The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 39 Revealed! The Thief's Identity! (Seeking First Subscription)

"I never said that..."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, a glimmer of hope instantly appeared in Zhao Feng's previously dim eyes. He instinctively grabbed Liu Shuyi's arm and asked urgently, "Manager Liu, do you mean... the clues haven't gone cold? We can still find the thief?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo and the others immediately looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi smiled slightly and said, "I am never afraid of what the enemy does, but I am afraid of him doing nothing. As long as he does something, we can analyze a lot from it."

"For example, the fact that the thief killed Liu Shaoqing shows that we are on the right track."

"For example, he left the words 'I'm watching you' in blood. These words were clearly a deliberate provocation, telling me that he was aware of my every move. He deliberately wrote them next to Liu Shaoqing's corpse, which was also a threat to me. He said that if I asked anyone for help, he would dare to kill them..."

"He may seem domineering and arrogant, but in reality, it reveals his inner unease. He has no choice but to resort to such methods to obstruct and threaten me."

"And this is enough to show..."

Liu Shuyi glanced at everyone and said calmly, "I'm getting closer and closer to him, making him feel a huge sense of crisis!"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, the oppressive mood that everyone had felt due to the loss of the books and the killing of Liu Yuanming was instantly swept away.

Instead, they have an even stronger fighting spirit!

Cheng Chumo couldn't help but say, "Doesn't that mean it's not a bad thing, but a good thing?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "It's certainly not a good thing that Liu Shaoqing lost his life because of this. It can only be said that, for the case, it's not as hopeless as you think."

"That's enough. At least we're not back to square one, with no hope in sight!" Cheng Chumo said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

The cold and beautiful coroner watched this scene, her clear and bright eyes involuntarily turning to Liu Shuyi. As a woman, she was more sensitive than these men.

Therefore, she saw it very clearly.

Just now, after learning of Liu Yuanming's accident, everyone seemed to lose their strength in an instant.

Even his usually composed older brother looked ashen-faced and dejected at that moment.

Liu Shuyi's initial expression wasn't too good either.

Upon hearing Du Gou and the others' words, and seeing Zhao Feng so remorseful that he wished he could die, Liu Shuyi took a deep breath, then smiled, and went to comfort Zhao Feng and give everyone hope.

Du Ying didn't know if Liu Shuyi really had any more clues.

But she could sense just how heavy a burden was on Liu Shuyi's shoulders at that moment.

We also know what lies behind Liu Shuyi's smile at this moment.

This made her feel inexplicably sorry for him.

She came to Liu Shuyi's side and said softly, "Do you need me to prescribe some medicine to reduce your internal heat and calm your nerves?"

Liu Shuyi paused for a moment.

But when he saw the worry in the cold and beautiful coroner's eyes, he understood what Du Ying meant.

He chuckled and shook his head: "Don't worry, I'm not forcing myself. Things are really not as hopeless as they seem."

After saying that, Liu Shuyi didn't linger and walked straight out: "Let's go, let's go to the Liu residence."

…………

The Liu residence was not too far from the Wu residence; they were in the adjacent neighborhood.

The group rode their horses and arrived at the Liu residence in less than a quarter of an hour.

He dismounted and looked up.

Liu Shuyi then discovered that Liu Yuanming's mansion was very luxurious, with red bricks and green tiles, bright and grand.

Compared to Wu Qi's residence, it's like the difference between a wealthy merchant family and a humble household.

Knock on the door knocker, and a servant will soon come to open the door.

Because Zhao Feng had been here before, the servants knew Liu Shuyi and his party's identities and purpose as soon as they saw them. They immediately led them through the courtyard and corridor to the study in the backyard.

As soon as you step outside the study, you can hear the sounds of weeping and wailing rising and falling.

Liu Shuyi looked over and saw several young children and women kneeling at the door of the study, weeping incessantly.

The servants around him offered words of advice, sighed, and occasionally glanced into the study, only to quickly avert their gazes with pale faces, seemingly quite frightened.

Liu Shuyi looked at Cheng Chumo and said, "General Cheng, order men to guard the study door and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving. At the same time, take these servants and Liu Shaoqing's wife and children aside to question them about the circumstances of the incident. Only leave one calm manager behind."

