The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 21 Target Identified! The Killer Emerges

Night has fallen, and the city lights are coming on.

Liu Shuyi, Cheng Chumo, and Du Gou rode their fine horses toward Pingkangfang.

Du Ying took the corpse to the Ministry of Justice, eager to perform surgery to verify the method given by Liu Shuyi.

Thinking of how Du Ying had taken out a dagger and whetstone before leaving, and was already sharpening her knife, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

What kind of experiences shaped Du Ying's unique personality?

Even in later generations, he had never seen such a unique woman.

As they walked, Cheng Chumo glanced at Liu Shuyi from time to time, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

This scene naturally did not escape Liu Shuyi's notice, and he asked, "Does General Cheng have something to say?"

In the darkness, Cheng Chumo, whose only remaining feature was a set of white teeth floating in the air, looked somewhat embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, "There's another question you haven't mentioned."

"what?"

Cheng Chumo said, "You still haven't explained why the murderer was able to accurately locate the Zhao mother and son."

"According to what you said, the murderer discovered Zhao Chengyi's figure heading to the Ministry of Revenue in the brothel, and only then did he realize that Zhao Chengyi was in trouble. At this time, Zhao Chengyi's wife and children may have already secretly slipped away. How did he know that the Zhao mother and children were hiding in such a remote Taoist temple?"

Liu Shuyi was very pleased to hear Cheng Chumo's logical questions.

Although he felt that everyone should know the answer to this question even if he didn't say it, the fact that Cheng Chumo asked it meant that he had put his mind to the investigation and wasn't just a hands-off manager.

He smiled and said, "The place where the Zhao mother and son were hiding was well concealed. The fact that the murderer could find it so quickly and accurately in the middle of the night means there is only one possibility: he knew in advance that the Zhao mother and son would be hiding there."

"Known in advance?"

Cheng Chumo looked puzzled: "How could he know? Could it be..."

Suddenly, Cheng Chumo seemed to realize something, his eyes widening as he asked, "Could it be that Zhao Chengyi made a prior agreement with the murderer?"

"It seems the Lieutenant General has figured it out."

Liu Shuyi looked at the road ahead illuminated by lanterns in front of various mansions and said slowly, "Since we left the Ministry of Revenue yesterday, Zhao Chengyi has been eager to write to Zhao Feng, asking him to step forward and frame me, the scapegoat he had already given up on. It can be seen that our investigation into Han Du's death at the Ministry of Revenue yesterday still alarmed him and made him feel threatened."

"He didn't know how many clues I had, nor did he know whether Zhao Feng could prove my guilt. Therefore, he must have made the worst-case scenario plan, prepared for his exposure in advance, planned the escape route for his wife and children in advance, and found people to meet his wife and children in advance to protect his most precious wife and children."

"That's really true! No wonder a weak woman with a child could escape to the Taoist temple silently under curfew and with the gates closed. No wonder the murderer was able to find such a hidden Taoist temple so accurately."

Cheng Chumo looked like he finally understood, and then couldn't help but say, "This Zhao Chengyi is really cunning! He even arranged things after he was exposed. No wonder he was so arrogant when we caught him last night! In his opinion, his wife and children are safe and he has no worries at all."

"Indeed cunning..."

The gentle and refined Du Gou listened to Cheng Chumo's words and rarely spoke sarcastically: "So cunning that he handed his wife and children over to a beast in human form, resulting in the cruel murder of his young son and his wife being raped and killed in front of their child's corpse. Neither of them could even have a complete corpse before they died!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo shook his head with a sigh.

Although Zhao Chengyi was their opponent, the fact that this family ended up in such a tragic state is still heartbreaking.

Even if Zhao Chengyi is intelligent and cunning, so what?

Trusting the wrong person can ruin everything!

It's fortunate that Zhao Chengyi is dead. If Zhao Chengyi were still alive, he estimated that Zhao Chengyi would be in more pain than being pierced by a thousand arrows.

But who can be blamed for this?

Ultimately, Zhao Chengyi brought this upon himself.

As I was lost in thought, a light as bright as day suddenly burst into my field of vision.

