The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 54 A Shocking Discovery! They're the Same Person! (Two Chapters Combined)

Wang Gui received tangible benefits from Liu Shuyi, which made him respect and admire Liu Shuyi even more, and he worked even harder.

After carefully inquiring about the details of the plan from Liu Shuyi, he began to ponder in his mind when to take action, how to prevent Wei Congyi and Shen Rong from meeting, so as to avoid them noticing their presence, and so on.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly as he watched Wang Gui racking his brains in deep thought.

Having a well-thought-out plan is one thing, but executing it perfectly and making the plan comprehensive is another.

He has many things to do next, including official duties at the Ministry of Justice, the investigation into his brother's disappearance, and the power struggles with Pei Ji and the master behind Miao Yin'er. Therefore, he cannot spare more time and energy to do such trivial matters personally.

Wang Gui is ambitious, has a relatively stable personality, and is quite capable. He satisfies Wang Gui in many ways, making him the best choice to execute the plan.

He only needs to offer a few pointers at key points, without doing anything else, and he can still get credit after the case is over.

Looking at it this way, I realized I'd actually made money without lifting a finger.

He smiled, not wanting to disturb Wang Gui's deep thought, and turned his attention back to Bai Jinghong.

Seeing the bloody wound on Bai Jinghong's forehead and his emaciated body caused by prolonged hunger, Liu Shuyi stood up, came to Bai Jinghong who was still kneeling on the ground, and then, disregarding the cold ground, sat cross-legged opposite Bai Jinghong.

"Now, are you willing to tell me why you didn't suspect Chen Feng and his two companions at first, but suddenly became suspicious and directly concluded that they killed your parents?"

Bai Jinghong's expression towards Liu Shuyi was no longer hostile and wary as it had been at the beginning. He pursed his pale lips, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a hoarse voice, "Half a month ago, I received a letter."

"A letter?" Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

Bai Jinghong nodded and said, "It's an unsigned letter, and it appeared directly at my residence."

"I don't know where it came from, or who sent it to me."

"When I opened it, I found that it contained the truth about how Chen Feng and his two companions secretly murdered my parents back then."

Liu Shuyi's eyes narrowed suddenly: "What's the truth?"

Bai Jinghong recalled the innocent deaths of Chen Feng and Zhao Meng at her hands, her hands clenching unconsciously. She said in a deep voice, "The letter details how the three of them cooperated, how they knocked out my parents, how they set fire to the house and burned my parents alive, and how they pretended to be innocent and acted as witnesses to cover up the truth of the case under the pretext of an accident."

"You believed what the letter said?"

Bai Jinghong said, "The letter is very detailed, and many of the details are completely consistent with the situation at the inn at that time. It can withstand scrutiny..."

"Completely identical?" Liu Shuyi squinted. "Was the person who wrote the letter also at the inn at the time?"

Bai Jinghong shook her head: "I don't know, the person who wrote the letter didn't leave a single word about him."

Liu Shuyi gently stroked the warm jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips, thought for a moment, and said, "You think the details of the crime can withstand scrutiny, and the person who wrote the letter wrote it in great detail, as if he had seen it with his own eyes in the inn at the time, so you believed him?"

Bai Jinghong shook her head again: "No."

"The origin of this letter is unknown, and I still have some doubts about its authenticity. Although I really want to avenge my father and mother, I am also afraid of being deceived and used, and accidentally killing innocent people."

Liu Shuyi nodded. This was a normal thought process, indicating that Bai Jinghong had not been completely blinded by hatred and still retained calmness and rationality. He asked, "And then? What changed your mind and made you completely convinced of what the letter said?"

"The person who wrote the letter probably thought I would have doubts, so he told me in the letter that if I had any doubts, I could go and verify it myself."

"Verification?" Liu Shuyi straightened his back slightly, staring directly at him. "How do I verify it?"

Bai Jinghong said, "He said I could write a note with my father's name on it and have someone deliver it to Chen Feng and the others. I would observe their reactions in secret. If they weren't the murderers, they would be completely bewildered and have no reaction when they received a note with my father's name on it. But if they were the murderers, they would definitely feel uneasy and their expressions would change drastically when they suddenly received a note with my father's name on it."

"It is indeed a simple and quick method."

Liu Shuyi asked, "Did you verify it using this method?"

