The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 29 Du Ruhui's Support! A Chance for Promotion! (6K)
Early morning, at the Ministry of Justice.

This was Liu Shuyi's first visit to the Ministry of Justice since he transmigrated.

Just inside the gate of the yamen, there is a stone mountain in front of you, with four powerful characters engraved on it: “Ming Xing Bi Jiao” (明刑弼教).

Standing at the foot of the stone mountain, looking up at the four characters "明刑弼教" (Ming Xing Bi Jiao), one feels a sense of oppressive authority that penetrates to the heart, making one unconsciously solemn and dignified, and not daring to talk or laugh.

Liu Shuyi learned from his predecessor's memories that these four characters originated from the Book of Documents, specifically the chapter "Da Yu Mo," which reads, "He was clear about the five punishments, so as to assist the five teachings, and to strive for good governance."

The idea is to use criminal law to make people aware of, fear, and abide by the law, thus achieving an effect that mere education cannot.

This was also the original intention behind the establishment of the Ministry of Justice in the Tang Dynasty.

He stared intently at the four large characters for a long while before turning his gaze away and continuing to walk inside.

Not far away was the main hall of the Ministry of Justice, where the Minister and Vice Ministers discussed and decided on major cases, and where the three judicial departments held joint trials.

He bypassed the main hall, entered the right-hand passageway, and arrived at the office of the Ministry of Justice.

According to its functions, the Ministry of Justice was divided into four departments: the Department of Justice, the Department of Capital Affairs, the Department of Revenue Affairs, and the Department of Gates.

Liu Shuyi was the head of the Ministry of Justice, mainly responsible for the investigation, interrogation, and review of case files by the Court of Judicial Review.

As soon as I entered the courtyard of the Ministry of Justice, I heard a commotion.

"Have you heard? Liu Shuyi did another great service last night!"

"real or fake?"

"How could this be false? I have a brother who works as a jailer in the prison. He told me this morning when he came off duty that a very beautiful woman was locked up in the prison last night. It was even sent there personally by Minister Du. He said that she was the murderer of Zhao Chengyi's wife and children, and the person who solved the case was Liu Shuyi!"

"When did Liu Shuyi become so amazing?"

"Yes! Everyone knows what he's usually like. He's such a timid and weak person. How did he manage to solve two major cases in two days?"

"Who knows!"

"Is Liu Shuyi going to become rich in the future? Does that mean we can't let him do all the work anymore?"

"That goes without saying! I heard that Minister Du specifically requested credit for Liu Shuyi at the court assembly, and even His Majesty knows Liu Shuyi's name. You still dare to exploit him? Are you out of your mind!"

"We're alright, at most we'll just make him do a little more work, and we'll repay him by doing more work for him in the future. It's just that Mr. Qian..."

As he spoke, the official glanced furtively at the closed office door and lowered his voice, saying, "Master Qian is probably having a tough time right now. After all, he bullied Liu Shuyi the most, and he was the one who told us to exploit Liu Shuyi. Now that Liu Shuyi is about to rise to power, we don't know how to settle their feud."

Qian Yuanwailang?

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow, remembering who this was.

Qian Wenqing, a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice.

An arrogant man who rose to power through women.

Pei Ji's niece's husband entered the Ministry of Justice through Pei Ji's connections.

However, that all happened during the Wude era. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Pei Ji no longer dared to do these things openly.

Pei Ji, being a bitter political enemy of his father, harbored resentment towards the Liu family as well.

Therefore, whether Qian Wenqing was acting under Pei Ji's orders or had guessed Pei Ji's dislike for him, he had bullied and exploited the original owner of this body quite a bit over the years.

It can be said that the original owner's timidity and inferiority complex were definitely related to her superior, Qian Wenqing.

Now that he has accidentally solved two major cases and become famous, he wonders what Qian Wenqing will think.
While they were deep in thought, someone suddenly looked towards the door and saw Liu Shuyi standing there.

He was taken aback at first, then suddenly straightened his back and hurriedly said, "Manager Liu, you've arrived!"

His voice carried an unprecedented level of respect.

