The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 4 Du Ruhui: Why not let him give it a try?

As Du Ruhui's voice fell heavily, everyone's gaze seemed to have a mind of its own, turning uncontrollably to Liu Shuyi.

"It's actually true!"

"They really are all on the same file!"

"Doesn't this mean... Liu Shuyi was right?"

"Could the deaths of Zhao Yuanwailang and the others really have nothing to do with Prince Xi?"

The cacophony of voices, buzzing like flies, made Pei Ji feel dizzy.

His face was extremely pale: "How could this happen?"

Du Ruhui narrowed his deep eyes slightly and slowly said, "Yes, how could this be?"

"As Minister Du observed..."

Liu Shuyi seized the opportunity to speak: "The names of Han Du and the other three are all in this case file that reported Zhao Zhuo, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, for embezzlement."

"I didn't expect there to be a connection between the four of them. After all, Han Du's case was initially closed as a suicide by hanging, not murder; and Zhao Wenyi, the warehouse supervisor of the Ministry of Revenue, was also killed because it was attributed to the ghost of the Prince of Xi. So I didn't connect their deaths together."

"It wasn't until Wang Lucheng, the head of the Third Human Resources Department, was also killed that I suddenly realized they were all in the same file, and that's why..."

Facing everyone's gaze, Liu Shuyi said, "I suspect that this is not the work of the ghost of the Prince of Xi at all, but a murder plot against other people involved in Zhao Zhuo's embezzlement case!"

"That's why I secretly went to Zhao Yuanwailang's residence at night, hoping to stop the murderer outside and save Zhao Yuanwailang."

"Unfortunately……"

Liu Shuyi sighed and shook his head: "In the end, I still couldn't save him, and I almost got myself wrongly accused of being the murderer."

Seeing Liu Shuyi's regretful and sighing expression because he hadn't been able to save anyone, everyone couldn't help but nod and sigh in agreement.

"So that's it."

"In that case, it makes sense that Liu Shuyi would be outside Zhao Yuanwailang's residence tonight."

"Yes!"

Some soldiers couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Hearing these noisy whispers, Wan'er's delicate and beautiful face couldn't hide her surprise and delight: "Young Master actually succeeded!"

"If what you say is true, and you have discovered the truth about the murder of Han Du and the others, then why don't you tell them?"

But then, a dissenting voice suddenly rang out.

Pei Ji's eyes were sharp. He stared intently at Liu Shuyi, still using a condescending interrogation tone, and shouted, "If you had just told me, Master Zhao wouldn't have died such a tragic death tonight! In the end, Master Zhao died because you knew the truth but didn't report it and deliberately hid it!"

Upon hearing this, everyone blinked and suddenly realized that Pei Ji was right.

Since Liu Shuyi has discovered this secret, why doesn't he reveal it and instead keeps it hidden?

You old dog, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble for my Liu family?
Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, but his expression remained rational and calm. Faced with Pei Ji's questioning, he simply said calmly, "Until half an hour before the dossier was delivered, you all firmly believed that all of this was done by the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi. Would you believe me if I told you?"

"Not to mention, I have no evidence to prove my conjecture. What if Han Du's death really has nothing to do with Zhao Wenyi and the others? What if it's all just a coincidence, and the first two targets chosen by the former subordinates of the Prince of Xi are just the two people in the dossier?"

"If I reveal this and it incorrectly affects the direction of your investigation, can I bear the responsibility?"

"Moreover……"

Liu Shuyi gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Even if I wanted to speak, who could I speak to? I am just an unknown ninth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice, a lowly official who is bullied at will and has no chance of getting ahead. I don't even have the qualifications to meet big shots like you. How can I speak?"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's heartbreaking explanation, the soldiers looked at him with pity.

They had all heard some of Liu Shuyi's story, after all, Liu Shuyi had a father who was both a prime minister and a traitor, which was unique in the Tang Dynasty. So they knew very well how difficult Liu Shuyi's life had been over the years.

Therefore, they did not doubt Liu Shuyi's words.

“Though in a lowly position, one should still strive for self-improvement and self-confidence.” Wei Zheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up when he heard Liu Shuyi’s self-deprecating words.

Although he did not comment on Liu Shuyi's explanation, his encouraging words to Liu Shuyi already showed his attitude. He believed it!
Faced with such a dangerous situation, he remained calm and composed, offering a clear and logical rebuttal. Was that a lack of confidence? Du Ruhui thought Wei Zheng's eyesight might be a bit off.

but……

He had to admit that Liu Shuyi's reasoning was indeed flawless.

