The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 193: A Shocking Deduction for Zhao Feng! The Prince of Xi's Illegitimate Son Appears! (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)
"Dr. Liu has cracked the secret behind Jiang Rui's strange behavior!?"

As soon as Liu Shuyi finished speaking, he immediately attracted everyone's attention. Even the icy beauty who was about to explode put away her cold smile, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she said thoughtfully, "Is it related to those three guests?"

Seeing that Du Ying was no longer pressing the crucial question, Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Miss Du is indeed exceptionally intelligent, a rare find in the world."

Du Ying rolled her eyes at Liu Shuyi, her tone involuntarily carrying a hint of reproach: "Speak properly."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Everyone in this world has their own internal logic and purpose in doing anything. Even a madman has his own logic, it's just that outsiders may not understand it."

"Jiang Rui is not a madman, but a daring and ambitious man, so he must be more logical and purposeful in his actions."

"Therefore, what he did at Chunhyang Pavilion, which seems contradictory and incomprehensible, is simply because we haven't grasped his logic... If we combine his undisguised ambition with the events that occurred at Chunhyang Pavilion after he arrived, and look at everything from a higher perspective..."

"Then many things become clear."

Zhao Feng and the others listened to Liu Shuyi's words and fell into deep thought, pondering according to Liu Shuyi's prompts.

Seeing this, Liu Shuyi continued, "You might as well think about what Jiang Rui did. He sent his servants to Chunxiang Pavilion in advance to deliver a message, but only asked them to prepare dinner. He seemed completely unconcerned that Qingqing was serving other guests..."

"But as soon as Jiang Rui arrived, he immediately called Qingqing over, not even giving her time to go back to her room to wash and get ready. He dragged Qingqing directly from the other guests' rooms to his own..."

"From this perspective, Jiang Rui seems to have an extremely strong possessive desire for Qingqing, and he is unwilling to wait even a little while."

"Jiang Rui's behavior before and after was so contradictory that it seemed completely incomprehensible... But what if we look at it from a different perspective?"

Zhao Feng pondered for a moment and said, "How about another angle?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "We know that Jiang Rui's behavior has its logic, so we will not look at this from the perspective of outsiders, but from his perspective... He did not let the servants tell Qingqing to wait for him, but continued to let Qingqing accompany the other guests. Can we understand that he must keep Qingqing with the other guests at this time?"

"After he arrived at Chunxiang Pavilion, he snatched Qingqing away from the other guests... Could we also assume that he had to show his domineering nature by calling Qingqing over immediately to avoid arousing suspicion about his motives? And his not giving Qingqing any time to tidy herself up, does that mean he couldn't allow her to do so, and only in this way could he achieve his goal?"

Zhao Feng and the others had never thought about these things from this perspective before. Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, they felt the fog obscuring their vision gradually dissipating, and they seemed to understand something...

"Furthermore, Qingqing also mentioned that the three customers she had previously served left Chunxiang Pavilion quickly after Jiang Rui called her away... Would a normal customer leave in such a hurry without accepting compensation from the brothel just because the courtesan left?"

Zhao Feng nodded: "Men come to brothels to have fun. They haven't even spent the night yet, so how can they leave so easily? Besides, Miss Qingqing said that they all understand her departure and did not express any dissatisfaction. Under these circumstances, they don't need to worry about offending Jiang Rui. There is no reason for them to leave immediately."

“Manager Zhao is right,” Liu Shuyi said with a smile. “So, these three so-called guests are clearly suspicious. Considering Jiang Rui’s behavior, could we perhaps think of it this way…”

He glanced at everyone and asked, "What unspeakable secrets do these three people have with Jiang Rui?"

"Jiang Rui wanted to contact the three of them, but these three, or rather their master, were very cautious and did not want anyone to know that they had been in contact with Jiang Rui, or they did not trust Jiang Rui and did not want to have direct contact with him."

"Or perhaps they know the imperial court will send people to keep an eye on Jiang Rui, and they don't want the court to notice their presence..."

"In short, there may be many reasons, but the result is that they can only contact Jiang Rui indirectly. The way they can contact him is through the courtesan Qingqing at Chunxiang Pavilion, without Qingqing's knowledge, to help them communicate."

Zhao Feng frowned and asked, "How can we help them communicate without Qingqing's knowledge?"

"It's very simple."

Liu Shuyi said, "Qingqing said that she didn't even have time to go back to her room to wash and dress... In other words, Jiang Rui didn't give Qingqing any chance to tidy herself up. Since he didn't give Qingqing a chance to tidy herself up, it means the secret is here."

