The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 7 Unfortunately, I've already solved the case! (Two chapters combined)

"Really? You really know everything?"

Cheng Chumo was both shocked and suspicious. It wasn't that he didn't trust Liu Shuyi, but rather that Liu Shuyi's words came as a complete surprise.

He saw everything that Liu Shuyi saw.

He had heard what Liu Shuyi had heard.

As a result, he knew nothing, while Liu Shuyi knew everything, which made Cheng Chumo wonder if he had missed something because he was distracted.

Even the composed and gentle Du Gou stared intently at Liu Shuyi, his eyes unblinking.

Liu Shuyi's dark pupils darted around, and under the sunlight, they seemed to glow.

He didn't hide anything: "We've basically identified the murderer, but we're still missing something to get him to confess..."

As he spoke, he looked directly at Madam Zhao and said, "Madam Zhao, please take me to the room where Master Zhao died."

Zhao also heard what Liu Shuyi and the other two said. When she looked at Liu Shuyi, it was as if she had seen a glimmer of hope from the abyss of despair.

She became even more enthusiastic about Liu Shuyi.

This time, however, it was not because of Du Ruhui's orders.

"it is good!"

She immediately turned around and led the way, saying, "When Master returned from his shift yesterday, he seemed a little restless. I wanted him to rest early, but he said he had official business to attend to overnight, so he went to his study and didn't want to be disturbed."

"Later, around midnight, the servants suddenly heard screams coming from the study. They quickly opened the door to check and found..."

Zhao picked up a handkerchief, wiped her eyes, and said in a choked voice, "I found the master rolling and struggling on the ground. He was scratching himself so hard that his face was covered in blood and his bones were exposed. He was shouting that there was a ghost and he needed help. But not long after... the master stopped breathing."

Du Gou said to Liu Shuyi, "The other two died in the same way, but when they died, their ghosts floated above their heads, unlike this time, when he died in the study, his ghost was above the bedroom."

As Liu Shuyi listened to Du Gou's words, his eyes grew even more enlightened: "Just as I thought."

"What?" Du Gou was taken aback.

Before Liu Shuyi could say anything, Zhao stopped and said, "This is it."

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw that the door to the room in front of him was open, with two Imperial Guards standing guard at the door.

Looking through the open door, you can see a corpse lying on the ground.

Beside the corpse, a middle-aged man dressed in gray was pacing back and forth nervously.

Hearing footsteps outside, the man quickly looked up.

Upon seeing Liu Shuyi and the others, he hurriedly ran out: "Greetings to General Zhong Lang, Vice Minister Du, and Chief Clerk Liu."

The person in front of him was a coroner from the Ministry of Justice, whom Liu Shuyi happened to know.

He nodded slightly, and as he entered the room, he asked, "What were the results of the autopsy?"

The coroner hurriedly replied, "Zhao Yuanwailang's face and neck are covered with scratches, but there are no other injuries on his body. Based on my preliminary judgment, Zhao Yuanwailang, like Zhao Wenyi, the warehouse supervisor of the Ministry of Revenue, and Wang Lucheng, the principal of the Ministry of Works, should have died of poisoning."

"Poisoned?"

Liu Shuyi looked down at the corpse.

Then you can see that there is no good flesh left on Zhao Ci's face. His expression is distorted and his eyes are wide open in terror. Even though he has been dead for several hours, you can still clearly feel his fear and despair before his death.

"What kind of poison?" Liu Shuyi asked.

The coroner shook his head somewhat embarrassedly: "I don't know either... This world is full of wonders and poisons. As for Zhao Yuanwailang, who is so terrified and has scratched himself like this, I have never heard of such a poison before."

Liu Shuyi frowned.

No wonder Du Ruhui and his team's investigation made no progress at all. They didn't even know what kind of poison the deceased had, so how could they continue the investigation?

Fortunately, this didn't affect him much.

All he needs to know is how the murderer killed the person.

Liu Shuyi stopped questioning the nervous and uneasy coroner and instead shifted his gaze to observe Zhao Ci's study.

The study was very spacious, with two rows of red lacquered bookshelves against the wall, crammed full. Under the window was a pear wood desk, on which brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and several books were scattered haphazardly.

Liu Shuyi walked to the low stool and sat down.

As soon as he sat down, he saw a sheet of Xuan paper laid out flat in front of him on the low stool.

There were no words on the Xuan paper, only the smudges left by a few drops of ink.

Looking at the jet-black ink spots on the pristine white paper, Liu Shuyi's gaze deepened slightly: "He wanted to write something, but didn't... Was he unsure how to write it? Or was he afraid? Or perhaps he was unsure whether to write it at all?"

As I lightly tapped the desk with my fingertips, a variety of thoughts surfaced in my mind.

"Ok?"

At this moment, Liu Shuyi realized that his leg under the table seemed to have bumped into something.

He leaned back and looked down, and saw that a small box was tied to the table leg on his right.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he took out the box directly.

Upon opening the lid, three crystal-clear dice were revealed inside!

"dice?"

