The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 203 Who says I have no evidence? Chu Xiong was stunned by Liu Shuyi's attack in court!
As the conclusion that Qingqing was the murderer was accepted by the public, the hostility of officials in various prefectures and counties towards Liu Shuyi and his associates also diminished.

Although they still disliked Liu Shuyi and his group from the imperial court due to their different allegiances, at least they would not choose to eliminate Liu Shuyi and his group here directly.

They would not choose to completely break with the court at this moment and rebel.

Liu Shuyi's mission can be considered complete.

As the killing intent around them diminished, Zhao Feng and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other, their faces filled with barely concealed excitement and joy.

Even someone as composed as Du Gou and as intelligent as Changsun Chong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The trip to Xingzhou was truly fraught with danger at every turn, and even they were overwhelmed by the immense pressure.

Fortunately, Liu Shuyi, as always, was a brilliant investigator. Despite facing immense pressure, he uncovered the truth in such a short time, extinguishing the flames of war that could have engulfed the entire Tang Dynasty.

"No wonder Father knew this journey was fraught with danger, yet still insisted I go. It turns out Father knew Liu Langzhong's abilities better than I did..." Changsun Chong was impressed by Changsun Wuji's ability to judge people, and he was completely convinced of Liu Shuyi's talent.

He originally befriended Liu Shuyi mainly because Liu Shuyi saved his life.

But from this day forward, his friendship with Liu Shuyi is not merely a matter of gratitude, but also an affirmation of Liu Shuyi's abilities and future potential.

"Please don't be too happy yet..."

At that moment, Chu Xiong's voice suddenly rang out.

The crowd's thoughts were interrupted, and they subconsciously looked at him. They heard Chu Xiong say in a deep voice, "Although Doctor Liu's deduction was reasonable and well-founded, leaving no room for criticism... deduction is still deduction. Without evidence to support it and without the murderer's confession as a result, it is like a rootless duckweed, which is difficult to convince everyone."

Therefore…

His somber eyes stared directly at Liu Shuyi: "If Doctor Liu wants to close the case, he needs to produce evidence and get the murderer to confess..."

“Otherwise, the case will be imperfect, and an imperfect case must have problems... What if Doctor Liu and Military Advisor Zhang make the same mistake, thinking that the results of their investigation are the truth, but in fact they are going against the truth without realizing it? Wouldn't that betray the trust of their colleagues? It would also wrong an innocent person and let the real culprit still go unpunished!”

He grinned and said, "Please don't think that I'm picking on you or that I don't trust you, Physician Liu... It's just that the example of Military Advisor Zhang has really alarmed me, so I have to be careful. I believe Physician Liu will understand, right?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Kang and other officials from various prefectures and counties thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, while the reasoning is brilliant, it's not enough to solve a case on its own."

"At the very least, the murderer needs to confess."

“Zhang Canjun’s previous investigation seemed perfect, but the facts are wrong. We do need to be more careful.”

Listening to the discussion of Tian Kang and the others, Chu Xiong curled up a cold smile.

He had put in so much effort and was just one step away from achieving his goal, but Liu Shuyi ruined it, causing him to fail at the last minute!
How could he be willing to let Liu Shuyi ruin things so easily!
Liu Shuyi's analysis and reasoning, while seemingly brilliant, actually lacked any real evidence.

This made him keenly aware that although Liu Shuyi had the truth, he might not have the evidence to prove his reasoning.

This is his last chance!

As long as Liu Shuyi cannot produce evidence, he can use legitimate reasons to prevent the case from being closed!
As long as the case remains unresolved, he can secretly assassinate Liu Shuyi and the others after he has everyone dispersed.

Once Liu Shuyi dies, the truth will be up to him to decide.

Du Gou and Changsun Chong exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing. With their intelligence, they could easily guess Chu Xiong's conspiracy.

However, just as Liu Shuyi could use Tian Kang and others to restrain Chu Xiong, Chu Xiong could also use Tian Kang and others to force Liu Shuyi to produce evidence... In order not to arouse the suspicion of Tian Kang and others, they could not refuse Chu Xiong.

Thinking of this, the two couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi, only to see that Liu Shuyi, upon hearing Chu Xiong's words, seemed to have expected this to happen. Instead of frowning, he smiled and said, "Prefect Chu, you and I are really in sync."

