The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 198 Liu Shuyi: What if I told you your case-solving was full of loopholes? (6700-word long chapter)
Half an hour later.

Liu Shuyi and Lu Yangyuan arrived outside the main hall of the governor's mansion.

Even before entering the lobby, Liu Shuyi sensed a somber atmosphere.

Many yamen runners stood outside the main hall. These yamen runners were different from the yamen runners who were busy running around outside the morgue. They were all burly and had sharp eyes. When they saw him arrive, they all turned to him in unison, and at the same time, their right hands subconsciously rested on the hilts of their knives.

Liu Shuyi glanced at them and noticed that the constables were all tense, their backs hunched forward, like wild beasts eyeing their prey, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

Lu Yangyuan quickened his pace, catching up with Liu Shuyi. While keeping a wary eye on the surrounding constables, he whispered, "The way they're looking at us is strange, like they're about to attack at any moment..."

"What should we do? Should we still go in?"

Before Liu Shuyi arrived, he had already anticipated what the scene would be like, so he was much calmer than Lu Yangyuan. His expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Do we have a choice?"

Lu Yangyuan's expression changed slightly. The number of Jinwu Guards they brought from Chang'an was not large to begin with. They had split into three groups and lost many more, leaving them with only about thirty guards. It would indeed be very difficult for them to break out with just over thirty men.

More importantly, he was unsure of the enemy's exact number. This was the enemy's main camp, and the number of people they could see was already beyond their ability to fight. If there were any ambushes outside, it would be a certain death sentence.

Lu Yangyuan felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, and he felt that the sword that had once given him endless hope was now so weak and fragile.

"Don't despair yet."

At this moment, Liu Shuyi's calm and gentle voice rang out again: "Although the current situation is very unfavorable for us, we are far from being truly desperate..."

His gaze swept across the hall, taking in the people sitting on the many benches on both sides. His eyes flickered, and he said, "Now that I've brought you out, I will do my best to bring you back safely. From now on, follow my lead. Who will have the last laugh is still unknown."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's calm and composed words as always, Lu Yangyuan was taken aback.

He subconsciously looked at Liu Shuyi and saw that there was not a trace of tension or worry on Liu Shuyi's face. On the contrary, when Liu Shuyi saw him looking at him, he winked at him in a funny way. This was hardly the look of someone rushing to a desperate situation.
Although he didn't know what cards Liu Shuyi held, nor whether he could leave this hall, which felt like a trap, alive, Lu Yangyuan felt a sudden sense of relief amidst his despair.

It seems that as long as Liu Shuyi is there, even in dire straits, a way to survive can be found.

He took a deep breath, gripped the knife hilt tightly, and straightened his back. Since there was no way to retreat, he would stand tall and move forward with his head held high, determined not to embarrass Doctor Liu.

"Dr. Liu, your guards will need to wait outside the hall."

Just as Liu Shuyi was about to enter the main hall, he was suddenly stopped by a yamen runner.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guards glared at each other angrily.

But the yamen runner didn't even look at them; he just stared at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi raised his hand and said calmly, "I am familiar with the procedures for handling cases in the yamen, so let them wait outside. However, the man beside me is a clerk from the Ministry of Justice, not a guard. He must enter with me."

The constables glanced at Lu Yangyuan, who was much more robust than them, hesitated for a moment, and then subconsciously looked into the hall.

He then looked away and nodded, saying, "Since you are an official of the Ministry of Justice, you are naturally allowed to enter."

As he spoke, he stepped aside and opened the main hall door.

Liu Shuyi and Lu Yangyuan exchanged a glance, then calmly entered the hall as if they were oblivious to the menacing atmosphere directed at them.

At this time, there were many people in the hall, and more than a dozen yamen runners with swords hanging from their waists and sticks in their hands stood on both sides of the hall.

Behind the yamen runners were a dozen or so low stools, on which sat people dressed in official robes.

Standing in front of the hall was a man nearing thirty, slightly thin but very upright and heroic. He was wearing the official robes of a judicial officer and should be Zhang, the judicial officer of Xingzhou who was secretly investigating the case.

Beneath the plaque inscribed with "The World Belongs to All," Prefect Chu Xiong sat solemnly. Upon seeing Liu Shuyi's arrival, he did not rise but calmly said, "Doctor Liu has arrived."

