The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 105 A Shocking Deduction! Is this the legendary detective's skill?

"What!?"

Liu Shuyi's words immediately stunned everyone in the courtroom.

They stared wide-eyed, mouths agape involuntarily, their brains buzzing, unable to process what was happening for a long time.

They simply couldn't believe what they were hearing.

I can hardly believe my own understanding...

If they understand correctly, Liu Shuyi is saying... Zhang Xu has a problem!?
Could Zhang Xu be the murderer of Wan Rong?!
Ding Feng and the other members of the inspection team looked at Zhang Xu in shock.

Cheng Chumo and the others also looked surprised and astonished.

The officials of the Shangzhou Prefectural Governor's Office were even more bewildered and incredulous.

“Prefect Zhang, you…” Supervising Censor Ding Feng couldn’t help but speak.

"I don't!"

Before Ding Feng could finish speaking, Zhang Xu shook his head, interrupting Ding Feng!
He stared intently at Liu Shuyi, who was sitting in his seat. The gentle smile on his face instantly turned cold. He frowned and asked in a questioning tone, "Master Liu, are you joking, or are you deliberately making fun of me?"

"If this was a joke, I hope you can take it back. This is not a funny thing!"

"If you are trying to mock me, I am the fourth-rank Prefect of Shangzhou, not someone you can mock! Come down immediately and apologize to me. If you are sincere, I am magnanimous and may forgive you."

Zhang Xu's face was icy cold, and his anger and terrifying pressure swept through the entire courtroom.

As the highest-ranking official among them, his anger immediately made the officials of the Shangzhou Prefectural Government, as well as the clerks and guards of the inspection team, feel a tightness in their hearts, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on them, causing them to subconsciously bend their backs and lower their heads.

Liu Shuyi, who could directly withstand Zhang Xu's anger and pressure, seemed not to feel any pressure at all. Upon hearing this, he simply said, "If Governor Zhang knows me well enough, he should know that I never joke when investigating cases."

"Not joking? Then that means you're deliberately playing a trick on me, or even falsely accusing me!?"

Zhang Xu's face darkened, his eyes filled with both confusion and anger: "Liu Shuyi, I consider myself to have treated you with utmost sincerity. You woke me up in the middle of the night, and I had no complaints whatsoever. When you needed help with your investigation, I didn't hesitate for a moment and did it for you on the spot..."

"So, after treating you with such sincerity, this is how you repay me? I truly misjudged you, you ungrateful wretch, you cold-blooded person!"

Faced with Zhang Xu's rebuke, Liu Shuyi remained calm and said, "Prefect Zhang was indeed very cooperative with me, and he didn't hesitate at all before helping me. Otherwise..."

He said meaningfully, "Manager Ma wouldn't have died so conveniently!"

"What did you say!?"

Zhang Xu stared at Liu Shuyi with eyes that seemed to be spitting fire.

Zhao Feng couldn't help but ask, "Does the Assistant Minister mean that the reason why Manager Ma was killed and why Ma's shop was burned down... was all the work of Governor Zhang?"

"Nonsense!"

Zhang Xu's beard trembled with anger, and the mole at the corner of his eye quivered violently with his wrinkles: "Liu Shuyi, what grudge do I have against you? How dare you slander and frame me like this?"

"Do you really think that just because you're sent by His Majesty, I won't dare to do anything to you and will just let you spew such slander?"

As he spoke, he looked at Ding Feng and Ren Cheng and said, "Imperial Censor Ding, Director Ren, Liu Shuyi has framed important officials of the court without any evidence. Are you, the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate, going to do nothing about it?"

"This……"

Without warning, Liu Shuyi suddenly attacked Zhang Xu, catching Ding Feng and Ren Cheng off guard.

So now they have no idea who is at fault, and they don't know what to do when faced with Zhang Xu's questioning.

Ren Cheng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Liu Yuanwailang, you say that Prefect Zhang has problems, but do you have any evidence?"

