The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 183 The Court Assembly! Li Shimin's Decision! The Liu Family is Finally Becoming a Prominent Household!
"Uu——"

Liu Shuyi tightened the reins and stopped under the warm glow of the lanterns in the Liu residence.

It wasn't too late at night, and with a young girl with him, it wasn't appropriate to go to the cold and impersonal Ministry of Justice. So, after returning to Chang'an, Liu Shuyi parted ways with Li Xinchun and the others and went back to his residence first.

He had already explained everything he needed to Li Xinchun. Li Xinchun was a smart man and knew how to avoid giving others an opportunity to attack him. Liu Shuyi didn't need to worry about Yang Hui's fate.

Moreover, before parting ways with Yuan Tiangang, he gave Yuan Tiangang a copy of a quarter of the contents of "Lianshan" and asked Yuan Tiangang to translate and annotate it for him.

Yuan Tiangang possessed profound Taoist skills and was well-read. Moreover, after their interactions in these two cases, Liu Shuyi had developed some trust in him, and he felt at ease entrusting him with the translation and annotation.

As for the other three copies, to be on the safe side and to prevent Miao Yin'er's forces from noticing his actions, he planned to give them to Lu Yangyuan and Zhao Feng, and have them secretly approach officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, asking them to translate and annotate them in their personal capacity.

Once all four translations and annotations of "Lianshan" have been retrieved, he might be able to discover the secrets hidden within "Lianshan".

Thinking about what he had gained today, Liu Shuyi let out a soft breath. The guillotine that had been hanging over his head had finally been removed by him.

In the future, he will be more cautious and will never give others the opportunity to secretly dig a pit like this again.

"Are we there yet?"

At this moment, the little sparrow, whose body was completely covered by a robe to shield it from the night wind, sensed that the horse had stopped and asked in a low voice.

"arrive."

Liu Shuyi snapped out of his thoughts, pulled off the robe covering the little sparrow's head, and the sparrow could see that they were perched in front of a mansion with red walls, green tiles, and a tall gate.

Compared to Deng Hao's mansion, which he didn't care about his living environment in order to show that he was a Taoist master, this mansion, which had just been carefully renovated by Uncle Chang and Wan'er, was obviously more magnificent and more human.

"Is this the home of Physician Liu?" Little Sparrow asked softly, looking at the two characters "Liu Mansion" written in bold strokes under the lantern light.

Liu Shuyi laughed as he dismounted, then picked up the little sparrow and said, "This will be your home from now on."

"My home..."

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared in the little sparrow's dark, bright eyes.

Although her master took her in, he never called it her home. Instead, he constantly warned her to be obedient and sensible, and not to have any unrealistic expectations. Otherwise, if he was not satisfied, he would throw her out.

Therefore, even though the little sparrow had lived in that mansion for many years, she always knew that it was not her home.

And now, someone tells her that she has a family.

It's like she's been searching for light in the pitch black of night, but she hasn't found it. Yet, the light shines on her.

The little sparrow lowered its head, sniffed, and its thin shoulders shrugged.

"Why are the little pearls falling out again?"

"Stop crying, or Wan'er will think I'm bullying you if she sees you."

Liu Shuyi never expected that his words would make the young girl cry.

The little sparrow quickly raised her hand to wipe away her tears, then tilted her head back. Although her eyes were still wet from the tears, her face was already beaming with a sweet smile: "I won't cry. I can't let others misunderstand my benefactor."

Liu Shuyi always felt incredibly soft-hearted towards such a brave, self-reliant, and sensible child. He patted the little sparrow's head, then, without further delay, knocked on the door.

Before long, light footsteps could be heard from behind the door.

"Who?"

"I."

After a perfectly coordinated exchange, the door was opened directly.

"Young Master, you're back—wait, who's this?"

Wan'er was just about to happily greet the young master when she suddenly noticed a little girl she had never seen before standing next to him.

Moreover, the girl's clothes were really strange. She seemed to be wearing a Taoist robe, and her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying... Young master came back so late. Could it be that he went to some Taoist temple to abduct some pretty young Taoist nun?
Wan'er was horrified by her own guess: "Young Master, you—"

"Stop!"