Everyone looked up.

Then we discovered that we had arrived at Pingkangfang, a bustling place filled with warm laughter.

…………

Pingkangfang was a gathering place for brothels in Chang'an, and even the air smelled sweet.

Walking on the wide streets, even as night was falling, one could still see crowds pouring into the brothels.

At the entrance of the ornately decorated brothel, beautiful women dressed in bright colors and charmingly pretty were playing with handkerchiefs, smiling and beckoning to passersby on the street.

"My lord, come here~"

"No, I'm not that kind of person."

“I know my husband isn’t that kind of person, so we only talk about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and we don’t go to sleep.”

"If you're not going to sleep, then what am I here for?"

After saying this, the man who had been pulled angrily turned and went to another brothel where he could sleep.

Seeing this, Du Gou thought to himself that it was fortunate that his younger sister had gone to the Ministry of Justice. If she had seen this, she might have been secretly criticizing him.

But then he thought about how his younger sister was going to the Ministry of Justice to dissect corpses and remove stomachs. Just imagining his sister, who was as aloof and ethereal as a fairy, with her hands stained with blood, dissecting corpses and removing stomachs with a smile, taking out those bloody organs one by one, sent chills down his spine.

He thought that in Liu Shuyi's eyes, his younger sister would never be able to become the refined lady from a prominent family again.

I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to complete the important task my father entrusted to me.

"Manager Liu!"

Cheng Chumo was preoccupied with the case and had no time to look at those glamorous women. When he saw Pingkang Lane, he immediately looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly: "There are many brothels in Pingkangfang. We don't need to inquire about every single one. We just need to ask about the brothels that Zhao Chengyi passed by last night."

As he spoke, he took out the prescription for the medicine powder written by Du Ying from his bosom and handed it to Cheng Chumo: "Go and find out which brothels are using this aphrodisiac sachet."

Du Ying told Liu Shuyi that although brothels commonly use this kind of sachet, the people who give the recipes to each brothel are different, and the emphasis is different, so the recipes of each brothel will not be exactly the same.

Therefore, relying solely on prescriptions is sufficient to narrow down the scope of brothels.

This is why the murderer was so careful in cleaning and covering up the powder after Zhao scratched it.

Because this powder can indeed pinpoint the location where he hid last night.

Cheng Chumo had been waiting for Liu Shuyi to say this. He took the prescription, and without saying a word, turned around and led the Imperial Guards away in a grand procession.

Watching the Imperial Guards rush into the brothel, frightening the beautifully dressed women and startling the seemingly respectable men into running away with their pants down... Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and suddenly said, "Stop all these men and don't let anyone leave."

Upon hearing this, Du Gou couldn't help but ask, "Are they suspects?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "Not sure."

"But if the murderer takes the initiative to challenge me, he will definitely keep an eye on my investigation progress."

“For him, my finding the Taoist temple is not a big deal. The real threat is whether I can find the brothel where he is hiding.”

"Therefore, this must be the place he values ​​most! Because my arrival here means that his risk of exposure has greatly increased, and he needs to have the latest intelligence in order to deal with it in a timely manner."

Therefore…

The flickering flames were reflected in Liu Shuyi's dark eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Either he will come here to keep an eye on things himself, or he will arrange for spies to keep an eye on things."

Du Gou's expression changed upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words.

He didn't expect to face the murderer so soon.

But then he thought about it again and realized that the reason he felt it was so fast was because Liu Shuyi's investigative skills were so terrifying that they didn't take any detours.

If they had searched on their own, they probably wouldn't have even found the Taoist temple, let alone this place.

Liu Shuyi glanced at the panicked men and said, "So, by stopping them, even if we can't stop the murderer here, we can at least prevent his informants from relaying messages to him, giving him no chance to prepare."

Du Gou finally understood.

Without any hesitation, he said directly, "I will order all roads to be blocked off, and prohibit anyone from leaving."

Having said that, Du Gou spurred his horse and galloped away.

Watching everyone bustling about, Liu Shuyi slowly exhaled the pent-up breath from his chest.

