The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 63 The Conspiracy Revealed! An Unexpected Twist!

Not only was Cui Lin stunned, but he also didn't understand Liu Shuyi's meaning.

Everyone else looked bewildered at that moment.

Liu Shuyi's words were indeed too sudden, without any prior explanation, so it took them a long time to react before they seemed to understand what he meant.

"Does Master Liu mean that the murderer is not Qin Wuyuan?"

"I think that's what it means?"

Everyone whispered.

Even Qin Wuyuan was quite surprised, never expecting that Liu Shuyi would actually believe him.

Upon hearing these words, Cui Lin's face instantly darkened.

Previously, Liu Shuyi had only subtly warned him, without openly confronting him. But now, after he revealed that Qin Wuyuan was the murderer, Liu Shuyi openly mocked him, saying that he had arrested the wrong person and that the real murderer would be applauding with joy...

This was clearly a blatant attempt to embarrass him!

"Master Liu!"

Cui Lin stared at him angrily: "I thought that even if you were unhappy that I stole your thunder, you would prioritize the truth. But you've disappointed me greatly!"

"In order to steal credit from me and to retaliate against me, you actually disregarded the facts and said such a ridiculous thing as Qin Wuyuan is not the murderer!"

"So many people call you a living detective! Do you deserve that title? Do you have even the slightest bit of reverence for the truth and for solving cases?"

Cui Lin's questions were firm and forceful.

His face was filled with shame and anger towards Liu Shuyi.

This surprised everyone around them.

"No way? Is it really because Liu Yuanwailang is angry that Cui Canjun stole the credit that he disregarded the facts and deliberately went against Cui Canjun's wishes?"

"How could that be? Master Liu is not that kind of person!"

“But what Military Advisor Cui said is not wrong either. All the evidence we have now points to Qin the Postmaster, and no one can prove Qin the Postmaster’s so-called explanation. Even he himself can’t quite put his words together… The murderer is Qin the Postmaster, isn’t he?”

"Indeed, no matter how you look at it, the murderer is Qin Yishi, and Cui Canjun's actions were indeed correct."

"Could it be that Assistant Minister Liu is so determined to compete with Military Advisor Cui that he has disregarded the truth?"

"What the hell does this happen?"

The officials whispered among themselves.

Even Wang Gui was momentarily bewildered. He looked at Du Gou and then at Zhao Feng, only to see that both of them had their brows furrowed and their faces showed the same doubt. However, they did not doubt Liu Shuyi because of this, but stood firmly behind Liu Shuyi, showing their support for him with their actions.

Wang Gui thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and stepped forward to stand beside Liu Shuyi.

Now that we've chosen to cling to Liu Shuyi, we absolutely cannot be opportunists and waver at the slightest provocation.

Otherwise, once this case is over, his relationship with Liu Shuyi will also come to an end.

“Military Advisor Cui, you must not be disrespectful to Assistant Minister Liu.”

Seeing the growing commotion around him, An Qingxi, the governor of Bingzhou, worried that the situation was getting out of control. He reprimanded Cui Lin and then apologized to Liu Shuyi, saying, "Liu Yuanwailang, Cui, the military advisor, meant no harm. He just doesn't understand why, with such conclusive evidence, you would say that Qin, the courier, was not the murderer."

Cui Lin frowned. That wasn't what he meant at all. He was clearly accusing Liu Shuyi of abusing his power and ignoring the truth.

If given the chance, he wanted to seize this opportunity to send Liu Shuyi to his doom.

If Liu Shuyi could be held accountable for abusing his power and disregarding the truth, and if I could then enlist the help of Pei Ji and the Cui family, perhaps Liu Shuyi would fall from his position as a junior official.

Then I could naturally become the new Yuanwailang.

So even though he greatly respected An Qingxi, the prefect who had governed him for four years, he still went against An Qingxi's wishes and sneered, "Prefect An is wrong. I not only don't understand, but I also question him!"

He glanced around at the crowd, drawing everyone's attention to himself, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention, and said in an even louder voice: "I have long heard that Assistant Minister Liu is fair in handling cases, and dares to offend any powerful person for the sake of the truth!"

