The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 80: Changsun Chong's Invitation – The Opportunity to Achieve Our Goal!
The Zhiyefang and Guanglufang are adjacent to each other.

Leaving from the south gate of Guanglu Ward and crossing the street, you will reach the north gate of Zhiye Ward.

At this moment, inside the colony.

Liu Shuyi and his companions were riding their horses toward Chunxiang Pavilion near the North Gate.

Looking at the familiar street scenes they had seen on their way from Guanglu Ward to Da'an Ward, Wang Gui couldn't help but say, "They are really too cunning. They actually hid the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in such a nearby place, even though we had to cross most of Chang'an City."

"If we had known that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was hidden in the industrial workshop, we would have rescued him long ago."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "The most dangerous place is the safest place. Who would have thought that their elaborate kidnapping of Changsun Sicheng would end up being placed near the place where he disappeared?"

Not to mention Wang Gui, even he himself overlooked this point.

But it's not entirely his fault, since he followed the clues and searched for Da'anfang step by step, and Da'anfang did indeed have a stronghold of thieves.

The thieves even prepared a fake Changsun Chong there.

If he hadn't seen through the imposter's true colors and hadn't had so many backup plans, the outcome would have been hard to say.

"you say……"

Du Gou suddenly spoke up: "Jia Ping and his men went to great lengths to kidnap the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, resulting in the massacre of the Lin family and the exposure of such a secret stronghold... Isn't that a bit too much of a fuss?"

"After all, their accomplice is Jia Ping. As the steward, he is trusted by the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Logically speaking, he has many opportunities to kidnap the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. There is no need for him to waste such a secretive and profitable base, right?"

Upon hearing Du Gou's words, Wang Gui, Zhao Feng, and the others, who had just been expressing their feelings, also turned their attention to him.

Indeed, they also felt the cost was too high.

But Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "You're overthinking it."

"What?" The group was taken aback.

"Although what we see is that they did these things in order to kidnap the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, it does not mean that they were really doing the same thing."

Zhao Feng and the others still frowned, not understanding.

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "You can treat the kidnapping of Changsun Temple Assistant as two unrelated things, along with the extermination of the Lin family and the destruction of their stronghold. If you do that, you will understand."

"Treat these as two separate things..."

Du Gou frowned and pondered, then said, "You mean... they didn't exterminate the Lin family and expose their stronghold because they wanted to kidnap the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy... but rather they originally intended to destroy the Lin family and abandon their stronghold, and it just so happened that they also wanted to kidnap the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, so they combined their efforts to act together?"

"Du Sicheng is wise!"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "When I was investigating the Lin family's extermination case, I mentioned three reasons why the Lin family was wiped out."

"At the time, I wasn't sure which one it was, but now I should be able to."

He looked at Du Gou and the others: "As you said, contributing such a secret and lucrative stronghold comes at too high a price. Even if Jia Ping and his group have a wealth of resources, they would not waste it like this."

"So, it must be because of some reason, such as problems with the business chain, or that they have made enough money and do not want to continue taking risks... In short, they want to give up the human trafficking business."

"As a partner who provided the manpower, the Lin family knew too many of their secrets. Therefore, they first eliminated the Lin family, and then took the opportunity to kidnap the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, thus combining the two into one. They then used the stronghold that they were already preparing to abandon to stage a trick in front of us."

"Of course, they are not planning to give up this stronghold immediately, so they are still trying to hide the secrets of the Lin family and mislead us with the reason of money... If we cannot crack their secrets, then we will stop at the Lin family directly."

"In that case, their stronghold should have been able to hold out for a while longer, but when we went to find them, they took advantage of the situation and turned the tables on us."

Du Gou and the others pondered for a moment, recalling the entire process of their investigation into the case, and then nodded.

“That makes sense,” Wang Gui said.

Liu Shuyi smiled, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Jia Ping, who was being closely watched by the yamen runners behind him. He narrowed his eyes and said, "More than that, I'm curious about why they kidnapped the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. All that elaborate planning and scheming, just to get the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices out of Chang'an smoothly? Where do they want to take him?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Du Gou and the others also showed signs of contemplation.

Du Gou said, "There's another point. As the steward of the Changsun residence, Jia Ping has served Minister Changsun for more than ten years. Did he enter the Changsun residence with ulterior motives from the beginning, or was he later bribed by someone?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head; this secret was known only to Jia Ping.