Upon hearing this official's words, the other officials realized that Liu Shuyi had arrived sometime earlier.

While worried that Liu Shuyi had overheard their conversation, they also acted as if they were seeing a superior official, standing ramrod straight and speaking in loud voices: "Chief Liu!"

"Isn't today a day off? Why are you here all of a sudden!"

"We've heard that Chief Liu has solved two cases in a row, and his judgment is phenomenal. You must tell us how you did it, so we can see for ourselves."

"Yes, yes, it's truly an honor for our Ministry of Justice to have a genius like Chief Clerk Liu in solving cases."

Flattery and words of reverence were heard incessantly.

The people were clearly the same as I remembered, but their faces were completely different from those in my memory.

No longer with an icy expression, never smiling, nor speaking indifferently and impatiently...

Looking at them, and recalling the original owner's memories, Liu Shuyi felt like laughing.

He hasn't even been promoted yet, but everything is already completely different from before.

This is the power of rights and status.

Bang!

At that moment, the tightly closed office door was suddenly opened.

A man dressed in a green official robe with effeminate features stepped out and shouted, "What's all the noise about? Don't you have anything better to do?"

As Qian Wenqing finished speaking, the officials of the Ministry of Justice all shrank back, not daring to utter another word, and quickly separated.

Liu Shuyi ignored the officials and instead looked up at Qian Wenqing at the office door.

At that moment, Qian Wenqing also happened to look at Liu Shuyi.

The two looked at each other.

Looking into Liu Shuyi's calm and composed eyes, and sensing the powerful confidence that was different from before, Qian Wenqing frowned. He hadn't expected that Liu Shuyi's temperament had really changed so drastically, just as the rumors had said.

"What are you looking at? Don't you have anything to do?"

Qian Wenqing snorted coldly and, as usual, oppressed her, saying, "Go and copy all the files that the Dali Temple just sent over. You're not allowed to eat or go back to your residence until you finish copying them!"

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow: "There are four chief clerks in the Ministry of Justice. The case files sent by the Court of Judicial Review should be the responsibility of all of them. Why did Assistant Minister Qian assign the task to me alone?"

"You dare question me?" Qian Wenqing said coldly, "Liu Shuyi, don't think that just because you've solved a few cases, no one can control you!"

"As long as you remain under my command, you must obey my orders!"

The familiar tone of voice, the familiar scolding and commanding manner.

But Liu Shuyi is no longer the same person he used to be.

“What if I say no?” Liu Shuyi asked.

"You..." Qian Wenqing's effeminate eyes suddenly turned fierce: "Do you believe I will suspend you from your post! And make sure you fail the Ministry of Personnel's year-end assessment!"

If it were the original owner of this body, she might have been frightened, but Liu Shuyi simply yawned: "I've never heard of a junior official having the power to suspend a principal official... Why don't you give it a try, Junior Official Qian, and see if you can really suspend me?"

He could even make Pei Ji admit his mistakes, so why would he be afraid of Qian Wenqing?

Not to mention, the head of the Ministry of Justice is Du Ruhui, and Du Ruhui values ​​him highly, so why would he let go of such a great general as himself?

If someone wanted to suspend him from his post, Du Ruhui would definitely be the first to disagree.

"What's all this commotion about?"

Just then, Du Ruhui's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed. What a coincidence! Did they arrive a long time ago and have been hiding in the back watching the show?
He turned around, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Minister Du. Assistant Minister Qian says he wishes to suspend his official duties—"

"Minister Du, we just missed each other after not seeing each other for two days, so we were just chatting." Before Liu Shuyi could finish speaking, Qian Wenqing's expression changed slightly, and he quickly spoke up.

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow and gave Qian Wenqing a deep look.

Qian Wenqing's face turned pale and then red when he saw Liu Shuyi's meaningful expression.

Du Ruhui took in the exchange between the two men, smiled, and said, "A lot has indeed happened these past two days, so it's normal to have things to say. However, you'll have to wait your turn. I also have something to say to Liu Shuyi."

Qian Wenqing dared not compete with Du Ruhui, and naturally nodded in agreement.

