The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 93: Case Closed!

As Liu Shuyi's voice fell, everyone immediately lowered their heads and looked at the ground beneath their feet.

Because this room was the one used by Duting Inn to entertain its most distinguished guests, it was decorated very luxuriously, with the entire floor covered by a thick carpet.

So they looked down and could only see a soft, gray-red carpet embroidered with patterns.

"Master Liu, do you mean to say..."

Li Chengqian's bright eyes flashed with surprise as he said, "That thief who impersonated Xueyantuo Yehu is hiding right under our feet?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, and they instinctively took two steps back, fearing that the thief might suddenly leap out from under their feet.

Liu Shuyi took in everyone's reactions, his gaze lingering briefly on the Xueyantuo envoy's face before he nodded and said, "Based on the clues we have so far, this is the most likely possibility."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Li Chengqian immediately replied, "General Feng!"

Feng Chenggong understood Li Chengqian's meaning and, without any hesitation, immediately shouted, "Men, remove the carpet and protect His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The guards standing outside the door rushed in immediately upon receiving the order.

They first shielded Li Chengqian behind them, then carefully lifted the carpet and carried it out of the room.

"Master Liu..."

Li Chengqian whispered to Liu Shuyi, "If the thief is really hiding underground, he will probably fight to the death if he finds himself exposed. If you come to my side, the guards will protect you."

Listening to the words of the young Crown Prince Guan You and looking into Li Chengqian's innocent yet sincere eyes, Liu Shuyi felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

Regardless of what Li Chengqian will become in the future, at least at this moment, the young Li Chengqian is warm and kind, which makes Liu Shuyi like him very much.

He did not refuse Li Chengqian's kindness, and went directly to Li Chengqian's side, while also pulling Du Ying over.

Du Ying glanced at the large hand resting on her wrist, feeling the warmth emanating from the palm. Her fair and delicate earlobes unconsciously turned a little red.

Li Chengqian did not call any other officials, but they were not stupid. Knowing there was danger, they naturally would not stand still and ran to Li Chengqian's side.

At this moment, Li Chengqian's place is the safest.

Meanwhile, the Xueyantuo envoys gathered together, carefully watching the guards' movements.

A sense of tension spread through everyone's hearts.

Watching the guards' cautious movements, Li Chengqian couldn't help but whisper, "What if the thief isn't hiding underground?"

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Your Highness, shouldn't you be thinking about how to capture the thief alive if he is hiding underground?"

Li Chengqian shook his head: "This is General Feng's task. I only need to hand over the task to him. How to capture the thieves alive is his business. My father said that I do not need to do everything myself."

Liu Shuyi said, "If that's the case, then what are you thinking, Your Highness? What if the thieves weren't hiding underground? Isn't that also my task?"

"Different."

Li Chengqian said in a serious tone: "Father Emperor said that in doing anything, we should first consider the worst-case scenario. In this world, things only go as planned, and most of the things we encounter will not be as we expect. So it is never a bad thing to make the worst-case plan and think of ways to deal with it in advance."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly in his heart. Li Shimin really taught Li Chengqian seriously and painstakingly. These two sentences are enough to benefit many people for a lifetime.

"However, I have a selfish motive..."

Li Chengqian changed the subject and whispered, "I like you very much and don't want you to make a mistake and be punished for it."

As Liu Shuyi's heart softened, he also gave Li Chengqian a deep look.

Although Li Chengqian was only nine years old, he had already mastered the most basic methods of managing people, having been deeply influenced by the royal family.

Liu Shuyi knew that Li Chengqian's words contained genuine sincerity, but he could not deny that Li Chengqian also had the intention of winning him over.

Even someone as perceptive as myself is pleased by Li Chengqian's favoritism; how would others feel?
He couldn't help but sigh. Li Chengqian was truly an excellent and qualified successor. He really couldn't understand why Li Chengqian had ended up in such a state.

Is it really as recorded in historical records?

Did his mindset change because of his limp?
Or is there some unknown secret? Is there a hidden hand, unknown to all, orchestrating Li Chengqian's downfall? Did they not want Li Shimin's most capable successor to inherit the throne?

