The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 47: Shocking Reasoning by Qian Wenqing! Is this really something that can be done in just one hour? (Two Chapters Combined)

In fact, not only were Qian Wenqing's confidants stunned, but Wang Gui and Zhao Feng, who were standing next to Liu Shuyi, were also surprised after hearing Liu Shuyi's words.

They followed Liu Shuyi all the way, hearing what he heard and seeing what he saw. But even so, they had no idea how to find out the identities of the two dead, let alone what the murderer was!
Isn't this a self-immolation case?

Where did this murderer come from?

Their bewilderment and shock were no less than those of the officials in the Ministry of Justice.

As for Qian Wenqing, his head started buzzing the moment he heard Liu Shuyi's words.

He initially thought he was hallucinating.

He had mobilized so many people and questioned so many people before finally finding a lying customer, which he considered a huge breakthrough.

So what kind of nonsense was Liu Shuyi spouting?
They know how to identify the two deceased.

We know how the murderer staged the self-immolation scene.

They even know how to find the killer...

Are they investigating the same case?

Is this all that can be found in less than an hour?

What a joke!
Qian Wenqing felt a moment of disorientation, but when he saw Zhao Feng, who had been following Liu Shuyi, and the shocked and bewildered look on the face of the opportunistic Wang Gui, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"This bastard is lying to me!"

If Liu Shuyi really found out about these things, Wang Gui, being a fence-sitter, might not know, but Zhao Feng, as Liu Shuyi's confidant who was always by Liu Shuyi's side, would he not know?
There must be something wrong here!

Qian Wenqing felt much more at ease.

He crossed his arms, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Master Liu is truly remarkable. To have made so many gains in such a short time, I really must listen carefully to how Master Liu achieved his success, and what exactly happened..."

"I just hope that Master Liu will speak up, otherwise..." He said with a threatening look, "it's all just empty talk. If word gets out, Master Liu's reputation will be ruined."

Upon hearing Qian Wenqing's words, Liu Shuyi immediately understood Qian Wenqing's thoughts.

He wasn't one to actively compete with others; he preferred to focus on investigating cases rather than getting involved in unsavory matters.

But unfortunately, he doesn't provoke others, yet others provoke him.

Moreover, this is a crucial period for a new official taking office. If Qian Wenqing targets him repeatedly and he doesn't confront him directly, others won't think he's magnanimous; they'll only think he's weak and easily bullied.

I'm afraid that in the end, even Du Ruhui will be disappointed in him.

Therefore, he had to fight back, and with absolute overwhelming force, to let everyone watching him know... that he was not to be trifled with.

"Don't worry, Master Qian..."

Liu Shuyi looked intently at Qian Wenqing: "I will explain everything in detail, leaving no room for anyone to find any problems."

Qian Wenqing narrowed his eyes: "Then I'll be looking forward to it."

Liu Shuyi didn't waste any more time and said directly, "Let's start with the murderer's case..."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Liu Shuyi.

Zhao Feng had unconditional trust in Liu Shuyi, so his face was full of anticipation.

Wang Gui felt uneasy and nervous because Liu Shuyi's words were too abrupt.

Qian Wenqing and the others, however, did not believe Liu Shuyi's words at all. At this moment, they were staring at Liu Shuyi not to listen to his reasoning, but to find fault with him, to find loopholes in his words, and to deliver a fatal blow to him.

The same gaze, the same listening, but different thoughts due to different perspectives.

Liu Shuyi took in everyone's expressions and then said unhurriedly, "Just now, I invited Miss Du from the Du family to examine the body. I believe you all have heard about Miss Du's skill as a coroner."

Wang Gui goes without saying, and even Qian Wenqing and the others no longer questioned Liu Shuyi's decision to have a woman perform the autopsy.

On the one hand, Du Ying's performance in the Falcon Head Case and the Xi Wang Remains Disappearance Case was indeed outstanding, even the coroners of the Ministry of Justice admitted that they were inferior to him.

