The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 49 Ultimate Deduction! He's been exposed!

Hearing Zhao Feng's words, everyone felt their heads buzzing.

Even though Liu Shuyi and Zhao Feng had already revealed the situation in the room to them at the time.

But they still couldn't quite believe it.

After all, what they witnessed with their own eyes was clearly only Liu Shuyi shouting and yelling like a madman, and then setting himself on fire...

But in the end, Liu Shuyi sat there quietly, doing nothing; it was Zhao Feng who did all of this…

But they didn't realize there were two people in the room. And if Liu Shuyi had been sitting there the whole time, how could Zhao Feng have been standing in Liu Shuyi's spot, shouting madly, and setting himself on fire?

We can't just step on Liu Shuyi, can we?
Not to mention, they didn't see Zhao Feng at all when they came in. If it really was Zhao Feng who did it, how did he get out?
Too many doubts surrounded them, making them increasingly confused.

As for Qian Wenqing, he stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

Although he didn't know how Liu Shuyi had managed to do all this, the moment he opened the door and saw Liu Shuyi sitting there unharmed, and when the waiter said that everything was exactly the same as what happened last night, he already understood Liu Shuyi's intentions.

He initially thought that Liu Shuyi's request to leave for a while was to look for other clues.

But who knew that what Liu Shuyi was going to do was to recreate everything that happened last night!
Is there anything in this world that better demonstrates the correctness of reasoning than the reenactment of a case?

At this point, Liu Shuyi no longer needed to offer any explanation; everyone would know that Liu Shuyi's reasoning was flawless.

Liu Shuyi has solved all the mysteries that happened in the private room last night!
And for himself, the problem that seemed so certain to be solved became a joke.

No wonder Liu Shuyi dared to make such a promise to himself before leaving.

Now, he understands everything.

But, it's too late.

"Master Liu, what exactly is going on?"

At this moment, Wang Gui's voice broke the eerie silence in the room.

Wang Gui didn't care about Qian Wenqing's feelings; he just wanted to know why the truth was so different from what they had witnessed!

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Even Qian Wenqing wanted to know exactly where he had gone wrong.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Liu Shuyi didn't keep them in suspense and said, "I don't have any magical powers, so I can't change your perceptions out of thin air. The reason why what you saw with your own eyes was completely opposite to the actual situation is simply because I used something."

"You used something? What was it?" Wang Gui asked hurriedly.

Liu Shuyi said in a deep voice: "Mirror."

"A mirror!?" Wang Gui was taken aback.

The others couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"What kind of mirror has such power?"

"I do not know?"

"I didn't find any mirrors in this room?"

Listening to everyone's words, Liu Shuyi looked at Zhao Feng and said, "Zhao Lingshi, bring back the mirror you took away."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng immediately walked out of the room.

Upon seeing this, everyone quickly moved aside to clear the blocked doorway.

Not long after, Zhao Feng returned, and this time, he was carrying a large silver mirror.

Silver mirrors are made with a copper base and a silver surface, polished to a high shine. The reflection effect is far superior to that of ordinary copper mirrors, but because they are expensive, only wealthy merchants and gentry can afford them.

Zhao Feng carried the silver mirror into the room and placed it beside Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi raised his hand and gently slid it across the surface of the silver mirror. His fingers were clearly reflected in the mirror.

"The main reason why we were delayed for so long is this."

Looking at the silver mirror in front of him, Liu Shuyi said, "Ordinary bronze mirrors cannot achieve the effect I need, and ordinary families do not have better silver mirrors. Fortunately, Miss Du was afraid that I would still need her help, so she came here again after the autopsy and heard about my needs. She then helped me borrow this mirror from the nearby Baibao Pavilion."

"Miss Du? The Treasure Pavilion?"

No one expected that Du Ying was involved in this.

Even Wang Gui couldn't help but wonder what the relationship was between Liu Shuyi and Du Ying.