Liu Shuyi glanced at everyone and said with a smile, "I was overjoyed to hear that Military Advisor Zhang had solved the case of Governor Jiang's murder, so I rushed over. I didn't expect you all to arrive even faster than I did."

As he spoke, he looked curiously at the crowd behind the yamen runners and said, "The official robes worn by you colleagues seem to be somewhat different from those of the Xingzhou Prefectural Government Office. May I ask who you are?"

The seated officials looked at each other, and then a slightly plump official stood up, cupped his hands and said, "This humble official, Tian Kang, the Registrar of Xiangzhou, greets Physician Liu."

“We are all officials from the surrounding prefectures and counties. We heard that Governor Jiang had encountered an accident, so we came to Xingzhou on his orders to find out what happened and see if we can help our colleagues in Xingzhou.”

Xiangzhou?

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered slightly. In the list that Du Ruhui gave him, Xiangzhou belonged to the neutral faction, and under the secret contact with the court, it had already leaned towards the court.

Therefore, Tian Kang's initiative to stand up, identify himself, and explain the reason... must also be partly an attempt to curry favor with me.

However, neutrality sounds nice, but it's really just being a fence-sitter. If the situation turns against them, then Tian Kang might be no less of a threat than anyone else.

"They turned out to be colleagues from various prefectures and counties."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "I was just talking to Prefect Chu today about whether our colleagues in the nearby prefectures and counties were concerned about this case. At that time, Prefect Chu said he didn't know about your situation. I didn't expect that in just a few hours, all of you colleagues would have arrived in Xingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiong coughed and said, "It's quite a coincidence. Not long after I finished talking with Physician Liu, my colleagues from various prefectures and counties arrived one after another. Because Physician Liu was busy investigating the case, I was afraid of disturbing him, so I didn't inform him."

"It's quite a coincidence that so many colleagues from various prefectures and counties were able to arrive one after another within just a few hours, as if it were pre-arranged." Liu Shuyi nodded with a smile, as if he had no doubts whatsoever.

Chu Xiong, fearing that Liu Shuyi would discover the secret that these people had arrived long ago, did not continue the question with Liu Shuyi. He said, "Now that Doctor Liu has arrived, let's get down to business."

Liu Shuyi said, "I would like to hear the details."

Chu Xiong looked intently at Liu Shuyi and said, "Physician Liu may not know, but since the discovery of Governor Jiang's murder, this case has been taken over by Zhang, the judicial officer of Xingzhou. In order to find out the truth as soon as possible and avenge Governor Jiang, Officer Zhang has been working tirelessly day and night..."

"Finally, yesterday, a breakthrough clue was discovered."

"The clues were rare and pointed directly to the truth. In order to find out everything as soon as possible, Zhang Canjun worked day and night without rest. He didn't even return to the yamen for two days, so he couldn't go to welcome Liu Langzhong's arrival... But it was precisely because of this that Zhang Canjun finally found out everything about the case this afternoon!"

"So next, Zhang Canjun will reveal the truth of the case to us."

Chu Xiong simply gave a brief introduction to Zhang Bu's investigation of the case, but did not explain to Liu Shuyi why he had not told Liu Shuyi about it. However, at this moment, it was no longer important, so Liu Shuyi did not ask any questions.

He looked at Zhang Bu, who took two steps forward, then turned around to face the crowd.

Without any preamble, he went straight to the case: "After discovering that Governor Jiang had been murdered, I led my men to investigate."

"We questioned the local residents near the street corner, as well as people from Chunxiang Tower, where Governor Jiang had been before the incident, hoping to find useful clues, but..."

Zhang shook his head: "The people were completely unaware and provided no clues. Although the people at Chunxianglou knew when Governor Jiang left, they did not know why he left or where he went."

"Therefore, the clues we have are still extremely limited."

"And then there's Governor Jiang's body. We had the coroner examine it several times, but besides knowing the circumstances of Governor Jiang's death and the details of his injuries, we still haven't found a single clue pointing to the murderer..."

"Our investigation has run into a dead end, as if the murderer knew where we were going to investigate and cut off all the paths we were going to take in advance."

Tian Kang and the others were clearly aware of this matter, and their expressions showed no surprise. They simply nodded slightly, indicating that they understood the predicament that Zhang's department was facing.

Chu Xiong leaned back slightly. He didn't look at Zhang Bu, who was recounting the case, but stared intently at Liu Shuyi, wanting to know how Liu Shuyi would react to Zhang Bu's words.