Upon hearing Ren Cheng's words, everyone immediately looked at Liu Shuyi with tension, while Zhang Xu stared at him with a gloomy expression.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "In Governor Zhang's territory, I wouldn't dare to say such a thing without evidence..."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Xu and said, "Prefect Zhang, I have a few questions to ask you now, and I hope you can answer them truthfully."

Zhang Xu coldly replied, "Answer you? So you can continue to slander and frame me?"

"Oh?"

Liu Shuyi didn't expect Zhang Xu to refuse so directly, and said, "Is Governor Zhang feeling guilty? Are you afraid that you'll leave a flaw in your crime and be discovered by me, so you dare not answer?"

"I did nothing wrong, why would I be guilty! Liu Shuyi, don't you dare make false accusations!"

“Since you have nothing to hide, then Governor Zhang should answer… Of course, you don’t have to answer.”

Liu Shuyi lightly traced his fingertips across the gavel and said, "Anyway, I have enough witnesses to testify for me."

Zhang Xu frowned, his cold eyes fixed on Liu Shuyi, as if trying to see through him and find out what Liu Shuyi had mastered.

However, when Zhang Xu looked at Liu Shuyi, Liu Shuyi only returned his gaze with a half-smile, making it impossible for Zhang Xu to discern Liu Shuyi's thoughts at all.

"Humph!"

Zhang Xu sneered, "I have a clear conscience, why would I be afraid of your questions? But Liu Shuyi..."

He looked coldly at Liu Shuyi and said, "If you do not have enough evidence to prove that I have done something wrong after you finish your questioning, I will never let you go. Even if you are someone sent by His Majesty, I will still detain you and petition His Majesty to do justice for me!"

"You're right about one thing: this is my territory. If you're wronging me, I guarantee you won't escape Shangzhou City!"

Faced with Zhang Xu's threat, Liu Shuyi simply leaned back slightly, showing that he didn't care at all with a completely relaxed posture.

He looked around at everyone and said, "Before questioning Prefect Zhang, let me first explain the details of the Wan Langzhong case to you all..."

Then, he recounted in detail how Wan Rong was suddenly attacked from in front of him by someone he trusted, how Wan Rong obtained important intelligence at the governor's mansion that night and needed to be sent to Chang'an immediately, his speculation that the murderer was at the governor's mansion that night, and how Wan Rong left with the murderer.

He concealed nothing except the specific details about the illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi.

Ding Feng and the others were stunned for a long time after hearing this.

They never imagined that there were so many secrets behind Wan Rong's murder.

"I never expected so many things to happen that night. So, when I returned from the outhouse, Dr. Wan wasn't in his room. He must have gone to gather secret intelligence?" Ding Feng couldn't help but ask.

Ren Cheng suddenly realized: "When Liu asked me who in the patrol team I thought was suspicious, it turned out he was looking for the thief who obtained Wan Langzhong's secret?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Feng couldn't help but say, "Did Assistant Minister Liu ask you too? He asked me as well..."

As he spoke, he looked at Liu Shuyi: "Master Liu, do you know who this thief is? Have you found him?"

Upon hearing this, the members of the inspection team instinctively tensed up and couldn't help but look at each other warily.

Liu Shuyi said, "This matter is not urgent, we can talk about it later."

"Now that you all understand the general situation of Wan Langzhong's case, I believe you should also understand that the fact that the murderer killed and destroyed the horse rental records before I was investigating the horse shop shows that he must have been traveling with Wan Langzhong and had gone to the horse shop with him to buy horses."

"Otherwise, there would be no need for him to risk being discovered by Manager Zhao and his men by sending someone to silence them!"

"And this also means that to find the murderer, all we need to do is determine who should have been in Shangzhou during the day or so that the murderer accompanied Wan Langzhong to Cuihua Mountain and returned from Cuihua Mountain, but was not there, or who did not have an alibi, and who could not prove that he was in Shangzhou the whole time."

After thinking for a moment, everyone nodded.

