The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 42: Case Closed! (Please Subscribe)
"What? You already started to suspect him back then?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo looked at Liu Shuyi with surprise: "But didn't you just say that you felt very guilty when you heard the news of Liu Yuanming's death?"

Du Gou and the others looked at Liu Shuyi in confusion.

Liu Yuanming stared at him with an even more gloomy expression.

Liu Shuyi simply said calmly, "These are two separate matters."

"Two things?" Cheng Chumo was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi said, "While I was at the Wu residence, I kept thinking about one thing."

"what's up?"

"What two drugs did the murderer intend to use to poison Wu Qi? How could he do it without Wu Qi discovering it?"

"This..." Cheng Chumo really hadn't thought about this.

Liu Shuyi said, "We already know that there are no signs of struggle on Wu Qi's body, which means that he drank the two kinds of medicine willingly. But he did not commit suicide. This means that the murderer must have taken advantage of Wu Qi's inattention and mixed another kind of medicine into Wu Qi's medicine bowl, so that Wu Qi drank the two kinds of medicine without knowing it."

"This has a premise: Wu Qi must have done something behind the murderer's back, giving the murderer the opportunity to secretly drug him. And in Wu Qi's bedroom, the person Wu Qi could trust with his back must be someone he knows very well."

After careful consideration, everyone nodded in agreement.

Du Gou suddenly remembered something and said, "When we arrived at the Wu residence, the old steward of the Wu family immediately cried to Liu Yuanming, begging Liu Yuanming to avenge his master. This should show that Liu Yuanming and Wu Qi are very familiar with each other and have been to the Wu residence many times. Otherwise, the old steward would not have recognized Liu Yuanming at a glance and cried to Liu Yuanming so naturally, believing that Liu Yuanming could definitely help him find the murderer."

Cheng Chumo nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense! That's why you suspect Liu Yuanming?"

Liu Yuanming scoffed, "What a ridiculous conclusion! As the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Wu Qi has had many visitors to his residence over the years. To suspect me simply because the old steward knows me is a laughable reason!"

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Indeed, so that's not my real reason for doubting you."

Liu Yuanming frowned.

Liu Shuyi continued, "What I just said had two key points: the murderer was someone Wu Qi knew, but only one of them."

"An even more important point..."

He looked at everyone and asked, "Why was Wu Qi turning his back to the murderer? Or rather, what method did the murderer use to make Wu Qi behave impolitely by turning his back to the guests for a period of time when entertaining them?"

Why is he facing away from the guests...?

Du Gou and the others all looked thoughtful.

Cheng Chumo stroked his chin: "If you put it that way, turning your back to the guest is indeed impolite. Even in my Cheng residence, you are not allowed to be so rude when entertaining guests."

“Wu Qi is also a serious and earnest person, and he really shouldn’t have done such a thing.”

The more he thought about it, the more confused and bewildered he became. Finally, he couldn't help but ask Liu Shuyi for an answer: "How did the murderer manage to make Wu Qi do such a rude thing?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Liu Shuyi with curiosity.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "At the time, I was also thinking about this question. What legitimate reason did the murderer use to make Wu Qi turn his back to him without any suspicion, thus giving him the opportunity to drug him? As I was thinking, I observed Wu Qi's room, hoping to find some clues."

"And just then, I noticed the bookshelf in the outer room of Wu Qi's bedroom!"

"A bookshelf?" Everyone was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi said, "I wonder if you all have noticed that the books in the middle of Wu Qi's bookshelf are somewhat scattered, which is obviously different from the books placed neatly in other parts of the bookshelf."

As Du Gou listened to Liu Shuyi's words, recalling Liu Shuyi's behavior at the Wu residence, he nodded and said, "I remember you even picked up some books there at the time."

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "That's right. The reason I paid attention to that area is because the books on the entire bookshelf were arranged very neatly, which shows that Wu Qi was a person who liked neatness and cleanliness. Only those books there were a bit messy, which indicates that Wu Qi may have come there and looked through those books before he died, and then died in an accident so that he didn't have the chance to restore them."

"And when turning the pages of a book, one inevitably faces the wall, thus having one's back to the entire bedroom..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo's eyes widened, and he exclaimed excitedly, "That's it! It must be this! So, the murderer asked Wu Qi to find a certain book, which is why Wu Qi turned his back to the murderer to flip through the book?"

