The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 220 Breakthrough! The Secret of the Prince of Xi's Illegitimate Son Revealed! The Opportunity to Turn the Tide Has Arrived!

"Get the water bottle?"

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "One last question: when you heard others talking about the rumors of Dou Jiande's spirit, did they mention who the person who saw Dou Jiande's spirit was? Or who was the first person to mention this news?"

Deng Hui frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Some people questioned this rumor, saying it sounded fake. Then someone said that he had personally seen the person who saw Dou Jiande's spirit, saying that the person was disoriented, with blank eyes, looking like he had seen a ghost, and it didn't seem fake at all."

"You've seen him?" Guan Feng asked directly, "Did that person describe what this person looks like?"

Liu Shuyi glanced at Guan Feng, then heard Deng Hui say, "Others also asked, and that person said they didn't know the man who encountered the ghost, but this person was young and handsome, dressed in luxurious clothes, and didn't seem like an ordinary person who would talk nonsense and attract attention, so they believed what this person said."

"Young and handsome, dressed in fine clothes... that's too general." Guan Feng asked, "Are there any more specific physical characteristics?"

Deng Hui shook his head: "That person didn't explain in detail. Xiao Min had finished eating and was continuing his journey with his wife and children, so..."

Guan Feng frowned, and after a moment, waved his hand and said, "It's alright. You've provided enough clues. It's not your fault if you didn't hear them all."

Deng Hui breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My lords, this is all I know... County Magistrate Cao's death really has nothing to do with my family. I hope you will investigate thoroughly."

Liu Shuyi reassured him gently: "Don't worry, if you did it, we won't let you off the hook, but if you didn't do it, I will never wrong you... And to tell you the truth, we have the least suspicion of you. After all, it's unlikely that a murderer would risk his wife and children to kill an official of the court."

Upon hearing this, Deng Hui nodded repeatedly.

"All right."

Liu Shuyi picked up his water glass and said, "You may leave now. If there are any other questions, I will call you again."

"I'll take my leave." Deng Hui didn't dare to delay and quickly turned to leave.

After Deng Hui left, Liu Shuyi asked Guan Feng, "Does County Magistrate Guan think Deng Hui is a suspect?"

Guan Feng thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "At least I didn't find anything wrong with him."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "His answer does sound fine, but we still need to confirm it."

He instructed one of the Imperial Guards: "Go and find out whether Deng Hui fetched a water jug ​​for his son during dinner tonight, and whether his son drank water from the jug."

"Yes!" The Imperial Guard quickly left.

Upon seeing this, Guan Feng couldn't help but sigh, "County Commandant Qin is indeed very cautious. If it were me, I might have overlooked these things."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "The murderer is cunning; it's always better to be careful."

dong dong dong.

At this time, there was another knock on the door.

At the same time, a voice came: "The candidate, Zhu Shan, has arrived."

Liu Shuyi and Guan Feng exchanged glances, nodded slightly to each other, and then sat up straight again.

"Come in," Liu Shuyi said.

The door was pushed open, and Zhu Shan, wearing a turban and a white round-neck shirt, walked in with a slightly nervous expression.

He had fair skin and clear, scholarly eyes, clearly the kind of precious son who had been well protected by his family and had never experienced the harsh realities of society.

"This humble one greets the two officials." Zhu Shan clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his manners impeccable.

Liu Shuyi nodded: "No need for formalities. I summoned you here because I have some questions to ask you. You must answer truthfully, otherwise..."

He paused deliberately before saying calmly, "I'm afraid you won't be able to participate in the imperial examination."

Zhu Shan's pupils trembled, and his bow deepened as he hurriedly said, "This humble one will certainly not hide anything."

After giving Zhu Shan a nudge, Liu Shuyi began asking questions, the general questions being the same as those asked of Deng Hui.

For example, why not take the waterway, when it's clearly smoother?