On the other hand, Du Ying was the daughter of Du Ruhui, the Minister of Justice. As officials of the Ministry of Justice, who would dare to question Du Ruhui's daughter?
Therefore, even if Qian Wenqing was completely honest with Liu Shuyi, he could only say at this moment, "We are well aware of Miss Du's abilities. You don't need to waste words, just tell us the result."

Liu Shuyi was not bothered by Qian Wenqing's rudeness. He said, "After Miss Du's autopsy, it was finally confirmed that the person did indeed die from self-immolation. However, during the examination, Miss Du found that the amount of soot in the person's nasal cavity and mouth was very different."

"Cigarette ash?" Qian Wenqing frowned. "What do you mean?"

Liu Shuyi was too lazy to repeat what he had said, so he glanced at Zhao Feng, who immediately understood what Liu Shuyi meant.

"Steward Liu explained it to me..."

Zhao Feng quickly repeated what Liu Shuyi had explained to him before.

"...So, normally, there shouldn't be so little ash in the mouth of the deceased."

Wang Gui, who was downstairs waiting for news from another restaurant, missed Liu Shuyi's analysis. Hearing Zhao Feng's words, he frowned and said, "Normally, there shouldn't be so little ash in his mouth, but he really does. This indicates..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and asked tentatively, "Wasn't it abnormal when the deceased set himself on fire?"

Abnormal?
Upon hearing this, everyone subconsciously frowned and began to ponder.

Even Qian Wenqing was pondering what Wang Gui meant by "abnormal."

“County Commandant Wang is right. Let’s not talk about the deceased’s mental state, let’s just talk about his reaction…”

Liu Shuyi nodded in agreement with Wang Gui's words, saying, "I have said that no matter what mental state one is in, in such extreme circumstances, when consciousness is fading, one will subconsciously take self-rescue measures, such as breathing heavily, in an attempt to gain a chance of survival."

"But the deceased's circumstances are completely different from normal, so there's only one possibility..."

Everyone instinctively looked at him.

Then Liu Shuyi said, "At that time, the deceased's body was in an abnormal state of self-slumber."

"An abnormal state of self-suspension?" Wang Gui tried hard to understand Liu Shuyi's profound terminology and guessed, "Does Master Liu mean that... the deceased was already unconscious at that time, without consciousness or awareness, and unable to sense the danger?"

"Unconscious?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Wenqing didn't even wait for Liu Shuyi to speak before saying, "Nonsense!"

He looked at Wang Gui: "County Commandant Wang, have you forgotten what Xiao Er and the others said?"

"They explicitly stated that they saw the deceased smiling at them as they self-immolated... Think about it carefully, they said they were looking at them! The deceased's eyes were clearly open at that moment!"

"If he were truly unconscious, how could he possibly keep his eyes open and watch over Xiao Er and the others?"

Wang Gui was stunned for a moment: "This..."

He frowned. "Yes, Xiao Er and the others saw with their own eyes that the deceased's eyes were open. Many people saw it too. There's no mistake about that..."

"Master Liu..."

He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi: "Is something wrong?"

"you still need to ask?"

With an air of confidence that he had seen through Liu Shuyi's thoughts, Qian Wenqing crossed his arms and said calmly, "Even a horse can stumble. It seems that the brilliant detective Liu has made a mistake today."

"A slip-up?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "Isn't it a bit premature for Master Qian to draw conclusions now?"

Qian Wenqing's expression darkened: "What does Master Liu mean? Am I wrong? Or does Master Liu think..."

He said with a half-smile, "Are the waiters all blind and mistaken? The deceased was actually with his eyes closed at that time?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng immediately frowned.

So many people saw it with their own eyes, how could they be wrong?

Qian Wenqing was clearly mocking Liu Shuyi, implying that Liu Shuyi was truly blind and lying through his teeth.

