The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 34 A Huge Breakthrough! Cracking the Mystery of Time!

Chapter 34 A Huge Breakthrough! Cracking the Mystery of Time!
"What!?"

Upon hearing Du Ruhui's words, the usually composed and refined Pei Ji's expression changed.

The disbelief on his face was hard to hide: "You're saying Liu Shuyi has made a breakthrough, that he's found a way in? This..."

How can this be?

From the time Liu Shuyi accepted the task until now, it hasn't been more than two hours, right?
In such a short time, one can only make a round trip to Li Jiancheng's mausoleum!
How could Liu Shuyi possibly have made a profit?
You have to understand, they had so many people, but they didn't have a single clue for a full twelve days. How could Liu Shuyi have done more in just two hours than they had in twelve days?
Pei Ji found it hard to believe.

Li Shimin glanced at Pei Ji, whose expression had changed drastically, and then at Du Ruhui, whose expression was resolute. A rare glint of surprise appeared in his dark, deep eyes.

"Tell me about it," he said.

Without delay, Du Ruhui explained Liu Shuyi's reasoning process in detail.

"...Based on all of the above, Liu Shuyi finally concluded that the body of the Prince of Xi did not disappear on the night of the blizzard at all."

"He was actually stolen at least a month ago, before the thirteenth day of the first month when we reburied King Xi!"

"And that's why, even after thousands of us spent twelve days, we couldn't find the thief or any clues. Our starting point was wrong, so how could we possibly find any clues?"

Pei Ji's expression kept changing as he listened to Du Ruhui's story.

He hadn't expected that what Du Ruhui said was actually true.

Liu Shuyi has actually made a breakthrough!
No wonder he couldn't find a single clue even after personally investigating.

It turns out that the body wasn't lost that night.

How does Liu Shuyi know so much about earthquakes?

Just how extensive is his knowledge?

Pei Ji couldn't help but wonder if Liu Wenjing was more outstanding than Liu Shuyi when she was young.
The answer seems to be no!
This answer weighed heavily on his mind.

"His Majesty."

Du Ruhui's voice continued: "Pei Sikong is worried that Liu Shuyi might have ulterior motives and not do his best to investigate."

"But the facts have proven that, in less than two hours after accepting the task, he accomplished what thousands of us couldn't do in twelve days: he found the breakthrough in the case and clarified the direction of the investigation..."

"If this is not doing one's best, then I cannot think of anything that can be called doing one's best."

"Moreover, Your Majesty may not know that when Liu Shuyi accepted this task, he told me that he knew the difficulty of this case and that if he could not solve it, he would be a sinner of the Tang Dynasty. However, with the country in danger, how could he, as a man of the Tang Dynasty, shirk his duty?"

"Therefore, the moment he took on this case, he was already prepared to lose his official position and his life if he failed."

“If this cannot prove his loyalty to Your Majesty, I cannot think of anything else that can.”

"As for Pei Sikong's concern that he is young and inexperienced..."

Du Ruhui turned his head and looked at Pei Ji, whose face was grim: "I think I don't need to explain this anymore."

The facts have proven everything. Liu Shuyi's gains in two hours exceeded their gains in twelve days. The claims of youth and lack of experience are utterly unconvincing in the face of these irrefutable facts.

Looking at Du Ruhui's calm and composed demeanor, and listening to his words refuting all of his reasons, Pei Ji felt as if a boulder had struck his chest, leaving him feeling extremely heavy.

However, there was nothing that could be done.

Li Shimin glanced at Pei Ji, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, and immediately understood everything.

"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!"

Li Shimin laughed heartily: "Liu Shuyi has truly not disappointed me. I was actually quite worried at first, but now, having entrusted this case to Liu Shuyi, I feel more at ease than ever before!"

This statement definitively establishes the nature of the matter.

This case is being handled solely by Liu Shuyi; no one else needs to comment.

Pei Ji naturally dared not object any further and could only nod in agreement.

"Your Majesty, Liu Shuyi sent someone to inform me of this matter, not only so that I could report the good news to Your Majesty, but also to raise our vigilance."