This wasn't the first time Cheng Chumo had investigated a case with Liu Shuyi, so he was quite experienced in clearing out such places.

Upon hearing this, they immediately took action.

Zhao Feng was still feeling guilty. Seeing Cheng Chumo busy, he said, "I'll go help General Cheng."

Liu Shuyi glanced at Zhao Feng. With his keen eyesight, he could see right through Zhao Feng's thoughts. This time, he did not stop him and said, "Go ahead and ask the people in the Liu family if anyone noticed anything unusual when the case occurred, or if anyone who was not from the Liu family was seen in the mansion."

Zhao Feng nodded quickly: "I'll go ask right away."

After saying that, he quickly walked towards Cheng Chumo and the others.

When Du Gou and his sister saw this, they looked at each other and then nodded.

The more time they spent with Liu Shuyi, the more they discovered the gentleness and kindness in his character.

"Let's go, let's go see those so-called human skin lanterns."

Liu Shuyi didn't delay any longer. After seeing the person blocking the study door being taken away, he and the others entered the study.

As soon as I stepped into the study, a strong smell of blood hit me.

The pungent smell of blood made Du Gou frown slightly, but Liu Shuyi and Du Ying seemed to have seen it many times before, their expressions remaining unchanged.

They just stared intently at the blood-soaked human skin lantern in front of the corpse, where the candle was already lit.

The lanterns were of a very common style. The paper on the lanterns facing them had been torn off and carelessly left aside, soaked in blood and stained a deep crimson.

A face was roughly stuck into the bamboo frame of the lantern, and much of the skin on the face was damaged as a result of this rough treatment.

Although his face was damaged in many places and his eyes and mouth were gone, one could still make out some of Liu Yuanming's features.

Blood dripped down his face, staining the entire lantern bright red.

To the right front of this lantern, on the ground where empty eye sockets without eyeballs are staring, are written the five bloody words: "I am watching you."

Behind the lantern lay a corpse in a pool of blood. Liu Yuanming lay there, a sharp knife piercing his heart, his face a bloody mess, not a trace of skin visible, a gruesome and terrifying sight.

This scene is truly impactful.

Even though Du Gou and the others were mentally prepared, seeing this bloody and bizarre scene still stirred up some waves in their hearts.

Even for the well-informed Liu Shuyi, this was the first time he had ever seen a crime scene like this.

"Miss Du."

Seeing that everyone was still in a daze, Liu Shuyi took the initiative to speak and bring everyone back to their senses.

He looked at Du Ying and said, "Let's perform an autopsy."

Although the scene before her was truly bloody and grotesque, Du Ying only paused for a moment before quickly regaining her usual calm and composure after hearing Liu Shuyi's words.

She nodded slightly, placed the black wooden box she was carrying on the clean ground, and began the autopsy.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Liu Shuyi glanced around Liu Yuanming's study.

This study is quite spacious and very clean and tidy.

The floor was polished to a gleaming shine; looking down at it was like looking into a mirror, comparable to the clean floor tiles of the Taichang Temple's main hall.

A pear wood desk was placed by the window, with three rows of bookshelves behind it.

Each bookshelf was crammed full of books.

Even in the gaps, various inkstones, brushes, and other utensils were neatly arranged.

On the walls of the study hung some calligraphy and paintings. Liu Shuyi didn't understand these things, but he figured that if they could be framed by the serious and old-fashioned Liu Yuanming, they must not be ordinary items.

Liu Shuyi arrived at the bookshelf directly in front of him and saw that the books on the shelf were in a mess, as if they had been roughly turned over.

The other two bookshelves had books neatly and orderly arranged.

Du Gou came to Liu Shuyi's side, looked at the messy bookshelves, and said, "I'm afraid the thieves have already found the books and taken them away, otherwise the other two bookshelves wouldn't have been spared."

Liu Shuyi nodded, turned around, and looked at the pear wood desk behind him.

The desk was neatly arranged with the Four Treasures of the Study, with no other items. It was clear that these serious and rigid people were more or less obsessive-compulsive, or at least disliked disorder.