"But what I saw today was that Liu, the Assistant Magistrate, was so frivolous with the truth and disregarded the facts just to spite me, a mere judicial officer! This is completely different from the rumors!"

"And since Assistant Minister Liu holds such an important position as Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, to be honest, I am quite worried..."

He looked at Liu Shuyi, a mocking smile flashing deep in his eyes, and said, "If this news gets out, what will the people of the world think of the Ministry of Justice? What will the officials think of the Ministry of Justice?"

"Where is the authority of the Ministry of Justice?"

"Will they still believe in the fairness and justice of the Ministry of Justice?"

"I would also like to ask about Assistant Minister Liu..."

"Does Liu, the wealthy and powerful official, still have any sense of fairness and justice at this moment?"

Cui Lin, as expected of someone from a prominent family, even if it was only a collateral branch, could still utter such inflammatory words so easily.

With just a few words, the problem was magnified to the extreme, placing Liu Shuyi on the opposite side of fairness and justice.

Anyone who supports Liu Shuyi is going against fairness and justice.

Upon hearing this, both Du Gou and Zhao Feng's expressions changed.

They never expected Cui Lin to be so eloquent, managing to shut down all of Liu Shuyi's options with just a few words.

If Liu Shuyi cannot prove that Qin Wuyuan is not the murderer... then they dare not even imagine how badly Liu Shuyi's reputation will be ruined.

Even if Liu Shuyi completes His Majesty's task, he probably won't be able to continue serving as an assistant minister.

This is the ultimate way to kill someone by destroying their spirit!
An Qingxi's face darkened: "Military Advisor Cui, didn't you hear what I said? I told you to stop talking!"

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master Liu, it is my fault for not managing my subordinates properly. Don't worry, Military Advisor Cui was just saying it casually. He will get over it and move on. I will order everyone not to spread today's events and will not allow Master Liu's reputation to be affected."

"Prefect An..."

"Shut up!"

An Qingxi stared sharply at Cui Lin: "This is Chang'an! Liu Yuanwailang is the chief investigator appointed by His Majesty!"

"And you, as the judicial officer of Bingzhou, your every word and action represents not only yourself, but also Bingzhou!"

"Have you considered how His Majesty would view Bingzhou if these words reached His Majesty's ears? Would His Majesty think that the officials of Bingzhou do not respect His Majesty, and that is why he reprimanded the chief investigator appointed by His Majesty?"

Cui Lin's expression changed slightly; he had completely forgotten about this.

"I am speaking about the matter, not the person. I am also afraid that His Majesty will be deceived by him!"

"enough!"

An Qingxi said, "That's enough. If you have anything else to say, say it before His Majesty!"

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Liu Yuanwailang, quickly arrest Qin the postmaster. Let's each take a step back and pretend nothing happened."

Qin Wuyuan never expected that he would end up being imprisoned. The thought of the pain he would have to endure in prison made his legs go weak.

"Master Liu, save me..."

save you?

Cui Lin sneered inwardly; he couldn't even protect himself!
Although An Qingxi told him not to continue, what he had just said was enough. If word got out, Liu Shuyi would no longer be able to hold onto his position as a junior official.

As for whether it will get out...

Is it even necessary to think about it?
"Has everyone finished speaking?"

Just then, as Cui Lin was about to turn and leave, pondering how to embellish the news and spread it, Liu Shuyi's voice suddenly rang out slowly.

"If you've finished speaking, then may I have my say as well?"

Cui Lin frowned.

It wasn't that Liu Shuyi spoke up; he knew Liu Shuyi would definitely try to argue his way out of it. After all, if he were in Liu Shuyi's situation, he would have panicked and started making excuses long ago.

What he cared about was Liu Shuyi's tone.

So peaceful.

That doesn't look like someone who's hit a nerve or is being roasted by themselves at all!

He couldn't help but look up at Liu Shuyi, wondering why Liu Shuyi was so calm under these circumstances. Was he extremely panicked inside, barely managing to maintain a calm facade to avoid losing too much face? Or... was there some kind of conspiracy?
Qin Wuyuan also quickly looked at Liu Shuyi. Liu Shuyi's calm tone gave him a glimmer of hope in his despairing heart.

