The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 71 Wan'er has made her move; I can't let the young master suspect me!

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

They never imagined that Liu Shuyi would connect Changsun Chong's disappearance with the incident of a group of beggars finding money in this way.

But upon closer examination, this possibility is actually quite high!
Based on their understanding of Changsun Chong, scattering money was indeed something Changsun Chong might do in a critical moment.

However, the uncertainty in this matter is too high. What if it's not Liu Shuyi investigating the case? What if Liu Shuyi didn't predict that Changsun Chong would enter Guanglu Fang or Xingdao Fang? What if the person who picked up the money wasn't Mo Xiaofan and his group whom Liu Shuyi happened to know?

That means the contingency plan left by Changsun Chong might never be discovered.

If that's the case...

The butler dared not even imagine what the outcome would be.

He didn't dare delay and quickly looked at Mo Xiaofan, saying, "Young brother, can you take us to the place where you collect copper coins?"

If Mo Xiaofan and Liu Shuyi were not acquainted, he would have directly ordered these beggars to leave. In front of the Changsun residence, these little beggars were like ants, and they didn't need such a pleasant request from the steward of the dignified Minister of Personnel's residence.

However, since Liu Shuyi treated Mo Xiaofan very well, he had to consider Liu Shuyi's feelings and dared not be too forceful.

Mo Xiaofan listened to their conversation and suddenly realized, "So there's a secret behind our finding money."

Behind him, a little beggar couldn't help but lick his chapped lips and asked timidly, "So, are you going to take this copper coin back?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but keep looking at the naan that was about to be baked, swallowing his saliva repeatedly.

The steward glanced at Liu Shuyi and quickly shook his head: "Since you found it, it's yours. How could we possibly take it from you? Besides, if you can help us find the young master, my Changsun family is willing to pay you a reward, which is a hundred or a thousand times more than the copper coins you found."

Upon hearing that they wouldn't take it, the little beggar's eyes lit up: "We don't want any reward, we just won't take it back."

Listening to the little beggar's words, everyone couldn't help but feel moved. The character of these little beggars made even these high-ranking officials feel ashamed of themselves.

Liu Shuyi asked, "Can you take us there?"

"Of course!"

As soon as Liu Shuyi spoke, Mo Xiaofan nodded immediately.

He handed the coins to the other little beggars, telling them to wait there for the naan to bake, and then stepped forward and said, "Come with me."

Seeing this, everyone quickly followed Mo Xiaofan into Guanglu Lane.

On the way, Du Gou deliberately lagged behind a few steps, following beside Liu Shuyi, and whispered, "Changsun Chong's situation may not be good."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng asked in confusion, "Why do you say that? Didn't he keep a backup plan? If he did, it means he was prepared, right?"

"It's precisely because he left himself a backup plan that things are in such a bad state."

Fearing that the steward and others might overhear and cause them panic, Du Gou lowered his voice and said, "Think about the backup plan that Changsun Chong left behind, scattering copper coins. While this is in line with his style and makes people think of him, the uncertainty of such things is too high. If it weren't for Liu Yuanwailang coming to investigate the case, I dare say that his backup plan would never have been discovered."

"The reason why the backup plan is a backup plan is to be prepared for any eventuality and to save lives at a critical moment."

"But he's relying on luck for such an important backup plan, which doesn't seem very reliable at all."

"With his intelligence, he could have done it much more prudently and thoroughly, so..."

Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi and said solemnly, "The fact that he left himself a backup plan probably means that he was in an extremely urgent situation when he did so. He had no other choice but to take a gamble in this way."

Zhao Feng's heart tightened; he hadn't expected that the backup plan before him would represent such a dangerous situation.

He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi nodded: "The situation is indeed not good, we need to prepare for the worst."

"The worst-case scenario..." Zhao Feng's expression changed as if he had just thought of something.

As he watched the group venture deeper into Guanglu Ward, he couldn't help but pray that Changsun Chong would be alright, otherwise it would be a real disaster.

"arrive!"

At this moment, Mo Xiaofan, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.

He raised his hand, pointed to the corner of the wall on the right, and said, "This is where we first found the copper coins."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over quickly.