Du Ruhui glanced at Liu Shuyi and said, "Let's go."

As he spoke, he turned to leave, but then he suddenly stopped.

"From now on, Liu Shuyi will report directly to me. His tasks will be temporarily handled by Assistant Minister Qian. Is Assistant Minister Qian willing?"

Upon hearing Du Ruhui's words, Qian Wenqing's expression suddenly changed.

How could he not understand Du Ruhui's meaning? Du Ruhui had clearly overheard his conversation with Liu Shuyi and was siding with Liu Shuyi!

Previously, because Du Ruhui was still the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the Minister of Justice was only concurrently holding the position and did not come to the Ministry of Justice every day, the four departments of the Ministry of Justice were managed by the Assistant Ministers and Assistant Ministers themselves.

No matter how he treats Liu Shuyi, as long as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice turns a blind eye, no one will dare to oppose him.

Unexpectedly, everything changed in just two days.

Du Ruhui actually stepped in to help Liu Shuyi.

"This humble official... will naturally obey Minister Du's orders, and is willing to do so." He gritted his teeth and could only agree.

Liu Shuyi glanced at him and said with a smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Qian Yuanwailang... Oh, by the way, Qian Yuanwailang, don't forget the task you just gave me: to copy all the files sent by the Dali Temple. You can't eat or go back to your residence until you finish copying them... Qian Yuanwailang, you must complete this task for me diligently."

Qian Wenqing's eyes widened, and she was about to say something.

But when he looked up, he saw Du Ruhui's sharp gaze sweep over him.

This made his face turn deathly pale, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, and he dared not utter another word.

I had no choice but to agree again.

Seeing that Qian Wenqing had shot himself in the foot, Liu Shuyi finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the Ministry of Justice's courtyard with Du Ruhui.

As soon as he left the hospital, Liu Shuyi cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your help, Master Du."

Du Ruhui shook his head without turning his head and said, "It's not that I'm helping you, but that you relied on your own abilities and calm wisdom to win today's situation." In other words, if Liu Shuyi hadn't shown a talent for solving cases and hadn't made any contributions, Du Ruhui wouldn't have paid attention to him, and no one would have helped a minor official when they knew they would offend Qian Wenqing, who was of a higher rank.

This is harsh, but it's the reality.

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Even so, it was Master Du who fought for my opportunity to perform. After all, if it weren't for Master Du's strong opposition and permission for me to investigate the Zhao Chengyi case, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Talent scouts all appreciate a grateful horse; no one wants to raise a treacherous wolf that will turn on them.

Therefore, upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Du Ruhui felt even more pleased and became increasingly satisfied with Liu Shuyi.

The two walked one after the other in the corridor of the Ministry of Justice.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice would pass by from time to time, bowing and greeting Du Ruhui while secretly glancing at Liu Shuyi with eyes full of envy and astonishment.

Du Ruhui nodded slightly to the clerk beside him and said as he walked, "After I arrested Miaoyin'er last night, I ordered people to interrogate her overnight. Guess what happened?"

Liu Shuyi recalled Miaoyin'er's performance last night, pondered for a moment, and said, "She was very cooperative, but most of it was probably nonsense."

"It's no wonder she fell into your hands."

Du Ruhui nodded: "She was indeed very cooperative, answering all the questions, but it was impossible to tell whether her answers were true or false."

When asked who her master was, she no longer said me, but someone else, saying it was Changsun Wuji, the Minister of Personnel.

"When asked where the Turkic falcon came from and who trained it, she said that she had personally bred the falcon and bought it from the Turks for two hundred strings of cash."

When asked where the two falcons had gone, she said they had been set free.

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes slightly. The falcon's statement was obviously nonsense. How could such a difficult-to-train falcon be allowed to fly freely?

Not to mention, before last night, Miaoyin had no idea that she would be arrested. In her mind, she had already fallen into a trap and that she had been successfully deceived.

Under these circumstances, why would she let the falcon go?

The only two possibilities are that the falcon either doesn't belong to her, or she has hidden it in some secret place.

