The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 200 The Situation Turns Around! The Time Has Come for Me to Reveal the Truth!
Tian Kang and the others stared at Liu Shuyi in stunned silence, completely unprepared for the fact that Liu Shuyi could find other problems.

Chu Xiong and Zhang Bu looked on in disbelief.

Liu Shuyi glanced at everyone, then, without keeping them in suspense, said, "When Military Advisor Zhang was introducing these secret letters, he said they were correspondence between Feng Dao, Minister Du, and Minister Changsun... That one sentence alone is the biggest problem!"

Zhang frowned, not understanding Liu Shuyi's meaning: "Why does Physician Liu say that?"

Liu Shuyi stared at Zhang Bu and said, "Military Advisor Zhang said that Feng Dao is a member of the Snake Tiger Guard, and the Snake Tiger Guard is a force directly under His Majesty..."

"Since they are directly under His Majesty, it means that only His Majesty can use this force. Whether it is Minister Changsun or Minister Du, even if they can make the Snake Tiger Guards do things, it is because His Majesty has given them orders. They are only temporarily in control of a portion of the power."

"Although Feng Dao is hiding in Xingzhou and has a very special status in Xingzhou, Xingzhou is insignificant in the grand scheme of the Tang Dynasty and even the whole world. Under such circumstances, if His Majesty really wants to know about the situation in Xingzhou, does Zhang Canjun think that His Majesty will arrange for Minister Changsun or Minister Du to follow up on this matter alone, or will he have Minister Du and Minister Changsun do it together?"

“This…” Zhang Bu’s eyes widened as he listened to Liu Shuyi’s words.

He finally understood what Liu Shuyi meant.

Indeed, Xingzhou was his everything, as a judicial officer in Xingzhou.

But to the entire imperial court, Xingzhou was nothing.

For such a medium-sized prefecture to attract the attention of either Du Ruhui or Changsun Wuji would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. How could it possibly attract the attention of both Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui at the same time?
Furthermore, both of them wrote letters to Feng Dao personally at the same time...

Let alone Feng Dao, an ordinary Snake Tiger Guard, even Jiang Rui, the governor of Xingzhou, wouldn't have such qualifications.

Seeing Zhang Bu's pupils tremble as if an earthquake had struck, Liu Shuyi smiled slightly and continued, "His Majesty's wisdom and martial prowess are unparalleled among emperors throughout history, so how could he possibly waste talent and manpower?"

"Not to mention that Minister Changsun and Minister Du are both of extremely high status and position. If they were to be in charge of Xingzhou at the same time, who would be in charge and who would be subordinate? Wouldn't such a decision lead to a rift between them? This is more than just a waste of talent... Let alone His Majesty, I believe even Military Advisor Zhang would not allow two trusted subordinates to do something that is both overkill and would cause internal strife and infighting, right?"

"I..." Zhang Bu opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Although Liu Shuyi's words were all speculations, they were completely logical and based on facts. If he gave the opposite answer, not only would he fail to convince Tian Kang and the others, but he would also make others doubt his abilities.

Liu Shuyi seemed to be asking himself a question, but in reality, everyone already knew the answer the moment he asked it.

Seeing that Zhang Bu remained silent, Liu Shuyi turned his gaze to Chu Xiong.

This time, Chu Xiong, who had always been quick to react and constantly found fault with Liu Shuyi, also fell silent.

With Liu Shuyi's discovery of the secret letter, this issue is meaningless whether he refutes it or not, not to mention that he really can't refute it anyway.

Any leader with a brain knows how to answer. If he dares to argue that he will make this decision, who will dare to follow him in the future?

Therefore, when Liu Shuyi raised his question, the huge hall fell silent.

Even the officials from various prefectures and counties, including Tian Kang, were deep in thought, their brows furrowed.

First, there were questions about the watchman's knowledge of the murderer's identity, and then there were serious doubts about Feng Dao's identity as a member of the Snake Tiger Guard...

Even if they were slow to react, at this moment they all realized that Director Zhang's investigation results were far from the truth!
The truth is not at all what Chu Xiong and Zhang Bu said.