He raised an eyebrow, took out the dice, placed them in front of his eyes, and examined them carefully.

These dice are exquisitely crafted, with a very smooth surface and a pleasant feel.

"Madam Zhao."

Liu Shuyi suddenly looked at the beautiful woman beside him who was weeping over her husband's corpse and asked, "Does Master Zhao like to gamble?"

"A gambler?"

Zhao was puzzled as to why Liu Shuyi would ask such a question: "Of course not. Master never gambles. He said that once you get involved in gambling, it is a deadly poison for the family, so he strictly forbids anyone in the Zhao family from gambling."

He doesn't gamble, yet he keeps three such exquisitely crafted dice hidden away...

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered, and suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something.

He turned to Du Gou and said, "Du, I need your help with something."

Upon hearing this, Du Gou, who was browsing through the books on Zhao Ci's bookshelf, turned around and looked at Liu Shuyi, asking, "What is it?"

Liu Shuyi glanced at Zhao Shi, then whispered in Du Gou's ear, "Help me investigate a few things..."

Du Gou initially appeared calm, but gradually, doubt and confusion involuntarily surfaced on his face, as if he didn't understand why Liu Shuyi wanted him to investigate these matters.

"What are you doing?"

Liu Shuyi's lips curled up, and he said meaningfully, "If I'm not mistaken, Vice Minister Du should find out something very interesting."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's meaningful tone, Du Gou's clear eyes flickered.

"it is good!"

Finally, Du Gou nodded: "However, these matters are rather complicated and may not be resolved so quickly... but I will use all the resources at my disposal to find out everything for you in the shortest possible time."

"Thank you!" Liu Shuyi said without further ado.

Du Gou nodded slightly, and without delay, turned and left.

Seeing Du Gou, who had always been calm and collected, walk as fast as the wind, Liu Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief.

If he were to rely on himself, he might not be able to figure out all these messy matters even in ten days.

However, if Du Gou is willing to go all out, with the Du family's capabilities, it would not be a problem to quickly investigate these complicated matters.

Perhaps it won't even be needed for a day.

Now, only one last thing remains...

Liu Shuyi then looked at Cheng Chumo, and his gaze met those bright, piercing eyes that seemed like copper bells.

"Manager Liu, do I also have a mission?" Director Cheng rubbed his fists together, looking eager to try.

It seems that his private conversation with Du Gou has made Cheng Chumo restless.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded emphatically. Then, he said very seriously, "General Cheng, are you ready to take on the most important mission?"

The most important?

The straightforward Cheng Chumo had no idea about Liu Shuyi's scheming.

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, he immediately straightened his back, pounded his chest, and exclaimed excitedly, "You trust me so much, I will definitely not let you down!"

"it is good!"

Liu Shuyi stepped forward and whispered in Cheng Chumo's ear, "Go to the Ministry of Revenue and investigate something for me..."

Cheng Chumo blinked as he listened to Liu Shuyi's words and said, "So simple? This is the most important thing? Chief Liu, you're not lying to me, are you?" Liu Shuyi was very serious, and his solemn expression showed no sign of guilt: "When I reveal the truth, the General will know how important this is."

"it is good!"

Seeing Liu Shuyi say this, Cheng Chumo had no more doubts and immediately said, "I'll go right away."

"Keep a low profile, don't let everyone in the Ministry of Revenue know," Liu Shuyi instructed.

"I'm not stupid."

Cheng Chumo waved his hand and immediately strode away.

Soon, only Liu Shuyi and Zhao Shi remained in the antique-style study.

Seeing that Madam Zhao kept glancing at him, Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "Madam Zhao, I heard that when Zhao Yuanwailang had his accident, there was a jade pendant beside him. I wonder where that jade pendant was at the time? Do you know where that jade pendant came from?"

The investigation is almost complete; now it's time to figure out how the murderer framed him.

Zhao pointed to the floor to the left of the corpse and said, "The jade pendant was right here. Since I had never seen this jade pendant before and knew it didn't belong to my husband, I handed it over to Minister Du and the others who came to investigate."

"As for where this jade pendant came from, I have no idea."

Her red and swollen eyes looked at Liu Shuyi: "But when you first came to the study last night, I brought you chicken soup. At that time, there was no jade pendant on the ground."

"Last night, before the incident, did anyone else enter or leave the Zhao residence?"

"No."

Madam Zhao shook her head: "Not only have no outsiders entered or left the mansion, but the study where the master is has always been guarded by servants. The servants said that no one has come since I left."

No one had entered the study, but when Zhao Ci died, the original owner's jade pendant was on the ground not far from her body. How was the jade pendant brought in?

Could it be that the jade pendant was always on Zhao Ci's person?

Through the original owner's memories, Liu Shuyi learned that the original owner's jade pendant had been lost for half a year.

The original owner did not know how it was lost. When the original owner discovered that the jade pendant was missing, he could not find it anywhere.

Having been missing for so long, even when he was thinking about how the murderer would frame him, he never imagined that the murderer would use the jade pendant. After all, it had been missing for so long, who would have thought that the murderer would use something lost half a year ago to frame him?