Zhu Shan's answer was completely different from Deng Hui's. He said, "As the ancients said, 'Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.' Although traveling by boat is smoother, it is impossible to reach all the cities and tour the beautiful landscape. Therefore, we decided to take the land route. Although the land route is slower, we set off several days in advance to ensure that we will not delay the time for the scientific expedition."

Liu Shuyi then asked them if they had heard any rumors on the way.

Zhu Shan immediately began to speak: "I have heard many rumors, from major national events to minor ones such as Widow Zhao's infidelity and the reappearance of a spirit that died many years ago. I have lived in Dizhou for twenty years and have heard more rumors than I have in the past few days. If County Magistrate Qin is curious, I can tell you in detail."

Liu Shuyi could tell that Zhu Shan had been too strictly controlled by his family and was feeling stifled. Now that he was out in the world, he was curious about everything.

Fearing that Zhu Shan would really reveal the details of Zhao the widow's affair, he said, "Tell me about the matter of the soul appearing in the world."

Zhu Shan was somewhat disappointed to see that Liu Shuyi only focused on the last, obviously unreliable rumor and didn't care about Widow Zhao's affair.

But he dared not disobey and quickly recounted in detail the rumors he had heard.

Just as Liu Shuyi had predicted, the spirit that Zhu Shan spoke of appearing in the world was indeed a rumor about Dou Jiande.

It is largely the same as what Deng Hui said, with only a few minor differences in details.

For example, Zhu Shan said that the person who encountered the ghost heard Dou Jiande's spirit say that he had left behind his life's wealth in this place and was going to give it to a destined person. The destined person could take it, but he had to avenge him, otherwise he would become a vengeful ghost and not let the other party go.

For example, the person who encountered the ghost was said to have gone completely insane, talking incoherently and repeating the same things over and over again. Therefore, even if people didn't want to remember them, they would subconsciously remember most of them.

Liu Shuyi said, "Since you like rumors so much, have you ever inquired about what the person who pretended to be a ghost looked like?"

"I'm not that into it either..." Zhu Shan was a little embarrassed. After all, as a scholar, it was really improper for him to be so curious about gossip.

"Have you inquired about it?"

"I've inquired..." Zhu Shan blushed slightly and said, "I'm just a little curious. I want to know what kind of person could have the chance to encounter a ghost and still survive. If I meet one in the future, perhaps I'll have a chance to befriend him."

"but……"

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "People are saying different things. Some say he's very handsome, some say he has a face full of pockmarks, some say he's dressed in fine clothes, some say he's dressed worse than a beggar..."

"How can someone be both ugly and handsome, dressed in fine clothes yet looking worse than a beggar? Those people must be talking nonsense. The truth is far less likely than that of Widow Zhao having an affair. I am an educated man with the ability to discern, and I will not be fooled by their nonsense!"

As Zhu Shan said this, he was somewhat smug, which made Liu Shuyi and the others look at him with complicated expressions.

They were unsure whether Widow Zhao had been unfaithful.

However, the rumors about Dou Jiande's spirit must have some basis and may not be just nonsense.

Liu Shuyi didn't give Zhu Shan a chance to promote the rumors about Zhao the Widow's affair, and continued, "After you arrived at the inn, did Cao Rui ask you any questions?"

Zhu Shan dared not hide anything: "The questions were roughly the same as those asked by County Magistrate Qin."

"You answered everything?"

"Yes."

"Including the matter of Dou Jiande's soul?"

"Yes."

She's really simple and honest... Unlike Deng Hui, she didn't hide the truth from such an obviously troublesome question, but answered it truthfully.

It's only because Cao Rui and the others' goal wasn't to kill those who knew about the rumors to silence them; otherwise, Zhu Shan and the others would have been corpses long ago.

"What was Cao Rui's reaction after hearing this?" Liu Shuyi asked again.

Zhu Shan recalled the situation at the time, subconsciously swallowed, and said, "It seems like I wasn't too happy."

Not too happy... Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered slightly.

Under what circumstances would someone be unhappy about supernatural or ghostly rumors that sound unreliable?

