The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 145 Crushing Defeat! Pei Ji's student's disbelief: How could you possibly know these things?

Half an hour later.

A figure arrived in front of the office.

Looking at Zhao Feng and Cui Lin guarding outside the door, Wu Chenyang, the Imperial Censor, spoke calmly with a serious expression: "I have come to meet you at the invitation of Physician Liu."

His tone was flat, his gaze was direct, and his words were appropriate, in accordance with the habits of the censors of the Censorate, not allowing anyone to find fault. However, Zhao Feng and Cui Lin could clearly feel that in this flawless gaze, there was contempt and disdain for the two of them.

Wu Chenyang was clearly looking at them, but the look in his eyes didn't seem to be directed at them at all.

Zhao Feng had just been rebuked by Wu Chenyang, so he was prepared and didn't feel anything at the moment.

But Cui Lin was a proud man; how could he have ever been looked down upon like this by others?
Even Liu Shuyi, whom he admired, had never treated him like this before, which made him frown and about to speak up to stab Wu Chenyang.

But at that moment, Liu Shuyi's voice came from inside the room: "Minister Wu, please come in."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Wu Chenyang didn't even glance at Zhao Feng and Cui Lin again. Before they could react, he walked right through them, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Watching Wu Chenyang's retreating figure, Cui Lin couldn't help but spit out, "What an arrogant bastard! How did he even get into the Censorate and become the Vice Censor-in-Chief?"

Zhao Feng quickly covered Cui Lin's mouth and said in a low voice, "Military Assistant Cui, be careful what you say! Wu Zhongcheng is Pei Sikong's student. If he gets hold of something against you, Liu Langzhong may not be able to protect you."

Seeing Cui Lin's dark expression, Zhao Feng added, "Let's hand it over to Physician Liu. He will definitely not allow Vice Minister Wu to continue to be so arrogant in our Ministry of Justice."

Cui Lin thought about the relationship between Liu Shuyi and Pei Ji. Liu Shuyi was not afraid of Pei Ji, so naturally he would not be afraid of Wu Chenyang.

His expression softened somewhat, and he sneered, "I'll wait here. I want to see if he'll still be so arrogant when he comes out again!"

…………

In the office.

Liu Shuyi looked up at Wu Chenyang as he walked in.

Wu Chenyang was under forty years old, six feet tall, and slightly short.

He wore a scarlet official robe and a xiezhi crown with a white jade hairpin inserted on the side. According to Tang law, only officials of the third rank and above could use jade hairpins. Wu Chenyang, a fifth-rank official, was able to use one, which was a special approval from the emperor, representing Li Shimin's emphasis on the supervisory authority.

In Wu Chenyang's case, this was the source of his confidence in not fearing officials of the fourth or even third rank. Apart from a few important ministers like Du Ruhui, there were few people who could inspire his awe.

"I am grateful to Vice Minister Wu for taking time out of his busy schedule to come to the Ministry of Justice to assist me."

Liu Shuyi stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Wu Chenyang, and said...

Wu Chenyang looked Liu Shuyi up and down and let out a soft "hmm" through his nose.

Although both he and Liu Shuyi were fifth-rank officials, he was a full fifth-rank official while Liu Shuyi was a lower fifth-rank official. Therefore, Wu Chenyang was of higher rank than Liu Shuyi. So when facing Liu Shuyi, Wu Chenyang put on the airs of a superior, speaking in a calm but righteous tone: "Logically speaking, I am busy with official duties. Since Physician Liu asked me to come here to inquire about the case, he should meet with me as soon as possible to avoid delaying my official duties."

"But I've been waiting at the Ministry of Justice for over two hours... Doctor Liu, do you know how much I can accomplish in two hours?"

"Perhaps because of your delay, Physician Liu, I have missed the opportunity to deal with one less corrupt official, causing the people to continue to suffer from the exploitation and oppression of corrupt officials, making them lose hope in life and their trust in the court!"

"Dr. Liu..."

