The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 83 The Changsun Family's Gratitude, Liu Shuyi's Night Battle at Dali Temple!
Following Changsun Chong, Liu Shuyi arrived at Changsun Chong's study.

crunch--

As the door was pushed open, the light from the lanterns dispelled the darkness in the room, and Liu Shuyi saw for the first time what a study of a wealthy and noble family looked like.

Changsun Chong's study was extremely large, at least a hundred square meters.

Standing at the entrance and looking inside, one could see rows of pear wood bookshelves arranged in a row. The four bookshelves closest to the entrance, with six shelves, were filled with all kinds of writing implements. Liu Shuyi estimated that even the shops in the West Market might not have as complete a selection of the Four Treasures of the Study as this place.

Apart from that, the rest of the bookshelves were filled with books.

The countless bookshelves, densely packed with books, and each shelf with a wooden board detailing the types of books, gave Liu Shuyi the illusion that he had entered a library rather than a study.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Liu, I'll go find the book..."

Changsun Chong was already quite drunk, and he was walking unsteadily.

He carried a lantern, occasionally bumping it against the bookshelf, making Liu Shuyi's eyelids twitch, fearing that Changsun Chong might accidentally knock the lantern over, ignite the candles on the books, and burn down the study that resembled a library.

He quickly caught up with Changsun Chong, took the lantern, and said, "I'll help Changsun Sicheng search."

Although Changsun Chong was drunk, his mind was still clear. He laughed and said, "Brother Liu, are you afraid I'll burn down the study? Don't worry, if it burns down, so be it. We can just build another one. I won't care."

Liu Shuyi: "..."

Should we say Changsun Chong is carefree and easygoing, or should we criticize him for being a wealthy but cunning man...?

Liu Shuyi didn't bother to talk to the drunkard any longer, so he simply took Changsun Chong's hand and led him inside.

Seeing this, Changsun Chong glanced at Liu Shuyi with his drunken eyes and suddenly said, "Do you know why Jia Ping kidnapped me?"

Liu Shuyi was genuinely curious: "Why?"

A cold glint flashed across Changsun Chong's face, and his voice unconsciously turned colder: "He's going to send me to Shuofang County."

"Shuofang Prefecture?"

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed suddenly, and he instantly understood Jia Ping's intention. He said, "Jia Ping is Liang Shidu's man!?"

Liang Shidu established a separatist regime in the north, and Shuofang County was his main base.

Therefore, Jia Ping went to great lengths to send Changsun Chong to Shuofang County, clearly for Liang Shidu's sake.

It wasn't him who wanted to kidnap Changsun Chong, but Liang Shiyi who wanted to kidnap Changsun Chong.

And Liang Shidu's purpose in kidnapping Changsun Chong...

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered, probably... to threaten Changsun Wuji.

The Turks had already sensed the crisis brought by the Tang Dynasty, and Liang Shidu could not possibly be unaware that the Tang Dynasty was preparing to send troops against him.

In this situation, Liang Shidu would do anything to delay the Tang Dynasty's dispatch of troops in order to buy himself a chance.

As Changsun Wuji's eldest son and most beloved son, if Liang Shidu threatened Changsun Wuji with Changsun Chong's life to persuade Changsun Wuji to persuade Li Shimin to buy time, what would Changsun Wuji do?
Will he prioritize righteousness over family ties? Or will he be forced to accept Liang Shidu's threats for the sake of his most beloved son?

In either case, a rift was bound to appear in the relationship between Changsun Wuji and Li Shimin.

After all, putting righteousness before family means sacrificing one's most beloved son for Li Shimin's sake. Did Changsun Wuji really have no resentment at all? Did Li Shimin really have no doubts at all?
If he were to delay Liang Shidu for the sake of his son, he would be giving Liang Shidu a handle to use against him. Once Liang Shidu made the matter public, how could Li Shimin let Changsun Wuji off the hook?
It can be said that as long as Changsun Chong is brought to Shuofang County, whatever choice Changsun Wuji makes will cause a shock in the court.

Perhaps it can really buy some time.