Lost in thought, suddenly—

boom!
As the carpet was pulled away, a loud crash rang out without warning.

Suddenly, the floorboards beneath the bed were lifted up.

At the same time, a figure dressed in a white undergarment shot out from within, like a cannonball.

With a roll of his head, he rushed out from under the bed.

He held a sharp dagger in his hand, his gaze quickly sweeping over the crowd. Seeing that everyone was firmly protected by the guards, he immediately turned around and stabbed at the unconscious Ba Zhuo lying on the bed!

"not good!"

"Protect the leaf protector!"

Upon seeing this scene, the Xueyantuo envoys' pupils contracted and their expressions changed drastically.

They never expected that the thief would attack Ba Zhuo the moment he appeared!

However, they were still some distance from Bazhuo and there was no time to rescue him.

"Humph!"

"I was careless before and let you kill Kang Shaoqing. How could I let you succeed again now!"

Feng Chenggong snorted coldly and hurled the horizontal sword in his hand.

A clanging sound of metal colliding rang out.

The thief's dagger was immediately blocked by the horizontal blade.

His whole body suddenly froze.

But soon, he switched the dagger to his left hand, dodged the falling blade, and stabbed at Ba Zhuo's heart again.

However, his actions were ultimately delayed by two breaths.

Those two breaths were enough for the guards to react.

Keng!
Another loud crash was heard.

This time, several swords blocked his dagger at the same time. The thief was startled and subconsciously looked up.

These guards were all burly and strong, with eyes as sharp as eagles. They were very steady in their attacks, and their horizontal blades formed an indestructible metal wall below the dagger. No matter how hard he tried, he could not push the dagger any further.

At that moment, the imperial guards behind him attacked him.

They grabbed the man by the neck and yanked him backward, while guards grabbed his legs and flipped him over forcefully.

boom!
The man was then thrown straight to the ground.

The guards quickly pinned him down, dislocated his arm, took the dagger from his hand, and bound him tightly with rope.

From the moment the thief suddenly attacked to the moment he was tied up, only seven breaths had passed.

Before Wei Cheng and the others could react, it was all over.

"Amazing……"

Seeing this, Zhao Feng couldn't help but swallow hard and exclaim in admiration.

Du Gou wasn't too surprised, saying, "They are the personal guards His Majesty personally selected for His Highness the Crown Prince. Each of them is an outstanding soldier who has fought his way up from the ranks. It would be strange if they couldn't catch this thief."

Only then did everyone finally realize what was happening.

"The thief was indeed hiding underground!"

"It was hidden under the bed!"

"They really know how to hide. It's not easy to find someone under the bed, and there's a carpet covering it. Who would have thought there was someone hiding under there?"

"If it weren't for Liu, we probably would never have known where the thief was hiding!"

"Yes!"

As everyone sighed, they looked at Liu Shuyi.

Even the Xueyantuo envoys looked at Liu Shuyi with admiration and amazement.

They never expected that Liu Shuyi would actually be able to find the thief's hiding place with just those few clues.

What they didn't expect was that the thief was hiding in Ye Hu's room, even under Ye Hu's bed!
The thought that Ye Hu usually slept on his bed, only to find a treacherous thief hiding underneath, watching him from below... sent chills down their spines.

Liu Shuyi ignored everyone's thoughts and went directly to the bound thief. Looking at the thief's face, which was filled with anger and murderous intent, he said, "It's like him! It's so similar! No wonder you were able to fool everyone. This face is at least 90% similar to the real Ye Hu."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone quickly looked over.

"It really is."

"How can they look so alike?"

Even the Xueyantuo envoys, upon seeing this man's appearance, couldn't help but look at the unconscious Bazhuo on the bed. If they hadn't seen with their own eyes that this man had emerged from underground, they might not have been able to determine who was real and who was fake.

"Water!" Liu Shuyi said.

Zhao Feng quickly filled a basin with water and handed it to Liu Shuyi.

Without saying a word, Liu Shuyi splashed water on the thief's face.

Then he reached out and vigorously wiped the thief's face.