"It's impossible to be wrong, but having eyes open doesn't necessarily mean he's not unconscious, nor does it necessarily mean he's conscious."

Liu Shuyi didn't give Qian Wenqing another chance to find fault. He looked directly at Wang Gui and suddenly asked an unrelated question: "I wonder if County Magistrate Wang has ever been very tired while reading or handling official duties?"

Wang Gui was stunned for a moment, not understanding why Liu Shuyi, who had been arguing with Qian Wenqing just a moment ago, suddenly changed the subject.

But he still answered truthfully: "Of course I have."

Liu Shuyi said, "Back then, how did County Magistrate Wang manage to stay awake and continue reading and working?"

"Pinch yourself hard a few times."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Using painful stimulation to boost morale is indeed a good method."

Wang Gui said with embarrassment, "There was no other way. My family was poor when I was young, so this was the only method we could use."

There is no good or bad in methods, as long as they work.

Liu Shuyi continued, "Actually, when I was studying, I also had times when I was very sleepy, my eyelids would droop and I was about to close them, but my way of dealing with it was rather special, I targeted my eyelids."

"Eyelids?" Wang Gui was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly and said, "I will take two bamboo sticks and place them on either side of my eyes, with the ends supporting my upper and lower eyelids respectively. In this way, the bamboo sticks will be enough to keep my eyelids open. No matter how sleepy I am, my eyelids will not be able to close because of the support of the bamboo sticks, and I will not be able to sleep even if I want to."

"Can this still happen?"

Wang Gui never imagined there was such a method that could be applied directly to the eyelids.

"This sounds much better than pinching myself; at least it won't hurt as much. I'll try it next time—"

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Gui suddenly stopped abruptly.

He seemed to realize something, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and he looked abruptly at Liu Shuyi, saying, "Does Master Liu mean that... the deceased, like Master Liu, had his eyelids held open by something, which is why they didn't close, giving the impression that his eyes were open?"

"what?"

"Is that what Liu Shuyi meant?"

"real or fake?"

Qian Wenqing's confidants were still considering how to sober up Liu Shuyi when they were suddenly startled by Wang Gui's words.

Qian Wenqing also stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Then Liu Shuyi smiled at Wang Gui and said, "County Lieutenant Wang, you have worked on the front lines of investigations for many years and you understood what I meant right away."

"Am I really right?"

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly and said, "Actually, there were other findings in Miss Du's autopsy."

"One of them..."

He glanced around at everyone and said slowly, "Two pinhole-sized wounds were found on the bags under the eyes of the deceased."

"Eye bags? A pinhole-sized wound?"

Wang Gui was taken aback, but he quickly realized: "Could this be the mark left by the bamboo skewer used to support the eyelids, as Liu Yuanwailang said?"

"This? Really?"

"Was the deceased really unconscious at the time?"

"The reason your eyes are open is because something is forcing them open, not because you are fully awake?"

The clerks in the Ministry of Justice couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Qian Wenqing's brows furrowed tightly.

He was completely unaware of this, and looked at Wang Gui with annoyance, saying, "Are the coroners in your Chang'an County government any good? How come there's no record of this in the autopsy records?"

Wang Gui was somewhat embarrassed: "Well... the deceased's face was burned like that, and the pinhole-sized wounds were so inconspicuous, it's normal for the coroner to overlook them."

"How did Miss Du discover that?"

"Isn't Miss Du known as the number one female coroner in the Tang Dynasty? It's normal for her to have this ability."

Seeing that Wang Gui always had an excuse, Qian Wenqing was so angry that she wanted to kick him away.

Hearing this, Zhao Feng thought to himself that Miss Du hadn't noticed it at first; it was only after Liu Yuanwailang reminded her that she found it.

Ultimately, it wasn't that their coroners were incompetent, but rather that they lacked a superior official like Liu Yuanwailang.

