The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 104 The real culprit is revealed! It was him!
As soon as Liu Shuyi finished speaking, Cheng Chumo and Cui Lin quickly entered the room.

Seeing that the two of them were covered in sweat, Liu Shuyi stood up, poured them two glasses of water, and said, "Don't rush, have some water first."

Cheng Chumo didn't stand on ceremony with Liu Shuyi. He picked up the cup, tilted his head back, and gulped down the entire cup of water in one go.

He then put the cup back on the table, took a deep breath, and said, "We have completed a detailed investigation of all five of them."

"How is it?" Du Gou asked hurriedly.

Liu Shuyi also looked at Cheng Chumo.

Cheng Chumo shook his head with a solemn expression and said, "We haven't found anyone with a problem."

"No one was found to be problematic?"

Du Gou was taken aback, then his expression changed slightly: "How could this be?"

Liu Shuyi frowned slightly.

Cui Lin put down his cup and said in a deep voice, "These five people all have families. By questioning their families, we can learn that they have been resting or recuperating at home for the past two days."

“We were worried that their family members might be lying on their behalf, so we also consulted the neighbors and doctors.”

“The neighbors of the three people on leave can all testify that they saw them in the past two days, and they have indeed not left Shangzhou City.”

"As for the other two sick people, the doctor who treated them and the servant who delivered the medicine can also testify that the two people were indeed sick and had not disappeared for the past two days."

Du Gou's expression changed repeatedly as he listened to Cui Lin's investigation results.

He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi and said, "This shouldn't be! According to your deduction, the murderer should be hiding among these five people. How come there isn't a single suspect?"

"Could it be that the murderer guessed we would confirm his whereabouts during those two days, so he bribed people who could testify for him beforehand?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Lin said, "The people we questioned are all ordinary citizens, and the way they answered didn't seem like they were lying."

Du Gou frowned even more deeply.

Those who work on the front lines of investigations have gradually developed the ability to detect lies through frequent contact with witnesses and criminals. For some ordinary witnesses, it is not difficult to determine whether they are lying.

Even if one or two people misjudge, it doesn't mean everyone can misjudge.

Therefore, Du Gou's heart sank even further upon hearing Cui Lin's words.

If these witnesses are not lying, wouldn't that mean that all five of them can be cleared of suspicion?

However, they were all the suspects Liu Shuyi could find, and none of them were suspects. This could only mean that either Liu Shuyi's deduction was wrong, or the murderer had a more special way of hiding himself.

In either case, it's not good news for them right now.

In particular, the horse trading company manager died, and the company's rental and sales records were lost...

This is tantamount to both of the paths we have taken being blocked.

Du Gou felt heavy-hearted, and Liu Shuyi's brows furrowed slightly as their minds raced.

Why are none of the five people suspected?
Could it be that I was really wrong?

The murderer wasn't even from the governor's mansion that night.
Wanrong and the murderer never met that night?

As I suspected, the murderer was on Cuihua Mountain, waiting for Wanrong to come to him.
This would explain why all the suspects I selected were ruled out.

But if that's the case, why was the horse dealership manager murdered? And why were the horse rental and sales records taken away?
The murderer killed him to cover it up; the shopkeeper must have known something.

If it was just Wan Rong leaving on horseback, would it be necessary to kill him to cover it up?

This doesn't reveal the killer's identity.

strange!
Makes no sense.

Liu Shuyi has once again fallen into a logical dead end.

There must be a problem somewhere, but he couldn't figure out which one it was.

Seeing the tired expressions on Cui Lin and Cheng Chumo's faces, Liu Shuyi slowly exhaled and said, "You've worked hard. Go and get some sleep and rest."

Cheng Chumo shook his head: "It's no trouble at all, as long as it helps you. But it seems we haven't been able to help you."

Cui Lin also looked rather unwell.

When he left, he confidently told Liu Shuyi that he would definitely find the suspect for Liu Shuyi.

But to everyone's surprise, he brought back no good news.

For someone as proud and arrogant as him, this made him feel ashamed to face Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi understood their feelings. He smiled and patted Cheng Chumo on the shoulder. After thinking for a moment, he gently patted Cui Lin on the shoulder and said, "Who said you didn't help me? Not finding the suspect is very important to me."

"This means I must have done something wrong."

"Without your help, I would have gone down a dead end, wasting a lot of time and energy, only to find out in the end that I was wrong. That would have been truly disheartening."

