The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 32 This was an unexpected accident that even the thieves were dumbfounded!
"What!?"

"It wasn't lost here!?"

Cheng Chumo was completely stunned when he heard Liu Shuyi's words.

"Manager Liu, what do you mean? What do you mean by saying it wasn't lost here?"

He couldn't help but press for more information.

Zhao Feng was also surprised. He had followed Liu Shuyi and heard Du Gou's account of the case in its entirety, so he knew very well that the body had mysteriously disappeared in this tomb, which was the consensus of everyone.

How come now, Manager Liu is saying that it wasn't lost here?
real or fake?

Having followed his father in the investigation and possessing more comprehensive information than others, Du Gou's pupils constricted as he stared at Liu Shuyi in disbelief.

Liu Shuyi looked at the three people's surprised expressions without the slightest surprise.

He was well aware of the destructive power of his words.

He didn't keep them in suspense and went straight to the point: "First, let's talk about the shaking felt by the imperial guards on the night of the incident, and the collapse of the tomb chamber."

"My original guess was that someone used powerful gunpowder or something similar to blow open the tomb, causing it to collapse, which allowed them to enter and steal the remains."

"But there are two points of doubt."

"First, I discovered that the cracks weren't limited to this tomb chamber; they were also present on the floor of the sacrificial altar outside... Keep in mind that the altar is quite a distance from here, and even the black powder made by alchemists, no matter how powerful, has its limits. It simply cannot detonate here and directly affect the altar so far away."

"Moreover, if it could really affect the ground of the offering hall, the power would at least shatter the entire tomb chamber, rather than just partially collapse. Therefore, I have doubts about this possibility."

"Secondly, if the thieves really did use gunpowder to blast open the tomb, then there should be craters and charred marks from the explosion inside, but..."

He looked at the group and shook his head, saying, "I didn't find a single crater or charred spot in the entire tomb."

"Later, I wondered if it was blocked by falling rocks, so I asked General Cheng to move the rubble, but in the end, it was still not there."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo suddenly realized: "So that's why you asked me to clean the stones. No wonder you asked me to clean them even though I said there was nothing there. It's only when there's nothing there that your speculation can be confirmed."

Liu Shuyi smiled and nodded, saying, "Moreover, if such a large explosion really happened, it's impossible that there was no sound. However, the guards and servants that night did not hear any unusual sounds other than the sound of the blizzard."

"All of this is enough to prove that the tomb collapsed not because of gunpowder or anything like that."

As Zhao Feng listened to Liu Shuyi eliminate one possibility in just a few words, his eyes showed admiration, and he nodded repeatedly: "What Manager Liu said makes sense."

After pondering for a moment, Du Gou nodded in agreement.

Liu Shuyi continued, "If it wasn't destroyed by gunpowder or something similar, how did such a sturdy tomb collapse?"

His gaze swept across the floor and stone walls of the passageway: "Moreover, the affected areas are not only the tomb chamber, but also the floor and stone walls of the passageway, and even the outer offering hall. The floor looks as if someone has cleaved it horizontally with a knife..."

"As I just said, even the most powerful gunpowder we know of so far can't achieve this. So, what can? Or rather..."

He narrowed his eyes, looked at the group, and his voice suddenly became deep, as if an invisible hand had gripped their hearts, causing them to subconsciously hold their breath.

Then Liu Shuyi said in a deep voice, "Is it possible that this was not done by human power at all?"

"Not the work of human beings?"

Cheng Chumo stared wide-eyed, his dark face vividly illustrating the meaning of "completely bewildered."

"You mean..."

Du Gou seemed to understand Liu Shuyi's meaning and said, "The earth dragon turns over?"

The ancients referred to earthquakes as "earth dragons turning over".

"You mean, this was caused by an earth dragon turning over?"

To everyone's surprise, Cheng Chumo shook his head immediately upon hearing this, and said firmly, "Impossible. Minister Du and the others have already ruled that out."

exclude?

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

He looked at Du Gou, who nodded and said, "Actually, after Aye and the others came here, they also suspected that the earth dragon had turned over, causing the tomb to collapse."