Tian Kang glanced at Liu Shuyi furtively, his eyes flickering for a moment. Then, as if he had made a decision, he said, "Military Advisor Zhang, I think you should give us an explanation."

Officials from other states and counties exchanged glances and nodded, saying, "Indeed, we need to explain this clearly."

"We came here to find out who killed Governor Jiang, not to be made a fool of and watch a carefully crafted hoax!"

They traveled a long way to Xingzhou, not just to watch a play.

Everyone carries tasks assigned by their superiors.

If Jiang Rui was killed by the imperial court, and the court cannot tolerate these former subordinates of the Prince of Xi, then they will not hesitate to strike first before the court can act against them.

However, if Jiang Rui had not been killed by the imperial court, it would not be the right time to rise up in rebellion. Whether they wanted to increase their chances of success in the future or had other motives, they were unwilling to completely turn against the imperial court before they were ready.

Therefore, the truth behind Jiang Rui's murder will directly determine their own fate.

Under these circumstances, how could they tolerate the truth that Chu Xiong and Zhang Bu had given them, a truth with huge problems, possibly a deception?
When Zhang Bu heard Tian Kang and the others questioning him, his expression changed. He had not deliberately deceived Tian Kang and the others; he was genuinely investigating the case of Jiang Rui's murder.

I never imagined that the truth would turn out like this.

This was completely unexpected, so much so that for a moment, he had no idea how to explain or respond.

Zhang Bu couldn't help but raise his head and look at Chu Xiong for help.

Chu Xiong's face was extremely pale.

If he had known that Liu Shuyi could find so many problems in such a short time, he shouldn't have given Liu Shuyi a chance to speak. He should have sent someone to chop Liu Shuyi into mincemeat after Zhang Bu finished telling the truth.

But there's no going back in life, and all the regret has to be swallowed.

Chu Xiong took a deep breath, glanced at Tian Kang and the others, and said in a calm and composed tone: "What's the rush? Investigating cases is full of surprises and luck. Zhang Canjun was unlucky, and the murderer was very cunning. It's not that hard to accept that he was outmaneuvered by the murderer in some ways."

"As long as I haven't declared the case closed, it's not over... It's normal for cases that are still under investigation to take some detours."

Is this a detour?

You're completely off-topic from the truth, aren't you?
Upon hearing Chu Xiong's words, Lu Yangyuan couldn't help but inwardly grumble. If he weren't worried that directly criticizing Chu Xiong might cause some unexpected problems, he would definitely have made a few sarcastic remarks to Chu Xiong.

Liu Shuyi didn't react in any particular way. He already knew Chu Xiong's purpose. It would be strange if Chu Xiong stopped trying to deny it.

"Next is the third question," Liu Shuyi continued.

As soon as he spoke, everyone's eyes fell on him instantly, and Chu Xiong and Zhang Bu stared intently at him.

With the groundwork laid by the previous two questions, no one dared to underestimate Liu Shuyi anymore.

Zhang Bu was on high alert, his whole body tense.

The first two questions had thoroughly exposed the flaws in Liu Shuyi's investigation, making everyone realize that his truth was wrong. Therefore, he dared not even think about what kind of blow Liu Shuyi's third question would bring him.

Seeing Zhang's nervous expression, Liu Shuyi smiled and shook his head, saying, "Military Advisor Zhang, don't be nervous. The third question I'm going to address is no longer about pointing out your mistakes..."

It wasn't pointing out my mistakes... Zhang Bu's eyes lit up, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was about to settle down.

But before he could catch his breath, Liu Shuyi continued, "My third question is to help you find important clues that you haven't been able to find, and then solve this case for you."

"So it was pointing out the clues I hadn't found, and then solving the case for me—solving the case!?"

Zhang Bu's eyes widened, and his entire expression froze.

He stared blankly at Liu Shuyi, his mind buzzing, as if he didn't understand Liu Shuyi's meaning. He couldn't help but ask, "Doctor Liu just said that he wants to solve the case!?"

