The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 157 Truth and Falsehood Intertwined! A Clash of Wits Leads to Ren Xing's Confession!
Listening to Liu Shuyi's words, the shopkeeper Tang Ming felt a chill run down his spine.

He couldn't help but take a step back, staring at Liu Shuyi with a terrified expression, his whole body trembling: "You... how could you..."

How could Liu Shuyi possibly know these things?!
Tang Ming felt that Liu Shuyi at this moment was not a human being at all, but a demon! A demon that could watch him from behind at all times!
Otherwise, how could Liu Shuyi know so much about something that even his closest servant, the waiter, didn't know?

Seeing Tang Ming's reaction, Du Gou and the others understood everything without Tang Ming saying anything more.

Liu Shuyi was right!
Not long ago, Tang Ming actually spoke ill of Liu Shuyi to others!

And who is this other person...? Without a doubt, it must be Ren Xing, whom they are looking for!

"Ren Xing is really hiding here!?"

The previously dormant look in Cui Lin's eyes reignited.

He quickly looked at Liu Shuyi and couldn't help but ask, "Doctor Liu, what exactly is going on? Ren Xingruo is hiding here, but what about the carriage on Cuihua Mountain outside the city? And why haven't our men found anything?"

Not only him, but everyone, including Du Gou, looked at Liu Shuyi with suspicion.

The sudden turn of events caught them completely off guard.

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes as he watched Tang Ming's defenses crumble with just a few words. He said, "I originally thought Ren Xing was hiding with you because you, like Miao Yin'er, have strong mental fortitude, deep cunning, and the ability to adapt to any unexpected situation."

"But now it seems I was wrong. You have nothing to do with Miaoyin'er and the others. You were not someone they trained. You should only have some connection with Ren Xing."

"Did Ren Xing help you before? Or are you friends with Ren Xing?"

Hearing Liu Shuyi deduce his relationship with Ren Xing in just a few words, Tang Ming looked even more panicked. He swallowed hard, took a step back, and shook his head, saying, "I... I don't know what you're talking about."

He spoke in a very weak tone, as if he didn't even believe his own words, so how could he expect the well-informed Liu Shuyi and others to believe him?

After confirming that Tang Ming was not involved in the silver payment case or the forces behind Miao Yin'er, Liu Shuyi shifted his gaze away from Tang Ming.

Meeting the gazes of Cui Lin and the others, he didn't delay any longer and explained, "After confirming that Ren Xing is related to Manager Tang, and that Manager Tang stayed up all night and talked to him about me not long ago, all of this is actually easy to deduce."

“Ren Xing or the person behind him has a strong intelligence capability. When I took the case file of the silver coin case from the Ministry of Justice’s archives and went to the palace to meet His Majesty, he already knew that I was going to reinvestigate the silver coin case.”

"I have a good reputation and I am quite capable. He thought that if I reopened the case of the salary payment, I would definitely be able to find out the problems in the case and then know the truth about why Feng Mu and others were wronged. Since he was the one who proposed Feng Mu, he was the most guilty. Therefore, he was afraid of being punished and decided to run away immediately."

"But he did not choose to flee Chang'an. I do not know why he chose to stay in Chang'an, but he certainly had the opportunity to leave Chang'an, and he must have known that with his disappearance, I would definitely arrange for people to search for him."

"Therefore... he used a feint attack."

"He deliberately had the coachman drive his carriage out of Chang'an and abandon it at the foot of Cuihua Mountain. Since there are villages at the foot of Cuihua Mountain, and the villagers often go into the mountain to cut firewood and hunt, the carriage would be easy to find. After the people find the broken carriage and the dead horse, they will realize that the carriage accidentally fell off the cliff."

“If there were people inside the carriage, someone would surely die. Therefore, these villagers would definitely report it to the authorities immediately after discovering the carriage. In that case, the government would find out that Ren Xing’s carriage had left Chang’an.”