His eyes deepened as he recalled the blood-written words in the Taoist temple.

He didn't know if this step was also within the killer's expectations.

If they were alive, how would the murderer react?
If he wasn't there, why would the murderer dare to leave such bloody words to provoke him again, after the powder was sprinkled and footprints were left outside?
He genuinely believed that he had swept away all the powder, leaving no residue whatsoever.

Or is there still a backup plan?

Liu Shuyi gripped the reins tightly, his back straight. He knew it wouldn't be long before he found out.

Cheng Chumo acted quickly; in less than half an hour, he sent a message to Liu Shuyi, saying that he had found a brothel that used the formula.

Liu Shuyi immediately spurred his horse and rode over with Du Gou.

This brothel, named Miaoyinfang, was located in the middle section of Pingkangfang and was considered a mid-range brothel.

It was more sophisticated than the low-end brothels in the North, which relied solely on sex to serve customers, but it couldn't compare to the high-end brothels in the South, where each girl had her own private pavilion or courtyard.

At this time, Miaoyinfang was surrounded by the Imperial Guards, and the girls and their patrons were trapped in the lobby on the first floor.

As soon as Liu Shuyi entered, he could hear a lot of noise.

There were cries of fright, tense explanations, and curious whispers of what had happened.

Cheng Chumo's dark face was very conspicuous. As soon as he entered, Liu Shuyi saw him standing in front of a beautiful woman who looked to be about thirty years old.

"Manager Liu!"

Cheng Chumo had been watching the doorway, and when he saw Liu Shuyi arrive, he quickly waved to signal him.

His shout immediately drew everyone's attention.

At this moment, the girls of Miaoyinfang and the patrons who came to solicit them realized that the person in charge was actually this handsome young man in front of them.

"Who is he?"

"Judging by his official robes, he doesn't seem like a high-ranking official!"

"Regardless of whether he's a high-ranking official or not, he's so handsome!"

"Yes, if he had a little more knowledge, I would be willing to spend the night with him even without charge."

Hearing these beautiful women's bold and explicit words, Liu Shuyi's eyelids twitched involuntarily.

They are still under their control, and I am in charge of their lives. Yet they dare to say such things. If I came here at any other time, wouldn't they have carried me away?
It truly lives up to the reputation of the Tang Dynasty; even courtesans are bold and confident.

Liu Shuyi composed himself and approached Cheng Chumo.

Cheng Chumo said directly, "I asked all the brothels along the street, and only Miaoyinfang's sachets have this recipe."

"Oh dear, Manager Liu, you must stand up for us!"

Suddenly, the beautiful woman beside Cheng Chumo let out a wail, her voice soft and seductive as she pleaded with Liu Shuyi, "We are innocent! We were just delivering sachets to our patrons as usual, who would have thought that one of our patrons would commit murder! Manager Liu, this really has nothing to do with us, you must do justice for us!"

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Liu Shuyi, and by the time she finished speaking, her entire body was almost pressed against him.

The pungent aroma, mixed with a medicinal scent, assaulted Liu Shuyi's nostrils, causing him to furrow his brow.
He reached out and pushed forward, blocking the madam.

"We haven't said you're guilty. As long as you cooperate with our investigation, we won't make things difficult for you."

hiss……

The madam seemed to have been pushed in pain by Liu Shuyi, and she took a soft breath.

But instead of getting angry, she patted her chest, looked relieved, and gave Liu Shuyi a flirtatious wink: "Master Liu, you should have said so earlier~ I will definitely cooperate."

Her voice was soft and captivating.

With eyes that seemed to hold autumn water and a natural allure, even though she was over thirty, her charm was far more potent than that of younger girls.

If Liu Shuyi hadn't lived two lives and seen all kinds of women, he really wouldn't have been able to withstand the madam's advances.

He nodded slightly, his face serious, and went straight to the point: "Tell me, how many guests stayed overnight here last night, and how many guests did your girls give sachets to?"

The beautiful woman casually remarked, "There are probably more than thirty guests staying overnight."