Although he didn't know how Liu Shuyi could help him under these circumstances, he couldn't help but feel hopeful.

Du Gou, Zhao Feng, and the others, needless to say, were already looking at Liu Shuyi with anticipation.

The cold and beautiful coroner's clear and bright eyes never left Liu Shuyi from beginning to end.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him quietly, Liu Shuyi continued, "Let's talk about the first thing."

"I really have no way to prove that what Qin the messenger said is true."

Qin Wuyuan's eyes widened, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave: "Master Liu, you..."

Cui Lin's lips curled up immediately. He had been a little worried just now, thinking that Liu Shuyi had some way to break free from the prison he had set for him. Now it seemed that he had actually admitted defeat.
"How disappointing..."

He scoffed inwardly, but just then, Liu Shuyi's voice rang out again.

"Then, the second thing..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Qin Wuyuan and said, "I will find the real culprit, so even if I can't prove that what you said is true, I can still eliminate your suspicion."

Qin Wuyuan's previously mournful face froze for a moment, and then a glimmer of hope suddenly shone in his despairing eyes...

"Master Liu, are you... are you telling the truth? You can find the real culprit? You can really help me?"

Everyone was also stunned.

Like Cui Lin, they had all initially thought Liu Shuyi was backing down and trying to find a way out through this method...

But who knew that Liu Shuyi would suddenly change his tone and say that he could find the real culprit directly!

real or fake?

Can he really find the real culprit?

Cui Lin also looked at Liu Shuyi with surprise and doubt. He had thought of many possible responses from Liu Shuyi, but he never expected that Liu Shuyi would say such a thing.

But the real culprit is Qin Wuyuan, so where is Liu Shuyi going to find any other real culprit?
Did he intend to frame someone else and exonerate Qin Wuyuan?
Cui Lin narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Liu Shuyi. If Liu Shuyi really wanted to do this, he would expose Liu Shuyi's trick on the spot, leaving Liu Shuyi with no chance of recovery!

To falsely accuse someone in front of someone with over a decade of experience in investigating cases?
Cui Lin sneered inwardly. Liu Shuyi was really asking for death!
"First, let me recount the entire course of events that occurred."

Knowing the doubts in everyone's hearts, Liu Shuyi did not delay and said, "Based on the length of the burning benzoin on Magistrate Ma's head, and the fact that I asked Miss Du to dissect the body and remove Magistrate Ma's stomach, and based on the food residue in the stomach, we finally determined that Magistrate Ma died between the hours of Chou and Yin."

“Coincidentally, Military Advisor Cui and Prefect An did not rest for some reason between the hours of Chou (1-3 AM) and Yin (3-5 AM), so they knew who went to the warehouse during this time period.”

"During this period, they did not find Ma Cishi, and his robes were wrinkle-free, with no other injuries on his body, therefore it can be confirmed..."

He looked at everyone and said, "Prefect Ma must have been tricked by the murderer and went here voluntarily before midnight today, rather than being forced to come here."

Everyone nodded in agreement; even Cui Lin couldn't find fault with it.

He even secretly nodded in approval at the two clues that Liu Shuyi had used to confirm the time of the incident.

If it were him, he might only be able to determine the time based on benzoin, and wouldn't be able to verify it by dissecting the corpse.

However, this was not due to his lack of ability, but rather a problem with the coroner in Bingzhou.

What incredible luck… Cui Lin looked at Liu Shuyi with a hint of envy. Liu Shuyi actually had a coroner as skilled as Du Ying helping him. He was truly blessed.

Liu Shuyi continued, "Afterwards, between the hours of Chou (1-3 AM) and Yin (3-5 AM), the murderer killed Governor Ma in this place."

"And then they cut off Governor Ma's head, used a special bandaging method to stop the bleeding from dripping, and then after 3 a.m., after Military Advisor Cui and Governor An went back to rest, they moved the corpse and head to Governor Ma's room to create the illusion that Governor Ma was killed in his room."

