The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 174 Breaking Through Three Paths! Ding Feng's Shock: Are We Really Investigating the Same Case?
"hiss……"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Li Xinchun subconsciously gasped.

He was not timid; during the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he had personally killed people and once single-handedly drove away vicious mountain bandits, protecting the peace of a county. However, there was only one thing he feared: gods and ghosts.

This thing is invisible and intangible, which makes him most uneasy.

Even though he knew that there should be no gods or ghosts in the world, he couldn't help but let his mind wander.

Moreover, almost every discovery in this case from the beginning to the present has been extremely bizarre, which makes Li Xinchun even more suspicious.

"The neighbors said that it was the ghost of Yang Wenwan's fiancé who came to find her and wanted her to be buried alive with him, so..."

Li Xinchun swallowed again and said, "They believe that Yang Wenwan's disappearance was because she went to complete a ghost marriage with her fiancé? And that her body is in her fiancé's grave?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Feng frowned: "What kind of ghosts are there in this world? It's just a coincidence that these people are having wild thoughts and spreading rumors."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Doctor Liu, we don't need to waste time on this kind of thing."

Liu Shuyi understood Ding Feng's meaning. In the eyes of those who do not believe in ghosts and gods, anything related to ghosts and gods is just wild speculation and rumors. However... this case cannot be viewed so simply.

He asked Li Xinchun, "What does Magistrate Li think?"

Li Xinchun was not a staunch materialist like Ding Feng. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I think that since the neighbors are saying this, we can't ignore it. We still need to investigate."

"How do we investigate?" Ding Fengdao said, "The neighbors said that Yang Wenwan was buried alive with her fiancé, which means that Yang Wenwan's body is in her fiancé's grave. Are we going to dig up the grave?"

“This…” Li Xinchun hesitated. Grave digging was different from other matters and was taboo. The imperial court had very strict regulations on it. Even their government office had to go through a very complicated process and obtain permission.

However, even if the imperial court gave permission, it didn't mean that the grave could definitely be dug up. The permission of the deceased's relatives was also required. If the relatives did not allow it, it was possible to dig it up by force, but this would involve huge risks.

If there really is something wrong with the grave, that's good; it means they did an excellent job investigating the case, and that they dug the right grave.

However, if there is nothing wrong with the grave, the relatives of the deceased will surely cry out in despair. Digging up graves has always been the most hated thing by the people. After all, everyone will die one day, and everyone has ancestors lying in coffins. No one wants to be dug up by others after their death. So, you can imagine what kind of scene that would be.

Even though Li Xinchun was afraid of ghosts and felt that the case was strange and there might really be some ghostly issues, he did not dare to agree to it easily.

He cannot bear this responsibility.

Seeing that Li Xinchun remained silent, Ding Feng said to Liu Shuyi, "Although digging up a grave is only a matter of a few shovelfuls, the impact is quite significant. Moreover, the claim of being buried alive with the dead is clearly just wishful thinking. Doctor Liu, please do not act rashly."

This was the first time Ding Feng had tried to persuade Liu Shuyi during an investigation.

Liu Shuyi knew that Ding Feng was concerned about him. Otherwise, even if digging up the grave caused trouble, Ding Feng would not be the one to bear the consequences. On the contrary, it would eliminate a wrong direction. Why wouldn't Ding Feng do it?

"Thank you for your concern, Imperial Censor Ding."

Liu Shuyi first expressed his gratitude to Ding Feng, then changed the subject and said, "But I might really need to investigate this grave."

"why?"

Ding Feng couldn't understand; he himself could figure out the risks and problems involved, and he didn't believe Liu Shuyi couldn't.

Li Xinchun was also surprised. Could it be that Liu Shuyi, like himself, believed in the existence of ghosts and gods?
Meeting their puzzled gazes, Liu Shuyi said, "Actually, whether ghosts exist in this world, and whether I believe in them, is not important."

"What really matters... is whether the murderer believed in ghosts!"

Ding Feng was taken aback: "The murderer?"

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "Imperial Censor Ding also saw it. Whether it was the Yang family's fate back then or the current case of Doctor Yang, both are shrouded in mystery."

"If Dr. Yang's murder was indeed related to what happened to the Yang family back then, then the fact that the murderer used the Five Elements method to dispose of Dr. Yang's body and performed this terrifying and demonic ritual means that the murderer must have believed in ghosts and gods."

"Since the murderer believes it, let's follow his line of thinking. Could he believe that the Yang family's past misfortunes were related to ghosts and gods?"

"If that's what the murderer thinks, then tell me, if his neighbors all suspect that Yang Wenwan's disappearance is related to her fiancé's ghost, wouldn't the murderer have similar suspicions?"

“This…” Ding Feng hesitated. He did not believe in ghosts or gods, but Liu Shuyi was right. Whether he believed or not was not important. What was important was whether the murderer believed.