Wu Chenyang's face was serious, and his words carried an air of "I speak for justice".

"You shouldn't be so unable to distinguish between what's important and what's not! If all the officials of our Great Tang were like you, so inefficient and unable to differentiate between what's important and what's urgent, how could we ensure the smooth implementation of the court's decrees? How could we live up to the expectations of the people and the trust of His Majesty?"

The first thing Wu Chenyang did upon seeing Liu Shuyi was to launch into a tirade of criticism.

And the points he criticizes are also quite deliberate.

He knew that Li Shimin was very concerned about the military pay case, so he didn't mention it at all. Instead, he seized on the issue of Liu Shuyi's timing and kept escalating the value of the case, putting one accusation after another on Liu Shuyi's head.

In this way, he could put pressure on Liu Shuyi and reprimand him without making people think that he was dissatisfied with Liu Shuyi because of the salary case.

As the Vice Censor-in-Chief, Wu Chenyang was very experienced in how to manipulate other officials.

Looking at Liu Shuyi, who remained silent as if stunned by his scolding, Wu Chenyang sneered inwardly. Did he really think that with Li Shimin as his backing, he couldn't do anything to him? If you want to deal with someone, why do you need to openly confront them with swords and arrows? He had a thousand ways to make Liu Shuyi suffer.

My mentor was too kind. If he had let me take action earlier, I would have ruined Liu Shuyi's reputation long ago, and he wouldn't even know how he died!

Liu Shuyi had considered that Wu Chenyang wouldn't cooperate with him easily, but he still underestimated Wu Chenyang's determination to cause him trouble.

No wonder Zhao Feng couldn't hold on for more than two hours.

If I hadn't asked Cui Lin to gather this information for me, I would have felt quite pressured facing Wu Chenyang.

But now...

Looking at Wu Chenyang, who still had an upright expression and seemed to be speaking only for the country and the people without any selfish motives, Liu Shuyi said, "Minister Wu's teachings are correct. I will keep Minister Wu's teachings in mind and will make sure to distinguish between what is important and what is not in my work in the future, and improve my efficiency."

"So... shall we talk about the salary case next?"

Wu Chenyang snorted. Liu Shuyi had backed down, so he should press his advantage. How could he let Liu Shuyi get away with it so easily? He was about to speak up and put an even bigger accusation on Liu Shuyi.

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Shuyi's voice continued: "The issue of the salary is the most important matter for His Majesty at present. As Wu Zhongcheng just said, there are priorities. As subjects, we are paid by the emperor and have a duty to be loyal to him. So naturally we should deal with the important matters of His Majesty as soon as possible. This is what Wu Zhongcheng taught me. What do you think, Wu Zhongcheng?"

Liu Shuyi's words immediately cut off Wu Chenyang's follow-up question, which was on the tip of his tongue.

His eyelids twitched, and his expression turned somewhat gloomy. Wu Chenyang never expected that Liu Shuyi would use his own words against him.

No wonder my mentor suffered a loss at Liu Shuyi's hands; Liu Shuyi is indeed cunning and has a sharp tongue.

But Liu Shuyi brought up Li Shimin, so even if he was unwilling, he could only nod and say, "I came here for the matter of the salary payment, so the salary payment should be the priority."

Liu Shuyi smiled. He had encountered many people like this in his previous life who liked to label others and act arrogantly, so he naturally knew how to deal with them.

"Please have a seat, Vice Minister Wu."

After Liu Shuyi asked Wu Chenyang to sit down, he also sat down behind his desk. Looking at Wu Chenyang, who still had an upright expression, he said, "Shall we begin?"

Wu Chenyang said calmly, "It would be best if Physician Liu asked some meaningful questions, so as not to waste each other's time."

"It's natural..."

Liu Shuyi looked at him intently and said, "I guarantee that every question will be very meaningful to Wu Zhongcheng."