As for her master, he changed to Changsun Wuji... First Du Ruhui, then Changsun Wuji, she chose important officials who could make the court tremble with a stomp of their feet. She was really afraid that if word got out, the court would not be in chaos and there would be no rumors!
When Zhao Chengyi was captured before, he refused to talk no matter what.

Now, Miaoyin'er is very cooperative, but the result is even more troublesome than Zhao Chengyi's.

Du Ruhui slowed his pace and looked at Liu Shuyi: "Whether or not we use torture, her words are the same, and it's hard to tell whether they're true or false. So I ordered people to temporarily stop the interrogation, starve her for a few days to wear down her spirit, and then interrogate her again to see if there will be any difference."

Liu Shuyi nodded. Miaoyin'er, that vixen, was indeed very troublesome. This was a last resort.

He considered his plan for a moment and said, "Why don't I give it a try and see if I can find out anything?"

"also."

Du Ruhui didn't think much of it: "After all, she was captured by you. I can tell that her attitude towards you is different from her attitude towards others. Perhaps you can gain something from this."

Having received Du Ruhui's permission, Liu Shuyi pondered in his heart when to go see Miaoyin'er.

"What are your thoughts on the master behind Miaoyin'er and Zhao Chengyi?" Du Ruhui continued to ask.

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "It's very mysterious. He never took action himself from beginning to end, and without his intervention, we couldn't find any clues about him."

"Yes, they are very mysterious and cautious, and never take action themselves..."

Du Ruhui frowned, and a thoughtful look flashed in his deep eyes, as if he was deep in thought about something.

After a moment, he shook his head: "Forget it, let's try to get Miaoyin'er to talk first. With Miaoyin'er around, we won't be completely helpless."

To be honest, Liu Shuyi didn't think Miaoyin'er would easily betray her master. Getting Miaoyin'er to talk would probably be even more difficult than investigating her brother's disappearance.

As they spoke, the two arrived at Du Ruhui's office.

Du Ruhui had Liu Shuyi sit on a low stool next to the desk, and then poured him a glass of water.

Looking at the young man who seemed quite satisfied with him, Du Ruhui said, "I called you here because there's something I'd like to ask for your opinion on."

idea?

Liu Shuyi said, "Please speak, Master Du."

Du Gou said, "At today's court assembly, I petitioned His Majesty for your merit."

Liu Shuyi's eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up: "Thank you, Master Du!"

As the prime minister, Du Ruhui's personal request for credit would only make Li Shimin value him more.

When bestowing titles and rewards, Li Shimin would certainly have taken Du Ruhui's influence into account and increased his own rewards accordingly.

One of his current goals is to seize every opportunity to get promoted as quickly as possible, and Du Ruhui has undoubtedly helped him a lot.

Du Ruhui raised his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "It was something I promised you, so of course I have to do it. It's nothing, you don't need to be so polite. Sit down, I haven't finished what I have to say yet."

Liu Shuyi then sat down again.

Du Ruhui continued, "Whether it's the case of the ghost of the Prince of Xi or the case of the head of the Falcon, both are major and difficult cases. Your ability to solve them one after another within two days is enough to prove your ability, and your accumulated merits are also considerable."

"Logically speaking, even if you were to break through to the eighth rank and rise to the seventh rank, it wouldn't be impossible."

"but……"

He suddenly changed the subject and looked at Liu Shuyi: "Whether it is the eighth rank or the seventh rank, there are no vacancies in the criminal justice system for the time being."

Liu Shuyi frowned. There were no vacancies, which meant that his merits were enough for promotion, but there was no position available, so he could only wait.

"How long will it take?" Liu Shuyi asked.

Du Ruhui shook his head: "It's hard to say..."

Seeing Liu Shuyi frown, Du Ruhui added, "But there is a vacancy in my Ministry of Justice, for a sixth-rank official."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "You should know... that the Ministry of Justice where you work should have two assistant directors, but now there is only Qian Wenqing, and the other position is still vacant."

Liu Shuyi was taken aback: "A sixth-rank official, an assistant director in the Ministry of Justice... Does Lord Du mean something like this?"

