The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 52: Case Closed! The Truth That Surprised Everyone!
Thunder on the ground!

I was utterly horrified!

Liu Shuyi's words not only made Bai Jinghong, who was preparing to set fire to the unconscious Lu Yangyuan inside the room, freeze, but also made Wang Gui, Zhao Feng and others outside the room freeze in place.

Recalling Liu Shuyi's sudden words, their heads were buzzing, and the shock they felt was no exaggeration to describe as a violent storm or a raging torrent.

Inside and outside the house, there was a deathly silence at that moment.

And the next moment.

Everyone heard a loud thud.

The tightly closed door in front of them seemed to have been hit by something, and suddenly trembled.

Then, Bai Jinghong's urgent voice quickly followed: "What do you mean? What do you mean I killed the wrong person? That I avenged the wrong person?!"

"Liu Shuyi—"

Bai Jinghong shouted, "Explain yourself clearly!"

Bai Jinghong's voice became sharp and piercing at this moment due to the intense emotional fluctuations.

His shout abruptly pulled Wang Gui and the others back to their senses.

Wang Gui stared intently at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master Liu, you said that the deaths of Bai Ju'an and his wife were not accidental, but the murderers were not Chen Feng and his two companions... Is that really true?"

He suspected that Liu Shuyi had said those words in an attempt to stop Bai Jinghong.

Zhao Feng knew Liu Shuyi. He knew that Liu Shuyi might joke about other things, but when it came to investigating cases, Liu Shuyi was absolutely serious and meticulous. He would never tell even a single lie on such matters.

Then, they heard Liu Shuyi's voice ring out unhurriedly: "Bai Jinghong, I want to ask you a question."

Bai Jinghong frowned: "What?"

"According to what you just said, you didn't suspect Chen Feng and the other two at first. So what made you start to suspect them later?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's question, Wang Gui and the others couldn't help but have the same question in their minds.

Logically speaking, Bai Jinghong would have had the opportunity to participate in the case when Bai Ju'an and his wife had just gotten into trouble, at least he could have asked the government about some of the details of the case.

But when the case ended unexpectedly, and Bai Jinghong was robbed of his mansion and kicked out of his home by his creditors, he was no longer qualified to access information about the case. Not to mention that he was penniless and struggling to survive, so how could he get close to Chen Feng and the others and learn more information?
They all followed Liu Shuyi's gaze to the closed door. They knew that at this moment, Bai Jinghong was standing behind the door, probably staring at it just like them.

But they waited and waited, yet they never received a reply from Bai Jinghong.

"Prefer not to say?"

Seeing that Bai Jinghong remained silent for a long time, Liu Shuyi said, "Still... you can't say?"

can not say?
Wang Gui was taken aback.

What can't be said?
At this point, Bai Jinghong is not afraid of death, so what is there that he can't say?

Just then, Bai Jinghong's somewhat deep voice slowly rang out: "Don't worry about how I suspect Chen Feng and the others. Just tell me, what's the story behind your claim that I took revenge on the wrong person and killed the wrong person?"

"If my parents weren't killed by Chen Feng and his gang, then who was?!"

Following Bai Jinghong's words, everyone's gaze fell on Liu Shuyi, which was also what they were most curious about.

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll answer your question first, and then you can consider whether to answer mine."

As he spoke, he took a step forward, getting closer to the door.

Under the cover of night, the dim candlelight in the private room shone on the window paper, revealing Bai Jinghong's extremely thin figure.

Looking at the thin, hunched shadow reflected on the window paper, Liu Shuyi said, "Murder requires a motive."

"Just like you, you killed Chen Feng and the other two with the motive of avenging your parents. If Chen Feng and the other two killed your parents, they must also have a motive."

"This motive may be the same as yours—hatred, profit, or temporary conflict."

“If it is a feud, I have read the case file. The case file says that your parents always greeted people with a smile because they were in business and never had any conflicts with anyone. Moreover, Chen Feng and the other two were all from the military and were not in the business world. They could not have had any conflicts or interactions with your parents in business. Therefore, the possibility of them becoming enemies is very low.”

Bai Jinghong said directly, "My father and mother have always been kind to others. Even when they encounter opponents in business, they always try to resolve things amicably. They would never have a hatred that requires killing someone."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Therefore, the motive of hatred does not exist in them."

"What if a temporary conflict leads to impulsive actions and a loss of control over one's reason?"

He said, "I have reviewed the case file. It contains testimonies from the waiter and other diners. They all said that Chen Feng and the other two had no interaction with your parents at all. They were just eating and drinking in their respective seats and didn't say a word, let alone have any violent conflict. So this possibility can be ruled out."

