The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 178 The shocking truth is far more than just five people!

Li Xinchun's voice was sharp and shrill due to the intense emotional changes.

Du Ying and the others felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing his words and all looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi's gaze returned to the five jars placed together by the yamen runners. Looking at the jars filled with grayish-white powder and the yellowed talisman used to suppress the seal at the mouth of the jars, he recalled the tragic end of Yang Hui's family back then. At this moment, he felt as if he were hallucinating.

As these jars were brought to light again, and as the talismans were torn open, he seemed to see tiny, transparent figures crawling out of the ashes.

They roared in agony, they sobbed in sorrow, they kept pacing around this blessed land with excellent feng shui, as if they wanted to find the culprit who had buried them here for ten years to take revenge, and also as if they wanted to find their family whom they had not seen for ten years... But they circled around countless times and did not find their enemy, nor did they find their family whom they missed. In the end, they broke down and cried.

They had been away from home for ten years, they had been dead for ten years, but Yang Wanli was too cruel. Even though they were dead, their souls were suppressed here, and they couldn't even visit their families in their dreams.

“Yuan Lingtai…”

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath. He didn't rush to answer Li Xinchun's question, but instead asked Yuan Tiangang, "How do you determine whether a person is the ultimate in the Five Elements?"

Yuan Tiangang said, "The extreme of the Five Elements is different from the lack of the Five Elements. Its requirements are more extreme. It requires that one's birth date, surname, and place of birth all conform to the extreme of the Five Elements."

"For example, the element of wood in the Five Elements requires the surname to contain the character for wood, the place of birth to be the place with the strongest wood attribute, and the birth chart to have the element of wood firmly dominating and completely suppressing the other four elements."

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "All three are indispensable; they must all be satisfied?"

“Yes,” Yuan Tiangang said, “If any one of them is missing, it cannot be called the ultimate of the Five Elements.”

Liu Shuyi nodded, then turned to look at Li Xinchun and said, "Judging from everything the murderer did to Yang Wanli, it is highly likely that the murderer was seeking revenge for Yang Hui's family. However, whether this is really the case, and whether Yang Wenwan's strange madness and disappearance were truly the work of Yang Wanli, still requires confirmation of one thing."

"Are you sure about what?" Li Xinchun asked hurriedly.

Liu Shuyi's gaze was deep: "Yang Wenwan's birth date and time."

"Birth date and time?" Li Xinchun asked thoughtfully.

Liu Shuyi said, "Yang Wenwan's surname is Yang, and her surname contains the character for wood. It is obvious that she best fits the attribute of wood."

"We cannot be certain where she was born, or whether she was born in that mansion in Anshanfang, but we can be certain of her birth date and time."

"As long as her birth date and time also match the extreme of the wood element... if two out of the three conditions are met, I think that would be enough to prove that Yang Wenwan is the target Yang Wanli is looking for, and the strange things that happened to her back then would have a reasonable explanation."

Li Xinchun thought about it carefully and then nodded: "Indeed, there are no such coincidences in this world. If two out of the three conditions are met, it can indeed be confirmed directly. However... you said that the birth date and time can be used to determine it. How can it be determined? The household registration book of the Ministry of Revenue only has her birth date, but not the specific time."

Why bother going to the Ministry of Revenue to look for it?

Liu Shuyi looked at Li Xinchun: "Magistrate Li, have you forgotten what County Lieutenant Gu went to do?"

"Gu Wen..."

Li Xinchun realized something, his eyes flashed, and he clapped his hands forcefully: "That's right! How could I forget, Yang Wenwan is engaged!"

"The fact that she was able to get engaged means that she must have had her birth charts checked with the man, so her fiancé's family must have her birth chart!"

At this point, he hurriedly said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry to Yang Wenwan's fiancé's house."

With the case at this stage, the final truth is just around the corner. Liu Shuyi also wants to confirm as soon as possible whether Yang Wanli was responsible for the ordeal that Yang Hui's family suffered back then.

He nodded and said to the constable, "Take good care of these ashes. Their relatives may still be searching for them with all their might. We can't save them, but at least we should let their ashes return to their families."

The constables felt an indescribable sense of oppression. They nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, Physician Liu. With us here, even if Yang Wanli returns as a vengeful ghost, he won't be able to touch your ashes."