Liu Shuyi met Zhang Bu's incredulous gaze and smiled, "To be precise, while helping you point out the clues you couldn't find, I also solved the case for you."

Is there even a difference?
Zhang Bu was about to curse!
He knew it! The first two questions had almost shattered everything he had uncovered, turning his truth into a laughing stock! If Liu Shuyi's first two questions were so terrifying, how could the third question be so light and powerless?

Well, this time, instead of pointing out my own mistakes, I'm being asked to solve the case for you!
This is far more terrifying than simply pointing out errors, isn't it? This isn't just picking faults in one's own truth; it's about directly changing the truth!

Not only was Zhang Bu shocked by Liu Shuyi's words, but Tian Kang and other officials from the prefecture and county were also astonished.

Although they had no contact with Liu Shuyi, they had already hidden in Xingzhou City before Liu Shuyi arrived there, so they knew exactly how much time Liu Shuyi had to investigate the case.

It took Zhang Bu a full seven days to uncover the truth, which was riddled with loopholes and problems, even though Xingzhou City was his base of operations... And Liu Shuyi? At most, he only spent three or four hours, right?
In such a short time, he really found out the truth!?
Chu Xiong was even more incredulous. After all, he was the only one among these officials who had contact with Liu Shuyi and had arranged for spies to keep an eye on him. According to Chu Liu, Liu Shuyi had not found anything at all and had been shaking his head with a worried look on his face. How could he suddenly say that he would solve the case for Zhang Bu?
Is he really capable of solving cases, or is he just faking it?
Chu Xiong frowned as he looked at Liu Shuyi, trying to figure out what Liu Shuyi was thinking. But Liu Shuyi remained calm and composed throughout, his demeanor impeccable, making it impossible for Chu Xiong to see through Liu Shuyi's true intentions.

"Has Doctor Liu really solved the case?" Chu Xiong asked directly.

Zhang Bu and the others also looked nervously at Liu Shuyi.

"how to say……"

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "I do have a clear idea, but I'm still missing some necessary information, so..."

"That means the case hasn't been solved!" Chu Xiong interrupted Liu Shuyi, feeling relieved but also lecturing him, "Doctor Liu, you've investigated many cases, how can you say such irresponsible things?"

"We investigators should be truthful! If a case is solved, it's solved; if it's not solved, it's not solved! Do you realize the misunderstandings your words might cause? If it ultimately delays the investigation and wastes everyone's precious time, do you think we should blame you or not?"

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected Chu Xiong to start lecturing him.

"Since you don't have enough clues to solve the case, let's not waste any more time."

Chu Xiong waved his hand and said, "Military Advisor Zhang, Physician Liu has already pointed out your problems. You should hurry up and correct them, and then find out the truth as soon as possible. Physician Liu, you have worked hard on this journey. Take a rest first. Leave the investigation to my governor's office."

After saying that, he was about to get up, not giving Liu Shuyi a chance to refute, and wanted to end this unexpected and anticlimactic court hearing directly.

"Report—" Just then, a yamen runner suddenly strode in and said, "Prefect Chu, the officials from Chang'an wish to see Physician Liu."

"them?"

Chu Xiong frowned and waved his hand, saying, "Our business is over. Doctor Liu can see me if he wants."

"The end? I'm about to reveal the truth, how can it be the end?" Before Chu Xiong could finish speaking, Liu Shuyi's unhurried voice rang out.

Chu Xiong frowned and looked at Liu Shuyi: "Didn't I already say that since Doctor Liu doesn't have enough clues to solve the case, then we shouldn't waste everyone's time—"

"I did say earlier that I was missing some necessary information, but now, the information I needed has arrived."

This time, it was Liu Shuyi's turn to interrupt Chu Xiong. He chuckled and said, "Prefect Chu didn't let me finish speaking. What I was going to say was that I lacked some necessary information, so I've already arranged for people to collect and investigate..."

"Now that they're back, it's to tell me the results of their research and investigation. So... the last piece of the puzzle is in place, and the case can be solved."

