The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 18: A Shocking Deduction! Pei Ji's Unexpected Turn of Events! (Two Chapters Combined)

"Really?"

"where!?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Cheng Chumo was first taken aback, and then looked at Liu Shuyi with a look of surprise and delight.

Du Ying's amber eyes also revealed a hint of surprise.

On her way here, she had already heard Du Gou recount the case, and knew how difficult it was, and that Liu Shuyi currently only had these two heads in his possession.

Even if she could help Liu Shuyi perform an autopsy, at most she could only identify pre-mortem and post-mortem injuries, and would gain nothing else.

Could such a small amount of help really allow Liu Shuyi to directly trace the crime scene?
Is Liu Shuyi really as brilliant at solving cases as his elder brother said?

She couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi with curiosity.

Without delay, Liu Shuyi asked directly, "Do you have a map of Chang'an?"

"Yes! I've been leading troops to search for the body of the King of Xi these past few days, and I've been carrying maps with me the whole time."

As he spoke, Cheng Chumo reached into his armor, rummaged around for a bit, and pulled out a crumpled piece of cloth.

Unfold the cloth, and you'll see that it lists the wards, streets, and names of some important buildings in Chang'an.

Liu Shuyi took the map and laid it flat on another table.

Then he asked, "Where is Zhao Chengyi's residence?"

Cheng Chumo quickly raised his hand and pointed to a courtyard on the east side of Xuanyangfang, saying, "Here."

Looking at the location on the map, Liu Shuyi continued, "What time did you arrive at the Zhao residence last night? After discovering that Zhao Chengyi's wife and children were missing, did you immediately order a search along the streets?"

Cheng Chumo said, "After you dragged Zhao Chengyi out, I first sent him to the Ministry of Justice prison, and then immediately went to the Zhao residence. I arrived at the Zhao residence at almost 1:00 AM."

"After discovering that Zhao Chengyi's wife and children had disappeared, I immediately ordered people to chase after them along the street, thinking that if they had just left, we might still be able to catch up with them."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly. Everything Cheng Chumo did was reasonable and entirely within his expectations.

If he could foresee it, it means the murderer could also foresee it.

and so……

He stared intently at the map, his eyes deep and unfathomable. Suddenly, he stretched out his hand and pointed to several wards on the map, saying, "Wuben Ward, Chongyi Ward, Changxing Ward, Qinren Ward, and Anyi Ward, are there any dilapidated temples or Taoist monasteries in these wards?"

"These workshops?"

Cheng Chumo and the others looked at the map and saw that the wards Liu Shuyi mentioned were all right next to Xuanyang Ward.

Du Gou's eyes flickered slightly, and he said thoughtfully, "Do you suspect that the murderer brought Zhao Chengyi's wife and children to these neighborhoods?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo immediately looked at Liu Shuyi.

Du Ying's clear and cool gaze also fell on Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi did not hide anything and said, "Last night, around 11:45 PM, Zhou Mo broke into my residence and arrested me. Afterwards, he ordered someone to call back the Ministry of Revenue officials who had already finished their shifts and returned to their residences."

"Calculating the distance and time, Zhao Chengyi knew that he would have to go to the Ministry of Revenue around 11:45 PM."

"In other words, even if he were to send his wife and children away immediately, it would be five quarters past 9 PM."

"General Cheng arrived at the Zhao residence before the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), by which time Zhao Chengyi's wife and children had already disappeared. All told, Zhao Chengyi's wife and children had only one hour and three quarters of an hour to escape."

"After that, Cheng Zhonglang ordered his men to search along the streets. Under such circumstances, the risk of being exposed would be extremely high, not to mention that he was also traveling with a weak woman and a child, which would only make the danger even greater."

“The murderer would not want to be implicated and would never take such a risk. When the Imperial Guards searched the streets of Chang'an, the only way to stay safe was to hide in a fixed place and not move around at will.”

"Therefore, we only need to estimate the distance that a weak woman with a child could travel within one hour and three quarters of an hour to pinpoint their hiding place."

"So that's how it is!" Cheng Chumo looked enlightened.

But Du Gou frowned as he listened to Liu Shuyi's words and said, "One hour and three quarters of an hour is not a short time. If Zhao Chengyi's wife keeps going without stopping, she will have a chance to cross the distance of two wards, right? Shouldn't we expand the scope to wards that are further away?"

Cheng Chumo thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. Places like Wubenfang and Chongyifang don't take up much space. If you don't stop for a little over an hour, you can definitely get through them."