Du Ruhui looked at Li Shimin, his voice lowering: "After all, this means the thieves have been operating for at least a month, and we knew nothing about it, we had absolutely no idea... In this past month, what exactly have they done in secret, and whether they have completed their scheme..."

Among those present, whether it was Li Shimin or Pei Ji, all were extremely perceptive individuals.

Upon hearing Du Ruhui's words, they understood the seriousness of the matter without needing him to say anything further.

Pei Ji's expression changed.

Li Shimin's expression remained profound, but the slight straightening of his posture betrayed the change in his emotions.

He pondered for a moment, then said directly, "Guards, immediately summon Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin, Li Xiaogong, and all the ministers to the palace to see me..."

Then he looked at Du Ruhui: "Tell Liu Shuyi to do everything in his power to find the thief as quickly as possible. Tell him that as long as he can solve the case, find the thief, and find out the thief's intentions, I will reward him handsomely!"

…………

Ministry of Industry.

Inside the Ministry of Works, whispers were constant.

The officials from the Ministry of Works, while secretly glancing towards the front courtyard, couldn't help but say, "Am I seeing things? That's a coffin, isn't it?"

"Don't doubt your eyes, that's a coffin."

"Who dared to bring the coffin to the Ministry of Works? What are they planning to do?"

"I heard that it was Cheng Chumo, the General of the Imperial Guard, who led the men to carry it over. The coffin seems to be the coffin of the Prince of Xi."

"What!? The coffin of the Prince of Xi!?" An exclamation rang out immediately: "You mean... the coffin of the Prince of Xi whose remains were missing? Moved from the collapsed mausoleum?"

"Shh! Why are you so loud? Do you want people to know we're talking?"

The official next to him quickly covered his colleague's mouth and whispered, "You know how sensitive this case is right now. If someone overhears this and takes their anger out on us, they could arrest us. That would be an undeserved disaster!"

Upon hearing the official's words, the others immediately fell silent.

But their curiosity still compelled them to glance at the coffin in the courtyard and at the officials who had brought it. They desperately wanted to know why Li Jiancheng's coffin had been sent here.

What exactly are those people investigating the case trying to do?
…………

Ministry of Works, front courtyard.

Wang Kun, the Vice Minister of Works, hurried out to greet him. When he saw the black coffin on the ground with cracks on the side, his eyelids twitched violently.

He quickly withdrew his gaze and looked at Liu Shuyi at the front, cupping his hands and saying, "This must be the legendary Chief Liu, who is said to be a genius at solving cases. Chief Liu's name has been heard by many these past two days. I have long wanted to see Chief Liu's true face. Today, I see that he is indeed extraordinary and lives up to his reputation."

On the way here, Du Gou had already introduced Liu Shuyi to the situation of the Ministry of Works, so Liu Shuyi knew the identity of the person in front of him.

He smiled and bowed, "Greetings, Vice Minister Wang. You flatter me. I was just lucky to solve two cases by chance. I am not worthy of the title 'genius detective'."

Wang Kun was a burly man with a loud voice. If it weren't for the civil official's robe he was wearing, it wouldn't be surprising to mistake him for a military general.

In fact, he did have some connection with military generals.

When Li Shimin was conquering all directions, he was a soldier under Li Shimin. Because of his family's craftsmanship, he manufactured and improved many siege weapons and made great contributions.

He later transferred to the Ministry of Works, where he was specifically responsible for manufacturing weapons and equipment.

During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, some of the arrows used by Li Shimin and his comrades were secretly provided by him, bypassing Li Jiancheng's spies. As a result, after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he was promoted to Vice Minister of Works.

Listening to Liu Shuyi's humble words, Wang Kun shook his head and said, "In just two days, you've solved two extraordinary cases. Looking around the world, you can't find another person with such ability... Humility is good, but excessive humility is hypocrisy. You're just like the craftsmen in our Ministry of Works. Skill is skill, and that's something that can be seen. If you're always humble, wouldn't that make others think you're too incompetent? How would they live then?"

Because of his military experience and his technical background, he was more straightforward and direct than ordinary civil officials.

Seeing Wang Kun say this, Liu Shuyi could no longer be modest and could only nod helplessly, admitting that he was very capable.