But Jia Ping probably won't speak up easily.

But that doesn't matter. For him, as long as he can rescue Changsun Chong, he will have completed his mission.

As for how to get Jia Ping to talk, that's up to Changsun Wuji.

"Here we are."

At that moment, Cheng Chumo's voice suddenly rang out.

Liu Shuyi and the others instinctively tightened the reins and looked up.

They stopped in front of a two-story pavilion. A spring breeze blew, and a strong scent of rouge wafted over them.

"Chunxiang Pavilion".

Looking at the words on the plaque, Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes.

Du Gou said, "Chunxiang Pavilion is a relatively famous brothel in Chang'an. The women there are proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and their talents are no less than those of men."

"The pavilion before us is merely the initial entrance for our guests. Behind the pavilion are many small courtyards, each with a refined name, all of which are the residences of these women."

"If you want to enter, you must first pay an entrance fee. After that, you have to write poems or paint according to their requirements. If they are satisfied, you can have a private conversation with them. If they are not satisfied, you can only accompany them for a few drinks, and that will be the end of it."

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow and said, "Compared to Miaoyinfang, it is indeed much more high-end."

"Since you seem to know so much about this, Vice Minister Du..." he said with a smile, "Could it be that Vice Minister Du has been here before?"

Du Gou quickly glanced at his sister, and seeing that Du Ying wasn't paying attention to him, he lowered his voice and said, "Just twice."

twice?

At once?
What about those who didn't even come this time?
Liu Shuyi shook his head and asked, "What's this about the red clay?"

Du Gou said, "The red clay was specially dug up from elsewhere; it's only found in the courtesan's courtyard."

"Oiran?"

Du Gou nodded: "The top courtesan of Chunxiang Pavilion is named Xinru. Not only is she beautiful, but she also has an extraordinary temperament. In just one year, she became the top courtesan of Chunxiang Pavilion."

"Her courtyard was decorated very elegantly, without a trace of the vulgarity of a brothel."

"She paved the red soil into a road, which was named the 'Broad and Prosperous Road,' implying that anyone who walks on it will have a bright future and great success."

Leaving aside his specific skills in serving people, his ability to create hype, package, and generate buzz is unparalleled.

Based on that "broad and wide road," Liu Shuyi felt that her little courtyard would never lack people.

After all, who doesn't want a bright future? And who doesn't want to wear the bright red and purple official robes that represent the highest status of a subject?

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin and said, "Having a separate courtyard and the ability to decide whether to entertain guests creates the conditions for hiding Changsun Sicheng without being discovered."

After thinking for a moment, he said to Zhao Feng, "Zhao Lingshi, go and ask whether the courtesan opened her doors to guests as usual last night, or closed them to guests?"

Zhao Feng understood Liu Shuyi's meaning, and immediately dismounted and entered Chunxiang Pavilion.

He returned shortly afterward.

"How is it?" Du Gou asked.

Zhao Feng said, "They said Xinru was unwell yesterday and did not greet any guests."

"really!"

Upon hearing Zhao Feng's words, Wang Gui immediately looked at Liu Shuyi: "Master Liu!"

Liu Shuyi's gaze swept over Jia Ping, who was now pursing his lips and unconsciously clenching his hands. The tense state of his whole body revealed his inner thoughts perfectly.

Liu Shuyi knew that there would be no more surprises.

He turned his gaze away from the fragrant Chunxiang Pavilion and said, "Go."

"We must act quickly and not give Xinru the chance to take Changsun Temple Assistant hostage. I don't want to experience what happened in the theater again."

Having suffered two losses, Wang Gui naturally didn't want to suffer a third.

He nodded emphatically: "Rest assured, Assistant Minister Liu, I will definitely bring the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices out safe and sound!"

After saying that, he turned around and led the constables into Chunxiang Pavilion.

Liu Shuyi remained mounted on his horse, his fingers gently tapping the reins, his expression calm and his patience plentiful.

However, Zhao Feng and the others did not have his composure. They kept glancing at the entrance of Chunxiang Pavilion, their faces showing both tension and anticipation.

And so, about fifteen minutes passed.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from inside Chunxiang Pavilion.