"Now..." he smiled, "I can correct my mistakes in time to avoid being deceived by the murderer. If that doesn't help me, what does?"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Cheng Chumo, who was straightforward, suddenly brightened up. Thinking about it, it seemed that he hadn't worked in vain.

Cui Lin gave Liu Shuyi a deep look, pursed his lips, and said nothing.

As an official on the front lines of the criminal justice system, how could he not know how difficult Liu Shuyi's current situation was?

The two roads we finally found were both blocked.

There are no new clues or new directions in sight...

If there were enough time, it would be fine to look for someone else slowly, but Liu Shuyi just happens to lack time.

Therefore, he knew that Liu Shuyi was definitely not as relaxed as he appeared on the surface.

But he also understood that Liu Shuyi was saying this to appease them, and if he did not accept Liu Shuyi's good intentions, then Liu Shuyi's good intentions would be in vain.

Therefore, in the end, he didn't say anything more, but just nodded and said, "Let's go and rest first. If you need anything from us, just come and find us."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Go ahead, get some rest."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Feng, who had a worried expression, and said, "You've been traveling and fighting fires all night. You've worked hard. Go and get some rest."

"Sir, I..."

Zhao Feng believed he could still hold on, and he didn't want to rest when Liu Shuyi was under the most pressure.

But Liu Shuyi insisted on shaking his head: "I understand your intentions, but I haven't figured out where the problem lies myself, so you can't help me much. Go and rest first. If I figure out where the problem is, I might need you to do things for me. If you are inefficient because you haven't rested well, that will be a real problem."

Hearing Liu Shuyi say this, Zhao Feng thought for a moment and finally nodded: "This humble official understands. If the magistrate needs anything, please be sure to instruct this humble official. This humble official is young and energetic, and will be full of vigor again after a short rest."

Liu Shuyi smiled and nodded: "Go ahead."

After watching Zhao Feng and the other two leave, Liu Shuyi looked at Du Gou, but before he could speak, Du Gou said directly, "Don't try to persuade me. I can't leave at this time and let you bear everything alone."

Looking at the determined expression on Du Gou's face, Liu Shuyi felt a warmth in his heart and smiled, "Very well, then Vice Minister Du, please help me think about where the problem lies."

Du Gou nodded. He knew time was of the essence and didn't waste any words. He said, "What we need to determine now is whether the murderer was in the governor's mansion that night, and from whom Wan Langzhong learned the secret of the Prince of Xi's illegitimate son."

Liu Shuyi said, "I have two theories about the murderer."

Then, he revealed his speculation that the murderer might not be in Shangzhou, but had been hiding in Cuihua Mountain, that Wanrong went to Cuihua Mountain to look for the murderer, and that the murderer was in Shangzhou but had disappeared for two days in other ways, which made them not include the murderer as a suspect.

After hearing this, Du Gou's face kept flashing with a thoughtful expression.

“It is indeed strange that Wan Langzhong went to Cuihua Mountain. According to our speculation about his actions, he should not have taken that road to Cuihua Mountain. So if he had some kind of agreement with the murderer and went to Cuihua Mountain to see the murderer, then it can be reasonably explained.”

"This also explains why none of the five people investigated by Military Advisor Cui and his team had any problems."

"But what is the identity of the murderer, and what reason could make Wan Langzhong postpone even the secret of the Prince of Xi's illegitimate son, which could shake the Tang Dynasty, in order to see him first? Moreover, Wan Langzhong changed his plans at the last minute that night, so how did the murderer contact Wan Langzhong?"

Liu Shuyi listened to Du Gou's words, his eyes flickered a few times, and he said, "Tell me, is there any possibility that..."

"What?" Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi said, "The reason why Wan Langzhong knew the secret of the Prince Xi's illegitimate son was because this murderer helped him, which is why he trusts this murderer so much?"

"This……"

Du Gou frowned: "If the murderer is at Cuihua Mountain, more than two hundred miles away, how can we help him? Does the murderer have an accomplice? Did this accomplice secretly meet with Wan Langzhong that night?"

Liu Shuyi suddenly stood up and paced back and forth.

This was a new idea, one he had never considered before.

If that's really the case, then many of the things he originally speculated about will have to be overturned and started over.

"Du, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and Liu, the Assistant Minister..."

At this moment, a member of the Imperial Guard walked in and said, "Based on the burning of the candles, we have roughly estimated how long the candles will burn that night."

Upon hearing Jinwuwei's words, both Liu Shuyi and Du Gou looked at him.