"Since Ren Xing left Chang'an County government office in this carriage, upon discovering the carriage, we would naturally assume that Ren Xing also left Chang'an City with it, thus shifting our focus of the investigation to outside the city and allowing Ren Xing to escape danger!"

Du Gou, who had also heard about Ren Xing's affair with Liu Shuyi at the Chang'an County Government Office, nodded in agreement upon hearing this: "I was just tricked by Ren Xing's carriage. This Ren Xing is truly cunning!"

Cui Lin and the others nodded emphatically, since none of them suspected anything about the carriage.

Ren Xing left in a carriage, which was synonymous with the carriage. Who would have thought that he would cunningly separate from the carriage?

Liu Shuyi smiled and continued, "However, it will take some time for the carriage to be discovered. During this time, Ren Xing must make sure that he is not found by us."

"So, he came to this inn that no outsider knew about, but which was connected to him."

"But people come and go at the inn, and even if he may have disguised his appearance, he is still afraid of being discovered, especially by the inn's waiter... If the innkeeper secretly hides someone, the waiter will definitely be very curious and may expose him."

"Therefore, he first arranged for his subordinate, Han Liu, who was the one who was sent to deliver intelligence to him, to pretend to be a silk merchant and check into the inn, thereby luring the waiter away. Then Ren Xing entered the inn, and under the innkeeper's arrangement, he was able to hide without attracting anyone's attention."

"And that's why Ren Xing appeared outside the inn so close to the time Han Liu checked in... He only had the short time Han Liu spent luring the waiter away to make use of, and he couldn't afford to delay any longer!"

"Of course, the guests dining on the first floor might also see him, but these guests generally don't pay much attention to other strangers. They will leave immediately after finishing their meal and may never come to this inn again or see Ren Xing again in their lifetime. Ren Xing is not afraid of being seen by them."

Xiao Er's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words.

He stared at Han Liu in disbelief, then at the familiar shopkeeper, and couldn't help but say, "So that's how it is..."

“I was just saying that after I entered the room with this silk merchant, he was very hospitable and poured me water to drink. He wouldn’t let me leave if I didn’t drink it, and he even took the initiative to ask me why he only brought so little silk… It turns out that he was deliberately delaying my coming downstairs, and he also wanted me to explain to others so that he wouldn’t be suspected.”

Han Liu wanted to retort, but as soon as he raised his head, he met Liu Shuyi's deep eyes that seemed to see through everything. He felt a chill run down his spine and his scalp tingled. He subconsciously swallowed and dared not utter another word in his defense.

In front of Liu Shuyi, he couldn't even muster the courage to make a sophistry.

The shopkeeper, Tang Ming, closed his eyes helplessly, offering no explanation.

At this moment, everyone has already accepted the facts, and any further explanation from him will be in vain.

"But we didn't find Ren Xing. If Tang Ming hid Ren Xing in the inn, where would he hide him?"

Du Gou turned his gaze back to the inn and said, "Could there be a secret room in this inn?"

"A secret room?" The waiter blinked blankly and said, "Really? I've never heard of any secret room in an inn."

"Whether you can do it or not, you'll find out by looking it up."

Liu Shuyi said to the waiter, "Where is Manager Tang resting tonight? Take us there."

Xiao Er glanced at Tang Ming instinctively, but Liu Shuyi stepped aside, blocking the two of them, and said calmly, "He can't even protect himself. Why are you looking at him? What? You were fine before, but now you want to create some problems for yourself and try your luck in jail?"

The waiter shuddered and quickly looked away.

He instinctively tries to read the shopkeeper's expression whenever something happens; it's become a subconscious reaction, and he doesn't actually want to cause trouble for himself at this moment.

"The innkeeper is resting in his own room tonight. Doctor Liu, please. I'll show you the way..."

As he spoke, he quickly walked towards the backyard.

Behind the two-story inn, there is a small courtyard with six rooms.

As the waiter walked, he said, "This courtyard has a woodshed, a storeroom for storing miscellaneous items, two rooms for guests to temporarily store large luggage, and the remaining two rooms are for me and the manager to rest in."

