The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 55 Du Ruhui's Invitation: Pei Ji is Stunned: How could you possibly do that? (Part 2)

Upon hearing Wang Gui's words, Zhao Feng's heart skipped a beat.

His whole body tensed up instinctively, a terrifying feeling of being watched from behind by a venomous snake sent a chill down his spine.

Unlike Wang Gui and Bai Jinghong, he had personally experienced the Zhao Chengyi case, so he was more aware of how terrifying the master behind Zhao Chengyi was.

He was an extremely mysterious person with great power, ruthless methods, and the ability to kill even his own subordinates without hesitation.

After the Zhao Chengyi case and the Miaoyin'er case, he thought that this mysterious person would have to stop for a while after losing two generals. But who knew that at this moment, he would find traces of this person here!

Zhao Meng was killed the day before yesterday, and Miao Yin'er was also captured the day before yesterday.

In other words, he was still on the move on the same day his trusted subordinate was captured...

wrong!

This person's scheme against Bai Jinghong began much earlier, but Bai Jinghong only started making her move the day before yesterday.

Therefore, the scheme to eliminate Chen Feng and his two companions came first, followed by the Zhao Chengyi and Miao Yin'er case.

But whether it happened first or later, it doesn't change the fact that this person was secretly plotting and scheming something behind their backs.

They might even be doing something right now, somewhere they don't know about.

More importantly, even though he did so many things and killed so many people, no one knew a single clue about him. In fact, if Zhao Chengyi hadn't been tricked by Liu Shuyi into letting slip the secret, and if Bai Jinghong hadn't spoken up out of gratitude to Liu Shuyi... even now, no one might know of his existence!
This is the scariest thing!

Zhao Feng couldn't help but swallow hard, and looked at Liu Shuyi, only to see Liu Shuyi frowning deeply, his eyes full of thought.

Unlike Zhao Feng, who felt a chill run down his spine and a sense of dread, Liu Shuyi was simply pondering what the master behind Miaoyin'er was planning to do.

The disaster relief funds embezzled by Zhao Chengyi in collusion with Zhao Ci and three others have not yet been found, and it is very likely that the money has been used by their masters.

That's no small sum. What exactly is the purpose of this mastermind that requires such a huge amount of funding?

And... why did he go to such lengths to kill Chen Feng and the other two?

Among the three, Chen Feng's highest rank was Lu Yangyuan. Even Lu Yangyuan was only an eighth-rank military officer, Xuanjie Deputy Commandant, without any real power. He didn't even have as much power as Chen Feng's former position as the head of the Ministry of Justice.

If you want to get rid of such insignificant people, why not just send someone to kill them? Why go through all this trouble, first scheming against Bai Jinghong, and then using Bai Jinghong to eliminate them?

Just like when they silenced Zhao Chengyi, that was in the heavily guarded Ministry of Justice prison, yet they still killed him without hesitation. This mastermind is fully capable of easily taking the lives of Chen Feng and the other two.

But he deliberately devised such a complicated plan.

why?
Does he enjoy using people as pawns and controlling their destinies?

Or perhaps... Chen Feng and the other two, like themselves, have a reason why the mastermind behind them cannot act personally?

As Liu Shuyi pondered, his gaze fell upon the letter the mastermind behind the scenes had given to Bai Jinghong.

The letter was two full pages long, and it was filled with dense writing.

Everything was written in great detail.

No wonder Bai Jinghong was fooled by this letter. If she hadn't already known the truth, she might have been fooled by this so-called truth that was written so convincingly.

He thought for a moment, then took out the case file of Bai Ju'an's case.

Open the file and compare it with the contents of the letter...

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and said, "The details in the letter are exactly the same as the details recorded in the dossier."

Zhao Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Does Master Liu suspect... that the mastermind behind this has seen the case files?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui's expression changed drastically: "Could he be someone from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, or the Wannian County Government?"

In cases involving casualties, after the case is closed, both the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice will keep separate archives for future reference, and the Wannian County Government, which is directly in charge of the case, will also keep a copy.

Therefore, only these three government offices can review the case files after the case is closed.

Liu Shuyi did not rush to make a deduction, saying, "If they were at the inn when the incident occurred, they would also know these details. Moreover, the files of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are sometimes borrowed from government offices such as the Censorate. The situation in Wannian County may be more complicated. Therefore, we need to further confirm how the mastermind knew these details."