Bai Jinghong nodded: "I followed Chen Feng and saw him go to a restaurant for a meal. So I found a beggar, gave him a few copper coins, and asked him to deliver the note to Chen Feng. Then I secretly observed from outside."

"As it turned out, I found that the moment Chen Feng received the note, he stood up abruptly, his face changed drastically. He grabbed the beggar who delivered the letter and demanded to know who had sent him. Because I was wearing a mask at the time, the beggar did not know my identity, so Chen Feng ultimately failed to find me."

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment: "So, you're sure Chen Feng really has a problem?"

"Yes."

"What about Zhao Meng and Lu Yangyuan? Have you verified them as well?"

"No, I was afraid of alerting them and arousing their suspicion, so after verifying Chen Feng's identity, I didn't test the other two."

Liu Shuyi frowned, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes: "Chen Feng is not the murderer of your parents, so why did he react so strongly when he saw the note with your father's name on it?"

Bai Jinghong shook his head; he couldn't understand it either.

"Was the beggar who delivered your message just someone you picked randomly?"

"Yes, after I saw Chen Feng enter the restaurant, I looked around and then randomly picked a beggar who was begging."

"During the delivery, were there any times when he was out of your sight?"

Bai Jinghong thought carefully for a while before saying, "There are always people coming and going in the restaurant, and I didn't dare to get too close to him, lest Chen Feng discover me... So, that beggar did indeed leave my sight many times."

"but……"

He added, "Even if he leaves my sight, he will only be obscured by people or the pillars of the restaurant, and he will soon reappear in my field of vision."

"Did anything happen to him while he was delivering the message?"

"An accident?" Bai Jinghong asked. "What constitutes an accident?"

"Anything that causes him to collide with someone or has a conflict, anything that delays his normal progress, counts."

Bai Jinghong thought for a moment, then said, "There really is one."

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed: "What is it?"

"Just as he entered the restaurant, he bumped into a customer coming out of the restaurant, and was knocked down," Bai Jinghong said. "However, the customer was in a hurry to leave, as if he had something urgent to attend to, so he didn't hold it against him. He got up, dusted himself off, and went inside. After that, he didn't encounter any more accidents."

"He was knocked down..." Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed intensely: "When he was knocked down, did the note you gave him fall down because of it?"

“This…” Bai Jinghong shook her head: “It was too far away, I couldn’t see it clearly.”

Liu Shuyi let out a long breath and said in a deep voice, "It seems that the note you wrote to Chen Feng was most likely switched at this time."

"A switch!?" Bai Jinghong exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Shuyi said, "The beggar was knocked down, and the guest who came out of the restaurant must have had a bad time too, but he didn't get angry at the beggar at all, and didn't even scold him. He just left in a hurry... His temper is too good."

Listening to Liu Shuyi's words, Bai Jinghong carefully recalled the scene at that time and said, "Now that you mention it, it really is... That person was well-dressed and had a strong physique. He certainly didn't seem like the type to suffer a loss."

His expression changed: "Could it be that the note I wrote was really switched back then? So... Chen Feng's change of expression wasn't because of my father's name, but because of something else?"

Looking at Bai Jinghong, Liu Shuyi felt that Bai Jinghong was like a chess piece on a chessboard.

He thought he was opinionated, thoughtful, and had his own ideas.

Little did he know that all his actions were being firmly controlled by an invisible hand.

Liu Shuyi remarked with emotion, "The person who wrote this letter has very deep thoughts!"

He looked at Bai Jinghong and said, "He knew that you wouldn't easily believe a letter that suddenly appeared and would definitely try to verify it. Therefore, he took the initiative to tell you how to verify it in the letter."

"Because there is a ready-made method that you can use, and no matter how you look at it, you can't find any fault with it, so you are very likely to use his method."

"Knowing what you will do next, it is not difficult to make plans and arrangements in advance against you."

"Furthermore, the verification of Chen Feng and the other two was something you personally did, and you witnessed the result with your own eyes..."

Liu Shuyi sighed and said, "Tell me, do you still have even the slightest doubt about the truth in the letter?"

Bai Jinghong's face grew even paler.

He finally realized what kind of conspiracy he had fallen into.

He looked at Liu Shuyi and couldn't help but ask, "What is his purpose?"

