my might. Although there are still some wrap-ups and follow-ups, I have basically finished writing this case and fulfilled my promise.

Please vote for me with your monthly ticket, considering how hard I've worked! I rarely ask for votes, only once at the beginning of the month, so please shower me with your monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)