The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 163 The Art of Officialdom: It's Time to See Miaoyin'er!
Li Shimin's bestowal of honors was completely unexpected.

Even Liu Shuyi never expected that Li Shimin would bestow such a generous reward upon him.

Keep in mind, he had only been promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of Justice for no more than three days!

Even if he makes further contributions in such a short time, he feels that it can only be considered as a new official making his first move, to solidify his position as a doctor, and to accumulate merits for his future promotion.

Unexpectedly, Li Shimin directly promoted him to a higher rank.

Although it wasn't another promotion, the advancement in rank was no less significant than a promotion in terms of official position.

His original title was the fifth-rank Count of Lantian County, but now he has become the fourth-rank Earl of Lantian County, directly reaching the fourth rank.

Besides his official rank of fifth grade in the Ministry of Justice, his treatment and status had reached the level of a fourth-grade vice minister.

When they encountered officials like Wei Qian, who were fourth-rank vice ministers, they could no longer use their official power to oppress them as before.

Moreover, with a fief, one's source of income is no longer solely based on a fixed salary, but also includes income from rent and taxes levied on households under the title and a portion of land taxes.

It can be said that Li Shimin's bestowal of this title encompassed a comprehensive improvement in status, rank, and income.

The high level of the reward bestowed upon him is evident.

Liu Shuyi knew how much Li Shimin valued the silver payment case, and he also knew how angry Li Shimin would be after he exposed the collusion among the top officials of the former three departments. However, he still underestimated Li Shimin's level of concern and anger.

As a result, even he was caught off guard. After a moment of stunned silence, he hurriedly bowed and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's kindness and will do my utmost to serve Your Majesty and the Tang Dynasty in the future."

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction: "I believe in you."

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials looked at Liu Shuyi with a mixture of envy and intense admiration.

When Liu Shuyi was promoted to physician, they already knew how much His Majesty valued him, and that becoming a physician was not his limit... But now they realized that they had completely underestimated Li Shimin's regard for Liu Shuyi and his future prospects.

There's no need for "later" now; Liu Shuyi's status has already surpassed that of a doctor!
If we don't seize the opportunity to befriend such a rising star now, we may never have the chance again.

Pei Ji kept his head down tightly, not daring to let anyone see his expression... He was afraid he wouldn't be able to maintain his expression, and he was about to grind his teeth to pieces.

Liu Shuyi's title has been promoted once again!

The title of nobility represents Li Shimin's high regard for Liu Shuyi. As Liu Shuyi's title is promoted, if he wants to deal with Liu Shuyi again, he will have to consider Li Shimin's thoughts more. If he cannot defeat Liu Shuyi in one move and make Li Shimin unable to protect him, he cannot easily take action.

Otherwise... the consequences are unpredictable!
The Imperial Censor Zhu Xun's face was deathly pale. Although everyone's attention was on Liu Shuyi and no one paid attention to him, the clown who had just made a fool of himself, he knew the ruthlessness of officialdom. As Liu Shuyi was valued more by Li Shimin, other officials would inevitably try to curry favor with him.

How to make friends?

The simplest way for Liu Shuyi to deal with himself, a low-ranking censor, was...

He could already imagine how many officials he would face impeachment and hostility in the future.

As for Du Ruhui, even the usually composed man couldn't help but grin. He was now wondering if he had been a good person for several lifetimes to have the opportunity to meet such a son-in-law in this life.

Li Shimin's gaze swept over the civil and military officials, taking in the expressions on their faces one by one. His voice became even more authoritative as he said, "Next, it's time to deal with Wu Chenyang and the others."

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials, who had just been filled with emotion, were suddenly startled. They felt as if the temperature in the entire hall had dropped instantly, causing them to instinctively hold their breath and not dare to even exhale.

Then they heard Li Shimin say indifferently: "The former high-ranking officials of the Three Departments, for their own selfish interests, disregarded the laws of the Tang Dynasty, colluded with each other, and persecuted loyal and good people, resulting in the tragic deaths of more than a hundred people, including General Feng Mu, and the exile of more than a thousand people. Their crimes are intolerable to Heaven and Earth, and killing them is not enough to appease public anger!"

"Effective immediately, all officials are hereby stripped of their official titles, demoted to commoners, imprisoned, and executed in the autumn!"

This was the first time since Liu Shuyi's time travel that Li Shimin had directly made a decision, rather than having the three departments discuss it before giving a result.