"After that, he placed benzoin incense on the head of Prefect Ma and lit it, thus cursing the Prince of Xi and ensuring that the Prince of Xi would not rest in peace in the afterlife..."

"After doing all this, he closed Governor Ma's door, returned to his own room to rest under the cover of night, and then waited for the next day to be the day when Governor Ma's death would be discovered."

"The above is the entire crime process that we can deduce based on the clues we currently have..."

Liu Shuyi's gaze swept over the crowd, and he asked, "Do any of you have any objections to what I have said?"

Wang Gui and Zhao Feng were the first to shake their heads, followed by the officials of Duting Post Station and several officials from Bingzhou.

Even the Hebei officials in the corner subconsciously shook their heads slightly.

Liu Shuyi looked at Cui Lin and asked, "Where is Military Advisor Cui? Does he have any objections?"

Cui Lin knew that Liu Shuyi wanted to exonerate Qin Wuyuan, but after thinking it over, he couldn't find any loopholes in Liu Shuyi's words. In the end, he could only cautiously reply, "No."

Liu Shuyi nodded and said, "Even the most experienced Military Advisor Cui has no objections..."

He looked at everyone, then suddenly changed the subject: "It seems that the real culprit's plan to cover his tracks was indeed very successful."

"what?"

"The murderer's elaborate deception?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't I understand?"

"I don't understand either..."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, their faces full of confusion.

Cui Lin frowned further and said, "Please explain yourself more clearly, Mr. Liu. What do you mean by the murderer's elaborate deception? Mr. Liu, are you implying that all the clues we have obtained, and everything you just said, are false?"

He stared intently at Liu Shuyi, waiting for Liu Shuyi to make a mistake so he could deliver a fatal blow.

"That's right!"

Liu Shuyi saw through Cui Lin's thoughts at a glance, but still nodded directly: "Everything I just said is indeed false."

"How could this be?" Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Cui Lin hadn't expected Liu Shuyi to confess so readily, but he carefully reviewed Liu Shuyi's entire reasoning about the incident. The chain of evidence was complete, each link connected, and there were no problems whatsoever...

It seems that Liu Shuyi is resorting to any means necessary and spouting nonsense in order to exonerate Qin Wuyuan.

He sneered, "Master Liu said that all of this is fake. Does he mean that the time of the crime, the method of the crime, and so on, are all fake?"

"If that's true, then I'm quite curious, how come they're fake?"

Liu Shuyi looked at Cui Lin and slowly said, "Military Advisor Cui's thinking is still too limited..."

"What?" Cui Lin frowned.

“Military Advisor Cui should be bolder. I already said it was all fake… Well, the crime scene here is not fake.”

"But everything else is fake, Military Advisor Cui, please remember that, I said everything!"

"All of them?" Cui Lin was completely baffled by Liu Shuyi's meaning. The time of the crime and the method of the crime, weren't they all of them?
Besides the crime scene, what else could be fake?

He really couldn't figure it out.

"This humble official is foolish and truly does not understand what Assistant Minister Liu means. Please, Assistant Minister Liu, speak frankly!"

Everyone else was also watching Liu Shuyi closely.

Liu Shuyi gave Cui Lin a deep look, then glanced at everyone before continuing to be mysterious and said, "Actually, when I was recounting the events of the case and the clues I discovered, there were two other clues that I didn't mention."

"Two clues?" Everyone was taken aback.

Cui Lin was also quite bewildered.

He racked his brains but couldn't figure out what clues Liu Shuyi had missed.

According to his deduction, the clues provided by Liu Shuyi were already interconnected and could form a complete chain of evidence.

"First……"

Liu Shuyi didn't delay and said directly, "It's Governor Ma's official boots."

"Official boots?" Everyone was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi turned to look at Zhao Feng.

"When I was examining the body of Magistrate Ma, I took off his boots, which are now in Magistrate Ma's room."

Before Liu Shuyi could continue, Zhao Feng said, "This humble official will go and fetch it right away."

With that, he turned and ran out.