Wang Gui and Zhao Feng exchanged a glance, then both nodded emphatically.

This matter is of great importance, directly relating to whether there is a mastermind or his trusted subordinates hidden within these three government offices. It is indeed impossible to draw any conclusions hastily.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it could cause a lot of trouble.

Liu Shuyi carefully read through the letter and, after confirming that the writer had indeed left no clues, folded the letter and put it back into the envelope.

He glanced at the dark night outside the window, slowly stood up, and said, "It's getting late. The people down below have probably all eaten and drunk their fill. Let them go about their business."

He said to Wang Gui, "I'm leaving Bai Jinghong in your care. You can decide how to handle the rest of the matter yourself. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to the Ministry of Justice or the Liu residence to find me."

Wang Gui was referring to Liu Shuyi's last words.

This means that his relationship with Liu Shuyi has gone from being colleagues in two different government departments to becoming much closer.

He nodded emphatically and said, "Rest assured, Mr. Liu, I will handle this case properly. I will report to you as soon as the case is closed."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly. He then looked at the emaciated Bai Jinghong, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Bai Jinghong, this parting may be our last. Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, "or perhaps it's goodbye forever," Wang Gui and Zhao Feng felt as if they had been struck by a sudden blow, experiencing an indescribable sorrow.

They held their breath and subconsciously looked at Bai Jinghong on the ground.

Bai Jinghong looked up, her sunken eyes fixed on Liu Shuyi. After a long silence, she finally said, "If there are any more people like me who suffer in the future, I hope they can meet Master Liu sooner, so they won't end up like me, already fallen into the deepest hell, and it will be too late."

He paused, then added, "If Liu Pingshi returns one day, please tell him that I have never blamed him. He doesn't need to apologize to me. Now that the truth is out, I have no more resentment."

Finally, he kowtowed to Liu Shuyi again, all his gratitude contained in that one kowtow.

Liu Shuyi accepted his bow and said, "After I find my brother, whether he is dead or alive, I will convey your message."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer.

"Zhao Lingshi, have someone carry Lu Yangyuan to the Ministry of Justice and let him wait there to wake up. The rest of you, go home and disperse."

…………

The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed through the wide, deserted streets.

Zhao Feng followed Liu Shuyi slowly toward the Ministry of Justice. As they walked, he couldn't help but say, "Bai Jinghong is such a pitiful person. His parents were brutally murdered, he was driven out of his home by the killer, and in the end, he was used like this, wrongly killing innocent people..."

Even so, his final words were a hope that other suffering people in the world would not suffer like him, rather than wallowing in self-pity...

"If he hadn't suffered these misfortunes, if his parents were still alive, perhaps he would be a very kind and gentle person now?"

The moon hid behind the clouds, the sky was dim, and Liu Shuyi looked up at the boundless black night, shook his head, and did not answer.

He didn't know what to say.

In both his past and present lives, he has encountered far too many of these human tragedies.

Behind every murder case often lies the destruction of a family's happiness.

He has no way to reverse the fate of these victims. The only thing he can do is to find the murderer as quickly as possible when such a case occurs, give the victims and their families an explanation, and ensure that those who commit these crimes receive the punishment they deserve.

As for what kind of lives these victims would have led if the case hadn't happened, he hadn't thought about it, nor dared to, because every fantasy was a cruel torment for him.

He dislikes tragedies.

"arrive."

Lost in thought, Zhao Feng's voice rang out.

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw that they had arrived at the Ministry of Justice.

At this time, the gate of the yamen was tightly closed, and guards were stationed outside.

Liu Shuyi said to Zhao Feng, "Next, we just need to wait for Lu Yangyuan to wake up. There's nothing else for now. You've had a hard day, so go back and rest."

Zhao Feng shook his head: "My mother and sister are still on their way back. The mansion is empty, there isn't even a servant. I don't want to go back, it's too desolate. I'll stay at the Ministry of Justice tonight."

The Ministry of Justice has some rooms where officials who are too busy working late into the night to go home can rest. Liu Shuyi saw that Zhao Feng was unwilling to go back, so he did not force him.

"Okay, then go to sleep after you've arranged a room for Lu Yangyuan. I'll call you if anything happens."

This time, Zhao Feng didn't hesitate and nodded directly: "Yes."