Seeing Liu Shuyi's reaction, Chu Xiong became wary and asked, "What do you mean by that, Doctor Liu?"

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Although I am good at reasoning, I also know that a case cannot be solved by reasoning alone. Therefore, I originally planned to present the evidence and question Miss Qingqing in court... but I did not expect that before I could speak, Prefect Chu brought it up first. Isn't this a tacit understanding?"

Chu Xiong narrowed his eyes; he didn't believe Liu Shuyi's words at all.

After Liu Shuyi revealed that Qingqing was the murderer, he just listened to other people's praise and flattery, without showing any intention of producing evidence or conducting interrogation.
He sneered, "If that's the case, then I'll see what evidence Doctor Liu can produce."

Liu Shuyi met Chu Xiong's gaze with his dark eyes, his smile unchanged: "Good! I'm sure I'll satisfy Prefect Chu."

After saying that, he turned to look at Du Ying, who nodded slightly to him. Liu Shuyi said, "I asked Miss Du to bring Miss Qingqing with her when she returned to the yamen, so Miss Qingqing is currently outside the yamen. I request that Prefect Chu have someone invite Miss Qingqing in."

Chu Xiong frowned subconsciously. Liu Shuyi had actually sent someone to bring Qingqing over beforehand... Could it be that Liu Shuyi was really confident he could convict Qingqing? Was what he just said not a lie?
His heart sank slightly, but his face showed no sign of anything amiss. Chu Xiong said calmly, "Bring Qingqing in."

Before long, Qingqing, with her slender figure, snow-white skin, and fragrant scent as she walked, was brought in by the yamen runners.

Qingqing was still wearing the dress that showed off her figure, but her pretty face was a little pale, unlike the rosy complexion she had when she was chatting and laughing with Liu Shuyi at Chunxiang Pavilion.

She glanced nervously at the people around her, took a deep breath, and bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets Prefect Chu, Physician Liu, and all the esteemed officials."

Chu Xiong stared at Qingqing with his brown eyes and shouted, "Qingqing, Physician Liu said that you murdered Governor Jiang by cruel means. Do you plead guilty?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang's subordinate subconsciously frowned.

Who would ask that during a trial?
Which prisoner would confess to their crime under such questioning?
Liu Shuyi also raised his eyebrows slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Just as Zhang Bu had predicted, when Qingqing heard Chu Xiong's question, she stared at Liu Shuyi in disbelief while quickly shaking her head: "This servant has never harmed Governor Jiang. I hope Prefect Chu will understand."

"You don't plead guilty?" Chu Xiong's voice was authoritative.

While wiping away her tears, Qingqing shook her head: "Every time Governor Jiang goes to Chunxiang Pavilion, he specifically asks me to accompany him. Governor Jiang dotes on me so much, I am grateful enough, how could I possibly plot against Governor Jiang?"

Chu Xiong looked at Liu Shuyi with a troubled expression: "Doctor Liu, Miss Qingqing doesn't admit it, what do you think?"

If you could get results by asking questions like that, then everyone in the world would be a detective… Liu Shuyi cupped his hands and said, “Why don’t I ask them myself?”

Chu Xiong had no reason to refuse: "Of course, please go ahead, Doctor Liu."

Liu Shuyi looked at Qingqing, who looked nervous. The Qingqing at this moment was like a completely different person from the Qingqing who was chatting and laughing freely in Chunxiang Pavilion.

"Miss Qingqing, may I ask what you were doing after Governor Jiang left that night?"

Qingqing unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes with both hands and said, "Of course, I will continue to rest."

"Is there anyone who can prove it?" Liu Shuyi asked again.

Qingqing smiled bitterly, "The sisters are all resting with the other guests, so naturally none of them will come to my room in the middle of the night to keep me company. Moreover, the other sisters don't know that Governor Jiang left midway. They think I am serving Governor Jiang, so they are even less likely to come looking for me."

Liu Shuyi nodded, but then his tone changed, and he said, "If no one can prove it, then no one can prove that you have been resting in your room ever since Governor Jiang left, and you have never left!"

Qingqing's expression changed slightly: "What Doctor Liu is saying is rather unreasonable!"

"Isn't that unreasonable?"

Liu Shuyi clapped his hands and said loudly, "Bring Han Si!"

