The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 70 Reunion! A shocking surprise!
Once he accepted the case, Liu Shuyi didn't delay any longer.

He said to Changsun Wuji, "Minister Changsun, please arrange for someone who understands the Vice Minister Changsun to assist me."

Changsun Wuji nodded directly: "I have made arrangements. The steward of the manor is waiting for you outside the yamen."

“He watched Chong’er grow up. Apart from myself and my wife, he knows Chong’er better than anyone else. The Tang Dynasty is going through a very difficult time right now. I also have an urgent task assigned by His Majesty to do, so I can’t be with you. Therefore, the steward will assist you from now on.”

“I have already instructed him that no matter what happens to you or what help you need, you can talk to him and he will mobilize the power of the Changsun family to fully support you.”

Du Ruhui then spoke up, saying, "I will have Du Gou assist you as well, and the Du family's strength will also be there to support you."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji looked at Du Ruhui with gratitude on his face.

Du Ruhui said, "I watched Changsun Temple Assistant grow up. Now that he is in trouble, how can I ignore him?"

Changsun Wuji nodded emphatically. He looked at the two men, cupped his hands, and said, "I am deeply grateful. As long as my son can return safely, I will repay you both."

Liu Shuyi shook his head and said, "Minister Changsun, you are too kind. As an official of the Ministry of Justice, it is my duty to search for missing officials of the court. How can I ask for any reward?"

He spoke with righteous indignation, his face radiating an aura of integrity.

As a result, Changsun Wuji was even more satisfied with him.

No wonder Du Ruhui protected Liu Shuyi like a treasure, afraid that he would take him away; Liu Shuyi was indeed outstanding in every way.

He did indeed have some designs on Liu Shuyi.

But Du Ruhui, in order to help him find his son, not only introduced him to Liu Shuyi, but also used the power of the Du family... He really felt embarrassed to take the credit halfway.

Changsun Wuji's mind raced, but he couldn't worry about snatching the person at the moment. He took a deep breath, looked at Liu Shuyi, and said earnestly, "Master Liu, I'm entrusting this to you."

Liu Shuyi said, "Minister Changsun, please wait for my good news..."

After saying that, he didn't delay at all. He cupped his hands in greeting to Du Ruhui and then turned and left.

Watching Liu Shuyi's departing figure, Changsun Wuji clenched his fists involuntarily. He had done all he could. Now... he could only hope that Liu Shuyi could continue to solve cases with his usual brilliant insight, otherwise...

He dared not think about what the outcome would be.

…………

Liu Shuyi summoned Zhao Feng and several other officials who had pledged allegiance to him, and then left the Ministry of Justice.

As soon as I stepped out of the gate, I saw a middle-aged man wearing a blue robe, slightly overweight, with a small mustache, pacing anxiously.

Hearing footsteps, he quickly turned around to look.

Upon seeing Liu Shuyi, his eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly stepped forward to bow: "May I ask if you are Master Liu?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "That is indeed me."

The middle-aged man hurriedly replied, "I am Jia Ping, the steward of the Changsun residence. I am here on the orders of Master Liu."

Liu Shuyi nodded. It seemed that Changsun Wuji had arranged everything properly, so there was no need for him to say anything more. He said directly, "Let's go to the route that Changsun Wuji usually takes to and from his duty post first. We can talk about the rest on the way."

"Yes."

Seeing that Liu Shuyi didn't waste any words and immediately started investigating, the butler nodded hurriedly, hoping that Liu Shuyi could find his young master.

The group quickly mounted their horses, and with the neighing of the steeds, they soon disappeared from the sight of the guards stationed at the government office.

On the road.

As Liu Shuyi hurried along, he asked the steward, "How many roads are there from the Changsun residence to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs? Does the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs usually only take one of them, or does he know all the roads?"

The butler had clearly thought of these things beforehand. Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, he said, "There are three roads in total, but since the young master rides a horse, he will usually only take the widest road. The other two roads will only be taken once or twice a month."

"Have you inquired about the other two less frequently traveled routes?"

"Of course we inquired. The master told us not to miss even the slightest possibility, so we went to every place the young master might have passed through last night."

Liu Shuyi said, "Did they all go door-to-door asking around?"

The butler nodded: "Yes, we're afraid of missing any important clues, and we dare not overlook a single one."

"But the result..."

He shook his head and said, "We asked every household, but no one said they had seen the young master."

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "How did you ask? Did you just take your young master's portrait?"

"No."

The butler looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master said that ordinary people's memories may not be that good. Even if they have seen the young master, they may not remember what he looks like after only a fleeting glance."