Bai Jinghong remained silent, which implied that he tacitly agreed with Liu Shuyi's deduction.

"In the end, all that's left is profit."

Liu Shuyi said, "Your parents are merchants who made their fortune through business. They have acquired such a mansion in Chang'an City, which shows that they must have made a lot of money. As the saying goes, 'A common man is innocent, but he is guilty even if he has a wall.' Your family is rich and powerful, which sometimes makes others envious and even makes you prey in their eyes."

"Furthermore, you are your parents' only child, and you are still young. So once your parents die, your Bai family's property can easily be taken away. Therefore, this motive is the most likely."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

After thinking it over, this is indeed the most likely possibility.

Is this the real reason why Bai Ju'an and his wife were murdered?

Bai Jinghong remained silent, but everyone noticed that the shadow on the window paper grew larger, and the tightly closed door trembled slightly. This indicated that Bai Jinghong was closer to the door, and that he cared deeply about Liu Shuyi's words.

"So, if they killed your parents for money, then after your parents' death, your Bai family's wealth should fall into their hands."

"But what's the result?"

Liu Shuyi's voice remained calm, but this calmness gave everyone a cruel feeling, because he was peeling back a very cruel truth, the truth that two lives had been wrongly taken.

"I don't know if you've ever paid attention to who ended up with your Bai family's wealth, but I can tell you..."

He stared at the closed door and said, "It's not them."

Bai Jinghong, who was inside the room, suddenly felt her pupils tremble.

At that moment, his whole body was trembling.

"How could this be... how could this be!?"

Wang Gui and the others outside the room also showed expressions of shock.

Wang Gui couldn't help but ask, "Really?"

"of course it's true!"

Zhao Feng then spoke up: "County Commandant Wang, do you know what I did when I suddenly left at such a crucial moment?"

Wang Gui recalled Zhao Feng's hurried departure in front of the Wei residence, and a thought struck him: "Could it be... that he went to investigate this matter?"

"It's not just this."

Zhao Feng said, "But this includes it."

"So..." Wang Gui couldn't help but swallow hard, and said, "It really wasn't them?"

"No!" Zhao Feng said firmly, "I asked Miss Du to use the Du family's resources to investigate this matter in the name of Liu Yuanwailang. Does County Magistrate Wang think that the Du family could make a mistake in such a trivial matter?"

"Of course not." Wang Gui's expression changed; how could he dare doubt the power of the Prime Minister's family?

“Therefore, Chen Feng and his two companions had neither a motive for the crime nor any benefit from the Bai family afterward, and they had no connection with Bai Ju’an and his wife from beginning to end…” Wang Gui’s voice tightened: “They really have nothing to do with the deaths of Bai Ju’an and his wife!”

"They really just happened to witness it!"

"But just because they witnessed it, they ended up dying mysteriously because of this completely unrelated case, this..."

He couldn't speak anymore.

The truth is too cruel, not only to Chen Feng and Zhao Meng, but also to Bai Jinghong, who is separated by only one door and is determined to avenge her parents.

The others were also experiencing complex emotions. When they first took over the case, they thought it was just two bizarre self-immolations. Later, when Liu Shuyi revealed it was a murder case, they were horrified by the killer's insidious and cunning nature. Then, when Liu Shuyi revealed the killer's motive, they learned that Bai Jinghong was avenging her parents. They felt saddened by the deaths of Bai Ju'an and his wife and understood Bai Jinghong's revenge. Finally... Liu Shuyi cruelly revealed the final truth: Bai Jinghong killed the wrong person!
Throughout the journey, their hearts rose and fell, and at this moment, they reached the bottom.

I really don't know how to describe the feeling in my heart.

Discovering the truth brought no joy.

"who is it!?"

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

The tightly closed doors trembled violently, and Bai Jinghong's voice, hoarse and filled with boundless hatred, cried out: "Who on earth killed my father and mother?!"

"Who on earth caused my family to be destroyed and my home to be ruined! And now they've made me commit such an unforgivable crime!"

Bai Jinghong was on the verge of emotional collapse, and everyone could even hear her deeply suppressed sobs.

He only wanted to avenge his parents, but instead of achieving revenge, he caused the deaths of two innocent people who had even thought of saving his parents!

What exactly did he do?
Bai Jinghong gripped her face tightly, her fingernails scratching her skin until blood dripped down.

Although Liu Shuyi didn't know what Bai Jinghong was doing, he could guess what kind of emotional fluctuations he was experiencing.