This is the southern area of ​​Guanglu Ward. The road in front of us is not wide and there are not many pedestrians.

The wall where the copper coin appeared was relatively high, but the plaster was peeling and mottled, making it look unlike the residence of a wealthy family.

Liu Shuyi asked, "Where did the last copper coin appear?"

"It's just around the corner..."

As Mo Xiaofan spoke, he led the group forward, finally stopping at the intersection ahead.

He pointed to the wall on the right and said, "This is it."

Liu Shuyi glanced at the directions. He could turn here and leave Guanglu Ward directly, reaching the road between Guanglu Ward and the adjacent Zhiye Ward to the south.

He narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

Afterwards, they returned to the place where Mo Xiaofan had first picked up the copper coin, looked up and gazed ahead, pondered for a moment, then pointed to the door closest to them and asked, "Do you know whose residence this is?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

With a population of several hundred thousand, Chang'an City was largely ignored, except for the residences of the powerful and influential.

This place is clearly not the residence of any powerful or wealthy person.

Liu Shuyi said, "Go knock on the door."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, the butler couldn't help but ask, "Is the young master inside this mansion?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked closely at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment and said, "There should be some clues."

He didn't say whether it was there or not, but rather that there were clues.

This made Du Gou and Zhao Feng, who knew Liu Shuyi, seem to understand something.

The butler didn't think much of it and simply ordered, "Knock on the door."

Upon hearing this, the guards quickly surrounded the courtyard gate.

At the same time, he drew his sword from his waist and stared warily at the courtyard gate.

dong dong dong.

Someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Is anyone here?" a guard shouted.

But no matter how long they knocked and shouted, there was no response.

No one responded.

"It seems no one's here." The guard looked at the steward.

The butler then looked at Liu Shuyi, who narrowed his eyes and said, "Break down the door!"

Break down the door!?
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

They realized that something unexpected might have happened in this courtyard, or that some enemy might be hiding there.

They gripped their weapons tightly and stared more cautiously at the courtyard gate in front of them.

The other guards then began to forcefully ram the gate with their shoulders.

A series of banging sounds rang out, and dust began to fall from the tightly closed courtyard gate.

Liu Shuyi looked at Mo Xiaofan and said, "There might be danger here next. Go find your partner. The naan should be ready by now."

"If you ever go hungry again, go to the Liu residence. Although our residence is not particularly wealthy, it is not difficult to provide you with a full meal. You are still growing, so don't starve yourself."

Upon hearing this, Mo Xiaofan's bright eyes immediately sparkled, and he nodded emphatically: "I understand."

"Go ahead, thank you for today. If there's a chance in the future, I'll take you to a restaurant for a good meal." Liu Shuyi patted his shoulder and brushed the dust off it.

Mo Xiaofan nodded emphatically again.

Knowing that Liu Shuyi had other important matters to attend to, he didn't say anything more to Liu Shuyi and turned to run away.

Watching Mo Xiaofan's rapidly disappearing figure, Liu Shuyi's eyes suddenly deepened; he was thinking about something...

Is it really a coincidence?

Those copper coins were just picked up by Mo Xiaofan and his friends by chance, and they happened to see them using the copper coins to buy things.
…………

After Mo Xiaofan parted ways with Liu Shuyi, he did not immediately go to find his friends.

Instead, after turning a few corners in Guanglu Lane, we arrived at a very narrow alleyway.

At that moment, in the alley, a pretty woman dressed in a dress, carrying a bamboo basket, was leaning against the wall, yawning lazily.

"Sister Wan'er."

Upon seeing the woman, Mo Xiaofan quickly ran over, his expression filled with respect and joy.

"Young Master has gone?" Wan'er tilted her head lazily, her demeanor completely different from her usual youthful and energetic self.

"Yes."

Mo Xiaofan said, "Master Liu has already arrived at the place where we found the copper coin."

"That's good."

Wan'er pouted and said, "This Changsun Chong is too unreliable. He left such a contingency plan so casually. If our people hadn't found that copper coin, even I wouldn't have known that he left it there, and the young master would have known even less."