With that, he led his men into the Ministry of Justice.

Just as Liu Shuyi was about to follow them into the Ministry of Justice, he suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something.

He turned around again, approached a guard, and said, "Could you please go to the Liu residence and send a message saying that I won't be returning tonight?"

In the past, whenever he returned home late, Uncle Chang and Wan'er would stay up all night to wait for him. They wouldn't sleep until he returned home.

Liu Shuyi wanted to ask Lu Yangyuan about the mastermind as soon as he woke up, so as not to delay and cause any accidents. Therefore, even if he went back, it would be after midnight.

Since he transmigrated here, he has been going home at this time almost every time. Wan'er is young and can endure it, but he is afraid that making the elderly Uncle Chang endure it every time will cause him health problems.

So after thinking about it, he decided not to go back, so that Uncle Chang and Wan'er could get a good night's sleep.

Liu Shuyi was now a newly promoted assistant minister and was highly regarded by Du Ruhui, the Minister of Justice. Naturally, the guards dared not hesitate to listen to his words and quickly rode away.

Seeing the guards leave, Liu Shuyi did not linger any longer and turned to enter the Ministry of Justice.

As soon as he entered, a clerk on duty at the Ministry of Justice came over. He bowed and then said, "Minister Du instructed me that if I see Assistant Minister Liu return, I should tell him to let you go and see him."

"Now?" Liu Shuyi asked in surprise.

The clerk nodded: "Minister Du is still handling official business at the yamen."

It's already past 11 PM. According to the Tang people's daily routine, they should have been meeting the Duke of Zhou in their dreams by now.

Du Ruhui was still working overtime at the Ministry of Justice... It seems that being the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty is not an easy job.

Liu Shuyi naturally had no objection to Du Ruhui wanting to see him. He also wanted to talk to Du Ruhui about the clues he had just obtained, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go right away."

Hurriedly arriving at Du Ruhui's office, I looked up and saw the dim candlelight casting Du Ruhui's thin figure onto the window paper. At this moment, Du Ruhui seemed to be looking at something, and the shadow cast on the window paper did not move for a long time.

Liu Shuyi stepped forward, gently knocked on the door, and said, "Master Du."

Soon, Du Ruhui's somewhat weary voice came from inside the room: "Come in."

The door was unlocked, and Liu Shuyi pushed it open with a gentle push.

Upon entering the room, one sees Du Ruhui sitting behind his desk, which is cluttered with numerous scrolls. A medicine bowl with some soup residue remains beside him. Du Ruhui's eyes are bloodshot, and his already unhealthy complexion is even paler.

Liu Shuyi said with concern, "No matter how busy you are with official duties, Mr. Du must take care of his health."

He remembered that Du Ruhui did not live long; it seemed that he died a few years after Li Shimin ascended the throne. He wondered if it was because he was ill and overworked.

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui put down the dossier in his hand and chuckled, "Your first words were about your concern for me. I was right about you. You are a thoughtful person."

Liu Shuyi hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Lord Du has treated me with kindness as heavy as a mountain. I only regret that I am not capable enough and my position is too low to share Lord Du's burdens."

Du Ruhui smiled and shook his head: "If you're not capable enough, the Ministry of Justice probably won't be able to find anyone capable. As for your position..."

He looked into Liu Shuyi's deep eyes and said, "Do your job well, solve more cases, and make more contributions. You will get what you deserve."

Liu Shuyi understood Du Ruhui's implication and said, "This humble official will do his utmost to live up to Lord Du's kindness."

Du Ruhui nodded in satisfaction. Liu Shuyi had an exceptional talent for investigating cases, and was also very intelligent, articulate, and knew when to advance and retreat. Such a person would surely be able to navigate the officialdom with ease.

Choosing Liu Shuyi was definitely the right choice.

She just didn't know how things were going between her daughter and Liu Shuyi. If she suddenly proposed marriage, she wondered if it would scare Liu Shuyi away.

After pondering for a while, Du Ruhui decided to wait. These were turbulent times, with constant internal and external troubles, not a good time for romance. It would be more appropriate to bring his daughter and Liu Shuyi together after this matter was settled and they had become more familiar with each other.

He picked up the water cup next to the medicine bowl, took a sip, and said, "I have heard about your affair with Qian Wenqing. I wonder what happened when you went to investigate the case together?"