Before Wan'er could even speak, Liu Shuyi could guess that his overly clever maid had already conjured up a ridiculous drama in her mind. To prevent the little girl from being misled, he stopped her in time and said, "This is Little Sparrow, an orphan with no parents and no one to rely on. From today onwards, she will live in our mansion. You can treat her the same way you treat Mo Xiaofan and the others."

Upon hearing that the little girl was an orphan with no parents and no one to rely on, Wan'er's burning gossip instincts instantly turned into heartache and pity.

She went straight up and gave Little Sparrow a hug, her tone gentler than Liu Shuyi had ever heard before: "Little Sparrow, right? You can call me Sister Wan'er. No matter how much hardship and pain you have experienced in the past, at the moment that the young master brought you to the Liu family, all of that will leave you behind. From now on, we are family."

Little Sparrow was worried that Doctor Liu's family might dislike her, or that they might dislike her like her master did... But before she could even worry, Wan'er hugged her tightly.

Feeling the warmth and fragrance of Wan'er's body, and listening to Wan'er's gentle, motherly whispers, the little sparrow's previously worried heart completely calmed down.

She opened her small arms and hugged Wan'er tightly, her voice low but firm: "Thank you, Doctor Liu, thank you, Sister Wan'er... I won't just stay at the Liu residence for nothing. I'll do some work. I can cook, clean, do laundry, fix the roof... I can do anything. I will do everything I can to repay you."

Hearing the little sparrow's words, Wan'er felt even more heartbroken. To know so much at such a young age could only prove how bad her life had been before.

In a normal family, who would let a child climb onto the roof to repair the roof?

Even the beggar's den where Mo Xiaofan and his friends used to hang out wouldn't force a child to do such a thing.

The fact that Little Sparrow firmly said she would repay them shows that she is a grateful person. No wonder the young master brought her back. If it were her, Wan'er felt that she would definitely not be able to bear abandoning Little Sparrow.

"My Liu family mansion may not be a charity, but it's not a black brick kiln either..."

Liu Shuyi glanced at the two women who were clinging to each other and not moving, and said, "You should settle down here first. There are some children in the manor who are similar to you in background and age. You can stay with them from now on. Whatever they do, you can do too."

Little Sparrow never expected that there were other people her age in the Liu family who had experienced the same things as her. Suddenly, she felt that Liu Shuyi was a great man, a living saint who saved people from suffering.

"It's too cold. Don't stand here. If you have anything to say, come inside and say it all."

As Liu Shuyi spoke, he stepped into the mansion.

He knew that if he didn't move, Wan'er and Little Sparrow would probably hug each other and talk for hours.

Wan'er quickly got up, locked the door, took Little Sparrow's hand, and hurriedly followed Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi walked through the quiet mansion and said, "I hope I didn't wake Uncle Chang when I knocked on the door?"

Uncle Chang is getting old, and once he is woken up in the middle of the night, it is difficult for him to fall back asleep. He already works hard managing all the affairs of the Liu family on weekdays, and if he can't get a good rest at night, Liu Shuyi is really worried that Uncle Chang will not be able to hold on one day.

That's why he told Yang Hui that his household was short of a steward.

In the past, there was no other way. The original owner had no money, no power, and no background, so she couldn't afford to hire anyone else. The three of them could only rely on each other for survival.

But now everything is back to normal, and it's time for Uncle Chang to relax and enjoy his retirement.

Yang Hui was able to become a wealthy businessman through his own hard work, and he was also able to pursue a murderer incognito for ten years. His abilities and temperament are beyond reproach, and he is more than qualified to serve as the steward of the Liu family.

It's unclear how long Li Shimin will imprison Yang Hui, or whether Yang Hui will be willing to come to Liu's residence.

"Don't worry, young master. When I was repairing the house, I specifically asked the craftsmen to thicken the walls and windows of Uncle Chang's room. All the noise in Uncle Chang's room is the quietest and won't wake him up," Wan'er said.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly: "That's good."

beep...

Just then, the little sparrow's stomach suddenly made some noises.

Liu Shuyi and Wan'er both looked at her.

The little sparrow's face immediately turned red, and she hurriedly said, "I... Master instructed that if he doesn't eat, I'm not allowed to eat either, so... But I'm fine."

The little sparrow shook its head: "I often go a whole day without a drop of water, but that doesn't affect my work. You don't need to worry about me."

