The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 95 Shen Tu! The Orthodox One! A close-up attack on Li Shimin!
Along the winding mountain road, farmers carried branches they had knocked down from the forest and walked down the mountain.

After rounding a sharp bend, and passing a section of road where five trees stood close together, resembling fingers at varying heights...

Rumble!
Suddenly, a rapid, drum-like sound of horses' hooves came from the sky.

The farmer subconsciously looked up and saw dust rising into the air on the mountain road in the distance. In front of the dust were more than a dozen figures riding horses.

The birds were startled and took flight, and the snow on the treetops was shaken off and fell.

After the farmer saw that the people were wearing official robes, he quickly stepped back behind the trees by the roadside, making way for them and not daring to argue with them.

"Uu——"

Suddenly, a horse stopped in front of him.

The farmer looked up blankly and saw a handsome, young-looking official in a green robe standing in front of him.

"Old man, I have something to ask you."

Looking at the old man whose body was bent under the weight of the firewood, Liu Shuyi said, "Did you see divine light appearing in that dilapidated shrine on the mountainside of Cuihua Mountain last night?"

"Divine light?"

The old man nodded quickly and said, "I saw it. The divine light was exceptionally beautiful, just like a rainbow. It was exceptionally bright in the dark night, as if a god had truly descended."

As beautiful as a rainbow?
Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment, then asked, "When did that divine light appear? And how long did it last?"

When did it appear?

The old man frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "It should be after midnight, but I don't know the exact time. In our little village, no one keeps watch at night."

"As for the duration, it was very short."

The old man said, "It's quite embarrassing to say, but I was just about to go to the outhouse when the divine light disappeared before I even finished urinating."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "This is not shameful at all. On the contrary, the old man's pee helped me determine the time, which was a great help to me."

"Is that so?"

The old man grinned, revealing a tooth missing from his front teeth, and said with a simple smile, "It's good that I can help you, sir."

Looking at the old man's back, which was bent under the weight of the firewood, Liu Shuyi asked, "Old man, are you going up the mountain to chop firewood so early for your own use, or to sell it in the city?"

"Of course, we'll sell them in the city."

The old man sighed, "Last year's harvest wasn't good, and my wife caught a cold and needs medicine. I have to work hard to earn a few coins."

"What a coincidence!"

Liu Shuyi said, "My household is short of firewood, and I'm worried about where to buy it. Old man, would you sell me the firewood?"

The old man's tired eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

"Can this be false?"

Liu Shuyi asked about the price of firewood, then took out a copper coin from his purse and handed it to the old man.

He said, "Just leave the firewood by the roadside for now, and I will take it with me when I return."

The old man was about to say that they would lose it, but then he thought of Liu Shuyi's status. What fool would dare to steal from an official? So he stopped himself.

He gripped the copper coin tightly, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi smiled and waved his hand: "I buy firewood, you sell firewood, we each get what we need, there's no need to thank me."

Upon hearing this, the old man looked at Liu Shuyi with some surprise. Only then did he realize that the official in front of him was very different from the other officials he remembered.

He thought for a moment and said, "There is something else about that divine light, and I don't know if it will be of any use to you, sir."

"Oh?"

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me about it."

The old man said, "When the divine light appeared, it was accompanied by a huge sound, louder than the terrifying thunder in summer. It was this loud sound that woke up everyone in our village, and that's how we saw the divine light in the shrine."

“I was different from the others. I had come out of the room early because I needed to use the restroom, so I was outside before the loud noise happened.”

"Before that loud noise, I wondered if it was just my imagination..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "I think I heard a very painful howl."

A painful scream?
Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed: "A human howl, or a wild beast's?"

"It looks like a person."

The old man's wrinkles deepened on his forehead. He said, "It seemed to be an 'ah' sound, but I heard it very faintly. Later, I asked other people, and they all said they didn't hear it either. I'm old, and my ears often ring, so I don't know if I misheard it."

Liu Shuyi seemed to be deep in thought.

He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where do you think that sound came from?"

The old man said, "If I haven't misheard..."

He raised his head and looked up along the winding road, looking at the shrine that was halfway up the mountain, hidden by a few withered trees, and said, "It's that area around the shrine."

Liu Shuyi looked at the shrine, which was not far away, then turned his head to look at the village nestled at the foot of the mountain, and estimated the distance between the two in his mind.

He nodded slightly: "After the divine light appeared, did anyone from your village go up the mountain to investigate?"

The old man hurriedly shook his head and said, "Who would dare! There are wild animals on the mountain, and the shrine has long been abandoned. Who knows if such a light suddenly appeared, whether it was a god descending or a demon causing trouble? Let alone going up the mountain to check, after the divine light disappeared, we didn't dare to stay outside, for fear that there really was a demon that would capture us."