Liu Shuyi looked at the two of them and said, "The deceased may not have used bamboo sticks. It could have been some other very thin support. And this support should be as easy to burn as bamboo sticks. Therefore, as the fire burns, the only support that can serve as physical evidence will turn to ashes in the fire. When we come to investigate again, we will naturally find nothing."

"If it weren't for the marks left on the deceased's eye bags from the support, the truth about the deceased's open eyes would probably never have been known."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Wang Gui and the others felt a chill in their hearts, but soon they felt a sense of lingering fear and relief.

So close! So very close!
If Liu Shuyi hadn't come to investigate the case, and if Du Ying hadn't come to examine the body, the truth behind the eyes might have remained buried forever.

Qian Wenqing was surprised that Liu Shuyi had actually found a reasonable excuse. His face darkened and his eyes kept flashing.

Suddenly, he said, "With something stuck in your eyes, you really can't see anything? There were quite a few people there, didn't anyone notice anything amiss?"

Zhao Feng couldn't help but grumble inwardly, "They're nitpicking. The evidence of the pinhole marks is right here, and they're still finding fault."

Liu Shuyi, however, seemed to have anticipated this. He calmly said, "At that time, the fire was raging and the smoke was thick, so visibility would not have been very clear. In addition, Xiao Er and the others were in a state of shock, so how could they calmly observe the condition of the deceased's eyes?"

"Not to mention that since the murderer did this, he must have been very well prepared. The support was probably very thin and small. Even with the naked eye, it would be difficult to see it from a distance, let alone in that situation."

Qian Wenqing frowned, thought for a long time, and then said, "In short, you have no evidence, so all of this can only be considered a deduction."

Even Wang Gui now felt that Qian Wenqing was deliberately picking a fight.

Everyone says the evidence was burned, so where did Liu Shuyi go to find the evidence?
Liu Shuyi glanced at Qian Wenqing and saw that Qian Wenqing's expression had lost its initial sarcasm and confidence. He was staring at him with a gloomy face and his eyes made no attempt to hide his provocation.

If Wang Gui and others could see it, how could he not see it?

However, Liu Shuyi didn't care. He said, "What Qian Yuanwailang said is right. These are indeed just inferences. But besides these two points, I have made a few other discoveries in this private room."

"Any other discoveries?"

Wang Gui was taken aback at first, then overjoyed: "Really?"

Compared to Qian Wenqing's pettiness, he preferred Liu Shuyi's magnanimity and composure. Seeing Qian Wenqing's aggressive and deliberately provocative behavior, he began to lean towards Liu Shuyi, hoping that Liu Shuyi could solve the case and give Qian Wenqing a good beating.

So when he heard that Liu Shuyi had made other discoveries, not just the two clues that Qian Wenqing had pointed out, he could not hide his excitement and joy.

Liu Shuyi glanced at Qian Wenqing, whose expression was becoming increasingly gloomy, and laughed, "Of course it's true."

With that, he walked toward the window: "Please follow me, everyone."

Wang Gui and Zhao Feng followed without hesitation.

Upon seeing this, Qian Wenqing's confidant couldn't help but ask, "Master Qian, what should we do?"

Qian Wenqing gritted his teeth and said, "With the place burned to this state, I refuse to believe he can actually find enough evidence to prove his deduction! If he doesn't have any, then I'll question him on everything. I want to make sure that even if he does know the truth, he won't have a chance to close the case!"

After saying that, he followed.

Soon, Liu Shuyi arrived at the window and was surrounded by the crowd.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Liu Shuyi didn't hesitate and stretched out his hand, saying, "Please look here, everyone..."

Following the direction Liu Shuyi pointed, everyone's gaze quickly fell on the window frame, which had been burned down to just its bare frame.

"What have you all discovered here?" Liu Shuyi asked.

After careful observation, Wang Gui couldn't help but frown and say, "Isn't this just the window frame that was burned? According to Xiao Er and the others, when they broke down the door, the window was already surrounded by flames, and there was no time to rescue it. By the time they worked together to put out the fire in the room, the window paper had already been burned to ashes. All they could save was this lonely window frame."