Wu Chenyang felt that Liu Shuyi's words seemed to have a deeper meaning, but before he could think about it, Liu Shuyi looked at the dossier and said, "Minister Wu, can you tell me what you did in the military pay case?"

Wu Chenyang was clearly prepared. Upon hearing this, he replied without hesitation, "His Majesty has ordered the three ministries to jointly investigate the silver treasury case. I will do my utmost to find clues."

"After bringing Feng Mu and other soldiers who were transporting the military pay back to Chang'an, I led the people from the Censorate to question them."

"But at first, they were all very stubborn, all saying that the money was not lost in their hands and that they did not steal the money."

"The case was once in a stalemate. Fortunately, Ren Shaoqing, who was then the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, discovered the problem with Feng Mu's whereabouts through his own experience and confirmed that Feng Mu was lying. That's when we found a breakthrough."

"After that, I was in charge of interrogating Feng Mu's trusted soldiers. Through their interrogation, I learned the truth that Feng Mu had bribed them and used them to steal military pay, thus making some insignificant contributions."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Wu Chenyang spoke simply yet vividly recounted what he had done.

However, if Liu Shuyi had not previously consulted with Wei Qian and Deng Shen about the specifics of the silver treasury case, he would definitely only have a vague understanding at this moment.

At that time, Liu Shuyi would inevitably ask Wu Chenyang for details, and Wu Chenyang had already told Liu Shuyi that he didn't like wasting time. Therefore, when Liu Shuyi pressed for details, Wu Chenyang could take the opportunity to berate Liu Shuyi...

Of course, Wu Chenyang, intimidated by Li Shimin's power, would say all the necessary details, but whether his answers were pleasant or critical of Liu Shuyi was another matter.

Li Shimin only cared whether he cooperated in answering questions about the salary issue, and did not care about his tone towards Liu Shuyi during their communication.

Therefore, in the end, Liu Shuyi could only suffer in silence, unable to express his bitterness.

Having lived two lives, Liu Shuyi admitted to having encountered many treacherous and despicable people, but someone like Wu Chenyang... who digs pits anytime and anywhere, always claims to be righteous, and yet is impossible to find fault with, is truly rare.

It's not fatal, but it's really disgusting!

Fortunately, Wu Chenyang arrived late, and I had already grasped all the information about the case.

Otherwise, we might really suffer this loss.

Meeting Wu Chenyang's expectant gaze that awaited his questioning of details, Liu Shuyi calmly picked up his water glass, took a leisurely sip, and then smiled and said, "Minister Wu explained it very clearly, and I understand now."

Very detailed?
Wu Chenyang was taken aback. Did Liu Shuyi misunderstand the words "very detailed"?
You only gave a framework, without any details whatsoever. How can that be considered detailed?
He frowned subconsciously, then heard Liu Shuyi continue, "Regarding Wu Zhongcheng's account, I have a few questions I would like to ask, and I hope Wu Zhongcheng can answer them truthfully."

Wu Chenyang's eyes flickered. "You say you already understand? Understand my ass! Aren't you just going to start asking questions again?"

As long as Liu Shuyi pressed for answers, Wu Chenyang believed he could take the initiative... The roles of host and guest would be reversed in the next round of questioning.

He was confident that he could lead Liu Shuyi by the nose and leave Liu Shuyi with nothing.

Then, he heard Liu Shuyi say, "The first question is, Wu Zhongcheng said that the turning point in the silver treasury case was when Ren Shaoqing discovered the problem of Feng Mu's whereabouts based on his own experience... I wonder what Wu Zhongcheng thought of Ren Shaoqing's words at that time?"

What are your thoughts?

Wu Chenyang was surprised that Liu Shuyi would ask such a strange question. He said, "What else could it be? The case was at a standstill, and everyone was at a loss. Then Ren Shaoqing suddenly pointed out that Feng Mu was lying, which gave us hope... Of course, I am as grateful to Ren Shaoqing as everyone else. Then I quickly followed this clue to confirm Feng Mu's question."