"He almost ruined the young master's life."

“If the young master cannot find him because of this, it doesn’t matter whether he lives or dies. What is truly sinful is that the young master has incurred the displeasure of Changsun Wuji for no reason.”

"that is!"

Mo Xiaofan always fully supported Wan'er's words: "Changsun Chong is just unreliable!"

"okay."

Wan'er stretched, her waist slender and her figure graceful.

She said, "Once we get the young master there, our job will be done. With his abilities, I'm sure he can find Changsun Chong. Let's not cause any more trouble, lest the young master suspect us."

She looked at Mo Xiaofan and said, "Go eat your naan."

Mo Xiaofan said, "Where is Sister Wan'er? I baked an extra batch of naan, including one for Sister Wan'er."

"I'll forget it."

Wan'er waved her hand: "I still need to go buy groceries. I don't know if the young master will be able to come back for dinner tonight... But whether the young master comes back or not, I have to prepare. I can't let the young master go hungry when he comes back."

"You can share the naan with the others. You're all growing, so eat more. If you really can't get any money, come to me. With me here, I can't let you go hungry."

Mo Xiaofan paused for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "Master Liu just told me that we're growing and need to eat more..."

Wan'er's lazy eyes suddenly lit up.

"Young Master and I are indeed of one mind..."

As she spoke, she walked out of the alley. As she walked out, her lazy and elegant demeanor disappeared, replaced by her former youthful vitality.

…………

boom!
As everyone rushed toward the courtyard gate.

The already precarious gate, which had been knocked down, finally crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

The guards, carrying swords and knives, rushed inside.

As soon as they rushed into the yard, their eyes widened and they froze on the spot upon seeing the scene inside.

"This……"

The expressions of Du Gou and the others who entered afterward also changed.

"How could this be!?" Zhao Feng almost exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Shuyi's eyes narrowed as well.

In the courtyard, which had been swept clean, lay three corpses lying face down on the cold ground.

They had obvious wounds on their bodies.

Their clothes were stained crimson with blood, which spread around them and eventually froze into ice in the cold weather.

Under the sun's rays, the frozen blood looked like a blood-red mirror, exceptionally glaring.

"not good!"

"Master!"

The butler's face turned deathly pale upon seeing this.

He quickly said, "Quickly, see if the young master is here!"

The guards then realized what was happening.

He quickly turned the three corpses lying on the ground over.

At this point, they discovered that there were two male corpses and one female corpse.

The two male corpses were a middle-aged man around forty years old and a young man around twenty years old.

The female corpse was a woman in her mid-thirties.

The three corpses all had expressions of extreme terror. Their eyes bulged forward, staring ahead in disbelief and horror, giving the impression that they had seen something unexpected and despairing before they died.

"None of them are young masters!"

The steward breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Changsun Chong was not among the three corpses.

He said, "Quickly search! See if the young master is anywhere else."

Upon hearing this, the guards immediately gripped their weapons and began a careful search.

Unsure if the thieves were still there, they dared not be careless and therefore did not move very fast.

The butler knew there might be danger ahead, so even though he was in a hurry, he didn't rush things.

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment, then said to the Ministry of Justice clerk following behind him, "Go to the Chang'an County government office to report the case and have them send someone here to take over the case."

Guanglu Ward is located on the west side of Zhuque Street, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Chang'an County Government.

They should be the primary persons directly responsible for such a horrific family annihilation tragedy that occurred within their jurisdiction.

The clerk understood the seriousness of the matter and, without any delay, said, "I'll go right away."

With that, he turned around, spurred his horse, and galloped away.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Shuyi said to another clerk, "Go to the Du residence and ask Miss Du to come here to examine the body."

"Yes."

When a murder case comes up, asking Du Ying for help has become a routine for Liu Shuyi, and the officials are used to it.

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, he left without hesitation.

As the two clerks disappeared one after the other, Liu Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned his gaze away and said to the other officials, "You all go and help with the search."

Du Gou also instructed the Du family members he had brought to help.

With more people on hand, the search speed increased significantly, and the entire mansion was searched in no time.

"Liu Yuanwailang".

