The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 33 The News Spreads, Li Shimin's Unexpected Turn of Events

Liu Shuyi's voice disappeared, but then no one else's voice followed.

Cheng Chumo, his face dark with shock, was completely stunned by Liu Shuyi's words. He felt as if he were dreaming.

After all, he didn't even dare to dream that the body they had been searching for for more than ten days was not lost here at all!
No wonder they immediately laid a massive search after discovering the body was missing, yet they found no suspects and no clues whatsoever about the body...

The body wasn't lost at that time; it had been missing for a whole month. What use would it have been if they had set up the most meticulous and thorough net at that time?
Even the usually gentle Du Gou had a turbulent surge in his eyes at this moment. His constantly changing expression revealed just how unsettled he was inside.

His father was one of the chief investigators, so he was more deeply involved in the case than Cheng Chumo, and he believed more firmly in the judgment of Du Ruhui and others than Cheng Chumo.

Therefore, when Liu Shuyi directly refuted all their previous understanding with facts and decisively overturned all their judgments...

He felt suffocated, as if his understanding of life was being shattered and rebuilt.

Zhao Feng, who had just started following Liu Shuyi, looked at Liu Shuyi with shock and admiration.

Originally, he felt grateful to Liu Shuyi for his kindness.

But now, there is even more admiration for Liu Shuyi's abilities.

He had once been full of vigor and had met many talented young people, but none of them had given him the same sense of awe as Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi glanced at the three people, and seeing that they remained silent, he took the initiative to continue: "If my speculation is correct, then even if this case of missing remains was an accident..."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's voice, everyone quickly composed themselves and instinctively looked at him.

Then Liu Shuyi said, "But you can also tell from the cracks in the stone door and the blood-written words on the coffin..."

"The disappearance of the King of Xi's body is still part of a huge conspiracy!"

"Furthermore, the thieves were plotting this scheme much earlier than the night of the blizzard that we know of!"

"They've already begun their operation!"

These words immediately sent a chill down the spines of the three men who were already shaken, making their scalps tingle.

Liu Shuyi said, "As Du Sicheng said, the stone gate is extremely solid and incredibly heavy... Logically speaking, such a stone gate should not have cracked under such an earthquake, but it did. This is enough to prove that the thieves tampered with the stone gate without anyone knowing, making it look solid but actually hiding a hidden danger."

"And they did this, without a doubt, so that one day, if the stone door malfunctions, someone could be led into the tomb chamber and see..."

He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the frozen coffin before him, and said in a deep voice, "Seeing the blood-written words inside the coffin, they learned about the disappearance of the King of Xi's body... and then, they achieved their conspiracy."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Cheng Chumo felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making him shiver involuntarily.

He couldn't help but say, "Isn't this even worse than the current situation?"

"The thieves' plot could have started at any time, and we've only just discovered it. What if they've already succeeded? Wouldn't it be too late to do anything about it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng nodded with a serious expression.

This was the first time in his life he had participated in something of this level, and listening to the two men's words, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

Unexpectedly, when Liu Shuyi heard Cheng Chumo's worried words, he said, "It could be worse, but it could also be a good thing."

"What?" Cheng Chumo was taken aback. "Could it be a good thing?"

All three of them stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi smiled, his expression completely unlike the tense demeanor of the other three.

He said, “Don’t forget what I just said. I said we can’t predict when an earthquake will happen, and neither can thieves! So, the collapse of the tomb and the exposure of the blood-written words were completely unexpected accidents for the thieves.”

"And the unexpected means that we discovered the time when the King of Xi's body disappeared was not the time they wanted at all!"

"If everything went according to their plan, we should still be kept in the dark, allowing them to plot in secret until they felt the time was right, and then let us discover that the King of Xi's body was missing, so that they could take this opportunity to achieve their ulterior motives."

"But the situation is different now."

Liu Shuyi looked at the three thoughtful men and said, "The earthquake caused the disappearance of the Prince Xi's body, which we discovered in advance! Now that we have discovered that the Prince Xi's body is missing, whether or not we can find it, His Majesty and Lord Du will definitely take action. This means that their secret plans will not go as smoothly as they were planned before."

"After all, being prepared and being unprepared will lead to different outcomes for the same crisis."