Is it the work of a demon?

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes; he agreed with this explanation more than the idea of ​​a god descending from heaven.

However, the monster he was referring to wasn't some plant or animal spirit, but a human spirit...

He nodded and said, "I understand, thank you for your help, sir."

"No, no, I didn't do anything."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "The firewood has already been sold. Go and buy medicine for your wife. Her illness can't be delayed."

Listening to Liu Shuyi's words, the old man seemed to understand why Liu Shuyi wanted to buy his firewood.

He looked at Liu Shuyi gratefully and bowed to him very seriously.

Liu Shuyi shook his head, and without further delay, urged his horse onward towards the shrine.

As he walked, Liu Shuyi compared the old man's story with the information he had heard from Lu Yangyuan.

The two are largely similar, but the old man knows more details and also knows things that Lu Yangyuan has never mentioned.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but sigh at his good luck. He had only stopped a villager at random to find out what happened last night, but he never expected to encounter an old man who had discovered the divine light before all the other villagers.

"A painful howl..."

As he recalled the things the old man had told him that the other villagers didn't know, Liu Shuyi's eyes gleamed.

I must have misheard...

Or, what happened to the shrine before the divine light appeared?
…………

"Master Liu, you've finally arrived!"

As soon as Liu Shuyi arrived at the shrine, before he even dismounted, Wang Gui hurried over to greet him.

He dismounted, looked at Wang Gui with a pained expression, and said, "Is it difficult to investigate?"

"It's more than just difficult to investigate!" Wang Gui looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, lowered his voice and said, "It's absolutely deadly!"

"You didn't see the words on that stone tablet. Those words were practically stabbing straight into His Majesty's heart!"

"Although I haven't seen His Majesty, I can imagine how furious he must be right now!"

"As the saying goes, when the emperor is angry, a million will die... If we can't solve the problem of this stone tablet and find out who forged this so-called miracle, you and I are not sure, but I am sure that I will become one of those million corpses."

Listening to Wang Gui's words, Liu Shuyi recalled what had happened to him.

Du Ruhui couldn't even wait for him to go to the Ministry of Justice. He directly asked Lu Yangyuan to call him out of the city and also asked Lu Yangyuan to tell him that Du Gou, Cheng Chumo, Zhao Feng, and Cui Lin would come to assist him.

Apart from Du Ying, Du Ruhui assigned all the members of the team investigating the case at Duting Post Station to him.

This clearly shows their attitude towards the stone tablet and the miracle.

This also reveals Li Shimin's anger from Du Ruhui's hasty actions.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. For Li Shimin, the only stain on his life was the Xuanwu Gate Incident, where he murdered his brother and seized the throne.

Li Shimin could not silence the public's opinions.

Therefore, he devoted all his efforts to governing the country, pacifying the world, ensuring the well-being of all people, and bringing unprecedented prosperity to the Tang Dynasty. He used his achievements to overshadow this stain, so that when people mentioned him, they would focus more on his great accomplishments rather than on the long-past struggle for the throne.

Everything was going very smoothly.

But to everyone's surprise, Li Jiancheng's tomb collapsed, and his remains mysteriously disappeared.

The topic of Xuanwu Gate, which was already considered "outdated," has been brought up again, and under the instigation of some people, it has even taken on a supernatural or mythical connotation.

Fortunately, he solved the case of the missing corpse, proving that the disappearance of Li Jiancheng's corpse was caused by human intervention and had nothing to do with gods or demons.

The related rumors then subsided again.

The matter should have ended here, and Li Shimin could have temporarily put aside Li Jiancheng's remains and focused all his energy on dealing with Liang Shidu and the Turks.

But unexpectedly, at this crucial moment, another accident occurred.

Outside Chang'an, divine light and miracles appeared without warning. A stone tablet fell from the sky, with a prophecy written on it.

The prophecy first denounced Li Shimin's ascension to the throne as illegitimate, and then said that the throne would return to Li Jiancheng's bloodline...

If the theft of the corpses could generate such rumors among the common people, one can imagine the uproar it would cause throughout the Tang Dynasty if the story of a divine miracle were to spread.

And this storm of public opinion is absolutely unstoppable.

Those who create miracles will inevitably publicize them extensively and stir up trouble.

Normally, Li Shimin would have had the time and energy to deal with him.

Now, the Tang Dynasty and the Xueyantuo have formed an alliance, and their strategy of sowing discord and bribing officials in Hebei Province is progressing steadily. With the rear temporarily stabilized and the alliance established at the front, the next step... should be to formally launch an attack on Liang Shidu, and then turn their swords towards the Turks.

