The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 36 emerges! Suspicion of the target!
The biting wind whipped up the snow, slapping it against my face, cold and chilly.

As Cheng Chumo raised his hand to brush the snow off his face, he couldn't help but swallow hard, recalling Liu Shuyi's words just now, and felt a moment of disorientation.

He truly never doubted the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

After all, during the days when the coffin of the Prince of Xi was kept, high monks chanted sutras continuously during the day, and guards stood watch outside at night.

People come and go, there are many people.

No matter how you look at it, the thief would never have the opportunity, nor would he dare to be so audacious as to steal a corpse from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices!

But the truth is that the thieves did it at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices!
Liu Shuyi produced irrefutable evidence, so even if he couldn't believe it, he had no choice but to believe it!

"How dare these thieves be so audacious as to make a move in the Imperial Academy!"

Cheng Chumo couldn't help but say.

Du Gou also frowned, his mind equally shaken.

Like Cheng Chumo, he was also the first to be ruled out by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Little did they know, they almost went in the opposite direction and completely strayed from the truth.

This left Du Gou both shocked by Liu Shuyi's reasoning and deeply frightened.

Zhao Feng, on the other hand, looked at Liu Shuyi with even greater admiration. The more he followed Liu Shuyi in investigating cases, the more he could feel Liu Shuyi's power and charisma.

As for Wang Kun, the Vice Minister of Works, he looked at Liu Shuyi as if he were a monster.

He couldn't help but say, "No wonder the rumors say you're a genius at solving cases, damn it, you really are a god!"

Liu Shuyi said with a smile, "I can't be called a god, I'm just more observant and thoughtful than you all."

Is this a difference?
It's like the difference between a blind person and someone with superhuman vision.

Wang Kun couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

Du Gou took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and said, "Shall we go to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices now?"

Liu Shuyi took one last look at the black coffin and said, "General Cheng, carry it to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. If nothing unexpected happens..."

"They should be able to give us the truth there!"

…………

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices was the highest administrative body in charge of rites, music, and funerals, and was one of the nine major courts of the Tang Dynasty.

As soon as Liu Shuyi entered the Taichang Temple, he heard the sound of drums and music, smelled the incense, and there was a faint scent of herbs in the air.

"Who are you?" At this moment, an official from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices came to greet them.

Liu Shuyi gave Zhao Feng a wink, and Zhao Feng immediately stepped forward and explained the identities of Liu Shuyi and the others.

The official then realized and quickly said, "So it is Chief Steward Liu. I hope Chief Steward Liu will take care of me. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has gone to the palace, Vice Minister Liu has gone to the Ministry of Rites, Vice Minister Sun and Vice Minister Han have gone to supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum, and Vice Minister Wu is resting due to illness. For the time being, I can only receive you all at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

As he spoke, he quickly introduced himself, saying that he was Dr. Hongwen Lu, a scholar of the Imperial Academy.

The Taichang Doctor was a seventh-rank official, belonging to the middle-level cadres of the Taichang Temple.

Liu Shuyi hadn't expected his arrival to be so unfortunate; none of the high-ranking officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were present.

His subsequent investigation, without the cooperation of higher-ups, might not be successful with only a mid-level manager.

He asked, "When will Liu Shaoqing and Sun Shaoqing return?"

“This…” Hong Wenlu shook his head: “I don’t know either, but I can send someone to deliver a message to Manager Liu.”

Liu Shuyi frowned, about to say something, when suddenly a strong and authoritative voice came from behind him: "Who goes to my Taichang Temple?"

"It's Liu Shaoqing, he's back!"

Hong Wenlu's eyes lit up, and he quickly went over to explain the identities of Liu Shuyi and the others to Liu Yuanming, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Liu Yuanming then nodded in understanding.

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Is Chief Steward Liu here to investigate the case of the missing remains of Prince Xi?"

Liu Yuanming was around forty years old. He had a serious face and horizontal lines between his eyebrows from years of frowning, making him seem unapproachable.

Liu Shuyi has a vast knowledge of people and knows how to get along with different personalities.

Therefore, he didn't exchange any pleasantries with Liu Yuanming, a man who was not one to smile, and went straight to the point, saying, "Yes! I hope that Young Master Liu can cooperate."

As expected, seeing that Liu Shuyi was efficient and didn't waste any words, Liu Yuanming's brows relaxed slightly, and he nodded, saying, "How do you require my cooperation?"