A guard from the Changsun family came over and said, "There are three more corpses in the side hall."

"besides?"

Liu Shuyi's gaze darkened.

Du Gou and the others were also startled. Counting the three corpses in the courtyard, there were six corpses in total.

Six lives lost!

What kind of ruthless person, and what kind of motive, could so cruelly kill so many people in one go?
This is truly a case of annihilation! It's a two-courtyard complex, and the buildings are quite old, showing that it's been around for quite some time.

The group crossed the courtyard and soon arrived at a side hall with the door open.

Upon entering the side hall, a blood-soaked murder scene immediately comes into view.

In the side hall, a round table was overturned, food was scattered on the floor, and shards of plates and bowls covered the floor.

An elderly corpse with gray hair was kneeling in front of a low stool, with a very obvious wound on its back.

The blood was frozen, and the whole body reflected the bloody light.

Not far away, on the food, lay a corpse. It was a woman in her early twenties with a slender figure. She was wearing a scarlet dress, her skin was fair, and blood flowed from the wound on her back, making the already scarlet dress even more crimson.

The last corpse was sitting on the ground against the wall. He was about thirty years old, with a tall and strong build. There was a clear wound on his throat. Not far to his right, there was a long knife on the ground. The knife was stained with blood, a horrifying sight.

A total of six people, ranging from an elderly man in his sixties to a young man in his twenties, from a plump woman in her thirties to a pretty young woman in her twenties... all of them died tragically, none of them survived.

Seeing the tragic scene before him, even Du Gou, who had seen many cases at the Dali Temple, couldn't help but frown.

Even among the tens of thousands of case files collected by the Dali Temple, cases of annihilating entire families are rare.

Not to mention, this happened right under the emperor's nose, in the imperial capital.

Just how audacious was the murderer to commit such an outrageous act within the city of Chang'an!
"There is no young master!"

Butler Jia Ping was only stunned by the scene before him for a moment before he quickly came to his senses.

He didn't care who died; he only cared whether Changsun Chong was among those people.

Fortunately, none of the six who died were Changsun Chong.

He looked at the guards and asked, "Are you sure you've searched everything? There's no trace of the young master?"

The guard nodded: "The search is complete. We've turned up every possible hiding place, but we haven't found the young master anywhere."

The housekeeper was both relieved and worried again.

The absence of the young master is both good and bad news, as it means his whereabouts remain a mystery.

He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master Liu, the young master isn't here..."

Liu Shuyi understood what the butler meant. He didn't seem surprised and said, "Don't worry, I already knew he wasn't here. So what I just said was that there are clues about him here, not that there is him here."

"what?"

The steward was taken aback: "Did Master Liu already know?"

He didn't notice Liu Shuyi's words, but Zhao Feng and Du Gou had just noticed them, so they were mentally prepared in advance.

Liu Shuyi said, "Steward Jia might as well think about the distribution of the copper coins outside. The copper coins start from the corner of this mansion and end at the intersection not far from Guanglu Lane."

"At first glance, it is impossible to determine which copper coin Changsun Sicheng threw down first and which was thrown down last."

"Therefore, we need to analyze this."

"This place is located in the southern part of Guanglu Ward, and we just came in from the north gate of Guanglu Ward. So under normal circumstances, we would have to come here first before we could get to the intersection where we leave Guanglu Ward."

"If Changsun Temple Assistant knew that something had happened in this residence and wanted to observe it secretly, he should have hidden at the corner where he came from the North Gate, instead of swaggering past the gate of this residence and stopping at the corner where he was about to leave to observe it secretly."

"This……"

The butler thought for a moment and then nodded: "That makes sense."

"and……"

Liu Shuyi continued, "If Changsun Temple Attendant only wanted us to know he had come to this residence, he could have simply thrown all the copper coins in the corner. There was no need for him to leave a few coins behind every few steps. Doing so would not only be meaningless, but it might also make it easier for others to notice and pick up the coins, thus rendering his plan futile..."

As the steward of Changsun Wuji's residence, Jia Ping was naturally a very shrewd person.

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's prompt, he quickly realized what Liu Shuyi meant.