“Master Liu…” He looked at Liu Shuyi: “Is there something wrong with this window frame?”

The others also looked at Liu Shuyi with suspicion.

Liu Shuyi didn't keep them in suspense and said, "You don't need to look at the window frame as a whole, just look at where my finger is touching... There used to be a square wooden block here, which is a straight lintel, used to fix the upper and lower positions of the window frame to make it easier to paste the window paper."

"Later, due to the fire, these thin straight lattice strips, along with the window paper, were all consumed by the flames and turned to ashes."

Wang Gui nodded and said, "That's right, that's exactly it... Did the official specifically mention this straight lattice because there's something wrong with it?"

Liu Shuyi said, "I would like to ask County Lieutenant Wang to take a close look at the cross-section of the remaining part of this straight lattice strip inlaid on the window frame." "Cross-section?" Wang Gui was taken aback.

"According to County Magistrate Wang, this straight-lattice window was directly engulfed by flames, causing the straight lattice strips and window paper to be completely burned... If that's the case, then after the straight lattice strips were burned, the remaining part should be very irregular, right?"

Wang Gui thought for a moment, then nodded: "That's right."

The flame burns at an uneven rate, first on the outside and then on the inside. Therefore, unless the straight bars are completely burned to ashes, the remaining parts will inevitably be low on both sides and high in the middle, and will be extremely irregular.

Wang Gui's family was poor when he was young, and he often chopped firewood to cook, so he must have known this common sense.

"But this straight lattice..."

The next moment, Liu Shuyi lightly ran his fingertip across the cross-section of the straight bar and said in a deep voice, "It's incredibly neat."

"what?"

Wang Gui was taken aback. He quickly brushed away the ash from the straight bar and then looked closely. Only then did he realize that the remaining part of the straight bar was indeed, as Liu Shuyi had said, a very flat surface with almost no undulations, only the surface was blackened by smoke.

"How can it be so smooth? It shouldn't be like this!" Wang Gui frowned, his face full of confusion.

Liu Shuyi looked at Wang Gui and coaxed, "Yes, how can it be so neat? It doesn't feel like it was caused by natural combustion at all, but rather like..."

Wang Gui's eyes widened: "Cut it off with a sharp weapon!"

"That's right, it wasn't burned at all, it was definitely cut by a sharp weapon!"

As he spoke, he quickly reached out and brushed away the thick layer of soot from the rest of the window frame, his fingers touching each spot one by one…

After that, his expression became increasingly shocked.

"They are all neat and tidy, almost all of them are flat..."

"How could this be?"

"Could it be!?"

He seemed to be thinking of something, and suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly: "It seems that County Magistrate Wang has understood."

He looked at everyone and said, “That’s right. This straight-lattice window wasn’t burned like this at all. In other words, it must have been cut open first and then burned by the fire.”

"As for why it needed to be cut?"

Liu Shuyi turned his gaze to Qian Wenqing and asked with a smile, "What does Master Qian think is the reason?"

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively looked at Qian Wenqing.

Qian Wenqing's face darkened. How could he possibly cooperate with Liu Shuyi? He said coldly, "How would I know!"

"Master Qian doesn't know?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head, quite regretfully: "I thought that Master Qian was experienced in solving cases and could see through the thief's intentions at a glance."

Qian Wenqing's eyelids twitched. Now he was caught in a dilemma: whether to cooperate with Liu Shuyi or not.

No wonder Pei Ji was forced to apologize on the spot by Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi is truly eloquent and full of cunning!

Qian Wenqing said coldly, "Enough with the nonsense. I don't have time to listen to your drivel."

Liu Shuyi gave Qian Wenqing a deep look and said, "Since you're in such a hurry, then I'll answer your question."

As he spoke, he moved aside from the window and said, "Please come to my side, Mr. Qian."