Clearly, the murderer was completely convinced!

He is even quite proficient in this area.

Ding Fengdao said, "Then what do we do? Are we really going to dig up the grave? But if Yang Wenwan's body isn't in the grave, then we'll be in trouble!"

Li Xinchun was also very hesitant. Although the murderer might suspect the claim that Yang Wenwan was buried alive with the dead, it didn't mean that Yang Wenwan's body was definitely in the grave, nor did it mean that Yang Wenwan was really buried alive with the dead.

If Yang Wenwan had not been buried alive with the deceased, or if she had been buried alive but her body had been dug up by the murderer, then their attempt to exhume her grave would inevitably have ended in failure, and they would have to bear a great responsibility for it.

He didn't want to take responsibility, nor did he want to put Liu Shuyi in a difficult position, since Liu Shuyi had only taken the case to help him.

"Doctor Liu, how about we reconsider?" Li Xinchun said after a moment's hesitation.

Liu Shuyi took in their expressions and said with a smile, "I don't think I said I was going to dig up a grave, did I?"

"What?" Both of them were taken aback.

Liu Shuyi said, "What I just said was that we were going to investigate Yang Wenwan's fiancé's grave. Investigating doesn't mean digging it up."

"How can we know if Yang Wenwan is in the grave if we don't dig?" Li Xinchun couldn't help but ask.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "It's highly likely he's not here."

"Even if Yang Wenwan was indeed buried in her fiancé's grave for some reason, the murderer, suspecting the theory of burial by sacrifice, would certainly have secretly dug up the grave to confirm it... Let's put ourselves in their shoes. If you were the murderer, very close to the Yang family, and vowed to find out the truth about what happened to the Yang family, and you found the body of Yang Wenwan, who had gone mad and disappeared before her marriage, in the grave of a man who had not yet been formally married, what would you do?"

"Should we pretend we didn't see her and let Yang Wenwan continue lying there, or should we dig her up and bury her separately?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Wen replied without hesitation, "Of course we'll dig her out! A perfectly innocent young woman like me died here without any explanation. I'm already being lenient by not causing trouble for my fiancé's family. How could I let an innocent girl continue to lie with a man I have no connection with?"

Li Xinchun and Ding Feng exchanged a glance, then both nodded in agreement with Gu Wen's words.

"So, Yang Wenwan's body is definitely not in the grave. Then why are we still investigating the grave?" Ding Feng asked, puzzled.

Liu Shuyi didn't keep everyone in suspense and said, "I don't want to know if Yang Wenwan's body is in the grave. I just want to know when the murderer dug the grave."

"When was the grave dug?" Everyone frowned, not understanding Liu Shuyi's meaning.

Liu Shuyi looked at them and said, "Since the Yang family's neighbors have such thoughts, then Yang Wenwan's fiancé's family, as the parties involved, cannot possibly not have such thoughts. Therefore, they will definitely pay attention to the situation of their son's grave."

“They might even have the urge to dig up the grave to confirm whether Yang Wenwan really entered their son’s grave… Of course, as parents, they would never dig up their son’s grave, but they would definitely have carefully examined it to determine if anything had happened.”

"Therefore, when their son's grave is actually dug up and then filled in, it will definitely not be the same as it was originally. As long as they go to visit the grave, they will always have Yang Wenwan's matter of being buried alive with them in their hearts, and they will be able to discover it if they consciously observe the condition of the grave."

"In this way, we can roughly know when the murderer dug up the grave, and thus determine when the murderer began investigating the Yang family."

"Investigating the Yang family's affairs will inevitably lead us to Chang'an... In this way, we might be able to identify the possible murderer by observing the movements of the Yang family's relatives and friends."

Upon hearing this, the crowd's previously bewildered expressions instantly transformed into expressions of shock and delight.

"This...the suspect's range was identified so quickly!?"

Li Xinchun stammered. He really couldn't believe that Liu Shuyi could actually pinpoint the suspect's range based on just a seemingly mysterious rumor!

What kind of brain and thinking ability does it take to analyze all this?

Ding Feng was also shocked. He had dismissed the idea of ​​ghosts and monsters because he didn't believe in them. However, he didn't expect that his supposedly wise and calm decision to eliminate the possibility of ghosts and monsters would almost cause him to miss the most important opportunity to find the murderer!

Gu Wen was even more regretful. The more capable Liu Shuyi became, the more he regretted his distrust of Liu Shuyi in the Ma Qingfeng family massacre case! If he had trusted Liu Shuyi back then, he would have made great contributions and gotten on Liu Shuyi's good side long ago.

Thinking of this, Gu Wen roared inwardly: Qian Wenqing has ruined my future!