Cheng Chumo's eyes darted around, and he said, "You're saying that Prefect Zhang is the murderer, which means that he wasn't in Shangzhou for more than a day?"

"ridiculous!"

As soon as Cheng Chumo finished speaking, Zhang Xu immediately let out a cold laugh.

"I have been stationed at the governor's office and handling official business. Any official in the governor's office could know about this matter!"

As he spoke, he looked at Liu Shuyi, crossed his arms, and said, "Liu Shuyi, your very first question has exposed your mistake! Do you still dare to say that you did not frame me?"

As Zhang Xu finished speaking, the Shangzhou officials behind him all nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Prefect Zhang has been at the yamen these past two days."

“We have all witnessed Governor Zhang working day and night.”

"He never disappeared."

Hearing the words of the official behind him, Zhang Xu raised his chin high.

He looked at Liu Shuyi with a sneer: "Liu Shuyi, did you hear that? I have never left Shangzhou, so it is utterly ridiculous for you to call me the murderer! What? You don't think I bribed all my colleagues in the governor's office to lie for me, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Feng and Ren Cheng exchanged a glance.

The governor's office has so many officials and clerks that it is not an easy task to bribe them all.

So they still believed what these officials said.

Ren Cheng frowned and asked, "Master Liu, what do you have to say?"

Seeing Ren Cheng standing on Zhang Xu's side, Zhao Feng and the others felt a pang of anxiety and couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi.

However, Liu Shuyi remained remarkably calm in the face of the testimonies from the officials of Shangzhou, as if he had already anticipated this outcome.

"My fellow colleagues, please don't rush to testify for Governor Zhang..."

Liu Shuyi looked at the officials of the Shangzhou Prefectural Government Office and said, "You might as well think carefully about the day when Dr. Wan used the excuse of being sick, and the day before yesterday... Did you really see Prefect Zhang with your own eyes?"

"Or do you think that Governor Zhang has been in the governor's office because he has handled all the official business you needed him to handle in a timely manner, so you think he is in the governor's office?"

"This……"

The officials in the governor's office frowned upon hearing this.

Liu Shuyi looked at one of them and said, "Military Advisor Yin, when I met you this morning, you told me that Governor Zhang has been too busy lately, so when you have something to deal with, you go to Chief Clerk Zhao first. If Chief Clerk Zhao can't handle it, he will organize your matters and hand them over to Governor Zhang for processing. Is that right?"

Yin Zhong hadn't expected to be involved. Seeing everyone looking at him, he nodded nervously, "Yes, that's what I said."

"Then I'd like to know, have you had anything that Governor Zhang needs to handle these past two days?"

"Have……"

"Did Governor Zhang deal with it for you?"

"It's been dealt with."

Have you seen Governor Zhang?

"No... I first handed it over to Chief Clerk Zhao, and then Chief Clerk Zhao handed it over to Governor Zhang, so I..."

Before Yin Zhong could finish speaking, Liu Shuyi said, "You just need to say no, no need to explain. We just want the result."

After saying that, he looked at the others and said, "Although Prefect Zhang dealt with the matter of Military Advisor Yin, he didn't actually see Prefect Zhang in person..."

"I was worried that this was an isolated case, so I asked Vice Minister Du to inquire about it indirectly for me."

Du Gou nodded and said, "Because I was afraid that Governor Zhang would find out that we were investigating him, I was very careful in my inquiries. This morning, I questioned eight people, including three officials, four clerks, and one yamen runner... As a result, they all said that Governor Zhang had issued orders and dealt with their matters, but none of them had seen Governor Zhang in person."

Liu Shuyi said, "Military Advisor Yin may be an isolated case, but with so many people, surely he can't be an isolated case as well? So you all must think carefully about whether you have actually seen Governor Zhang."

After listening to Liu Shuyi and Du Gou's words, the officials of the prefectural government pondered carefully for a moment.

then……

"It seems that I really didn't see Governor Zhang in person."