"Therefore, Aye ordered his men to first inquire with the mausoleum guards about the extent of the shaking and whether the surrounding villages also felt the shaking."

"As a result, the soldiers of the mausoleum said that it only shook a few times and was not particularly serious. As for the surrounding villages, they did not feel any shaking at all."

"This means that if it really is an earth dragon turning over, it should be a very minor one, but..."

Du Gou changed the subject and looked at the stone gate.

He raised his hand and pointed to the stone door, saying, "Master Liu, please look. There is a crack on this stone door that almost runs through it."

"This stone gate was specially ordered by His Majesty to be transported from Laoshan. It was originally a huge rock, which was cut and polished by skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works. Its hardness is extremely rare."

"His Majesty specially commissioned this stone door to ensure that Prince Xi rests here peacefully without being disturbed. According to the Ministry of Works' estimates, even after thousands of years, this stone door will be sufficient to protect the tomb from grave robbers and other thieves."

"So, if such a hard and stable stone door was really shaken into this state by an earthquake, and it looks like it's about to be split in two by cracks, what kind of terrifying earth-shattering event would have been required to make it?"

"With an earthquake of that magnitude, not only this tomb chamber, but the entire underground palace and the entire mausoleum would be reduced to ruins!"

"However, the reality is that only this part collapsed, while other places only had some small cracks. The surrounding villages did not feel any shaking. All of this does not correspond to the damage to the stone gate."

"That's why..."

Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi and said in a deep voice, "That's why after the initial investigation, Aye and the others ruled out the possibility of the earth dragon turning over and instead considered how the thieves collapsed the tomb."

Listening to Du Gou's explanation, Liu Shuyi nodded in understanding.

Those who investigated this case before, whether it was Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, or Pei Ji who was hostile to him, were all intelligent people. They may not be good at investigating cases, but they would never turn a blind eye to the obvious possibilities in front of them.

Given Li Shimin's deep concern for this case, it's quite normal that they immediately went to verify it once they thought of it.

but……

Although his starting point was the same as that of Du Ruhui and others.

However, this does not mean that the results will be the same.

"Du, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, is well-versed in poetry and literature and possesses vast knowledge. I wonder if he understands the signs that an earthquake will occur, and what changes will occur in the environment afterward?" Liu Shuyi suddenly asked Du Gou.

Du Gou hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "To be honest, Steward Liu, this earth dragon turning over is an ominous sign, and the records in books are mostly just a few words about it."

“For example, the Bamboo Annals from the Spring and Autumn Period records earthquakes in very brief terms, such as ‘In the hundredth year of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, the earth at Youxiong cracked and the emperor ascended,’ or ‘Emperor Fa of Xia, whose name was Houjing or Fahui, in the seventh year, ascended. Mount Tai shook.’”

"The ones with slightly more content are nothing more than the 'Book of the Later Han Dynasty' which says, 'In the ninth month of the first year of Jian Guang, on the day of Ji Chou, there was an earthquake in thirty-five prefectures and kingdoms. The ground cracked and split, destroying city walls and houses, and killing people.'"

"No omens were ever written down. As for what happened after the earthquake... it was just ground fissures or houses collapsing, nothing more."

"And I have not personally experienced the earth dragon turning over, so I am truly ashamed and unable to answer your question."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "It's normal that Du Sicheng didn't experience it firsthand, and there's no detailed record of it in the book."

Listening to Liu Shuyi's words, Du Gou, with his keen mind, realized something: "Could it be that Director Liu... still believes that this was caused by an earthquake?"

Liu Shuyi did not hide anything.

He said, "I was fortunate enough to meet people who fled because of the earth dragon's reversal, and I heard them talk about the earth dragon's reversal firsthand, so I happened to know some of the omens and the subsequent environmental changes."

Du Gou hurriedly said, "Please speak, Master Liu."

Liu Shuyi said, "Under normal circumstances, the arrival of an earth dragon turning over is very sudden and without warning; at least, we humans cannot sense it in advance."

"But... I heard them say that before the earthquake, their chickens and dogs showed obvious abnormalities. They would bark and become restless, as if they knew something bad was going to happen."