Du Ying was the daughter of Du Ruhui, yet she not only helped Liu Shuyi perform an autopsy, but also ran around borrowing things from the Baibao Pavilion, a place only the wealthy were allowed to enter…

What kind of place is the Hundred Treasures Pavilion?
Everything inside is incredibly valuable.

Du Ying was able to lend it out either by pledging something of equal value or by using the reputation of Du Ruhui's family; otherwise, how could Baibaoge dare to lend it out?
Not to mention, if anything is bumped or damaged, Du Ying will definitely have to bear the consequences.

This is clearly a high-risk, no-reward endeavor.

Even so, Du Ying was able to make a decision in such a short time to lend it to Liu Shuyi...

Wang Gui wouldn't believe it if you said the two had a normal relationship.

But he dared not guess just how extraordinary it was.

"Where is Miss Du?" Wang Gui looked left and right but couldn't see Du Ying anywhere, so he couldn't help but ask.

"I'll stay at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to treat the manager's illness, so I can't come over for the time being."

Liu Shuyi didn't continue the topic. He looked at everyone and said, "Aren't you all curious about what was put on those two iron nails?"

He pointed to the silver mirror in Zhao Feng's hand and said, "This is it."

"Is that it?"

Everyone gasped in surprise.

Liu Shuyi said, "It's a similar mirror, but definitely not this one."

"This mirror is not three feet tall; that other mirror is taller than this silver mirror."

As Wang Gui listened to Liu Shuyi's words, his eyes flashed intensely, and his mind raced.

He looked up at the wall behind Liu Shuyi and then noticed that two iron nails had been driven into the wall.

Move your eyes upward.

Sure enough, some marks were seen at a distance of more than two feet. This must have been caused by the large silver mirror being quite heavy, and the mirror being placed at an angle with a somewhat sharp surface.

"A mirror, it's a mirror..."

Wang Gui suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "So, what we just saw through the crack in the door wasn't the actual view in front of the door, but rather a reflection in the mirror?"

The image in the mirror?

Everyone was surprised when they heard Wang Gui's words.

"Really? Is it really a reflection in the mirror?" They couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi, waiting for his answer.

Liu Shuyi didn't keep them waiting any longer and nodded directly: "Wang County Commandant is right. Everything you see is just a mirror reflecting images from other places."

"It turned out to be true!"

Liu Shuyi said, "Actually, the murderer used the cabinet to block the door not only to buy time and make it easier for him to escape, but also for a more important purpose..."

An even more important purpose...

Recalling the scene he had just witnessed outside the door, Wang Gui suddenly had a flash of inspiration and exclaimed, "Blocking our view!?"

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he smiled, "It seems that County Magistrate Wang has figured it out."

"really!"

Wang Gui looked astonished.

Liu Shuyi said, "The cabinet in this restaurant is not short. It is placed behind the door, which can block the view of people outside the door, so that they can only see the picture on the wall and not the situation on the ground."

“I’ve been sitting here the whole time, without moving an inch, but none of you have seen me here. Your eyes have only been on Zhao Lingshi in the mirror.”

"And Zhao Lingshi..."

Liu Shuyi turned his head and looked further inside, saying, "It's always been there."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Zhao Feng first placed the silver mirror on the iron nail on the wall and adjusted the angle according to Liu Shuyi's previous settings. Then he went to the inner part of the private room.

He stamped his foot and said, "I was just here."

Everyone glanced at Zhao Feng's position, then turned to look at Zhao Feng in the silver mirror.

Sure enough, Zhao Feng looked exactly the same as when they saw him outside the door...

Liu Shuyi said, "You are trapped outside the door and can only peek into the room through the tiny crack in the door. This crack directly determines that your field of vision is extremely limited."

“I will place the silver mirror within your field of vision. Since you cannot see anywhere else, you will naturally assume that the scene in front of you is the scene in front of the door.”

"However, a mirror is still a mirror. If you are given too much time to calmly and carefully observe, you may still discover something unusual."

"So, I first created thick smoke at the doorway. The smoke will blur your vision and make your eyes water, forcing you to stop looking at things properly for long..."