To everyone's surprise, Liu Shuyi simply asked one question in response to their doubts: "The distance you're talking about, is it the distance during the day?"

"daytime?"

Before Cheng Chumo could grasp the crux of Liu Shuyi's question, Du Gou, as if struck by a sudden thought, abruptly changed his expression.

"I completely overlooked that!"

His eyes flickered, as if he were calculating something.

Immediately, he looked at Liu Shuyi, his face pale, and said, "Indeed, they couldn't possibly have gone through Wubenfang and Chongyifang to reach the more distant wards."

"what?"

Cheng Chumo was even more confused: "Why? Didn't you just say it would work? How come it suddenly won't?"

At this moment, Du Ying, who had been listening quietly, suddenly said, "Because the light is very dim at night, people can't see the road clearly, so people walk slower than during the day."

"Because there is a curfew at night, and there are also guards and watchmen patrolling the roads, they not only have to walk, but also have to be on guard against people who may appear, to avoid being discovered. They have to hide and move around, which only makes them slower."

"Moreover, after the curfew, all the gates of the wards will be closed, and it is not easy to reach another ward silently. It is already difficult to pass through one ward, and it will be even more difficult to pass through a second one, greatly increasing the risk of being exposed."

Listening to Du Ying's clear and logical words, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but nod in admiration: "Miss Du is intelligent."

Du Ying replied earnestly, "I'm nowhere near as good as you. Without your hint, I wouldn't have thought of these things so quickly."

Although this girl has a somewhat cold personality, she is also frank and straightforward.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Just as Miss Du said, there are many limitations at night, so you can't use the daytime walking distance to calculate the nighttime walking distance."

"And more importantly..."

He looked at the group and said, "We can't use one hour and three quarters of an hour to calculate it. For Zhao Chengyi's wife and children, the actual time they used was even shorter, perhaps not even one hour."

"after all……"

He said meaningfully, "She is not sure when her husband will be arrested, and therefore she is not sure when someone will come to hunt her down."

"Therefore, she could only hide in the shortest amount of time in a place that she, or the murderer, considered the safest."

"If we calculate it this way, going to the adjacent ward is the limit they can reach."

Cheng Chumo suddenly understood: "So that's how it is! No wonder you were so sure! You've thought of everything."

"but……"

He looked at the map and said, "The East Market and Pingkang Ward are also next to Xuanyang Ward. Why don't you consider them? Also, why are you so sure they left Xuanyang Ward? What if they are hiding there?"

Liu Shuyi was pleased that Cheng Chumo was starting to use his brain. He said, “The East Market has many merchants, and it’s a mixed bag. It’s not as peaceful as other neighborhoods. Pingkang Ward is a place where brothels gather. It’s very popular, and many people don’t sleep at night.”

"Going to either of these two workshops would either put you in danger or increase the chances of being discovered. If you were in their shoes, would you choose them?"

"This……"

Cheng Chumo thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I really don't know how to choose."

"As for why it's not in Xuanyangfang?"

Liu Shuyi said, "Two reasons."

"First, after you discover they are missing, the first place you will search will definitely be Xuanyangfang, and it will be more thorough than other places. The probability of them being discovered is higher in Xuanyangfang."

"And secondly, I know..."

His eyes flickered slightly as he slowly said, "Xuanyang Ward is filled with the residences of high-ranking officials and nobles; there are no dilapidated or abandoned temples or Taoist monasteries."

"Dilapidated and abandoned temples and Taoist monasteries?"

Cheng Chumo then remembered the question Liu Shuyi had asked him first, and he asked in confusion, "Why are you looking for temples and Taoist monasteries? Do you mean they hid here last night?"

Du Gou and Du Ying also looked at Liu Shuyi with curiosity.

"This..."

Liu Shuyi's gaze fell on the elegant and refined Du Ying, and he said, "It's all thanks to Miss Du's help."

"Me?" Du Ying raised an eyebrow, as if a snow lotus on an iceberg was being stirred by the wind, causing ripples.

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Miss Du told me that Zhao Chengyi's wife suffered serious injuries before she died..."

Du Ying nodded; this was indeed the result of her autopsy.

"We won't speculate on whether Zhao's injuries were from a fight with the assailant or from a simple beating. We just need to know one thing..."

His eyes met Du Ying's: "That means she wasn't killed instantly. She must have had a chance to speak before she died!"

Liu Shuyi had previously speculated that Zhao had sensed the killer's intent beforehand, which explained her complex expression filled with resentment when she died. However, this was just speculation and lacked any concrete evidence.

Now, with the autopsy results from Du Ying, he can finally be completely certain.