"I also did not see Governor Zhang in person."

"Although Prefect Zhang gave me his approval, I did not actually meet with Prefect Zhang."

These officials all shook their heads, and in the end, not one of them actually met Zhang Xu.

Seeing this, Liu Shuyi looked at Zhang Xu with a half-smile: "Prefect Zhang, do you still think you have witnesses?"

Zhang Xu's gaze turned cold, and he said in a chilling voice, "They didn't see me because I was ill before and had accumulated a lot of official business to handle. I didn't have time to meet with them one by one, so I arranged for Chief Secretary Zhao to screen them for me first. This was also to improve efficiency. Is it wrong for me to improve the efficiency of handling official business?"

"Liu Shuyi, I have investigated many cases. Don't try to fool me. I know very well whether something can be used as evidence."

"They simply didn't see me, but that doesn't mean I'm not in the governor's office! In the end, you still have no evidence!"

Ding Feng and Ren Cheng thought about it and both nodded.

Ding Fengdao said, "Liu Yuanwailang, if this is all there is, it certainly cannot prove that Governor Zhang is not in Shangzhou. Do you have any other evidence?"

Zhang Xu sneered, "I have never done such things! How could he possibly have?"

“Prefect Zhang is wrong, I really do have it.”

No sooner had Zhang Xu finished speaking than Liu Shuyi said, "Bring the evidence!"

"what?"

"Physical evidence?"

Everyone was stunned.

Zhang Xu's expression also froze for a moment.

Then they saw a guard carrying a tray walk in.

Two tall stacks of books were placed on the tray.

"What is this?" Ding Feng asked curiously.

Liu Shuyi glanced at Zhang Xu, whose expression had changed slightly, and then smiled slightly, saying, "These are the documents that Governor Zhang personally handled."

"However, these books were not processed in the same time period."

He raised his hand, pointing to the stack of books on the left, and said, "These books were handled by Prefect Zhang from five days ago to two days ago." "And the books on the other side were handled by Prefect Zhang these past two days, mainly on the day when Doctor Wan feigned illness and left..."

"You may open these books and see if there are any differences in their contents."

different?

Ding Feng and the others did not understand Liu Shuyi's meaning, and they all took the books from the tray.

They quickly opened the books.

These documents were all submitted by officials from the prefectural government or county officials, requesting Zhang Xu's handling of matters, and Zhang Xu generally responded to them on the same day.

If Zhang Xuhui agrees, he will write the word "agree".

Those who disagree will be marked with an X and the word "rejected" written on their faces.

For cases where he needs to provide specific solutions, he will write hundreds of words at length.

And at the end, there will be a signature and official seal.

All the books were handled in the same way, which was in full compliance with the Tang Dynasty's system. Even Ding Feng, the censor who loved to nitpick, could not find any problems.

"Have you noticed anything wrong?" Ding Feng asked Ren Cheng.

Ren Cheng frowned and shook his head: "It was handled very well, there's no problem."

Listening to the two men's conversation, Liu Shuyi said calmly, "Gentlemen, don't just look at one book; look at several. Some problems will then become apparent."

Should I look at a few more copies?

Ding Feng and Ren Cheng quickly took several more books.

But after looking for a while, they still couldn't find anything wrong.

Ding Feng couldn't help but say, "Sir, what exactly is the problem? Please tell us quickly."

Ren Cheng and the others couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Seeing this, Liu Shuyi didn't keep him in suspense and said, "Two questions."

Two questions? That many?

Everyone was quite surprised.

"first question."

Liu Shuyi said, "These documents that were processed from five days ago to two days ago basically had Governor Zhang's detailed handling methods written down every day. The amount of words was quite large, and it can be seen that Governor Zhang was very serious about handling official business."

"However, the notebooks from the day Wan Langzhong disappeared only contained words of approval and rejection, without any solutions to specific problems."