"At the same time, I also had Zhao Feng change into my clothes in advance, let his hair down to cover his face, and then pretend to be crazy and self-immolate, so that all your attention would be drawn to him."

"Because Zhao Feng is wearing my official robe, even if you can't see his face, you will subconsciously think that it is me. When you see me about to set myself on fire, you will be terrified. In that situation, how could you possibly care about recognizing whether the image you see is a mirror or not..."

"Moreover, after seeing me set on fire, your first thought will definitely be to save me, and you will not continue to spy on me."

"The whole process, at most, takes only a few breaths. In such a short time, I have set up so many obstacles for you. Without any preparation, you naturally cannot tell whether what you see is real or fake."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone fell into deep thought.

They would occasionally look up at the mirror, and then glance at Zhao Feng, who was dressed in an official robe.

Finally, they all nodded repeatedly.

"So that's it!"

"No wonder, now when I look in this mirror, I can clearly feel that I am looking in a mirror, but I didn't feel it at all before. I didn't know there were so many tricks to it!"

The yamen runners and officials couldn't help but speak up.

Xiao Er also looked enlightened: "So, the crazy person we saw last night wasn't the deceased?"

Hearing Xiao Er's words, everyone was startled and quickly looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Were you also experiencing the same thing back then, with your eyes watering and your vision blurring from the thick smoke?"

"Yes!"

"Aren't the crazy people you see also disheveled, with their faces completely obscured?"

"Yes!" Liu Shuyi said, "When you broke down the door, did the deceased still have hair covering his face?"

"No, that's why we can see him opening his eyes—"

The waiter paused abruptly at this point.

He finally understood Liu Shuyi's meaning and said, "So that's how it is! The deceased didn't have that much hair on his forehead, so the deceased and that madman were not the same person at all!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if their minds had been suddenly enlightened.

It became completely clear in an instant.

"That's right! How could someone who's gone mad and set themselves on fire comb their hair after burning themselves?"

"He had already set himself on fire and was enduring that kind of pain, so it was impossible for him to care about his appearance."

"Moreover, he was looking at the door with his hair all over his face, which proves that his hair did not affect his vision at all, so he had no reason to fix his hair."

Hearing these words, even the slowest person would understand completely at this moment.

While they were shocked by the truth, they secretly glanced at Qian Wenqing, wondering how he would react. After all, Qian Wenqing had been pressing this issue and had even forced Liu Shuyi to withdraw from the case.

Then... they saw Qian Wenqing clenching his fists tightly, his lips pressed together, his face alternating between pale and green, looking unwilling yet powerless.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Feng felt a surge of pent-up frustration finally released.

Even Wang Gui couldn't help but secretly curl the corners of his mouth, finally relieved that he no longer had to fear being humiliated by Qian Wenqing.

Liu Shuyi didn't care about Qian Wenqing's reaction. From beginning to end, Qian Wenqing was just one of the three fires that a new official had to burn when he took office. He wasn't even a worthy opponent in a game of chess.

Liu Shuyi said, "So, the situation last night was the same as what just happened here."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly stopped their wandering thoughts and refocused their attention on Liu Shuyi.

Then Liu Shuyi said, "The murderer first drugged the victim, placed him where I was, and then used a very thin support to pry open the victim's eyelids, making the victim appear as if he were awake."

"After that, he used thick smoke to attract people outside, and like Zhao Feng, he pretended to be insane and set himself on fire, making Xiao Er and the others witnesses."

"While Xiao Er and the others were banging on the door, they first set the deceased on fire, then quickly took the silver mirror away, either tying it to their backs or simply lowering it to the alley below with a rope. Then, he used the locust tree to get to the window and set it on fire at the same time, destroying the evidence..."

"After Xiao Er and the others broke down the door, the murderer had already disappeared. Inside the room, only the burning body remained; there was no one else..."

"that's all……"

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "A carefully orchestrated self-immolation became the consensus of everyone, and no one knew... Before that, there was another person in the room pretending to be insane."