Without delay, he said, "Actually, it's very simple to find out who the mastermind is."

Bai Jinghong suddenly raised her head, and everyone else also looked at Liu Shuyi.

Then Liu Shuyi said, "As I just said, the motives for killing your parents are generally the same. Since hatred and temporary conflicts can be ruled out, then it must be the wealth that your father worked so hard for."

"Therefore, we only need to see who profited the most after your father and mother died, and who ultimately seized and embezzled your Bai family's wealth. Then, who... will be the most suspicious!"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Wang Gui's eyes widened, and he said, "You're not talking about Wei Congyi, the Ministry of Revenue official who occupied the Bai family's residence, are you?!"

"Wei Congyi?" Everyone was taken aback.

But they soon understood what Wang Gui meant.

After Bai Ju'an and his wife died, creditors came to their door, drove away Bai Jinghong, and took away the Bai family mansion.

After that, the mansion fell into Wei Congyi's hands.

Based on Liu Shuyi's deduction of his gains, Wei Congyi did indeed acquire the Bai family's seemingly wealthy mansion.

However, the Wei family steward also said that the mansion was bought by Wei Congyi from the creditor. Even if Wei Congyi acquired the Bai family mansion, it was related to the creditor and had no direct connection with the Bai family.

Moreover, if we calculate it this way, then the creditors who took away the Bai family mansion are the real direct beneficiaries.

At this moment, Liu Shuyi's voice suddenly rang out: "I saw Wei Congyi's name in the case file."

"What!?"

"Is Wei Congyi in the case file?"

Everyone was stunned.

Wang Gui immediately looked at Liu Shuyi, who opened the dossier, pointed to the confession section, and said, "In here are the confessions of the guests who were in the inn at the time. Among these guests is Wei Congyi."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui quickly stepped forward to check.

"It really exists!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Shuyi said, "However, at this time, Wei Congyi's position was a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue."

"I have a good memory. I can remember things I've seen in a short time. So when I heard the steward of the Wei family introduce the name of the master at the gate of the Wei mansion, I remembered the name of the guest in the file."

"But because Wei Congyi in the case file is a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, while the owner of the Wei family, Wei Congyi, is a principal officer in the Ministry of Revenue, one is an official and the other is a clerk, I was worried that they might just have the same name, so I asked Clerk Zhao to help me confirm it."

Upon hearing Zhao Feng's name, everyone's gaze turned to him.

Zhao Feng didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "They are the same person!"

"In the ninth year of Wude, after His Majesty ascended the throne, many officials were reassigned. It was at that time that Wei Congyi rose from a clerk to a chief clerk."

Wang Gui frowned and said, "It really is the same person. When Bai Ju'an and his wife had their accident, Wei Congyi was at the inn. After their accident, Wei Congyi directly bought their mansion... Could this be a coincidence?"

Liu Shuyi looked at Wang Gui and said, "Do you know who the creditors were after Bai Ju'an and his wife died?"

Wang Gui shook his head.

Liu Shuyi then looked at the figure on the window paper: "Bai Jinghong, you should know him, right?"

Bai Jinghong gritted her teeth and said, "Shen Rong had business dealings with my father! When Shen Rong was doing business with my father, he always called my father brother. But after my father got into trouble, he came to collect the debt with my father's IOU. When he saw that I had no money to give him, he showed no mercy and directly seized my Bai family's mansion and kicked me out of the Bai family... And at that time, it was only the second day after my father and mother were buried!"

Hearing Bai Jinghong's words, Wang Gui frowned: "The bodies of Bai Ju'an and his wife are barely cold, and he has already driven their only son out of the house. Even if he is not the real culprit, he is not a kind person."

"We won't judge Shen Rong's good or evil..."

Liu Shuyi said, "We will only talk about the relationship between Shen Rong and Wei Congyi."

Wang Gui was startled: "Shen Rong and Wei Congyi have a connection?"

Bai Jinghong was unaware of this, and impulsively wanted to open the door to see Liu Shuyi.

At this moment, Liu Shuyi's voice rang out: "This is also one of the pieces of information that I asked Zhao Lingshi to find out for me."

"Zhao Lingshi?"

Everyone then turned to look at Zhao Feng.

Then Zhao Feng said, "One of Wei Congyi's mistresses is Shen Rong's sister."

"What!?"

"Wei Congyi's mistress is Shen Rong's sister, doesn't that mean...they are related by marriage?"

Listening to Zhao Feng's words, everyone felt that the truth was about to be revealed.