He found Liu Shuyi nodding in agreement, as if he shared Zhang's predicament. This made Chu Xiong narrow his eyes slightly, a half-smile curving his lips, as if anticipating a good show about to unfold.

"And just when we were stuck, unsure of how to proceed with the next step of the investigation..."

Zhang Bu's tone suddenly changed. His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Liu Shuyi: "A crucial clue has suddenly appeared! A turning point has arrived!"

Liu Shuyi's fingertips twitched slightly. He knew that the conspiracy the murderer had set up specifically for the imperial court and for himself was only now truly beginning.

"I wonder what the turning point was?" Liu Shuyi asked.

Zhang Bu stared into Liu Shuyi's eyes and said, "The yamen has caught a thief."

"Thieves?" This answer was somewhat unexpected for Liu Shuyi.

Zhang Bu said, "This thief often breaks into people's homes at night to steal. Because he is elusive and very cautious, it took us a long time to catch him."

“Normally, after I caught him, I would definitely interrogate him properly and then convict him to give an explanation to the people. But at that time, I was so busy with the case of Governor Jiang that I couldn’t pay attention to him at all. So even though I caught him, I ignored him and just waved my hand casually, telling people to lock him up first.”

"But then, the thief suddenly said to me... if he could help me solve the case, could I reduce his sentence?"

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment and guessed, "Did he witness the incident?"

"Not really."

Zhang Bu said, "This thief went out to steal again on the night that Governor Jiang was murdered."

"However, the place he went to commit the theft was not near the intersection where Governor Jiang was murdered, nor did he pass through that intersection... But he passed through a street not far from that intersection, and he told me..."

"When he passed by there around 1 AM that night, he saw the watchman running forward in a great panic, looking back from time to time, as if something terrifying was chasing him."

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow: "Night watchman?"

Zhang nodded: "The thief said that he often saw the watchman when he committed burglaries at night. This was the first time he had seen the watchman like this, which startled him. He thought he was being haunted, so he hid there to see what would happen."

"But until the watchman disappeared, he didn't see anyone chasing after him."

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin and speculated, "Could it be that the night watchman saw the scene of Governor Jiang being murdered, and in his panic, he fled in haste, fearing that he would be chased down by the murderer, and thus was extremely terrified?"

"Liu Langzhong is indeed quick-witted..." Zhang Bu said, "That was also my guess, so I immediately took people to the night watchman's house."

"As a result..." Zhang's expression darkened. "As a result, I knocked on the door for a long time, but the watchman did not come to open it. According to the watchman's habit of working at night and resting during the day, he should be resting at home at this time and would not go out. I was worried that something had happened to him, so I had someone kick the door open."

"I led my men into the watchman's residence, and just then, a figure dressed in black rushed out of the watchman's room, jumped over the wall, and fled outside."

"When I saw this, my heart skipped a beat. I realized that the murderer had come to silence me. I immediately ordered people to chase after the murderer and at the same time quickly went into the watchman's room to check on the watchman's condition."

Upon hearing this, Tian Kang and the others became more tense. One official asked, "And then? Did the night watchman die?"

Zhang said in a low voice, "I was still a step too late. The watchman's throat was cut, and he was already dead."

"What about the murderer? Have they been caught?" Tian Kang couldn't help but ask.

Zhang shook his head: "The murderer was very agile. We were a step too late, and we were too late for everything. In the end, he still managed to escape."

"Oh dear! Just one step away!" Tian Kang couldn't help but slap his thigh, lamenting the missed opportunity.

Others nodded.

“However, although the murderer escaped, we did not come away empty-handed…” Zhang Bu changed the subject, saying, “The murderer did not expect us to appear at that time, so his plan to silence us was ultimately affected.”

"When we knocked on the door, he probably hadn't killed the watchman yet, so in the heat of the moment, he only had time to kill the watchman and didn't have time to think about anything else. Afraid of being caught by us, he hurriedly fled..."

"Therefore, in his haste, he left behind something important that would allow us to find him."

Tian Kang pressed further, "What important thing?"

Zhang Bu clapped his hands.

A yamen runner walked in carrying a tray.

On the tray were two items: a bloodstained knife and a money bag.

Zhang picked up the blood-stained knife and said, "This knife is the murder weapon the killer used to slit the watchman's throat."