As he spoke, he looked at Wang Gui and asked, "In the private room of the other restaurant, is there also a tree outside the window, or something else that makes it easy to go downstairs? Is there also a cabinet like this in the room?"

Wang Gui nodded hurriedly: "Yes, exactly as Liu Yuanwailang said."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Both self-immolations had eyewitnesses, and everyone believed they were indeed self-immolators. But the real culprit was someone everyone insisted didn't exist..."

"Killing someone invisibly..."

He looked at everyone, his tone slightly somber, and said, "What a brilliant tactic!"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

As people in the criminal justice system, they have seen plenty of murder cases.

But this is the first time they've ever seen a murder case like this, where someone kills someone in full view of everyone, yet everyone believes the victim committed suicide and no one even believes the murderer exists!

What kind of cunning must one possess to come up with this method?

The thought of encountering such a thing, such a murderer, being brutally killed, and then being secretly cursed by everyone as if they were crazy, sent chills down their spines.

If they hadn't encountered Liu Shuyi, these dead people probably wouldn't rest in peace even in the afterlife.

Why would the killer use such a bizarre method to kill them?

Wang Gui looked at Liu Shuyi and asked the question that puzzled him most at that moment: "There are countless ways to kill someone, why did he choose such a bizarre method? And why did he kill these two people?"

Upon hearing Wang Gui's words, everyone quickly looked at Liu Shuyi.

This is also what they are most curious about.

The clearer you are about the killer's methods, the stranger you will feel to the killer. After all, what normal person would kill someone like that?
Wouldn't it be more convenient to use a knife? Even if you really wanted the deceased to be burned to death, wouldn't it be enough to just set a fire? Why go through all this trouble, having people witness it, and then letting them burn themselves to death in front of everyone?

Even Qian Wenqing couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi with his doubts.

Liu Shuyi glanced at everyone and slowly said, "From the murderer's methods, we can see that he had a very clear obsession with the victim's self-immolation. He did not simply want the victim to die, but wanted the victim to die in front of many people and to make many people believe that he died by self-immolation."

After thinking about it, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Everyone needs a motivation to do anything. Even if someone is really crazy, they still have their own internal logic, which is just incomprehensible to us normal people. But that doesn't stop them from acting with a motivation."

Liu Shuyi continued, "The murderer, with such a thorough plan and meticulous mind, must not be a madman. Therefore, his persistence in this behavior makes his motives even clearer; he has a reason to do it."

"What could be the motive?" Wang Gui asked.

Liu Shuyi said, "Does County Magistrate Wang still remember the crazy things that Xiao Er heard?"

"What the waiter heard..."

Wang Gui said, "Am I supposed to die?"

"That's right, that's the sentence."

Liu Shuyi said, "From the moment the murderer lured Xiao Er and the others there until he left, every step in between was necessary. Every action he took was essential... Therefore, the phrase 'I deserve to die' was certainly not something he said casually."

"Moreover, when I arrived at Wangyue Tower in the morning, I happened to hear the murderer telling the onlookers about the victim's self-immolation. When someone questioned him, he specifically mentioned that the victim had shouted words of remorse in a madman's voice... This also proves that the phrase 'I deserve to die' was spoken by him through the victim's mouth."

Wang Gui thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. So, the murderer thought the victim deserved to die. Did he have a grudge against the victim?"

Suddenly, he remembered what Liu Shuyi had just said, and abruptly looked up at Liu Shuyi, saying, "Has Master Liu already determined that the murderer is the deceased's so-called servant?"

"The deceased's servant?"

Everyone was stunned, and Qian Wenqing was also very confused. When did a servant of the deceased appear?
Moreover, Liu Shuyi just said that he heard the murderer talking at the entrance of Wangyue Tower in the morning, and the murderer also came to Wangyue Tower in the morning.

How come he doesn't know anything?
Qian Wenqing felt as if she were floating, as if she and Liu Shuyi were from different worlds.