Du Ying looked at Liu Shuyi: "What did they hide on Qingqing?"

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin and said, "That should be it... I think they probably prepared notes or soft, small pieces of silk beforehand, wrote something on them, and then hid them in Qingqing's belt behind her back or in other places that Qingqing wouldn't notice when they were touching her without her noticing."

"At this moment, Jiang Rui arrived and immediately called Qingqing away. Qingqing didn't have time to fully tidy herself up before she hurriedly went to see Jiang Rui... The things that these three so-called guests had hidden on her body were naturally taken by Qingqing with her."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng and the others' eyes widened in surprise.

At first glance, Liu Shuyi's words might seem far-fetched, but when considered in light of everything that happened to Qingqing, they make perfect sense.

In particular, Jiang Ruina's contradictory behavior became perfectly reasonable and logical under Liu Shuyi's explanation.

"It must be so!"

Zhao Feng said without hesitation, "There is no more reasonable analysis than this."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Deduction is just deduction after all. We still need evidence to verify it. That's why I had Qingqing draw those three guests..."

"I need to find those three people. If I can find them, I can confirm whether the facts are as I have deduced."

Zhao Feng suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. No wonder Doctor Liu used Du Si..."

"cough!"

Before Zhao Feng could finish speaking, Liu Shuyi coughed, interrupting him.

He glared at Zhao Feng, thinking, "Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about? Didn't you see how hard I worked to get away with this?"
Zhao Feng was glared at by Liu Shuyi and immediately realized what was going on. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I just don't know who these three people are, and why Jiang Rui is willing to go to such lengths to contact them."

Liu Shuyi gently stroked the jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips and said, "I do have a guess."

"What?" Zhao Feng looked at him immediately, and Du Ying also turned her gaze to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi did not directly state his guess, but said to the Jinwu Guards, "We don't have anything to do for the time being until Miss Qingqing finishes her painting. You've had a long journey, so take a break. You may not have such an opportunity again."

The Imperial Guards were indeed exhausted. Upon hearing this, they didn't stand on ceremony with Liu Shuyi. After nodding to him, they all found a place to sit down and rest.

Liu Shuyi looked away and said to Zhao Feng and Du Ying, "Let's sit down and rest too."

As they spoke, the group walked to a table next to the window in the lobby and sat down.

Du Ying looked at Liu Shuyi with her beautiful eyes and said, "There's no one else..."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "It's not that I don't trust the Imperial Guards, but this matter is currently a secret. The number of people in the court who know about this, including you, is no more than a handful. I have to be careful."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng subconsciously tensed his back and swallowed nervously: "Doctor Liu, is such a confidential matter really something I should listen to? Perhaps I should go and rest somewhere else."

Liu Shuyi ignored Zhao Feng's ramblings and said, "There's something you don't know..." He looked at the two men and said in a deep voice, "The illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi has arrived in Hebei!"

"Who? The illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi!?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng's pupils dilated, and he almost exclaimed in surprise: "That illegitimate son of the Prince Xi in the stone tablet case?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Although the stone tablet case is over, the court has never stopped investigating him. However, he is very cautious and good at hiding, so the court has made no progress for many days."

"As a result, some time ago, an inside agent hidden in Hebei Province informed the court that the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi had entered Hebei Province and had spread some rumors."

A thoughtful look flashed across Du Ying's cold and elegant face as she said, "You mean... those three guests were people of the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi? And that illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi is hiding in Xingzhou City, secretly contacting Jiang Rui?"

Zhao Feng felt goosebumps rise on his skin: "Really?"

If it's true, then the crisis on their trip to Xingzhou won't just be Jiang Rui's death; the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi will be an even bigger crisis for them!
After all... they were the ones who blocked the chance for the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi to gain fame, and there was a grudge between them!

Liu Shuyi tapped his finger lightly on the table and said, "If my deduction is correct, those three guests really did contact Jiang Rui through Miss Qingqing, which means one thing..."

"Jiang Rui can only passively receive their messages, and cannot convey his own thoughts to them."

“Passive reception and one-way transmission...this often represents a high or low status.”

"That is to say..."

Liu Shuyi's gaze met the two men's: "In these three contacts, Jiang Rui, as the controller of Xingzhou, was of a lower status than the masters behind those three guests..."

"But Jiang Rui is disloyal to the court and harbors rebellious intentions. In his eyes, who is of higher status than him? Or rather, who can make him appear to be of lower status?"

Zhao Feng's pupils twitched violently. He subconsciously swallowed and said, "Who else could it be... it can only be the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi!"