“So, General Cheng…” Liu Shuyi turned to Cheng Chumo and said, “Tell me, is this a good thing?”

"This……"

Cheng Chumo scratched his head and nodded: "Now that you mention it, it's actually a good thing!"

Zhao Feng also breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "However, the situation may be even worse than you said."

Cheng Chumo was startled again.

Then Liu Shuyi said, "After all, we don't know the thieves' original plan, or when they intended for us to discover the disappearance of Prince Xi's body. If the thieves planned to do so within the next few days, then that means..."

His gaze darkened, and his tone lowered, sending a chill down one's spine: "The thieves have already completed their secret plot. It's too late for us to find out now."

"Then what should we do?" Cheng Chumo was caught in a dilemma by Liu Shuyi's fluctuating words, unsure whether to relax or be tense.

Du Gou needed to be more composed and calm. He carefully considered Liu Shuyi's words, and suddenly, he seemed to understand something.

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "You mean we should split into two groups? One group will continue to investigate the case, find the thieves who stole the corpse as soon as possible, and figure out their conspiracy; the other group will immediately report to His Majesty, letting him know that the thieves' conspiracy has been going on for at least a month, so that His Majesty can be prepared and deal with it, lest the thieves really have the time to strike suddenly and we are left defenseless?"

Liu Shuyi smiled and nodded: "As Du Sicheng said, we are not sure whether the situation is more dangerous or safer, so the only thing we can do is to find out the truth as soon as possible and prepare for the worst."

Of course, there's one more thing he didn't mention.

If Li Shimin is made aware of how dire the current situation is, then his future success in solving the case will earn him a higher and better standing and image in Li Shimin's eyes.

After all, a case arising from the emperor's wrath and a long-planned conspiracy that could soon shake the emperor's throne are completely different in meaning.

"This is a matter of great importance, and we should not delay."

Without any hesitation, Liu Shuyi continued, "Minister Du, immediately have someone inform Minister Du of my deductions. Minister Du is a shrewd and decisive man; once he knows these things, he will surely go to see His Majesty immediately."

Upon hearing this, Du Gou immediately nodded: "Alright, I'll find someone right away and have them ride back to Chang'an as fast as they can."

After saying that, he quickly walked out of the underground palace.

"What about us?" Cheng Chumo asked as he watched Du Gou's figure disappear.

Liu Shuyi's gaze swept across the collapsed tomb chamber, finally settling on the black coffin in front of him.

He said, "The bodies didn't disappear here, so we don't need to waste our time here."

"General Cheng, have someone move the coffin away."

"Move the coffin?" Cheng Chumo was taken aback. They had been investigating for more than ten days without daring to touch the coffin, for fear of destroying the clues.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Shuyi's first words were to take the coffin away.

But then I thought, the body wasn't lost here, so even if the coffin was moved, there didn't seem to be any clues to destroy.

He quickly nodded: "Okay, but...where to move to? The Ministry of Justice?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head, his gaze deep: "Go to the Ministry of Works."

…………

Tai Chi Palace, Liang Yi Palace.

Wearing a dragon robe, with a resolute and extraordinary face, Li Shimin sat upright on the dragon throne.

He looked at the newly arrived Sikong Pei Ji with a warm smile and said, "Last night at dinner, Father said that he hadn't seen Pei Sikong for a long time and missed him. I originally wanted to send someone to summon Pei Sikong so that he could come and keep Father company, but I didn't expect that Pei Sikong would arrive before my people even set off."

Upon hearing this, Pei Ji, dressed in a scarlet robe, immediately showed fear and self-reproach on his upright face: "It is all my fault that I have been busy investigating the disappearance of Prince Xi's remains recently and forgot to pay my respects to the Emperor Emeritus. It is my fault and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Li Shimin smiled and shook his head: "Minister Pei was only doing his duty, and I understand. However, Minister Pei was the most trusted minister of Father Emperor in the past. Now that Father Emperor is old, Minister Pei should spend more time with Father Emperor."

Li Shimin's voice was gentle and his expression warm, but Pei Ji suddenly became wary.