"And it's not just the chickens and dogs, even the rats are behaving strangely; they'll crawl out of their burrows and run into the fields..."

“These abnormalities in the livestock did not occur in just one or two households, but in more than 80% of the households. So I think these livestock should be able to sense the approaching earthquake.”

Cheng Chumo was astonished: "Really? These animals are even more powerful than us humans?"

Zhao Feng had never heard of such a thing before.

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "A man can't outrun a horse, but a horse is faster than a man, right? So it's not unusual for livestock to be better than humans in some things."

Cheng Chumo pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That's right. So, did an earthquake really happen that night?"

Although Du Gou didn't know whether chickens and dogs could predict earthquakes, he had a good understanding of Liu Shuyi's character after cooperating on the previous two cases.

He knew that Liu Shuyi seemed to have a strange obsession with investigating cases, an obsession that would prevent him from being careless or making mistakes. Therefore, Liu Shuyi would never speak recklessly at this time.

Since he said it, he must be absolutely certain.

Upon hearing Cheng Chumo's question, he stared intently at Liu Shuyi, his heart pounding faster.

Because he realized that this was a completely different judgment from before.

And this may be the key to breaking the case!

"Abnormal behavior in livestock such as chickens and dogs is a sign of an impending earthquake, and there will be corresponding environmental changes after the earthquake."

Liu Shuyi didn't keep them waiting any longer and said directly, "Like the earth cracking and the house collapsing, but these are only the most obvious places. There are also some places that are easily overlooked, which often better represent the occurrence of an earthquake."

"For example..."

He looked at the group and said, "The churning of mud and sand at the bottom of the well causes the well water to become turbid, and the cracks in the well walls caused by earthquakes are environmental changes that occur more often than obvious cracks appearing on the surface or houses collapsing."

"After all, not all earthquakes are that violent. Some small earthquakes might only cause a few tremors and are unlikely to cause houses to collapse. However, earthquakes usually originate from deep underground and travel to the surface, so the closer you are to the ground, the greater the impact."

"The mud and sand at the bottom of the well can be stirred up by the slightest vibration, making it the easiest environmental change to observe."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Zhao Feng finally understood.

He said, "So this is the reason why Master Liu asked his subordinates to inquire about these things."

Cheng Chumo finally understood: "Zhao Feng said that the well water on the second day was indeed murky, with obvious mud and sand visible... The omens from the chickens and dogs matched up, and now the well water after the earthquake matches up too, so this means..."

He couldn't help but swallow hard, and said, "That night, did an earthquake really happen? Was it really an earthquake that caused the tomb to collapse?"

"But……"

Cheng Chumo looked at the stone gate and said, "But how do you explain this stone gate? The earthquake was obviously not particularly severe, so how did it become like this?"

Du Gou was also puzzled.

The main reason why his father, Pei Ji, and others ruled out an earthquake was this stone door.

"Stone Gate..."

Liu Shuyi slowly walked to the stone gate, looked at the foot-thick stone gate, and at the straight crack running through it from top to bottom, and suddenly said, "Do you know that the cracks caused by earthquakes also follow a pattern?"

"The cracks are patterned?" Du Gou frowned, seemingly having some understanding, but not quite grasping it.

He felt as if he were separated by a thin mist; he could see the outline, but still couldn't see it clearly.

"Court Vice Minister Du might recall the floor of the Offering Hall. The stone slabs paving the Offering Hall also have cracks. What do those cracks look like?" Liu Shuyi reminded him.

"The ground of the offering hall..."

Du Gou first looked thoughtful, then his eyes suddenly widened, and his expression changed: "Could it be..."

He suddenly looked at the stone gate in front of him, then looked up at the crack in the stone wall above the gate, and then looked down at the ground beneath his feet.

"So that's it!"

Hearing Du Gou's words, Cheng Chumo blinked blankly: "Du, what do you understand?"

Du Gou's face still showed horror and shock as he said, "The cracks on the ground of the offering hall are saw-like, as are the stone walls above us and the cracks under our feet, all of which are winding and twisting."

"But this stone gate in front of us..."