Liu Shuyi raised his fingertip and pointed to the turning point in the dossier, saying, "So, in other words, Vice Minister Wu, you did not verify what Vice Minister Ren said?"

Wu Chenyang frowned and said, "Ren Shaoqing has seen Wu Chenyang with his own eyes, what else do you need to confirm?"

Liu Shuyi looked at him intently and said, word by word, "Didn't you ever consider... that Ren Shaoqing might be lying?"

"What did you say!? You're lying!?"

Wu Chenyang's body tensed instinctively, his eyes fixed on Liu Shuyi, and he said sternly, "Doctor Liu, do you know what you're saying?"

“Ren Shaoqing was the main force in the investigation at the time. He was conscientious, responsible and hardworking. Why would he lie?”

"Furthermore, our subsequent investigation into Feng Mu revealed that he would deliberately send away the only old servant whenever he had a day off, leaving him with no alibi... It's quite obvious that he was secretly going to Qingzhou to collude with Yang Wengan!"

"The evidence is conclusive. How dare you slander an innocent person who has done his utmost to investigate the case?"

If Wu Chenyang's attitude towards Liu Shuyi was still subtle, he was just secretly digging a pit for Liu Shuyi.

Now, Wu Chenyang practically tore off the mask of civility, launching into a scathing rebuke. If any other official had been subjected to such a barrage of insults from Wu Chenyang, they might have panicked, fearing for their official positions. But Liu Shuyi… his expression remained completely unchanged.

He maintained his calm expression, quietly watching Wu Chenyang righteously rebuke him. After Wu Chenyang finished speaking, he said with a half-smile, "Is the evidence conclusive?"

Wu Chenyang was surprised that Liu Shuyi could remain calm. He had a bad feeling and was about to continue to rebuke Liu Shuyi, but before he could speak, Liu Shuyi said, "If you, Wu Zhongcheng, take Feng Mu's habit with this old servant for more than ten years as the reason why Feng Mu deliberately sent this old servant away in order to secretly meet Yang Wengan, and say that Feng Mu began to plan a rebellion with Yang Wengan more than ten years ago, then it can indeed be called conclusive evidence."

"What!?"

Wu Chenyang's eyes widened suddenly, staring at Liu Shuyi in disbelief: "You..."

Liu Shuyi squinted at Wu Chenyang: "Is Wu Zhongcheng surprised?"

"I wonder if you were surprised to learn about Feng Mu and his old servant's affair, or if you were surprised that Feng Mu and his old servant left on their day off, which has been their long-standing habit?"

"I……"

Wu Chenyang's expression changed slightly, his face showing a mixture of emotions.

He couldn't answer.

No matter how he answers, it will be disadvantageous for him.

Why isn't Wu Zhongcheng saying anything?

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Didn't Minister Wu just righteously rebuke me? Since he came to my office, he has been talking non-stop, saying hundreds or even thousands of words. Why did he suddenly stop talking now?"

Wu Chenyang's face was grim. After thinking for a long time, he said coldly, "Whether it's a habit they've maintained for years is not important. What's important is that Feng Mu has no alibi, so his words are completely invalid."

Liu Shuyi laughed: "Just now, Wu Zhongcheng said that Feng Mu had sent this old servant away and that the evidence was conclusive. But how long has it been, and it's already become unimportant?"

“I…” Wu Chenyang was speechless once again.

Liu Shuyi continued, "If Wu Zhongcheng doesn't want to talk about Feng Mu and this old servant, that's fine. Then let's talk about Ren Shaoqing meeting Feng Mu in Binzhou."

He looked at Wu Chenyang and said slowly, "Minister Wu just reprimanded me, saying that as one of the chief investigators, Vice Minister Ren is conscientious and responsible, and would not lie..."

"However, the information I just received is somewhat different from what Minister Wu said."

Wu Chenyang's heart tightened: "What's different?"

Liu Shuyi tapped his fingertips lightly on the desk, the sound ringing out with a unique rhythm, as if striking Wu Chenyang's heart, directly disrupting Wu Chenyang's breathing and subconsciously making him somewhat irritable.