Wang Kun nodded happily, then glanced at the black coffin beside him, which seemed to exude an eerie aura at all times, and said, "Master Liu, may I ask why you brought this coffin here?"

Upon hearing Wang Kun's words, the officials from the Ministry of Works behind him, as well as Du Gou, Cheng Chumo, and the others, all looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi didn't keep everyone in suspense and said directly, "I've come here with two matters that I'd like to ask the Ministry of Works for help with."

"Oh? Which two things?"

Liu Shuyi glanced at the Ministry of Works officials behind Wang Kun and said, "Vice Minister Wang, may I speak to you in private?"

Wang Kun frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "Okay."

As they spoke, the two went to a secluded spot.

Liu Shuyi cut to the chase: "I want to know, who cut and polished that stone door in the Xiwang tomb? If someone wanted to tamper with the stone door, who in the Ministry of Works could do it?"

Wang Kun's brows furrowed instantly, and he looked at Liu Shuyi with a sharp gaze: "What does Chief Liu mean by this? Do you suspect that the disappearance of Prince Xi is related to people from my Ministry of Works?"

Wang Kun had served in the military before, and now, with a fierce expression and surging blood, he was quite intimidating.

But Liu Shuyi remained unmoved. He calmly said, "After investigation, it can be confirmed that there is indeed a problem with the stone gate. The stone gate was personally selected by skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works in Laoshan. After returning, they personally cut and polished it. The entire process was almost entirely completed in the Ministry of Works... Minister Wang, please tell me, is this related to people from the Ministry of Works?"

“This…” Wang Kun did not expect that the stone gate would actually have a problem.

His eyes flashed, and his face immediately turned ugly: "Who exactly is betraying us and ruining the reputation of my Ministry of Works!"

Then, he immediately apologized to Liu Shuyi: "I'm sorry, Manager Liu, I was rude just now."

Affordable, put it down.

He first protected his own people, and then immediately admitted his mistakes after realizing they were wrong... Liu Shuyi had a good impression of Wang Kun, the Vice Minister of Works who came from a technical background.

He shook his head and said, "It's only human nature; I can understand Vice Minister Wang."

Seeing that Liu Shuyi was not angry, Wang Kun breathed a sigh of relief. He thought for a moment and said, "The stone used to make the stone gate was very hard and huge. It was not something that one person could handle. Nine craftsmen from our Ministry of Works participated in cutting and polishing it. It took a month to complete the process."

"After that, the stone gate was sent to the mausoleum..."

“If the problem with the stone gate didn’t occur in the mausoleum, then the only people who could have tampered with it were these nine craftsmen… They were in contact with the stone gate day and night, and no one else had a legitimate reason to touch it.”

"Only they have the opportunity to act secretly without being suspected or discovered."

Liu Shuyi nodded and asked, "Where are those nine people?"

Wang Kun said, "Five people are currently at the Ministry of Works, and four others are resting at home."

He looked at Liu Shuyi: "Should I call them all over?"

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "We don't have any direct clues pointing to the thieves. Calling them here will only alert them."

"Then what should we do?" Wang Kun asked.

Liu Shuyi did not answer directly, but instead asked a different question: "What are the backgrounds of these nine people? How long have they been in the Ministry of Works, and what is their skill level?"

Wang Kun was clearly very familiar with the craftsmen under his command. Upon hearing this, he replied without hesitation, "They all come from poor backgrounds. Some are family craftsmen, while others became apprentices because they couldn't afford to eat, and gradually learned their skills."

"Those who had more time were already in the Ministry of Works during the Sui Dynasty, which adds up to more than twenty years."

"The shortest period is the Ministry of Works, which has been in operation since the third year of the Wude era. All in all, it has been eight years."

"As for their skill level... how could they be anything less than excellent, given that they were capable of crafting the final gate for the Prince of Xi's mausoleum? They were practically the best craftsmen in the art of carving."

They all came from respectable backgrounds, had long tenures in the Ministry of Works, and were all highly skilled...

Liu Shuyi quickly analyzed Wang Kun's words and then made a judgment.

These craftsmen were not spies planted by any force.

After all, this takes far too much time. From learning the craft to being sent to the Ministry of Works, and now, it would take at least a dozen years.