Du Ying's beautiful eyes flashed with a strange light, and the corners of her lips slightly lifted. She felt that every time she saw Liu Shuyi, he would give her a surprise.

"Of course, this is the ideal situation. As I said, Yang Wenwan's fiancé's family will keep the rumor of Yang Wenwan's suicide in mind... If they don't think it's a big deal, or ignore it as time goes by, then we may not gain anything."

Liu Shuyi looked at the group and said, "However, ten years have passed since the Yang family incident. Back then, the government didn't find any useful clues, let alone now... So, even if we only have a one in ten thousand chance, we can't let it go."

Upon hearing this, Li Xinchun and the others all nodded emphatically.

Li Xinchun said, "Doctor Liu is right. As long as there is such a possibility, we must seize the opportunity! I will arrange for people to investigate right away."

Gu Wen hurriedly volunteered, "This humble official will go!"

"Having heard Physician Liu's analysis, I already have an idea of ​​how to communicate with them. If they are ordinary yamen runners, and they are unwilling to cooperate, it may not be possible to get them to speak." Li Xinchun thought for a moment and nodded, "Very well, then you can go."

Gu Wen looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "As long as they know about this matter, I will definitely ask them and make sure that the opportunity that Doctor Liu has worked so hard to find is not wasted."

Liu Shuyi understood that Gu Wen was trying to impress him in a roundabout way, and he smiled and said, "I naturally believe in County Magistrate Gu's abilities."

Gu Wen was waiting for Liu Shuyi to say those words. Although he couldn't make Liu Shuyi completely change his opinion of him all at once, he believed that as long as he did enough, Liu Shuyi would forgive his mistakes sooner or later.

He didn't linger any longer and turned to leave.

“County Commandant Gu…”

At this moment, Liu Shuyi suddenly called out to Gu Wen.

Gu Wen quickly turned around and asked very respectfully, "Does Physician Liu have any other instructions?"

Liu Shuyi took out a faded sachet from his pocket and handed it to Gu Wen, saying, "Take this sachet with you. If Yang Wenwan's fiancé's family is unwilling to cooperate, take out the sachet and tell them that it was found on Yang Wenwan's bed. Even though her fiancé is dead, Yang Wenwan has not forgotten him."

Gu Wen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly understood Liu Shuyi's intention to play the sentimental card. He hurriedly took the sachet: "With Doctor Liu's sachet, I am even more confident."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "While you're at it, also inquire about the death of Yang Wenwan's fiancé. The neighbors only know that he had an accident, but they don't know what kind of accident it was or when he died. Ask around carefully."

Upon hearing this, Li Xinchun couldn't help but ask, "Does Physician Liu suspect that there's something fishy about the death of Yang Wenwan's fiancé?"

Liu Shuyi gently stroked the jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips and said, "The time Yang Wenwan disappeared was the same day as her originally scheduled wedding day... I don't know if this is a coincidence or inevitable, but it's always good to confirm it."

Gu Wen nodded emphatically: "This official understands. This official will inquire further. Does Doctor Liu have any other instructions?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head.

Seeing this, Gu Wen turned and left without any hesitation. His clean and decisive manner even made Li Xinchun a little dazed. Was this still the same Gu Wen who was slow and procrastinating?

"Next is the third aspect..."

After Gu Wen left, Liu Shuyi didn't waste any time and continued speaking.

Li Xinchun and the others quickly composed themselves and listened attentively.

"The neighbors said that after his children mysteriously disappeared and his wife drowned herself in a well, Yang Hui was heartbroken and had no intention of doing anything. He didn't even want to listen to the neighbors' comforting words. He locked himself in his room and refused to see the servants... Not long after, Yang Hui said he was going out to do business."

Liu Shuyi said, "But during this business trip, he had an accident and fell off a cliff, his body never to be found."

Ding Feng frowned and said, "Yang Hui has suffered such a huge setback, it's normal for him to be disheartened and not want to do anything... But why does he suddenly want to go out and do business? Has he recovered from his despair?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "The neighbors don't know the specifics. There are two possibilities now."

"One possibility is, as Imperial Censor Ding said, that Yang Hui had recovered from the blow, or wanted to change his environment and escape Chang'an, which filled him with sorrow. Going out to do business was his subjective choice."

"The other possibility is that someone asks him to leave, and he may not want to, but he has no choice but to leave."

"If this is the case, and considering the accidents that happened to him during his business trip, then we cannot help but consider whether his business trip was a death trap set for him by someone."

Upon hearing this, Li Xinchun and the others' expressions changed slightly.

"That's what Doctor Liu said..." Li Xinchun's eyes flickered: "It's true! Yang Hui's sudden departure is obviously inconsistent with his previous behavior, and he died on the way. Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed worth pondering."

Ding Feng also nodded: "We do need to find out why Yang Hui went out to do business."