After a moment of contemplation, Du Gou nodded in agreement: "Judging from the condition of the bookshelves, this is indeed the most likely possibility, and I remember the books there..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "It seems to be the official records of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "That's right, I've opened it. The books there are all official documents of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and when I asked the old steward for confirmation, he confirmed it as well."

"That's going to be interesting..."

He looked meaningfully at Liu Yuanming, whose expression was gloomy, and slowly said, "What kind of identity could the murderer have that would make Wu Qi search through official documents?"

Liu Yuanming's eyelids twitched violently.

Cheng Chumo quickly replied, "What other identity could it be? Only someone from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could ask Wu Qi to look through the Court of Imperial Sacrifices' official records under the pretext of official business!"

Everyone else nodded emphatically in agreement.

"So, you were already certain back then that the murderer was from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and you started to suspect him?" Cheng Chumo asked.

Everyone turned to look at Liu Shuyi, and Liu Yuanming stared intently at him as well.

But Liu Shuyi shook his head: "There are many officials in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Knowing only one area is not enough for me to directly suspect him."

"He's on my list of suspects because of something else."

"What is it?" Cheng Chumo asked hurriedly.

"Fortune telling!"

"Divination?" Cheng Chumo was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi said, "As I just said, the reason I initially suspected Wu Qi was because the murderer needed to know everything in advance to make a plan and ensure that nothing went wrong. Therefore, Wu Qi, who personally calculated the date of the Prince of Xi's reburial and was personally in charge of the follow-up matters, had the greatest chance."

"But Wu Qi isn't the only one in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who can perform divination!"

"Dr. Hong said that you, Liu Yuanming..."

He looked at Liu Yuanming, who was staring intently at him, and slowly said, "You can also do divination!"

"And if you know divination, you can guess what kind of day Wu Qi will divine, and thus determine the time for the Prince of Xi's reburial in advance!"

"As for the matter of keeping the coffin in the coffin for seven days... Although Wu Qi is in charge of the specific work, he is the Vice Minister of the Temple and cannot make decisions directly. He must consult with his superiors. Therefore, although you are not directly involved, it is not difficult for you to know what Wu Qi is going to do!"

"That is to say..."

Liu Shuyi said in a deep voice: "You and Wu Qi have exactly the same opportunities and conditions!"

"Therefore, once I confirmed that the murderer was from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, you tell me... how could I not suspect you? How could I not put you on my list of suspects?"

Liu Yuanming frowned deeply as he listened to Liu Shuyi's words.

The cold smile on his face finally crumbled, showing signs of breaking down.

Cheng Chumo said, "So that's how it is! How come I didn't think of that?"

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "However, there are more than just the two of them who can perform divination at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. So when I heard that Liu Yuanming had been brutally murdered, since I did not go to the scene to confirm and did not know that Liu Yuanming had faked his death to escape, I naturally did not have any doubts about Liu Yuanming's death."

"It's natural to assume that my suspicions about Liu Yuanming were wrong. Since the suspicions were wrong, and Liu Yuanming is indeed dead, it's not normal for me to feel grief and self-blame."

Cheng Chumo nodded repeatedly: "Indeed!"

Now he finally understood why Liu Shuyi had just said he suspected Liu Yuanming, and why his self-blame for Liu Yuanming's death was a separate matter.

Liu Shuyi continued, "If Liu Yuanming hadn't died, and I had doubts about him, then verifying this matter wouldn't have been difficult."

As he spoke, he stared at Liu Yuanming and said, "The murderer must have gone to the Wu residence after killing Wu Qi. We can determine the exact time the murderer went to the Wu residence from the old steward."

"Therefore, all I need to do to suspect you is to determine whether you have an alibi for that period of time!"

"And coincidentally..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Liu Yuanming meaningfully: "When we first arrived at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, you were not there. You only returned shortly afterward. So where did you go before that?"

"Dr. Hong said you went to the Ministry of Rites..."

Hong Wenlu nodded repeatedly: "Liu Shaoqing did indeed go to the Ministry of Rites."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Therefore, we only need to ask the Ministry of Rites to find out when you left the Ministry of Rites, and thus determine whether you were neither in the Ministry of Rites nor the Court of Imperial Sacrifices during that period!"

"There are only two roads between the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the time required to travel between them is fixed."