Looking at the subtle expressions on Wu Chenyang's face, Liu Shuyi said calmly, "This humble official wants to know about the day when Ren Shaoqing met Feng Mu, so I asked Cui Yuanwailang to help investigate."

“As a member of the Cui family of Qinghe, Cui Yuanwailang has considerable connections. After making this inquiry, he actually learned some things.”

Wu Chenyang swallowed subconsciously and asked, "What is it?"

Liu Shuyi looked directly into his eyes and slowly said, "According to the guests who attended the birthday celebration of Ren Shaoqing's grandmother... Ren Shaoqing spent the whole day entertaining guests at his grandmother's residence and never left her residence."

"Therefore, I am very curious, how did Ren Shaoqing manage to see Feng Mu when he didn't leave the residence all day?"

"As far as I know, Feng Mu should not have gone to celebrate Ren Shaoqing's grandmother's birthday, otherwise the other guests would have seen Feng Mu as well. Since Feng Mu did not offer birthday wishes, how could Ren Shaoqing, who was at home, see Feng Mu passing through Binzhou? Does Ren Shaoqing have the ability to walk through walls?"

Wu Chenyang looked bewildered.

Clearly, this was something he himself was unaware of.

He had no idea what Ren Xing had actually done in Binzhou.

In addition, he was already somewhat unsettled by the sound of Liu Shuyi banging on the table. Now, upon hearing this completely unknown information, he couldn't even control his expression, which completely exposed his thoughts to Liu Shuyi's gaze.

"Wu Chenyang is unaware of this matter..."

"So, Ren Xing didn't tell them the specifics?"

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes.

Seeing that Wu Chenyang couldn't utter a word for a long time, Liu Shuyi chuckled and said, "Now that we've talked about the turning point in the case, let's talk about Wu Zhongcheng's contributions."

When Liu Shuyi was about to talk about his own contributions, Wu Chenyang subconsciously straightened his back, and his palms sweated uncontrollably.

If Liu Shuyi had started by talking about his own achievements, Wu Chenyang would have been fearless. He had the fingerprints of those soldiers, and those soldiers had already been executed. Even if Liu Shuyi was good at investigating cases, he didn't think Liu Shuyi could pose any threat to him.

But now, after what happened with Ren Xing, Wu Chenyang, who was originally confident, couldn't help but feel uneasy when he looked into Liu Shuyi's eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

He could no longer maintain the confidence and arrogance he had when he first arrived.

"Before meeting Wu Zhongcheng, I met with officials from the Dali Temple."

Liu Shuyi said unhurriedly, "According to the officials of the Dali Temple, these officials of low rank had interrogated Feng Mu's men, but no matter how they interrogated them, even if they used torture, those soldiers did not confess."

"So there was no other way but for higher-ranking officials to take over the interrogation, and once they started, the soldiers confessed..."

"I think……"

He looked at Wu Chenyang and said, "Minister Wu, you must have had a similar experience, right?"

Wu Chenyang pursed his lips and nodded, saying, "Yes."

Many people know about this, and he can't deny it.

Liu Shuyi leaned forward, looking directly at Wu Chenyang: "Then, Vice Minister Wu, could you tell me about your interrogation methods? How did you interrogate them to make them confess so quickly?"

"This……"

Wu Chenyang's eyes darted around, and just as he was about to speak, Liu Shuyi smiled meaningfully and said, "Minister Wu, you must think carefully before you speak. Since I have asked, it means I know something. If your statement differs from the information I have, I will be very confused about who is right and who is wrong, and who is lying."

Wu Chenyang's expression changed slightly; how could he not sense the threat in Liu Shuyi's words?

He stared intently at Liu Shuyi, but his experienced eyes, which had seen through countless lies, could not discern Liu Shuyi's true nature at this moment.

