The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 30 Entering the Tomb, the Ice Coffin, the Day of Xuanwu Gate!
Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Du Ruhui immediately stood up.

He came to Liu Shuyi, helped him up with both hands, and his eyes were full of praise and relief: "I knew you wouldn't back down!"

"However, I still want to remind you of something."

Du Ruhui said earnestly, "This case is very difficult. If you can solve it, everyone will be happy, the crisis of the Tang Dynasty can be alleviated, and you will also be able to take this opportunity to be promoted to the sixth rank. But if you cannot solve the case..."

His voice lowered slightly: "You might not even keep your current position, and all your previous efforts will be in vain... Liu Shuyi, I can give you another chance to reconsider."

Liu Shuyi was deeply moved that Du Ruhui, despite his eagerness for Liu to take on the case, was still worried that he might regret it in the future and was willing to give him another chance to choose.

Having served as an official for two generations, he naturally understood the cruelty and realities of officialdom.

For Du Ruhui, if a case is handed to him and he solves it, Du Ruhui will also get credit; if he fails to solve it, he can shift the blame onto himself. In short, as long as this newly famous detective is willing to take on a case, Du Ruhui will make a profit no matter what the outcome is.

Even so, Du Ruhui was still willing to give himself two more chances...

To be honest, he now even wonders if he and Du Ruhui are related by blood, otherwise why would Du Ruhui treat him so well?

However, Liu Shuyi is not a wavering person; once he makes a decision, he will move forward firmly.

Therefore, he replied without hesitation: "The importance of the nation and its people is greater than my own life and death. I have thought it through and will have no regrets even if I die!"

Hearing these soul-stirring words, even Du Ruhui, who was used to flattery and empty words, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Because he was well aware of the immense risks Liu Shuyi would face by taking on this case.

Liu Shuyi's words are a complete and accurate reflection of reality.

He looked intently at Liu Shuyi, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright! Since you have considered everything carefully, I will no longer try to sway your resolve."

Du Ruhui asked Liu Shuyi to sit down again and said, "This case is currently His Majesty's most pressing concern. All other matters must give way to it... So, you can tell me what you need directly. No matter who or what department you are in, they will cooperate with you unconditionally!"

After a moment's thought, Liu Shuyi said, "First, I need the cooperation of Cheng Chumo, the General of the Golden Guard, to lead the Golden Guard under my command and protect my safety."

He didn't stand on ceremony with Du Ruhui. This case might involve the aftermath of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and the danger might be greater than the difficulty of the investigation. Therefore, he needed to ensure his own safety first.

"Then, I need Vice Minister Du to cooperate with me. He was involved in the investigation of the Prince Xi's corpse case before. He knows the details of the case and knows people from other government departments. With his cooperation, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Cheng Chumo and Du Gou were the people he knew best.

After working together on two cases, they developed a tacit understanding.

In addition, given their unusual identities and their involvement in the investigation, having them cooperate with him was the most suitable option.

Without a second thought, Du Ruhui said, "That's easy. But they're both young and their experience might not be enough. Do you need me to arrange some more experienced people for you?"

"No need."

Liu Shuyi shook his head, saying that Cheng Chumo and Du Gou, knowing his abilities, would completely trust and obey him.

But for others, it might not be the case.

The more experienced a person is, the more opinionated they tend to be, and the more likely they are to look down on younger people...

If there are people planted by Pei Ji or Miao Yin'er's mastermind, then things will be even more disastrous.

Therefore, it's not better to have more people involved in an investigation.

The most suitable team is the one you are familiar with and whose members each have their own strengths.

He originally wanted to bring Du Ying over, but now that the body is missing and there are no casualties, Du Ying's special skills have no chance to be used.

Therefore, after thinking about it, I decided not to call Du Ying for the time being.

If medical skills or autopsies are needed later, it's not too late to call her then.

"Is there anything else you need?" Du Ruhui asked, seeing that Liu Shuyi was no longer speaking, as if this was all he wanted.

“Yes… but that requires His Majesty’s approval.” Liu Shuyi hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"what?"

Liu Shuyi looked at Du Ruhui and said, "Don't limit my time to solve the case... at least, don't give me only three days like before."