Du Gou asked, "How long did it burn?"

Jinwuwei said, "We asked Chen Wu, and Chen Wu told us that after the banquet that night, Wan Langzhong used a new candle, so we directly estimated based on the whole candle."

A whole candle?

Liu Shuyi and Du Gou's eyes lit up.

If Chen Wu were to rely on his memory to perceive it, there would inevitably be some errors.

However, using a whole candle can minimize errors.

Moreover, the end time of the banquet is fixed, which means that Wan Rong's bedtime can be basically determined directly.

"Get straight to the point. When did Wan Langzhong blow out the candle?" Liu Shuyi asked.

Jinwuwei said, "Around 3:45 AM."

"The third quarter of the hour of Chou?"

Liu Shuyi's mind raced.

Chen Wu left around midnight, while Wan Rong's candle was most likely extinguished around 3:45 AM.

In other words, Wan Rong learned the secret of the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi within a period of less than one and a half hours, from midnight to 3:45 AM.

This timeframe is already quite short; a thorough investigation can be conducted throughout the entire governor's residence.

He immediately said to the Imperial Guards, "Next, you... never mind, I'll go find Governor Zhang later and have him arrange for people to cooperate with us. I need to know what everyone in the governor's mansion was doing during that time that night."

Du Gou said, "At this time of day, most people are probably asleep."

"It doesn't matter."

Liu Shuyi said, "The situation can't get any worse. What if someone gets up in the middle of the night and makes a discovery? That could be a crucial clue."

Du Gou thought for a moment and said, "That's true. We shouldn't delay. Let's go find Governor Zhang now."

Neither of them were the type to dawdle; once they made a decision, they walked straight out of the room.

A cold wind blew in his face, making Liu Shuyi shiver slightly. His previously drowsy mind immediately became much more alert.

They went out of the west courtyard and found a servant from the governor's mansion to inquire about Zhang Xu's whereabouts.

"Master went to the front hall for his shift early this morning..."

Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised and said, "So early? Isn't it time to report for duty yet?"

They tormented Zhang Xu for half the night. Liu Shuyi thought it would be good enough if Zhang Xu could get up now, but he didn't expect that he had already gone to work at the yamen.

The servant said, "Master has always been so diligent. The other day when he was busy, he even stayed in the front hall."

Liu Shuyi nodded in admiration: "Prefect Zhang is truly a role model for us officials to learn from."

He voluntarily worked overtime, not even going home, which is so close by, for official business. He's really hardworking.

However, after thinking about himself, he realized that since he transmigrated, he had only been able to sleep at the Liu residence a handful of times, making him even more of a workhorse than Zhang Xu. He was immediately overwhelmed with emotion.

The two arrived at the front courtyard of the governor's mansion, which was the usual office of the officials of Shangzhou.

Looking at the bustling and busy Prefectural Government Office, Liu Shuyi asked blankly, "Which office is Prefect Zhang in?"

Du Gou thought about what the servant had just said and said, "He said to go straight first, then turn left, then turn right, and the third room is it."

Liu Shuyi made a decisive decision to stop and question the person.

As an official carrying numerous books approached quickly, he stepped forward directly: "Excuse me, colleague—"

wow-

Liu Shuyi's sudden appearance startled the official, causing him to lose his balance and drop all the books in his hands.

The official was startled and hurriedly said, "This humble official has offended you, sir. I hope you will forgive me."

Liu Shuyi reassured him, "It was I who frightened you; I should be the one apologizing to you."

As he spoke, he knelt down to pick up the books for the official.

Looking at the books lying on the ground, Liu Shuyi picked them up while casually glancing at them, and said, "Is the governor's office usually this busy?"

The official hurriedly replied, "It's alright. It's just that Governor Zhang was ill some time ago and was unable to handle these official duties in a timely manner, so they piled up in the last few days. However, Governor Zhang has been working day and night to deal with them, and they are almost finished."

Liu Shuyi nodded.

He handed the book to the official and said, "I forgot to ask, what are my colleagues' names and official ranks?"

“Yin Zhong, the Registrar of the Household Department.”

"So it was Military Advisor Yin."

Liu Shuyi cupped his hands and said, "I wonder where Military Advisor Yin is in such a hurry? Is he going to see Governor Zhang?"