Zhao Feng and the others quickly looked over.

Then they saw Wang Gui carrying a figure as he walked out of Chunxiang Pavilion.

"That is……"

They looked at the person behind Wang Gui, who was not yet twenty years old, wearing a white undershirt, his turban was missing, his hair was disheveled, and he had a handsome face.

At this moment, his eyes were closed and his hands hung limply at his sides, it was unclear whether he had fainted or not.

"Master Liu..."

Wang Gui approached Liu Shuyi and quickly said, "We searched the entire courtesan's courtyard and finally found the Imperial Censor Changsun in the wardrobe in the side hall, but the Imperial Censor Changsun..."

He turned to look at the face resting on his shoulder, eyes closed, and said, "I can't wake her up no matter what I do. I don't know what happened."

Upon hearing Wang Gui's words, Liu Shuyi immediately looked at Du Ying: "Miss Du."

"give it to me."

Du Ying nodded slightly to Liu Shuyi and, without any hesitation, dismounted.

"Put him down," Du Ying said to Wang Gui.

Wang Gui quickly and carefully placed Changsun Chong on the ground.

Du Ying first pried open Changsun Chong's eyelids, looked at his eyes, and then reached out to take his pulse...

After the examination, she stood up.

"How is it?" everyone asked anxiously.

After going through countless hardships, they finally found Changsun Chong. Now, their biggest fear is that something might happen to Changsun Chong.

If that happens, it would be tantamount to all our efforts going to waste, and no one could accept such a blow.

"rest assured."

Du Ying was more talkative when she was with Liu Shuyi, but she was aloof and taciturn when she was with others: "She has been drugged and will wake up in a few hours."

Hearing Du Ying say this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Gui looked like he had just escaped a disaster, repeatedly patting his chest: "Thank goodness! The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is alright, and I've kept my position."

The guards at the Changsun residence were also filled with relief.

They were sent out, and if they failed to complete the mission, one can imagine the severe punishment they would face upon their return.

It can be said that the fact that Changsun Chong was found safe and sound is the best news for everyone.

Except for… Jia Ping!
Liu Shuyi looked at Jia Ping, whose face was extremely ugly, and laughed, "Steward Jia, are you still going to say that I have no evidence and continue to make excuses?"

Jia Ping gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment and venom: "Liu Shuyi, stop being so arrogant!"

"Oh? Is this an open admission?" Liu Shuyi said with a smile.

Jia Ping turned his head away immediately, not wanting to see Liu Shuyi's smug smile anymore.

Changsun Chong is only unconscious, not dead.

In just a few hours, when the drug's effects wear off and Changsun Chong awakens, all his secrets will be exposed. What excuses will he have left?
That would only make Liu Shuyi laugh at it, and would be meaningless.

When Liu Shuyi saw that Jia Ping refused to look at him anymore, he knew that Jia Ping had been provoked into breaking down.

But thinking about it, it's obvious that if they hadn't encountered him today, Jia Ping's plan would have succeeded.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.

"All right."

Liu Shuyi clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

He said, "Now that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has been found, my mission is complete."

He looked at the guards of the Changsun residence and said, "Next, I would like to trouble you all to take Changsun, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, back to the Changsun residence and settle him in properly. Once Changsun has recovered, I will pay him a visit."

The guards had no objections upon hearing this.

In their eyes, Liu Shuyi was practically a god reincarnated. His terrifying wisdom and crime-solving abilities inspired their heartfelt admiration and even fear.

So they nodded without any hesitation.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "As for Jia Ping, as the steward of the Changsun residence, he committed such a heinous act. I believe Minister Changsun will want to question him about why he betrayed his master. Therefore, Jia Ping is also entrusted to you. Please convey my message to Minister Changsun, saying that Jia Ping is a member of the Changsun family, and the Vice Minister Changsun is also a member of the Changsun family. This matter is a private matter of the Changsun family, so Minister Changsun can decide how to deal with Jia Ping."

Changsun Wuji's status and position are too special. If one can befriend him, it will be of great help in expanding one's network of influence.

A good deed done now may have unimaginable benefits in the future.

Therefore, Liu Shuyi did Changsun Wuji a favor.

After all, whether this case is a private matter or a public matter is entirely up to the investigating official.