"What kind of bullshit master is this! Treating you like this, what kind of master is he? He's more like an enemy!"

Hearing what the little sparrow said, Wan'er couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out a curse.

As soon as she said it, she realized how unladylike she had been. She quickly glanced at Liu Shuyi and saw that he was just looking at the little sparrow, seemingly unaware of the impoliteness in his words. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I haven't had dinner yet..."

Liu Shuyi asked, "Wan'er, is there any more food?"

"Of course I will. As long as you don't send word that you won't be returning to the manor tonight, I will always have food ready for you," Wan'er said without hesitation.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly: "Alright, let's prepare the dishes to go with the rice."

He then looked at the little sparrow, who was still somewhat reserved in the unfamiliar environment: "I don't like eating alone. Would you like to eat with me?"

The little sparrow was just small, not stupid. How could she not understand Liu Shuyi's meaning? Her eyes reddened again, but she felt a warmth she had never felt before. Only at this moment did she seem to understand what it felt like to be cared for gently.

She nodded emphatically: "Okay."

…………

The next day.

Before dawn, Liu Shuyi was awakened by knocking on the door.

"Young Master, it's time to attend the court assembly."

Liu Shuyi opened his eyes groggily, staring at the pitch-black room, and couldn't recover for a long time.

I got back late last night, had dinner with Little Sparrow, and didn't go to bed until almost midnight.

As a result, he only slept for a little over two hours before having to attend the morning assembly.

"Sigh, when will the time for the court assembly be changed..."

Liu Shuyi rubbed his forehead, fearing that being late would give the enemy an excuse, so he gritted his teeth and got up to get dressed.

Upon opening the door, one would see Wan'er already waiting in front of it with a glass of water.

"Wan'er, thank you for your hard work."

If I sleep too little, Wan'er's sleep time will only be shorter.

It seems that finding servants is urgent, otherwise even an iron body like Wan'er's can't withstand such daily toil.

Wan'er carried the basin of water into the room, still full of energy: "As long as it can help the young master, I don't feel tired." "You certainly know how to talk."

While brushing his teeth, Liu Shuyi said, "Is the little sparrow still asleep?"

Wan'er nodded: "I was afraid she would be scared since she was new here, so I let her sleep in the same room as me. When I came out, she was sleeping soundly and hadn't woken up."

"Her background is rather pitiful. She thought she was being given a lifeline, but instead she fell into another abyss. You'd better keep an eye on her."

"Don't worry, young master, I'm best at communicating with children."

Liu Shuyi thought about Mo Xiaofan and the others, and indeed, Wan'er was good at these things.

"Oh, right, young master..."

Wan'er continued, "I've already found all the servants and guards you asked me to find. When are you free to meet them and see if they're suitable?"

"So fast?" Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised.

Wan'er raised her delicate chin and said smugly, "Don't you know whose maid I am? Young Master is so powerful, how could I tarnish his reputation?"

"Look at how smug you are."

Seeing this, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but reach out and tap Wan'er's fair forehead, saying, "If there are no cases from the Ministry of Justice that I need to handle today, I'll meet with them after I finish my shift."

Wan'er pouted, not thinking there was anything wrong with her words. They say a tiger father has no dog son... wait, no, they say dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a mouse's son knows how to dig a hole... wait, no, that's not right either! What's that saying again?

"You only realize how little you know when you need it," Wan'er said, regretting for the first time that she hadn't studied hard enough.

After washing his face, Liu Shuyi saw that Wan'er still looked troubled and shook his head with a smile.

He raised his hand and flicked Wan'er's forehead: "I'm leaving, go catch up on your sleep."

After saying that, he strode out of the room.

…………

Imperial palace, main hall.

The court assembly had been going on for almost an hour.

Liu Shuyi stood there listening intently, feeling like he was about to collapse. Unlike the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of War, which were directly involved in the national economy and people's livelihood, the Ministry of Justice rarely had the opportunity to speak during court assemblies. Even when Du Ruhui spoke, it was because he was the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, speaking as a prime minister. So Liu Shuyi basically just stood by and did nothing throughout the entire meeting.

Just as he was getting drowsy, he suddenly heard his own name called out.

Someone mentioned themselves?
Liu Shuyi instantly became alert and quickly looked ahead.

Then they saw that the person speaking in front was none other than Li Xinchun, the magistrate of Wannian County.