Although they seem unapproachable, they are actually quite straightforward once you get to know them.

Liu Shuyi asked, "I would like to know where the coffin of Prince Xi was placed before the reburial?"

Liu Yuanming frowned: "Would it be useful for the investigation?"

"Yes."

"Let's go then."

Without saying a word, he led the way.

Hong Wenlu quickly explained, "That's just Liu Shaoqing's personality. He treats everyone the same. Please don't take offense, Manager Liu."

Liu Shuyi smiled and shook his head: "I really like people who don't waste words and just get things done."

Before long, the group stopped in front of a very spacious hall.

Liu Yuanming said, "The coffin of Prince Xi was kept here for seven days... When a member of the royal family dies and needs to be laid to rest, the coffin is also placed in this hall."

Liu Shuyi nodded and looked up.

The main hall in front of us was quite large, at least a hundred square meters.

Two thick, red-lacquered wooden pillars stand in front of the hall.

On the left and right wooden pillars are written the words "Jade leaves wither, a sorrowful sight for the Phoenix Palace" and "Golden branches fall, a weeping lament for the Dragon Tower."

The doors to the main hall were open.

Standing outside the door, you can see a table inside, covered with a white cloth, on which are placed an incense burner and offerings.

The area behind the table was empty, presumably where the coffin was placed.

Liu Shuyi walked in and saw that the main hall was very clean, the floor was spotless, and he could even see his own reflection when he looked down.

As he observed the main hall, he said, "I heard that during the seven days that the coffin of Prince Xi was kept at the gate, guards were stationed outside the gate day and night without ever leaving."

Liu Yuanming nodded, his tone serious and earnest, as if everything was worthy of his serious attention: "That's right, there were always imperial guards outside the palace. During those seven days, we didn't hear the imperial guards say anything unusual."

Mausoleum Army...

Liu Shuyi nodded: "I heard that there are also eminent monks chanting scriptures continuously? Where are they chanting scriptures? And for how long?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanming answered without hesitation, "There are forty-nine eminent monks from five temples, including Ganye Temple and Ci'en Temple, who are chanting sutras for Prince Xi. They chant sutras here, starting at Chenshi (7-9 AM) every day, resting for one hour at noon, and then starting again at Weishi (1-3 PM) until Xushi (7-9 PM)."

"It lasted for seven days without interruption, in a continuous cycle."

As Liu Shuyi pondered, he said, "All forty-nine of them arrived together and left together. No one stayed here alone to chant scriptures?"

"No," Liu Yuanming said.

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and continued, "During those seven days, who were the people who stayed alone in this hall?"

"alone……"

After a moment's thought, Liu Yuanming said, "On the first day, His Majesty stayed here alone for two quarters of an hour before leaving."

Du Gou, Cheng Chumo, and others said, "...Your Majesty need not say anything."

Even if we tell them, they wouldn't dare to doubt us!

Liu Yuanming said, "Then there isn't any."

"there is none left!?"

Cheng Chumo's eyes widened: "How could there not be?"

The thief stole the corpse here. How could it be that no one other than His Majesty stayed here alone?
If not, how did the thief manage to pull out the coffin nails and then knock them back in?

Liu Yuanming was very dissatisfied with Cheng Chumo's questioning of him. He frowned quickly, his face displeased, and said, "No means no. If General Cheng doesn't believe me, he can ask others. They all know the same thing. Why should I lie?"

Liu Yuanming and Wei Zheng were the same kind of people, usually extremely serious, which made Cheng Chumo, a free spirit, most wary. At this moment, with his brows furrowed and his tone reprimanding, Cheng Chumo felt a chill run down his spine and immediately cowered.

Liu Shuyi smiled and smoothed things over: "General Cheng is not suspicious of Liu Shaoqing. He is just very surprised. After all, based on the clues we have so far, the thief may have stolen the body of Prince Xi from here."

"what?"

For the first time, Liu Yuanming's expression changed: "You're saying that the remains of Prince Xi were dumped here?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "We have evidence."

"how is this possible?"

Liu Yuanming frowned: "For those seven days, the imperial guards were stationed outside the gate at all times. Apart from His Majesty, no one else entered here alone. How could the thief have stolen the corpse from here?"

“Yes, I’m also puzzled. How did the thief get in, and how did he manage to sneak past the imperial guards and steal the corpse?” Liu Shuyi’s fingertips rubbed the jade pendant that had been missing for half a year at his waist, his eyes flashing with contemplation.