This shows just how furious Li Shimin was about the collusion between the top officials of the Three Departments.

The civil and military officials were all silent, heads bowed, and no one dared to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Even Pei Ji could only clench his fists tightly, not daring to even lift his head.

Even the most difficult censors, including Zhu Xun, dared not speak up for Wu Chenyang again.

No one dares to provoke the wrath of an emperor.

"And the Ministry of Revenue..."

Li Shimin then turned his gaze to Tang Jian and other officials from the Ministry of Revenue.

Sweat immediately streamed down Tang Jian's forehead. He was not yet ready to drink and was perfectly sober. Precisely because of this soberness, he could clearly feel the coldness in Li Shimin's eyes.

"Beneath your Ministry of Revenue's treasury lies such a vast space left over from the previous dynasty, and you've been completely unaware of it for over ten years!"

"The annual tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty is enormous, and it is always stored in the treasury of your Ministry of Revenue. If that villain were to steal tax revenue instead of military pay... have you ever considered the consequences?"

Tang Jian and the others bent over even deeper, cold sweat pouring down their backs, sticking their clothes to their bodies.

Li Shimin snorted coldly: "All officials in the Ministry of Revenue related to the treasury, as well as the ministers and vice ministers in charge, are guilty of negligence. All of them will be fined one year's salary. Next, I will thoroughly check the Ministry of Revenue to see if there are any secret passages or mechanisms. If anything similar happens again, you will all be stripped of your official robes."

Tang Jian and the others breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed to express their gratitude.

Although he was fined a year's salary and would be struggling financially for the next year, compared to the execution of Wu Chenyang and others in the autumn, Li Shimin had already shown leniency.

"As for Wen Jun, the mastermind behind the silver coin case..."

Li Shimin looked at Liu Shuyi, who understood immediately and hurriedly said, "After confirming that the secret passages under the Ministry of Revenue did exist, I deduced that the mastermind was hiding in the Ministry of Revenue. Therefore, I ordered people to set off immediately to invite Lord Wen to Chang'an for questioning."

"Judging by the time, they should have already picked up Wen Jun by now."

Li Shimin said, "The enemy is cunning and treacherous, we cannot let our guard down. You didn't know he was the mastermind at the time, and you didn't have enough people on your side..."

Then he looked at Cheng Yaojin and said, "General Cheng, why don't you lead the Imperial Guards on a trip?"

Cheng Yaojin immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble general obeys!"

Li Shimin flicked his sleeve and glanced at the civil and military officials: "I can tolerate an official's lack of ability, but I will never allow him to be dishonest."

"If one lacks ability, at most one cannot complete the tasks assigned by the court. But if one's intentions are not righteous, like Wu Chenyang and others, then one will bring chaos to the court, harm innocent people, and cause turmoil to the country and unrest to the world!"

"Today, I personally dealt with Wu Chenyang and the others in the hope that they would serve as a warning, and that all of you would think twice before acting in the future, so as not to repeat their mistakes!"

After saying that, he stood up abruptly: "Court adjourned!"

…………

After Li Shimin left the main hall, Liu Shuyi, having learned from his previous experience, rushed out of the main hall as quickly as a wisp of smoke before the other officials could surround him.

The other officials were left with only Er Kang's outstretched hand, staring blankly at Liu Shuyi as he disappeared from sight.

"Does Doctor Liu have something urgent to discuss?"

They withdrew their hands in a daze, but soon they shifted their gaze to Zhu Xun, who was looking down and trying to sneak away.

Although they couldn't congratulate Liu Langzhong on his promotion in time, they could first vent Liu Shuyi's anger and then use this incident to curry favor with him.

Compared to empty words of congratulations, giving something tangible is much more likely to leave a lasting impression on Liu Shuyi.

Thinking of this, they spoke with forced smiles: "Imperial Censor Zhu, I have something I'd like to discuss with you..."

…………

As Du Ruhui walked out of the palace gate, before he could even find his carriage, he heard a voice from the side: "Lord Du."

Du Ruhui looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Shuyi hiding behind a carriage, waving at him.

Recalling the bewildered look on the faces of the civil and military officials as Liu Shuyi ran away, Du Ruhui couldn't help but smile and walk over: "Why did you leave so quickly?"

"We have to be fast."

Liu Shuyi sighed, “The enthusiasm of my colleagues is too overwhelming. I’m afraid that if I’m surrounded by them, I won’t be able to do anything else all morning.”