"This humble official was just about to report this matter to Lord Du..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Du Ruhui and said, "I spent an hour uncovering the truth that the self-immolation case was actually a murder, and through scene reconstruction, I managed to get Qian Yuanwailang to voluntarily withdraw from the investigation."

"An hour?" Du Ruhui raised an eyebrow. "So fast?"

He knew that Qian Wenqing was no match for Liu Shuyi, but he never expected that Liu Shuyi, the newly promoted official, would defeat the veteran official Qian Wenqing in just one hour.

This speed is truly astonishing.

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "I was lucky... Then, based on the murderer's modus operandi, I deduced that the murderer might be seeking revenge, so I immediately returned to the Ministry of Justice to look up the case files."

Du Ruhui nodded: "I've heard about this matter as well. It seems you've found the file?"

"Yes, I found the file. It was from a fire two years ago that was classified as an accident."

"Accident?"

"But after my investigation, I found that it was not an accident; the murderer's parents were indeed murdered."

Du Ruhui said, "So the murderer really did kill for revenge? In that case, he was quite a filial person."

“He is filial…” Liu Shuyi looked at Du Ruhui and said, “But he killed the wrong person and avenged the wrong person.”

"What?" Du Ruhui was stunned for a moment, and suddenly had a feeling that this case might be beyond his expectations.

He leaned forward slightly, his body instinctively saying, "You're saying he killed the wrong person? How could he take revenge on the wrong person? Did this murderer not even know who his enemy was before he acted?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "He figured it out, and very carefully and cautiously identified the enemy."

Du Ruhui was confused: "If you've identified the enemy, how could you have killed the wrong person?"

"Because he was deceived."

"Being scammed?" Even though Du Ruhui considered himself resourceful, he was getting more and more confused. How could a revenge killing involve being scammed?
He was about to ask who had lied to him when he saw Liu Shuyi looking at him and saying in a deep voice, "The one who lied to him is the master behind Zhao Chengyi and Miaoyin'er..."

"What!?" Du Ruhui jumped to his feet.

His dark eyes flashed with surprise and astonishment.

He looked at Liu Shuyi, feeling a buzzing in his head.

He knew every word Liu Shuyi said, and he had even heard about some of the things Liu Shuyi had done, but he just couldn't understand them when they were put together.
A self-immolation case turned into a revenge killing, which was already complicated enough. Who knew that it also involved the mastermind behind Zhao Chengyi and Miao Yin'er, whom they were investigating!

Did Qian Wenqing know what kind of case he was using to provoke Liu Shuyi?

Furthermore, did Liu Shuyi really find all this information in just one day?
In terms of twists and turns, even the Miaoyin'er case and the Zhao Chengyi case might not be able to compare.

He couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened?"

Seeing Du Ruhui's emotional state, Liu Shuyi smiled inwardly.

He knew very well that in officialdom or the workplace, one could not only talk about the result, but also about the process in detail, especially the twists and turns and hardships involved.

Only in this way can the leader know exactly how much you have contributed and understand your contributions.

His direct statement of the result would certainly have elicited a different emotional response from Du Ruhui than this suspenseful approach.

Having achieved his goal, Liu Shuyi stopped keeping him in suspense and told Du Ruhui about his entire day's itinerary in detail.

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui remained silent for a long while before slowly exhaling.

He sat down again, his back straightening unconsciously, and looked at Liu Shuyi with a face full of emotion, saying, "You really are something else; once you make a move, you bring such a shock to this official."

"I never imagined that a seemingly simple self-immolation case would have such a complex inside story."

"It not only involves a case from two years ago, but is also related to the mysterious mastermind behind it all."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but scrutinize Liu Shuyi closely, saying, "And you only took less than a day to find out all of this, Liu Shuyi. Now I'm wondering if you really are, as the rumors say, a reincarnation of a star god, a born detective."

Liu Shuyi said with a smile, "I was lucky enough to find the real culprit in Bai Ju'an's case, which made Bai Jinghong grateful to me and willing to talk. Otherwise..."

He shook his head, his expression becoming more serious: "In the end, we may never know that this seemingly simple self-immolation case was actually the work of Miaoyin'er's mastermind!"

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Du Ruhui's expression also became more serious.