His eyes widened, and he couldn't help but ask, "So, Master Liu is saying... the reason why the young master left a few copper coins every now and then was to use them to guide us? He wanted us to know that he had been taken away from this mansion, and to tell us the direction the thieves took him?"

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly: "Steward Jia is intelligent."

Jia Ping suddenly turned his head and looked out of the courtyard: "The copper coin was last found at the intersection leading away from Guanglu Lane, which means... the young master was taken away from there by the thieves..."

"What happens after that?"

He frowned: "Where was the young master taken after that? Did he leave Chang'an?"

Liu Shuyi said, "The distance from Guanglu Ward to the city gate is not short. When Changsun Temple Assistant arrived here, it was already past 7 PM... If he struggled with the bandits for a while after arriving here, then it would have been even later for the bandits to leave with Changsun Temple Assistant."

"If we calculate it that way, even if they reach the city gate at top speed, it should already be under curfew and the city gate should already be closed."

"After learning of the disappearance of Changsun Sicheng, Minister Changsun immediately sent a message to the city gates, instructing them to tighten controls, carefully check everyone leaving the city, and thoroughly search every vehicle. Under these circumstances, it would be extremely difficult for the thieves to take Changsun Sicheng out of the city."

"So it's highly likely that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is still in Chang'an City."

The steward nodded hurriedly, which was exactly what he hoped for. Otherwise, once Changsun Chong left Chang'an, finding him again would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, with no hope of finding him.

Seeing that the steward's brows were furrowed and his worry and anxiety could not be eliminated, Liu Shuyi said, "Steward Jia, there is no need to worry too much. We already know that the disappearance of Changsun Sicheng is related to the murder in this courtyard. So as long as we can find out the truth of the murder and know who killed these people, we may be able to find clues about the person who kidnapped Changsun Sicheng and thus find him."

The steward nodded hurriedly: "When it comes to investigating cases, Assistant Minister Liu is undoubtedly the strongest in the Tang Dynasty. This matter can only be entrusted to Assistant Minister Liu."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Since I have promised Minister Changsun, I will naturally do my best."

He thought for a moment, then added, "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices should be safe for the time being..."

The butler was taken aback, then his eyes lit up: "Really?"

Zhao Feng and Du Gou also quickly looked at him.

Liu Shuyi said, "Although I don't know whether Changsun Temple Assistant came here by chance and stumbled upon the murderer committing the crime, or for some other reason... the fact that the murderer did not kill him here directly means that the murderer does not want to kill Changsun Temple Assistant for the time being."

"After all, the difficulty of kidnapping someone and hiding them is completely different from the difficulty of hiding yourself. The murderer has no reason to make things more difficult for himself."

"Since he went to such lengths to kidnap the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, it means that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is useful to him. He will not act rashly until he has achieved his goal through the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

The butler didn't care what the murderer's intentions were towards the young master; as long as the young master was alive, that was the most important thing to him.

Now that he knew the young master was out of immediate danger, the butler's anxiety finally eased. He let out a long breath and looked at Liu Shuyi with gratitude and appreciation.

He knew perfectly well that Liu Shuyi had no need to explain these things to him.

All of this was due to Liu Shuyi's kindness and gentleness; he was trying to comfort Liu Shuyi because he saw that Liu Shuyi was too anxious and worried.

He must remember this kindness and repay Liu Shuyi's goodwill if he has the opportunity in the future.

Liu Shuyi continued, "Steward Jia can also send people out to search again and see if they can find copper coins elsewhere. Since the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices left clues with copper coins, it means that he may have left similar copper coins on other roads..."

"but……"

He then changed the subject: "There are already many pedestrians on the street. If someone notices you, you might have already been picked up..."

The butler hurriedly said, "We can't give up even if there's only the slightest possibility!"

Having said that, he turned around and ordered his men to go and search for them.

stomping on...

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

"Master Liu, your humble servant has arrived..."

Before the person arrived, the familiar voice preceded them.

Liu Shuyi turned his head and saw Wang Gui leading a group of Chang'an County yamen runners into the courtyard in a hurry.