Jia Ping followed Changsun Wuji for more than ten years, but ended up working for Liang Shidu. Could it be that Liang Shidu had started his scheme so early?

Liu Shuyi voiced his doubts.

Changsun Chong shrugged and shook his head, saying, "Jia Ping is very tough. He was interrogated by Father for a day and a night, but he didn't say a single useful word. So it's still unclear whether he came to my Changsun family with ill intentions from the beginning or was later bribed."

Liu Shuyi nodded, not surprised at all.

He had clashed with Jia Ping before, so he had some understanding of him.

He thought for a moment and said, "If Jia Ping is Liang Shidu's man, then this human trafficking business is probably also controlled by Liang Shidu behind the scenes. It can not only bring him a continuous stream of money, but also gather intelligence on the Tang Dynasty and know what is happening in Chang'an."

"And those who went there to buy slaves were all either rich or noble..."

Liu Shuyi frowned and said in a deep voice, "If Master Liang uses this to threaten and control them, it may cause us considerable trouble."

"Liu Yuanwailang is indeed quick-witted; he immediately grasped the key point."

Changsun Chong smiled and said, "Father has already met with the magistrate of Chang'an County. He will personally urge the Chang'an County government to investigate the case of human trafficking, find out who is involved in human trafficking, and bring them under control one by one, so as to prevent Liang Shidu from manipulating them behind the scenes and stirring up trouble."

Seeing that Changsun Wuji had already made arrangements, Liu Shuyi felt relieved.

When two countries are at war, spies are the first to act.

He thought that he would confront the Turkic spies because he had discovered them first, but he never expected that he would actually have a confrontation with Liang Shidu's spies without even realizing it, and even ruin a conspiracy that the other side's spies had been planning for who knows how long.

Thinking about this, he suddenly realized something.

Why would Jia Ping and his men abandon that stronghold, and even the entire human trafficking business? Perhaps Liang Shidu knew that the Tang Dynasty was about to send troops against him, and he knew that if he lost this battle, he would surely die.

Therefore, in preparation for the final battle, he no longer planned to proceed slowly.

The spies continued to remain hidden and continue to make money for him, but this could no longer solve his immediate crisis.

Therefore, he needed to gather spies and change his plans.

So, where did the men in red go after abandoning that stronghold? And what task did Liang Shidu assign them?
Are there any accomplices of theirs still in Chang'an?

As the saying goes, a cornered dog will jump over the wall. Master Liang is already feeling the pressure of impending doom. Under these circumstances, will he do everything in his power for one last desperate gamble?
Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered, and thoughts kept surfacing in his mind.

He looked at Changsun Chong and voiced his guess.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Chong, who was initially tipsy, suddenly stopped searching through the bookshelf.

He suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi, his eyes filled with surprise and a rare solemnity.

“Master Liu is truly farsighted; Father and I both overlooked this point.”

His dark brown eyes darted around as he said, "You're right. Liang Shidu is already in dire straits. As long as we resolve the internal troubles caused by the former Xi Wang's troops, the next step will be to send troops against him. He will definitely not sit idly by and wait for his death."

"He even abandoned such a deeply hidden business chain, there must be some other bigger conspiracy."

"No! I must remind Father that this matter must be taken more seriously."

Since Jia Ping was one of Liang Shidu's important spies, and Jia Ping had been in the Changsun family for more than ten years, this matter was already inextricably linked to the Changsun family, whether they liked it or not.

Only by resolving this matter personally can the Changsun family avoid future troubles.

Changsun Chong took a deep breath. Although he was still swaying from the alcohol, he tried his best to stand up straight. Then he formally cupped his hands to Liu Shuyi and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Liu Yuanwailang. If it weren't for you, if Liang Shidu's conspiracy had really succeeded, not to mention what would have happened to the Tang Dynasty, my Changsun family would probably have faced a great disaster!"

Liu Shuyi never expected that the carefree and unrestrained Changsun Chong could have such a serious and earnest moment.

He smiled and helped Changsun Chong up, saying, "Changsun, there's no need for that. We're colleagues... Today, Changsun has treated me so warmly, treating me like a close friend. So, both publicly and privately, since I've sensed a potential danger, I should inform you."