Gradually, the black mole on the thief's face was wiped away, the dark patches under his eyes were wiped away, and the clean water turned a few shades darker, dripping down the man's cheeks.

"This……"

Everyone stared in astonishment at the faces that Liu Shuyi had roughly washed.

"It doesn't look the same at all!"

"No, it's not that they don't look alike at all; they're about 60% similar, but it's definitely not enough to mistake one person for another."

"So that's how he impersonated Ye Hu!"

There was no need for Liu Shuyi to explain further; the scene before them was enough for everyone to understand the thieves' method of disguise.

Li Chengqian's small face was full of surprise: "A person can actually transform into another person just by applying something to their face, that's amazing!"

Liu Shuyi smiled. What's the big deal?
If it were modern makeup techniques, they could replace your head.

Why would I need someone who looks similar to me?

He looked at the thief who had returned to his original appearance and said, "Tell me? What's your name? How did you hide here? Who are your accomplices?"

"Pooh!"

The man spat directly at Liu Shuyi, but Liu Shuyi was prepared and easily dodged it.

Seeing that Liu Shuyi hadn't been vomited on, the man's face turned even uglier. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "You won't get any secrets out of me. It's my bad luck that I fell into the hands of a Tang dog like you! Do with me as you please!"

"How dare you! You're just a prisoner, who gives you the right to speak so arrogantly!"

Feng Chenggong immediately threw a punch, which landed directly on the man's stomach. The man instantly curled up, his whole body tensed up, his face turned pale, and he was covered in cold sweat.

But he still gritted his teeth and sneered, "Come on! Keep going! You might as well beat me to death!"

"Grandpa's biggest mistake was choosing the wrong person. Grandpa should have killed Li Chengqian directly. If Li Chengqian had died, all of you would have been buried with Grandpa!"

"you……"

Feng Chenggong was furious, his eyes blazing with fury.

If this thief had actually attacked His Highness the Crown Prince, he would definitely not have had time to save him. Just thinking about the consequences chilled him to the bone.

The others also changed their expressions slightly. They knew very well that if this thief really killed Li Chengqian, then all of them would definitely be implicated. They might not be buried alive with him, but demotion was inevitable, and this was an outcome they were unwilling to accept.

"Ah……"

At this moment, Liu Shuyi suddenly laughed and said, "Don't talk as if you still have a choice. If you really could lay a hand on His Highness the Crown Prince, would you choose someone else?"

"What did you say?!" The thief stared at Liu Shuyi with eyes full of hatred.

Liu Shuyi's dark eyes calmly gazed at him, those eyes seemed to possess a kind of magic, causing the thief's heart to tremble subconsciously, as if all his secrets had been seen through by Liu Shuyi.

He was startled and instinctively looked away.

Liu Shuyi's lips curled up as he said, "Your goal is to destroy the alliance between the Tang Dynasty and the Xueyantuo. Therefore, you must ensure that we all believe that the person who killed our important minister was Bazhuo himself."

"Under these circumstances, how dare you choose His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"If you really killed His Highness the Crown Prince, even if you were unconscious, or even if you died on the spot, my Great Tang would tear you to pieces! You're lucky you weren't dismembered on the spot! And since you didn't have a chance to return to your room and exchange with the real Ba Zhuo, your exposure was inevitable. How can you then frame Ba Zhuo?"

"Therefore, you can only choose someone else. You kill someone else, then pretend to be unconscious. Because the Tang Dynasty and Xueyantuo will continue to cooperate, His Highness the Crown Prince will not make things difficult for someone who is unconscious. You will then have the opportunity to exchange with Bazhuo, thus pinning everything on Bazhuo and confirming Bazhuo's crime of murder!"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, the man's expression changed.

But he still sneered, "Nonsense! Presumptuous speculation!"

But no one believed him. Everyone present was a high-ranking official of both countries. Where was there a truly foolish person?

Liu Shuyi's analysis was reasonable and logical, and the change in his expression just now was enough for them to understand who was telling the truth and who was lying.

“Since he can choose anyone except me, why did he choose Kang Shaoqing?” Li Chengqian asked.