"Han Si? There's someone else?" Chu Xiong frowned, then waved his hand and said, "Bring them in."

Soon, Han Si, who was even more nervous than Qingqing, walked in.

"This humble servant pays his respects to Prefect Chu and Physician Liu." Han Si's voice trembled.

He had never seen anything like it before.

Liu Shuyi looked at him and asked, "After Governor Jiang left Chunxiang Pavilion, did anyone else enter or leave Chunxiang Pavilion that night?"

Han Si quickly shook his head: "No!"

"Did you leave the gate that night for some reason and not stand guard at the gate?"

"This..." Han Si hesitated for a moment.

"Han Si, this is the courtroom of the Prefectural Governor's Office. Every word you say will be used as evidence in court. If you dare to conceal even half a word, you should know the consequences!" Liu Shuyi warned coldly.

Han Si shivered involuntarily and quickly replied, "Reporting to Physician Liu, I did indeed leave twice."

"You left?" Zhang Bu had no idea about this and quickly asked, "When did you leave? And why?"

"I don't know the exact time of departure. The first time it was probably around 1 AM, and the second time it was after 3 AM. I don't know exactly how much time passed."

"And the reason for leaving..." Han Si glanced at Qingqing furtively and said, "The first time was when Qingqing's maid said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go to the kitchen to get some ginger soup. She was a little scared to be alone, so she came to me and asked me to accompany her..."

"The second time, my stomach suddenly felt uncomfortable and I couldn't bear it, so I went to the outhouse... Because I had a lot of diarrhea, it took some time."

Liu Shuyi asked, "Besides you, was anyone else in Chunxiang Pavilion who had diarrhea that night?"

"No, I don't think so." Han Si shook his head: "At least I didn't see anyone go to the outhouse to have diarrhea."

"After you accompanied Qingqing's maid to the kitchen, did the maid give you anything to eat?" Liu Shuyi continued to ask.

"She really did give me a pastry..." Han Si thought Liu Shuyi was amazing. He said, "She said she was grateful for my company and gave me a piece of pastry that she had made herself."

Liu Shuyi laughed and looked at Qingqing: "Interesting. If Han Si had diarrhea because there was something wrong with the food at Chunxiang Pavilion, then he wouldn't have been the only one with diarrhea that night. So, the most likely reason he had diarrhea is that he ate something different from the others."

“Just over an hour ago, he ate the pastries your maid gave him… and as a result, he had diarrhea for a long time a little over an hour later.”

"The first time he left the gate, it was done by your maid. The second time he left, it's very likely also related to your maid..."

"And the time or so between the two departures from the gate was enough to travel from Chunxiang Pavilion to the place where Governor Jiang was murdered, and then back..."

"Miss Qingqing, how do you intend to explain this?"

Qingqing's expression changed noticeably, her panic barely concealed: "This servant...this servant..."

She opened her mouth, but couldn't come up with a convincing explanation for a long time.

This made Zhang Bu and Tian Kang's gazes turn cold.

With their keen eyesight, how could they not see that Liu Shuyi's words were the truth, and Qingqing naturally could not deny the truth.

"And..." Liu Shuyi glanced at Qingqing's tightly clenched hands and said, "If I'm not mistaken at Chunxiang Pavilion, there is a scar on the web of your right hand."

As soon as Liu Shuyi finished speaking, Qingqing's face turned deathly pale.

She instinctively took a step back, quickly covering her right hand with her left, and looked at Liu Shuyi with panic in her eyes: "What does Doctor Liu mean by this?"

Seeing Qingqing's reaction, Zhang Bu's eyes suddenly flashed, and he asked, "Miss Qingqing, do you really have scars on your hands?"

Qingqing pursed her lips and said softly, "Yes, I accidentally injured my hand a few days ago and it left a scar that hasn't fully healed yet."

"A few days ago?" Liu Shuyi asked meaningfully, "Exactly a few days ago?"

"Seven...seven days ago."

"Seven days ago?" Liu Shuyi laughed. "Isn't that the day Governor Jiang had his accident?"

“Yes…” Qingqing’s voice grew softer and softer.

Liu Shuyi looked at Chu Xiong again and said, "Does Prefect Chu still remember when I told you at the intersection where Governor Jiang's body was found... that was not the place where the murderer actually killed Governor Jiang. The primary crime scene was elsewhere."