"Lord Du, I think you should know by now that the body of Prince Xi is most likely far away from Chang'an."

Du Ruhui's gaze was deep and unwavering; he offered no rebuttal.

Liu Shuyi continued, "I investigated in Chang'an and, if I'm lucky, I was able to find out who did it and where the body was transported... But if I were to go find the body myself, as before, in three days, I'm afraid I might not even be able to reach that place."

"Not to mention, once the body leaves Chang'an, it's like a stone sinking into the sea... Any accident can happen, and it could be transferred at any time. The clues obtained in Chang'an may no longer be accurate."

"Therefore, even if His Majesty is in a hurry, a reasonable deadline should be given."

After listening quietly to Liu Shuyi's words, Du Ruhui remained silent for a few moments, and then suddenly laughed.

"You really didn't make this decision on a whim."

Seeing Du Ruhui's reaction, Liu Shuyi's heart stirred: "What does Master Du mean?"

Du Ruhui laughed and said, "With over a thousand people investigating for more than ten days, there has been no result whatsoever. How could Your Majesty not know the difficulty of this case?"

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Don't forget what a wise and mighty man our Emperor is. Although he is furious, he will not be blinded by anger."

"Therefore, His Majesty has already said that the most important thing now is to find out who did it! Who is so audacious as to steal the body of Prince Xi!"

"Your Majesty wants to know who the thieves are, what their forces are, and what their motives are, so that a solution can be found!"

"The body of the Prince of Xi is important, but no matter how important it is, it cannot compare to finding those living, treacherous people and uncovering their conspiracies!"

"That is to say..."

Du Ruhui said, "As long as you find out who did it, you will have completed the most urgent task. As for how to find the body of the Prince of Xi, that's a matter for later."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi felt a sense of relief.

I never expected that the thing I was most worried about had already been resolved.

As for finding out who did it, as long as that person is still in Chang'an, and as long as it's not really the work of ghosts or gods, he is confident he can find them.

"However, His Majesty cannot wait for you for a year or two. Even if His Majesty could wait, those treacherous officials would not give us that much time."

Du Ruhui changed the subject, saying, "Therefore, you must hurry! The sooner you find the thief, the better! This will improve your impression on His Majesty!"

"Everyone's heart goes through a process from expectation to disappointment. The longer you drag it out, the more disadvantageous it is for you."

“If we continue like this, spending so many days without any results, your image in His Majesty’s eyes will be greatly diminished.”

"Therefore, you'd better solve the case in less time than we are currently taking! That way, you can demonstrate your outstanding abilities."

It took even less time than Du Ruhui and his group...

The body was lost on February 13th.

Today is February 25th.

In other words, it is best to solve the case within twelve days.

Twelve days isn't a long time, but it's four times longer than the previous three days.

Moreover, he can now mobilize the entire state apparatus of the Tang Dynasty to cooperate with him...

The conditions are much better than when we investigated the Zhao Chengyi case and the Miaoyin'er case.

Furthermore, he now needs to be promoted as soon as possible, investigate his brother's disappearance case quickly, and determine the identity of Miaoyin'er's master as soon as possible to prevent the other party from plotting an even more terrifying killing move against him...

He didn't want to drag it out for too long.

Having considered this, Liu Shuyi no longer hesitated and said directly, "This subordinate understands. I will do my best to solve the case within twelve days!"

Seeing Liu Shuyi nod, Du Ruhui breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew Liu Shuyi's temperament; Liu Shuyi was rational and calm enough that if he agreed, it meant he had a certain degree of confidence.

"All right."

Du Ruhui glanced at the sky outside and said, "If you have no other needs, go and investigate the case. Time is of the essence, so I won't take up any more of your time."

Liu Shuyi naturally had no objection.

Just as he was about to nod and leave, Du Ruhui's voice suddenly rang out again: "I almost forgot something."

Liu Shuyi looked at Du Ruhui.

Then Du Ruhui said, "You haven't had a good time in the Ministry of Justice these past years. You probably haven't made any trustworthy friends. But if you don't have someone you can trust to help you or someone you can do things for, you'll inevitably feel constrained and even have your power usurped."