"I'm nothing but a homeless piece of trash who could die at any moment! Why would he go to such lengths to scheme against me? What do I have that's worth his scheming?"

Upon hearing Bai Jinghong's words, Wang Gui and Zhao Feng, who had been drawn over at some point, nodded vigorously.

They originally thought Liu Shuyi wanted to comfort Bai Jinghong and prevent her from being unable to let go of her resentment until her death.

But who knew that as they listened, their hair stood on end.

Who would have thought...

The reason Bai Jinghong believed that Chen Feng and his two companions were the murderers of his parents was because of a letter!

The owner of that letter devised such a clever and terrifying scheme to make Bai Jinghong believe the so-called truth in the letter!

If Bai Jinghong were to verify and witness it personally, how could he possibly still have any doubts?
Without a doubt, one falls completely into the mysterious man's scheme.

The self-immolation case, which had been clear before, suddenly became mysterious and unpredictable again.

Liu Shuyi glanced at Wang Gui and Zhao Feng, who were looking at him nervously, then looked at Bai Jinghong, who was completely bewildered and pale-faced, and slowly said, "The answer, haven't you already done it?"

"I've already done it..."

Bai Jinghong's eyes widened suddenly, and her whole body trembled from the drastic change in her emotions: "You mean... he, his target is Chen Feng and the other two!?"

"He wants to use me to kill Chen Feng and the other two?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui felt his head buzzing.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "What cunning and shrewdness must that take!"

"This mysterious man wanted to kill Chen Feng and his two companions, but instead of doing it himself, he used Bai Ju'an's case from back then to deceive Bai Jinghong, making Bai Jinghong believe that Chen Feng and his two companions were the murderers of his parents, thus inciting Bai Jinghong to seek revenge and helping him achieve his own goal!"

"And he himself is perfectly hidden behind the scenes. Even if we solve the truth about the self-immolation case, even if we find Bai Jinghong... we will never be able to find him!"

"In fact, Bai Jinghong might even be grateful to him for telling her the truth without knowing it, and thus deliberately conceal it for her, so that we never knew that such a person existed!"

"If it weren't for you, Liu Yuanwailang, helping Bai Jinghong find the real murderer and making him truly grateful to you, I'm afraid..."

Wang Gui recalled the scene where Liu Shuyi asked Bai Jinghong why she suspected Chen Feng and the other two, but Bai Jinghong remained silent. He shook his head and said, "Even now, we still don't know that this mysterious person exists."

Bai Jinghong lowered her head upon hearing Wang Gui's words.

Wang Gui was right. Before knowing the truth, he was indeed very grateful to this mysterious person for telling him the truth, which allowed him to avenge his parents before he died of illness.

He had originally decided to take this secret to his grave.

So, if she hadn't met Liu Shuyi and learned the truth about her parents' deaths... this secret would probably have remained unknown to anyone.

Seeing Bai Jinghong's reaction, Zhao Feng knew that Wang Gui had indeed been right, and he felt even colder inside.

This mysterious person not only used Bai Jinghong to eliminate Chen Feng and his two companions, but also completely controlled Bai Jinghong's mind, making Bai Jinghong be used by him, yet be grateful to him with satisfaction, hide things from him, and even remember his kindness until her death... Wang Gui was right after all, how terrifying must this mysterious person's cunning be to do all this.

Thinking about this, Zhao Feng couldn't help but ask, "What exactly did Chen Feng and the other two do to offend such a terrifying and mysterious person?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jinghong and Wang Gui both looked at Liu Shuyi.

But Liu Shuyi shook his head: "I don't know Chen Feng and the other two, so I don't know the reason, but..."

He turned his head and looked at Lu Yangyuan, who was still unconscious, and said, "Fortunately, we arrived in time. Lu Yangyuan is not dead yet. Perhaps we will know everything after Lu Yangyuan wakes up."

Wang Gui nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Lu Yangyuan definitely knows!"

Then he asked Bai Jinghong, "Is there an antidote? Can you wake him up sooner?"

Bai Jinghong shook her head: "My original plan was to kill him, why would I prepare an antidote?"

Wang Gui frowned, but there was nothing he could do but suppress his impatience and wait.