"Given the opportunity to speak out, and seeing her son murdered, she couldn't possibly remain unresponsive and shield the killer's voice. Therefore, she would have shouted loudly. In this situation, if she were hiding near a residence where people gathered, it's impossible that no one would have heard her." "The killer wouldn't have acted without considering the risk of exposure, so their hiding place must have been far away from residential areas."

"As for why it was a dilapidated Taoist temple or Buddhist monastery..."

He then looked at Du Ying and smiled, "It was Miss Du who gave me the hint."

Du Ying was slightly taken aback. Had she really helped Liu Shuyi this much?

But soon, she understood.

"Incense ash?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "I found this gray and blue powder in Zhao's hair."

As he spoke, he picked up some more powder and said, "The gray stuff is dust, and the blue stuff, as Miss Zhao said, is incense ash."

"Let's go see Zhao Chengyi's son next."

Liu Shuyi then directed everyone's attention to another head, saying, "Zhao Chengyi's son still wears his hair in a child's bun, and the strands are not messy at all. There is only a little dust on his hair, which is completely different from his mother's disheveled hair, which is covered in dust and incense ash. This..."

He looked at everyone, his voice suddenly lowering, and asked, "What does this mean?"

"What?" Cheng Chumo's heart tightened, and he said subconsciously.

Du Gou frowned. He seemed to understand something, but it was vague and he couldn't grasp the key point.

Liu Shuyi didn't keep everyone in suspense. He took a deep breath and said, "This means that the stuff on Zhao's hair came from the place where they were killed..."

"If, after they were killed and their heads were cut off, they were taken to other dirty and chaotic places before being delivered to us, then it's unreasonable that only Zhao's hair was covered in filth while her son's was clean... The murderer had no reason to treat the two severed heads differently."

"Therefore, the only difference between the two can only be that it was caused in the place where they were killed!"

"From the scars on Zhao's face, we can see that the only difference between her and her son is that her son was killed instantly, while she fought with the murderer or was beaten."

"Therefore, based on her experience, we can basically deduce that the dust and incense ash on her hair must have been from when she was fighting with the murderer or being beaten by the murderer, and she accidentally bumped into something like an incense burner, which is why she got incense ash on her hair! As for the dust... even the child who was killed instantly got some on her hair, so the place where they were must have been covered in dust, a thick layer. From this, we can also infer that no one lived there and that it had not been cleaned for many years."

"Therefore, considering the combination of dust and incense ash, as well as the fact that it is far from residential buildings, it meets these conditions..."

He looked at everyone and said slowly, "There are only dilapidated temples or Taoist monasteries left."

As Liu Shuyi's voice faded, the morgue fell silent.

Everyone stared blankly at Liu Shuyi.

Du Gou had also considered what the incense ash and dust represented, but unlike Liu Shuyi, he lacked the meticulous logic, clear reasoning, and thorough consideration of all aspects, which allowed for mutual verification.

He suspected that the Taoist temple and Buddhist temple were just gambling and trying their luck based on the superficial clue of incense ash.

But Liu Shuyi is completely different.

That is to peel back the surface clues to the true core, so that the speculation and the autopsy results are connected. In this case, there is no possibility of error.

He couldn't help but sigh, "I'm not as good as you."

Du Ying's eyes flashed with amazement as she looked at Liu Shuyi.

When she heard her brother recount Liu Shuyi's performance the previous night, she had some doubts about whether her brother had exaggerated Liu Shuyi's abilities.

Looking back now, I realize I was being narrow-minded.

The young and handsome man before me is indeed remarkable.

She had never seen this ability to unravel complexities in anyone else.

Cheng Chumo nodded vigorously, finally understanding everything: "Manager Liu, you're so smart, you figured it out so quickly! If I had your brain last night, maybe the murderer wouldn't have had time to kill!"

Du Gou and Du Ying exchanged a glance and nodded.

Indeed, given Liu Shuyi's abilities, if he had been the one who searched last night, perhaps these two lives on the table in front of us would have been saved.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.

Liu Shuyi didn't like to talk about "what ifs." He picked up the map, turned around, and walked out: "Instead of regretting what happened in the past, we should hurry up and find the murderer!"

Cheng Chumo nodded emphatically and followed: "That's right, catching the murderer is the most important thing!"

Du Gou caught up with Liu Shuyi and, after thinking for a moment, said, "Of these neighborhoods, only two meet your criteria."

“One is Qinrenfang in the south of Xuanyangfang. There is a dilapidated temple there. Last May, it was suddenly destroyed by fire, which killed many monks. Because so many people died there, the surrounding people felt that there was a lot of resentment, so few people went there.”