Liu Shuyi said, "Does Your Highness still remember that at the banquet, Minister Kang offered two more cups of wine than the others?"

"of course."

Li Chengqian's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be that his choice of Kang Shaoqing is related to this?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Kang Shaoqing only drank two jugs of wine, which is the least among everyone. This means that either he doesn't like drinking or he has a low alcohol tolerance. But he still toasted the fake Ye Hu twice more than the others..."

"This behavior is already abnormal enough."

"And the reason he's acting this way, I think..."

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, looking at the Turkic bandit who was still trying to remain calm, and said, "He has noticed something."

"He noticed something was wrong?" Everyone was taken aback. Wei Cheng, a senior official in the Ministry of Rites, couldn't help but ask, "You mean he discovered that the Ye Hu at the banquet was an imposter?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "We can't say that he discovered that Ye Hu was fake. At most, he felt it was strange. Otherwise, he should have pointed out the problem with the fake Ba Zhuo on the spot, instead of not saying it until the end."

He looked at everyone and said, "As the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Minister Kang received the Xueyantuo envoys on the first day of their arrival. Every day thereafter, Minister Kang accompanied the Xueyantuo envoys. So it can be said that among all the officials of our Great Tang, Minister Kang has the most contact with Bazhuo and knows him the best."

"Therefore, if Kang Shaoqing is perceptive enough, it would be quite normal for him to notice something unusual about Jia Bazhuo during the banquet and then confirm his judgment by offering a toast."

"However, Jia Bazhuo also noticed Kang Shaoqing's suspicion, so when Kang Shaoqing toasted later, he deliberately interrupted Kang Shaoqing and did not have much interaction with Kang Shaoqing, so that Kang Shaoqing could not confirm it further."

"But Ba Zhuo's identity is special after all. Before it can be completely confirmed, Kang Shaoqing dares not speak recklessly. If it affects the alliance between the Tang Dynasty and Xueyantuo, he cannot bear the responsibility."

"So, in the end, he didn't speak. But Jia Bazhuo knew that Kang Shaoqing already suspected him. If he killed the others, Kang Shaoqing's suspicion might directly cause their plan to fail. Therefore... he could only choose Kang Shaoqing as his target, so that the only person who suspected him would not be able to speak!"

Li Chengqian's face showed a look of sudden realization: "So that's how it is! No wonder he killed Kang Shaoqing!"

Wei Cheng's face was icy cold: "What a brilliant scheme to silence a witness, what a master sleight of hand!"

The others nodded in agreement; they finally understood why it was Kang Wei who was killed, and not someone else.

"Even Kang Shaoqing noticed something amiss with Jia Bazhuo, so why didn't the Xueyantuo envoys notice?" Zhao Feng asked, puzzled.

He said, "Logically speaking, Kang Shaoqing's understanding of Yabghu should be far less than that of the Xueyantuo envoy, right?"

"This……"

Hulier and the others looked somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this.

Jiezhuo said, "Before the banquet, Yehu specifically instructed us to keep the Tang officials company. So during the banquet, we only focused on toasting and chatting with the Tang officials and did not pay attention to Yehu."

"And before the banquet, we really didn't notice anything wrong with Ye Hu."

Du Gou said thoughtfully, "So, Jia Bazhuo deliberately chose to make his move at the banquet. Because at the banquet, those who know him best won't pay attention to him, and he only interacts with His Highness the Crown Prince, who doesn't know him, thus ensuring that no one suspects him before he makes his move..."

"That is to say..."

He said to Liu Shuyi, "The fake Bazhuo only switched identities with the real Yehu before the banquet began."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "What Vice Minister Du said is exactly what I wanted to say next."

He looked at everyone and said, "This scheme to steal the sky and change the sun is both unexpected and ingenious, but for it to succeed, there are two things that must be done."

"First……"

Liu Shuyi held up one finger: "We must bring the fake Bazhuo into Duting Post Station without alerting anyone, and hide it in Yehu's room."

Everyone nodded; this was indeed the most important foundation.