"Du, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, inquired with some officials and learned that they had also submitted some problems that they could not solve on that day and needed Governor Zhang's guidance, but they did not receive a response that day."

"Is that so?" Ding Feng and the others were somewhat bewildered. Although they had just flipped through some books, they had not finished reading them all for comparison.

Ren Cheng pondered: "We used to have solutions to difficult problems every day, but there was no response on the day Wan Langzhong disappeared. That is indeed a bit strange."

Zhang Xu said with dissatisfaction, "I couldn't think of a solution right away, so I postponed it for a day or two. What's so strange about that? Do I have to be so amazing that I can come up with a solution as soon as I see a problem?"

"This..." Ren Cheng was taken aback, his face flushed slightly, and he said, "That makes sense."

"Hmph!" Zhang Xu snorted coldly.

Looking at Zhang Xu's smug and provocative expression, Liu Shuyi continued, "If you can't think of a solution on the day, postponing it for a day or two is certainly possible. But as for the signature, it's unlikely that you couldn't write it and therefore forged it, right?"

"What? Forged signature?" Ding Feng and the others were taken aback.

Zhang Xu's pupils suddenly contracted, and his smug expression instantly turned serious.

Liu Shuyi took in the changes in Zhang Xu's expression and said, "You can compare the 'agree' and 'reject' statements from five days ago to three days ago with the signatures. The handwriting is slightly different each day."

“But the words on Wan Langzhong’s disappearance day, including the ‘Agree’ and ‘Reject’ documents and his signature, are exactly the same, regardless of size or stroke order! If we compare them side by side, I think they should overlap completely.”

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly began to examine the handwriting on the books more closely.

"The handwriting from five days ago to three days ago was indeed different every day, which is consistent with normal writing."

As Ding Feng spoke, he glanced at the books on his right, and that glance sharpened his gaze.

"Director Ren, look..."

As he spoke, he put the two files together, then looked closely...

Ren Cheng nodded with a grim expression: "The handwriting is indeed completely overlapping. This couldn't have been written; it's a rubbing!"

His gaze suddenly shifted to Zhang Xu, his expression devoid of any hesitation or doubt, his voice cold and stern: "Governor Zhang, how do you intend to explain this matter?"

"I……"

Zhang Xu opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know how to defend himself.

His face looked even worse than Ren Cheng's.

Liu Shuyi looked at Zhang Xu and said calmly, "You are indeed very clever. You know how to use the method of making rubbings of handwriting and with the cooperation of Chief Secretary Zhao to stage a grand scheme to deceive the heavens and the sea, so that these unsuspecting officials will testify for you and help you clear your name."

“We came to Shangzhou only to investigate Wan Langzhong’s murder case. There is no reason for us to look at the normal official documents of your prefectural government. And the officials who received your reply documents will not be idle enough to compare your handwriting with other people’s documents. So you can be absolutely sure that your methods will not be discovered.”

Ding Feng and the others couldn't help but nod.

Indeed, unless the investigators collect these books and officials compare them, it will be impossible to discover Zhang Xu's secret.

Zhang Xu's plan can be described as foolproof.

But if that's the case...

Ding Feng couldn't help but ask, "Liu Yuanwailang, how did you discover the problem in the records? You wouldn't have bothered to look at their regular records, would you?"

Zhang Xu also stared intently at Liu Shuyi, wanting to know exactly where the problem lay.

Then Liu Shuyi smiled slightly and said, "If things were normal, I really wouldn't have noticed Zhang Xu's problem. In fact, before that, I had never suspected him..."

"Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes, or perhaps it was a miracle from Wan Langzhong, or perhaps it was fate..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Zhang Xu: "This morning, I came to the yamen to ask for your help, but I didn't know where your office was, so I asked someone. Just then, I accidentally startled Military Advisor Ren, who was holding books, causing him to drop all the books on the ground..."

Ren Zhong, the Registrar of the Household, stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock: "So, it was at that time that Assistant Minister Liu discovered the problem in the book?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "When I was helping you pick up the books, my eyes inadvertently swept over the words on them, and I just happened to notice that the handwriting was exactly the same. In that instant, I became suspicious."