Changsun Chong nodded emphatically.

The look in his eyes as he looked at Liu Shuyi became even more serious and attentive.

There are few people in this world who catch his eye, and even fewer whom he is willing to spend time and energy befriending.

He prefers a simple and direct exchange of benefits to wasting time cultivating relationships.

But he was willing to spend time and energy on Liu Shuyi.

This was the first person he genuinely wanted to befriend and become a close friend with.

Changsun Chong took a deep breath, and without further delay, sped up his search for books.

At that moment, his eyes lit up: "Found it!"

As he spoke, he took out a yellowed book with a somewhat tattered cover from a pile of ancient books.

“Liu Yuanwailang, this is the book ‘Lianshan’ that Lu Yangyuan and the others gave me. He has now followed you and has a bright future. He doesn’t need my help anymore. Please return it to him for me.”

Liu Shuyi took the books.

Looking down, one can see two large ancient seal characters, "Lianshan," on the yellowed cover.

Apart from that, there is nothing else on the cover, neither an image nor the author's signature.

He opened the book "Lianshan" and found that it contained divination techniques that he could not understand. The text was obscure and difficult to comprehend, and it was extremely profound.

Seeing Liu Shuyi frown, Changsun Chong said, "This book should have been copied by a scholar from the Wei and Jin Dynasties, so it doesn't look like a normal book with a signature or other content."

"As for the divination techniques described in it, they are indeed profound and difficult to understand. I tried to comprehend them, but there are still many parts that I don't understand."

"If you are interested, Mr. Liu, you can go to the Ministry of Rites and find a colleague who is proficient in divination. Perhaps they can help you understand this book better."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "What Changsun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, said makes sense."

It was not convenient to search for the secrets of "Lianshan" here, so Liu Shuyi did not look through it much, lest Changsun Chong suspect his intentions.

He carefully placed the book "Lianshan" in his bosom, then cupped his hands and said, "Vice Minister Changsun, it's getting late, so I won't bother you any longer. Another day, I will host a banquet for you, and we will continue to drink until we drop."

…………

Outside the eldest grandson's residence.

Liu Shuyi mounted his horse and said, "I am very grateful for the hospitality of Vice Minister Changsun today. I am very happy to have met you."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Chong laughed heartily and said, "Then send me the invitation as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to Liu Yuanwailang's banquet."

Liu Shuyi laughed heartily.

Changsun Chong really didn't hold back with him, but he actually liked that kind of personality.

He smiled and said, "Definitely."

Having said that, he knew that Changsun Chong was not the type to dawdle and disliked wasting time, so he said no more. After bowing to Changsun Chong, he spurred his horse and rode away.

Changsun Chong stood there, watching Liu Shuyi until Liu Shuyi disappeared from sight before he looked away.

He turned to the gatekeeper and said, "Tell me, how could there be someone in this world like Master Liu who suits my taste so well?"

The doorman was taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Changsun Chong didn't expect his servants to understand his feelings at that moment.

He shook his head and turned to enter the mansion.

He wanted to see his father.

He wanted to tell his father how satisfied he was with Liu Shuyi, to let his father know that he also had a true friend he wanted to make.

He also wanted to tell his father, Liu Shuyi, about his earlier reminder, that since it concerned the future of the Changsun family, they all had to take the case of Jia Ping, this traitor, seriously.

…………

In the stillness of the night, the horses' hooves clattered on the stone pavement.

Liu Shuyi rushed out of the alley and arrived at the main street where the main gate of the Liu Mansion was located.

"Master Liu!"

Just then, before he even arrived at the Liu residence, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

Liu Shuyi looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure standing in the corner of the wall.

As the man walked out, bathed in moonlight, Liu Shuyi realized that the man was none other than Lu Yangyuan.

"Why are you here?"

Liu Shuyi looked at Lu Yangyuan with suspicion.

It wasn't that he thought Lu Yangyuan had ulterior motives towards him, but it was already late at night, and there wasn't a single pedestrian on the road. Yet Lu Yangyuan was hiding in the shadows of a corner of the wall, waiting on his way home... No matter how he thought about it, something just didn't feel right.