Not long after, Zhao Feng returned, panting heavily.

At the same time, he was carrying a dusty, gray boot.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Liu Shuyi nodded to Zhao Feng and took the boots.

He held up the boot and said, "Gentlemen, please look at this boot. What do you notice?"

"What is there?" "Dust?"

"Is there really something wrong with these boots?"

Everyone was bewildered.

They looked at it from top to bottom, left to right, but couldn't find anything wrong.

Liu Shuyi looked at Cui Lin and said, "Military Advisor Cui just told me that you have been investigating cases for more than ten years and have a wealth of experience. I suppose Military Advisor Cui should be able to find the clues on these official boots?"

Cui Lin: "..."

Those boots, like the ones they wore, were issued by the imperial court, and they were covered in dust and looked dirty from the journey.

But apart from that, what other problems are there?
Du Gou's eyes flickered. He knew what Liu Shuyi was referring to, since Liu Shuyi had told him about it in Ma Fuyuan's room.

Seeing Liu Shuyi clashing with Cui Lin, and Cui Lin just setting a trap for Liu Shuyi again, he thought for a moment and chose to watch the show quietly, instead of trying to ease the awkward atmosphere as he usually did.

"It seems Military Advisor Cui didn't notice..."

Seeing that Cui Lin remained silent for a long time, Liu Shuyi sighed and shook his head. He seemed to be very surprised that someone as experienced as Cui Lin would fail to discover such an obvious clue.

Cui Lin's eyelids twitched, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Please enlighten me, Master Liu."

"It's not really a matter of offering guidance..."

Liu Shuyi smiled, having achieved his goal, and stopped keeping everyone in suspense.

He pointed the shoe at the crowd and said, "Look closely, everyone. Can you see a square indentation on the surface of this shoe?"

"Indentation?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over quickly.

"There is indeed an indentation!"

“I just saw this indentation, but I didn’t notice it.”

"Could these marks be the clue that Master Liu mentioned?"

What clues could a single indentation possibly hold?

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Liu Shuyi slowly said, "The indentation is very clear, and more importantly, there is no obvious dust on it."

"And this explains one thing..."

He glanced at everyone and said, "That is the mark. It appeared when Governor Ma arrived at Duting Post Station, or was about to arrive at Duting Post Station!"

"Otherwise, its surface should be covered in dust like the rest of the shoe, instead of being so clear."

After thinking for a moment, everyone nodded in agreement.

This is common sense; they can understand it with a little thought.

Liu Shuyi continued, "The fact that the indentation is so deep indicates that something very heavy must have been placed on it; otherwise, there wouldn't be such an obvious mark..."

"So, what do you all think about the obvious marks left on Governor Ma's shoes by heavy objects...?"

He looked at the crowd and asked, "What about Governor Ma's foot?"

Ma Cishi's feet?
Zhao Feng thought for a moment and said, "That goes without saying. The shoe marks are so obvious, his feet must be in bad shape, at least they must be red and swollen."

Wang Gui nodded: "Redness and swelling are considered mild. If this heavy object had hit the shoe directly, it could have caused problems with the foot bones."

Redness and swelling... foot bone...

As Du Gou listened to their conversation, something seemed to happen to him, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Liu Shuyi.

While he was in Ma Fuyuan's room, he didn't understand why Liu Shuyi was paying attention to this mark, but at this moment, he understood.

But this understanding shook him to his core!

Because it meant a possibility he had never considered...

"It seems that Vice Minister Du has already understood..."

Liu Shuyi nodded to Du Gou, then looked at everyone and said, "Zhao Lingshi and Wang Xianwei are right. A heavy object that can leave such a mark on a shoe, if it falls on a foot, can cause anything from swelling to a broken bone..."

"However, when I removed Governor Ma's boots, I accidentally brought out his socks as well, and then I discovered..."

"The instep of Governor Ma's foot was as smooth as ever!"

"There's no redness or swelling, not even any bruising from a minor impact!"

Liu Shuyi's words stunned everyone.

As they listened to Liu Shuyi describe the condition of Ma Fuyuan's instep, they looked at the obvious indentation on the official boot in Liu Shuyi's hand...