"The small room is a shared bed that can fit five people, while the innkeeper's room is for him to rest alone."

The waiter stopped in front of a room directly opposite the inn's small building and said, "This is the room."

Liu Shuyi gave the guards a wink, and they immediately drew their swords from their waists.

They stood cautiously at the door, exchanged a glance, and then kicked the door open, rushing into the room with knives and lanterns in hand.

Soon, a voice came from inside the room: "No one was found, there is no danger."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi entered the room.

The room was fairly spacious and had a clear distinction between the inner and outer rooms.

The outer room has furniture such as tables, stools, and cabinets, while the inner room has a bed and a dressing table.

At this moment, the cabinet in the outer room was open, with clothes haphazardly draped on it, clearly the result of a rough search by the guards.

In other words, there is no one hiding in the closet in this room.

"Is there really a secret room here?" the waiter couldn't help but ask.

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment, then asked the waiter, "Did you go to the outhouse tonight?"

"Huh?" The waiter was taken aback. What kind of question was this? But he dared not not answer and hurriedly said, "I drank a lot of water before bed and went to the outhouse twice."

"When you went to the outhouse, did you see any lights on in Manager Tang's room?" Liu Shuyi asked again.

The waiter shook his head: "No, the whole courtyard is dark. The manager is reluctant to put lanterns in our little courtyard. I have to be very careful every time I go to the outhouse, afraid of bumping into something."

"When we knocked, you came out to open the door. Was there a candle in Manager Tang's room?"

"No..." the waiter said, "It's precisely because I didn't see the manager turn on the light that I said the manager should still be asleep."

Liu Shuyi laughed and turned to look at Tang Ming: "It's past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) now, and it will be dawn soon. You haven't slept all night, and you haven't even taken off your clothes. It's obvious that you've been with Ren Xing... but the waiter didn't notice that there was a candle in your room."

"You and Ren Xing couldn't have sat there in the dark all night, could you?"

Tang Ming's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he opened his mouth, stammering, "I..."

But Liu Shuyi didn't give him a chance to speak; he turned around and carefully scanned Tang Ming's room.

The room was simply furnished, with nothing superfluous except for the necessary furniture. There wasn't even a decorative painting or vase. It was clear that Tang Ming was rather stingy and unwilling to spend money on unnecessary things.

That's why the floorboards under their feet were so old and creaked when they stepped on them, and Tang Ming didn't replace them.

At the same time... this also means that the marks Tang Ming leaves on the floor after doing something for a long time cannot be hidden.

Liu Shuyi approached the cabinet, but instead of looking inside, he squatted down, reached out, and touched the floor.

On the wooden floor in front of him were many very obvious scratches. These scratches were fan-shaped with one of the cabinet legs as the center, and some of the scratches were very old, while others were very new.

Looking at the scratches, Liu Shuyi's lips curled into a smile.

"Manager Tang, sometimes you can't be too stingy."

"Otherwise, the biggest secret will be exposed to everyone..."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words and seeing where Liu Shuyi was, Tang Ming's pupils contracted sharply.

He opened his mouth as if to shout something, but Cui Lin was quick and reached out to cover Tang Ming's mouth, while ordering the guards to find something to stuff Tang Ming's mouth shut.

Tang Ming kept making muffled sounds, his expression one of terror and despair.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered as he looked at Tang Ming's reaction. He had originally thought that Ren Xing was a member of Miao Yin'er's faction, otherwise Ren Xing should not have become the biggest winner... But now, he was starting to doubt his judgment.

If Ren Xing were a member of Miao Yin'er's faction, he would have plenty of time. With the capabilities of Miao Yin'er's faction, they could easily hide Ren Xing from everyone. Why would they let Ren Xing choose someone who clearly had no experience in the world to help him?
He shook his head slightly, not continuing to ponder. As long as he found Ren Xing, everything would be answered.

Liu Shuyi took two steps back and said, "Move the cabinet according to the scratches."

Upon receiving the order, the guards quickly grabbed the cabinet and moved it with all their might.