"Please look, everyone. This knife has a very thin blade, which corresponds exactly to the wound on Governor Jiang's abdomen. After examination by the coroner, it can be preliminarily determined that this is the sharp blade that cut Governor Jiang's abdomen."

"At the same time, this knife is not like the knives we usually see, with a smooth handle and an exquisite blade... It is completely black, with uneven parts on the blade and an irregular handle, and it doesn't look like a knife sold in a shop."

An official from another state asked curiously, "If it's not a knife sold in a shop, where did it come from?"

Liu Shuyi examined the bloodstained knife and guessed, "Was it made in a blacksmith's shop?"

"A blacksmith shop?" The officials were taken aback.

Zhang Bu gave Liu Shuyi a deep look and said, "Doctor Liu is right. This knife came from the blacksmith's shop. It was a hastily made knife, meant for the crime. Because it's different from any knife we ​​can buy, there's no way to trace it back to the knife through the wound..."

"However, I can determine that it came from a blacksmith shop, not because I'm as clever as Doctor Liu and can immediately deduce it from a blacksmith shop, but because of another piece of physical evidence..."

As he spoke, Zhang picked up the money bag from the tray.

He said, "This money bag is black and old, obviously used for many years, and on the money bag is embroidered a name - Feng Dao."

Everyone looked at the money bag, and sure enough, the words "Feng Dao" were embroidered on it in red thread.

Zhang Bu said, "If it were any other name, even if I knew it, I would have to spend a lot of time investigating the household register... But because some of the tools in the yamen were made by him, I am very familiar with this name. As soon as I see the name Feng Dao, I know where to look for him."

Feng Dao... Blacksmith Shop...

Liu Shuyi frowned almost imperceptibly. He didn't know who Feng Dao was, but seeing Zhang Bu being led astray by Feng Dao and believing it without a doubt, he had a bad feeling.

"Feng Dao is not actually a name, but a nickname. He is a blacksmith in the blacksmith shop in the east of the city. He makes a living by blacksmithing. He is called Feng Dao because he is good at making knives. He is very good at making sharp weapons such as kitchen knives and daggers."

"The kitchen knives in my mansion were made by him."

"So when I saw the words on the money bag, I immediately understood everything. Why couldn't I find the source of the murder weapon no matter how I investigated it? Why was the murder weapon so strange, not something that could be found on the market? ... Because the murderer was a blacksmith who was good at making sharp weapons. If he wanted to hide it, who could find it?"

Tian Kang and the others all nodded: "I see."

Zhang continued, "After learning Feng Dao's secret, I immediately led my men to the blacksmith's shop."

"When we arrived at the blacksmith's shop, we found Feng Dao working on a blacksmith's block. He didn't seem nervous at all when he saw us. Instead, he greeted us as usual..."

"If I hadn't found Feng Dao's money pouch at the watchman's place, I would have doubted whether I had made the wrong judgment..."

"He's too good at hiding and disguising himself, and too cunning. Who would have thought that such a vicious and insidious heart was hidden beneath his honest and simple expression!"

"So without any further words, I ordered his arrest."

Liu Shuyi asked, "Did he resist?"

Zhang looked directly at Liu Shuyi: "He's smart. He knows that resistance is useless and will only expose him faster."

"In other words, he didn't resist..." Liu Shuyi continued, "Then did he confess?"

Zhang Bu said, "He is more cunning than I imagined. Even though I had placed the murder weapon and the money bag in front of him, he still stubbornly refused to confess."

"But whether he speaks or not, the evidence is already conclusive..."

“That money bag was his money bag, and according to the people who came to his blacksmith shop to buy kitchen knives, at noon, he saw Feng Dao putting copper coins into the money bag... It was still there at noon, but when we went to find him in the evening, the money bag was already at the scene where the watchman was murdered.”

“Feng Dao said he was in the blacksmith shop all day and never left... If he didn’t leave, how could the money bag be missing? It’s obvious he’s lying.”

"Moreover, apart from someone going to buy something at noon, no one else can corroborate his story. In other words, no one knows where the watchman was when he died..."

Liu Shuyi nodded; even he couldn't find fault with it.

Aside from the lack of more direct evidence, Feng Dao is indeed the prime suspect.

Seeing that Liu Shuyi was no longer asking questions, Chu Xiong knew that Liu Shuyi had no way to defend himself, so he finally said, "What about the motive? We know the motive for Feng Dao to silence the night watchman, but what about his motive for killing Governor Jiang?"