"Then I asked Vice Minister Du to help me get some books. When I compared them, I found that the books didn't have specific solutions to the problems that occurred on the day Wan Langzhong disappeared. Then everything became clear to me..."

Liu Shuyi said to Zhang Xu, "Zhao Changshi is your man. A few days ago, you deliberately let Zhao Changshi help you receive these documents and certificates, so that the officials below would get used to it and think that even if they don't see you, it's not a problem and it's normal."

"You used your previous illness as an excuse to delay your official duties, and the reason that you had to work day and night to finish your official duties, so you reasonably stayed overnight in the office instead of returning to the backyard to rest."

"Then on the day of the operation, you have Chief Secretary Zhao forge your official documents by making rubbings of your handwriting. However, the solutions to specific problems require a lot of your handwriting, which he cannot forge. So he can only suppress the issues and forge only the simple official documents that only require 'approval' or 'rejection,' thereby using these officials to testify for you."

At this point, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but sigh, "To be honest, I still think your plan is perfect! Before that, I was completely fooled by you and never doubted you. I even fell into self-doubt and self-denial because I couldn't find any problems with the five people on the list you gave me."

"At one point, I wondered if the murderer wasn't even in Shangzhou, if the murderer had always been in Cuihua Mountain, and if I had been completely wrong from the very beginning..."

"Fortunately, I met Ren Canjun at my most confused and critical moment."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone couldn't help but feel moved.

Someone said, "Luckily, luck is on Liu Yuanwailang's side."

"Was it really just luck?" But someone said, "Even with Liu Yuanwailang's reminder, we didn't find the problem in the book, while Liu Yuanwailang found the decisive breakthrough with just a glance! Isn't this because Liu Yuanwailang is so discerning and meticulous?"

"Now that you mention it, it's true! If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have noticed the problem in the book."

"Moreover, the reason why Liu Yuanwailang met Ren Canjun was because he was busy investigating the case and running around non-stop... If Liu Yuanwailang had been lazy or had just sent someone to find Zhang Xu, the result would have been different. So, this was not luck at all, but the inevitable result of Liu Yuanwailang's hard work in investigating the case."

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Ding Feng and Ren Cheng exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

Ding Fengdao: "I have never believed in coincidences. In my opinion, all coincidences are the result of someone's hard work in unseen places."

Ren Cheng nodded: "I had only heard of Liu Yuanwailang's abilities before, but after seeing them today, I know that what he said was true."

Liu Shuyi smiled. He had heard similar things too many times and had become immune to them.

He looked at Zhang Xu again, at Zhang Xu's very gloomy face, and said, "Now that I know you are the murderer, many things become clear."

"For example, the way Wan Langzhong left the governor's mansion..."

Everyone looked at Liu Shuyi, and then they heard Liu Shuyi say, "When we were talking last night, you told me that Wan Langzhong secretly left through the back door in the vegetable delivery vehicle."

"Actually, I had some doubts at the time. After all, how did Wan Langzhong know that your kitchen staff would go to buy vegetables and meat? He got up so early to pretend to be sick, and he hardly had any chance to contact the servants in the kitchen. How did he know this information? And even if he could find out, as a distinguished guest of the governor's mansion, he would be easily recognized by anyone who saw him. How did he manage to avoid so many people and hide secretly in the carriage without being discovered by the people buying vegetables?"

"The difficulty here is really too great... but at the time I didn't suspect you, and the information I had was very limited, so I could only be led by the nose by you."

"But now..."

Liu Shuyi said, "I understand everything."

"Why was Wan Langzhong able to disappear mysteriously without alerting anyone...? It must be because you used your authority to actively transfer people along the way for Wan Langzhong, thus allowing him to easily reach the back door."