Lu Yangyuan was unaware of Liu Shuyi's wariness and suspicion towards him. He looked panicked and said directly, "Sir, something terrible has happened! Clerk Zhao has been arrested!"

brush!
Liu Shuyi's pupils dilated sharply, and all his muscles tensed instantly. He stared intently at Lu Yangyuan: "What's going on?"

Lu Yangyuan said, "I don't know the specifics of what happened either."

"Because Zhao Lingshi has been taking good care of me these past few days, I would like to host a banquet for him to express my gratitude."

"After finishing my shift, I invited Magistrate Zhao for drinks. After we finished eating, we walked back. Since the place where we ate was not far from Magistrate Zhao's residence, I thought I would give him a ride. However, we had just arrived at Magistrate Zhao's residence..."

He took a deep breath, looked at Liu Shuyi, and said, "Then many guards rushed out and arrested Zhao Lingshi."

"They said that Zhao Lingshi had killed someone and wanted to bring him to justice. Zhao Lingshi argued and struggled, saying that he had not killed anyone, but those people did not listen to Zhao Lingshi at all and took him away directly."

Zhao Feng killed someone!?

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered violently.

He understood Zhao Feng; Zhao Feng was kind-hearted and was gradually emerging from the shadows of the past, moving towards a better life. He was about to be promoted and truly become an official of the Tang Dynasty, the pillar of support for the Zhao family, who were now orphans and widows...

How could he possibly commit murder at this time?
Could it be... that Qian Wenqing attacked Zhao Feng?
Recalling the conflict between Qian Wenqing and Zhao Feng this morning, Liu Shuyi asked directly, "Was it Qian Wenqing who arrested Zhao Lingshi?"

Lu Yangyuan quickly shook his head: "No, it wasn't the Ministry of Justice, it was the Court of Judicial Review that arrested Zhao Lingshi."

"Dali Temple!?"

Liu Shuyi frowned.

His mind raced, and he asked, "Do you know what case the Dali Temple arrested him for?"

Lu Yangyuan shook his head: "I don't know, but I heard that it was a murder case involving a family of four who were officials of the imperial court."

A case involving a high-ranking official of the imperial court and the murder of a family of four!

Liu Shuyi's heart sank. Whether it was an official appointed by the imperial court or four lives, it meant that once the case was confirmed, Zhao Feng would definitely die.

He has too little information to determine whether Zhao Feng was accidentally involved in a murder case or if someone was deliberately making things difficult for him.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know where they took Zhao Feng?"

"It should be the Dali Temple prison."

Dali Temple Prison...

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes: "It seems necessary to make a trip to Dali Temple."

He then asked, "How long has he been taken away?"

Lu Yangyuan said, "It has been more than half an hour. When I saw that Zhao Lingshi had been taken away, I knew that only Liu Yuanwailang could save him, so I rushed to Liu’s residence as soon as possible. But I was told that Yuanwailang had gone to the Changsun residence for a banquet. So I thought I would go to the Changsun residence to find Yuanwailang."

"But unfortunately, curfew had already been imposed at that time, and the gates of the neighborhood were closed. My official status is too low, so I could not leave the neighborhood. I had no choice but to wait here for Assistant Minister Liu."

I see……

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly, finally understanding why Lu Yangyuan was hiding in the shadows in the corner.

Under the curfew, everyone is prohibited from going out.

I was able to return thanks to Changsun Chong's help, who gave me a token from the Changsun family so I could pass through the gate.

Lu Yangyuan, a low-ranking military officer with no real power, was indeed not qualified to pass through the city gate. Moreover, after curfew, the Imperial Guards would patrol Chang'an City, and anyone found wandering outside would be arrested.

Therefore, Lu Yangyuan could only hide temporarily to avoid being taken away by the Jinwu Guards instead of waiting for him.

Having understood the whole story, Liu Shuyi said directly, "Let's go, come with me to Dali Temple."

Since Zhao Feng has been taken to Dali Temple, only by going to Dali Temple can we find out exactly what happened.

Liu Shuyi reached out and pulled Lu Yangyuan onto the horse as well, and then spurred the horse toward the Dali Temple.