"The other one is Chongyi Ward on the west side, where there is a small Taoist temple. After the Xuanwu Gate, floods and droughts struck at the same time. The Taoist priests there used this to spread heresies and mislead the public. His Majesty was furious and arrested all the Taoist priests. As a result, the Taoist temple was abandoned."

Cheng Chumo listened to Du Gou's words, then looked at Liu Shuyi and asked, "Where should we go first?"

Du Ying blinked her long eyelashes slightly and looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi said without turning his head, "There must be charcoal black in the fire site, but even if it is the Zhao family, these two heads are only dust and incense ash."

"so……"

"Let's go... to Chongyifang, to the Taoist temple!"

…………

Sikong Residence.

Inside the luxuriously decorated study.

Thick blankets were spread all over the floor, and the underfloor heating kept radiating warmth, so that even though it was a chilly spring day outside and the world was frozen, the study remained warm.

Pei Ji, dressed only in a single garment and holding a book in one hand, asked Zhou Mo, who had just arrived and was still covered in cold air, "I heard that Liu Shuyi took on the case of Zhao Chengyi's wife and children being murdered. Do you know how it's progressing?"

Facing the unfathomable and supreme Minister of Justice, Zhou Mo dared not delay and quickly said, "Our people in the Ministry of Justice have sent word that the most experienced coroner in the Ministry has been kicked out. According to the coroner, the two heads were frozen, so nothing could be examined. Even the time of death could not be determined due to the freezing."

As he spoke, he looked at Pei Ji and said somewhat ingratiatingly, "Lord Pei, Liu Shuyi is definitely going to suffer a setback this time. Even if he really has some ability to investigate cases, he can't just conjure up clues out of thin air!"

"In this case, the bodies of Zhao Chengyi's wife and children cannot be found, and the coroner can't help with the only two heads we have... This is much more difficult than the previous cases!"

"In my opinion, Liu Shuyi's decision to help Cheng Chumo this time was absolutely the biggest mistake he ever made! He will never be able to solve the case!"

Hearing Zhou Mo's words, Pei Ji finally looked away from the book.

"Do you think it was Cheng Chumo who asked Liu Shuyi to help him?" Pei Ji asked calmly.

"Isn't that right?" Zhou Mo was taken aback.

Pei Ji gave a cold laugh: "Have you seen Liu Shuyi's abilities yesterday before?"

"It's obvious that he's been hiding his true abilities all along."

"Yesterday, he chose to show his talent, whether he was forced to or did so voluntarily, which means that he can no longer be ignored as before."

"He offended me so badly yesterday. Do you think he's panicking? Isn't he desperately trying to seize every opportunity to climb the ladder and avoid being crushed by me?"

Zhou Mo's heart skipped a beat: "So, it wasn't Cheng Chumo who asked him for help... but rather, he wanted to use this case to gain merit? He was the one who proactively approached Cheng Chumo and asked for this case?"

"No wonder!"

Zhou Mo clapped his hands: "No wonder Cheng Chumo wanted Liu Shuyi to cooperate the moment he opened his mouth! So that's how it is!"

"but……"

He suddenly looked at Pei Ji and couldn't help but reveal a sarcastic smile: "Liu Shuyi probably didn't expect that the case he chose to seek merit for would be so difficult, did he?"

"Without a single clue, His Majesty has personally ordered that the case must be solved within three days..."

"If the case isn't solved, forget about getting a promotion, he'll probably even lose his measly ninth-rank official robe!"

"Pei Sikong said, 'Has Liu Shuyi shot himself in the foot? Based on his merits last night and Du Ruhui's high regard for him, he could have had a bright future if he had just held on.'"

"But now look what's happened! He's so eager to climb up... Now we don't even need to lift a finger; he'll fall into the abyss on his own!"

Pei Ji put down his book, slowly picked up the cup beside him, took a small sip, and said calmly, "Those who reap what they sow will not live."

"I even thought he might become the next Liu Wenjing, but now it seems..."

He shook his head in disappointment: "I overestimated him."

Boom boom boom!
At this moment, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.

Then, a sound came from the doorway.

"News has come from the Ministry of Justice that Liu Shuyi has deduced the location where Zhao Chengyi's wife and children were murdered, and has already led men to investigate..."

"What!?"

Zhou Mo suddenly widened his eyes.

Pei Ji's hand holding the cup suddenly paused, and the look of disappointment on his face froze instantly.

(End of this chapter)