Du Ruhui thought about the scene of Liu Shuyi being surrounded a few days ago and nodded in agreement. Right now, Liu Shuyi is in even greater shape than when he was promoted to Physician, so these officials will indeed be more enthusiastic than last time.

Liu Shuyi invited Du Ruhui to ride in his carriage. Du Ruhui instructed his coachman to follow behind, and then he and Liu Shuyi boarded the carriage.

After sitting down, Du Ruhui praised Liu Shuyi, saying, "Your performance this time far exceeded my expectations; you did a very good job."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "It was also good luck that Ren Xing did not escape Chang'an City. If Ren Xing had run away, it would have been a long time to find out the truth."

Hearing this, Du Ruhui showed curiosity and said, "Actually, I wanted to ask this during the court meeting. Ren Xing clearly had the opportunity to leave Chang'an City, where the world would be vast and the sky would be wide open. It would be extremely difficult for us to find him again. Why didn't he escape? Did he think that the most dangerous place was the safest place? Did he think that we would be blind to his presence?"

That's not the reason.

Liu Shuyi shook his head and said, "I asked him this question, and his reason was... he was afraid."

"Afraid?" Du Ruhui asked, puzzled. "Afraid of what?"

"I'm afraid of being silenced!"

Liu Shuyi said, "Ren Xing told me that the information he received at the Chang'an County government office was not actually obtained by his own intelligence network, but by his subordinate Han Liu, who received a letter."

"The letter said that I have discovered the problem with the salary payment case and have gone to the palace to apply to His Majesty for a reinvestigation of the salary payment case. His Majesty will surely agree. As soon as I start the investigation, he will be the first to be targeted. Therefore, he has no chance of survival if he leaves Chang'an immediately."

"After seeing the letter, Han Liu was so frightened that he was completely at a loss. He didn't dare to delay and rushed to the Chang'an County Government to find Ren Xing. In order to see Ren Xing smoothly, Han Liu lied and said that he was a clerk in the Ministry of Justice. In fact, he was a confidant that Ren Xing secretly kept outside to handle all kinds of dirty business for him."

Du Ruhui pondered: "The person who wrote the letter even knows Han Liuyang's confidants who handle dirty affairs outside. It seems that he has a clear understanding of Ren Xing's every move."

"At the same time, he knows everything about what you've done... I wasn't even aware that you wanted to reopen the investigation into the salary case at first, which means..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi, and without Du Ruhui saying it outright, Liu Shuyi understood what Du Ruhui meant.

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "They should be monitoring me secretly, or the Ministry of Justice has their spies." Du Ruhui's face darkened, a cold glint flashed in his deep eyes, and he said in a cold voice, "These guys are really persistent and hard to guard against."

He said to Liu Shuyi, "You'd better arrange for more guards, and also have more guards at your residence. Since they've already set their sights on you, it means they might take other actions at any time, so we can't be careless."

Liu Shuyi had actually thought about this matter before. In the past, he was just an ordinary clerk with a low rank and a low salary, which was already a struggle to support Wan'er and Chang Bo.

But now, he is a fifth-rank official with real power and a fourth-rank county magistrate, so it's time to make the Liu family look like a real wealthy household.

With the number of enemies increasing and them clearly targeting us, it's definitely time to put the need for guards and protection on the agenda.

He nodded and said, "I'll get to work on the guards and protectors later."

Du Ruhui said, "Do you want me to make the arrangements for you?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "I'll look for one myself first. If I really can't find one that I'm satisfied with, then I'll trouble Master Du."

Although there were only a few people in his mansion, the situation was more complicated than in many other residences.

After all, Wan'er... has some secrets.

He needs to carefully consider how to do it.

Seeing this, Du Ruhui didn't think much of it. He reminded him, "The guards and bodyguards are directly related to your safety. You must choose them carefully. Don't let your enemies take the opportunity to hide spies among them, or you'll be in trouble."

Liu Shuyi understood exactly how many powerful figures he had offended, and he nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, Master Du, I will be extra careful."

Knowing Liu Shuyi's cautious nature, Du Ruhui offered a brief hint and then said no more.

He continued on Ren Xing's topic: "Did Han Liu see the person who wrote the letter?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "According to Ren Xing, Han Liu bumped into someone on the road and was knocked to the ground. When Han Liu got up and wanted to cause trouble for that person, he could no longer find that person. At the same time, Han Liu found that there was a letter in his arms at some point."