"And Wan Langzhong didn't leave using some grocery shopping car. You had the key to the back door, and you were with him, so you unlocked the door yourself and left with Wan Langzhong openly and legitimately, right?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Chen Wu couldn't help but exclaim, "Is that so?"

"However, what Master Liu said has reminded me of something."

He said, "I was in the kitchen preparing medicine for you, sir, when a few servants came in. They said they were ordered by Governor Zhang to clean the kitchen, to ensure our distinguished guest didn't fall ill again, and to keep the kitchen clean and tidy..."

Ding Feng couldn't help but ask, "Is that so? How come I didn't know?"

Chen Wu said, "I didn't know this matter was so important. At the time, I thought that Governor Zhang valued us a lot, so I didn't think much of it."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Zhang Xu, is there anything else you want to say?"

Zhang Xu stared intently at Liu Shuyi, his eyes filled with coldness and icy intent.

However, in the face of Liu Shuyi's seemingly victorious words, Zhang Xu unexpectedly laughed the next moment.

"Liu Yuanwailang truly lives up to his reputation as a brilliant detective; his reasoning is intricately linked and truly captivating."

"However, unfortunately, it was still a mistake!"

“I admit that I did slack off on the day Wan Langzhong disappeared. I was too tired in the previous days and didn’t want to write anything that day, so I took a break.”

"Of course, if Master Liu says I'm making excuses, then I'll say something that will prove my innocence."

He looked at Liu Shuyi, the corners of his mouth suddenly turned up, and a confident, even victorious smile returned to his face. He said, "According to what Liu Yuanwailang said, I am the murderer, and I left with Wan Langzhong."

"Then I would like to ask, how long did it take Master Liu to travel from Cuihua Mountain to Shangzhou?"

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow: "Eight hours."

"Eight hours. It must take at least eight hours for Wanlang to get from here to Cuihua Mountain."

Zhang Xu looked at Liu Shuyi with a half-smile: "If I really leave with Wan Langzhong, then it will take me at least sixteen hours to get to Cuihua Mountain, kill Wan Langzhong, and return, right?"

"However, I left my office at noon yesterday and met with other people, and many people can testify to this."

"According to what you said, the time when Wan Langzhong left, I appeared at noon yesterday, which was only fourteen hours. That's two hours less than the at least sixteen hours you said!"

“Liu Shuyi…” Zhang Xu spread his hands and said, “My time does not match the murderer’s time at all!”

"So, no matter what you say, it's useless. This time is irrefutable proof that I am not the murderer! And you are framing a high-ranking official! You..."

Zhang Xu suddenly stepped forward and shouted sternly, "What is your punishment?"

As soon as Zhang Xu finished speaking, Zhao Feng and the others' expressions changed.

Ding Feng and Ren Cheng were also taken aback.

Then both of them frowned.

Because they did indeed meet with Zhang Xu yesterday at noon, which they witnessed firsthand, they are witnesses.

As Liu Shuyi just said, they rushed over without stopping, which took eight hours, so there was absolutely no problem with the time.

The murderer could not have made a round trip in less than sixteen hours.

Could it be that Zhang Xu really has no problem, and Liu Shuyi is wrong?
Seeing the drastic change in everyone's expressions, Zhang Xu's smile deepened, and he sneered inwardly, "Did they really think I only had one trump card?"

He crossed his arms, looked at Liu Shuyi with a sneer, wanting to see how ridiculous Liu Shuyi's expression would be now, after he had been so smug just moments before.

then……

Zhang Xu frowned slightly.

Because he discovered that Liu Shuyi's reaction was completely different from what he had imagined.

Forget about the ridiculous look of panic and tension; Liu Shuyi didn't even frown. Instead, he was looking at me with a half-smile. When I looked at him, Liu Shuyi finally spoke: "Time, indeed, is a good reason for a comeback."

"But……"

Liu Shuyi looked at him meaningfully and said slowly, "I can notice the tiny handwriting on the book. You don't think I would overlook what happened yesterday at noon, do you?"

(End of this chapter)