"Master Liu."

At this moment, Du Ying's voice rang out.

Liu Shuyi strode to the corpse and asked, "How is it?"

Du Ying looked at the faceless corpse in front of him and said, "The time of death was within one hour, and the cause of death was a dagger piercing the heart, a fatal blow."

"The weapon that cuts off the face should be thinner and sharper, unlike the dagger that is plunged into the heart."

"Aside from his face and chest, he had no other injuries and had not been in a fight before he died."

Hearing Du Ying's words, Du Gou frowned and said, "So, the murderer took advantage of Liu Shaoqing looking for the book to sneak up behind him and attack him, killing him instantly without giving him a chance to struggle. Afterwards, he used another weapon to peel off Liu Shaoqing's face."

Du Ying nodded: "Based on the current autopsy findings, that's the case."

Du Gou's expression grew serious. He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "It seems that even Liu Shaoqing may not know who the murderer is, and he is unlikely to leave us any clues before he dies."

Don't rush to conclusions.

Liu Shuyi remained calm and rational. He squatted down, lifted Liu Yuanming's hand, and looked up.

Du Ying said, "I just checked carefully, there was nothing under the fingernail, and no signs of bending, so there was definitely no chance of struggling."

Liu Shuyi nodded and was about to put his hand down.

But just then, he seemed to notice something, and his movements suddenly stopped.

Then, he lowered his head and looked closely at the hand in front of him...

Seeing Liu Shuyi's strange behavior, Du Ying asked curiously, "Did you discover something?"

Liu Shuyi's expression flickered, and a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"is that so……"

He stood up and looked at Du Ying: "Miss Du, do me a favor. Take Liu Shaoqing's body to the Ministry of Justice, and then..."

Seeing Cheng Chumo leading a beautiful woman toward the study, he lowered his voice and whispered in Du Ying's ear, "Dissect something for me..."

Liu Shuyi's warm breath brushed against her earlobe, giving Du Ying a strange, tingling sensation.

After Liu Shuyi finished speaking, Du Ying's earlobe had unknowingly turned red.

"Why dissect it? Do you suspect he wasn't killed by the dagger?" Du Ying asked, rubbing her burning ear.

Liu Shuyi shook his head and simply said, "If I'm not mistaken, Miss Du will understand everything after the autopsy."

Du Ying was aloof and not one to pry into things. Seeing Liu Shuyi's words, she didn't delay any longer: "Okay, I'll do it right away."

As she spoke, she ordered her men to take Liu Yuanming's body away.

"Master Liu." At this moment, Cheng Chumo also arrived with the beautiful woman.

Cheng Chumo introduced, "This is Madam Liu. All matters, big and small, in the Liu family are managed by Madam Liu alone." Madam Liu was in her thirties, with a plump figure and dignified and noble appearance. However, because her husband had encountered an accident, her eyes were swollen from crying, which made her noble temperament lessened a bit, but added a bit of pitifulness.

“Madam Liu.” Liu Shuyi nodded.

As she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, Madam Liu said in a choked voice, "I've always heard that Steward Liu is a brilliant judge of cases. Steward Liu, you must avenge Master and find the murderer!"

"Although the master was a bit stern, he was a good man. He never scolded or beat his servants over trivial matters, and he often personally brought food and money to beggars. A good man like the master should have lived a long life. He shouldn't have been so cruelly murdered and had his face peeled off..."

As Liu spoke, tears streamed down her face. Her body trembled slightly, and her voice even stopped abruptly due to sobbing.

After a while, she recovered and looked at Liu Shuyi, saying, "Master Liu, please ask whatever you want to know. As long as I know it, I will tell you everything! As long as you can catch the murderer and avenge Master, I am willing to cooperate with anything!"

"My condolences to Madam Liu."

Liu Shuyi comforted Madam Liu and said, "Minister Liu said that Wu Sicheng sent him a book three days ago. I wonder if Madam Liu has seen this book?"

Madam Liu shook her head: "My master is a serious man who values ​​rules very much. No one else is allowed to enter his study, and even I rarely go in."