In order to deal with him, Chu Xiong summoned officials from other prefectures and counties to this place. Given this rare opportunity, how could Liu Shuyi let Chu Xiong end the court hearing?

If Chu Xiong were to end the court hearing, disperse the other officials, and then take the opportunity to attack them, they would have no chance of escaping. Even if he uncovered the truth, Chu Xiong was clearly a radical rebel and would not listen to their version of the truth.

By then, they will surely die.

And once he dies, what is the truth? Isn't it up to Chu Xiong to decide?

Therefore, he must seize this opportunity.

With officials from other prefectures and counties present, Chu Xiong cannot act recklessly. This is an excellent opportunity for Chu Xiong to tie his own hands and feet, and Liu Shuyi must seize it!

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Chu Xiong could no longer hide his murderous intent. He stared at Liu Shuyi with a gloomy expression: "Everyone is tired from analyzing the case, so let's go back and rest for a while. We can hear the truth from Doctor Liu tomorrow."

"Prefect Chu just said that time is precious and we should hurry up and find out the truth. How come I can tell you the truth now, but Prefect Chu wants to postpone it until tomorrow?"

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "Could it be that Prefect Chu is feeling guilty and doesn't want me to tell the truth in front of my colleagues?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Kang and the others' expressions all changed.

They all turned their gazes to Chu Xiong.

Chu Xiong's expression also changed slightly. He hadn't expected Liu Shuyi to be so difficult to deal with, and he had actually lifted him up.

The fact that Zhang's department had problems with the truth had already made Tian Kang and others dissatisfied. If they were to let Liu Shuyi continue to lead them astray, they would be in deep trouble.

Chu Xiong's eyes darted around, his mind racing. Finally, he took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said, "Doctor Liu is joking. I was just worried that everyone was too tired and wanted to let everyone rest. Since my colleagues feel that there is no need to rest, then Doctor Liu, please tell me the truth you have uncovered."

Seeing that Chu Xiong had sat back down, Tian Kang and the others exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Tian Kang said, "Next, we will trouble Doctor Liu to reveal the truth to us."

"It should."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "But before that, we need to let our colleagues from Chang'an in."

The constable hurriedly looked at Chu Xiong, who had no other choice but to wave his hand impatiently: "Let them in."

Soon, Changsun Chong, Du Ying, Zhao Feng, Du Gou, and Cheng Chumo walked in.

Changsun Chong continued to fiddle with his expensive jade-bone folding fan, looking quite dashing.

Du Ying remained aloof and cold, her demeanor keeping people at a distance.

Zhao Feng looked around warily, his back ramrod straight.

Du Gou was gentle and refined, always showing a kind demeanor to everyone.

Cheng Chumo, carrying two enormous battle axes on his back, gleamed with a sharp, cold light in the firelight. His dark face revealed gleaming white teeth. When he saw the constables drawing their swords and pointing them at Liu Shuyi, his whole body exuded a murderous aura, making him incredibly imposing.

They all knew that once they entered the hall, any accident would mean certain death, yet no one dared to enter out of fear, and no one showed the slightest sign of unease.

Just like when they arrived in Xingzhou with Liu Shuyi, they seemed unaware of the tense atmosphere before them.

"Dr. Liu, are we not too late?"

Changsun Chong waved his folding fan and asked with a smile.

Liu Shuyi made a pointed remark: "It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. You arrived just in time. If you had been any later, I might not have had the chance to reveal the truth."

Changsun Chong was extremely intelligent; upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, he immediately understood Liu Shuyi's meaning.

He glanced at Chu Xiong, whose face was pale, and said with a smile, "Perhaps this is fate, fate is on us."

Liu Shuyi didn't provoke Chu Xiong any further, and asked in a low voice, "How's the investigation going?"

Changsun Chong pointed his folding fan at Du Ying and said, "We all act on Miss Du's orders, so let Miss Du tell you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi looked at Du Ying, who stepped forward. A faint fragrance wafted from her body into Liu Shuyi's nostrils, and he could hear her warm breath and gentle voice: "I'll get to the point..."