A sharp hissing sound rang out, and the cabinet, pushed by the guards, moved swiftly along the scratches, quickly leaving its original position.

As the cabinet was moved, everyone discovered that there were several wooden planks underneath, with very obvious gaps between them and the other wooden planks around them. Moreover, these wooden planks were not completely fixed together... This indicated that these wooden planks were loose and could be lifted directly.

"Dr. Liu!"

Everyone quickly looked at Liu Shuyi, and Cui Lin's eyes were even more intense. They had really found the location of the secret room and were really going to find Ren Xing.

This meant that his first task for Liu Shuyi after his promotion had not failed! Liu Shuyi knew that everyone had been waiting for this moment for a long time, so he didn't delay and said with a smile, "Go, bring him out..."

Upon hearing this, the guards immediately lifted the wooden plank and found a space underneath that resembled a cellar, but it was not dimly lit because candles were lit inside.

The guards looked around and, confirming that it was safe to jump, they took their swords and jumped down.

Not long after, Liu Shuyi heard exclamations coming from underground.

"Who are you?! Where is Tang Ming?"

"presumptuous!"

"Do you know who I am? Release me!"

Upon hearing the voice, Du Gou immediately said, "That's right, it's Ren Xing's voice."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi let out a soft breath.

The key figure involved in the salary fraud case has finally been caught!

…………

Ren Xing was tied up by the guards and pushed out of the cellar. He was still struggling violently and loudly denouncing the guards for trying to use their power to oppress him.

But when he was taken out of the cellar and saw Liu Shuyi, Du Gou and others, his scolding of the guards stopped abruptly.

"You... you..."

His pupils contracted, his face turned pale, and any lingering hope he had was instantly extinguished the moment he saw Liu Shuyi, like cold water poured over a fire, chilling him to the bone.

Liu Shuyi took in the change in Ren Xing's expression and said with a smile, "Ren Shaoqing, we've finally met."

Ren Xing's expression flickered, and he sneered, "Liu Langzhong is really arrogant, ordering someone to humiliate me like this! Insubordination and disrespect for superiors, Liu Shuyi, do you even have any regard for the laws of the Tang Dynasty?!"

Facing Ren Xing's questioning, Liu Shuyi remained calm and slowly said, "Ren Shaoqing understood everything the moment he saw me, so why bother trying to gain an advantage with words?"

Ren Xing's expression changed slightly. He looked away, not daring to meet Liu Shuyi's gaze, and pretended to be calm, saying, "I don't understand what you mean."

"not understand?"

Liu Shuyi sized up Ren Xing.

Ren Xing was wearing a gray robe, with some ash on his face. He looked disheveled and looked like a laborer who earned his living by physical strength. Who would have thought that a fourth-rank official who was usually dressed in fine clothes and had a great presence would dress himself up like this?

Liu Shuyi said, "Ren Shaoqing has disguised himself as a laborer and hidden himself like a rat in this cellar, yet he still says he doesn't understand..."

"Ren Shaoqing, you don't think that even though I went to great lengths to find you and still know nothing, we would believe you just because you say something casually, do you?"

Ren Xing was speechless for a long time after being choked by Liu Shuyi's words.

He knew, of course, that with Liu Shuyi's abilities, he must have found something, but he absolutely could not admit it. As long as Liu Shuyi did not have enough evidence, he still had a chance to turn things around.

He said coldly, "I ran into an old friend today and we had a very pleasant conversation. Before I knew it, I had lost track of time. When my friend heard someone knocking on the door, he went out to check and you rushed in and arrested me. Of course, I don't understand why! I ask Physician Liu to explain to me why you have acted so disrespectfully."

"It seems Ren Shaoqing never considered the possibility of me finding him. He hasn't even thought of an excuse if I catch him..."

Liu Shuyi didn't even know how to criticize the flaws in Ren Xing's excuses.

Whose friends are having such a wonderful time together, especially in the cellar?
However, Ren Xing was determined not to cooperate, and finding fault with him would only be a waste of time.