Could it be that the murderer had already prepared for this frame-up six months ago?

wrong!

The murder of Zhao Ci and the other two was clearly a spur-of-the-moment act.

He had never intended to do this before.

Therefore, in the killer's original plan, there should have been no part of me!

If that's the case, then why is the jade pendant, which was lost half a year ago, in the hands of the murderer?

There's a contradiction here...

It seems we can only question them after the murderer is apprehended.

Liu Shuyi let out a long breath. He had done everything he could. Now, all he had to do was wait patiently.

…………

Boom boom boom!
A rapid knocking sounded on the door.

Liu Shuyi had just transmigrated last night and encountered danger. Afterwards, he was constantly on the go investigating the case, which left him extremely tired. After making all the arrangements, he went home, lay down, and fell asleep immediately.

I groggily opened my eyes and heard anxious voices coming from outside the door.

"Young Master, something terrible has happened! Commander Pei has sent men!"

"They broke down our door again, saying that you colluded with Zhao Zhuo's family to murder a court official, and now the evidence is conclusive, so they want to arrest you and put you in jail!"

Has Pei Ji sent someone?

Are you trying to arrest yourself?

Liu Shuyi instantly regained his senses.

He quickly put on his clothes, walked briskly to the door, and opened it.

Wan'er, with her pretty face, looked anxious.

"Young Master, what's going on? Didn't they ask you to investigate the case? Didn't they give you three days?"

"The day isn't even over yet, why are they here again?"

Liu Shuyi frowned, and before he could speak, the scene he had seen before was playing out once again.

Armored and armed soldiers charged forward with great momentum.

I've surrounded myself once again.

This time, however, they drew their swords directly from their sheaths.

His face was cold and menacing.

"Liu Shuyi, you colluded with Zhao Zhuo's son to plot against a high-ranking official of the court, and you also deceived Pei Sikong, Du Pushe, and Wei Dafu. The evidence is conclusive, and your actions deserve to be punished!"

"By order of Minister Pei, you are here to be arrested! If you dare to resist, you will be killed without mercy!"

"Take it!"

At the command of the leading general, the soldiers immediately charged towards Liu Shuyi.

Wan'er's face suddenly turned pale.

She nervously clutched Liu Shuyi's clothes, unsure of what to do.

She never imagined that the situation would become so bad in just one day.

Why did it become like this?
Why did Pei Ji go back on his word?

Wan'er was both annoyed and flustered, and she couldn't help but look anxiously at Liu Shuyi. But what she saw made her beautiful, watery eyes widen in surprise.

Because Liu Shuyi's reaction at this moment was completely different from hers.

As Liu Shuyi watched his soldiers charge toward him, he showed none of Wan'er's anxiety or panic. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Sure enough, that old dog Pei Ji never intended to give himself a way out.

Three days—no, not even one day for myself!

but……

Liu Shuyi looked at Du Gou and Cheng Chumo who were rushing in from outside the door. Seeing the complicated look on Du Gou's face and the joy on Cheng Chumo's face as if he had completed a task, the corners of his mouth curled up.

Unfortunately, it was too late!
Even if he doesn't give himself a single day, that's enough!
Looking at the grim-faced soldiers and feeling their chilling killing intent, he finally spoke: "You've come at the right time. I was just looking for you anyway!"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's strange words, the leading general frowned and shouted, "Don't try any tricks! Zhao Zhuo's son has been captured, and he has already implicated you! Commander Pei specifically instructed that you should not believe anything you say! Liu Shuyi, you won't escape!"

"Escape? No, not only do I not want to escape, I want to go with you willingly!"

As Liu Shuyi spoke, he actually took the initiative to meet these menacing soldiers.

As they walked, he said, "But such a big thing as arresting me can't be kept secret from Minister Du and Doctor Wei, can it..."

As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Du Gou and Cheng Chumo, who had just arrived, and called out, "Du, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Cheng, General of the Palace Attendants, I would like to trouble you to make another trip to find Minister Du and Doctor Wei, and ask them to come to the Ministry of Revenue to find me..."

"Ministry of Revenue?"

The leading general sneered, "Why go to the Ministry of Revenue? You murderer, you should be in jail!"

"Prison? No, there's no truth in prison!"

Liu Shuyi slowly shook his head and continued calling out to Du Gou and Cheng Chumo, "Tell Minister Du and Doctor Wei that..."

His eyes flashed, and his clear voice pierced the night sky: "I have solved the case! The truth lies within the Ministry of Revenue!"

"What!?"

"You solved the case?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback.

The leading general was also taken aback.

He stared wide-eyed at Liu Shuyi in astonishment, only to find Liu Shuyi gazing at him with a meaningful expression: "If you don't take me to the Ministry of Revenue, aren't you afraid of missing the truth of the case? If His Majesty blames you, he'll skin you alive?"

"Ah!"

"Now, are you sure you still want to take me to jail?"

The general's face turned deathly pale instantly.

(End of this chapter)