As the steward of the Changsun residence, Jia Ping had been with the Changsun family for over a decade and was likely to know many of their secrets. If he were to be arrested and interrogated, he might reveal some extremely terrifying information.

This is definitely not what Changsun Wuji wanted to see.

Similarly, this was not something he wanted to see. He didn't want to inadvertently learn some secrets that had nothing to do with him and thus incur the wrath of an enemy like Changsun Wuji.

His situation is already difficult enough; there's no need to manually increase the difficulty.

Although the guards didn't think as much as Liu Shuyi, they knew that this was what the master wanted, so they respected Liu Shuyi even more and nodded emphatically again.

"so be it."

Liu Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting: "Minister Changsun must be very worried about Vice Minister Changsun. You should go quickly."

"Yes!"

The guards bowed to Liu Shuyi, then carried Changsun Chong on their backs, tied up Jia Ping, and quickly left.

Watching their departing figures, Liu Shuyi let out a soft breath.

With the mission accomplished, I finally relaxed completely.

He turned his gaze to Du Gou and the others, and said with a smile, "I've been saying I'd host a banquet for you all, but there's no time like the present, so how about it now?"

Upon hearing about the delicious food, the cold and aloof forensic doctor's eyes immediately lit up.

The scene of having dinner with Liu Shuyi last night is still vivid in Du Ying's mind. In her eyes, Liu Shuyi has been labeled as someone who knows how to eat a lot.

Therefore, she subconsciously looked forward to Liu Shuyi's banquet.

Du Gou originally said he was going back to the Dali Temple to report, but seeing his sister's expectant expression, he paused for a moment, then his gaze softened, and he said, "Alright, then I will respectfully comply."

Since Du Gou had already agreed, how could Wang Gui refuse?

"Haha." Wang Gui laughed loudly, "I've been looking forward to this meal for a long time. To be honest, I didn't eat breakfast and I'm very hungry now. If I eat too much later, please don't feel bad for me."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "I now have the salary of a fifth-rank official, so I'm not going to be stingy with a meal. Everyone, eat and drink to your heart's content, and we won't leave until we're drunk."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Wang Gui realized that Liu Shuyi had already been granted a noble title, and his status was different from that of ordinary officials like them.

He couldn't help but feel emotional, recalling the first time he met Liu Shuyi. Liu Shuyi had just been promoted to Yuanwailang and was still being suppressed and ostracized by Qian Wenqing. He had worried that Liu Shuyi might not be able to hold onto his position.

Unexpectedly, in just a few days, Liu Shuyi had already become a county magistrate of the fifth rank.

Qian Wenqing could only look up to Liu Shuyi; he could no longer suppress or ostracize him.

He laughed and said, "Perfect, this meal can also be considered as our celebration of Liu Yuanwailang's conferment of a noble title."

Liu Shuyi smiled and nodded: "Please give us your instructions for what to do next, and then we'll set off."

"it is good!"

Wang Gui turned around and ordered the yamen runners to take away everyone from the courtesan's courtyard, and also ordered the yamen runners to guard the Chunxiang Pavilion.

Next, the county government will investigate all the people in Chunxiang Pavilion. Those with problems will be imprisoned, and those without problems will be released.

As for whether Chunxiang Pavilion can continue to operate, that depends on its luck.

After they finished explaining their situation, they went to the restaurant that Liu Shuyi often frequented with his brother, led by Liu Shuyi.

The meal took almost two hours to finish.

The host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.

Everyone was drunk.

At last……

Wang Gui had to lean on the wall to walk, while Du Gou was forced to walk by servants at Du Ying's behest.

Liu Shuyi was the most comfortable; he was carried back to the Liu residence by Cheng Chumo.

…………

The next day, early in the morning.

Liu Shuyi rubbed his aching forehead from the hangover, recalling what had happened last night, and couldn't help but sigh.

"How embarrassing!"

He had a high alcohol tolerance in his past life, but who would have thought he would be so bad at drinking in this life?

After having a few drinks with Cheng Chumo and the others, he started to feel dizzy.

Towards the end, he was completely asleep.

Before the meal, he boasted that he would drink everyone under the table.

As a result, everyone else was able to walk out on two legs, but he was carried back while completely unconscious.

crunch--

At that moment, the door was opened.

A pretty girl named Wan'er walked in carrying a tray.