Liu Shuyi stopped wasting words with Ren Xing and said directly, "After Ren Shaoqing hides here, at most he can only let Manager Tang keep an eye on my whereabouts, but he can't know the extent of my investigation. So next, I will tell Ren Shaoqing what I have found out."

Ren Xing subconsciously looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi looked at him intently and said calmly, "First, I have already investigated and found that General Feng Mu and his subordinates are not the thieves who stole the military pay; they have been framed!"

Ren Xing pursed his lips tightly. When he learned that Liu Shuyi would reopen the investigation into the salary money case, he guessed that Liu Shuyi would find out about these things.

Unexpectedly, before a day had passed, Liu Shuyi had already found out the truth.

That speed... is truly terrifying.

"second……"

Seeing that Ren Xing was only slightly surprised, Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and said, "I have already met with Mu Ping, the former Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Wu Chenyang, the Vice Minister of the Censorate, and Wei Qian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Their testimonies are consistent, saying that the reason why Feng Mu was wronged is entirely your responsibility."

"You didn't want to be punished by the Emperor Emeritus, so in order to solve the case as soon as possible, you fabricated evidence and framed Feng Mu. When they later questioned the soldiers, they saw that none of them admitted it, and they all suspected that your judgment might be wrong."

"But you swore to them that you were vouching for them with your official position, and that Feng Mu and the others were only denying it to escape punishment. You also threatened them, saying that the deadline given by the Emperor Emeritus was approaching, and if the case could not be closed, they would all suffer a bad end... Because of all this, they convicted Feng Mu under your deception and threats."

"fart!!!"

As soon as Liu Shuyi finished speaking, Ren Xing glared angrily and roared, "Bullshit! They're talking nonsense! I'm the one who was tricked! I'm the one who knew nothing! I'm the one who was coerced!"

"They're all talking nonsense! Don't believe them..."

"wrong!"

Ren Xing suddenly paused mid-sentence, staring intently at Liu Shuyi: "They wouldn't say that, you're bluffing me!?"

Seeing that Ren Xing reacted quickly, Du Gou and Cui Lin felt a chill. They had already realized that Liu Shuyi was deliberately bluffing Ren Xing, but they didn't expect Ren Xing to react so fast.

However, Liu Shuyi's expression did not change when questioned by Ren Xing. He still had a calm and composed look on his face, and said calmly, "A mere pawn, yet you expect the one who wields the chessboard not to betray you. Ren Shaoqing, have all your years of experience in the ups and downs of officialdom been wasted?"

"I..." Ren Xing's expression flickered violently. Even though he knew countless people, his mind was in such a state of confusion that he could not judge whether Liu Shuyi's words were true or false.

Seeing Ren Xing hesitate, Liu Shuyi continued, "What I've found goes far beyond this. Let's continue."

"There's more!?" Ren Xing was full of surprise.

From the time Liu Shuyi found the case file on the silver treasury until now, less than twelve hours have passed. How could he have found out so much?

"third……"

Liu Shuyi ignored Ren Xing's thoughts and said, "I have found the real place where the military pay was lost. The military pay was not lost during transportation, but in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse. It was lost before it was shipped out."

Ren Xing's eyes widened in shock: "It was lost in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse? How...how could this be?"

Liu Shuyi looked at Ren Xing and laughed, "Ren Shaoqing, you're really good at pretending. Aren't you one of the participants? How could you not know how the pay went missing?"

"What? Participant? What do you mean?" Ren Xing was genuinely confused this time.

Liu Shuyi said calmly, "Below the Ministry of Revenue's treasury, there is a very large underground space. That underground space was secretly built by Emperor Wen of the former Sui Dynasty. In that underground space, I found many boxes, which were originally the boxes that contained the military pay."

"In other words, someone used the underground passage left by Emperor Wen of Sui to steal the real pay."

"And the other exit of that underground passage is in Xuanyangfang, at Zhao Chengyi's residence... Yes, that's right, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhao Chengyi, who embezzled a huge amount of disaster relief funds."