Seeing everyone's confusion, Wang Gui briefly explained the matter of reserving a private room, letting everyone know that there was such a servant.

Liu Shuyi said, "To complete the plan of faking self-immolation, the cabinet that blocks the view and the tree outside the window that facilitates evacuation are necessary conditions... And the private room that meets these two conditions was specially reserved by this person, so it can be confirmed that even if this person is not the murderer himself, he must be the murderer's accomplice."

"That makes sense." Everyone nodded subconsciously.

Liu Shuyi said, "Under normal circumstances, murderers kill for money, profit, revenge, or in the heat of the moment due to a temporary conflict."

"In this case, the murderer, before killing the victim, imitated the victim's voice, uttering 'I deserve to die,' and then said that this was the victim's remorse, which is quite obvious..."

He looked at the crowd and said, "He hopes that outsiders will think that the deceased committed suicide because he felt guilty for doing something wrong and believed he deserved to die."

"Whether it's a guilty conscience or a feeling of remorse, it often implies wrongdoing, that the deceased did something they shouldn't have done... If the murderer specifically mentions this point, it's very likely that the deceased's wrongdoing was done to them!"

"Therefore, the motive should be... revenge killing!"

"A revenge killing?"

Wang Gui carefully considered Liu Shuyi's words and then nodded in agreement: "Indeed, if it weren't for hatred, the deceased wouldn't have been burned alive."

Liu Shuyi continued, "However, his vendettas are different from those of other people."

"Different?" Everyone was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi said, "In a normal revenge killing, killing the other party is considered revenge, and people generally don't care about the means or methods."

"But the killer in this case is different. The two victims died in exactly the same way, and he had an inexplicable obsession with the manner of their deaths... This can only mean one thing..."

"What is it?" Wang Gui's breathing quickened. He realized that the key to finding the killer's secret might be about to arrive.

Meeting Wang Gui's anxious gaze, Liu Shuyi slowly said, "That's how his feud with the deceased came about!"

"A feud with the dead!?" Wang Gui's eyes flashed.

Liu Shuyi said, "The deceased had also done the same to him or his relatives, staging a self-immolation, or even forcing the murderer or his relatives to self-immolate."

"This incident left an indelible impression on the murderer, becoming his inner demon and obsession, so that even if he sought revenge, he had to use the same method to make the victim feel the same pain."

"That's why he was almost obsessively insisting that the manner of death of the two victims be exactly the same, without allowing even the slightest deviation."

Wang Gui's eyes were full of thought: "Yes! That must be it!"

"Otherwise, there's no way to explain why the murderer would go to such lengths to devise such a method of killing, and why both victims would be identical!"

"He must have experienced something like this himself. In his view, it wouldn't be enough to eliminate the hatred in his heart or make the deceased feel despair and remorse without doing this!"

Upon hearing this, the others also nodded excitedly.

That's absolutely right!

They couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi, their eyes filled with admiration.

Only by investigating the case themselves can they know just how complex and mysterious it truly is.

Even though it was a case that looked like a self-immolation no matter how you looked at it, Liu Shuyi managed to crack the killer's method and deduce the killer's motive in just one hour.

He single-handedly tore a path leading to the truth out of a case that originally had no direction!
Previously, they had only heard people say how amazing Liu Shuyi was and how brilliant he was at solving cases.

Only now did they realize what the phrase "a genius at solving cases" truly meant.

"And knowing the killer's motive, and what the victim had done..."

At this moment, Liu Shuyi's voice continued to ring out.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Liu Shuyi.

Then Liu Shuyi said, "Then finding him won't be difficult!"

Wang Gui was delighted: "What does Master Liu mean?"

"For any case involving a death, whether by suicide or other means, local governments must send it to the Ministry of Justice..."

"And among suicide cases, self-immolation cases are extremely rare!"

"so……"

Liu Shuyi glanced at the excited crowd and said slowly, "The moment I learned the killer's motive, he could no longer hide from me."

"Let's go..."

Liu Shuyi strode out and said, "Come with me to the Ministry of Justice and find him!"