Are the ghosts and gods in those rumors close to him or his enemies?
Or... is there a secret hidden in this rumor, and he doesn't want others to know about it?
And the person who first spread this rumor... was crazy, ugly yet handsome...

Why do different people have such different impressions?

It is because, in the process of spreading rumors, people have filled in many subjective thoughts and added their own interpretations, causing the truth to fade away.

Or is there some other reason...?

As Liu Shuyi pondered, he continued, "Besides being unhappy, did he say anything else to you?"

Zhu Shan said, "He told me to study hard and not to waste my time on these unreliable rumors. He also warned me not to spread rumors, otherwise he would punish us if he heard about it."

This is to prevent Zhu Shan and his group from spreading the rumors within the inn... to prevent more people from knowing about these rumors.

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "I understand the general idea. One last question."

Upon hearing the last two words, Zhu Shan's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at Liu Shuyi expectantly.

Liu Shuyi said, "You met the waiter face-to-face when he was serving dishes to Cao Rui and the others in the evening, didn't you?"

"Yes," Zhu Shan replied quickly.

"You remember it so clearly?" Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

It's inevitable to encounter the waiter at the inn. It's normal for Deng Hui not to notice or have any memory of it. Zhu Shan's answer was far too quick.

Zhu Shan said somewhat embarrassedly, "When I went back to my room to get a book, I encountered the waiter serving the dishes. The dishes smelled so good that I couldn't help but pay more attention and asked the waiter what they were. The waiter said that they were specially prepared for the official, and the inn did not have any extra side dishes to make another serving. So I felt quite regretful at that time."

"I see."

Liu Shuyi looked Zhu Shan up and down. Zhu Shan scratched his head, his ears turning slightly red.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Alright, that's all my questions. You can go back now. If you have any other questions, I will send someone to call you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shan felt a great sense of relief. Without any hesitation, as if Liu Shuyi and the others were some kind of monster, he quickly turned and left.

Watching Zhu Shan's departing figure, Guan Feng stretched his limbs and said, "So? Do you think there's something wrong with him?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "Either he is very good at disguising himself and completely fooled me, or he is really just a simple candidate with little experience who only knows how to bury himself in books."

"I agree with you."

As he spoke, Guan Feng looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Should we call my men over and ask them too?" "No need."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "The man from County Commandant Guan is definitely not the murderer. There's no need to waste time."

"I am very honored to be trusted by such a cautious County Lieutenant Qin."

Liu Shuyi's words were clearly a gesture of goodwill towards Guan Feng, and Guan Feng became even more amiable towards Liu Shuyi.

He smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Shuyi, saying, "My men are staying in two rooms, three people in each room. Because of our mission, everyone is on high alert. If anyone leaves alone in the middle of the night, they will definitely be discovered by others. So I can guarantee that my men will be fine."

“Of course I believe County Magistrate Guan.” Liu Shuyi took a sip of water and changed the subject: “What does County Magistrate Guan think about the rumors surrounding Dou Jiande’s spirit?”

Guan Feng's smile faded, and he said in a deep voice, "This rumor should be the one that Cao Rui is concerned about. If this rumor were nonsense, Cao Rui would not care so much... So I think that some parts of this rumor may not be fabricated."

"Then, which part do you think might be true, County Magistrate Guan?" Liu Shuyi asked again.

Guan Feng said, "The matter of the soul is absolutely fictitious, a fabrication... And the only things that are interesting about this rumor, besides the soul, are the location where the soul appears and the matter of Dou Jiande's wealth."

“It seems that County Magistrate Guan thinks the same way,” Liu Shuyi said. “Cao Rui and the others are officials of Wuyi County, and they are busy with their duties. If they didn’t have a strong motive, they would never have abandoned their posts in Wuyi County and come to this remote mountain forest, far from any village or shop…”

"The possible motives behind this rumor are either that they have a past connection with Dou Jiande, and upon hearing about the appearance of Dou Jiande's spirit, they wanted to verify its authenticity, thus coming to the place where Dou Jiande's spirit appeared..."