Chu Xiong naturally remembered: "What does Doctor Liu mean?"

"My men have found the actual crime scene!"

"What?" Chu Xiong's pupils trembled, while Zhang Bu's eyes widened in surprise: "What real crime scene?"

He had no idea there were two other crime scenes.

Based on Zhang Bu's previous analysis, Liu Shuyi knew that Zhang Bu had no idea that the real crime scene was not the intersection. He then repeated what he had said to Chu Xiong to Zhang Bu.

Zhang Bu was utterly astonished: "Bloodstains, blood volume... I never even considered this."

“We don’t encounter many cases like Zhang Canjun’s, so we lack the relevant experience. However, after this case, I believe Zhang Canjun will no longer ignore the issue of blood.”

Liu Shuyi offered a brief reassurance to Zhang Bu, then turned to Chu Xiong and said, "At the crime scene, my men discovered something."

As he spoke, he looked at Du Gou, who nodded slightly and said, "The real crime scene is in an uninhabited house two streets away from the intersection where Governor Jiang was found. There is a large pool of blood in the courtyard of the house, and next to the bloodstain is a bloodstained wooden stick."

“A bloodstained wooden stick…” Zhang Bu hurriedly asked, “The murder weapon?”

Du Gou nodded, looked outside the hall, and said, "The wooden stick is being kept by our guards. Please ask Prefect Chu to let him in."

If he could, Chu Xiong really didn't want to agree. He thought it was already quite unexpected that Liu Shuyi would be able to get the autopsy results and the list, but who knew that he had underestimated Liu Shuyi and his group. They even found the real crime scene without him noticing.

Now that even the murder weapon is in hand... his bad premonition grew stronger.

But he had no reason to refuse, so he could only nod and agree with a sullen face.

Soon, a guard came in carrying a wooden stick.

The stick is not a smooth, flat stick; it has some unsharpened, inconspicuous branches on it, thicker at one end and thinner at the other.

The thicker end had obvious dried dark red bloodstains.

Liu Shuyi picked up the wooden stick and said, "Through the autopsy, we can know that the murderer was hit in the back of the head by a wooden stick, and this wooden stick happened to be at the crime scene, so we can confirm that this wooden stick is the murder weapon."

"The thick part here is clearly bloodstains from hitting Governor Jiang on the back of the head."

"Coincidentally, there was also a small, inconspicuous bloodstain on the thinner end."

Zhang was taken aback: "The thinner end? How could that be?"

“Military Advisor Zhang can take a look…” Liu Shuyi handed the wooden stick to Zhang.

Zhang Bu looked towards the narrower end and, sure enough, there were traces of blood on a rather sharp branch...

Liu Shuyi said, "Military Advisor Zhang might as well imitate the murderer, hold the wooden stick, and think about what the murderer would do when committing the crime."

"Imitating the murderer..."

Zhang instinctively reached out his right hand and grasped the thinner end of the wooden stick. As soon as he gripped it tightly, he felt a sharp pain in the web of his hand. He looked down...

"This is!?"

Zhang Bu's pupils suddenly narrowed, and he abruptly raised his head to look at Qingqing: "When the murderer grips the wooden stick to commit the crime, the tiger's mouth will be scratched by the sharp branches. As long as the wooden stick is swung forcefully, the tiger's mouth can easily be scratched by the branches under the heavy impact!"

"Therefore, the bloodstains on these branches must have been accidentally scraped off by the murderer."

"And the place where Miss Qingqing was injured was exactly the web of her right hand, which corresponds perfectly to the location of the murder weapon..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi's gaze returned to Qingqing's face: "Miss Qingqing, are you still going to continue making excuses?"

"me……"

Qingqing's face turned deathly pale. She kept backing away and shaking her head, but she couldn't utter a single word of explanation for a long time.

At this moment, everyone understood.

"Hmph!" Tian Kang sneered, "Now we have all the evidence and witnesses! How long are you going to keep making excuses, you lowly servant?"

Others also spoke up.

"No matter how eloquent you are, you can't fool us!"

"You really are the murderer!"

Hearing what everyone was saying, Qingqing's face grew even paler, and her whole body trembled as if she had a seizure.

Finally, she closed her eyes in despair.

"If it weren't for him causing my family to be destroyed..."

"If it weren't for him causing me to become homeless and ultimately forced into prostitution, becoming a woman of the night..."

