The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 186 Taking on a Critical Mission! Heading to Hebei Province to confront the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi!

The next day, the palace.

"Retreat—"

As the eunuch's slightly shrill voice rang out, the civil and military officials hurriedly bowed and said, "Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty."

Wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, Li Shimin's gaze swept over the officials, then he nodded slightly, calmly rose, and strode away.

"call……"

"it is finally over."

Liu Shuyi secretly exhaled and moved his body, which was almost frozen.

Since being promoted to the fifth rank, not only has he lost his ability to sleep in, but he also has to stand for at least an hour every day as if he were being punished, and he cannot move at all during that time, otherwise he will be recorded if he is discovered by the Palace Attendant Censor.

The hardship and exhaustion were comparable to life in the military.

Therefore, he greatly admired those old ministers whose beards were almost white; their bodies were truly resilient.

"Dr. Liu."

Just as Liu Shuyi turned to leave the main hall, he heard Li Xinchun's voice.

He smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Magistrate Li."

Li Xinchun smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "I have already approved the official documents for Yang Wenwan's ashes. You can pick them up at any time."

"That's really efficient..." Liu Shuyi laughed. "I was originally going to talk to Magistrate Li about this, but I didn't expect him to have already done it first."

“You had someone tell me that Yang Wenwan’s burial is tomorrow, so of course I can’t hold you back,” Li Xinchun said matter-of-factly.

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Then I will thank Magistrate Li on behalf of Yang Hui."

"Given our relationship, this is nothing."

Li Xinchun waved his hand, looked around, and then whispered, "I told Yang Hui about your plan to bury Yang Wenwan. Yang Hui was overjoyed, tears streaming down his face, and asked me to convey his gratitude to you..."

"After that, he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak. He just faced the wall alone and shed tears."

"I guess……"

He looked at Liu Shuyi: "He may want to bury Yang Wenwan himself, but he knows we have already helped him a lot, and he doesn't want to trouble us anymore."

The fact that Yang Hui could refrain from mentioning it shows that he is indeed not a greedy person... Liu Shuyi said, "Does Magistrate Li want to help him?"

Li Xinchun sighed, “I would like to, but how can I help? Yesterday His Majesty announced the punishment for Yang Hui in front of all the civil and military officials, and today is only the second day of the punishment. I went to His Majesty and asked him to make an exception and take Yang Hui out of prison for a while... What will His Majesty and his colleagues think? I’m afraid that what was originally a good thing will turn into a bad thing.”

"so……"

He said, "I'd like to hear what Doctor Liu has to say."

"my thoughts?"

Liu Shuyi said directly, "Neither you nor I can help."

"They won't even help..."

Li Xinchun was taken aback. He thought that given Liu Shuyi's personality, he would definitely help Yang Hui, since Yang Hui would have to work for Liu's family in the future. However, he did not expect that Liu Shuyi would say without hesitation that he could not help.

“You’re right. Whether it’s you or I bringing this up, it won’t leave a good impression on His Majesty and the officials…”

Liu Shuyi continued, "So, if we're going to help, we have to get help from others."

"Others?" Li Xinchun was even more bewildered: "Who? Besides you and me, who else knows Yang Hui? Who else would personally plead with His Majesty for Yang Hui's sake?"

Liu Shuyi smiled mysteriously: "That's up to fate."

"God willing?"

Li Xinchun seemed to understand something, his eyes widening immediately: "Could it be that Doctor Liu did something?"

Liu Shuyi simply shook his head and said nothing more.

Li Xinchun immediately realized that this matter was quite sensitive. If His Majesty found out, it would be no different from him and Liu Shuyi personally requesting it, which would be bad for them and for Yang Hui... Therefore, keeping it a secret and letting others think that the two of them had not done anything was the safest course of action.

Sure enough, a kind person like Doctor Liu couldn't possibly do nothing.

He immediately gave Liu Shuyi a look that said, "I understand," and then sighed softly, "Then let's leave it to fate."

Seeing Li Xinchun's feigned helplessness in front of him, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but smile inwardly.

"Dr. Liu..."

Just then, a slightly shrill voice came from the side.

Liu Shuyi and Li Xinchun were startled and turned around at the same time, only to see a eunuch walking over in a hurry.