Suddenly, he asked Liu Yuanming, "Who decided on the date for His Majesty's reburial of Prince Xi? And whose suggestion was it to keep the coffin in state for seven days?"

"This..."

Liu Yuanming did not hesitate and said, "The auspicious day for reburying Prince Xi was personally calculated by Wu Sicheng. The seven-day coffin stay was also a suggestion made by Wu Sicheng according to regulations, which was later approved by His Majesty."

"Wu Si Cheng?"

Hong Wenlu hurriedly said, "It is Wu Qi, the temple assistant I just mentioned, who is recuperating in the mansion due to illness."

Liu Shuyi nodded knowingly and said, "Is Wu Sicheng very good at divination?"

Hong Wenlu laughed and said, "Divination is Wu Sicheng's specialty. He has performed divination for many noble people and it has always been very accurate."

"Moreover, in our Court of Imperial Sacrifices, it's not just Wu, the Vice Minister, who is skilled in divination. Liu, the Junior Minister, is no less skilled than Wu. However, since being promoted to Junior Minister, Liu has rarely performed divination."

Liu Shuyi looked at Liu Yuanming with some surprise. He didn't expect that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who was as serious and rigid as Wei Zheng, would have such a skill.

Liu Yuanming simply said, "Those who can enter the Court of Imperial Sacrifices all have some special skills, this is nothing special."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo couldn't help but look at Hongwen Road: "You too?"

Hong Wenlu smiled sheepishly and said, "I am a student of Yuan Tiangang and know a little about face reading."

A disciple of Yuan Tiangang?

Liu Shuyi glanced at Hongwen Road again.

"When did Wu Sicheng perform the divination, and when did he decide to rebury the deceased on the thirteenth of the first month?" Liu Shuyi continued to inquire.

Liu Yuanming said, "In the twelfth month of the first year of Zhenguan, the mausoleum of Prince Xi was completed. His Majesty ordered the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to calculate the date for the reburial. Wu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, performed the divination and finally determined the time."

Early December?

It's not long until January 13th.

The reburial of the former crown prince is a matter of great importance, and it is unknown how much manpower will be required in the process.

Not to mention, it also coincides with the New Year...

"Isn't choosing January 13th too hasty? Aren't there any more suitable dates later?" Liu Shuyi asked.

Liu Yuanming shook his head: "Wu Sicheng said that there is only this day within half a year. If we don't choose this day, we will have to wait until after June."

That was indeed quite a long time ago.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he ordered people to rush to build Li Jiancheng's mausoleum so that he could be reburied as soon as possible, so that the world would know what a kind and affectionate monarch he was, and thus improve his image after the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Therefore, Li Shimin could not wait that long.

With only one option left, the matter of reburying the Prince of Xi became a certainty...

His eyes flickered for a moment, then he said, "I wonder what illness Wu Sicheng has? May I see him?"

Liu Yuanming frowned and said, "We'll have to ask the Imperial Medical Bureau about the specific illness, but it shouldn't be anything too serious. If you need to see him, I can have someone summon him."

Liu Shuyi originally wanted to visit them himself, but he had limited time, so he said, "Thank you for your trouble."

"It's alright." Liu Yuanming was not one to waste time, and immediately turned around and ordered someone to deliver the message.

During this break, Liu Shuyi walked around inside the main hall.

He first came to the table where incense, candles, incense burner, and offerings were placed. He saw that the incense and candles on the table were two intact sticks, very thick, but not lit.

There was some blue incense ash on the incense burner. He picked up a little ash with his fingertips, felt the texture, and then nodded slightly.

"General Cheng".

Liu Shuyi looked at Cheng Chumo and said, "Have someone move the coffin over here and place it in the same spot it was in before, without any deviation."

He wanted the scene to be recreated.

Cheng Chumo did not hesitate and quickly had the Imperial Guards carry the coffin into the hall. Under Hong Wenlu's command, it was placed directly behind the table.

Liu Shuyi stood in front of the table, looking at the black coffin behind it. Suddenly, a gust of wind came from outside, blowing up some incense ash from the incense burner, which then drifted and fell onto the coffin.

He turned around and looked towards the palace gate behind him.

The windows of the main hall were all sealed straight-lattice windows, which could not be opened. There was only one door to the hall, and guards stood guard outside the door. No one could bypass the guards to enter the main hall.