Cui Lin's previously cold smile froze instantly.

His pupils dilated, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you telling the truth? There really isn't a single mark on Governor Ma's instep?"

The reaction was indeed swift... Liu Shuyi, seeing Cui Lin's drastically changed expression, said, "Prefect Ma's body is in a room not far away. If Military Advisor Cui doesn't believe it, he can go and check."

Since Liu Shuyi had said so, how could Cui Lin not believe him?

"how so……"

Cui Lin felt his head buzzing.

The indentations appeared recently and couldn't have been there for very long...

In such a short time, if a heavy object had really pressed on Ma Fuyuan's foot, it would have been impossible for him to fully recover.

Even if it's not red and swollen, there should at least be a mark...

However, that's not the case.

How could it not be?
Is it...

That corpse isn't Ma Fuyuan!?
Furthermore, considering Liu Shuyi's statement that his thinking was limited and that he needed to be bolder...

Could it be that the corpse really wasn't Ma Fuyuan?
If even the corpse wasn't Ma Fuyuan, then wouldn't everything they investigated be, as Liu Shuyi said, a complete fabrication?
How can you possibly uncover the truth when you're looking at a fake corpse?

Could it be that Qin Wuyuan was really wronged?

Was I really wrong?

Do not!
Cui Lin's eyes flashed intensely as he considered another possibility, another explanation!
He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Although there are marks on the boots, perhaps when these marks appeared, Governor Ma was not wearing boots."

"If that's the case, then it's quite normal that Governor Ma's feet have no marks!"

Everyone, like Cui Lin, was initially in a daze, somewhat unable to believe what they were seeing.

Upon hearing Cui Lin's words, he subconsciously nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, if Ma hadn't been wearing boots, he wouldn't have been injured."

"This possibility is not low."

Seeing that someone agreed with him, Cui Lin felt even more confident.

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "We still can't determine the truth just by looking at the marks on the boots!"

Your mind works pretty fast...

Looking at Cui Lin, who had calmed down again, Liu Shuyi showed no displeasure. Instead, he nodded in agreement, saying, "Military Advisor Cui is indeed cautious and meticulous. I think so too."

"so……"

Before Cui Lin could be happy, Liu Shuyi said, "I have a second clue."

"A second clue?"

Cui Lin was startled: "What?"

"Far away, yet so close at hand..."

Liu Shuyi raised his hand, pointed to the frozen crimson blood in front of him, and said, "It!"

"Bloodstains?" Cui Lin was taken aback.

He frowned as he stared at the shocking crimson bloodstains in front of him. He thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what use the bloodstains could be other than proving that the murderer committed the crime here.

Moreover, the bloodstains were different from the indentations on the boots.

At first, he didn't understand why Liu Shuyi would bring up the issue of the indentation marks. It was because he hadn't seen Ma Fuyuan's feet. If he had known beforehand that Ma Fuyuan's insteps didn't have any injuries, he might have noticed the indentation marks on the boots earlier than Liu Shuyi.

But this bloodstain was different; it was right in front of him.

This time, there is no hidden information.

In this situation, he can see everything that Liu Shuyi can see.

He didn't believe that Liu Shuyi could find more clues than he could.

So after thinking it over and over again, and making sure he hadn't overlooked anything, he said, "This bloodstain looks just like what would happen when someone is being killed and beheaded... You wouldn't be suggesting that this bloodstain is fake, would you, Master Liu?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "This is the real crime scene, so the bloodstains are definitely real."

"If it's true, then what's the problem?"

"That's precisely why there's a problem..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Cui Lin and said, "Military Advisor Cui has been investigating cases for over ten years and is very experienced, so he should have seen many crime scenes and know a lot of basic knowledge about the human body..."

"Does Military Advisor Cui know how much blood a normal person has in their body?"

How much blood?

Cui Lin was taken aback.

Upon hearing this familiar question, Du Ying and Du Gou were struck by a thought and exchanged a glance.

Then, they seemed to realize something at the same time.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at the shocking pool of blood in front of him.

then……

"So that's it!"