Upon arriving before Liu Shuyi, the eunuch immediately said, "His Majesty summons you."

Li Shimin summoned him?
Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised. He hadn't done anything these past two days, so why did Li Shimin want to see him?
Could it be that my scheme to plot against Wei Zheng has been exposed?
But he had only written a script and secretly had it sold to the theater... Wei Zheng hadn't even gone to the theater to see the play yet.

If it wasn't because of Wei Zheng, what else could it be?
Has something unexpected happened?

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment, then quickly glanced at the scattered officials out of the corner of his eye.

At this moment, he realized that Du Ruhui was not in the crowd, nor was Changsun Wuji.

It seems something really has happened.

Liu Shuyi immediately nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."

As he spoke, he looked at Li Xinchun, who hurriedly said, "His Majesty's matter is important, Physician Liu, please go quickly. If there is anything I can do for you, just have someone pass on the message."

Liu Shuyi didn't waste any words with Li Xinchun. After nodding, he quickly left with the eunuch.

Watching the two figures depart, Li Xinchun couldn't help but sigh, "It's clear that Physician Liu holds a different position in His Majesty's heart than others. The court assembly has just ended, and His Majesty is already eager to summon him for a private audience. It's truly enviable..."

Sure enough, clinging to Liu Shuyi's coattails was the right choice!
…………

Upon arriving outside the palace, the eunuch said to Liu Shuyi, "His Majesty has instructed that Physician Liu need not announce his arrival and may enter directly."

"Thank you."

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath and entered the main hall.

As soon as he entered the hall, he found two figures standing in front of it... Du Ruhui and Changsun Wuji, whom he had just been searching for.

At this moment, both of them had furrowed brows and looked rather unwell.

Li Shimin, seated on the dragon throne, tapped his fingers incessantly on the armrests, and a murderous aura appeared in his previously unfathomable eyes.

Liu Shuyi felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that something extremely serious must have happened. Otherwise, Du Ruhui, who was always so wise and resourceful, and Changsun Wuji, who was so cunning, would not be so worried, and Li Shimin would not have shown his emotions so obviously.

"Your subject Liu Shuyi greets Your Majesty." Upon arriving at the palace, Liu Shuyi bowed very respectfully.

When Li Shimin saw Liu Shuyi, the murderous aura in his eyes dissipated somewhat, and he said, "My dear minister, please rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Shuyi straightened up and then didn't say anything more. He knew that Li Shimin would tell him what he needed to know on his own.

The more unfavorable the situation, the more careful and cautious you should be.

As expected, after Li Shimin helped Liu Shuyi to his feet, he said, "Minister Du, tell Minister Liu what happened."

Liu Shuyi looked directly at Du Ruhui, who sighed and said, "Something has happened in Hebei."

Upon hearing the words "Hebei Road," Liu Shuyi's pupils contracted.

"Is Hebei Road reversed?" he asked hastily.

Seeing that Liu Shuyi had misunderstood him, Du Ruhui quickly shook his head: "Don't talk nonsense. If there really is a rebellion, it won't just be Minister Changsun and me here. Instead, everyone from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, and other government departments will be gathered and ready to go to war."

Indeed, if Hebei Province had truly rebelled, there would have been an uproar outside long ago. How could all the officials have left the palace so easily without any reaction?

Liu Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it hadn't turned out to be completely reversed, which meant that things hadn't reached the worst point yet.

"What happened?" Liu Shuyi asked curiously.

"Jiang Rui, the governor of Xingzhou, has been killed."

Jiang Rui, Prefect of Xingzhou?

Liu Shuyi thought for a long time but couldn't recall this person. This showed that his predecessor didn't know this person, and there was no such person among the Hebei officials who came to Chang'an to report on their duties.

Liu Shuyi asked, "Are these the people you bribed?"

"On the contrary..."

Du Ruhui shook his head and said, "This person was personally supported by Prince Xi and is Prince Xi's representative among the officials in Hebei Province. We can all bribe him, but there are a few people who dare not even try. Jiang Rui... is one of them."

"They weren't people we bribed; on the contrary, they were staunch supporters of the Prince of Xi..." Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered, his mind racing. Suddenly, he realized something and asked, "They weren't killed by our people?"