He didn't understand why Li Shimin would suddenly bring up the relationship between Li Yuan and himself. Was it because Li Yuan had really mentioned him to Li Shimin many times, or was it a test?
But there was one thing he knew: he absolutely could not get too close to the former emperor Li Yuan, as Li Shimin had suggested!
This is a grave taboo for a subject!
Whether Li Shimin was genuinely filial to Li Yuan or for other reasons, he could not show the slightest familiarity with Li Yuan.

Despite his racing thoughts, Pei Ji remained outwardly calm and respectfully said, "I know I should pay my respects to the Emperor Emeritus, but I am honored by Your Majesty's trust in me to assume the important responsibility of Minister of Works. I dare not slacken my efforts and wish I could spend every hour of the day sharing Your Majesty's burdens and working in the government office all day long. Therefore, I have visited the Emperor Emeritus less often."

"But Your Majesty reminded me that I will pay my respects to the Emperor Emeritus shortly. In the future, after sharing Your Majesty's burdens, I will also come to pay my respects to the Emperor Emeritus whenever I have spare time."

The implication was that he didn't go to see Li Yuan because his heart was devoted to His Majesty; no matter how important Li Yuan was, it couldn't compare to his service to the Emperor. Whether Li Shimin believed him or not, after Pei Ji said this, he didn't mention seeing Li Yuan again.

Li Shimin looked at Pei Ji and asked about the important matter: "I wonder what brings you here to see me, Minister Pei?"

Seeing Li Shimin change the subject, Pei Ji breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that whether Li Shimin was testing him or not, he had passed this test.

Then... a dark glint flashed deep in his eyes.

Pei Ji cupped his hands and said, "I have heard that Your Majesty has entrusted the case of the disappearance of Prince Xi's remains entirely to Liu Shuyi, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Justice..."

“Indeed, Minister Du recommended Liu Shuyi to me, saying that he has an outstanding talent for investigating cases and that his investigation might uncover the truth.”

"how?"

Li Shimin looked down at Pei Ji with his deep eyes and smiled, "Does Minister Pei think Liu Shuyi is unsuitable? Does he think Minister Du recommended the wrong person?"

Pei Ji hurriedly shook his head: "I trust Minister Du's judgment of people and have never doubted his assessment."

"only……"

He raised his head and said, "This case is indeed of great importance, even concerning the stability of the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty has entrusted such a significant case to a mere ninth-rank official. I am truly worried..."

He said with concern, "After all, Liu Shuyi is too young. He has only investigated two cases and his investigative experience is not rich. More importantly, he is the descendant of a disgraced official. Who knows if he harbors any resentment towards the court for his father's treatment..."

"Therefore, I fear that if Liu Shuyi has ulterior motives, the truth may not be found in the end, which would be a waste of our precious time."

Pei Ji looked at Li Shimin with a sincere expression and a voice full of concern for the country and its people: "As long as the body of Prince Xi cannot be found and the villain's conspiracy cannot be thwarted, the threat to our Great Tang will become more and more serious. Our time is so precious, and we must fight for every second. We cannot afford to take any risks!"

Hearing Pei Ji's words of dedication to the country, Li Shimin asked, "Then what do you think, Pei Qing? Should we replace Liu Shuyi?"

Pei Ji shook his head and said, "Liu Shuyi was recommended by Minister Du after all. Although I have concerns about Liu Shuyi, I trust Minister Du's judgment."

"Therefore, I believe that Liu Shuyi can continue the investigation, but we cannot place all our hopes on him. As I just said, what if he has ulterior motives and deliberately delays the investigation? Not to mention, his experience is still limited."

"Therefore, my suggestion is that we arrange for a more loyal and experienced official to conduct the investigation with Liu Shuyi."

"On the one hand, they can supervise Liu Shuyi to prevent the son of a disgraced official from having second thoughts and deliberately delaying things; on the other hand, they are more experienced, so if Liu Shuyi is not capable enough, they can continue to investigate, so that we don't put all our eggs in one basket and waste this precious time if Liu Shuyi fails."

Li Shimin gazed intently at Pei Ji, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of the dragon throne, without making a decision immediately.

Pei Ji lowered his head and waited quietly.

He was shocked when he learned that Du Ruhui had persuaded Li Shimin to hand over the entire case to Liu Shuyi for investigation.