"Therefore, I have assigned you a new clerk who will assist you and obey your orders from now on."

A new scribe?

In the Ministry of Justice, Liu Shuyi was a ninth-rank official, the lowest rank among the officials, but below him were clerks who actually did the work.

The clerk was one type of official.

In addition, there were scribes and other similar positions.

The original owner of this body was constantly suppressed by Qian Wenqing and had indeed made no friends. In the Ministry of Justice, apart from Du Ruhui, he had no one he could trust. He had been considering how to build his own power in the Ministry of Justice, but before he could put it into practice, Du Ruhui had already taken action for him.

Am I really not Du Ruhui's long-lost relative?
He quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you very much, Master Du. You have always considered my needs in every way. I have no way to repay you but to work harder in the future to repay your kindness in nurturing me!"

Du Ruhui naturally had to put a lot of thought into his future son-in-law.

He smiled and nodded: "The new clerk is outside; you'll see him when you go out..."

Liu Shuyi didn't linger any longer and turned to leave.

As he strode out of Du Ruhui's office, he saw a man dressed as a military officer with his back to him.

This person is thin and slightly shorter than me.

He was looking down with his hands clasped together, seemingly a little nervous.

"You are the new Commander..."

As soon as Liu Shuyi spoke, the man paused and then quickly turned his head.

His eyes were bright, and upon seeing Liu Shuyi, he could not hide the excitement and respect on his face. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master Liu."

"It's you……"

Looking at the clerk who had turned around, Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised, but he quickly understood why it was him and why Du Ruhui was so sure that this person was trustworthy.

Because the clerk in front of him was none other than Zhao Feng, the only victim in his first case... Zhao Zhuo's son!

Zhao Zhuo's embezzlement case was overturned by himself.

Zhao Zhuo was exonerated.

The Zhao family will no longer have to suffer the pain of exile.

Although Zhao Feng framed him, he was coerced by Zhao Chengyi and it was not his own will. In addition, since he did not intend to pursue the matter, Zhao Feng regained his freedom.

He thought he would never cross paths with Zhao Feng again, but to his surprise, Du Ruhui brought Zhao Feng to the Ministry of Justice and even assisted him.

Zhao Feng looked at Liu Shuyi, then suddenly knelt down and kowtowed three times before Liu Shuyi could react.

"Thank you, Magistrate Liu, for redressing my father's grievances!"

"Without Manager Liu, my father would forever bear the name of corruption and be despised by everyone!"

"My Zhao family will never have a chance to rise again!"

"It was Steward Liu who saved my entire Zhao family. It was Steward Liu who gave me another life. Steward Liu is my second parent!"

"Zhao Feng had no way to repay the favor, so he could only use his meager abilities to serve Master Liu."

Looking at Zhao Feng's red forehead and his firm and sincere eyes, Liu Shuyi, who had seen countless people, knew that Zhao Feng was truly grateful to him.

He stepped forward, helped Zhao Feng up, and, meeting Zhao Feng's expectant and grateful eyes, smiled gently and said, "From now on, let's support each other."

These words meant that Zhao Feng was accepted.

Zhao Feng's eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically.

Liu Shuyi smiled, glanced at the thin Zhao Feng, and asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Zhao Feng was first exiled, and then imprisoned by Zhao Chengyi. He was always hungry, which made him look obviously malnourished.

Zhao Feng was a little embarrassed: "I came here early this morning to wait for Manager Liu, so..."

Seeing Zhao Feng's embarrassed look, Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and then he laughed and said, "What a coincidence, I haven't eaten either. Let's go to the tomb of the Prince of Gaoyangyuan now, buy some food on the way, and eat together, so that I won't be too bored eating alone."

Zhao Feng's eyes lit up, and he touched his empty stomach, nodding repeatedly.

…………

The Liu Residence.

As Wan'er tidied up the kitchen, she looked at the little food left and couldn't help but say, "Young Master's appetite is much better than before. He ate almost all of his breakfast. It seems I'll have to prepare more food in the future, so that Young Master won't go hungry..."

Gu Gu! Gu Gu!
Just then, two strange bird calls suddenly rang out.

Wan'er paused in her movements.