"Don't give me 'almost,' give me detailed figures." Liu Shuyi suddenly straightened his face, his expression serious and his eyes sharp: "If the number you give differs from the actual number, I have reason to suspect that you are helping the murderer cover it up, and you can be considered an accomplice and arrested and imprisoned!"

Although he was just a minor official who was bullied in this life, in his previous life he had solved many major cases and become a top leader. Now, with a serious and stern face, his solemn and dignified aura pressed down on the beautiful woman.

The beautiful woman felt as if a mountain had suddenly pressed down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.

Her expression changed, and she immediately straightened her back, no longer daring to utter any ambiguous words: "This servant needs to see the account books..."

"go with!"

The beautiful woman quickly ran behind the counter and took out the ledger.

She glanced through them and said, "Thirty-five people."

Thirty-five...

Liu Shuyi glanced around at the men in the hall and roughly estimated that the number was about the same as the number in front of him.

It seems to be the usual number of people in this brothel.

"And how many people received the sachets?" he asked again.

The beautiful woman dared not speak recklessly any further and looked cautiously at Liu Shuyi: "This servant does not know either; we need to ask the young ladies."

"Go ask," Liu Shuyi said, maintaining his authoritative demeanor.

The beautiful woman immediately ran towards the delicate and pretty girls, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief as she ran. It was clear that she really didn't dare to delay.

Watching the beautiful woman talk with the girls, Cheng Chumo couldn't help but say to Liu Shuyi, "Master Liu, have you been to a brothel before? Otherwise, how could you so easily subdue the madam? I actually asked her the same question just now, but she was as slippery as an eel. I waited for you all this time and didn't get a single useful word out of her."

Have you ever been to a brothel?

Du Gou's eyelids twitched upon hearing Cheng Chumo's words.

The word "also" is used with great sensitivity; who is it referring to?
Besides, could Liu Shuyi have actually been to a brothel?

If he had been here, should he tell his younger sister the truth?

Liu Shuyi, of course, was unaware of Du Gou's inner turmoil. He said to Cheng Chumo, "The madam is unwilling to answer your question because she is afraid that if we cannot solve the case and catch the murderer, the murderer will come to take revenge on her."

"So, if we want her to talk, we have to let her know that if she doesn't cooperate obediently, she'll be in trouble now."

"Given the choice between two evils, she would choose the lesser one. Before she knew whether the murderer would retaliate against her, it was obvious what she would choose."

Cheng Chumo blinked, looking as if he had learned something.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "I never imagined that such a simple question would have so much to it."

Liu Shuyi smiled. In later generations, questioning people to give statements was a subject that required special study, involving all aspects of human nature. It was impossible for them to just answer whatever you asked.
The human heart is complex, and there's a lot to learn about it!
As they were talking, the madam returned.

Facing Liu Shuyi, she no longer dared to flirt with him in a frivolous manner, and said, "I asked, and last night a total of five girls gave sachets to their patrons."

"Five?"

The number is neither too much nor too little.

He asked, "Why give your patron a sachet?"

The madam said, "What else could it be? Of course, we hope our patrons will have a more comfortable time and become more infatuated with our girls, so they'll come here more often... Of course, these sachets also contain gold powder, and they're not cheap to make. The girls will only give them to wealthy officials or rich merchants. Ordinary people don't have the chance to get them."

Du Gou whispered in Liu Shuyi's ear, "The way brothels selectively give out sachets makes the recipients feel prestigious. It's a symbol of status, so patrons keep the sachets they receive and don't throw them away easily."

VIP gift bag?
Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

However... Du Gou was very shrewd!

Could it be that Du Ying was right, and he's a regular customer?
Liu Shuyi nodded slightly and continued, "Of these five people, did any of them leave midway through last night?"

"Leaving midway?"

The madam thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "There really is one."

"Really?!"

Cheng Chumo and Du Gou's eyes widened suddenly.

Even my breath caught in my throat for a moment!
Of those who received the sachets, one person happened to leave halfway through last night...

Doesn't this mean...

They suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who?"

　Sorry for keeping you all waiting, the truth will be revealed starting tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)