Hearing Du Ying's gentle words, Liu Shuyi's lips curled up slightly. After Du Ying finished speaking, he rubbed his ears, which were itchy from Du Ying's breath, and said, "Miss Du did even better than I expected. She truly deserves to be the kind of woman I like and admire."

Du Ying glanced at Liu Shuyi, her voice turning cold again: "Let's deal with the immediate problem first, then talk about liking me."

Liu Shuyi was surprised that the aloof coroner would be so direct. He coughed, looked at Chu Xiong and the others again, and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. I have all the information I needed, so let's begin."

Zhang Bu's eyes immediately became fixed on Liu Shuyi. He was eager to know if Liu Shuyi had truly uncovered the truth that he had been unable to find out in seven days.

Tian Kang and the others also watched Liu Shuyi with suspicion, holding their breath.

Chu Xiong became even more alert, ready to find fault with Liu Shuyi. If Liu Shuyi said even half a word that was problematic, he would not allow Liu Shuyi to continue.

"Next, I'll tell you two things. These are important clues that I originally wanted to tell Military Advisor Zhang, but he hadn't discovered them..."

Liu Shuyi didn't delay and said directly, "The first thing is the result of the autopsy."

"The autopsy results?"

Zhang was taken aback: "Is there a problem with the autopsy results?"

Chu Xiong frowned and said, "The autopsy results that Miss Du mentioned in front of the morgue are exactly the same as those of the coroner in my prefectural government. What's there to say about that?"

"Doctor Liu, I have already said that our time is precious and the result will be the same, so you don't need to waste your time repeating it again."

"The same result? Why would Prefect Chu say that?" Liu Shuyi was puzzled at first, then seemed to realize something. He slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory! I almost forgot that Miss Du actually found other clues, but Prefect Chu had already left by then, so I didn't have time to tell him..."

"What!?"

Chu Xiong stared intently at Liu Shuyi: "Did you find any other results?"

Even after he left, he arranged for Chu Liu to keep a close eye on Liu Shuyi, but Chu Liu did not give him any information in this regard.

Did Chu Liu betray him?

Liu Shuyi was unaware that Chu Xiong had already placed the loyal Chu Liu in the position of a traitor. He said, "Miss Du studied under the Medicine King Sun Simiao and is very knowledgeable about medicines and poisons, so she would pay special attention to this aspect when performing autopsies."

"When examining Governor Jiang's body, she discovered many blood-red spots in his pupils... Miss Du, with her rich experience, immediately recognized that this was a characteristic of being poisoned by three poisons!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bu instinctively exclaimed in shock, "Poisoned!? You mean, Governor Jiang was poisoned before he was murdered?"

Chu Xiong and the others were also surprised. Since they learned of Jiang Rui's murder, no one had ever mentioned that Jiang Rui had been poisoned. So they never thought that Jiang Rui had been poisoned. Doesn't this mean that Jiang Rui's death might not be what it seems on the surface?
Liu Shuyi understood everyone's thoughts and said, "Prefect Jiang was indeed poisoned before his death, and it was ingested. However, this poison of the three poisons is not like arsenic, which can directly kill a person. It will only cause paralysis throughout the body, loss of body control, and slow brain function, etc..."

Zhang Bu was puzzled and frowned, saying, "If it can't cause death... then what's the point of the murderer using this poison? Is it to make it easier to kill Governor Zhang?"

"But if that's the case, wouldn't it be better for him to just use a deadly poison? That would save him the trouble of doing it himself."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Yes, since we've already poisoned it, why not just use a deadly poison..."

“Zhang Canjun’s question is very good. From the way the murderer handled the murder, we can see that the murderer was not only very cautious, but also very cunning…”

"Such a murderer would never be someone who enjoys doing unnecessary things."

"If that's the case, then he didn't use a deadly poison, but rather a slowing and paralyzing poison, and then killed the person himself... There must be a reason why he had to do it."

"Regarding such reasons..."

Liu Shuyi's gaze swept over everyone, and he slowly said, "I've thought of three possibilities..."

(End of this chapter)