With the token from the Changsun family, he traveled without hindrance and soon arrived at the Dali Temple.

"He who comes is stopped!"

The guards protecting the Dali Temple saw Liu Shuyi and his companion galloping towards them and quickly stepped forward to stop them.

Liu Shuyi tightened the reins, dismounted, and said, "I am Liu Shuyi, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice."

"An Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice?"

"Detective?"

The guards were taken aback, then quickly bowed to Liu Shuyi and said, "Greetings, Assistant Minister Liu."

They might not recognize any other assistant ministers in the Ministry of Justice, but they had heard of Liu Shuyi, the brilliant detective who had recently risen to fame for his brilliant case-solving skills.

Therefore, they all treated Liu Shuyi with great respect.

Liu Shuyi nodded and got straight to the point, asking, "Has anyone been arrested and taken to the Dali Temple half an hour ago?"

The guards exchanged glances, not understanding Liu Shuyi's intentions, but still answered truthfully: "Yes, half an hour ago, Chief Qin arrested a criminal and imprisoned him."

"Director Qin?"

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes: "Qin Wuyang?"

"Yes."

It was him...

When Lu Yangyuan told him that Zhao Feng had been arrested by the Dali Temple, he wondered if it was Qin Wuyang, the Dali Sizhi, who was responsible.

After all, throughout the entire Dali Temple, he had only had contact with two people.

One was Du Gou, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, but Du Gou would never have arrested Zhao Feng behind his back.

The other person was Qin Wuyang, the Dali Sizhi, whose case file he had rejected this morning.

The fact that Qin Wuyang's initial review of the case file was rejected by himself would inevitably make him feel embarrassed. If he were a narrow-minded person and harbored hostility towards him, it would be entirely possible for him to take action against his confidants.

But no matter how dissatisfied he was with himself, he shouldn't have pinned such a serious crime on Zhao Feng.

This case, after all, involves a family of four officials of the imperial court. Such a major case will inevitably attract a lot of attention. Even though the Court of Judicial Review is primarily responsible, the subsequent review will still be conducted by the Ministry of Justice and supervised by the Censorate.

In such a situation, if the evidence is insufficient, not to mention whether the Censorate could discover it, the Ministry of Justice, where he was located, would certainly not agree.

At that point, the case will still need to be reopened for investigation, and Qin Wuyang will only lose even more face.

He's already learned his lesson once in this case; how could he afford to suffer the same fate a second time?

Furthermore, if there are problems with such cases, it's not just a simple matter of dismissing and reopening the case; he may also be punished and implicated as a result.

Therefore, Liu Shuyi did not believe that Qin Wuyang would act so impulsively, and at that time he had already ruled out that this was Qin Wuyang's revenge against him.

But to everyone's surprise, Qin Wuyang was indeed in charge of this case.

Is it a coincidence?

still is……

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered, and he said directly, "Please help me pass on a message, saying that I want to see Director Qin."

Regardless, since Qin Wuyang is in charge of the case, and Zhao Feng is now in Qin Wuyang's hands, he must meet with Qin Wuyang.

The guard dared not delay and quickly said, "Please wait a moment, Assistant Minister Liu."

After saying that, he turned around and ran quickly into the Dali Temple.

Lu Yangyuan paced back and forth impatiently, glancing at the Dali Temple government office every now and then. He walked around and around, looking at it again and again, and almost a quarter of an hour passed, but no one came out.

Lu Yangyuan couldn't help but ask, "Why haven't they come out yet? Is the Dali Temple that big? A quarter of an hour isn't even enough time to walk around it?"

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning somewhat cold.

Although he had never been to Dali Temple, his predecessor had.

Therefore, he knew very well how large the Dali Temple was.

At the speed at which the guard ran, he could easily make three round trips now.

However, the guards have not come out yet.

There is only one possibility...

Qin Wuyang is deliberately keeping me waiting!

The most troublesome situation has arisen.

Qin Wuyang was not a magnanimous person, and he was very dissatisfied with the fact that his case file had been rejected.