"Either..."

He looked at Guan Feng: "It's that so-called wealth that Dou Jiande supposedly possessed throughout his life, hidden nearby!"

"Dou Jiande has been dead for seven years. Even the deepest relationship should have faded with death and the passage of time... Even if Cao Rui really had a past with him, upon hearing this unreliable rumor, he could have simply sent someone to investigate. Why bother to come all the way here in person?"

Guan Feng said, "Therefore, I think they must be after Dou Jiande's life wealth! Money can move people's hearts, not to mention that Dou Jiande controlled Hebei Province for many years and accumulated an unknown amount of wealth. Such terrifying wealth is enough to make greedy people take a gamble."

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin: "What County Magistrate Guan said makes sense... but I don't know if Dou Jiande's so-called wealth really exists, and if it does, where would it be hidden?"

Guan Feng shrugged: "I can't judge that. If Cao Rui hadn't been so concerned about this rumor, I wouldn't have believed a single word of this weird and unreliable rumor!"

"but……"

He then changed the subject, turning to Liu Shuyi and saying, "This place is far from human habitation. If there really is treasure hidden here, then the only people who would have the opportunity to know where it is are probably..."

He glanced outside and didn't continue speaking, but Liu Shuyi already understood what he meant.

Guan Feng clearly suspected the innkeeper and others.

At this moment, Changsun Chong said, "I once heard a rumor that after Dou Jiande was taken to Chang'an and executed by the Prince of Qin, the court sent people to confiscate Dou Jiande's house. However, not many valuable items were found in Dou Jiande's residence. Therefore, many people said that Dou Jiande was not greedy for money or lustful, and was an honest person who had gone astray."

"Incorruptible? Not greedy for money or lustful?"

Guan Feng sneered, "He took a huge risk, leading troops to plot a rebellion, and you say he was honest, not greedy for money or lustful, and that his family was penniless... Is that possible? Let's not talk about others, just look at the victors Li Yuan and Li Shimin. Their reputations weren't bad, were they? But which of them didn't have their own treasury? Which of them only had one empress and didn't have multiple concubines?"

Hearing Guan Feng's words, even the mischievous Cheng Chumo dared not agree.

If His Majesty or the Emperor Emeritus were to hear this, even his own father couldn't protect him.

Guan Feng said to Liu Shuyi, "If not much wealth was found when the house was searched, then I really think there is a high possibility that Dou Jiande hid the treasure."

Liu Shuyi looked at Changsun Chong, who nodded slightly to him. Liu Shuyi immediately understood that what Changsun Chong said was not a rumor, but the truth.

Others might not know about this, but the eldest son of the Changsun family could not possibly be unaware of it.

He nodded and said, "It seems that... there really might be Dou Jiande's treasure hidden nearby."

Cheng Chumo also became interested: "I just don't know where it's hidden. If we can find it, wouldn't we be rich?"

Changsun Chong laughed and said, "You can ask the innkeeper and the others. Their sudden opening of the inn five years ago may not necessarily be because they discovered a business opportunity, as they say... Perhaps they also know some secret."

Cheng Chumo was startled: "If their goal is also Dou Jiande's treasure, then they have been here for five years and must have taken Dou Jiande's treasure long ago."

"not necessarily."

Liu Shuyi said, "As the saying goes, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever. If Dou Jiande's treasure is really hidden here, as this rumor suggests, it will be discovered by others sooner or later. Therefore, if they have really obtained Dou Jiande's treasure, they should leave this place as soon as possible, disappear without a trace, and make their fortune quietly. Why would they stay here?"

“That’s true.” Cheng Chumo scratched his head and said, “So, did they know about the treasure, or did they not?”

Liu Shuyi shrugged: "That's a question for them to answer."

"okay!"

Liu Shuyi put down his water glass, stood up, and said to Guan Feng, "This inn has many rooms, and we have limited manpower. We also need to question the people below, which makes the search very slow... After we finish questioning, let's go and help with the search. The sooner we find the whereabouts of the other five people, the sooner we can find the truth."