The more he came into contact with the mastermind behind the scenes, the more he felt how terrifying and horrifying this person was.

The thought that there was such a powerful person with unclear motives stirring up trouble and plotting evil in the shadows of Chang'an made him feel heavy-hearted.

His Majesty is already considering whether to take advantage of the Turkic internal strife to send troops to attack Liang Shidu.

If the decision to send troops is truly made, the entire Tang Dynasty's energy will be focused on the battlefield. If, at this time, this mysterious person with ulterior motives does something in the rear, it may directly affect the front lines.

If an accident occurs on the front lines, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This is no longer just a matter of a few lives lost.

He frowned slightly and asked, "Do you know why the mastermind behind this is targeting Chen Feng and the other two?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "Chen Feng and Zhao Meng are dead. Fortunately, I rescued Lu Yangyuan. Lu Yangyuan is currently in the Ministry of Justice. Once he wakes up, I will question him as soon as possible, and perhaps I can find out something."

Du Ruhui nodded and said in a deep voice, "The fact that the mastermind behind this is going to such lengths proves that Chen Feng and the other two hold special significance for him. He must ensure Lu Yangyuan's safety. Perhaps this will be our breakthrough in finding the mastermind..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi: "We need to find this person as soon as possible. The longer we delay, the bigger the trouble will be in the future."

Liu Shuyi nodded emphatically: "This humble official understands."

Du Ruhui let out a long breath, temporarily setting aside this matter, and then brought up another matter, saying, "I summoned you here because there is something I need to tell you."

Liu Shuyi immediately said, "Please speak, Master Du."

Du Ruhui looked at him and said, "After you dragged Liu Yuanming out last night, we interrogated him all night, and today we interrogated him for another day..."

Liu Shuyi recalled Du Ruhui's visit to the palace this morning and asked, "Did he confess?"

Du Ruhui nodded: "We recruited some."

"Part of it?"

"We questioned him about why he stole the remains of the Prince of Xi, who he was working for, what faction he belonged to, and who his accomplices were in Chang'an..."

Who did he recruit?

Du Ruhui looked at Liu Shuyi and said in a deep voice, "At first he didn't say anything, but later Pei Sikong ordered people to torture him severely. After he endured it for two hours, he finally spoke."

"He told us that he had received favors from the King of Xi and was a supporter of the King of Xi. After the King of Xi died, he vowed to avenge the King of Xi."

"He stole the remains of the Prince of Xi in order to gather the Prince of Xi's former followers, so as to attack His Majesty and vindicate the Prince of Xi."

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes and said, "So, he's a former subordinate of the Prince of Xi? He rebelled to defend the Prince of Xi?"

Du Ruhui nodded solemnly: "Exactly."

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment and said, "A rebellion like this can't be done without a leader... I wonder who is the leader among these former subordinates of the Prince of Xi? Or, who do they want to support to lead this matter?"

Du Ruhui shook his head: "That's all he told us. Any more and he just gritted his teeth and kept quiet. No matter how severely we tortured him, he wouldn't say another word."

Liu Shuyi considered Liu Yuanming's pride and arrogance. If a person like that was truly determined to never speak, it was indeed difficult to pry him out of his mouth.

He looked at Du Ruhui: "Now that he has confessed part of the truth, all that is needed is to continue the interrogation. I wonder why you summoned me here in such a special way, Lord Du?"

Du Ruhui looked at him and said, "I want you to conduct an interrogation."

"Subordinate?"

“Liu Yuanming is too proud and arrogant. He is very arrogant in front of us and is unwilling to talk to us. He is someone you caught yourself, so his attitude towards you may be different from his attitude towards us.”

Du Ruhui said, "The court is currently discussing a major matter. Once a decision is made, the entire Tang Dynasty will be mobilized. At that time, the Tang Dynasty's internal troops will be deployed outwards. If the former subordinates of Prince Xi take advantage of this opportunity to make a move, the consequences are unimaginable."

"Therefore, we cannot interrogate him slowly; we must get him to talk as quickly as possible. He can endure it, but we cannot."

At this point, Du Ruhui couldn't help but say, "In front of us is the mysterious master behind Miaoyin'er, and behind us are Liu Yuanming and other former subordinates of the Prince of Xi, who are eyeing us covetously. If we don't root them out and uproot them, the decisions of the entire Tang Dynasty will be affected, and the country will be in turmoil!"