Therefore, regardless of whether Zhao Feng deliberately arrested him to get revenge, he would not easily cooperate with him.

Liu Shuyi frowned, feeling a wave of annoyance wash over him.

He is extremely protective of his own. He can tolerate others fighting against him because they dislike him, but he cannot tolerate others implicating his brothers who trust and follow him because of him.

"He's out! He's finally out!"

At this moment, Lu Yangyuan's voice rang out in surprise.

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw the guards who had just left walking quickly coming out of the yamen.

He looked unwell, and there was a red swelling on his forehead, as if he had encountered some accident in the short span of just over fifteen minutes.

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered.

Lu Yangyuan quickly asked, "Can we go in now?"

The guard hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, and dared not look Liu Shuyi in the eye. He bowed and said, "Reporting to Assistant Minister Liu, Chief Justice Qin is currently busy interrogating prisoners and has no time to receive guests."

"He instructed me to convey this message to Assistant Minister Liu..."

The guard paused, took a deep breath, and said, "He said that this case belongs to the Court of Judicial Review and has nothing to do with the Ministry of Justice. Moreover, the murderer in this case is too vicious, and His Majesty is very angry. He has ordered the Court of Judicial Review to bring the murderer to justice as soon as possible."

"Therefore, in order to ensure the case is solved smoothly, all information about the case will not be disclosed to irrelevant people. If you, Liu Yuanwailang, have come for Zhao Feng, please leave."

"In addition, he also asked me to advise Liu Yuanwailang not to get involved with the murderer. Otherwise, if Zhao Feng implicates Liu Yuanwailang, and Liu Yuanwailang is so busy running around for Zhao Feng and taking it too seriously, it would be bad if Qin Sizhi misunderstood that Liu Yuanwailang was trying to rescue his accomplice."

"What!?"

Upon hearing the guard's words, the look of surprise on Lu Yangyuan's face froze instantly.

His eyes widened, his pupils constricted, and his entire face showed disbelief.

"what are you saying?"

"Irrelevant persons? Everyone knows that Master Liu is a brilliant detective, a genius in the world. It is a great honor for you that he is willing to help you investigate the case. How can he be irrelevant persons?"

"Furthermore... Clerk Zhao is definitely not the murderer. Assistant Minister Liu came here only to understand the situation and find out what our Ministry of Justice personnel have done. How did it come to you that he is an accomplice?"

Upon hearing this, the guard pursed his lips tightly, recalling how he had just reported to Qin Sizhi and been angrily struck on the head with an inkstone by Qin Sizhi. He took a deep breath and said, "Master Liu, please go back. If Qin Sizhi says he will not see guests, then he will not see them. Master Liu, waiting here is just a waste of time."

"you……"

Lu Yangyuan never expected things to turn out this way.

The Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice often cooperated, and he thought that when Liu Shuyi came, the people of the Court of Judicial Review would definitely give him a warm welcome, and any misunderstandings would be resolved with a simple explanation.

But to everyone's surprise, Liu Shuyi wasn't even allowed to enter the Dali Temple.

Moreover, the message Qin Wuyang had the guards relay... sounded exactly like it was deliberately targeting Liu Shuyi, and even contained a subtle threat.

Saying that Liu Yuanwailang is a misunderstanding and an accomplice of the murderer is a threat.

Could it be that Liu, the Assistant Minister, has a grudge against Qin Wuyang, the Chief Justice of Dali?

If that's the case, what should Zhao Feng do?
Lu Yangyuan looked at Liu Shuyi with concern, only to see Liu Shuyi give the Dali Temple a deep look, say nothing to the guards, turn around, mount his horse, and say, "Let's go."

Lu Yangyuan was startled: "How can we just leave like this? What will happen to Zhao Lingshi if we leave?"

"Don't worry, I won't give up on Zhao Feng."

Liu Shuyi didn't say much to Lu Yangyuan.

Qin Wuyang refused to even meet with them, and the message he sent was so veiled in barbs, indicating that the plan to learn the whole story from Qin Wuyang was doomed to fail.

So instead of wasting time here, it's better to switch plans quickly.

To avoid trouble if Qin Wuyang forces Zhao Feng to sign and affix his seal after a while.