"After all, Jiang Rui's public persona is loyalty to Prince Xi! He only achieved his current status because of Prince Xi's favor, so even after Prince Xi's death, he still thinks of him..."

"Therefore, if he needs to show humility to anyone, it is only by publicly declaring himself to be the only son of the Prince of Xi, yet a son of a concubine of the Prince of Xi!"

Du Ying nodded in agreement: "So, the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi is really hiding in Xingzhou City? Is he secretly contacting Jiang Rui in an attempt to plot a rebellion through Jiang Rui?"

Zhao Feng's heart tightened, and he quickly looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi leaned back and shook his head: "It's hard to say."

"Hard to say?" Zhao Feng was taken aback.

"How can it be hard to say? Haven't we already confirmed that those three are backed by the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi? What other purpose could the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi have in contacting Jiang Rui besides treason?"

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning deep: "I've already deduced that Jiang Rui left Chunxiang Pavilion voluntarily on the night he was killed, and he was in a good mood when he left..."

"This suggests that his departure was to do something that would benefit him, or something he had been looking forward to for a long time."

"As the master of Xingzhou, what is there in Xingzhou City that he cannot do under normal circumstances, and can only do secretly in the dead of night on that particular day?"

“This…” Zhao Feng frowned and tentatively asked, “Could it be that the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi wants to see him?”

Liu Shuyi nodded: "According to our deduction, those three guests were people of the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi. Every time Jiang Rui went to Chunxiang Pavilion, he was actually receiving information from the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi..."

"The illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi has contacted him multiple times, which certainly indicates his intention to join forces with him. However, he is unsure whether Jiang Rui is trustworthy, so his previous one-way contacts were likely used to test Jiang Rui..."

"Once he is certain that Jiang Rui can be trusted, the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi will decide to meet with him, which is undoubtedly what Jiang Rui is most looking forward to."

"After all, whoever is closest to the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi has more say and will have a higher status and power among the Prince of Xi's old subordinates."

"And that day happened to be the same time when Jiang Rui received another message from the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi. As a result, at midnight he did something different from the previous two times. So we have reason to guess that the last message the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi gave Jiang Rui was to arrange a meeting with him..."

Zhao Feng nodded repeatedly: "That must be it! In that case, Jiang Rui's reaction to Han Si that night makes perfect sense."

"But..." Liu Shuyi changed the subject, his voice low and somber, "The result was that Jiang Rui died!"

Zhao Feng felt a sudden chill run down his spine and instinctively shivered: "That's right! Jiang Rui is dead! According to our deduction, Jiang Rui received an invitation from the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi, and the two were to formally join forces... But Jiang Rui is dead! How could this be? How could Jiang Rui die?"

"Yes, how could Jiang Rui die..."

Liu Shuyi frowned slightly, his dark eyes filled with confusion: "If my deduction is correct, Jiang Rui should have reached an agreement with the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi that night, and the two of them should have started preparing for the rebellion."

"Jiang Rui should never have died, no matter what!"

"Could I have made a mistake somewhere? But my deduction isn't purely subjective conjecture; it's a logical and reasonable inference based on the information we currently have and their behavior..."

Seeing Liu Shuyi's furrowed brow, Du Ying instinctively reached out to smooth it. She paused for a moment, then said, "I haven't found anything unreasonable in your deduction..."

"So, is it possible that Jiang Rui and the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi failed to reach an agreement, and therefore the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi harbored murderous intentions towards Jiang Rui, who knew his identity and appearance?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head and said, "That's unlikely. It's the first time the two have met. Even if they have discussed something, it probably won't be too in-depth... Not to mention, negotiations are never something that can be done overnight. They can't possibly fight to the death for interests as soon as they meet."

"Moreover, given how cautious the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi is, judging from his previous actions, even if he meets with Jiang Rui, he is unlikely to reveal his true appearance. It will not be an easy task for Jiang Rui to harm him."

Zhao Feng was completely baffled and said, "If that's the case, then it was clearly a meeting that the two of them had been looking forward to, so how did Jiang Rui end up dying tragically?"

This is also a question that Liu Shuyi has never been able to figure out. If he can clarify this question, then he should be close to solving the mystery of Jiang Rui's death.

He let out a soft breath and said, "With the information we have now, we can only speculate to this extent. To understand exactly where the problem lies, we can only wait for more information to emerge..."

"Of course, it would be even better if we could find those three people directly, or even find the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi, so that we could know directly what happened that night."

"Dr. Liu!"

No sooner had Liu Shuyi finished speaking than Qingqing's sweet voice suddenly came from the stairs: "This servant has finished drawing~"

(End of this chapter)