Liu Shuyi looked at Li Xinchun: "Magistrate Li, this matter depends on you."

"When a caravan travels, its members need to apply to the government office for permission to pass through before setting off. So your Wannian County government office should have their permission information from that year."

Li Xinchun nodded directly: "This is simple. I will have someone check the situation. If they are still in their original place of residence and still in Chang'an City, we will definitely be able to find them."

After saying that, he turned around and quickly made arrangements with the yamen runners.

Ding Feng watched the bailiffs walk away quickly, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

A case from ten years ago, without the help of case files, without any clues, and without even being able to find a single person who personally experienced what happened back then... Under such circumstances, how difficult would it be to investigate?

Just thinking about it puts him under immense pressure; in his view, this is a problem that cannot be solved by effort alone.

But as it turned out, not long after, Liu Shuyi found a direction for the investigation, and not just one direction, but three directions for investigating the cases.

The doctor who treated the patient, the fiancé's grave, and the reason for his business trip...

If any one of these three directions yields results, it would be enough to open up a new chapter for them and bring them closer to the truth!

Ding Feng finally understood why, among so many people in the Three Judicial Offices and local government offices who had solved cases, only Liu Shuyi was known as a detective by everyone.

"Dr. Liu, I'm back."

At this moment, Yuan Tiangang walked in through the main gate.

Liu Shuyi asked directly, "Well? Did you figure anything out?"

Ding Feng and Li Xinchun also quickly looked at Yuan Tiangang.

Yuan Tiangang frowned, his expression even more solemn than when he left after the ceremony where he discovered the Eye of Evil.

“Strange,” he said.

"Strange?" Liu Shuyi didn't understand.

Yuan Tiangang explained, "I have examined the five locations that the murderer chose, and he certainly did not choose them randomly."

"Those are the five key points in Feng Shui, but they are not perfect; in fact, they are deficient in the five elements."

Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat: "Did the murderer use the Five Elements method to make up for the missing elements in those five positions?"

"No."

Yuan Tiangang shook his head: "He did not make up for the lack of the five elements. On the contrary, the reason why those positions are lacking in the five elements is because one element is too heavy, which leads to an imbalance of the five elements. If the lack of the five elements can be made up to balance them, then it will be a place with excellent feng shui."

"However, what the murderer did was to add to the already excessive weight of that element, making the already unbalanced Five Elements even more unbalanced."

Li Xinchun frowned and said, "Knowing that the five elements are lacking, instead of making up for it, the murderer deliberately exacerbated the imbalance... Why would the murderer do this?"

Yuan Tiangang said, "An imbalance of the five elements will lead to a deterioration of feng shui, and what was originally auspicious land may become inauspicious land as a result."

Li Xinchun was shocked: "The murderer has turned this area into a haunted place?"

“Not really,” Yuan Tiangang said. “The murderer did hold back; it only slightly affected the feng shui of the area and won’t have any impact on the surrounding people.”

"Since he didn't change the feng shui and even held back, why did he go through all that trouble to dismember the body and handle it according to the Five Elements theory?" Li Xinchun couldn't understand.

Yuan Tiangang also shook his head and said, "This is exactly what I can't figure out. From the demonic eye drawn by the murderer, we can see that the murderer was extremely cruel to Doctor Yang, making it impossible for Doctor Yang to be reincarnated even after death... So my original guess was that he disposed of the body according to the Five Elements method in order to further suppress and torture Doctor Yang, but the result is not like that."

"He simply exacerbated the imbalance of the five elements, but it didn't cause any serious consequences, which is extremely strange."

So that's how it is... Liu Shuyi finally understood why Yuan Tiangang had said it was strange.

For the murderer, disposing of the body using the Five Elements method was the most dangerous part of his entire crime. However, the murderer risked being discovered by the watchman and the Imperial Guards, but instead did the mildest thing compared to what happened in the courtyard, which was indeed very strange.

Judging from everything the murderer did, every single thing he did had a very clear logic and a very specific purpose.

He was so fierce in this courtyard, yet so gentle outside... There must be a reason and purpose for him to do so.

But what are the reasons and purposes...?

Liu Shuyi glanced at the dilapidated mansion and shook his head; this place clearly couldn't give him an answer.

Therefore, it's time to change the location of the investigation.

It's time to visit Yang Wanli's residence.

What secrets does Yang Wanli have that cannot be known to his servants? Does he hold leverage over the original body that Miao Yin'er's forces need? Is his strange encounter with the Yang family back then related to this? Why was the murderer so ruthless to him? The answers to these questions may lie within the Yang family mansion.

Liu Shuyi let out a long breath, took one last look at the once lively and warm but now dilapidated and abandoned mansion, and said, "Let's go, to the Yang residence."

(End of this chapter)