Liu Shuyi continued, "So, during the two quarters of an hour that Liu Shaoqing returned to retrieve the book, no servants came to the study?"

"No."

"During those two quarters of an hour, did any outsiders come to the Liu residence?"

"No, not at all," said Madam Liu. "The Liu residence did not receive any guests today. Apart from the master and Clerk Zhao, no one else has come or gone."

Du Gou frowned as he listened to Liu's words and asked, "How did the murderer sneak in and kill people? And how did he leave after the murder?"

Liu Shuyi asked, "How many gates does your Liu residence have?"

"Two, one through the main gate, and the other through the back gate that the servants often use for shopping."

"Are there people guarding it?"

"The main gate is always guarded, but the back gate is usually locked and unguarded."

"The back gate is unguarded..." Liu Shuyi and Du Gou exchanged a glance.

Du Gou immediately nodded and ordered someone to go check the back door.

Not long after, Du Gou returned and told Liu Shuyi, "The lock on the back door has been opened."

"What? It's open?"

Madam Liu couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that the murderer sneaked in through the back door and killed the master?"

Liu Shuyi asked, "How did you open it? With a key? Or..."

“It was pried open!” Du Gou said. “The lock was broken.”

It was pried open...

Liu Shuyi nodded thoughtfully.

"Manager Liu, we've finished asking our questions."

Zhao Feng then strode into the study.

Liu Shuyi asked, "How is it?"

Zhao Feng shook his head: "No one has noticed anything unusual, nor has anyone noticed any outsiders."

"During the two quarters of an hour that Liu Shaoqing had his accident, did anyone pass by outside the study?" Liu Shuyi pressed.

Zhao Feng still shook his head: "Young Master Liu doesn't like to be disturbed when he's reading, so servants aren't allowed to walk around this courtyard where his study is located. That's why no one passed by here during the two quarters of an hour when Young Master Liu had his accident."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo couldn't help but say, "This Liu Shaoqing has too many rules! Luckily this isn't my home, or I'd be suffocating."

Du Gou, however, did not think there was anything wrong with it: "Wealthy families naturally have many rules, and Liu Shaoqing is a serious and rigid person, so naturally there are even more rules."

Cheng Chumo really wanted to say, "My Cheng family has no rules at all. Does that mean we're not a wealthy family?"
However, after considering the current situation, I decided not to argue.

Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi and said solemnly, "The situation is not very optimistic. The murderer left no clues, and no one has seen him. It will probably not be easy to find him."

Hearing Du Gou's words, Cheng Chumo and Zhao Feng both felt a chill.

"Could it be that I'm right and the trail has gone cold?" Cheng Chumo was afraid he had jinxed himself.

But Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, gently stroking the jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips, and said something that stunned everyone.

"You might not believe it... but I think I already know who the murderer is."

"What!?"

Cheng Chumo's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed.

Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi in disbelief: "You know who the murderer is?"

How can it be?

In his eyes, there were absolutely no useful clues at all!

How did Liu Shuyi suddenly become aware of everything?
Zhao Feng looked at Liu Shuyi with a mixture of joy and surprise.

Meeting the shocked gazes of the group, Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "However, I still need to wait for Miss Du's news, and... find someone to seek help from."

"Looking for someone to help?" Cheng Chumo asked, puzzled. "Who?"

Liu Shuyi's gaze was deep as he slowly said, "My maid, Wan'er."

He paused, then looked at Zhao Feng beside him and said, "And you too."

…………

The sun sets in the west, and the night is shrouded in mist.

Chang'an City, Jingshan Ward, Xingshan Temple.

Xingshan Temple was one of the ten major temples in Chang'an and was very popular. There was a row of houses three miles south of Xingshan Temple.

This row of houses has five rooms in total. There are no beds, cabinets or other furniture in the rooms, only mattresses on the floor.

Moonlight streamed through the window frames and into the house, and by the faint moonlight, it was clear that the mattresses were covered with people.

They were dressed in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair and a foul odor; they were the beggars who roamed the streets and alleys of Chang'an during the day.