Li Xinchun said, "Fortunately, with the help of Liu, the Chief Physician of the Ministry of Justice, in analyzing and investigating, I was able to find out the truth about Yang Wanli's murder in time. Liu deserves the greatest credit for solving this case..."

Upon hearing Li Xinchun's words, the civil and military officials couldn't help but whisper in surprise.

"Has Doctor Liu solved another case?"

"Is this a case that happened ten years ago?"

"Hiss... If I remember correctly, wasn't Physician Liu promoted to a higher rank yesterday for solving the silver treasury case? And today he's already helped Magistrate Li solve another major case?"

"Looking at officials throughout history, can we find another prodigy like Liu Langzhong?"

Even Du Ruhui never expected that his future son-in-law would give him another surprise.

As for Pei Ji and the other members of his forces, needless to say, their expressions were all extremely grim.

Even Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised, but his surprise was different from the others. He knew that Li Xinchun would not take all the credit, but he did not expect that Li would give the main credit directly to him.

Upon hearing Li Xinchun's words, Li Shimin's gaze swept across the civil and military officials, trying to find Liu Shuyi, who had secretly earned merit again. However, Liu Shuyi's rank was too low, so he could only stand at the back of the crowd. This made Li Shimin search for a long time, but he still couldn't find Liu Shuyi in the dense crowd.

He frowned almost imperceptibly, then nodded slightly: "Minister Liu did a good job, living up to the title of Detective."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi immediately bowed loudly to express his gratitude.

Li Shimin finally found Liu Shuyi, whose face was almost completely obscured in the crowd. Seeing the person he wanted to see, Li Shimin felt relieved, and his barely perceptible furrowed brows silently relaxed again.

"However, I have been unable to decide how to deal with the murderer, Yang Hui..."

Li Xinchun continued, “If we punish him severely according to the law, his behavior is understandable. But if we do not pursue the matter, I fear that the people will follow suit and take matters into their own hands, no longer respecting our Great Tang Dynasty. Therefore, I earnestly request Your Majesty and my colleagues to offer me some advice.”

Li Shimin seemed to have anticipated Li Xinchun's words. His expression remained unchanged as he glanced at the whispering civil and military officials before his gaze fell upon Xiao Yu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and said, "Minister Xiao, all death penalty cases must be ultimately decided by the Court of Judicial Review. What do you think should be done with Yang Hui?"

"This..." Xiao Yu's expression was somewhat conflicted. If Li Xinchun and Liu Shuyi could think of this kind of trouble, how could he not have thought of it?

This is a problem where there are wolves in front and tigers behind.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "From the perspective of the Dali Temple, the laws of the Tang Dynasty are above all else, and I will certainly handle the matter impartially and deal with it as appropriate. However, from my personal heart, I understand Yang Hui and feel that he should not be subjected to such harsh treatment."

What kind of answer is this?
So you can split yourself in two and each answer your own question?
The civil and military officials inwardly grumbled, but they also knew that this was the most perfect answer.

At least it won't leave any loopholes for others to point out, or that they'll say I don't respect the law or have no humanity.

I've made up my mind. If His Majesty asks me any further questions, I will follow Xiao Yu's example.

Li Shimin, with his keen eyesight, could easily discern the thoughts of his ministers. His gaze swept across the crowd, and when it landed on Liu Shuyi, he wanted to hear Liu Shuyi's thoughts. However, considering Liu Shuyi's current situation, and the fact that Liu Shuyi was investigating the case with Li Xinchun, Li Xinchun must have discussed the matter with Liu Shuyi before bringing it up in court... He abandoned this idea and continued scanning the crowd.

"My dear Changsun, what do you think?" In the end, Li Shimin decided to ask his brother-in-law, who knew him best.

Changsun Wuji truly lived up to his reputation as the person who understood Li Shimin best. Seeing Li Shimin look around and finally ask him, he knew what Li Shimin meant.

As a member of the imperial family and the powerful Minister of Personnel, he was not afraid of trouble from petty people. Therefore, he could boldly say according to Li Shimin's wishes: "The country has laws that cannot be ignored, but there is also reason and emotion beyond the law."