"So we directly asked them if they had seen a handsome man dressed in official robes riding a fine horse between 7 PM and 9 PM..."

"They may not remember what he looks like, but if they saw an official riding by, they will surely remember him."

Liu Shuyi nodded.

If Changsun Wuji were a teammate, he would indeed be a god-tier teammate.

He considered everything he could think of very carefully.

If it were anyone else, and their beloved son were lost, they would probably panic and frantically search for his picture. But they wouldn't realize that in the dark, an ordinary person would have no chance of remembering the face of a stranger they just passed by.

“Throughout these three streets and so many households, not a single person has ever seen an official on horseback…”

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin and continued, "When you were gathering information last night, there was already a curfew and the streets were deserted. This morning, after people appeared on the streets, did you go to gather information again?"

"Of course I went."

The butler said, "The curfew was just lifted this morning, and the master sent people to investigate again. We questioned the shopkeepers and servants in the shops along the road, as well as the vendors and pedestrians, but the result was..."

He sighed and shook his head: "It's still the same! Not to mention riders, they didn't even see a single horse or mule last night."

"It's as if the young master vanished into thin air. No one remembers him. We have no other choice but to ask Liu Yuanwailang to investigate."

Vanished into thin air...

These four words reminded Liu Shuyi of his elder brother.

Two years ago, her older brother also disappeared in the same mysterious way.

The original owner and Chang Bo frantically searched for people on the road, but no one had ever seen their brother.

The Changsun Chong before me bears a striking resemblance to my elder brother back then.

The only difference is that after Changsun Chong disappeared, Changsun Wuji mobilized hundreds of people, disturbing countless people in the dead of night...

But when his elder brother went missing, only he and Chang Bo were busy looking for him. In the end, few people knew that a man named Liu Shuzhong had disappeared in Chang'an.

He took a deep breath, suppressed these chaotic thoughts, and began to ponder.

As Changsun Wuji said, the common people might not remember what Changsun Chong looked like, but if a young official on horseback passed by, they would definitely remember him.

After all, horses were not a common mode of transportation in that era. Just like luxury cars in later generations, their appearance would attract a lot of attention.

Not to mention the fact that officials hold a position that ordinary people greatly respect.

However, whether it was last night when Changsun Wuji ordered his men to knock on the doors of every house along the way and ask all the residents, or this morning when he inquired with the street vendors and pedestrians, no one remembered any official on horseback passing by...

This is indeed quite strange.

He originally thought that since Changsun Wuji was not asking the people on the street last night, he wouldn't get any information from them.

But now, they've already asked the street vendors this morning. The pedestrians and residents might not have been on the street last night, but the vendors were definitely there last night, and they said they didn't see them...

Liu Shuyi frowned.

Why haven't I seen them?

Could it be that when Changsun Chong passed by, these vendors happened to be haggling with customers and their attention wasn't on the road?
Or were they bribed and lying?
Or...

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes.

"Here we are."

At this moment, the butler suddenly tightened the reins and spoke.

Liu Shuyi was suddenly pulled out of his reverie and looked around. He saw a very wide street in front of him.

The road is lined with shops on both sides, and there are also some vendors on the street. It is bustling with pedestrians.

In such a bustling and prosperous street, under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to abduct an official on horseback without being discovered.

unless……

Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat. He looked at the steward and asked, "Was there any chaos on these three streets after 7 PM last night?"

"confusion?"

The butler paused for a moment, then asked, "What kind of chaos is this?"

Liu Shuyi said, "For example, a fight that attracts a crowd of onlookers; or a thief caught stealing that draws the attention of the crowd, things that can attract the attention of the surrounding people..."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's explanation, the butler immediately understood what Liu Shuyi meant.

He shook his head and said, "No, everything was normal on these three streets last night, and there was no chaos."

"everything is normal?"

Liu Shuyi frowned and asked again, "Are there any street performers who attract crowds by cheering them on?"

"A crowd gathered..."

The butler frowned slightly and said, "We only inquired about any accidents that might be related to the young master, not these specifics."

Liu Shuyi looked at him: "I hope the steward can give me the results as soon as possible."

Knowing that this matter might be related to the reason for his young master's disappearance, the steward did not hesitate and said directly, "Please wait a moment, Mr. Liu, I will make the arrangements immediately."

With that, he turned around and gave instructions to the guards from the Changsun family who were following him.

Before long, dozens of guards from the Changsun family rode away at full speed.

Looking at the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but click his tongue. Changsun Wuji truly lived up to his reputation as the most powerful maternal relative. The skills of these guards were probably not much worse than those of the elite Jinwu Guards, who were carefully selected.

"Master Liu..."

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind.