Liu Shuyi didn't mind waiting an extra two hours. He looked at Bai Jinghong again and asked, "Was the method of killing you chose later given to you by the mysterious person, or did you come up with it yourself?"

Bai Jinghong didn't hide anything: "It was myself."

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes: "But he must have provided you with some help, right? Like... money?"

"How did Liu Yuanwailang know?" Bai Jinghong was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi looked at the silver mirror hanging on the wall opposite the door and said, "That silver mirror is very expensive and not something an ordinary family can afford. You can tell at a glance that you have been suffering from hunger and cold for the past two years and are extremely poor. How could someone like you possibly afford this silver mirror?"

"Not to mention, the three restaurants you chose for the crime were not cheap places, and the money you paid to reserve the private rooms was not small either. This amount of money is also not something you can afford."

Bai Jinghong paused, seemingly understanding something, and said, "So... the reason why Master Liu specifically asked me why I suspected Chen Feng and the other two was because he already knew at that time that there were other people behind me?"

Liu Shuyi didn't hide anything and nodded.

Bai Jinghong shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "I thought I was hiding it so well, but it seems that even if I don't say anything, I still can't hide it from Master Liu in the end."

Liu Shuyi shook his head and said, "It's different. I can only guess that someone is helping you, but I don't know the specifics."

Bai Jinghong said, "That's right. He provided me with financial support. He hid the money under a tree in front of a dilapidated temple. He wrote the location of the hiding place in a secret letter, saying that if I wanted revenge, I could use the money as I pleased."

"At first I was a little skeptical. We were not related, and the fact that he told me the truth was already a great favor to me. How could I ask for more? But when I went to the location indicated in the secret letter, I indeed dug up a box of copper coins."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng couldn't help but say, "This mysterious man is really bold. Isn't he afraid that you'll run away with all this money?"

Liu Shuyi calmly said, "Since he chose Bai Jinghong, it means he already knows Bai Jinghong inside and out. He is very confident about how Bai Jinghong will act after falling for his trap..."

“Chess pieces…” he shook his head and said, “How could they possibly escape the control of the chess player?”

Bai Jinghong was not dissatisfied with Liu Shuyi calling him a pawn. He pursed his lips and said, "I don't have many days left to live. The doctor said that my body is severely depleted and I have an incurable disease. I have at most a month left to live... Therefore, the mysterious person must also know that I don't have many days left to live. Under these circumstances, revenge is my only obsession before I die. Money and such are of no use to me anymore."

Upon hearing that Bai Jinghong only had a few days left to live, Wang Gui and Zhao Feng's pupils shrank involuntarily; they had no idea about this.

Zhao Feng gritted his teeth and said, "To take advantage of a pitiful person who has less than a month to live and then deceive him like this, this mysterious person is truly despicable!"

Liu Shuyi did not comment on whether the mysterious person was despicable, as that would be meaningless.

He asked Bai Jinghong, "Do you still have the letter he gave you?"

"exist."

"where?"

"I hid it."

Bai Jinghong said, "I was afraid that if my secret were exposed and someone found that letter, the kind person who gave me the truth and helped me get revenge would be discovered... So, I hid the letter in advance."

"A kind soul?" Zhao Feng and Wang Gui both sneered at the same time.

Bai Jinghong pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and said, "There is a crooked tree outside the east wall of Ling'an Temple. I hid the letter under the crooked tree. You can send someone to dig it up."

Upon hearing Bai Jinghong's words, Wang Gui immediately stood up and said, "This matter is too important. Assistant Minister Liu, I will go and fetch it myself."

"Ling'an Temple is located in Jiahuifang, not far from here. I should be able to return in three quarters of an hour by galloping."

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Bring more people. This mysterious person behind the scenes... is probably not simple."

"understand!"

Wang Gui didn't delay and turned to leave immediately.

After Wang Gui disappeared, Liu Shuyi withdrew his gaze, reviewed the relevant details of the case in his mind again, and after confirming that there were no omissions, he let out a long breath.

Regarding the mysterious person, we can only wait for Lu Yangyuan to wake up and for Wang Gui to retrieve the secret letter before we can conduct further investigations.

Therefore, it's time to switch to another topic that is more important to him.

He looked at Bai Jinghong again and asked, "Do you know my elder brother, Liu Shuzhong?"