As he spoke, Liu Shuyi took the letter out of his pocket and handed it to Du Ruhui.

"This is the letter."

Du Ruhui carefully examined the envelope in his hand. There were no words or pictures on the envelope. He opened the envelope, took out the letter, and saw that there were only the few words that Liu Shuyi had said on the letter. There was nothing else.

"The letter writer was very cautious, leaving no clues as to how he could be found..."

"And this handwriting..."

The words on the letter were crooked and ugly.

Du Ruhui frowned deeply as he looked at the words, seemingly wondering, "Is this something a human could write?"
Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "This is definitely not the handwriting of the person who wrote the letter. Either someone who can't write imitated it, or it was written with the other hand that is not used. In short, we can't find him from the handwriting."

Du Ruhui shook his head, returned the letter to Liu Shuyi, and sighed, "They are indeed accomplices of Miaoyin'er and Zhao Chengyi. They are all extremely cunning."

Liu Shuyi nodded in deep agreement.

He continued, "Ren Xing said that after seeing the contents of the letter, he felt very flustered. He didn't know who wrote the letter, nor could he be sure whether the writer's attitude towards him was good or bad."

"After all, the people who know his secrets in the salary case are most likely Wu Chenyang and others. Wu Chenyang and others have been using the salary case to threaten him and bleed him dry over the years. They have no goodwill towards him at all... Therefore, he has no trust in Wu Chenyang and others. He feels that if there is a real risk of exposure, Wu Chenyang and others will probably not kindly remind him to escape, but will instead plot to kill him to silence him and prevent him from betraying them."

"Therefore, Ren Xing decided to proceed with caution."

"Following the instructions in the letter, he had the coachman drive the carriage out of Chang'an, making the letter writer think that their purpose had been achieved. At the same time, he had the coachman drive the carriage to Cuihua Mountain and then push it off the cliff, thus alarming the government and making us mistakenly believe that he had left Chang'an."

"In that case, both sides that might be in danger for him will think that he has left Chang'an, while he is quietly hiding in a safe place within Chang'an, sitting calmly and watching this big show with a cold eye."

Listening to Liu Shuyi's account, even Du Ruhui couldn't help but say, "This Ren Xing really does have some quick wit."

Liu Shuyi nodded in agreement: "If Cui Lin hadn't used the Cui family's influence, and someone hadn't happened to see Ren Xing in front of the inn, Ren Xing's plan might have actually succeeded."

"By then, we will all have been deceived by him, and all our resources will be spent searching outside Chang'an. It may be a long time before we find him again."

Du Ruhui said, "There are no 'ifs' in this world. The fact that you were able to solve this case so smoothly is related to your past choices and accumulation. If you had not recruited Cui Lin in the past and had not made him follow you willingly, then yesterday's events would not have happened."

"Your choice of Cui Lin demonstrates your ability to recognize talent. As the saying goes, 'what you did yesterday will bring you today's results.' It is precisely because of your correct decision that you have achieved what you have today."

"Now it seems that your ability to solve the case was not due to luck, but to solid past experience. Ren Xing's loss was not unjust, nor were Wu Chenyang's, Wen Jun's, and others' losses!"

Liu Shuyi was a little embarrassed by Du Ruhui's praise, and he humbly said, "Master Du is too kind."

Du Ruhui smiled and shook his head: "We're all family, so don't be modest with me."

family?

Liu Shuyi couldn't help but picture Du Ying's beautiful face in his mind, and he nodded with a smile.

They really are family. Before I knew it, the person I was clinging to had become my father-in-law. Life is truly unpredictable.

Du Ruhui then remembered something else and said, "The person who wrote to Ren Xing must be a member of Zhao Chengyi's faction. If he was able to write to Ren Xing in time, could it be that..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and asked, "Did you also inform Mr. Wen?"

Liu Shuyi lifted the carriage curtain, looked out at the bustling street, and said softly, "Wen Jun has most likely... escaped."

Du Ruhui's eyes narrowed. Sure enough... Liu Shuyi's judgment was consistent with his own.

Wen Jun was far away in Huazhou, not in Chang'an. Distance was his greatest advantage. In addition, Wen Jun received the news earlier. As long as Wen Jun was decisive enough, by the time Liu Shuyi's men arrived in Huazhou, the place would be empty and they would have disappeared without a trace.

Is Wen Jun a decisive and resourceful person?