Over the years, wars, natural disasters, and man-made calamities have caused many people to be displaced and homeless. Out of compassion, Xingshan Temple specially built these houses here to provide shelter from the wind and rain for displaced people and beggars.

At that moment, inside the house, someone was so hungry that he couldn't sleep, so he couldn't help but ask the beggar next to him, "Is there anything to eat?"

The beggar quickly covered the broken bowl in his blanket and said fiercely, "No!"

"If you don't have any, you don't have any. Why are you so angry?" The man rubbed his stomach and then looked at the person sitting against the wall on the other side: "What about you? Do you have any food? I'm starving. If you have any, give me a small piece. I, Mo Xiaofan, promise to remember your kindness for the rest of my life."

But the person seemed not to hear him, just kept his head down and remained silent, like a mute.

Mo Xiaofan's eyes darted around: "You're not really mute, are you? Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen you before, bro. Where did you hang out before?"

The man was wearing a tattered linen garment, his hair was disheveled, and he kept his head down, making it impossible to see his face. He still did not react at all.

Mo Xiaofan had an idea and decided to take action immediately.

He secretly reached out and touched under the man's blankets, trying to see if the man had hidden any food.

brush!
But the moment he reached his hand under the covers, his wrist was clamped.

Mo Xiaofan was startled and subconsciously looked up, only to see a pair of cold eyes peeking out from between her hair.

"There's no food!"

The man finally spoke.

The voice sounded extremely intimidating, causing Mo Xiaofan to instinctively shrink his neck and quickly say, "Why didn't you say so earlier? If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you were telling me to find it myself."

Don't touch my things!

After saying this coldly, the man released his grip.

Mo Xiaofan quickly withdrew his hand, rubbing his wrist. Just as he was about to say something, his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Look outside! What's that?"

As his voice rang out, the beggars who were not asleep subconsciously looked up.

then……

They saw a red lantern slowly drifting past the window.

Then, the door creaked open.

A cold wind rushed in instantly.

The beggars shuddered, about to burst into a tirade of curses.

Then, their eyes widened, and their anger was instantly replaced by terror.

Behind the open door was a lantern.

However, the material pasted on the surface of the lantern was not lantern paper.

Instead... it's a face!

That was a lantern shaped like a human face!
"Ghost!"

A beggar screamed and shouted.

Mo Xiaofan was startled and jumped up: "This...this..."

He instinctively grabbed the beggar's arm beside him: "Ghost! Ghost!"

The person next to him initially seemed indifferent to the talk of ghosts and monsters, as if he scoffed at such claims.

But when he raised his head, his gaze passed through the strands of hair on his forehead, and when he saw the face lantern at the door, his eyes suddenly narrowed!
Then, with a whoosh, he stood up!

"how come!?"

His expression changed, and he dashed toward another door.

To accommodate more beggars, Xingshan Temple built long houses, and therefore, to facilitate the large number of beggars entering and exiting, two doors were set up on both sides of the houses.

boom!
But to everyone's surprise, the beggar had only taken two steps when a force suddenly came from behind him, and a foot kicked him directly in the lower back.

Caught off guard and in a state of panic, while his body was still propelled forward, the sudden attack from behind sent him sprawling to the ground with a thud.

The next moment, a figure nimbly mounted him.

Mo Xiaofan held him down tightly and shouted, "Manager Liu, come quick! I've caught him!"

As Mo Xiaofan's voice fell, another door was kicked open with a bang, and more than ten Golden Guards clad in black armor rushed in, led by Cheng Chumo.

Upon seeing the scene inside the room, Cheng Chumo burst into laughter: "Kid! Well done! Tie him up!"

The Imperial Guards acted swiftly.

In no time at all, the man was tied up.

At this moment, Liu Shuyi, along with Du Gou and others, slowly walked in through the first door, carrying human skin lanterns.

His gaze first swept over the panicked beggars, and finally landed on the beggar who was bound hand and foot by the Imperial Guards.

Then, he slowly spoke: "Now, should I call you Beggar Wang Si?"

"Should I still address you as..."

"The thief who stole the remains of Prince Xi, the murderer who killed Wu Qi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and Wang Si, the beggar—Liu Yuanming, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices!"

(End of this chapter)