The elder brother of the official? Zhao Feng blinked blankly. How did the topic suddenly turn to the elder brother of the official?
Then, he saw Bai Jinghong nod directly: "I know him."

"You really know him?" Zhao Feng asked, looking surprised.

really!

Liu Shuyi's eyes suddenly flashed, and he continued, "When you heard my name in the room just now, did you already recognize me? Is that why you were willing to listen to my analysis? Instead of resisting and refusing to communicate at all, like you did with Wang Gui and the others?"

Is that right?

Zhao Feng quickly looked at Bai Jinghong.

Then, he saw Bai Jinghong nod again.

"Commentator Liu has mentioned you to me more than once."

Bai Jinghong looked at Liu Shuyi with a look of reminiscence in her eyes and said, "He said that I am very similar to you. I am simple-minded, kind and straightforward. I was loved and protected by my elders. Therefore, when my elders suffered an accident and my life plummeted, I was the one who was hurt the most."

"but……"

Bai Jinghong paused for a moment, looked at Liu Shuyi, and said, "You are better off than me because you still have your elder brother who loves you, while I am all alone after my father and mother passed away."

As Liu Shuyi listened to Bai Jinghong's words, memories of his elder brother from the original owner of the body involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Liu Shuzhong was only four years older than him. Nine years ago, when his father Liu Wenjing was executed for treason, he was eleven years old, and Liu Shuzhong was just a fifteen-year-old boy.

After her father died, her mother also fell ill and soon passed away from depression.

In the once-great Liu family, only Liu Shuyi and Liu Shuzhong remained, relying on each other for survival.

In order to protect his family, the elder brother, who had originally devoted himself to studying the classics, put down his books, left the Liu residence, and fought with those who gossiped about the Liu family. He also fought with the students in the study who bullied his younger brother and was left covered in dust. Furthermore, he sat down and cursed loudly in front of the houses of those who had taken away the Liu family's property.

He was no longer the gentle and refined gentleman like Du Gou.

He became a vulgar person who, in everyone's eyes, seemed like a madman.

His shrewish, madman-like behavior made those who bullied the Liu family restrain themselves somewhat, thus slowing down the Liu family's decline.

After that, in order to find a way out for the Liu family, he began to scheme and plot.

He sold off the Liu family's remaining assets to secure official positions for himself and the original owner of this body.

Although they were all minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank, at least with an official position, they no longer had to live off their savings or fear starving to death.

Liu Shuyi still remembered when the original owner of this body was ten years old, his father, Liu Wenjing, tested their studies and asked his older brother what kind of person he wanted to be in the future. This was how his older brother answered:

"Although I am young, I have often heard the teachings of sages and virtuous men. I wish to emulate Confucius and Mencius, read the books of sages and virtuous men, understand the principles of right and wrong, cultivate myself like bamboo, humble and principled; and stand firm in the world like a pine tree, unyielding in wind and snow."

Upon hearing this, the father simply laughed and said, "That's too abstract. Let's get down to business."

"Be an honest official, a gentleman, down-to-earth, serve the country and the people, and you will be respected by others."

His elder brother's youthful yet resolute voice still seemed to echo in his ears. However, this elder brother, who had such aspirations, could no longer be a gentleman in order to support the Liu family and protect his younger brother. Instead of being down-to-earth, he became the most despicable opportunist.

This world always seems to be like this, always making someone, in the face of cruel reality, become the person they disliked the most in the past.

Liu Shuyi slowly exhaled and said, "You're right. I still have my elder brother's love, so I'm indeed luckier than you."

Bai Jinghong pursed her lips and remained silent.

Liu Shuyi continued, "How did you and my brother meet? Was it because of your parents' case?"

Bai Jinghong nodded: "The Wannian County government ruled the case as an accident and handed it over to the Dali Temple for preliminary review. After reviewing the case file, your brother thought there was something unusual about the case, so he came to me and asked me about your parents' situation."

Sure enough, the elder brother also discovered the problem in the case file.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered, and he said, "Did you also tell your brother what you told me before about your father and mother's unusual behavior at the inn?"

"Yes."

"What did you say, brother?" Liu Shuyi asked.

Bai Jinghong said, "Commentator Liu said that although it is still impossible to determine whether this case was really not an accident, there are indeed some unresolved questions in this case. It should not be closed as an accident and needs to be investigated further."