"Yang Wanli has harmed countless innocent people for the sake of a vague and illusory immortality, and even caused the destruction of Yang Hui's family. His crimes are simply too numerous to count. Not to mention Yang Hui, even if I knew about the crimes he committed, I would probably not be able to resist killing him with my own hands!"

"And what about Yang Hui? In order to survive and track down the murderer, he faked his death, went into hiding, lived a life worse than a beggar, and suffered all kinds of hardships in the world, but he was still determined to avenge his family... Ten years of pursuing the murderer, what kind of perseverance does that require? And what kind of feelings for his family could make him persevere through one difficulty after another?"

"Even if this story were told in a novel, it would be enough to move countless people, let alone the fact that it actually happened right before our eyes."

"Everyone knows that Your Majesty values ​​relationships, and I believe Your Majesty must also be moved by this... Therefore, my suggestion is that the death penalty can be waived, but the punishment should not be spared."

"We can detain him for a period of time. This way, we can let the world know that the law of the land cannot be violated, and we can also let the world know that our Great Tang is a country with feelings."

Listening to Changsun Wuji's eloquent words, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but sigh. No wonder Changsun Wuji was the most trusted by Li Shimin and would be ranked first in the Lingyan Pavilion in the future... He truly said what Li Shimin wanted to say without making Li Shimin seem vain or trying to flatter himself.

Changsun Wuji was just a representative; once he stepped forward, he naturally had many people behind him.

Sure enough, one minister after another soon came out to echo his sentiments.

"I second the proposal!"

"Minister Changsun is right. His Majesty values ​​sentiment, and our Great Tang is also a nation that values ​​sentiment. While adhering to the law, we should also consider sentiment."

"I second that it is possible for others to follow suit. They must be like Yang Hui, who pursued the murderer for ten years without wavering in his true feelings. If they can do the same, what is wrong with us showing leniency once? But if they are just trying to exploit loopholes and do not meet Yang Hui's standards, then they must be dealt with more strictly according to the law!"

Some seconded the proposal, while others opted to create a standard directly to prevent future generations from exploiting loopholes...

Before long, more than half of the officials chose to support Changsun Wuji.

Of course, not everyone here was on Changsun Wuji's side; many were trying to figure out Li Shimin's thoughts and wanted to take the opportunity to leave a good impression on him.

Li Shimin listened quietly to the officials' agreement until all was silent before asking, "Do any of my other ministers have any further objections?"

Everyone shook their heads quickly.

"it is good."

Li Shimin said, "Minister Changsun is right. I was indeed moved by Yang Hui's perseverance and his love for his family. I even wondered if I could have pursued the murderer for ten years if I were him..."

"Storybooks always say that the love between men and women can move heaven and earth, but they don't know that the affection between family members can be just as moving."

"Whenever I recall those past events, my heart aches terribly. I deeply regret it. I am a person who values ​​family ties very much, yet I was forced to do such a thing..."

"Therefore, after that, I secretly decided that I must never make a choice that I would regret again in matters of family affection."

"Therefore, I have decided..."

Li Shimin's gaze swept over the officials, finally settling on Li Xinchun, and he said, "Spare Yang Hui from the death penalty, but imprison him for six months as punishment."

Half a year?

All the officials were taken aback.

This punishment is far too lenient.

After six months, the punishment is no different from that for petty theft.

Even though Liu Shuyi knew what choice Li Shimin would make, he was still somewhat surprised. He realized that he had underestimated Li Shimin's determination to use this incident to wash away the disregard for family ties during the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

But for him, this is a good thing.

Half a year...

If Uncle Chang can get a good rest at night, he can hold on for another six months.

Based on Yang Hui's behavior when Liu Shuyi mentioned that the Liu family needed a steward, Liu Shuyi felt that Yang Hui was very likely not to refuse.

After all, he was really too tired, and he probably didn't want to work hard to start from scratch again.

Arriving at the Liu residence, he had a place to stay, could see the little sparrows every day, and could even provide them with a good life... For him, this was the ideal life.

Thinking of this, Liu Shuyi let out a soft breath.

With a steward in hand, we'll meet with the guards and servants Wan'er has found tonight. If there are no major problems... the Liu family will finally look like a grand household.

The former glory of the Liu family mansion may be restored to some extent.

　I'll write about daily life and follow-ups between cases, otherwise it'll just be cases all the time, and it'll get tiring for everyone to read.

　
(End of this chapter)