Liu Shuyi turned around and saw Du Gou, dressed in the official robes of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, arriving on horseback.

Liu Shuyi cupped his hands and said, "Minister Du arrived very quickly."

"Upon receiving Father's message, I immediately informed Minister Xiao of everything, and then set off here..."

Du Gou glanced at the anxious-looking steward Jia Ping and said, "The Du family and the Changsun family have a good relationship, and I am also familiar with the Changsun Temple Assistant. Upon hearing that the Changsun Temple Assistant had an accident, I should come to help without delay."

Upon hearing Du Gou's words, Jia Ping quickly said gratefully, "Thank you very much, Vice Minister Du. I will certainly report the Du family's kindness to you, sir."

Du Gou shook his head: "It's just what I should do, no need for formalities."

Liu Shuyi watched as Du Gou, with just a few words, solidified the Du family's help and goodwill towards the Changsun family, which made the steward extremely grateful, and he couldn't help but smile to himself.

It seems that Du Gou did indeed grow after experiencing Liu Yuanming's sharp tongue.

He is no longer just a pure gentleman who only knows how to work silently.

After speaking with the steward, Du Gou came to Liu Shuyi's side and said, "I haven't even had a chance to congratulate Liu on his conferment of a title yet, but from now on, Liu's status and position will be very different from before."

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "It was also thanks to the help of Vice Minister Du and Miss Du that I was able to solve the case so easily.

Du Gou shook his head: "Don't be modest, Liu Yuanwailang. I know very well how the case was solved. Even without our help, you would only spend more time at most, and the result would not change."

"In the end, Liu Yuanwailang's achievements today are all due to your own abilities."

It's only been one night, how come Du Gou is so eloquent now?

Did Du Ruhui give Du Gou special treatment in the middle of the night?
Liu Shuyi was curious.

When Du Gou noticed Liu Shuyi looking him up and down, he couldn't help but look away.

Last night, after returning home, my father inquired about my relationship with Liu Shuyi, as well as the progress of my sister's relationship with Liu Shuyi.

I naturally answered truthfully.

As a result, the father sighed and said that now not only Cheng Yaojin had his eye on Liu Shuyi, but Changsun Wuji had also set his sights on him. Once Liu Shuyi's reputation rose, even more people would be eyeing him.

If the Du family still can't win over Liu Shuyi by then, they'll just have to watch helplessly as Liu Shuyi becomes someone else's son-in-law and brother-in-law.

So his father gave him special advice, teaching him how to get closer to Liu Shuyi, and urged him to quickly match his sister with Liu Shuyi, otherwise he would really only be Liu Shuyi's brother and not his elder brother.

At first, I didn't know Liu Shuyi well enough, so I was actually somewhat resistant to my father's matchmaking.

But as his friendship with Liu Shuyi deepened and he learned more about him, he unknowingly went from resisting to supporting him. He really couldn't find another man in the world who was as capable, kind, and upright as Liu Shuyi, and who was such a good match for Amei.

Seeing Du Gou's evasive expression and his reluctance to look at him, Liu Shuyi had a sudden thought: Could it be that he had guessed correctly and that Du Ruhui was giving him special treatment?

Having a father who is a prime minister is great; he can always impart life experience to you...

Liu Shuyi shook his head. He looked back at the bustling street, thought for a moment, and said, "Du Sicheng, you said you are acquainted with Changsun Sicheng. Do you know him well?"

Du Gou understood what Liu Shuyi meant, and he lowered his voice and said, "We're not that close, but we do run into each other often, so I guess I know him fairly well."

really……

Liu Shuyi asked, "In your opinion, what kind of person is Changsun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"

Du Gou thought for a moment and said, "He is learned, talented, and somewhat unruly. He doesn't like to talk much and is often compared to Wang Xianzhi..."

After hesitating for a moment, he added, "I like dropping money bags."

Zhao Feng, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment.

He can understand anything, from profound knowledge to exceptional talent.

What does it mean to like dropping money?
Liu Shuyi asked the same question.

Du Gou glanced at the steward, and seeing that Jia Ping wasn't looking at them, he whispered, "Changsun Chong doesn't like to waste words when making friends; he values ​​action more..."

"So, if there is someone he values ​​and wants to befriend, he will deliberately drop his money bag behind that person, pick it up, and ask if it was that person's money bag."

"If this person agrees, they will become friends..."

Zhao Feng: "..."

Is this some new way to build connections?

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

What Zhao Feng saw was Changsun Chong's strange behavior.

What Liu Shuyi saw, however, was a smart person who saw through the essence of interpersonal relationships and pursued high efficiency.

The world is hilarious, all come for profit.