Liu Shuyi understood the seriousness of the matter and knew why even a prime minister as noble as Du Ruhui had to work overtime and not be able to go home to rest. Without hesitation, he said directly, "This humble official is willing to give it a try."

…………

After Zhao Chengyi was murdered in front of everyone in the Ministry of Justice prison, Du Ruhui was so angry that he replaced everyone in the prison.

The guards now watching over the prison are no longer the original jailers, but rather guards temporarily transferred from the Imperial Guard.

Once a new batch of prison guards has been selected, they will be added to the prison to replace the Golden Guards on duty.

Upon entering the prison, stepping on the sticky, damp stone floor, passing through the cold, dark corridors, and through rows of rusty cells, the two quickly arrived at the interrogation room at the innermost part of the prison.

Outside the interrogation room, a Jinwu Guard, clad in armor with a sword at his waist and a grim expression, stood guard at the door.

Upon seeing Du Ruhui, the Imperial Guards somewhat restrained their menacing aura and opened the door on their own initiative.

Du Ruhui nodded without saying anything more and went directly into the interrogation room with Liu Shuyi.

Upon entering, a strong smell of blood assaulted the nostrils.

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw that the interrogation room was not large, but everything inside was shocking.

The walls were covered with instruments of torture, such as chains, finger-crushing devices, and whips, all stained with blood. Blood was even dripping from the whips.

The stone floor was stained with blood, with old, dark brown bloodstains and fresh, bright red bloodstains.

Not far away was a charcoal brazier, in which hot irons and other objects were burning, glowing red like blood.

laugh--

Just then, Pei Ji, dressed in a scarlet official robe, picked up a red-hot branding iron and shoved it hard into the chest of Liu Yuanming, who was tied to a pillar.

Then the sound of flesh being scalded and burned echoed throughout the small interrogation room.

Liu Shuyi subconsciously gasped upon hearing this.

Liu Yuanming, who was being subjected to the iron branding torture, gritted his teeth. His whole body trembled from the pain, but he didn't let out a single scream. He just looked at Pei Ji with a cold smile and his eyes were full of contempt.

It seems to be saying, "If I say I won't speak, I will never speak. Don't even dream about it!"

This disdainful look greatly angered Pei Ji.

He put away the branding iron and shouted, "Keep hitting him! Don't stop! I want to see just how long he can keep up his arrogance!"

"when?"

As if the pain had subsided, Liu Yuanming suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter was arrogant and fearless. He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and said, "As long as you don't kill me, even if you, this old bastard, are buried in your grave, I still won't say a word!"

"you--"

Pei Ji was a high-ranking official, and apart from Liu Shuyi, who else had ever made him suffer such injustice?
Enraged, he picked up a new branding iron and prepared to strike again.

"Pei Sikong, let's stop for a moment."

At this moment, Du Ruhui raised his hand and stopped Pei Ji.

Pei Ji turned around upon hearing the sound and realized that Du Ruhui had arrived at some point. When he saw Liu Shuyi behind Du Ruhui, his already furious expression turned even more gloomy.

He glared coldly at Liu Shuyi and immediately snapped, "What are you doing here? Is this a place for a lowly official like yourself? Get out!"

Even though Liu Shuyi had become a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice, he was still a nobody in Pei Ji's eyes.

Therefore, he showed no mercy to Liu Shuyi and immediately launched into a scathing rebuke.

If Du Ruhui hadn't been there, and he needed to give Du Ruhui some face, he would have already ordered someone to kick Liu Shuyi out, and might even have accused Liu Shuyi of having unauthorized contact with a wanted criminal.

Although Liu Shuyi arrested the man, so what? The interrogation was ordered by His Majesty and was to be handled by myself and Du Ruhui. Pei Ji said that Liu Shuyi was not qualified to contact the wanted criminal, and that meant he was not qualified.

However, Liu Shuyi was clearly brought here by Du Ruhui, so this accusation cannot be pinned on him; otherwise, Liu Shuyi would not be able to leave peacefully tonight.

Hearing Pei Ji's harsh rebuke, Liu Shuyi sneered inwardly. This old dog was as annoying as ever. Why didn't Liu Yuanming scold him more earlier?