Yin Zhong shook his head: "This humble official is going to see Chief Clerk Zhao. Governor Zhang has too many things to do. When we have something to do, we always go to Chief Clerk Zhao first. If Chief Clerk Zhao can handle it, he will handle it for us first. If he can't handle it, he will summarize our matters and then hand them over to Governor Zhang for handling."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "I see."

"I am going to see Governor Zhang. It seems we are on different paths."

Yin Zhongdao said, "We can travel together for a while. The offices of Prefect Zhang and Chief Clerk Zhao are not far apart, just one room apart."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Alright, let's go together then."

Led by Yin Zhong, Liu Shuyi and Du Gou quickly arrived at Zhang Xu's office.

dong dong dong.

Liu Shuyi knocked on the door. Zhang Xu's voice came from inside very quickly: "Who is it?"

“Prefect Zhang, it is I,” Liu Shuyi said.

Immediately following was the sound of a stool being pushed aside and extremely fast footsteps.

crunch--

The door opened, and Zhang Xu looked at Liu Shuyi outside, somewhat surprised: "Why is Liu Shuyi here? Didn't I say that if you have something you need me to do, you can just send someone to tell me? Your investigation is important, there's no need for you to come here personally."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "I am worried that the messengers below may not be able to convey the message clearly. It would be more prudent to communicate with Governor Zhang personally."

"That's true."

Zhang Xu nodded and invited Liu Shuyi and Du Gou into the room.

Liu Shuyi glanced around and saw that Zhang Xu's office was quite spacious, twice the size of his office in the Ministry of Justice. Famous calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls, and a thick stack of books was placed on the vermilion desk by the window.

Next to the books were the Four Treasures of the Study, indicating that Zhang Xu was just handling official business.

Liu Shuyi said, "Prefect Zhang truly works tirelessly day and night; I admire him greatly."

Zhang Xu shook his head and said, "His Majesty trusts me and has entrusted me with the affairs of a prefecture. I must live up to His Majesty's trust."

"Too."

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "Prefect Zhang, I am pressed for time, so I will not exchange pleasantries with you any longer. I would like to inquire about everyone who was at the Prefect's residence that night. I hope that you can arrange a few people to help us gather everyone together."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xu did not hesitate at all and immediately said, "That's easy. I will arrange manpower for you right away and make sure that not a single person will be missing from the governor's mansion that night. Even if no one came to the governor's office today, I will call them over for you."

Liu Shuyi cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you very much, Prefect Zhang."

Zhang Xu waved his hand and said, "It is all what I should do. I only hope that Assistant Minister Liu can solve the case as soon as possible, find the real culprit, and let Doctor Wan rest in peace."

Zhang Xu acted quickly, and soon found several people for Liu Shuyi to cooperate with.

Coincidentally, the person in charge was none other than Yin Zhong, the Registrar of Households whom Liu Shuyi had just met.

Yin Zhong was somewhat surprised to see Liu Shuyi again, but after hearing Zhang Xu's instructions, he understood everything.

He said, "I was also at the banquet that night, so I know who was at the governor's mansion that night."

Liu Shuyi smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Then I'll have to trouble Military Advisor Yin."

"Don't dare."

Yin Zhong quickly waved his hand: "I only hope to be of help to the Master."

Liu Shuyi smiled, looked at Zhang Xu, and said, "Prefect Zhang, there's no time to lose, so I won't disturb you any longer."

Zhang Xu nodded: "Please go ahead and do it, Mr. Liu. If there is anything else I can do for you, just send someone to let me know, and I will do my best to support you."

Liu Shuyi nodded emphatically. Without further delay, he led Yin Zhong and the others away quickly.

After leaving the office, Liu Shuyi said to Yin Zhong, "Military Advisor Yin, I only need to know what the people in the governor's mansion did from midnight to 1:45 am that night."

"From midnight to three-quarters past 1 AM?"

Yin Zhong thought for a moment and said, "Officials like myself who accompany the banquet will leave after the banquet ends. After midnight... only the guards and Governor Zhang's family and servants will remain."

As he spoke, he looked at Liu Shuyi and asked, "Should we also inquire about Governor Zhang's family and servants?"

"Ask."

Liu Shuyi said, "Wan Langzhong lives in the backyard, and may have had contact with Governor Zhang's family or servants."

"it is good."

Although Yin Zhong was somewhat nervous in front of Liu Shuyi, he acted swiftly and decisively, saying, "This humble official will make the arrangements immediately. Does Master Liu wish to inquire personally?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "I will arrange for someone to question you together. If we find anything, I will personally inquire."

"I understand."