Because he knew that Liu Shuyi, who had solved two cases in a row, was indeed capable of solving more cases.

If Liu Shuyi were to solve the case, he would likely rise to great heights overnight.

The Liu family's downfall was entirely his doing; he had previously fallen out with Liu Shuyi.

Therefore, if Liu Shuyi were to climb up, he would pose a huge threat to him.

He cannot allow such a thing to happen.

Therefore, he came to see Li Shimin immediately.

He knew very well how sensitive Li Shimin was about Li Jiancheng's case.

Therefore, he first brought up Liu Shuyi's identity as the son of a disgraced official...

Regardless of whether Liu Shuyi truly harbors ulterior motives.

His father was beheaded by the imperial court.

This is the hatred of someone who killed their father.

Who can guarantee that Liu Shuyi was completely without ulterior motives? Does he really have no reason to blame the court for killing his father?

However, if Liu Shuyi had any other thoughts, there would be questions about whether he could be truly dedicated to the investigation.

Given the emperor's suspicious nature, Li Shimin would inevitably consider this possibility if he mentioned it.

Then, seemingly considering the case's best interests, he proposed a more prudent approach, employing a two-pronged strategy...

He believed that no one could find any fault with him.

After all, he didn't directly reject Liu Shuyi's investigation; he simply suggested sending more experienced officials for greater safety and stability.

Li Shimin had no reason to object.

But what is the truth?

As long as Li Shimin agrees, he will find a way to send his own people.

If Liu Shuyi really solves the case, his own people can share the credit, or even steal the credit, and obtain Liu Shuyi's intelligence to catch the thieves first, so that Liu Shuyi cannot take all the credit.

If Liu Shuyi cannot solve the case, then all the blame will be placed on him, and he will be left with no place to be buried.

In short, Liu Shuyi can forget about rising to prominence under his nose.

He absolutely cannot tolerate the emergence of a second Liu Wenjing!

"What Minister Pei said..."

After a few breaths, Li Shimin's voice slowly rang out.

Upon hearing this, Pei Ji immediately looked expectantly at Li Shimin.

"Report——"

Unexpectedly, at that moment, the eunuch guarding the door suddenly said, "Your Majesty, Minister Du requests an audience."

Du Ruhui?
Why is he here?

Pei Ji frowned subconsciously.

But after thinking about it, I felt relieved.

He didn't target Du Ruhui, nor did he stop Liu Shuyi. He simply pointed out a problem with Liu Shuyi's background that already existed, and offered a more prudent suggestion that even Du Ruhui couldn't object to.

I used an open and aboveboard strategy, which is perfectly legitimate and won't work on anyone.

Thinking of this, he looked at Li Shimin, and heard Li Shimin's calm voice say, "Let him in."

Not long after, Du Ruhui strode into the Liangyi Hall.

As soon as he entered, Du Ruhui saw Pei Ji in his scarlet robe.

His eyes flashed, as if he had guessed something, but he showed no sign of it. He came to the front of the hall and bowed to Li Shimin: "Your Majesty."

Li Shimin looked at his most trusted minister and said with a smile, "You've come at the right time. Just now, Minister Pei told me some things about Liu Shuyi..."

Then, Li Shimin briefly conveyed Pei Ji's words to Du Ruhui.

"Du Qing, what do you think of Pei Sikong's proposal? Should we send more people to investigate with Liu Shuyi?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Ji looked at Du Ruhui with confidence, wanting to see how this so-called "Du Judgment" would respond.

Then, he saw a meaningful smile appear on Du Ruhui's slightly pale face: "Minister Pei is truly thoughtful; even I hadn't thought of these things..."

"but……"

He changed the subject: "I object!"

"What?" Pei Ji was taken aback.

He didn't expect that Du Ruhui, who was always meticulous in his actions, would directly express his opposition. What reason did he have to oppose it?
Li Shimin's gaze also became deep and thoughtful.

Then Du Ruhui said, "Because Liu Shuyi has already passed the test!"

As he spoke, he looked at Li Shimin and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Liu Shuyi has already made a gain!"

"He has found the key to this case!"

"I have come here on the behalf of Liu Shuyi to inform Your Majesty of this matter!"

(End of this chapter)