Liu Shuyi said, "They are related by marriage, but a mistress is different from a wife or concubine who is married through proper channels. Ordinary people would hardly know about her, so to be precise, the two are secretly related by marriage."

Wang Gui's expression flickered violently: "Shen Rong was Bai Ju'an's creditor. After Bai Ju'an died, he came to collect the debt immediately and took away all of Bai Ju'an's wealth... After that, he sold Bai Ju'an's mansion to Wei Congyi. Wei Congyi and Shen Rong were secretly related by marriage. Outsiders had no idea about their relationship, so no one would suspect that there was anything wrong with Wei Congyi buying Bai Ju'an's mansion."

"And coincidentally, Wei Congyi happened to be at the inn where Bai Ju'an and his wife had their accident..."

He suddenly looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "There's no mistake! There's no such thing as a coincidence in this world. The deaths of Bai Ju'an and his wife are definitely related to Wei Congyi and this Shen Rong!"

Upon hearing this, everyone else nodded in agreement.

"There is one more thing that County Commandant Wang does not know."

Liu Shuyi continued, "The reason Bai Ju'an owed Shen Rong so much money was because he received a big business deal that required the purchase of a large quantity of goods, which is why he approached Shen Rong. And it just so happened that Shen Rong facilitated this big business deal for him."

"The reason why Bai Ju'an and his wife went to the inn that night was to discuss this big business deal, but the businessman was delayed by something and couldn't keep the appointment..."

"The case file does not specify what caused this person's delay, but his surname is Wei, and he is a distant relative of Wei Congyi."

crunch--

Before Liu Shuyi could finish speaking and before Wang Gui and the others could react, the tightly closed door was suddenly opened.

An incredibly thin figure, so thin it was practically just bones, appeared in their sight without warning.

"It's them! It must be them!"

"They must have killed my father and mother to seize the Bai family's wealth!"

Bai Jinghong's face was deathly pale, and her eyes were dark circles, giving the impression that she was terminally ill.

His face was contorted in a grotesque grimace, his sunken eyes filled with hatred and madness: "I'm going to kill them! I must kill them!"

With that, he rushed outside.

But the yamen runners of Chang'an County guarding the gate were not about to let him leave so easily.

Bai Jinghong hid behind the door, and the constables were helpless. But when he came out, his frail body made him no match for the constables.

Soon, Bai Jinghong was pinned to the ground by the yamen runners.

But he struggled violently, and his thin, bony body suddenly burst forth with tremendous strength, forcing the constables to increase their numbers before they could finally subdue him.

Seeing Bai Jinghong's frenzied state, howling like a wild beast, Liu Shuyi frowned and asked, "You said you're going to kill them, how are you going to do it?"

Do you know where they are now?

Do you think you can get close to them?

Bai Jinghong paused, then subconsciously looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi said, "You were able to get close to and kill Chen Feng and his group so easily because they had never harmed your parents, had no hatred towards you, and were not on guard against you at all. That's why you were able to succeed so easily."

"But what about Wei Congyi and the others? They know what they've done. Do you think they'd be completely unguarded against you? Forget about killing them; they'd probably run away the moment they saw you, or order someone to protect them."

"Given your current physical condition, you might not even be able to defeat an ordinary person. Do you really think you can kill Wei Congyi and his men, who are heavily protected?"

Bai Jinghong stopped struggling.

On those horribly pale faces, an uncontrollable look of despair was revealed.

Then, painful sobs followed, accompanied by tears.

He didn't want to cry. After his parents died, he knew that crying was the most useless thing to do, because no one would be as worried and concerned as his parents when they saw him cry.

When others see you crying, they will only mock you and remain indifferent.

But he really couldn't help it.

He contracted an incurable disease, and the doctor said he wouldn't live more than a month.

He only wanted to avenge his parents before he died, so that when he went to the underworld to see them, he could say, "Your son has not disappointed you."

But now, he can't even do that.

And not only did they fail to do so, they also caused the deaths of two innocent people.

"Ah...ah..."

Bai Jinghong screamed in anguish and despair.

Zhao Feng sniffed as he watched this scene and turned his head away.

He couldn't bear to watch any longer.

He thought of himself, and of his father.

He and Bai Jinghong are actually quite similar; both are burdened with deep-seated hatred.

He was just lucky; he met Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi rescued him from his misery.

But Bai Jinghong is already trapped in the deepest hell, unable to escape.

　The self-immolation case is now resolved, but there are still some important follow-ups and clues, which I won't go into in the same chapter. There will be a second update today, around noon.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)