Yin Zhong left quickly without any delay.

Watching Yin Chong's figure disappear quickly, Du Gou said, "How about I go with Military Advisor Yin to inquire?"

"No need."

Liu Shuyi's gaze was deep and unfathomable. He suddenly looked at Du Gou and said, "Du, the Vice Minister, please do something for me in secret."

"To do something secretly?"

Du Gou was taken aback.

He glanced around instinctively, and seeing no one nearby, lowered his voice and asked, "What is it?"

"Help me retrieve a few items, and ask me some questions discreetly..."

Then he whispered in Du Gou's ear what he needed and what he wanted to know.

Upon hearing this, Du Gou's face showed a blank expression: "Why do you want these things?"

Liu Shuyi looked intently at Du Gou and said, "If I said that I already have a guess about the murderer's identity, would you believe me, Vice Minister Du?"

"What!?"

Du Gou was taken aback at first, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Really? Of course I believe you! Who is it?"

Liu Shuyi said, "I only have suspicions now, but I don't have enough evidence yet. What I asked Du Sicheng to do for me is to confirm whether my speculation is correct."

Upon hearing this, Du Gou did not hesitate for a moment and said directly, "Okay! I will definitely get you what you want and find out what you need to know."

Liu Shuyi said, "Du Sicheng must act in secrecy. We cannot allow the same thing to happen again, and we cannot allow the murderer to strike before us again."

"Don't worry," Du Gou said, "I know what to do."

Liu Shuyi slowly exhaled: "I will do various things to attract the murderer's attention, and then Du Sicheng can take advantage of this opportunity to act."

Du Gou and Liu Shuyi exchanged a glance and nodded emphatically: "This time, we will definitely regain the advantage and catch the murderer!"

Thus, Liu Shuyi and Du Gou split up and acted separately.

He first listened to Jin Wuwei recount the results of his questioning of the patrol team members, and then listened to Du Ying recount the autopsy.

Just as he had expected, Manager Ma died shortly before Zhao Feng arrived.

This also confirms his deduction that the murderer knew his every move and responded accordingly.

Afterwards, he found Yin Zhong and together they questioned the people in the governor's office.

As a result, the people on duty at the yamen were only in the front yard, and no one went into the back yard. They also did not see Wan Rong come to the front yard, and at that time, there were people who could testify for him.

In other words, they all have alibis.

The people in the backyard were all asleep at that time; not a single person got up to use the restroom.

Therefore, the inquiry with Ren Zhong ultimately yielded no results.

When Lien Cheng finally asked, he couldn't help but feel disappointed and apologetic, as he hadn't expected to be of no help at all.

Liu Shuyi simply shook his head at this, and instead comforted Ren Zhong, telling him not to put too much pressure on himself.

Seeing this, Ren Zhong couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Truly worthy of being called a world-renowned detective, Liu Yuanwailang's composure and calmness are not something that ordinary people can possess."

…………

In the blink of an eye, it was already noon.

After lunch, all the inquiries were concluded.

Du Gou also returned.

He went to Liu Shuyi's room, closed the door, and then took out some books from his pocket and handed them to Liu Shuyi: "These are what you wanted. See if they are enough? If not, I'll think of something else."

Liu Shuyi opened the book, glanced at it quickly, and then laughed, "That's enough."

He looked at Du Gou and said, "You've had a tough time, Vice Minister Du. It must have been hard dealing with them."

Du Gou picked up the kettle, poured himself a glass of water, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "Getting these things wasn't difficult; the main thing was not to arouse their suspicion. It took some thought."

Liu Shuyi nodded, fully aware of how difficult it would be to get the gentlemanly Du Gou to do this.

But there was no other way. He had just told Cui Lin and the others to rest, and he couldn't just drag them out of bed. Besides, Du Gou was a man of good character and easy to trust, so entrusting this matter to Du Gou was the best option.

Du Gou put down his water glass and said, "I heard that Military Advisor Ren's inquiry yielded no results?"

"Yes."

Du Gou frowned slightly: "Wouldn't all this work have been for nothing?"

"It doesn't count."

Liu Shuyi tapped his fingertips lightly on the table: "Although they were all asleep, I still managed to find out some other things, so it wasn't a complete loss."

Seeing that Liu Shuyi looked relaxed, unlike his previous serious expression, Du Gou breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that Liu Shuyi wasn't just trying to comfort her or deceive her.

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "I have found out everything you asked me to find out."