"Therefore, if you are neither in the Ministry of Rites nor the Ministry of Revenue, then we only need to compare the time of your disappearance with the time required to travel between the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Judicial Review to completely determine whether my suspicion of you is right or wrong!"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone couldn't help but show surprise.

They never expected that the seemingly complex and difficult-to-understand case of Wu Qi's death would be so easy to solve.

Cheng Chumo couldn't help but say, "It's so easy to find out who the murderer is? This is much simpler than I imagined!"

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "This only confirms that Liu Yuanming has no alibi and that he had enough time and motive to commit the crime. To say that he is the murderer, we still need some evidence... But in this situation, we have His Majesty supporting us. As long as we have enough suspicion about him and the clues support that suspicion, we can arrest him on the spot and interrogate him."

"Not to mention, there is no perfect crime in this world. When we have no suspicions about him, we naturally feel that he has no problems at all. But when we treat him as a thief and deliberately nitpick, many details that we usually ignore may come to mind again. If he fails to do even one detail properly, we will catch him."

"Liu Yuanming..."

At this point, he looked directly into Liu Yuanming's gloomy eyes and slowly said, "You actually thought of all this earlier than I did, didn't you? And you also know that as long as I investigate, I will definitely find out that you don't have an alibi, right?"

"So, after you confirmed that I hadn't been fooled and that I believed Wu Qi had been murdered, you made the decisive decision to fake your death and escape! Because you knew that if you didn't run, once I started investigating, you would really have no chance!"

"That's why you lied about Wu Qi giving you books. In fact, Wu Qi never gave you any books at all! You just needed this excuse to leave me."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Liu Yuanming's pupils contracted sharply.

No matter how hard he tried to remain calm, the uncontrollable throbbing of the veins on his forehead was enough to show the panic he was feeling at that moment.

Seeing Liu Yuanming's reaction, even the straightforward Cheng Chumo knew that Liu Shuyi was right!
The facts are just as Liu Shuyi said!

He truly sensed a crisis and chose to fake his death to escape!

Liu Shuyi looked at Liu Yuanming and said, "Now, can you still say that I got lucky? Can you still say that you made the wrong choice, instead of saying that you had no choice but to take this path?"

Liu Yuanming gritted his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound.

The look in his eyes as he looked at Liu Shuyi became even more resentful.

But Liu Shuyi didn't care at all.

He continued, "However, I must admit that the path you've taken is indeed a good move."

"After all, your feigned death and escape made me waver in my suspicions about you when I didn't see through your trick at first."

"If I ultimately fail to discover that the corpse is not you, then you will truly escape the law and be free to roam the world!"

"It's a pity that you were both the one who made me and the one who broke me. You shook my plan to fake my death and escape, but when I was sure that the corpse was not yours, I was completely certain that you were the one who started all of this!"

Listening to Liu Shuyi's calm and composed words, everyone felt their minds shaken and their hearts surge.

The more they listened to Liu Shuyi's analysis, the more alarmed they became by Liu Yuanming's cunning and decisiveness.

But precisely because of this, when Liu Shuyi almost completely suppressed Liu Yuanming, they felt even more that Liu Shuyi was such a genius and intelligent, and they admired him even more.

Looking at Liu Yuanming, whose face was filled with resentment and unwillingness, Liu Shuyi slowly said, "I think the whole story should go like this..."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stopped their wandering thoughts and listened attentively.

Then Liu Shuyi said, "You must have planned to steal the remains of the Prince of Xi long ago, so you started plotting after you were certain that the Prince of Xi's tomb was about to be completed."

"You know that His Majesty will definitely have the Court of Imperial Sacrifices calculate the date for the reburial, so you conducted the divination in advance."

"And as you know, once the disappearance of the Prince of Xi's remains is discovered, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices will likely be suspected. So you deliberately pushed Wu Qi forward and put him in charge of divination and all subsequent matters."

"In that case, even if the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is suspected, the subsequent suspicion will only fall on Wu Qi."

"Then, in order to solidify the evidence against Wu Qi and to create an opportunity for yourself to take action, on the night of your action, you temporarily notified Wu Qi to repair the tools, saying that they would be urgently needed the next day. Wu Qi, without suspecting anything, would naturally order his subordinates to take action immediately."

"While the officials were banging on the coffin to attract the attention of the guards of the mausoleum, you climbed onto the roof of the mausoleum, lifted the glazed tiles, and secretly entered the mausoleum through a rope. Then you pulled out the coffin nails, took out the remains of the Prince of Xi, and then, to avoid being noticed, you smashed the coffin nails back in while there was a clanging sound outside."