…………

A quarter of an hour later.

"Uu——"

Liu Shuyi tightened the reins and stopped in front of a mansion.

Lu Yangyuan quickly looked up.

Under the illumination of two large red lanterns, a plaque with a dragon and phoenix in full bloom came into view.

The plaque bears two large characters: "Du Mansion".

"This is?"

"Du Pushe's residence".

Liu Shuyi didn't waste any words with Lu Yangyuan. He dismounted, quickly went to the door, and knocked on the copper ring.

"Who?"

A yawning sound came from inside the door.

Liu Shuyi said, "Liu Shuyi, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice, has urgent business to discuss with Vice Minister Du."

"Liu, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice!?"

A surprised voice came from the gatekeeper of the Du residence.

He quickly opened the door a crack and peeked out. Upon seeing that it was indeed Liu Shuyi outside, he hurriedly said, "This humble servant greets Assistant Minister Liu. May I ask what urgent matter you have? Vice Minister Du has already gone to bed..."

Liu Shuyi knew it was late at night and Du Gou must be resting, but now he could only pull Du Gou up.

He said, "Please inform Vice Minister Du that Zhao Feng has been arrested by the Court of Judicial Review, and I need Vice Minister Du's help."

The gatekeeper naturally didn't know who Zhao Feng was.

He heard the two keywords, Dali Temple and needing help, very clearly.

If it were any other sixth-rank official knocking on the door late at night, he would never disturb his master's peaceful sleep unless it was something very important.

However, Liu Shuyi had specifically instructed everyone, whether they were the master, the young master, or the young lady, that if Liu Shuyi arrived, they should not cause any trouble and must inform him immediately. Therefore, seeing Liu Shuyi's serious expression, he dared not delay in the slightest and hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment, Master Liu. I will go and inform the young master right away."

After saying that, he closed the door and ran straight to the backyard.

Seeing this, Lu Yangyuan couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Can Vice Minister Du help? Are we going to run into a brick wall again?"

Qin Wuyang really dealt him a huge blow.

Liu Shuyi shook his head and said, "Anyone might not help me, but Vice Minister Du and Miss Du will not refuse to help."

Seeing that Liu Shuyi remained calm and showed no sign of panic, Lu Yangyuan finally calmed down, and his restless heart also became more at ease.

"With Liu Yuanwailang's abilities, he can definitely save Zhao Lingshi," he told himself.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly when he saw that Lu Yangyuan had finally stopped pacing back and forth.

Isn't he anxious? Of course he is anxious, more anxious than anyone else.

But it was precisely at this moment that he knew he couldn't rush things.

If he panics and loses his composure, then there will truly be no way to save Zhao Feng.

stomping on...

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind the door.

crunch--

Then, the door was quickly opened.

Then Du Gou, dressed in loose robes and looking visibly tired, walked out.

"Du Si Cheng!"

Lu Yangyuan was excited to see that Du Gou had come out immediately.

"What's going on?" Du Gou didn't even bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Looking at Du Gou, who always paid special attention to his image but now had no image to speak of at all, Liu Shuyi felt a warmth in his heart.

Even if some people are as cold as a knife to him, there are others who give him their whole heart.

Without any hesitation, Liu Shuyi said, "Zhao Feng was arrested by Qin Wuyang and imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison on the grounds that Zhao Feng murdered a family of four, including a high-ranking official. I went to the Dali Temple to inquire about the specifics, but Qin Wuyang refused to see me and wouldn't allow anyone to reveal any information about the case to me..."

Du Gou frowned: "Do you have a grudge against him?"

Liu Shuyi did not hide anything: "Today I rejected two of his case files and ordered him to re-examine and investigate them."

"No wonder……"

Du Gou said, "Qin Wuyang is arrogant and narrow-minded. Your rejection of the case file will inevitably make him feel that he has lost face..."

"What should we do then?" Lu Yangyuan's heart tightened.

Liu Shuyi also looked at him: "Can you help me?"

Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi and said without any hesitation, "Of course!"

"He wouldn't let you into the Dali Temple, but I did."

(End of this chapter)