"If he hadn't appeared before me time and time again, forcing me to put on a brave face towards the enemies who killed my father and mother, for making me hear my father and mother crying in my dreams time and time again, for hearing them question me about why I didn't avenge them, why I didn't kill the enemy with my own hands... would I have killed him?"

"He deserves to die! This wicked man who has committed countless evil deeds deserves to die!"

Qingqing cried as she clenched her fists and screamed.

Looking at Qingqing, who seemed as fragile and helpless as a flower about to wither in the wind, Liu Shuyi sighed inwardly.

Qingqing has only been in Chunxiang Pavilion for four or five years, yet she possesses a wide range of skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Clearly, these skills were not given to her by Chunxiang Pavilion; she must have come from a very wealthy family before entering Chunxiang Pavilion.

Only a privileged family background could enable a woman to read and write and acquire such knowledge.

Unfortunately, no matter how good one's family background is, if targeted by a greedy and unscrupulous official, the final result can only be destruction.

Liu Shuyi shook his head. He didn't look at Qingqing again, but looked at Chu Xiong, who was sitting high up, and said, "The physical evidence is there, and Qingqing has confessed. Do you agree with the truth of the case of the murder of Prefect Chu and Governor Jiang?"

Chu Xiong's hands, hidden under the table, were clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms, causing excruciating pain.

He was filled with resentment, but at this moment, no amount of resentment would matter.

Liu Shuyi really has evidence. Qingqing is too stupid; she can't even argue, which makes it impossible for him to even delay the case until tomorrow.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his anger and resentment, Chu Xiong finally said, "The evidence is conclusive, and the criminal has confessed. Of course, I agree with Doctor Liu's decision!"

"Doctor Liu is indeed a brilliant detective, and his reputation as a master detective is well-deserved. I have truly broadened my horizons today."

Having said that, he didn't want any more contact with Liu Shuyi and just wanted to get this annoying guy out of his sight as soon as possible. Chu Xiong waved his hand and said, "Men, lock this vile woman who murdered Governor Jiang in the dungeon and torture her severely so she understands how big a mistake it is to kill an official of the court. Then all of you can go back and rest."

"Wait!"

Unexpectedly, Liu Shuyi's voice rang out again at that moment.

Chu Xiong frowned and looked at Liu Shuyi, his tone impatient: "What else does Doctor Liu want to do?"

Liu Shuyi calmly said, "Qingqing murdered a high-ranking official of the fourth rank in the imperial court. According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, he should be brought back to Chang'an and tried by the three judicial departments to decide how to punish him. Therefore, Qingqing will be under the care of my people from now on and will not be imprisoned in the governor's prison."

"What did you say?!" Chu Xiong was surprised that Liu Shuyi would try to take the prisoner from him.

"No!" he said without thinking. "This vile woman murdered the governor of Xingzhou. If I don't deal with her and teach her a lesson, how can I satisfy the officials and people who support and love Governor Jiang?"

He wanted to inherit Jiang Rui's position, so he had to make a show of it. Now that the real culprit had appeared, how could he convince the public if he did nothing?

Therefore, he absolutely could not let Liu Shuyi take the person away.

Chu Xiong said, "Doctor Liu, I can agree to anything else, but not this one! Qingqing must be dealt with by me!"

Without giving Liu Shuyi a chance to refuse, he said directly, "Men! Take him away!"

The constables exchanged glances, and without any hesitation, quickly approached Qingqing, ready to take her away.

Qingqing shook her head and quickly looked at Liu Shuyi. Liu Shuyi gave Qingqing a look, then stepped forward and stood in front of Qingqing.

He didn't look at the approaching constables, but instead looked at Chu Xiong, saying meaningfully, "Prefect Chu, are you in such a hurry to take Qingqing away that you don't intend to kill her to silence her?"

"What do you mean?!" Chu Xiong slammed his hand on the table, his eyes fixed sharply on Liu Shuyi.

Zhang Bu and Tian Kang were also taken aback, never expecting that Liu Shuyi and Chu Xiong would start arguing again at this moment.

Then they heard Liu Shuyi calmly say, "The case of murdering Governor Jiang is closed, but the case of Prefect Chu moving the body and deceiving Military Advisor Zhang, attempting to frame an innocent person..."

"just began!"

(End of this chapter)