"After that, you left the main hall by rope and restored the glazed tiles... I had General Cheng inspect the beams in the main hall. The dust on the beams was uneven in thickness, which confirms that someone had wiped the dust off them along the way, which is enough to prove what I said."

"This process requires racing against time and cannot afford any mistakes, otherwise the tomb guards outside will definitely notice. So I think you must have rehearsed it many times in advance to ensure that it is completed perfectly within the fixed time period, so that no one noticed in the end."

"The coffin of the Prince of Xi was made of thick and heavy wood. After more than a year, the Prince of Xi's body had long since turned into bones and had limited weight. Therefore, even if the Prince of Xi's bones disappeared, the strongmen who carried the coffin would hardly notice that the very light skeleton had disappeared relative to the heavy coffin."

"Finally, you will secretly hand over the stolen remains to your accomplices, who will then take them away..."

"Just like that, without a sound, without anyone noticing, you made the remains of the King of Xi disappear into thin air."

"If it weren't for the earthquake at this location, and if the tomb chamber hadn't happened to collapse, we might never have known that the remains of the King of Xi were long gone!"

"Even if we discover that the remains of the King of Xi are missing, even if our investigation reveals that the coffin lid has been opened, in the end, the only ones who will suspect this are..."

Liu Shuyi said in a deep voice: "It was Wu Qi, the temple official who ordered the clerks to take action!"

"As for Wu Qi at this moment..."

He paused for a moment, and everyone felt as if their hearts had been clenched and tightened at that instant.

Because they remembered the tragic fate of Wu Qi.

I recalled how tragically Wu Qi died, and how, after his death, he was almost branded a thief, burdened with all the infamy, and destined to be forever nailed to the pillar of shame.

Liu Shuyi looked at Liu Yuanming and continued, "You've always planned to have Wu Qi take the blame if the matter is investigated by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

"But there's a problem here, which is that Wu Qi knows that he had the officials take action that night, all because of your orders."

"Therefore, you cannot give Wu Qi a chance to speak, otherwise you will appear in our sight."

"Just then, you discovered that Wu Qi was ill, and through the Imperial Medical Bureau, you learned what medicine Wu Qi had taken."

"I don't know if you yourself understand medical principles, or if you know from other sources that Veratrum nigrum and Asarum together will become a highly toxic poison... In any case, after you learned about Wu Qi's prescription, you came up with a plan."

“I think you must have found Wu Qi and lied that you were not feeling well, but for some reason you did not want outsiders to know, so you asked Wu Qi, who is knowledgeable in medicine, to help you get the medicine.”

“Over the years, you have always maintained a serious, rigid, and upright image. Wu Qi naturally wouldn’t doubt your words. That’s why the two kinds of medicine Wu Qi got were not taken at the same time, but one after the other, on two separate days.” “Because he never thought of getting another kind of medicine for himself. It was only after you found out what medicine Wu Qi got the day before that you tricked him into getting the second kind of medicine himself.”

"In that case, the records of both medicines in the Imperial Medical Bureau will naturally all be handled by Wu Qi alone."

"Then you can poison him with a mixture of drugs, which will naturally make everyone think that Wu Qi committed suicide."

"Poor Wu Qi..."

Liu Shuyi shook his head and sighed, "He thought he was helping the upright and serious Liu Shaoqing, whom he admired, but little did he know that his kindness would destroy him!"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

Did Wu Qi ever do even one wrong thing from beginning to end?

The answer is no.

He diligently carried out the tasks assigned to him by the imperial court.

He also treated his colleagues with great enthusiasm.

He was conscientious, kind, and sincere; he was simply a model official.

Yet, even so, he became Liu Yuanming's pawn.

Based on his understanding of Wu Qi's character, Liu Yuanming gradually led him into the abyss, ultimately causing him to die tragically in his own residence!

They were schemed against while they were alive, and they were schemed against even more after they died.

Wu Qi did nothing wrong, yet he ended up like this.

How can we prevent people from sighing and lamenting?
Cheng Chumo couldn't help but say, "Damn it, choosing the wrong person to trust is more terrifying than anything else!"

Du Gou nodded with a complicated expression: "The evil and the good of human nature are truly displayed to the fullest extent in this case."