“No!” Du Ruhui said, “Jiang Rui has a high reputation among the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi. Everyone knows that he wants to avenge the Prince of Xi. Under these circumstances, if we were to take action, we would be confident that we could wipe out all the disloyal traitors and rebels who are not loyal to His Majesty in one fell swoop, without giving them any chance to fight back.”

"Otherwise, we would never act rashly against him, lest it alert the other former subordinates of the Prince of Xi, making them think that the court was going to take action against them, thus causing them to band together and even do irrational things in order to protect themselves."

Liu Shuyi understood.

"So, this governor of Xingzhou wasn't killed by our men, but the blame could very well fall on us from other officials in Hebei?"

Du Ruhui knew that Liu Shuyi was intelligent and quick to understand.

He nodded: "That's right, we will indeed deal with Jiang Rui, but definitely not now..."

"Following the plan you provided, we are systematically deploying resources in Hebei Province. The results are becoming increasingly apparent. Those former subordinates of the Prince of Xi, who are disloyal to His Majesty, are gradually becoming disloyal and unable to unite as one..."

"But who would have thought that at this critical moment, Jiang Rui would be brutally murdered!"

Even Du Ruhui sounded somewhat frustrated when he spoke of this. In this world, it's not the difficulties encountered at the beginning that are frightening, nor the unexpected events along the way, but the fear of having taken ninety-nine steps and being just one step away from success... only to have an accident happen that could destroy all the effort, leaving the previous ninety-nine steps in imminent danger of failure.

This is what happens when all your efforts are in vain!

No one could easily accept that.

Du Ruhui shook his head and said, "With Jiang Rui dead, the first people the former subordinates of Prince Xi will suspect will definitely be the imperial court. If anyone tries to influence public opinion at this time, saying that Jiang Rui was secretly assassinated by someone sent by the imperial court to eliminate them silently, the imperial court will not let them go at all..."

"you say……"

He looked at Liu Shuyi: "What will happen?"

Liu Shuyi didn't even need to think: "Apart from those we've already bribed, even neutral people might stand with them if they see Jiang Rui's miserable state... And at this time, the man who claims to be the son of the Prince of Xi is still hiding in Hebei Province. If he seizes this opportunity to step forward and raise his arm..."

"I'm afraid we'll get a response immediately! Hebei Province..."

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Chaos is inevitable!"

He finally understood why Li Shimin had summoned him in such a hurry.

And now I finally understand why only Du Ruhui and Changsun Wuji are here.

The Hebei Circuit's plan was an absolute secret, known only to the person who made the suggestion, and Du Ruhui and Changsun Wuji, who were responsible for its execution; all other officials were unaware of it.

In this situation, unless the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi have truly rebelled, they cannot make a big fuss about it.

In other words... as long as they want to continue with their previous plan and don't want those ninety-nine steps to be in vain, only they can solve this problem.

The reason why Xi Wang's former subordinates felt threatened, banded together, and were gathered by Xi Wang's illegitimate sons was because they believed that Jiang Rui's death was the work of the imperial court.

Therefore, as long as the case can be solved, the real culprit can be found out, and the real culprit has no connection with the imperial court... the problem can be easily solved.

Of the people present, who could do this?
Without a doubt, it's just yourself.

It seems I won't be able to bury Yang Wenwan myself... I wonder if Yang Hui will blame me for breaking my promise.

Liu Shuyi cupped his hands and volunteered, "Your Majesty, please allow me to go to Hebei Circuit."

Now that they know Li Shimin's purpose, they can't avoid going to Hebei. So they might as well volunteer and win his favor.

As expected, Liu Shuyi's initiative to volunteer immediately caught Li Shimin's attention. He stared at Liu Shuyi with his deep eyes and said, "Minister Liu, do you know how dangerous this trip to Hebei is?"

The stronghold of the remnants of the Prince of Xi is currently the most dangerous place in the entire Tang Dynasty... How could Liu Shuyi not know this? But since the outcome is inevitable, his consideration is not whether to go or not, but how to maximize his own gains.