He approached Liu Shuyi, bowed, and asked, "Master Liu, what's going on?"

He rarely had a moment of leisure in the yamen, so he thought he'd brew a bowl of tea.

No sooner had the tea been brewed than a broom rushed in with a report that Liu, the Assistant Magistrate, had sent someone to report a massacre in Guanglu Ward...

This startled him so much that he almost jumped up, nearly dropping the teacup in his hand.

Whether it was Liu Shuyi personally sending someone to report the case, or the meaning behind the words "family annihilation tragedy," both greatly alarmed him.

Without a second thought, he rushed over with his men.

So much so that it is still unclear what exactly happened.

Wang Gui was one of Liu Shuyi's own people, so he didn't hide anything from Wang Gui and simply told him about Changsun Chong's disappearance and how he found this place.

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui's face turned deathly pale.

"The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices disappeared in the Guanglu Ward..."

"A family was also massacred in Guanglu Ward..."

"And Guanglu Ward was under the jurisdiction of the Chang'an County Government..."

"It's over..."

Wang Gui's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

As the county magistrate of Chang'an, his duties included not only investigating and solving cases, but also maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of the people.

As a result, in the area under his jurisdiction, the eldest son whom the powerful Changsun Wuji valued most went missing, and even more people were brutally murdered in the capital... If this matter cannot be resolved perfectly, not to mention his future, he might even lose his official robes!
What sins did he commit in his past life?
Any one of these events would have been enough to destroy him, but two of them happened at the same time.

He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master Liu, save me!"

If the occasion hadn't been so inappropriate, he would have clung to Liu Shuyi's leg, tears streaming down his face, and begged Liu Shuyi for help.

To survive this ordeal, solving the case and safely rescuing Changsun Chong are both indispensable.

He will not have a good ending if he fails to do anything well.

Looking across the entire city of Chang'an, the only person who could possibly help him was Liu Shuyi.

Seeing Wang Gui's face turn from rosy to deathly pale, and seeing his pitiful eyes that seemed to be clinging to him like a lifeline, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but smile.

"Given the relationship between Magistrate Wang and me, why would he need to ask me for help? Now that I've encountered him, how could I not help Magistrate Wang?"

Wang Gui's eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically.

He never felt fortunate about his decision to side with Liu Shuyi.

If he hadn't been on good terms with Liu Shuyi and hadn't firmly supported him, he might really be in despair now.

"Who is this murderer? How dare he be so audacious as to wipe out an entire family right under the nose of the capital!" With Liu Shuyi's help, Wang Gui's confidence increased, and he spoke through gritted teeth to the murderer who had almost driven him to despair.

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "There are no clues yet. I'm waiting for Miss Du to come and examine the body."

Upon hearing that Du Ying was coming to perform an autopsy, Wang Gui felt even more confident. A brilliant detective who could solve cases like a god, and the best female coroner in the world—their combined skills would surely solve the case!

Liu Shuyi, of course, had no idea what Wang Gui was thinking. He looked at Wang Gui and asked, "Does County Commandant Wang know whose residence this is? Does he know the identity of the deceased?"

"This humble official has brought the household registration list of Guanglu Ward..."

Wang Gui was experienced, and before setting off, he specially retrieved the household registration list from the government office.

He opened the household registration book and searched for the addresses.

"found it……"

Looking at the records in the household register, he exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually the residence of Lin Jiangqing, the former Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

"Former Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?"

Liu Shuyi raised his eyes and looked at the corpse kneeling in front of the low stool in the room, and said, "Him?"

Wang Gui nodded: "Lin Jiangqing was originally an official of the former Sui Dynasty. Later, he surrendered to the imperial court. In the fourth year of Wude, he was appointed as an assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. In the seventh year of Wude, he resigned from the position of assistant minister due to his advanced age."

Liu Shuyi nodded, then looked at the other corpses and asked, "Were the others his family members?"

Wang Gui looked at the household registration book and said, "The household registration book records that his wife died early and he did not remarry. He had a son, who married a woman surnamed Song and later had a daughter. His daughter then married a man named Zhang Shu who moved into her family home."

"Five people..."