Liu Shuyi continued, "Wu Qi died, and when we found him, we were unable to ask him why he had ordered his clerks to repair the tools that night. Liu Yuanming also completely disappeared from the story."

"And Wu Qi, now that he's dead, can't speak for himself. So, just as Liu Yuanming wished, he'll become the scapegoat, bearing all the blame with no chance of redemption!"

Zhao Feng got goosebumps when he heard this.

Liu Yuanming was ruthless, treacherous, and vicious—he was simply the most ruthless person he had ever met in his life!
Thinking about Wu Qi's kindness and sincerity towards Liu Yuanming, and then looking at what Liu Yuanming did to Wu Qi, he could only feel that Liu Yuanming's heart was black. Otherwise, how could he be so ruthless and heartless towards Wu Qi, who treated him sincerely?
The way Cheng Chumo and the others looked at Liu Yuanming was as if they were looking at a cold-blooded venomous snake—warry and disgust.

But to everyone's surprise, Liu Yuanming suddenly grinned and smiled despite the displeasure in everyone's eyes.

"You accuse me of being evil and of using Wu Qi, but that's only because you see me from Wu Qi's perspective!"

"If you stand with me, sharing the same faith and goals, you will know that I have not done anything wrong! Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles, and great undertakings are always built on the blood of others!"

"What's the difference between me killing Wu Qi and Li Shimin killing Li Jiancheng?"

"It's just that I was captured by you and failed, while Li Shimin is the victor!"

To everyone's surprise, Liu Yuanming dared to directly reveal the events surrounding the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

This made the usually carefree Cheng Chumo instinctively shrink back and dare not speak.

After all, everyone knows that this is the last thing that can be mentioned right now.

Even just hearing others mention it filled them with dread, fearing that Li Shimin would remember them.

Liu Shuyi glanced at the silent crowd, then changed the subject, saying, "Liu Yuanming, don't you want to know how I found this place and found you, even though you've already slipped away like a cicada escaping its shell?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Liu Yuanming's attention was indeed diverted.

When he faked his death to escape, he wasn't unaware that his plan might be discovered.

After all, Liu Shuyi is truly gifted in investigating cases.

Even so, he wasn't too worried.

Because by then, he had already fled far away. Chang'an was such a large city with a population of nearly a million, how could Liu Shuyi find him among so many people?
Not to mention, he could escape Chang'an at any time.

The reason he didn't leave immediately was that he wanted to find out if he had fooled Liu Shuyi. If he had, he had other things to do in Chang'an and could stay there to carry out his mission underground.

If Liu Shuyi discovers his secret, he will leave Chang'an immediately. He has already prepared his identity and travel documents in advance. Once he leaves Chang'an, no matter how vast the world is, Liu Shuyi will never be able to find him in this lifetime!

He had planned it all out; he was just waiting for dawn to gather information and then make his choice.

But to his surprise, just as it got dark, before he could take any further action, Liu Shuyi arrived!

He couldn't figure out how Liu Shuyi found him, or how he knew about the identity he had prepared in advance.

"Judging from the double who looks just like you, and how you were able to kill and disfigure someone in just two quarters of an hour after realizing you were in danger of being exposed, and how you were able to create the illusion that the door lock was broken and leave easily without being discovered by anyone..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Liu Yuanming and said, "This should be a backup plan you prepared in advance."

"Before you stole the remains of the King of Xi, you probably already considered how to get out unscathed if things went wrong."

"Therefore, after you heard that the tomb of Prince Xi had collapsed and the body of Prince Xi had gone missing, I think you should keep a close eye on the news of the case so as to know if anyone has focused their suspicions on the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

"Later, when the case of the ghost of the Prince of Xi killing people came up, you should have been very confused because you knew that it was not done by you and your accomplices. But you should also be happy because this murderer helped you divert the attention of Minister Du and the others. As long as this person is not caught, you will not be at risk of being exposed."

"So, even though you had found a substitute, you weren't always on high alert, always ready to escape, until..."

Liu Shuyi's tone suddenly changed: "My appearance."

"Your appearance?" Cheng Chumo was taken aback.

Liu Yuanming's pupils twitched, and his expression changed slightly.

Liu Shuyi took in his reaction and said, "My appearance is something you never expected."

"I think you should have learned a lot about the people in the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and other institutions before you took action, and know their capabilities, so you are very confident that they will not be able to find you."