In this situation, not only could public opinion not shake Li Shimin's foundation, but even the slightest disturbance could not occur, otherwise, if it affected the timing of the Tang Dynasty's military campaign, the opportunity might be lost in an instant.

Therefore, one can imagine how furious Li Shimin, who was already preparing his army for battle, must have been at this moment, after encountering such a distressing situation.

If this matter is not handled properly, Wang Gui's prediction of a million corpses might actually come true.

Moreover, not only must it be resolved, but it must be resolved as quickly as possible, before the rumors spread.

Only in this way can we avoid affecting the Tang Dynasty's subsequent actions.

otherwise……

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath and got straight to the point, saying, "Take me to see the stone tablet."

Wang Gui quickly turned around: "Please, Mr. Liu."

Liu Shuyi followed Wang Gui to the front of the shrine.

Looking up, one can see that this shrine has been abandoned for who knows how long.

The paper windowpanes had long since disappeared, and the surface was covered with dust.

The plaque hanging on the door has completely faded, and the characters on it are no longer legible.

Liu Shuyi asked, "What deity is worshipped in this shrine? How long has it been abandoned?"

Wang Gui had already gathered relevant information, and upon hearing this, he said directly, "This shrine is dedicated to Shen Tu. According to the nearby villagers, the shrine was built by their ancestors during the chaotic period at the end of the Han Dynasty, in the hope that Shen Tu could protect their homeland and keep them safe from the ravages of war."

"After the Sui Dynasty unified the country, for some unknown reason, this shrine stopped receiving worshippers and was never visited again, which is why it is in its current state."

Shentu?

Liu Shuyi did not know Shen Tu, but his predecessor had knowledge of this subject.

Shen Tu and Yu Lei were door gods widely known during the Tang Dynasty, and were considered predecessors of Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, two other door gods.

Therefore, during the period of warlordism at the end of the Han Dynasty, the local people built a shrine to Shen Tu in the hope that Shen Tu could exert greater magical power, just like he usually guards the gate, to protect their village and allow them to survive in that chaotic and dark period.

After its construction, the temple was continuously worshipped for over three hundred years, only declining in popularity after the Sui Dynasty unified the country.

In terms of time span, it's not a short period.

It's just a mystery why this shrine, which had stood for over three hundred years, suddenly fell into disrepair.

The thieves chose to create a miracle here...

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes.

Shen Tu is a door god. On a small scale, he protects the safety of a family. On a larger scale, he protects the rise and fall of a country. Since the rise and fall of a country is often closely related to the emperor, protecting the rise and fall of a country can also be said to be protecting the emperor of a country, ensuring the succession of the emperor and ensuring the purity of the emperor's bloodline.

In the Tang Dynasty, if we consider the imperial lineage as pure, it would naturally refer to Li Jiancheng.

From this perspective...

"The thieves chose this shrine after careful consideration..."

"Then this is definitely not their first time here last night; they must have come here many times before."

“There is only one mountain path leading up and down Cuihua Mountain, and the path happens to pass by the village at the foot of the mountain… The thieves probably secretly learned about the villagers and may have even had contact with them, since they wanted the villagers to act as witnesses to the miracle.”

Liu Shuyi looked directly at Wang Gui and said, "County Commandant Wang, immediately send men to the villages at the foot of the mountain to inquire with the villagers whether they have seen any strangers come to Cuihua Mountain in the past three months."

"Have any strangers entered the village, asked them for directions, water, or information about the shrine, and had any contact with them?"

Wang Gui was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized Liu Shuyi's purpose.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he clapped his hands heavily: "Look at my brain! I only had people inquire whether they saw anyone going up or down the mountain yesterday, but I overlooked what the thieves would do for this conspiracy!"

"Master Liu, it has to be you! I knew it. As long as you come, even the most bizarre cases will be solved!"

As he spoke, he directly instructed the yamen runners of Chang'an County to re-interrogate the villagers according to Liu Shuyi's instructions.

Upon hearing this, the constable looked at Liu Shuyi with admiration, then mounted his horse and hurriedly left.

Without delay, Liu Shuyi entered the dilapidated shrine while Wang Gui was giving instructions to the yamen runners.

…………

P.S.: My child had a high fever in the early morning. I spent the whole day at the hospital and then took care of the child after returning home. I was anxious and didn't get enough sleep, so I wasn't feeling well. I was planning to take a day off, but then I remembered that I had just taken a day off a few days ago, and I was too embarrassed to ask for another day off. I forced myself to write about four thousand words.

That's all for today. I need to go take care of the kids. I hope you can understand.

(End of this chapter)