"You've worked hard." Liu Shuyi patted the yamen runner on the shoulder, and took one last look at the silent ashes on the cold ground. The hallucination he had just experienced seemed to have disappeared, or perhaps these poor souls knew that they would soon see their families and were looking forward to going back to wait.

"call……"

Liu Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief, and without further delay, turned around and strode away with Li Xinchun and the others.

Returning to the ground via the ladder, Li Xinchun looked up at the warm, dazzling sun overhead and couldn't help but sigh, "Although that secret room was spacious and not cramped, it still made me feel suffocated and extremely uncomfortable. The ground is much better; it makes me feel alive again."

Liu Shuyi didn't explain the psychological principles to Li Xinchun. He quickly walked out of the Yang residence and asked, "Does Magistrate Li know where Yang Wenwan's fiancé lives?"

“This…” Li Xinchun, who was walking briskly, suddenly stopped. He looked up and met Liu Shuyi’s gaze, his expression immediately turning awkward: “I really didn’t know this unless County Magistrate Gu sent someone to tell me.”

Gu Wen only learned from Yang Hui's neighbors that Yang Wenwan's fiancé was named Wei Miao and lived in a certain neighborhood in Wannian County, Chang'an City. However, the neighbors did not know exactly where Wei Miao lived or whether his family had moved in the past ten years.

Therefore, Gu Wen needs to go to the Ministry of Revenue first, find out Wei Miao's household registration information based on the limited information available, and then find Wei Miao's family based on this information.

This is no simple matter, which is why Gu Wen, who is trying his best to impress Liu Shuyi, has not returned for so long.

Liu Shuyi frowned. He had just seen Li Xinchun striding hurriedly outside and assumed that Li Xinchun knew where he was going, but it turned out... he knew nothing at all.

Seeing Liu Shuyi frowning, his ears burning with embarrassment, Li Xinchun quickly said, "I'll send someone to find County Magistrate Gu right away. Don't worry, Doctor Liu, it won't take long."

As he spoke, he was about to order the yamen runners to go and search for it.

"Doctor Liu, Magistrate Li, your humble servant has returned..."

Just then, Gu Wen's voice suddenly came from afar.

Li Xinchun was startled by the sound, and then quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

Then they saw Gu Wen, dressed in the official robes of a county magistrate, dismount and hurrying towards the gate of the Yang residence.

Li Xinchun's eyes lit up, his face full of surprise: "It's true that being lucky is worse than being early."

He hurried over to greet him, saying, "County Commandant Gu, you are truly my lucky star. If you had been any later, I would have lost all face."

"Huh?" Gu Wen looked at Li Xinchun, who seemed to be seeing his own mother with great affection, and was completely stunned.

Ever since the Ma Qingfeng family massacre, Li Xinchun has been looking down on him, always finding ways to nitpick and belittle him to the point that he doesn't dare to utter a sound, for fear that Li Xinchun will punish him for making a scene.

Not long ago, everything was the same, but who would have thought that after only a short separation, when Li Xinchun was seen again, he seemed like a completely different person.

Gu Wen knew Li Xinchun well and knew that this was definitely not because Li Xinchun had a change of heart, so the reason why Li Xinchun had become like this could only be because of someone else.

And who else was there besides Liu Shuyi?
Thinking of this, Gu Wen looked at Liu Shuyi with gratitude. He felt that Liu Shuyi must have spoken well of him to Li Xinchun, otherwise the stubborn Li Xinchun would not have let him off so easily!
My efforts today have indeed paid off; Doctor Liu has seen my hard work.

I never expected Doctor Liu to be so magnanimous. Not only did he forgive me, but he also helped me persuade Li Xinchun. From now on, Doctor Liu will be my greatest benefactor. If anyone dares to slander Doctor Liu in front of me, I will definitely cut ties with them... Hmm, I'm talking about you, Qian Wenqing! You didn't even show your face once after I fell on hard times. I helped you so much, but I wasted my sincerity. Doctor Liu is the best!
Seeing Gu Wen's tearful expression, Liu Shuyi felt that Gu Wen might have misunderstood something, but this wasn't a bad thing for him, so he didn't explain.

Liu Shuyi approached Gu Wen and asked directly, "Have you found out everything?"

Li Xinchun quickly replied, "Yes! How's the matter I asked you to ask? Have Wei Miao's family members discovered that Wei Miao's grave has been dug up?"