His eyes were fixed on the stone gate as he said, "The crack runs through it from top to bottom, almost splitting it in two, but this crack... is not jagged, but a straight line, an perfectly smooth straight line!"

"This is enough to prove that the cracks on the stone gate and the cracks caused by the earthquake are not the same type of cracks at all! In other words..."

Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi, his voice tightening: "The cracks on the stone gate were not caused by an earthquake at all!"

"What!? The cracks in the stone gate weren't caused by an earthquake, is that... really true?" Cheng Chumo's heart tightened.

Although he was slow to realize, he did realize that if what Du Gou said was true, then wouldn't that mean that the earthquake was a fact?

Du Ruhui and his group were wrong!
Everyone was wrong. They were wrong from the very beginning!

Facing the tense yet expectant gazes of the crowd, Liu Shuyi finally nodded slowly.

He said, "The pattern of the cracks is enough to determine that the cracks in the stone gate are definitely not caused by an earthquake, but the earthquake may be a trigger that caused such cracks to appear."

"However, that's not important. What's important is that we can confirm that an earthquake did occur that night."

"However, the earthquake was not particularly violent, and the radiation range was not large. This tomb chamber was perhaps located in the center of the earthquake, or perhaps it was unstable due to being hollowed out... In any case, it was just shaken down by that not-so-serious earthquake."

"Earthquakes occur without any pattern and cannot be predicted... We cannot predict them, and neither can thieves."

"So, does this mean something...?"

Liu Shuyi looked at the three of them and said slowly, "The collapse of the tomb was an accident!"

"It wasn't just our accident, it was the thief's accident too!"

An unexpected incident involving the thief?
After thinking for a moment, the three of them all nodded in agreement.

Indeed, no matter how you look at it, the thieves could never know when or where the earthquake would occur.

"And the earthquake occurred at the height of the blizzard."

Liu Shuyi said, "At that time, even the soldiers guarding the mausoleum had to hide in the houses and could not go out. How could the thieves have known that an earthquake had occurred here and the tomb chamber had collapsed?"

"If they didn't know, how could they steal the corpses?"

“This…” Du Gou and the other two were stunned.

Because they discovered that they had no way of answering Liu Shuyi's questions.

No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for a thief to come and steal the corpse.

"And this coffin..."

Liu Shuyi approached the coffin and said, "The coffin lid shows no signs of being opened, and the nails are still firmly in place. The only visible crack inside was caused by the impact of falling rocks, but that crack is far too small to remove the remains, let alone allow a hand to be inserted to write..."

"I know you're thinking that the thief used some special means to accomplish this seemingly impossible task."

"But what if you're overthinking it?"

"No matter how you look at it, it's impossible for thieves to have taken the corpse out of the coffin... Isn't that a fact in itself?"

"Once we've ruled out all the possibilities that we can be certain of, whatever remains, however astonishing, is still a fact!"

Liu Shuyi looked at the group, his voice like a drumstick, striking their hearts heavily.

They held their breath, their hearts churning like a tidal wave.

Liu Shuyi said, "The fact is, they couldn't possibly have taken the remains out of this coffin!"

"In addition to what I said before, the earthquake was an accident. They couldn't have predicted it in advance, and they couldn't have heard the news during the blizzard and rushed over in time..."

"So, is there only one possibility for the disappearance of the King of Xi's body?"

"That is……"

Taking a deep breath, Liu Shuyi's voice slowly rang out: "The remains were never in this coffin to begin with; they were already gone before they were even brought here!"

"You will find an empty coffin, you will find words written in blood... It's just a coincidence, an accident that even the thieves didn't expect!"

"The actual time when the King of Xi's body disappeared was not the night the tomb collapsed, but rather..."

Everyone swallowed hard, their bodies tense with nervousness.

Then Liu Shuyi's deep voice rang out: "Before the coffin was delivered, that is, before the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, before the night of the collapse..."

"At least a month has passed!"

"And that is why you have gained nothing."

He looked at the three men, who were visibly shaken, and said slowly, "How could you possibly find the thief who escaped a month ago and the stolen corpse using the same methods you use to hunt down a thief who just escaped?"

(End of this chapter)