"Although I don't know when this spot under the bed, which is just big enough to hide a person, was dug out, as you can see, it's not very big. It can't hold anything else except a person."

Liu Shuyi said, "Food, water... there's no room for these things here, and we really don't have any."

“But this is something essential for a person’s survival. The fact that it’s not here means that the time when Jia Bazhuo was hidden here must not have been long.”

"Moreover, people have to relieve themselves when they need to, and this cannot be controlled by willpower. If the fake Ba Zhuo really relieves himself here, there is a possibility that the smell will spread, and the real Ye Hu might smell it, which would put him at risk of being exposed."

"Therefore, combining all of this, we can deduce that the time when the fake Bazhuo was brought here and hidden here should be within today, or even within a few hours after he replaced the real Yehu."

Du Gou nodded and said, "A person can go a day without drinking water or eating, but it is impossible to go a day without going to the toilet."

“So that’s how it is…” Li Chengqian blinked his bright black eyes and said, “I remember that he went to the outhouse once right at the start of the banquet. Now it seems that he was probably really desperate to use the restroom while he was hiding here.”

Liu Shuyi smiled and his gaze returned to Jia Bazhuo's face.

He said, "I specifically asked Zhao Lingshi to inquire. Since Governor Ma was killed at Duting Post Station, the guards at Duting Post Station have become even more stringent than before. Not only have the number of guards at the gate doubled, but there are also random patrols inside Duting Post Station every twelve hours."

“Under these circumstances, it is impossible for you to sneak into Duting Post Station on your own.”

"And even if you manage to sneak in, you wouldn't know there's a place here where you could hide."

"So, someone must have brought you in here. This place, which can hide people, was probably dug by them beforehand."

"That is to say..."

Liu Shuyi stared intently into Jia Bazhuo's eyes and said, "You have a hidden accomplice inside the Duting Post Station!"

"What!?"

"Are his accomplices inside Duting Post Station?"

Everyone was shocked.

Jia Bazhuo's pupils also contracted. He subconsciously looked at Liu Shuyi, but after meeting Liu Shuyi's dark eyes, he quickly looked away and said, "What hidden accomplices? Ridiculous! I came in on my own! You don't think Duting Post Station is some kind of difficult place to infiltrate, do you?"

"What? Are you going to say that you dug this pit for the Tibetans yourself? Then I'd like to know how you dug such a pit in such hard ground, what tools you used, and where you dumped the excavated soil?"

"I……"

Jia Bazhuo opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

His reaction immediately made everyone understand the truth.

Liu Shuyi was right once again.

Li Chengqian said, "Could the people who helped him be Turkic spies hidden among the Xueyantuo envoys?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze quickly fell upon the Xueyantuo envoy.

The Xueyantuo envoys' expressions changed, and they subconsciously distanced themselves from each other, becoming wary of others.

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "No one from the Xueyantuo envoys left alone, and everyone's movements were under our surveillance. The Turkic spies had no opportunity to do this."

"Moreover, as long as the envoys are at Duting Post Station, their residence will be our most important place of surveillance. Only when they leave Duting Post Station will our people also leave, and only then will this place be no longer under surveillance. Only then will this fake Bazhuo have the opportunity to enter here."

Li Chengqian said knowingly, "In other words, Jia Bazhuo was brought here when they went to discuss the alliance... The person who could do this..."

Li Chengqian frowned suddenly: "Doesn't that mean it's only people inside the Duting Post Station? In other words, someone in the Duting Post Station betrayed the Tang Dynasty?"

Feng Chenggong's eyes narrowed, and he immediately said, "Men, immediately imprison everyone at Duting Post Station..."

"There's no need for such a fuss."

Liu Shuyi raised his hand to stop Feng Chenggong. His gaze swept over everyone in the room, finally landing on the last figure among the Tang Dynasty officials. He sighed and said, "Qin Yishi, I really didn't expect that the person who hid the deepest would be you."

"What!?"

"Qin courier!?"

All eyes immediately fell on Qin Wuyuan, the postmaster of Duting Post Station, at the very back of the crowd.

Qin Wuyuan's expression changed drastically.