The monks chanting the sutras came from five different temples, making collusion extremely unlikely.

How did that thief get into the main hall?

How did they manage to keep the sounding of the hammer striking the coffin nails from the ears of the guards outside the door?
He thought for a moment, then said to Du Gou, "Du, I would like to trouble you to send someone to the prison to ask the imperial guards who were stationed here that day a few questions for me."

"what is the problem?"

"Ask them how their guard duties were assigned, how they were handed over, whether they ever left the main hall, and whether they heard any loud noises... These noises could be ones they saw with their own eyes and didn't think were unusual."

Liu Shuyi was not yet clear on how the thieves entered the main hall.

But he knew that the thief must have pulled out and knocked on the coffin nails, and as long as they knocked, there would inevitably be a sound, which was unavoidable!

And anything that the thief would inevitably do himself would provide an opportunity to find the other party!

He was never afraid of what the enemy did, but he was afraid that the enemy would do nothing. As long as they did something, there would be traces!

Du Gou was quick-witted, and upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, he immediately understood what Liu Shuyi meant.

He nodded and said, "It's not far from Dali Temple, I'll go there myself!"

After saying that, he quickly left.

Liu Shuyi slowly exhaled and looked back at the main hall.

After thinking for a moment, he raised his head and looked up at the top of the hall.

The main hall had a very high ceiling, and the beams were made of several thick wooden beams, making it very stable.

The roof, made of stacked glazed tiles, is airtight yet luxurious and beautiful.

After a moment's thought, Liu Shuyi looked at Cheng Chumo and whispered something in Cheng Chumo's ear.

Cheng Chumo's eyes flashed, and he immediately ordered someone to bring a ladder, which he climbed up in no time.

Zhao Feng looked at Cheng Chumo with suspicion, wondering what Cheng Chumo was doing climbing up the beam.

But soon, Cheng Chumo climbed down.

Then he whispered something in Liu Shuyi's ear.

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, then approached Liu Yuanming and asked, "Young Master Liu, I wonder who stayed at the Taichang Temple at night during the seven days that the coffin of Prince Xi was kept there?"

"Staying at the Imperial Academy at night?"

Liu Yuanming thought for a moment and said, "Not a few! The matter of Prince Xi's reburial is of great importance, and we dare not slacken our efforts in the slightest. We have been staying at the Taichang Temple almost day and night."

"Moreover, in addition to our Taichang Temple officials, those eminent monks, and the imperial guards, all lived in the Taichang Temple. During those seven days, the number of people in the Taichang Temple was nearly ten times that of our usual number."

That would require nearly a thousand people, wouldn't it?
Liu Shuyi frowned; the number of people was far too large.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Did Wu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, stay at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices every night during those days?"

"Wu Si Cheng?"

Liu Yuanming nodded and said, "Of course! He was the one who divined the reburial, and he was also the one who suggested keeping the coffin there. How could he not be there?"

"Does Wu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, rest alone at night, or do he work and rest with others?" Liu Shu asked again.

“Wu Sicheng is in charge of the specific matters, which is very hard work. In order to let him get a good rest at night, we specially provided him with a room alone.”

"So... he was alone, and no one could know what he did at night?"

Liu Yuanming frowned as he listened to Liu Shuyi's words: "Does Master Liu suspect Wu Sicheng? Wu Sicheng has been dedicated and serious all these years and has never been negligent. He would never steal the remains of the Prince of Xi."

Seeing that Liu Yuanming was dissatisfied because he suspected his colleague, Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "I am not suspecting him. I am just making some reasonable inferences based on the thieves' long-planned scheme and the conditions for taking action. But this does not mean that Wu Sicheng is necessarily a problem."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Liu Yuanming's serious expression softened somewhat.

"Oh no!"

But then, a panicked cry suddenly came from outside.

The group of people felt a chill and quickly turned to look.

Just then, a clerk from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices came running up, shouting in panic, "This humble official went to look for Vice Minister Wu, but... but found..."

"Wu Sicheng is dead!"

"He bled from all seven orifices and died in his own house!"

"What!? Wu Sicheng is dead!" Liu Yuanming lost his composure for the first time.

Liu Shuyi's pupils dilated, and his eyes narrowed sharply: "Dead?"

　The release date is set for May 4th, Sunday. There will be a surge of updates on that day, and even more updates every day afterward. Please hang in there!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)