He then recounted the information he had gathered to Liu Shuyi in detail.

"really……"

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, a flicker of light in them: "I wasn't wrong, it seems the murderer is him..."

After doing these things for Liu Shuyi, Du Gou roughly knew who Liu Shuyi suspected. He pondered for a moment and said, "He is indeed highly suspicious, but now there is a fatal problem."

Liu Shuyi looked at him, and then heard Du Gou say, "Time!"

"The murderer disappeared for at least sixteen hours, but he did appear during that time... If we can't explain this, we have no way to catch him."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "That is indeed a problem..."

dong dong dong.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Then the Imperial Guard guarding the door said, "Master Liu, Deputy Lieutenant Lu has arrived and says he has something important to tell you."

Lu Yangyuan?
Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Du Sicheng, perhaps Deputy Lieutenant Lu can help us solve this mystery."

Lieutenant Lu?
Du Gou was stunned for a moment. He suddenly remembered that when he left Cuihua Mountain, Liu Shuyi had specifically left Lu Yangyuan behind and assigned him a task.

Is it...

He couldn't help but ask, "Is what you had Lieutenant Lu do related to the murderer's timeline?"

While giving orders to the Imperial Guards to have Lu Yangyuan come to him, Liu Shuyi said, "At the time, I was just thinking about what I could do to clear my name if I were the murderer and if I was connected to Shangzhou City."

"However, I wasn't sure if my guess was right, but there was a possibility, so I asked Lieutenant Lu to give it a try."

"We'll have to wait until Lieutenant Lu arrives to find out the specific results."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door was pushed open.

Then Lu Yangyuan, looking travel-worn and with some tattered clothes, strode in.

"Lieutenant Lu, what's going on?" Du Gou asked, looking at Lu Yangyuan's fleeing-like appearance.

Lu Yangyuan grinned and shook his head: "Minister Du, there's no need to worry, I'm fine."

"And this is very worthwhile for me, extremely worthwhile!"

As he spoke, he looked at Liu Shuyi with admiration and said, "Sir, everything is just as you predicted. It really works. Moreover, I found something there."

As he spoke, he took a piece of cloth from his pocket.

Liu Shuyi took the cloth, looked up, and then let out a long breath.

"Deputy Lieutenant Lu, you have truly been a great help to me!"

He looked at Lu Yangyuan and said, "I was originally missing one piece of irrefutable evidence, but now..."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "The last piece of the puzzle is complete."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Du Gou suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master Liu, what do you mean?!"

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly: "Minister Du, it's time to let the truth come out."

…………

Two quarters of an hour later.

The governor's office, the public hall.

Cui Lin and the others were woken up and arrived here in a daze.

Members of the inspection team, including Ding Feng and Ren Cheng, as well as officials from the governor's office, including Zhang Xu and Ren Zhong, also arrived here.

As soon as they entered, they saw Liu Shuyi, dressed in the official robes of the Ministry of Justice, sitting upright on the main seat beneath the plaque that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High".

The Imperial Guards stood on both sides, swords hanging at their waists, their imposing presence awe-inspiring.

This scene looks just like a court hearing.

This left everyone somewhat bewildered, unsure of what had happened.

Ding Feng couldn't help but ask, "Master Liu, what's going on?"

Liu Shuyi's gaze swept over the crowd. He did not answer Ding Feng, but looked at Zhang Xu and said, "Prefect Zhang, you usually sit here to hear cases, right?"

Zhang Xu nodded subconsciously: "Yes, Master Liu, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Shuyi continued, "This is a good position. Sitting here, one seems to be able to control the fate of everyone in the courtroom. I wonder if Governor Zhang has ever considered that one day..."

He stared intently at Zhang Xu and said, "Will you also stand in court as a prisoner, being ruled and interrogated?"

　Originally, this chapter should have ended before the last paragraph, but I felt that ending it like that would be too torturous, so I wrote the second paragraph to reveal the murderer's identity first, so that everyone wouldn't have to wait another day to find out the result. The reasoning part won't be too long, and the case will be closed tomorrow... or the day after tomorrow.

　　I know it's hard for everyone to wait, so I won't write a case for too long. This case has been long because I took a break and had a lot of things to do, so there were two or three days with too few updates. Otherwise, it should have been finished in about ten days. I will control the length of the story in the future and finish it in the shortest possible time while keeping the case exciting.

　　Finally, thank you all for your support. I have seen all your monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and subscriptions. Thank you so much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)