Tian Kang and the others all nodded: "Yes, but what's the motive? Why would a blacksmith from a blacksmith shop want to kill Governor Jiang?"

"motivation……"

Zhang Bu stared at Liu Shuyi and said, "Feng Dao has been refusing to confess, so we can't get any information about his motives from him."

"However, after searching his blacksmith shop and house, and after digging almost three feet into the ground in his house, we found a hidden compartment under the floor tiles in his bedroom."

"A hidden compartment? And it's hidden under the floor tiles. How cautious!" Tian Kang exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, they were extremely cautious. If we hadn't known he was the murderer and hadn't practically torn down his house to find clues, we wouldn't have discovered it."

"What is the hidden compartment?" Tian Kang asked.

Instead of answering directly, Zhang looked at Liu Shuyi and asked meaningfully, "What does Doctor Liu think the hidden compartment is?"

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "How would I know?"

"Doesn't Doctor Liu know?"

Zhang Bu seemed surprised: "I thought Physician Liu knew very well..."

He said in a deep voice, "After all, what's inside are letters between Feng Dao and the imperial court, as well as a black identity token."

"What!?"

"Letters exchanged with the imperial court?"

"A black identity token!?"

Tian Kang and the others' expressions changed, and they subconsciously stood up.

Zhang clapped his hands again.

Another yamen runner came up carrying a tray.

On the tray lay a stack of opened letters and a small black token.

Zhang Bu picked up the letters and said, "These letters are correspondence between Feng Dao, Minister Du, and Minister Changsun, detailing everything that happened in Xingzhou."

Then, he picked up the small black token: "The back of this token features a tiger and a snake, and the front reads 'Secret Guard'... Snake-Tiger Secret Guard..."

Zhang extended the token in front of Liu Shuyi, waved it slightly, and said with a half-smile, "Doctor Liu, you should know the meaning of the Snake Tiger Guard, right?"

Hearing Zhang Bu's words, Tian Kang and the others stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Chu Xiong also sat up straight, his eyes dark and sharp as he stared at Liu Shuyi.

The surrounding constables gripped their sword hilts tightly, and the sound of the sword being drawn slowly rang out.

When Lu Yangyuan saw this scene, he felt his scalp tingle. His face turned pale as he stared at the black token and subconsciously swallowed.

"It's over!"

"Hopeless!"

Lu Yangyuan was heartbroken. The Snake Tiger Guard was a secret guard directly under Emperor Li Shimin, trained by him and mainly responsible for intelligence gathering throughout the Tang Dynasty and surrounding countries.

Therefore, given that Feng Dao had communications with Du Ruhui and Changsun Wuji, as well as the token of the Snake Tiger Guard, his identity and mission were quite clear.

This is a secret guard of the imperial court who carries out a secret mission for Li Shimin!
And now, this bodyguard has been identified as the one who brutally murdered Jiang Rui, the governor of Xingzhou...

As a bodyguard, he couldn't possibly act on his own.

It's obvious... this is Li Shimin's intention; Li Shimin is going to secretly eliminate the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi!
Nothing could ignite the fury and murderous intent of the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi more than this truth...

Why isn't Doctor Liu saying anything?

Chu Xiong's voice was cold and menacing: "Is your secret exposed and you have nothing to say?"

Keng! !

Upon hearing this, the constables, who had already slightly drawn their swords, drew them completely.

In an instant, the light of blades filled the entire hall.

The sense of impending doom reached its peak.

Lu Yangyuan immediately drew his sword and stood in front of Liu Shuyi. No matter how desperate he was, he could not abandon Liu Shuyi.

But to his surprise, as soon as he stepped forward, Liu Shuyi pressed down on the back of his hand and said, "Don't be impulsive."

After speaking, Liu Shuyi stood in front of Lu Yangyuan again, as if he had not seen the flashing blades around him. His face remained calm as he smiled and said, "I do have something to say, but I am worried that saying it might hurt Zhang Canjun's feelings, so I am hesitant."

"Wound my heart?" Zhang frowned, not understanding Liu Shuyi's meaning.

Then, he saw Liu Shuyi looking at him and slowly saying, "If I said that Zhang Canjun's so-called truth is full of loopholes and has serious problems, and that it wouldn't even pass the review in the Ministry of Justice, what would Zhang Canjun do?"

(End of this chapter)