Qian Wenqing frowned, but still went to the window: "What are you doing?"

Liu Shuyi asked, "What did Master Qian see when he looked outside?"

Unable to fathom Liu Shuyi's thoughts, Qian Wenqing glanced at him haphazardly and said, "Alley, tree."

"Gone?"

"What else could there be?"

Liu Shuyi sighed, "Master Qian's observation is not meticulous enough. How can he solve cases with such carelessness?"

Qian Wenqing's face turned cold: "Is Liu, the Assistant Minister, mocking me?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "Master Qian, please don't misunderstand. It's just that the clue was right in front of us, but you didn't find it. I'm a little surprised."

"clue?"

Qian Wenqing was taken aback. This time he finally became more serious. He first glanced at the sparsely populated alley, then looked at the locust tree that was almost next to the window, and looked down from the lush branches of the locust tree.

Suddenly... his expression changed.

Liu Shuyi had been observing Qian Wenqing, and seeing the change in Qian Wenqing's expression, he slightly curled up the corner of his mouth: "It seems that Master Qian has already discovered it."

He turned to look at the crowd who were tiptoeing and peeking outside, and said, "Below the window is a quiet alley with little foot traffic, and right next to the window is a sturdy locust tree. On the bark of that locust tree, Qian Yuanwailang and I found some scars."

“Scars?” Everyone was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi said, "There are signs of damage on the bark of the locust tree, which exposes some of the white trunk inside. As everyone knows, it is early spring and the bark is hard. It is not something that can be done by simply touching it lightly."

"And coincidentally, the location where the bark was damaged was just a little below our window..."

"What do you all think..."

He glanced at everyone and said slowly, "How can we properly rub the bark there?"

"Or, to put it another way, consider the cut-off straight railings, the rubbed tree bark, and the sparsely populated alley below..."

"Gentlemen, what else can you think of?"

Those present were either county constables of Chang'an or officials of the Ministry of Justice, all of whom were people who dealt with criminal cases year after year. Even if they had no talent for investigating cases, their years of accumulated experience and Liu Shuyi's hints were enough for them to understand everything.

"What Liu Yuanwailang means is..."

Wang Gui couldn't help but say, "Someone cut open the straight-lattice window, jumped onto the locust tree opposite, and then used the locust tree to go from the private room on the second floor to the sparsely populated alley below?"

Liu Shuyi looked at Qian Wenqing and said, "What does Master Qian think?"

Qian Wenqing's face was very ugly, because the clue about the locust tree was right in front of him, so even if he didn't want to cooperate with Liu Shuyi, he could only nod: "If the clue is correct, then it should be so."

"What if the clues are correct?"

Liu Shuyi said with a half-smile, "Master Qian, you don't think I fabricated these clues, do you?"

Qian Wenqing's face stiffened. Liu Shuyi had only been here for less than an hour, and he had been keeping an eye on him the whole time, so he knew that Liu Shuyi could not possibly have fabricated these clues.

He simply refused to admit that Liu Shuyi was stronger than him, and that he had actually found so many clues within an hour.

He snorted coldly and did not answer.

But this tacit acceptance is enough to prove a lot.

Even Wang Gui couldn't help but think to himself that Qian Wenqing was no match for Liu Yuanwailang.

Liu Shuyi smiled, looked at everyone again, and said, "The straight-lattice window cannot be opened or closed. Therefore, if you want to leave this private room through the window, you can only cut the straight lattice first. But if you cut the straight lattice without doing anything, people will know that someone has left through the window."

"so……"

Everyone felt a sudden tightness in their chests.

Then Liu Shuyi said in a slightly deep voice, "The window is on fire."

"In other words, the reason why this straight-lattice window was burned down to just the frame, with the lattice bars and window paper all reduced to ashes, is because it burned more severely than anything else in this room..."

"Simply because, if it isn't burned, it will expose the moment of the deceased's so-called self-immolation, which occurred in this room..."