Gu Wen composed himself and hurriedly said, "When I first asked, his family was unwilling to talk. Later, I took out the sachet that Doctor Liu had given me. When they saw the character '淼' embroidered on the sachet, they choked up and burst into tears on the spot."

"Upon seeing this, I relayed what Physician Liu had taught me: that even though Wei Miao had died unexpectedly, Yang Wenwan had never forgotten him. After hearing this, Wei Miao's parents remained silent for a moment before finally speaking."

Gu Wen looked at Liu Shuyi and Li Xinchun and said, "They said that Wei Miao's grave was indeed dug up."

Upon hearing this, Li Xinchun quickly looked at Liu Shuyi: "Just as Doctor Liu predicted, they really did find that Wei Miao's grave had been dug up."

Liu Shuyi nodded. Actually, he wasn't very confident about this. After all, once the grave was dug up, the soil color would gradually match the surrounding soil color, and as time passed, the pain would slowly fade. Wei Miao's parents might also gradually forget about the state of Wei Miao's grave... In that case, unless it was by sheer coincidence, even if Wei Miao's grave had been dug up, his parents might not have noticed.

That's why he said at the time that in the most ideal situation, Gu Wen could gain something.

Unexpectedly, the most ideal situation actually happened.

Liu Shuyi asked, "When was Wei Miao's grave dug up?"

Li Xinchun also quickly looked at Gu Wen, who did not delay and said directly, "The second month after Yang Wenwan disappeared."

"Yang Wenwan has been missing for two months..." Li Xinchun's eyes widened in surprise: "So early!? Doesn't that mean that shortly after the Yang Hui family's accident, Wei Miao's grave was dug up?"

Liu Shuyi also raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression showing a hint of surprise.

Gu Wen nodded and said, "When I heard them say the second month, I was also very surprised and couldn't believe it, so I confirmed it again."

"Wei Miao's parents said that after hearing about Yang Wenwan's mysterious disappearance, they were initially very worried about her. Although Wei Miao died in an accident and Yang Wenwan could not become their daughter-in-law, it did not stop them from caring about her."

"Therefore, they kept inquiring about Yang Wenwan's situation, and gradually they heard some rumors. They heard that Yang Wenwan was going crazy because their son's spirit was calling out to her, and that Yang Wenwan's disappearance was also to be buried with their son."

"Wei Miao is gentle and kind-hearted. They don't believe that their son would harm Yang Wenwan after his death. But these rumors are very convincing, and Wei Miao and Yang Wenwan did fall in love at first sight and have a deep affection for each other. So they gradually became less firm in their beliefs."

"To confirm the truth of the matter, they went to Wei Miao's grave. If Yang Wenwan really did commit suicide for her son, then her son's grave would definitely have cracked and then closed up again, and there would have been some changes."

"When they first went to check, they didn't find any changes to the grave. They weren't sure if the rumors were false or if the grave had actually changed, but since they hadn't noticed anything, they would occasionally go to Wei Miao's grave, burning paper money for him and asking him to appear in their dreams to confirm the truth of the rumors, while also continuing to observe the grave to see if they had simply overlooked it or if nothing had truly changed." "And so, in the second month after Yang Wenwan's disappearance..."

Gu Wen paused for a moment, then said to the two men, "They still hadn't found anything, and they were about to give up, thinking that the theory of funerary sacrifice was pure nonsense, when they suddenly discovered... that the soil on Wei Miao's grave had turned black!"

"And this means that the grave... has been dug up."

Even though he already knew the outcome, Li Xinchun's pupils still contracted when he heard the words "the grave was dug up."

Even with the most compelling reason, digging up someone's grave is, in the Wei family's eyes, an act deserving of divine retribution and unforgivable!
Li Xinchun asked, "Why didn't Wei Miao's parents report it to the authorities?"

Gu Wendao said, "First of all, the strange encounter of Yang Wenwan's family has become the talk of the town. If the Wei family reports it to the authorities now, it will definitely attract gossip from others. Others may even suspect that this is the work of the Wei family, that the Wei family is trying to force their son into a ghost marriage."

"Secondly, Wei Miao's parents are unsure whether the problem with Wei Miao's grave was caused by someone else, or, as rumored, by Yang Wenwan as a result of their suicide..."

"Therefore, after hesitating and struggling, they decided to keep it a secret."

"This matter is not exactly honorable, which is why they were reluctant to speak when I first asked them. If it weren't for the sachet that Physician Liu gave me that moved them, they probably would never have revealed this secret in their entire lives."