"Through Zhao Chengyi, I have discovered that he has an accomplice in the Ministry of Revenue, and this accomplice holds a higher position. The case involving the payment of military funds was committed by them in concert."

"After investigating the matter, I immediately arrested the man, who turned out to be Wen Jun, the former Minister of Revenue."

"As a result, Wen Jun told me that they, Zhao Chengyi, and Miao Yin'er belonged to the same secret force. They wanted to overthrow the Tang Dynasty and needed a lot of money, so they stole the military pay."

"After stealing the military pay, in order to avoid being investigated by the court and the Ministry of Revenue, they specifically chose Feng Mu as a scapegoat to take the blame for them, thereby preventing the court from continuing the investigation."

"And you..."

Liu Shuyi stared sharply at Ren Xing and said, "You're also their accomplice! Your task is to solidify Feng Mu's guilt and, within the Three Departments, make Feng Mu a scapegoat for them!"

"So, Ren Shaoqing, you've really hidden yourself well! You've both manipulated the high-ranking officials of the Three Departments, deceiving and framing Feng Mu, and perfectly resolved the trouble for your power. This two-birds-with-one-stone strategy is something even I, as an official, can't help but admire."

Ren Xing was completely dumbfounded.

Looking at Liu Shuyi's grim face, he felt completely stunned.

Liu Shuyi's words were truly beyond my imagination; every single one of them exceeded my expectations.

Not to mention him, even the Du siblings, who had been following Liu Shuyi's investigation, were somewhat stunned at this moment.

Because they knew very well that Liu Shuyi had not yet found out who the people in the Ministry of Revenue were, nor did they have any clues to prove that Ren Xing was related to the forces behind Zhao Chengyi.

As a result, Liu Shuyi's statement was so decisive and logically sound that it formed a complete closed loop...

For a moment, they were unsure whether Liu Shuyi was lying or genuinely possessed information they didn't know, and whether that's the conclusion they were drawn.

If even the Du siblings were like this, then Ren Xing was even more so.

This caused Ren Xing's hands and feet to turn ice-cold, and his face to turn completely pale.

"You bullshit!"

"I have absolutely no idea about Zhao Chengyi or any underground space! The theft of the funds has nothing to do with me!"

"Don't you dare frame me!"

He framed Feng Mu; at worst, he'd lose his own head.

But if Liu Shuyi's case is confirmed, and he is indeed in cahoots with Zhao Chengyi's forces and one of the thieves who stole the military pay... then what awaits him is the crime of exterminating his entire clan!
This made him completely panic.

Looking at Ren Xing, whose face was pale, Liu Shuyi said solemnly, "Ren Shaoqing, this is Wen Jun's confession, and you are indeed the instigator of framing Feng Mu, as well as the biggest beneficiary. This is a fact that you cannot deny."

"You're talking nonsense! That's not true! Don't frame me..."

"This isn't the truth? Then tell me, what is the truth!" Liu Shuyi stepped forward, staring at him with intimidating eyes: "You want to make excuses? Fine! I'll give you a chance. I want to hear how you'll try to argue!"

"I'm not making excuses, I'm telling the truth!"

Ren Xing was in a panic. He knew that he could no longer hide the truth. If he didn't tell the truth, not only would he die, but his whole family would die with him!
This is a consequence he absolutely cannot allow!
"I did frame Feng Mu, but that wasn't my intention. I only wanted to steal your brother's credit..."

Ren Xing finally spoke up and told the truth about what happened back then.

Seeing this, Liu Shuyi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he breathed a long sigh of relief.

He didn't have much time and couldn't interrogate Ren Xing slowly, so he could only use the information gap method, the "demolition effect," to trick Ren Xing into talking.

If Ren Xing still doesn't speak, then there's nothing he can do. After all, he's said everything he can. He's afraid that if he says anything more specific, he might make a mistake and give Ren Xing a clue, thus revealing his purpose.

In that case, getting Ren Xing to speak again would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Fortunately, I won.

(End of this chapter)