Du Ruhui shook his head with a smile: "Don't even think about it. Your merits aren't enough. If you were to fill the vacancy, those people in the Censorate would be causing you trouble every day."

Liu Shuyi was puzzled: "If that's the case, why did Master Du bring this up?"

Du Gou looked at him with deep eyes: "Your merit is indeed insufficient now, but there is a case next. If you can solve it, your merit will be enough."

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he suddenly thought of something, turning sharply to Du Ruhui: "The case of the disappearance of the Prince of Xi's body?"

Listening to Liu Shuyi's words, Du Ruhui couldn't help but exclaim, "Truly extremely intelligent!"

He didn't keep Liu Shuyi in suspense and said, "That's right, it's this case!"

"You should also know how bad the impact of this case is now. Although you solved the case of the ghost of Prince Xi and stopped the spread of some rumors, the mysterious disappearance of Prince Xi's body has still caused a huge uproar inside and outside the court."

“Especially the former officials of Prince Xi… Originally, after we resolved the rebellion of Li Yuan, the Grand General of Youzhou and Prince of Lujiang, and Luo Yi, the Governor of Jingzhou, the former officials of Prince Xi completely gave up and accepted reality.”

"But who knew that the mysterious disappearance of the King of Xi's corpse would cause some of them to show some inappropriate tendencies again."

"Now, with the Turks and Liang Shidu eyeing us covetously from the outside, and former Sui officials causing trouble from time to time from within, plus a mysterious figure appearing, what if the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi do something at this time..."

His expression was grave: "The consequences would be unimaginable!"

"Therefore, we must solve the case of the disappearance of Prince Xi's body as soon as possible! However, our Ministry of Justice, together with the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate, the Imperial Guard and other departments, have been investigating for more than ten days, but we have not found any clues and we cannot find any hope at all. His Majesty is extremely angry, and rumors have begun to spread again."

"Right now, the only person I can think of who can break this deadlock..."

Du Ruhui looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "You're the only one left!"

Liu Shuyi listened quietly to Du Ruhui's words. After Du Ruhui finished speaking, he did not reply immediately, but instead looked thoughtful, considering whether to take on the case.

Since Du Ruhui did not give him any orders in a commanding tone, it means that he had the opportunity to choose.

He learned from Cheng Chumo and Du Gou that this case was extremely difficult!
Multiple government departments and thousands of people searched for more than ten days, but found no clues whatsoever.

To put it bluntly, he suspected that Li Jiancheng's body might have already been taken out of Chang'an.

Given the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty, finding it would be incredibly difficult!

But this is indeed an opportunity.

The rank of a ninth-grade official in the Ministry of Justice is too low; he has no right to make independent decisions and is constrained in everything he does.

Investigating his brother's disappearance requires approval from superiors. Fortunately, he now reports directly to Du Ruhui; if he were still under Qian Wenqing's jurisdiction, he would never have had the opportunity to investigate.

But Du Ruhui... might not necessarily ask him to investigate a disappearance case from two years ago that had no leads whatsoever.

Therefore, he needs to be promoted and needs to take control of the power.

The seventh or eighth rank is a long shot, and even just considering the rank itself, it's still low. In Chang'an, it would be nothing more than a menial job.

Only those of the sixth rank can have a say within their own small territory!

He really needs this opportunity to become a wealthy landowner!

Moreover, Du Ruhui could have directly ordered and forced him to investigate, but instead he consulted with him and gave him a choice, which showed his goodwill and respect for him.

He deserves an equally sincere response.

Not to mention, if the case of Li Jiancheng's missing body could be solved, it would definitely leave an excellent impression on Li Shimin, and his future career in officialdom would be much smoother.

The return is well worth the difficulty!

Having thought all this through, Liu Shuyi had already made up his mind.

He looked at Du Ruhui and said, "Lord Du, I know how difficult this case is, and I also know what the consequences will be if I cannot solve it."

"However, I am deeply grateful for His Majesty's favor and Lord Du's high regard. At this critical moment for the Tang Dynasty, how can I turn a blind eye and only care about myself?"

"so……"

He stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said in a clear voice, "This case is yours to take!"

(End of this chapter)