Liu Shuyi's gaze swept across everyone's faces, his voice low and deep, as if an invisible hand had gripped their hearts, allowing them to breathe without holding their breath as he said, "...There is a second person!"

"What!? A second person?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone felt a buzzing in their heads, as if they had been hit with a stick.

Wang Gui almost instinctively exclaimed in shock: "Really? Were there really other people around when the deceased committed suicide by self-immolation?"

Upon hearing this, the officials of the Ministry of Justice all stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Even Qian Wenqing was shaken by Liu Shuyi's words and subconsciously stared at Liu Shuyi.

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, Liu Shuyi suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Do you remember what Xiao Er said, that after they discovered the deceased had set himself on fire, they tried to break down the door, but because it was locked and there was a cabinet blocking the way, it took them a lot of effort and time to finally break it open?"

Wang Gui and the others were taken aback, not understanding why Liu Shuyi suddenly changed the subject.

But Liu Shuyi had already found so many clues, and out of admiration for Liu Shuyi's abilities, Wang Gui suppressed his many doubts and nodded, saying, "Of course I remember."

"Has County Magistrate Wang ever considered something..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Wang Gui and said calmly, "The door is already locked, so why use a cabinet to block it?"

"This..." Wang Gui guessed, "Perhaps it's to prevent outsiders from easily breaking it open?"

“He was covered in so much oil that the moment he was ignited, it meant he was beyond saving. In that case, locking the door a little earlier would have been enough to allow him to set himself on fire. Why make it harder for the people outside to break it open?” Liu Shuyi asked again.

"This..." Wang Gui was stumped by the question and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Could it be..." Zhao Feng, who had been listening quietly, suddenly said, "that it's to buy time for the second person to leave the room?"

"The second person?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui's eyes suddenly lit up. He clapped his hands and said, "That's right! If there really was a second person in this room when he self-immolated, it would take him some time to leave through the window and burn the window as evidence. If the door was suddenly broken open, he might be discovered immediately."

"That's why he used the cabinet to block the door as well, making it more difficult to break it open and giving him ample time to leave and destroy evidence."

Hearing Wang Gui's words, even the officials from the Ministry of Justice behind Qian Wenqing subconsciously nodded in agreement.

"This speculation is quite reasonable."

"Was there really a second person back then?"

"If there really was a second person, and the deceased was unconscious... could it really be as Liu Yuanwailang said, that the deceased's self-immolation was arson, and there really is a murderer!?"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy chatter suddenly fell silent.

At this moment, everyone stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Only then did they finally understand the true purpose of Liu Shuyi's step-by-step analysis of the evidence, peeling back the layers of the case.

He wanted them to follow him and find the clues about the deceased and the murderer themselves!
Qian Wenqing's confidants' expressions changed drastically. They hadn't expected that Liu Shuyi's so-called gains were not just empty talk!
They couldn't help but look at Qian Wenqing: "Master Qian, what should we do?"

Qian Wenqing's face was even uglier than his confidant's. He hadn't expected that Liu Shuyi would suddenly turn to the murderer while talking!

But ironically, this possibility is actually the highest!
No!

He absolutely cannot let Liu Shuyi get his way!

Otherwise, if word gets out, how can I maintain my position in the Ministry of Justice?
His eyes flickered, and he suddenly said, "More deductions! All of them are deductions!"

Qian Wenqing looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master Liu, although your reasoning process is very brilliant, and I would like to applaud you, investigation cannot rely solely on deduction!"

"Inferences without evidence are like rootless duckweed!"

"But looking at what you've said, whether the deceased was unconscious, had open eyelids, had a cabinet blocking the door, or had a second person... all of this is just speculation. You don't have any real evidence to directly prove these things."

He pleaded earnestly, saying, "We are colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, and I also hope that you can solve the case. But even if I hope so, the case can only be solved based on direct evidence!"