He said, “In the case of the stone tablet, I prevented the appearance of the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi. Whether it is the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi or the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi, they will surely hold a grudge against me because of this. Now, I know that going to Hebei Province where they are is like a sheep entering a pack of wolves, and the danger is extremely great.”

"But Your Majesty has shown me great favor, making exceptions for me and promoting me in a short period of time. I am extremely grateful to Your Majesty and only want to do everything I can to repay Your Majesty's kindness."

"Therefore, now that the Great Tang is in such a critical moment, I should step forward to share Your Majesty's burdens. Even if I never return, I will never regret it!"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, not to mention Li Shimin, Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui were also deeply moved.

They all knew how clever Liu Shuyi was, so he knew just as well as they did how dangerous Hebei Road was... Going to Hebei Road was indeed, as Liu Shuyi said, a one-way trip with no chance of returning.

Even so, Liu Shuyi did not hesitate or waver in the slightest...

"it is good!"

Li Shimin suddenly shouted "Good!"

"As expected of the person I have chosen!"

"Liu Shuyi, I'm not going to waste any more words..."

“If I hadn’t been so sure that I couldn’t find anyone else who could take on this important task, I would never have let you take such a big risk… To me, you are far more important than many other things.”

"But there's really no other way this time. I've already started preparing to send troops to Liang Shidu. Hebei Province absolutely cannot be thrown into chaos... Otherwise, it will be an unpredictable blow to the Tang Dynasty."

"I cannot disregard the future of the Tang Dynasty, so... I can only trouble you to make this trip."

This was the first time Liu Shuyi had heard Li Shimin speak so frankly. He cupped his hands and said, "Your subject understands. Your subject will do everything in his power to safeguard the stability of Hebei Province for the Tang Dynasty."

If someone else had said that, Li Shimin and the others would have thought that person was being arrogant and boastful.

But since Liu Shuyi said those words, they felt instantly more at ease.

Liu Shuyi had already created many miracles in front of them, so... not only did Zhao Feng and others have blind trust in Liu Shuyi, but Li Shimin and the others also had absolute trust in Liu Shuyi as long as it was related to the case.

"Hebei Circuit is the weakest point in the imperial court's control. Once you get there, the court can offer you very limited assistance..."

Li Shimin said, "Therefore, before you set off, you can make any request you want. What do you want to bring? Who do you want to go with you? How do you want the court to cooperate with you? As long as you make your request, the court will satisfy you."

Du Ruhui also said, "Don't refuse. This is not only His Majesty's wish, but also the foundation for you to protect yourself and be able to investigate the case smoothly in Hebei Province... Think carefully about what you need and just ask here."

Liu Shuyi certainly wouldn't joke about his own safety. Although it was like a lamb entering a pack of wolves, he didn't really intend to never return...

He pondered for a moment and said, "In order not to arouse the vigilance and rejection of other officials in Hebei Province, my trip to Hebei Province to investigate the case should be conducted in the same manner as the Ministry of Justice's normal trips to other places. Only in this way can they understand that I am going to Hebei Province to investigate the case and to find the murderer who killed my Tang Dynasty governor, rather than to threaten their safety."

"Therefore, the number of guards should be the same, and the number cannot exceed... But these guards should preferably be highly skilled, as my safety depends solely on them."

Li Shimin said directly, "The guards will be selected directly from the Jinwu Guard. I will entrust the most elite Jinwu Guards to you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Shuyi thanked him and then said, "Besides the guards, there are the accompanying officials. The murder of the governor is no small matter. It can be investigated by the Ministry of Justice alone, or by the three judicial departments jointly..."

"but……"

Liu Shuyi hesitated for a moment, then said, "This journey is fraught with danger, and everyone may never return. Moreover, the investigation mainly depends on me... Let's leave it at that. I won't let the other officials accompany me; I'll go alone."

"no!"

As soon as Liu Shuyi finished speaking, Du Ruhui frowned: "Those who eat the emperor's food should be loyal to the emperor's worries. How can we let them run away when they encounter danger?"

He thought for a moment and said, "Du Gou and Du Ying will accompany you."

Hearing the names Du Gou and Du Ying, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but gasp... Du Ruhui was too ruthless. If something really happened to him, his two most beloved children would never come back.