“That’s what my brother said…”

Liu Shuyi frowned as he recalled the contents of the case file, saying, "But the case was still closed like this, and there are no issues in the case file that you raised."

Bai Jinghong's gaze turned cold. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and said resentfully, "That's why I don't trust your government! Only after learning that the murderers were Chen Feng and his two companions did I choose to take action myself!"

"You mean..."

Liu Shuyi's gaze was deep as he said, "My brother wants to continue the investigation, but he can't make the decision?"

"Yes!"

Bai Jinghong said, "After meeting your brother, I have been waiting for news from the government, hoping for a new outcome."

"But who knew..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said through gritted teeth, "Two days later, your brother found me, but he didn't come to give me good news."

"He was in a bad mood, so he took me to a restaurant and we drank together."

“He drank bowl after bowl of wine, apologizing to me as he drank, saying that he had done everything he could to help me reinvestigate my father’s and mother’s case.”

"However, he was just a minor eighth-rank judge of the Court of Judicial Review, with little influence and no one paid him any attention."

"His voice couldn't even reach the Dali Temple, let alone get the Wannian County government to reopen a case that had already been closed."

“I was very angry and disappointed at the time, but I knew it wasn’t Liu Ping’s fault. It was these high-ranking officials who didn’t care about the lives of ordinary people like us!”

Hearing Bai Jinghong's words, Zhao Feng felt a sense of oppression in his heart.

He could imagine how painful, resentful, powerless, and desperate Liu Shuzhong and Bai Jinghong must have felt when faced with obvious problems, yet unable to further verify them or reopen the case.

And that is reality.

Not every case has a chance of being solved.

It's not that every suspicious point has the opportunity to be investigated.

Just like when Liu Yuanwailang was first framed by Zhao Chengyi, Pei Ji and others rushed to Liu's mansion to arrest him.

At that time, Liu Yuanwailang discovered problems with his father's case and found connections between several of the deceased...

However, Pei Ji was still unwilling to give Liu Yuanwailang a chance.

If it weren't for Minister Du's presence at that time, and his willingness to give Liu Yuanwailang a chance, Liu Yuanwailang might already be imprisoned.

Thinking of this, Zhao Feng couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi, only to see Liu Shuyi frowning, his eyes flashing with deep thought, as if he was thinking about something.

At this moment, Liu Shuyi suddenly raised his head and said, "Did my brother say who suppressed his voice? Who stopped him from continuing his investigation?"

Bai Jinghong shook her head: "Comrade Liu didn't tell me any of this."

"Have you seen each other since then?" Liu Shuyi continued to ask.

"No."

Bai Jinghong said, "After that, I was kicked out of the Liu residence. I have never suffered any hardship. I can't carry anything on my shoulders or lift anything with my hands. I can't even do manual labor well..."

His face was full of bitterness: "So, I had no choice but to beg. For more than a year, I wandered around the West Market like a walking corpse, eating whatever food I could find, and going hungry for days when I couldn't find any. In the end..."

He lowered his head, looking at his emaciated body, which even he himself could not bear to look at, and shook his head, saying, "It's become like this."

"But this is fine."

He raised his head and looked at the window, which was tinged with red by the lanterns, and said, "I will be able to see my father and mother soon. Living is too bitter. Death is a relief."

Zhao Feng didn't know how to comfort Bai Jinghong, and Liu Shuyi didn't offer any words of comfort either.

He knew that since it hadn't happened to him and he hadn't experienced Bai Jinghong's suffering, any words he spoke were just empty talk.

However, he thought that if Bai Jinghong's parents knew in the afterlife, they would be heartbroken to see Bai Jinghong like this now.

Bai Jinghong... They took the name "Jinghong" because they hoped their beloved son would be dashing and extraordinary, a remarkable figure in the world.

But who could have imagined that the malice and greed of others would ultimately turn their extraordinary journey into this?

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath and said, "Do you still remember the last time you saw my brother?"

"of course."

Bai Jinghong said, "I remember every single day of the days when my father and mother died."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "That was April 20th of the ninth year of Wude."

April 20th?

My elder brother mysteriously disappeared on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month.

In other words, the elder brother disappeared half a month after meeting Bai Jinghong.