"Otherwise, if I trust you, how can the people trust you? How can the censors of the Censorate trust you? And how can His Majesty trust you?"

"so……"

He patted Liu Shuyi on the shoulder, squinted his eyes and said, "Let's continue looking for evidence, but these inferences are useless no matter how much we discuss them."

Zhao Feng was surprised that Qian Wenqing was still finding fault even at this point, but unfortunately, he couldn't find any way to refute her.

This made him both ashamed and worried, fearing that Liu Shuyi's efforts would be in vain.

"Master Liu..."

Just then, a clerk from the Ministry of Justice suddenly ran in.

He approached Liu Shuyi, handed him a piece of paper, and said, "Miss Du instructed me to give this to Liu Shuyi."

Du Ying?

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed.

He immediately took the paper.

Open it and take a look...

The next moment, Liu Shuyi raised his eyes, looked at Qian Wenqing in front of him who had an expression of concern for him, and smiled, "What did Master Qian just say?"

"You're saying all of this is just speculation, that I have no evidence to prove the deceased was unconscious, had open eyelids, and that there was a second person present at the time, right?"

Qian Wenqing sighed, "I don't mean to discourage you, but in investigating a case, evidence is the most important thing. Without evidence, no one will believe you—"

"I have!"

"I know you have it, that's why I can't really... wait, what did you just say? You said you have it!?"

Qian Wenqing was only halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized that Liu Shuyi's words meant that he had it, not that he didn't.

How could he possibly have evidence?

Did you hear it wrong?
Qian Wenqing quickly looked at Liu Shuyi.

Then Liu Shuyi waved the paper in his hand and said, "This paper that Miss Du brought me is the autopsy report."

“Master Qian may not know that when I deduced that the deceased was probably already unconscious and without awareness when he committed suicide by self-immolation, and that his body was unable to protect itself, I asked Miss Du to verify this for me.”

"And Miss Du is quite familiar with this matter."

"So, after she brought the body to the Ministry of Justice, she immediately dissected the victim's stomach, then removed the undigested contents and fed them to our Ministry of Justice's little white dog, and then..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Qian Wenqing and slowly said, "The little white dog fainted on the spot!"

"What!?"

Qian Wenqing's pupils contracted sharply, and the expression on his face, which had just been showing concern for Liu Shuyi, froze instantly.

"How could you..."

He had no idea that Liu Shuyi had already done the verification before he arrived!
Wang Gui and Zhao Feng were both initially surprised, but then filled with delight.

Zhao Feng said, "So, it turns out that the reason why Assistant Minister Liu asked Miss Du to bring the corpse to the Ministry of Justice immediately was because of this matter!"

Wang Gui nodded vigorously: "No wonder Master Liu has been so calm all this time. It turns out that Master Liu had already started to do it... So, Master Liu is not without evidence at all, but has conclusive evidence!"

"The deceased was already unconscious when he set himself on fire!"

"Since he is unconscious, he cannot open his eyes, so his eyelids must be propped up as Liu Yuanwailang said!"

"It's confirmed! All these inferences have been confirmed!"

Hearing Wang Gui and Zhao Feng's excited words, Liu Shuyi smiled gently.

His gaze returned to Qian Wenqing, and he said slowly, "Thank you for your reminder and concern, Master Qian. It made me realize that you have such high standards for solving cases."

"However, precisely because of this, Master Qian can now rest assured."

Liu Shuyi raised his hand and patted Qian Wenqing on the shoulder, returning the slaps Qian Wenqing had just given him, and also returning the words Qian Wenqing had spoken to him: "Now that we have evidence, Minister Qian can believe me, and the people can believe me, Your Majesty..."

Qian Wenqing stared intently at him, when Liu Shuyi said unhurriedly, "Of course you can trust me even more."

　I've sent you 9,000 words. I couldn't find a suitable place to end the chapter, so I'm not ending it here; it's a two-in-one piece.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)