Guan Feng naturally wouldn't refuse, saying, "Then let's split up and move faster."

"it is good!"

After leaving the room, the group asked Lu Yangyuan which rooms had not yet been searched, and then split up to go to different rooms.

crunch--

Cheng Chumo pushed open the door to a room and went inside.

After a moment, he said, "Nobody's here."

Liu Shuyi and the others then entered.

"How was it? Did you get anything from Guan Feng and the others?" Cheng Chumo asked impatiently as Liu Shuyi entered.

Changsun Chong also looked at Liu Shuyi seriously.

Liu Shuyi did not rush to answer, but pondered for a moment, sorted out his thoughts, and then said: "This time I have made some progress. I roughly know who committed the crime, but I have not figured out the motive yet, and the evidence is not sufficient."

"You really know who the murderer is?" Cheng Chumo and the others were overjoyed.

As for the motives or the evidence, they didn't care.

This isn't a trial; the murderer wants to kill them all. They don't need much evidence. All they need is to know who the murderer is, be on guard against him, and even fight back to ensure their own safety!

In special times, why bother with rules about sufficient evidence?

"Who is it?" Cheng Chumo couldn't help but ask.

Liu Shuyi was about to speak...

Boom boom boom!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Everyone immediately tensed up, and Cheng Chumo gripped his knife hilt tightly, asking warily, "Who's there?"

"It's me," came Du Gou's voice from outside the door.

"Du, the Vice Minister?" Cheng Chumo quickly turned around and opened the door.

Sure enough, it was Du Gou outside the door.

"Have you finished asking?" Changsun Chong inquired.

Du Gou shook his head: "We have limited manpower, and we haven't even finished asking half of them."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "My men are still waiting for me. I'll get straight to the point. The matter you asked me to investigate has yielded results... but no results!"

"No!?"

Liu Shuyi's eyes narrowed suddenly.

This result was somewhat unexpected, yet also reasonable.

"In addition, those who went out also found a pigeon that had been struck by lightning and was charred black."

“And a bamboo tube was tied to the pigeon’s leg.”

As he spoke, he took out a small bamboo tube from his pocket and handed it to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi took the bamboo tube, quickly opened the lid, and saw a very small piece of paper inside.

"A message sent by carrier pigeon!?"

Cheng Chumo's eyes widened: "Someone in the inn is sending messages out by carrier pigeon?"

Changsun Chong and the others also frowned. The torrential rain had blocked all the roads for them to leave the place, but they never expected that someone would use carrier pigeons to deliver a letter.

Who would use a carrier pigeon to deliver a message under such circumstances?

None of the people in the public eye—the caravan, the family traveling together, the examinees taking the imperial examination, or the innkeeper—had any reason to use carrier pigeons to deliver messages under such circumstances.

Therefore, there must be someone here whose identity is questionable!
Without delay, Liu Shuyi quickly took out the paper strip from the bamboo tube and then unfolded it.

When he saw the contents of the note, his pupils dilated and his lips curled up slightly.

Everyone had been staring at Liu Shuyi, and noticing a change in his expression, they couldn't help but ask, "What's written on it?"

Liu Shuyi raised his head, looked at his companions, and said with a smile, "It's true what they say, man proposes, God disposes. Although we changed our appearance and identities, because two of us women couldn't change our gender, we were still suspected..."

"However, they were unsure if there was anything wrong with our identities, so they sent a message to their master, awaiting further instructions..."

"That is to say..."

"Now we can confirm that there are indeed people from the Prince of Xi's illegitimate son hiding inside the inn! They are secretly watching us."

"But unfortunately, the news didn't get out. If only we could find them and take care of them..."

Liu Shuyi's lips curled up: "The illegitimate son of the Prince of Xi will completely lose our trace!"

"The opportunity we've been waiting for to turn the tide has arrived!!"

…………

P.S.: This book has been renamed! The new title is "The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era". Don't be unfamiliar with the new title.

(End of this chapter)