Could the disappearance of his elder brother be related to his insistence on investigating the Bai Ju'an case?

Or perhaps this incident caused some thoughts in the older brother's mind?
Liu Shuyi said, "On the day you last saw my brother, did he say anything strange? Did he say anything about what the future held?"

Bai Jinghong thought about it carefully, then shook his head: "He only apologized to me and talked about my parents' case. He didn't talk about anything about himself, let alone what he would do in the future."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi and said, "Why are you asking such a question? But... what happened to Judge Liu?"

Liu Shuyi did not hide anything and said, "My brother has disappeared. He disappeared half a month after we met, and we still don't know if he is alive or dead."

"What!?"

Bai Jinghong's eyes widened: "How could this be?"

He had absolutely no idea about this.

Liu Shuyi said, "I've been investigating my brother's disappearance, but I haven't found any leads..."

Tapping.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Master Liu, I'm back."

Wang Gui's voice grew louder as it approached, and soon it entered the room.

He approached Bai Jinghong, held out a package wrapped in tattered clothes, and asked, "Is this the item?"

"Yes."

Bai Jinghong said, "My original plan was to kill Lu Yangyuan, then take out the package, go to my parents' graves to tell them that the great revenge had been taken, and then commit suicide in front of my parents' graves to find them. All my things are in here."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui eagerly opened the package.

Then, he paused for a moment.

Inside the package were only a tattered robe, a worn-out amulet, a broken bowl, and a letter.

He couldn't believe that these things were all of Bai Jinghong's possessions.

Bai Jinghong said, "The robe was sewn by my mother herself, and the amulet was obtained by my mother from Huguo Temple. These are all the belongings I could take with me when I was kicked out of the Bai residence."

"You sons of bitches Wei Congyi and Shen Rong!" Wang Gui cursed, then said, "Don't worry, once this matter is over, I will take action against them immediately. They won't be able to get away with this for long."

Bai Jinghong nodded emphatically.

Without further delay, Wang Gui took the letter out of his bundle and handed it to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi took the letter and glanced at the envelope.

The envelope was spotless, without any patterns or writing, and dripped with wax, presumably to prevent it from being opened during delivery.

He took out the letter.

Look upwards.

Then--

Liu Shuyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

His previously calm eyes suddenly narrowed.

Zhao Feng and Wang Gui had been keeping a close eye on Liu Shuyi, and seeing Liu Shuyi's unusual reaction, they couldn't help but feel a chill.

"Liu Yuanwailang, is there a problem with this letter?" Zhao Feng couldn't help but ask.

Bai Jinghong also stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Then they saw Liu Shuyi take out a small cloth bag from his bosom.

He opened the cloth bag, inside which was a folded piece of paper.

Liu Shuyi took out the paper from inside and folded it open.

Then, presenting the letter and paper to the three of them, he said, "Without looking at the contents, just by looking at the handwriting, what did you discover?"

"Handwriting?"

The three of them were startled and subconsciously moved forward to take a closer look.

"This……"

Zhao Feng's eyes widened, and he asked in surprise, "The handwriting is the same?"

"Am I seeing things? This looks like the same person's handwriting!"

After careful examination, Wang Gui asserted, "I'm not mistaken, it's the same person's handwriting!"

As he spoke, he looked at Liu Shuyi with a surprised expression and said, "Master Liu, how come you have the handwriting of the mysterious person who wrote the secret letter to Bai Jinghong?"

Bai Jinghong and Zhao Feng both looked at Liu Shuyi with surprise.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he said in a deep voice, "This note is the one Zhao Chengyi used to frame me, luring me to the vicinity of the crime scene..."

"What!?"

Wang Gui exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Shuyi's deeds have spread far and wide in the past few days, so he clearly understands what Liu Shuyi meant by the note that was meant to entice him.

This gave him goosebumps all over his body.

He stared wide-eyed at Liu Shuyi in disbelief and said, "The handwriting in the letter plotting against Bai Jinghong is exactly the same as the handwriting in the note plotting against you, Liu Yuanwailang!"

"Doesn't this mean that..."

He couldn't help but swallow hard, and said, "The mysterious person behind Bai Jinghong is the same person who plotted against you!?"

"He... is he the master behind Zhao Chengyi and Miaoyin'er?"

"He's made another move!?"

(End of this chapter)