Liu Shuyi asked, "Is there no one else?"

"No." Wang Gui shook his head.

“But there are six corpses in front of us…” Liu Shuyi’s eyes flickered slightly.

Wang Gui couldn't help but ask, "Could there be an accomplice of the murderer who died here?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng and the others couldn't help but form the same judgment.

Liu Shuyi didn't rush to conclusions, but instead asked, "Aren't there any servants in Lin Jiangqing's house? Only the five of them, the masters?"

Wang Gui shook his head: "I don't know, there's no record of that in the household registration book."

"Send someone to investigate the area. We need to determine whether the sixth corpse belongs to someone from Lin Jiangqing's residence."

"In addition, we also asked people in the neighborhood who know the Lin family to come and identify the corpses to confirm whether these corpses are really all members of the Lin family."

Wang Gui nodded quickly, then turned around and ordered the yamen runners to carry it out.

"besides……"

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "No children? I see that Lin Jiangqing's granddaughter and grandson-in-law are both over twenty years old. They have been married for many years and have no children?"

According to the current marriage age in the Tang Dynasty, girls could get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen... For example, Princess Changle, whom Li Shimin loved, married Changsun Chong at the age of twelve or thirteen.

It is extremely rare for someone like him to be nearly twenty years old and still unmarried.

The reason he acted this way was because his family had fallen on hard times, and coupled with their status as the sons of disgraced officials, women from slightly better families were unwilling to consider the Liu family.

But the Lin family is different. Since Lin Jiangqing has taken in a son-in-law who will live with the family, he must be considering the issue of offspring.

Wang Gui shook his head: "There should be no offspring. There is no information about offspring registered in the household registration, nor is there any information about offspring dying young."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly, wondering to himself, "Is it infertility?"
If this disease had occurred in ancient times, it seems there would have been no way to treat it.

Lin Jiangqing's granddaughter married a man who moved into her family home. If she couldn't have children, she wouldn't be able to take concubines or find mistresses like men.

At least it can't be done so obviously in public.

"Miss Du has arrived..."

While he was deep in thought, Zhao Feng's voice suddenly rang out.

Liu Shuyi quickly turned his head to look.

Then Du Ying, dressed in a long blue dress and a red cloak, carrying a black wooden box, entered the courtyard.

Her skin was already fair and smooth, like solidified cream. Now, with the light blue dress and red cloak, her skin appeared even more delicate and she was absolutely stunning.

She had a cool and aloof demeanor, and was indifferent to everyone. But the moment her gaze fell upon Liu Shuyi, her cold, icy eyes seemed to melt away as if they had encountered warm sunshine.

Liu Shuyi thought Du Ying looked exceptionally beautiful today, but he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or if Du Ying had actually dressed up.

He quickly stepped forward and said, "Miss Du, I'm troubling you again."

Du Ying glanced at him and said, "Next time, Mr. Liu, you could try to say something different..."

"Hahaha……"

Liu Shuyi never expected to be disliked by the aloof forensic doctor. The case was urgent, and he didn't joke with Du Ying as usual.

He said, "There are six bodies in total. I need to determine their cause of death and time of death as soon as possible."

Currently, everything regarding the relationship between Changsun Chong and the murderer is still speculation. He needs to verify this by comparing the time of the crime with the time Changsun Chong arrived here before he can finally determine whether his speculation is accurate.

Du Ying and he had long since developed a tacit understanding that far surpassed that of others.

Upon hearing this, he immediately understood Liu Shuyi's meaning.

"give it to me."

After saying that, she took off her fur-lined cloak, casually placed it aside, and then carried the wooden box into the room.

Seeing Du Ying busy herself, Liu Shuyi thought for a moment, then looked at the other rooms in the courtyard and said, "Let's look for clues too. We need to find out why the murderer killed the whole family..."

…………

P.S.: I just discovered that I've received the badge for updating 10,000 words in ten days. Before I knew it, I'd already written almost 290,000 words this month.

It's the end of the month, and the monthly passes are about to expire. If you have any monthly passes, please vote for this book and see if we can reach 2,000 views. Thank you all for your support!

(End of this chapter)