Upon seeing Liu Shuyi wake up, she quickly went to his side and asked, "Young Master, how are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"

Looking at the marks on the blankets along the edge of the bed and the bloodshot eyes in Wan'er's eyes, Liu Shuyi knew that Wan'er must have taken care of him all night.

He sat up and shook his head: "I'm fine now, Wan'er. You've worked so hard, I'm sorry you didn't get much rest all night."

"Taking care of the young master won't be hard work at all."

Wan'er shook her head lightly, her whole demeanor exuding a lively energy.

She turned around, picked up the bowl on the tray, and handed it to Liu Shuyi, saying, "This is a hangover soup I made. Young Master rarely drinks alcohol, so drinking so much must be giving you a headache. Please drink it, and your headache will be gone."

Liu Shuyi was surprised that Wan'er knew about his current situation. He smiled at Wan'er's expectant face, took the bowl, tilted his head back, and drank the strangely flavored hangover soup in one gulp.

Seeing Liu Shuyi drink the hangover soup she had personally prepared without hesitation, Wan'er's already bright eyes shone even brighter.

Liu Shuyi handed the bowl to Wan'er and said, "I'm fine now. You should go and rest. You're not allowed to do anything today except sleep."

Seeing that Liu Shuyi cared about her, Wan'er smiled happily and said, "I know, don't worry, young master, I will listen to you the most."

After saying that, she picked up the tray and walked outside.

But before she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something, paused, and said, "Young Master, someone just knocked on the door, saying he was a servant of the Du family, sent by Miss to bring you some hangover medicine..."

As she spoke, she turned back to the bedside, took out a pure white porcelain bottle from her bosom, and placed it on the bedside table.

Then, her dark, bright eyes stared unblinkingly at Liu Shuyi, and she said, "Young Master, who is this Miss Du? Why did she bring you hangover medicine? Did you have dinner with her last night and get so drunk that you had a headache all night?"

Liu Shuyi's eyelids suddenly twitched.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he sensed a hint of danger at that moment.

But the danger wasn't coming towards him.

Instead... it was Du Ying.

He couldn't help but raise his head and look at Wan'er.

Wan'er remained smiling and showed no sign of aggression.

And that sense of danger vanished without a trace, never to be felt again.

Is it my imagination? Am I feeling something wrong?

still is……

Liu Shuyi's mind was racing, but he didn't show it on his face. He casually said, "Miss Du is the daughter of Minister Du. She has been studying medicine since she was a child. Last night, when I hosted a banquet for Minister Du and General Cheng, Miss Du was also there, so I invited her as well."

"She knew I drank the most and had to be carried back, so she probably brought the medicine over because she was worried I would feel unwell."

Wan'er blinked and suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. Miss Du is so kind to the young master, we should reciprocate."

"Look at me."

She tapped her head: "I completely forgot to prepare a return gift. If Miss Du sends someone to deliver things to the young master again in the future, I will definitely prepare a return gift."

"There's no future. I didn't know my alcohol tolerance before, but now that I do, I won't drink so much anymore."

Liu Shuyi waved his hand and said, "Alright, go and rest. I have to go to my shift soon too."

Wan'er chuckled, "Okay, I'll go rest now. I've already prepared breakfast, young master, you can go and eat now."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Go ahead."

Wan'er then left lightly.

As Wan'er left, the door closed again, and Liu Shuyi's eyes narrowed at that moment.

He was still thinking about something... Was it just a coincidence that Mo Xiaofan gave him copper coins?
If not, why would he help himself?

Who ordered him to do it?
and also……

Wan'er, what is her true identity...?

dong dong dong.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

Liu Shuyi was stunned for a moment. Wan'er is back again?

Did I fail to fool you just now?
Then he heard Uncle Chang's voice: "Young Master, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has sent an invitation, inviting you to the Changsun residence for a chat."

Has Changsun Chong woken up?
Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat.

He took the initiative to invite me and even handed me an invitation, which shows that he values ​​me very much.

Does he already know that he was the one who saved him?
Is that...

Liu Shuyi's eyes gleamed... Could he take this opportunity to obtain the ancient book "Lianshan"?
　That's all for today's 6,000 words. I'll be traveling for the next couple of days, so there will be fewer updates.

　　
　
(This chapter)