The answer is, of course, yes. How could he not be decisive and resourceful if he could sit in the position of Minister of Revenue and deceive everyone to take control of the salary case?

Perhaps Wen Jun's retirement and return to his hometown was a preparation he made in advance, anticipating the day when his secret might be exposed.

Du Ruhui said, "It seems General Cheng will have made a wasted trip."

Liu Shuyi nodded. He had already foreseen the outcome of Cheng Yaojin's trip, but he could not stop Cheng Yaojin.

On the one hand, all of this was just his deduction. Even if the probability was high, there was always a chance that something might go wrong. If Wen Jun hadn't escaped in time, and Wen Jun had managed to escape successfully because he stopped Cheng Yaojin, then it wouldn't be a merit, but a sin.

On the other hand, Li Shimin's anger was palpable at the time, and he didn't want to provoke Li Shimin at this moment.

Thinking of this, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but say, "Lord Du, you know His Majesty best. I was promoted to Physician less than three days ago, and His Majesty has already given me such a high reward. Won't His Majesty be a little impulsive? If he calms down, will he regret it?"

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui's eyes suddenly deepened. He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Do you think His Majesty bestowed the reward impulsively?"

Liu Shuyi truthfully replied, "His Majesty's bestowal of honors has indeed exceeded my expectations."

"Do not worry."

Du Ruhui's gaze was profound as he said, "Our Emperor is wise and mighty, an unprecedentedly enlightened ruler. Any emperor might act impulsively, but our current Emperor will not!"

"His Majesty bestowed this honor upon you because you solved a very significant problem for him, a problem that had troubled him for a long time. You deserve this reward."

Liu Shuyi understood the implication: "The problem that Master Du is referring to is not the two cases I'm investigating?"

Du Ruhui laughed and said, "To put it bluntly, even if the salary case is a big problem, it didn't happen after His Majesty ascended the throne, so it's not His Majesty who will lose face."

"His Majesty's anger is only to prove one thing."

Liu Shuyi said, "What?"

Du Ruhui's deep eyes met Liu Shuyi's: "The Emperor Emeritus has poor judgment. The people he appoints are all petty thieves and wicked people! If the Tang Dynasty is ruled by such an emperor, and the court is still controlled by these officials, one can imagine the misery the people will suffer in the future..."

Du Ruhui only scratched the surface, saying just these few words, but Liu Shuyi's mind exploded like fireworks, and he understood everything in an instant.

Li Shimin seized power through the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Although he ascended the throne, he was also burdened with the stigma of murdering his brothers and forcing his father to abdicate.

This stain was undoubtedly the one that Li Shimin, who aspired to become an emperor for all ages, most wanted to wash away.

Therefore, Li Shimin was always looking for an opportunity to prove that only by ascending the throne could the Tang Dynasty have a brighter future.

Now, by using the salary scandal to wipe out all the high-ranking officials of the Three Departments during the Wude era, Li Yuan's poor judgment will undoubtedly be exposed...

On the contrary, his ability to solve the case so quickly demonstrates Li Shimin's ability to judge people.

The comparison naturally makes Li Shimin's image completely overshadow Li Yuan's, just like how dynasties that successfully rebelled always smeared the emperors of the previous dynasty...

Furthermore, they speak with facts, not by making baseless accusations, which makes them more acceptable to people.

From this perspective, he had indeed done Li Shimin a great favor, and Li Shimin should indeed reward him handsomely. Only in this way could he better demonstrate his clear distinction between rewards and punishments, and his wisdom and prowess!

Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch. I still have a lot to learn about the intricacies of officialdom.

At this time, the carriage stopped.

Mo Xiaofan, who was driving the carriage, said, "Young Master, we have arrived at the Ministry of Justice."

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui stood up and said, "You've worked hard for another day and night. Don't work at the Ministry of Justice today. Go back to your residence and have a good rest."

Liu Shuyi stood up as well: "Thank you for your concern, Lord Du. I am indeed a little tired, but before I return to my residence, there is one more thing I would like to do."

"Oh?" Du Ruhui asked curiously, "What is it?"

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "See Miaoyin'er!"

With the case of the salary payment solved and him having gained more information about Miao Yin'er's power, he could now use this information gap as an advantage to determine how much of Miao Yin'er's words were true and how much was false.

In order to determine... the true nature of the relationship between Miaoyin'er and her elder brother Liu Shuzhong!

Was it true, as she had previously stated, that she almost became her own... sister-in-law?
(End of this chapter)