"But I appeared out of nowhere, and as soon as I appeared, I showed a considerable talent for solving cases."

"Furthermore, I was personally recommended by Minister Du. You know that Minister Du and his team have been unable to solve the case of the disappearance of Prince Xi's remains, and they will eventually have to ask me to take action. You don't know me well enough, so I don't know if I can find you as easily as I found Zhao Chengyi."

"So, at this point, you locked the double you had chosen long ago in your study. Your study should have a secret room, and there are strict rules in your house that no one can enter your study. Therefore, even if someone is locked in your study, no one else will know."

"After that, you must be prepared at all times to use a double to escape unscathed should things get out of your control or there is a risk of exposure!"

Director Cheng nodded knowingly: "I see!"

Zhao Feng suddenly realized, "No wonder he killed someone and skinned them after only a quarter of an hour, and then disappeared without a trace without leaving any clues. It turns out he had everything prepared in advance!"

Liu Yuanming stared intently at Liu Shuyi, his brows furrowed so deeply they could have crushed a fly.

Although he didn't speak, his reaction was enough to prove Liu Shuyi's words.

"But a stand-in is also a person, and as a person, they inevitably have family, friends, and their own life path..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Liu Yuanming and continued, "Therefore, you must consider these things when choosing a stand-in."

"You need to make sure that even if you arrest and lock this person up, no one will care whether he has disappeared or not in the short term, and no one will report him to the police."

"You must also make sure that after you have this person die in your place, you change their identity and walk in the world as their identity, and no one will easily notice."

"Based on this, there are now clear conditions and requirements for your double!"

Liu Yuanming subconsciously clenched his fists, feeling a tightness in his chest as if dark clouds were pressing down on him. His eyes were fixed on Liu Shuyi, and deep in his eyes was a trace of fear that he did not even notice. He then heard Liu Shuyi say slowly, "First, I have few relatives and friends, or even none at all, and I often travel alone."

"Secondly, people of low social status, even if they are rich and powerful, will attract attention if they suddenly disappear."

"Third, the person lived in poverty and often went hungry. When Miss Du examined the body, she said that the person's stomach showed signs of atrophy. Combined with the person's calluses and thin physique, it can be seen that the atrophy of the stomach was caused by years of hunger."

"Although Chang'an is densely populated and has a large population, there are only a few people who meet all three criteria..."

Liu Shuyi said slowly, "Not many."

Cheng Chumo thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "So you're sure that his double is a beggar, and that he will also hide himself as a beggar?"

"Do not."

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "Beggars certainly meet these three requirements, but so do homeless vagrants and some bachelors who have lost their families."

"The reason I was certain that the stand-in was a beggar was because of something her wife said."

"His wife? Madam Liu?" Cheng Chumo asked blankly.

Liu Yuanming was surprised that Liu Shuyi would suddenly bring up his wife, and he frowned as he looked at him.

Liu Shuyi met Liu Yuanming's gaze and said, "I don't know if your attitude towards your family was feigned or if you really had some feelings for them, but they were all sincere towards you. That's why your wife was very distressed after your death. She thought you were the best husband in the world and didn't know why Heaven was so unfair to you!"

"She told me that you were very kind, and although you were serious, you never beat or scolded your servants, and you often personally delivered food and gave money to beggars..."

At this point, Liu Shuyi paused.

He looked at Liu Yuanming, whose face was gloomy and completely different from his past image, and said, "In order to hide your true colors, you imitated Doctor Wei and put on a serious, rigid and righteous image. So although you are serious, you never beat or scold your servants and are very gentle."

“I can’t find fault with that, but you often personally deliver food and give money to beggars…”

“If you only do this a few times occasionally, I won’t think there’s a problem.”

"But you often do it yourself..."

Liu Shuyi's gaze met Liu Yuanming's: "Then I can't help but care, after all, even the Doctor Wei you're imitating can't do what you're doing."

"Not to mention, I know your true nature very well. You are by no means a kind person. Treating your servants gently is enough to achieve your goal of pretense. You don't need to do such a thing to a beggar."

"Moreover, your mansion is spotless, your study is well-organized, and apart from that bloodstain, there isn't a speck of dust on the floor; it's so clean you could use it as a mirror... This suggests you may have obsessive-compulsive disorder or a germaphobia."