His once clear eyes suddenly narrowed.

A sharp gaze shot out from her beautiful eyes.

She walked to the door, glanced at Uncle Chang who was directing the craftsmen to repair the roof in the yard, picked up the leftover food she had prepared, and turned to walk out the door...

…………

Chang'an County, Gaoyangyuan, is the place where Li Shimin reburied Li Jiancheng.

Gaoyangyuan was about 30 li away from Chang'an City, and its location was near Guodu Town in the later Chang'an District.

The two rode their horses at full speed and arrived at the place, where they saw Cheng Chumo, who was wearing black armor and carrying two battle axes on his back, and Du Gou, who was dressed in the official robes of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and had a gentle and refined demeanor, waiting for them.

Liu Shuyi dismounted and said with a smile, "Have you kept me waiting?"

Du Gou shook his head: "We just arrived too."

Cheng Chumo looked at Zhao Feng following behind Liu Shuyi and asked in surprise, "What's he doing here?"

Liu Shuyi gave a brief explanation.

Cheng Chumo then understood.

He approached Zhao Feng, looked at the somewhat uneasy Zhao Feng, and grinned, saying, "Since you're following Manager Liu, you're one of us now."

Du Gou nodded slightly.

Feeling the kindness of the two people, Zhao Feng, who had been surrounded by malice almost constantly since his father's accident, couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

It is only through experiencing the painful times filled with malice that one truly understands the value of sincerity and kindness.

He knew that all of this was because of Liu Shuyi.

Looking at Liu Shuyi, he felt even more grateful and respectful.

Liu Shuyi didn't exchange many pleasantries and headed straight for the cemetery.

As they walked, he asked, "What's the situation here now?"

Du Gou said: "After the discovery that the body of the Prince of Xi had disappeared, the mausoleum guards who were originally responsible for guarding the tomb of the Prince of Xi, as well as the household slaves who were responsible for cleaning and sacrificial rites, a total of 223 people, were all detained and are currently in the Dali Temple prison.

"This place is now guarded by the Imperial Guards. No one is allowed to enter except for those of us investigating the case."

Liu Shuyi nodded, and the group passed the gate tower and proceeded along the sacred path to the sacrificial hall.

The floor of the offering hall was paved with marble, but at this moment, jagged cracks ran across the north and south of the stone slabs, as if a steel knife had cleaved the entire offering hall in two.

Inside the offering hall, a stone tablet stands.

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw that the content on it was:
"Epitaph of the late Prince Xiyin of the Great Tang Dynasty. The prince's name was Jiancheng. He died in the capital in the ninth year of the Wude era. On the thirteenth day of the first month of the second year of the Zhenguan era (1538), he was buried in Gaoyangyuan, Chang'an County, Yongzhou."

This is Li Jiancheng's epitaph.

Other people's epitaphs describe their lives, but Li Jiancheng's epitaph only contains these few dozen words.

Liu Shuyi took a deep look at the epitaph, did not linger, entered the mausoleum from the side entrance of the offering hall, passed through the courtyard, went through the passageway, and finally stopped in front of a stone gate full of cracks.

The stone door is over a foot thick, with a vertical crack running from top to bottom. The crack is straight and almost runs through the entire stone door, making it look as if it might break at any moment.

Moreover, not only the stone gate, but also the ground connecting to the stone gate and the stone wall overhead have cracks of varying thickness.

Push open the stone door and enter the tomb chamber.

The tomb was filled with rubble, and half of it had collapsed.

Looking up, you can even see the clear blue sky through the collapsed area.

In the center of the tomb chamber is a coffin.

The coffin was covered by snow and ice that had fallen from the collapsed area, as if it were frozen.

The coffin lid was not opened, but as Liu Shuyi approached, he discovered a crack on the side of the coffin, caused by a falling rock.

The gap is quite large.

As he approached the coffin, his gaze peered into the crevice...

His dark pupils suddenly contracted!
Then they saw that the dark coffin was empty.

At the very bottom of the coffin, there were words formed by a pool of scarlet blood:
"On the fourth day of the sixth month of the ninth year of Wude, it rained."

This was the date of the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

(End of this chapter)