He stared wide-eyed, looking completely bewildered: "Master Liu, you...you mustn't be trying to scare me! How could I be the one who's the most secretive?"

Looking at Qin Wuyuan, whose expression had changed drastically, Liu Shuyi said, "I specifically asked Zhao Lingshi to investigate who drove oxcarts or horse-drawn carriages in and out of Duting Post Station during this period."

"As a result of Zhao Lingshi's investigation, it was found that An Qingxi's accomplice had smuggled innocent people into Dutingyi by vehicle. Therefore, after this incident, you decided that you would personally purchase all supplies, including meat and vegetables, to ensure that similar incidents would not happen again."

"In other words, only you are qualified to transport supplies in and out, and only you can bring in the fake Ba Zhuo."

"Moreover, since you are the highest-ranking official at Duting Post Station, the guards will not suspect you or check the carriages you are driving... But little did they know that you, who shouted slogans so loudly, would actually do such a thing!"

"I..." Qin Wuyuan looked panicked, but kept shaking his head and crying out that he was innocent.

But given the foundation laid by Liu Shuyi, no one present believed him.

"Qin Wuyuan, you receive a salary from the imperial court and hold an official position, yet you betray the court and His Majesty. Where is your conscience?" Feng Chenggong questioned sternly.

Hou Junji's face was also icy: "Even if you have done the most heinous things, I will not care. But you should never have, never should have, sided with the Turks! Do you know how many innocent people and men of our Great Tang have been killed by those Turks? The Turks are the mortal enemy of our Great Tang. How could you side with the Turks? You have forgotten your roots and betrayed your country!"

Qin Wuyuan's face grew even paler, and he just kept shaking his head: "I didn't, I didn't defect to the Turks!"

“That’s right, you did not submit to the Turks, and you did not do this for their sake.”

Suddenly, Liu Shuyi's voice rang out.

Everyone was taken aback and quickly looked at him.

Qin Wuyuan also subconsciously raised his head.

Liu Shuyi stared at him with his deep eyes and said calmly, "Zhao Lingshi has found out some very interesting news. He found the courier who went to buy vegetables with you and asked him about your shopping trip. The courier said that a few days ago, you went to Da'anfang, which is very far away, to buy vegetables."

“But you usually buy vegetables nearby. That time, you went so far. The courier asked you curiously why you went to Da'anfang. You told the courier that you heard that the vegetables in Da'anfang were the freshest and cheapest.”

Liu Shuyi's lips curled into a half-smile as he asked, "Are the vegetables in Da'anfang really the freshest and cheapest?"

Qin Wuyuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Liu Shuyi didn't give him a chance at all.

"What a coincidence! I also visited Da'anfang a couple of days ago!"

"Furthermore, I was there and destroyed the stronghold of a human trafficking organization."

"Following up on the investigation, I have learned that the outpost was actually a spy base of Liang Shidu hidden in Chang'an!"

"so……"

Liu Shuyi stared intently at Qin Wuyang and said in a deep voice, "You are indeed not working for the Turks, you are working for Liang Shidu! You... are one of Liang Shidu's spies planted in Chang'an!"

"You have indeed not betrayed your master, but your master is Liang Shidu, not the Great Tang Dynasty, not His Majesty!"

Qin Wuyuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He suddenly raised his head, looking at Liu Shuyi with horror and disbelief.

"you you……"

Liu Shuyi said, "Is it worth being so surprised that I've seen through your true identity? You shouldn't be unaware that I've already destroyed your stronghold because of the disappearance of the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, right?"

Qin Wuyuan was about to curse.

It's not as easy as Liu Shuyi makes it out to be.
Who in their right mind would immediately connect their identity to the case of Changsun Chong's disappearance?
Seeing Qin Wuyuan's expression, which could no longer remain calm, Liu Shuyi continued, "So, An Qingxi and Cui Canjun were actually right to stake out the courtyard that night."

Cui Lin was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood what Liu Shuyi meant.

His expression changed slightly: "You mean... the Turkic spies really had a plan to take action that night?"