After listening to Gu Wen's story, Li Xinchun, Lu Yangyuan, and the others were all somewhat moved.

Is there any connection between Wei Miao's family and Yang Wenwan's disappearance?

There is a high probability that they are unrelated, but even if they are completely unrelated, the Wei family was still caught up in the rumors. In the end, even though Wei Miao's parents saw with their own eyes that their son's grave had been dug up, they could only grit their teeth and swallow their anger, not daring to make a sound.

This was undoubtedly a huge pain for Wei Miao's parents as well.

Li Xinchun sighed, "Rumors are like tigers and wolves, and they are also foolish, which almost caused such an important clue to be hidden in a coffin."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Then all we need to do next is investigate the Yang family's relatives and friends. If any of them were in Chang'an during that time, we can narrow down the suspects."

A thoughtful look flashed in Liu Shuyi's eyes. After a moment, he shook his head slightly: "This matter is not urgent."

He asked Gu Wen, "Have you asked them how Wei Miao's accident happened?"

Gu Wen nodded: "Wei Miao drowned two months after his engagement, when he went on a boat trip and fell into the water."

"Fell into the water from the cruise ship?" Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Was there anyone who witnessed it?"

Gu Wen shook his head: "Wei Miao's parents said it was nighttime, and there were female entertainers singing and dancing on the cruise ship. Everyone else was inside the cruise ship listening to the music and watching the dance, so no one went outside until they heard someone calling for help, and that's when they realized someone had fallen into the water."

"But by the time they realized it, it was too late; Wei Miao had already stopped breathing."

There were no eyewitnesses… Liu Shuyi stroked his chin, pondering, “Do you know why Wei Miao came outside alone at that time?”

Gu Wen shook his head: "Wei Miao's parents asked Wei Miao's companions, but their attention was all on the dancers and singers. They had no idea when Wei Miao left."

“Interesting…” Liu Shuyi said meaningfully, “Normally, when going out with a partner, if something happens that requires you to leave alone, you will definitely inform your partner so as not to worry about them discovering you are missing. But Wei Miao did not do that, and as soon as he went out, he died in an accident, without even a single witness…”

Listening to Liu Shuyi's meaningful words, Li Xinchun, who had seen many cases, also figured out something unusual. He said, "Could it be... that Wei Miao's death was not an accident, but was caused by someone?"

"But if it was done by someone, who did it?"

Liu Shuyi looked at Yuan Tiangang and said, "Yuan Lingtai, do you have any opinions on whether someone who has reached the pinnacle of the Five Elements has been married? Or do you have any opinions on the date of the suppression?"

Yuan Tiangang thought for a moment and said, "There is a saying in Taoism that when a person is born, he or she has a mouthful of innate primordial energy in his or her mouth. This primordial energy is stored in the body and will not be leaked out as long as the body is not defiled. Therefore, a person who has never been married and whose element is at its extreme is definitely much better than a person who has been married."

"As for the date of the suppression... Ordinary people like to choose auspicious days for things like weddings and groundbreaking, let alone setting up a Five Elements Amplification Array."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "A wedding will definitely be held on an auspicious day, so was Yang Wenwan's disappearance on her wedding day a specially chosen date? And that day was originally Yang Wenwan's wedding day. If the wedding had been held smoothly, with so many people present, it would have been extremely difficult for Yang Wanli to do whatever he wanted."

"Therefore, Yang Wanli could not let the wedding actually take place... And how could the originally planned wedding be canceled? I think the best way is for the groom to die beforehand."

hiss……

As soon as Liu Shuyi finished speaking, Lu Yangyuan and the others couldn't help but gasp.

Lu Yangyuan couldn't help but say, "Doesn't this mean that Wei Miao's death was also Yang Wanli's doing? Yang Wanli had his eye on Yang Wenwan months ago?"

Du Ying's cold voice was even colder than usual due to her bad mood: "It also shows that the innocent people who died at Yang Wanli's hands were not just the five people in the secret room. Those five people were just the people of the five elements that Yang Wanli needed. But how many people Yang Wanli killed to obtain these people is another matter."

Li Xinchun's heart sank deeper and deeper as he listened.

Just what kind of demon is Yang Wanli, that he could be so utterly depraved?
"County Magistrate Li..."