Given Du Ruhui's current physical condition, it would be difficult for him to have another child.

"inappropriate."

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "It's fine for Du Sicheng to be an official, as he has the duty to investigate cases. But Miss Du is just a weak woman with no official position. What risks is she taking?"

Du Ruhui, however, had already made up his mind: "You and Du Gou work together seamlessly. In a dangerous place, having a tacit partner is very important. You know Du Ying's autopsy skills better than anyone else. On this trip to Hebei Province, no one knows the specifics of the case. If you don't even have someone who can help you perfectly examine the body, how will you investigate?"

“You don’t have to refuse. Even if you do, I will let them go alone. In short, they are going.”

Seeing Du Ruhui's firm attitude, what else could Liu Shuyi do?
He originally wanted to protect his future wife, but now he can only risk his life with her.

Seeing that Du Gou had sent his children over, Changsun Wuji hesitated for a moment and said, "Changsun Chong should go too."

"what?"

Liu Shuyi was taken aback. Du Gou and Du Ying were his partners in investigating the case. Why was Changsun Chong going to join in the fun?
If he hadn't known exactly how dangerous Hebei Province was, he would have doubted what kind of good place it was, wondering why one after another they were pushing their most important eldest sons out.

Changsun Wuji said, "I have a good friend in Xingzhou. If Changsun Chong goes there, he might be able to help you through this friend."

Liu Shuyi said, "Minister Changsun can write a letter directly, and I will give it to that friend. I believe he will be willing to help as well, so that Vice Minister Changsun will not have to take the risk."

Changsun Wuji knew this was acceptable, but he and Du Ruhui were the only two people in the hall. Du Ruhui had already acted so righteously. If he did nothing, wouldn't he disappoint His Majesty?

Therefore, the moment Du Ruhui did this, he had no other choice.

“It’s different. My friend has a rather strange personality and isn’t one of my people, so he might not pay any attention to me.”

Liu Shuyi had no doubts and could only nod: "Then I can only trouble Changsun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Li Shimin was deeply moved by the dedication of his two trusted confidants. At that moment, he truly understood what it meant for the ruler and his ministers to be of one mind.

"Besides these people, bring along your usual subordinates who you're used to using when investigating cases. They're from the Three Departments, so the people from Hebei Province shouldn't be able to find fault with them."

Li Shimin said, "In addition, I will arrange for the court's inside agents and spies to contact you and cooperate with your actions. If necessary, you can use them to do anything for you... even if it means death!"

Liu Shuyi's pupils dilated, and he quickly bowed, saying, "Your subject understands."

"All right……"

Li Shimin rubbed his forehead and said, "Jiang Rui died three days ago. The longer we delay, the greater the changes will be. Hurry up and make preparations. If you are ready, set off immediately."

As expected, he couldn't personally bury Yang Wenwan, nor could he know if Wei Zheng would be moved to tears and persuade Li Shimin to make another exception... Liu Shuyi felt a little regretful, but he also knew that compared to matters of national importance, this was nothing.

He bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"correct……"

Just then, Li Shimin suddenly said, "I heard that you originally planned to bury Yang Wenwan tomorrow, is that right?"

Liu Shuyi was taken aback. How did Li Shimin know?
A thought struck him, and he quickly glanced at Du Ruhui, only to see Du Ruhui nodding slightly at him.

As expected, it was Du Ruhui who did it. He hadn't hidden the fact that he had Lu Yangyuan go to Yuan Tiangang for divination from anyone else. In other words, Du Ruhui's informant in the Ministry of Justice had told him about it.

Could it be that Li Shimin brought this up now because...?

Liu Shuyi looked at Li Shimin, who said, "You can't do it yourself, but since the auspicious day has been set and can't be changed, let Yang Hui go."

"I believe that as a father, he would also like to bury his daughter himself."

Liu Shuyi's eyes lit up. Now he didn't have to worry about his breach of contract with Yang Hui causing Yang Hui any resentment.

"On behalf of Yang Hui, I thank Your Majesty."

Li Shimin gently shook his head: "These are all the small things I can do, Minister Liu..."

He looked intently at Liu Shuyi, his voice utterly solemn: "The safety of Hebei Province is entrusted to you!"

(End of this chapter)