He had no idea whether Liu Shuyi was deceiving him or actually had something in his hands.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "Actually, it's not a special method. I just want to tell them that we have enough evidence. Even if they don't confess, they can't escape their crimes, and they are still doomed."

"But if they confess, voluntarily reveal the mastermind, and explain everything, then I can ensure that their families will not be implicated, and they will only die on their own."

"But if they still don't speak, then according to the principle of collective punishment, his parents, wife, and children will all go to the underworld because of them..."

Wu Chenyang said, "Although they disregarded the safety of the Tang Dynasty, stole military pay, and committed heinous crimes, they still retained a shred of humanity for their families. In addition, our positions are not low, and our words are more credible than those of ordinary officials. Therefore, after careful consideration, they chose to tell the truth."

"Once someone starts this, others will see that someone has confessed, and their psychological defenses will begin to crumble. In the end, they will all confess."

Liu Shuyi's fingers, which were tapping the desk, paused slightly. Although Wu Chenyang spoke righteously and completely absolved himself of responsibility, it could not conceal the fact that he was using the families of these soldiers as bargaining chips to threaten them.

Moreover, as Wu Chenyang said, they are in high positions and can completely decide the final course of action.

Therefore, when Wu Chenyang said he would have their families buried with him, how could those soldiers not believe him?
Knowing they wouldn't survive, for the sake of their families, they finally... had no choice but to speak up.

No wonder ordinary officials couldn't get them to confess, but Wu Chenyang and his group confessed as soon as they made a move.

This method...

Ah!
How is this any different from forcibly raising their hands to press their fingerprints?
Liu Shuyi noticed that Wu Chenyang's expression had turned colder, and he continued, "After Wu Zhongcheng made them confess, did he try to bribe Feng Mu with money?"

Wu Chenyang nodded without hesitation: "I found a few."

"Oh?"

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow: "How many copies exactly? When were they found?"

Wu Chenyang frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Five copies. They were found after the case was closed. Since the case was closed and the files had been archived, these things were not written in the files."

Wu Chenyang's statement was consistent with Wei Qian's... Liu Shuyi said, "When exactly? 'After the case is closed' is too vague."

Wu Chenyang was surprised by Liu Shuyi's probing questions. His expression flickered for a moment before he said, "The money we found has all been handed over to the Ministry of Revenue's treasury. If Doctor Liu goes to the Ministry of Revenue to inquire, he should be able to find out."

"If I remember correctly, they were found one by one in late September, within half a month after the end of the salary case."

"However, Feng Mu was too cunning. He never intended to truly share the burden with these soldiers. Before the operation, he provided them with a place to hide their money, but after they hid it, he stole it all, leaving only a small portion of the money. Otherwise, we should have received the deposit from all the soldiers, not just five."

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "This humble official did indeed send Assistant Minister Cui to the Ministry of Revenue to retrieve the files, and they did find that a batch of copper coins was deposited into the treasury in September of that year..."

"They acted so quickly!?" Wu Chenyang was somewhat surprised.

"At the same time, I also discovered something else..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Wu Chenyang and, under Wu Chenyang's curious gaze, slowly said, "That was in September and October of that year, some officials suddenly found themselves in dire financial straits, as if overnight they suddenly didn't have enough money."

"I'm very curious. Their salaries have always been paid on time, and the Emperor Emeritus even gave them some rewards. How could they suddenly be so strapped for cash?"

"Minister Wu, where did their money go?"

"Oh, right."

Before Wu Chenyang could speak, Liu Shuyi said meaningfully, "This humble official almost forgot one thing, and that is Minister Wu..."

"It seems to be among these officials! So, surely Vice Minister Wu can explain this to me?"

Wu Chenyang's pupils suddenly contracted.

In a flash, he stood up straight.

His eyes widened, and the expression on his face became completely uncontrollable.

"you you……"

Wu Chenyang pointed at Liu Shuyi, who was originally a man of great official authority, speaking righteously and seemingly a symbol of justice. But now his face was pale and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

(End of this chapter)