At that time, the Tang Dynasty had not yet been established!

Moreover, these craftsmen are of such low status that they have no access to higher levels, and the cost of training them is not proportional to the benefits.

No force would engage in such a transaction.

Therefore, these craftsmen themselves should be fine.

So, the reason why one of them would tamper with the stone gate is probably due to external factors.

He turned to Du Gou's side and whispered, "Du, please investigate the nine craftsmen involved in cutting and polishing the stone gate. Focus on whether any of them are gamblers, lecherous, greedy, or facing financial difficulties and needing money or power. Also, check if anyone's life has suddenly improved and they're spending money lavishly..."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Du Gou's heart skipped a beat: "You suspect me?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "I'm afraid some craftsmen have been bribed. Find that person!"

"it is good!"

Du Gou immediately nodded: "Leave it to me."

With that, he turned and ordered his men to carry out his orders.

The first breakthrough has been found.

Next up is the second one.

He returned to Wang Kun and said, "The second thing I want to do at the Ministry of Works is to ask Vice Minister Wang to arrange for a skilled craftsman to examine the coffin nails of Prince Xi."

"Coffin nails?" Wang Kun was taken aback and asked, puzzled, "What's so interesting about coffin nails?"

Then, he saw Liu Shuyi's deep gaze and he slowly said, "I want to know if those coffin nails have ever been pried open!"

Has it been pried open?
Wang Kun pondered for a moment, and suddenly, he realized something.

He suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi: "You want to know how exactly the remains of Prince Xi were lost?"

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Minister Wang is intelligent. Although it's not entirely accurate, it's close enough."

"I wonder if Vice Minister Wang could arrange for such a craftsman for me? His skills must be superb, because I have not found anything unusual. If there is a problem, it must be very well hidden."

Why arrange for someone else?

Upon hearing this, Wang Kun immediately thumped his chest, and with a loud bang, declared in a very loud voice: "I'll do it!"

As he spoke, he strode directly to the coffin.

Looking at the coffin in front of him, which was nearly 50% larger than an ordinary coffin, and was pitch black all over, constantly radiating a chilling aura because its surface was covered with ice and snow, Wang Kun, who had a deep reverence for ghosts and gods, secretly swallowed and silently recited "Amitabha" a few times. Then he took a deep breath, squatted down, and carefully examined the coffin nails that held the coffin lid in place.

Although he was tall and strong, and had a fiery personality like a military general, he was exceptionally gentle and meticulous when it came to his job.

The tool in his hand touched the coffin lid, and with a gentle tap, the ice shards on it immediately fell off, yet not a trace could be seen on the coffin lid.

The control of force is very skillful.

Liu Shuyi hadn't expected Wang Kun to be so capable; no wonder he caught Li Shimin's eye.

"Ok?"

At this moment, Wang Kun suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he immediately stepped forward, asking, "How is it?"

Wang Kun frowned and said, "The place where the coffin nails contact the coffin is slightly sunken..."

What does it represent?

"They hammered it too hard. The normal requirement is to hammer the coffin nails until they are flush with the coffin lid, but these coffin nails are all slightly sunken. One or two could be explained as an accident, but all of them are like this..."

Liu Shuyi's expression flickered, as if he understood Wang Kun's meaning, and said, "You mean... someone pulled out all the coffin nails and then hammered them back in, but because they were pulled out, the coffin nails inevitably became loose, so in order to tighten the coffin nails, it is necessary to hammer them down a little more to make them completely fixed?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Kun's eyes lit up: "How do you know these things? Do you also know craftsmanship?"

I don't possess any craftsmanship skills, but in my past life I repaired cabinet doors in my home many times...

"Just as I suspected, the coffin nails were indeed pulled out..."

Liu Shuyi's mind raced, countless ideas surfacing one after another.

Suddenly, he looked at Wang Kun and asked, "Do you know when the coffin nails were pulled out?"

Wang Kun shook his head: "I can't tell."

"No!" Liu Shuyi stared at him: "You can!"

Wang Kun: "...Absolutely not!"

"I can!"

"I already said I can't... no, you mean... you can!?"

Wang Kun stared wide-eyed at Liu Shuyi in disbelief.

He wondered if he had misheard.