At this moment, a yamen runner walked over quickly and said to Li Xinchun, "I inquired at all the medical clinics within a three-mile radius of the Yang residence and learned that the doctor who treated Yang Wenwan back then accidentally slipped and fell off a cliff while collecting herbs six months after the incident at the Yang family's residence, and died on the spot."

"The doctor who treated the patient is dead!?" Li Xinchun frowned.

Liu Shuyi sneered, "What a coincidence! Wei Miao died by accident after falling into the water, and the doctor also died by accident."

Li Xinchun's heart skipped a beat: "Doctor Liu means... this doctor was also killed by Yang Wanli, and Yang Wanli is silencing him to cover it up!?"

Liu Shuyi asked the yamen runner, "Was there anyone with the doctor when he fell off the cliff?"

"No, the doctor went to collect herbs alone."

Liu Shuyi then said to Li Xinchun, "There were no eyewitnesses either... Magistrate Li, do you think this is a coincidence, or is it inevitable?"

Although they lacked concrete evidence, at this moment, the numerous similarities and Yang Wanli's ruthless and inhumane methods were enough for them to be certain that this was inextricably linked to Yang Wanli.

"Of course, whether Wei Miao and the doctor's deaths are really related to Yang Wanli still depends on whether Yang Wenwan's disappearance was Yang Wanli's doing... Yang Wenwan is the foundation of everything."

Liu Shuyi looked at Gu Wen again and said, "County Commandant Gu, lead the way. We're going to the Wei residence."

"Go to the Wei residence?" Gu Wen asked curiously, "Does Physician Liu have any other questions for Wei Miao's parents?"

Gu Wen did a good job this time. If he is really willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, Liu Shuyi might consider it. After all, working in the Ministry of Justice means dealing with Wannian County. Having a Wannian County Lieutenant who feels guilty and is willing to follow him would be much more convenient.

Of course, he needs to investigate further.

Liu Shuyi said, "I need to know Yang Wenwan's birth date and time."

"Yang Wenwan's birth date and time?"

Gu Wen blinked, his expression somewhat strange, and said, "This humble official... might know."

"You know?" Li Xinchun asked in surprise, and Liu Shuyi was also somewhat taken aback.

Gu Wendao said, "After I met with Wei Miao's parents, they were curious as to why I asked about what happened ten years ago. I told them that a horrific case had occurred in the Yang family, and the murderer might be related to the Yang family and what happened there back then. We need to investigate the disappearance of Yang Wenwan."

"Then Wei Miao's parents hesitated for a moment before handing the item over to me."

As he spoke, Gu Wen took out a red, folded piece of paper from his pocket.

He handed the paper to Liu Shuyi and said, "Wei Miao's parents said that this is the birth chart of Wei Miao and Yang Wenwan when they were asked to match their birth dates. After Wei Miao died, the Yang family returned the betrothal gifts to the Wei family, and the Wei family also returned the tokens of love between Wei Miao and Yang Wenwan. This is the only thing the Wei family has left related to Yang Wenwan."

"They gave me the birth charter, saying they hoped it could help us."

In ancient times, marriage was based on the "Six Rites," which were betrothal, name inquiry, auspicious date selection, gift exchange, wedding date setting, and wedding ceremony. The name inquiry involved using the birth date and time to write a divination chart and predict good or bad fortune.

Therefore, the birth charts of both parties are detailed on the birth certificate.

Looking at the faded red birth chart in his hand, even Liu Shuyi had a strange feeling that cause and effect were working together in the dark. He needed Yang Wenwan's birth chart, and coincidentally, it was delivered to him.

It's as if... even a quarter of an hour is too precious for God to spare.

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath and handed the birth chart directly to Yuan Tiangang, saying, "Yuan Lingtai, take a look at Yang Wenwan's birth chart. Is her element wood?"

Yuan Tiangang did not hesitate at all. He, who was usually calm and collected, seemed to have gained a lot of popularity at this moment.

He took the birth chart, looked directly at it, and at the same time, his fingertips moved, and he muttered incantations as he began to deduce its meaning.

Seeing this, everyone subconsciously held their breath, waiting for Yuan Tiangang's result.

Less than ten breaths later, Yuan Tiangang raised his head.

"How is it?" Li Xinchun asked nervously.

Everyone watched intently, and then they saw Yuan Tiangang nod emphatically and say, "Just as Doctor Liu predicted, Yang Wenwan's birth chart is extremely woody!"

(End of this chapter)