"interesting."

Du Ruhui stared intently at Liu Shuyi. The man who was rumored to be timid and cowardly was now behaving so calmly, intelligently, and composedly. Had Liu Shuyi been hiding his true abilities all along? Was he deliberately concealing his brilliance?

Why hide his talents? What secrets is he still hiding?
Du Ruhui felt as if he had discovered a novel object and wanted to examine Liu Shuyi thoroughly, inside and out.

Even if your reasons are plausible, you cannot be ruled out as a suspect!

Seeing that everyone else had been persuaded by Liu Shuyi's reasoning, Pei Ji's face grew even more gloomy.

At this moment, the calm and intelligent Liu Shuyi was so similar to Liu Wenjing in his memory, which made Pei Ji even more wary and disgusted.

He was very worried that Liu Shuyi would become the second Liu Wenjing.

"After all, how do we know that you said all this to clear yourself of suspicion and deliberately revealed your motives for the crime?"

Pei Ji said, "Otherwise, with so many people involved in Zhao Zhuo's embezzlement case, why was it only you who discovered it? Not to mention, your jade pendant was found in the room where Zhao Yuanwailang died! You said you blocked the murderer outside the Zhao residence, so how did your jade pendant end up inside the Zhao residence?"

"Why was I the only one who discovered it... I think this question shouldn't be asked of me, but rather of others who didn't discover it."

Liu Shuyi had already considered the matter of the jade pendant. Hearing Pei Ji's questioning again, he continued, "As for the jade pendant, it's obvious that the murderer wanted to frame me."

"Framed you?"

Pei Ji sized Liu Shuyi up and down, then sneered, "You're just a lowly clerk in the Ministry of Justice, are you really worth framing? There are so many officials in our Great Tang, why would the murderer only frame you and not others? Liu Shuyi, do you think we'd believe that reason?"

What's the difference between you doing this and when your child is hit, you question the child who was hit, asking, "Why did you get hit out of so many people?"
How do I know why the murderer specifically targeted the original body?

Perhaps they genuinely felt that the original owner was weak, had no background, no connections, and was a good scapegoat?

Liu Shuyi shook his head. He did not fall into Pei Ji's trap of self-proof. Instead, he looked at Du Ruhui, his superior, and said, "Minister Du, I know that I have no evidence to prove the jade pendant. I am not saying this to prove that I was framed by the murderer."

"And who are you?" Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui's interest deepened.

"I need a chance!"

Liu Shuyi finally revealed the only way to survive that he had thought of in that split second!

He met Du Ruhui's gaze without flinching and said, "Minister Du, you've seen it too. I have some investigative skills, so... give me seven days to investigate! Within seven days, I will personally apprehend the murderer who used the ghost of the Prince of Xi to commit the crime!"

"If I haven't found the murderer by the end of the seven days, then you may arrest me and hand me over! I will not plead my innocence, nor will I resist; I will leave it to you to decide my fate."

"impossible!"

No sooner had Liu Shuyi finished speaking than Pei Ji immediately rejected the idea: "How can we entrust such an important task as investigating a case to a suspect like you! Don't even dream about it!"

Liu Shuyi frowned slightly, but he ignored Pei Ji and continued to stare directly at Du Ruhui.

He knew that his only chance lay with Du Ruhui.

Du Ruhui is the Minister of Justice. Logically speaking, I am closer to Du Ruhui and am one of his people. Just now, Du Ruhui also showed curiosity and interest in me. Wei Zheng is too strict about rules and regulations. Only Du Ruhui would be willing to give me a chance.

"Minister Du, don't be fooled by Liu Shuyi's sweet talk!" Pei Ji reminded Du Ruhui when he saw that Du Ruhui was actually deep in thought.

At this moment, Du Ruhui gave Liu Shuyi a deep look, then smiled gently at Pei Ji and said, "It seems we have nothing to lose, so why not let him give it a try?"

“Minister Du!” Pei Ji’s eyes widened.

"Three days!"

Du Ruhui ignored Pei Ji and held up three fingers to Liu Shuyi: "Seven days is too long. I'll give you three days. Bring me the murderer in three days, and I guarantee you'll never be lowly again. But if you don't bring the murderer..."

"Then you can only be the murderer."

(End of this chapter)