Du Gou's face was full of shock as he said, "There's way too much blood here!"

"Too much health..."

Cui Lin was taken aback for a moment upon hearing Du Gou's words.

Then, as if struck by a thunderbolt, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his brain.

His eyes widened, and he couldn't help but swallow.

"Health points...health points..."

"That's what it is, that's what it is..."

"so……"

He struggled to lift his head and look at Liu Shuyi, his previous sneer and smugness gone.

"It seems that Military Advisor Cui has finally understood..."

Liu Shuyi took in Cui Lin's expression and glanced at the others, noticing that many still looked bewildered.

He explained, "A person's blood volume can be estimated based on their height and build."

"Given Ma's physique, his blood volume should be about half a barrel."

“In Ma’s room, there was a lot of blood on the floor. Because it was frozen, we could clearly tell how much blood he had lost.”

"Because the amount of blood on the ground was less than the amount of blood that would normally flow out when Ma Cishi's head was cut off, I deduced that Ma Cishi's room was not the room where the murderer actually committed the crime."

"That's why we found this place."

Only then did everyone realize why Liu Shuyi had been able to find this place.

"And the amount of blood on the ground in front of us is the same principle."

Liu Shuyi continued, "Please look, everyone. The amount of blood here is even wider and thicker than the amount of blood in Governor Ma's room..."

"This means that the amount of health here completely exceeds the amount of health in Ma Cishi's room."

"If we were to collect the blood in a bucket right now, I think the combined amount would far exceed half a bucket."

"This can be determined with the naked eye."

"However, Governor Ma's health is only so much, but the combined health of the two locations far exceeds Governor Ma's health..."

"So, what do you all think..."

Liu Shuyi looked at them and slowly said, "Why is this happening?"

Which official is truly a fool?
Liu Shuyi had already reminded them like that; he was practically feeding them the food.

If they still don't understand what happened under these circumstances, they'd probably be buried a long time ago...

"So, the corpse of Governor Ma is really a fake?"

"There's absolutely no mistake. First there was the clue about the official boots, and now there's the verification of the blood volume. The two clues corroborate each other, so this is definitely the truth!"

"Yes, there were no footprints, so maybe he wasn't wearing boots, but the amount of blood is just inexplicable! The killer couldn't have just been sitting around sprinkling more blood here, could he?"

"But there's no mistake about Governor Ma's head. I'm absolutely certain that it is Governor Ma's head!"

"So...there were two dead!?"

"The murderer killed two people, cut off their heads, and then swapped their bodies with their heads?"

"Why...why would the murderer do this? What's the point?"

"Yes! There's no reason for the murderer to do this!"

Everyone finally learned what the murderer had done in the early hours of the morning.

But because of this, I feel even more lost.

They couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for the murderer's actions.

"Ma Fuyuan's body is really fake..."

"There were two dead!"

"Health points! Health points!"

Cui Lin stared intently at the bloodstains ahead, his face pale, filled with regret and resentment.

Why didn't I think about the issue of blood volume?

He clearly saw the bloodstains in Ma Fuyuan's room earlier than Liu Shuyi, and he clearly also saw the amount of blood there...

This time, Liu Shuyi knew no more hidden information than him.

They are all starting from the same starting line.

but……

Liu Shuyi used this to verify his previous deductions and directly uncover the most crucial conspiracy in the case!
But he found nothing.

I'm clearly the most experienced one...

He clearly has over ten years of experience in investigating cases!
but……

He still lost!
At that moment, Cui Lin realized for the first time that he might have underestimated Liu Shuyi.

Qin Wuyuan may not actually be the murderer.

This also means that the blow he just dealt to Liu Shuyi, and his plan to drive Liu Shuyi to the brink of despair, will fail.

Do not!
It's not just a simple matter of failure.

If word gets out, if others find out how deeply the murderer deceived them, and how they relentlessly target Liu Shuyi, wanting to arrest and torture the innocent Qin Wuyuan…

His face instantly turned completely pale.

"It's over."

I might end up losing more than I gain by trying to steal a chicken...

(End of this chapter)