Du Ruhui did not give Pei Ji a chance to continue rebuking Liu Shuyi. He said, "I specially invited Liu Yuanwailang to help me interrogate the prisoners."

"Interrogating prisoners?"

Pei Ji glanced sideways at Liu Shuyi: "Investigating a case and interrogating a criminal are not the same thing."

"Some people are good at finding clues, but not necessarily good at getting criminals to talk. I'm afraid that Minister Du has chosen the wrong person and in the end, all his efforts will be in vain."

Du Ruhui simply smiled gently and said, "Anyway, we can't get Liu Yuanming to talk now, so why not let Liu Yuanwailang give it a try? What if Liu Yuanwailang is one in a million, skilled in both investigation and interrogation? If he can get Liu Yuanming to talk, wouldn't that be an unexpected bonus?"

An unexpected surprise?

Pei Ji's expression darkened slightly. If that were the case, it wouldn't be a happy occasion for him.

But since Du Ruhui had already said so, he couldn't object.

Ultimately, Du Ruhui was the one who was favored by Li Shimin. Li Shimin said that he was to interrogate Du Ruhui together, but everyone knew that the one in charge was Du Ruhui, not him, the Minister of Works.

He looked at Liu Shuyi with a gloomy gaze and said coldly, "Since Minister Du is willing to give you a chance, then go and try. Liu Shuyi, don't let down the trust that I and Minister Du have placed in you. If you are not confident, I advise you to give up as soon as possible, so as not to waste our precious time."

Don't betray the trust you and Du Ruhui have placed in you? You really know how to flatter yourself...

The moment Liu Shuyi demanded that Pei Ji apologize in public, the two had completely broken off relations.

Therefore, Liu Shuyi did not act as gently and humbly as he did when facing Pei Ji. He simply looked at Pei Ji with his back straight and said, "Since Minister Pei places such high hopes on me, I will risk my life to make him say something useful. I will never let Minister Pei and Lord Du down."

Pei Ji looked intently at Liu Shuyi: "Very well, then I'd like to see how you'll get him to talk!"

Liu Shuyi stopped wasting words with Pei Ji and turned to look at Liu Yuanming, who was tied to a pillar and staring at him with great interest. He asked, "Young Master Liu, is this show interesting?"

Liu Yuanming was covered in wounds, his face was covered in whip marks, and there wasn't a single good piece of flesh on his body. But he seemed unaware of his situation. When he heard Liu Shuyi's words, he grinned and said, "It's great! Of course it's great! The strong shamelessly bully the weak, and the weak fight back. This is more exciting than any of the big plays on the stage."

“You—” Pei Ji’s face turned cold.

Liu Shuyi didn't give Pei Ji a chance to speak, and continued, "Since I've given you a good show, why not help me out and give this show a better ending?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Pei Ji simply sneered.

He had actually thought Liu Shuyi would use some special method!
If this is enough to make Liu Yuanming talk, then what was the point of all the torture and effort they put in before?
This Liu Yuanming is stubborn, and even more stubborn.

He knew very well that Liu Yuanming was unlikely to speak anytime soon.

This is why he so readily allowed Liu Shuyi to try it.

Liu Shuyi's reputation is so great now that several cases have solidified his reputation as a brilliant detective, making it difficult for him to deal with Liu Shuyi too obviously.

However, if one disagrees with Liu Shuyi's interrogation of prisoners, but Liu Shuyi insists on trying to be clever and ends up gaining nothing, wasting precious time, and even having the news of being ridiculed by the prisoners spread, it will inevitably shake Liu Shuyi's reputation.

At that time, if I arrange for some people to spread rumors in secret, it will be enough to deal a huge blow to the reputation that Liu Shuyi has worked so hard to build.

So why should he stop Liu Shuyi when he saw him courting death?

Pei Ji crossed his arms and looked at Liu Shuyi with a sneer. Based on his understanding of Liu Yuanming, he knew that Liu Yuanming would definitely insult Liu Shuyi with contempt, just as he had just insulted him.

Then, he saw Liu Yuanming give him a half-smile, then grin and say, "Okay!"

"What!?"

Pei Ji's sneer and the look of anticipation in his eyes froze at that moment.

He stared wide-eyed at Liu Yuanming, momentarily doubting whether he had misheard.

What the hell is Liu Yuanming talking about?
OK?

How could he say "okay"?!

(End of this chapter)