"And in either case, you would never enjoy interacting with dirty, smelly beggars, let alone frequently coming into contact with them in person."

"Therefore, you must have a special reason why you frequently and personally interact with beggars..."

"Coincidentally, the identity of the imposter I suspected included a beggar."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo finally realized: "So, that's why you were so sure that his double was the beggar?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "If he chooses a double, he will need to observe the person frequently to know their specific situation, and at the same time gain their trust in order to act without them noticing..."

“He often personally interacted with beggars, bringing them food and money, which perfectly fulfilled both conditions.”

"So that's how it is. No wonder you suddenly started looking for people among the beggars." Cheng Chumo finally understood.

Liu Shuyi smiled and looked at Liu Yuanming again: "Now that we know the substitute is a beggar, it won't be difficult to find you."

"Because the double looks like you, all you need to do is take your picture and find someone who looks similar among the beggars."

"But you probably already considered that your double plan might be exposed, and you didn't leave any portraits... However, I have Zhao Feng!"

As he spoke, Liu Shuyi looked at the thin figure beside him: "Before his father was wrongly accused, Zhao Feng was a student at the Imperial Academy. He was an excellent painter, and even the instructors at the Imperial Academy praised him highly. He had met you and knew what you looked like, so painting you was just a piece of cake for him."

As he spoke, Liu Shuyi took out a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and revealed a portrait of Liu Yuanming in front of him.

Looking at the serious and rigid face in the portrait, Liu Shuyi said, "Look, isn't it incredibly lifelike? Just like looking in a mirror?"

Liu Yuanming's face grew increasingly grim as he looked at the portrait that was exactly like his own.

His cold eyes looked at Zhao Feng: "I never thought I would be defeated by an ant like you."

Staring at him with such a suffocating gaze, the thin Zhao Feng felt a chill run down his spine. But remembering Liu Shuyi's praise of him just now, he gritted his teeth, straightened his back, and met Liu Yuanming's cold gaze with a straight back, saying, "I am honored to be able to help Manager Liu."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly in his heart. Zhao Feng had changed from being timid to being brave. He was slowly returning to his confident self.

"However, there are many beggars in Chang'an, and they tend to stick together and are wary of outsiders. They may not be willing to cooperate. Also, if I search for you on a large scale, I might alert you and make you abandon this identity and hide in a deeper place. So, although I have a portrait, I still have to carefully consider how to find you."

"Fortunately..."

Liu Shuyi changed the subject and said with a smile, "I have a maid who does the same things as you every day."

Maid?

Liu Yuanming was taken aback.

Why is there a maidservant here?
Liu Shuyi said, “My maidservant brings leftover food to the beggars every day and comes into contact with them every day. But unlike you, who have ulterior motives, she is genuinely kind-hearted. Therefore, in the hearts of these beggars, she is already a trustworthy and virtuous person.”

"So, when I took the portrait and asked my maid Wan'er to ask the beggars for help, they didn't resist. In fact, to repay Wan'er, they would even ask how to do it secretly, and they were very cooperative..."

At this point, he looked at the beggar boy Mo Xiaofan beside Liu Yuanming and said, "Mo Xiaofan, who just kicked you over, is the one who has been helped by Wan'er many times."

"After receiving the portrait, he actively helped us mobilize the beggars he knew... Although you had no relatives or friends and were a lone beggar, because you often contacted your double, bringing him food and money, other beggars saw you and were envious of you."

"So, Mo Xiaofan's search actually led him to you!"

At this point, Liu Shuyi paused for a moment.

Seeing Liu Yuanming's pale, incredulous expression, he shook his head and said, "Liu Yuanming, don't you also feel like it's retribution?"

“If you hadn’t been eyeing Wang Si as a stand-in, you wouldn’t have frequently used the pretext of giving alms to approach and observe him.”

"And if you don't regularly give him money and food, you won't be noticed by other beggars and they won't envy this lone traveler who has little presence."

"Then it will be extremely difficult for me to find you; you might actually escape."

"Unfortunately, the moment you set your sights on him, it was destined that you would do something, and it was also destined that your actions would bring about today's result."

"Cause and effect are cyclical, and good and evil are rewarded accordingly..."

Liu Shuyi said in a deep voice, "You didn't lose unjustly!"

…………

P.S.: 25,000 words delivered, promise fulfilled, thank you all for your support! If you have any monthly tickets, please vote for me.

(End of this chapter)