Liu Shuyi said, "We always thought that there was only one Turkic spy in Duting Post Station, and that he had to fight alone."

"But the truth is that Qin Wuyuan is still hiding in Duting Post Station. Although he is loyal to Liang Shidu, Liang Shidu's relationship with the Turks is just like that of the Tang Dynasty and the Xueyantuo. Their interests are aligned and their goals are the same. At critical moments, they will inevitably unite!"

"It's just that Qin Wuyuan is hiding too well, and the Turkic spies may not know Qin Wuyuan's identity, so he needs to wait for Qin Wuyuan to come to him and recognize him."

"And that night, Qin Wuyuan went out and passed by the Xueyantuo envoy's courtyard, which may not have been a coincidence..."

"At least his first trip was not necessarily due to the laxatives from Anqing."

"But he ultimately did not enter the Xueyantuo envoy's courtyard..."

Cui Lin's eyes flickered as he asked, "Did he discover my relationship with An Qingxi?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "If you were able to find him, then it's not surprising that he found you..."

Cui Lin recalled the events of that night and nodded immediately: "Indeed, if he had been vigilant enough, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to discover us."

Liu Shuyi continued, "He discovered you and An Qingxi, and saw you hiding in the courtyard of the Xueyantuo envoy late at night. He also knew about the existence of Turkic spies, so he could naturally guess that the court already knew that there were Turkic spies hidden among the Xueyantuo envoys."

"Once he learned of this, and since he could openly and legitimately contact the Turkic spies as the envoy of the Duting Post Station, the Turkic spies would naturally know that they were being watched."

"Under these circumstances, why would this Turkic spy take any further action? This is also why the imperial court sent people to monitor the area continuously for twelve hours a day, yet they still couldn't find the Turkic spy!"

"So that's how it is..." Cui Lin understood everything.

Du Gou and others, who were aware of the situation, suddenly realized what was going on.

No wonder their actions were so secretive; even the Xueyantuo envoys were completely unaware, yet the Turkic spies remained unmoved, as if they had already sensed it... It turned out that the court's intentions had already been exposed on the night Ma Fuyuan was killed.

"catch him!"

Feng Chenggong immediately shouted, and the guards rushed towards Qin Wuyuan without hesitation.

Qin Wuyuan hurriedly pushed open the door, intending to escape.

But there were also guards outside the door.

He didn't even have a chance to step out of the room before he was subdued by the guards.

"You traitor, you dare to run away!"

Hou Junji slapped Qin Wuyuan across the face, making his ears ring.

But he ignored Hou Junji and stared intently at Liu Shuyi: "I thought I had completely fooled you. I was even laughing at you in my heart, thinking that a great detective was nothing special. I never expected... that in the end, I would still fall into your hands!"

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "You are indeed very good at hiding your true colors. When investigating Ma Fuyuan's case, I even took the initiative to help you clear your name. I never doubted you. From this point of view, you are indeed very capable."

“If you don’t do anything again, I may never catch you in this lifetime. Unfortunately… you’ve taken action again, and this time you’re personally involved. You’ve left too many traces and clues, and I can’t afford to miss you again.”

Qin Wuyuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but in the end, he couldn't utter a single word.

The victor is king, the loser is villain. He wasn't the one laughing last, so what else can he say?
"Master Liu, just ignore him!"

Li Chengqian tugged at Liu Shuyi's sleeve and said, "Tell me quickly who the most deeply hidden Turkic spy is! We're just missing him now!"

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's words, everyone immediately looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath and smiled, "This is precisely the second crucial factor that made the fake Ba Zhuo plan possible!"

"That is……"

He glanced at everyone and said, "He has to make sure that after he pretends to be unconscious, he can get back to this room! Only by getting back here can he have a chance to exchange with the real Ye Hu!"

"To achieve this, someone must take the initiative to speak up for him, and with a reasonable excuse, bring him here before anyone else makes a decision!"

"And tonight, the person who pleaded for him immediately after the incident and carried him back here..."

Liu Shuyi looked at the burly and tall General Hulile, whose expression had changed slightly, and said, "It's you, Hulile!"

(End of this chapter)