Everyone in the world is benefiting.

Given Changsun Chong's background, the people he associated with were rarely those with whom he had simple friendships.

More often than not, complex interests are involved.

Therefore, Changsun Chong directly materialized this relationship formed by the bond of interests.

By giving him the money pouch, he is essentially presenting the benefits to the other party.

If the person nods, it means that a friendship based on mutual benefit has been formed.

The money pouch also represents the benefits that Changsun Chong had initially given up. The person who received the benefits naturally had to give something in return...

Changsun Chong skipped the tedious small talk and the unspoken pretense, achieving an alliance with maximum efficiency—a minimalist approach only a wise person would use.

However, this method is too straightforward and makes people feel strange.

No wonder Du Gou described his personality as somewhat unruly; his behavior was indeed quite unruly.

Such a personality trait may lead to reactions that differ from those of normal people in many situations…

Could it be that the thief took advantage of his personality?

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and then went to the jewelry stall next to him.

"Shopkeeper, around 7 PM last night, did you see a man dressed in a green official robe riding a fine horse pass by here?"

The vendor quickly shook his head: "You've already asked twice, no one has come by, not even a horse or a mule, let alone a rider."

twice?

Liu Shuyi frowned.

The housekeeper just mentioned that it only happened once this morning, right?

A bad thought suddenly came to his mind.

"Butler Jia."

Liu Shuyi looked at the butler and said, "How many times have you questioned the vendors?"

Jia Ping was a little confused by Liu Shuyi's meaning and said, "Once? We came here once this morning, what's wrong with that?"

As expected, it only happened once!
Liu Shuyi's heart sank. He looked at the vendor again and asked, "Was the person who questioned you the same martial artist wearing the same gray clothes?"

The guards in Changsun Wuji's residence all wore the same gray, close-fitting outfits.

The vendor shook his head: "The first person who came to ask me was wearing a gray outfit, and the second person who came to ask me was wearing a black outfit."

"A black outfit?"

The steward paused, looking somewhat bewildered: "None of our servants wear black clothes, so why are they dressed in black, close-fitting attire?"

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Feng's expression suddenly changed, as if he had thought of something.

He quickly looked at Liu Shuyi and couldn't help but ask, "Master Liu, could it be...?!"

Liu Shuyi knew that Zhao Feng had the same idea as him.

Lu Yangyuan handed the ancient book to Changsun Chong; that book was something the mastermind behind Miaoyin'er wanted...

Therefore, the mastermind behind it must be trying to find a way to get it back.

However, not just anyone could enter Changsun Wuji's residence, so he had no way to do so for the time being.

At this time, Changsun Chong happened to get into trouble...

This might be the best opportunity for the mastermind behind it all.

Liu Shuyi had previously suspected that Changsun Chong's disappearance was not the work of the mastermind behind it all.

Now, it's basically confirmed.

After all, besides him, no one else would secretly search for Changsun Chong without Changsun Wuji's knowledge...

This also means that he not only has to outwit and outmaneuver the thieves who kidnapped Changsun Chong, but also race against time with the mastermind behind the scenes. Otherwise, even if he eventually finds a clue to Changsun Chong's whereabouts, if the mastermind gets there first, Changsun Chong might be taken elsewhere.

Liu Shuyi knew the mastermind's ability to hide, and if the mastermind were to hide Changsun Chong again, even he might not be able to find him.

Not to mention, if they find Changsun Chong, the mastermind might be able to use him to find the ancient book "Lianshan" first, in which case all their efforts would be in vain.

Therefore, no matter what, we cannot let the mastermind get there first.

Liu Shuyi never expected that he would have a competitor while investigating a case.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down and asked the vendor again, "When did the second man in black come to ask you that question?"

The vendor then realized that the two men were not working together.

He dared not hide the truth and said, "About 15 minutes ago."

Two quarters of an hour ago?
Zhao Feng said, "We've been here for over fifteen minutes. Doesn't that mean he just left and we arrived shortly after?"

Liu Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief; it hadn't been long.

The fact that the mastermind behind the scenes hadn't started the investigation much earlier than him suggests that they might not have had as much information as he did.

Liu Shuyi continued, "Did anything interesting happen on this street last night?"

"interesting?"

The vendor shook his head: "There's nothing interesting about it. There are plenty of people who haggle over prices but don't buy anything."

Liu Shuyi has a keen eye for people and was able to tell that the vendor was not lying.

It seems these vendors genuinely had never met Changsun Chong before, and weren't bribed.

"Tap Tap"

Lost in thought, the sound of horses' hooves approached rapidly.

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw that the guard who had gone to gather information had returned.

The butler quickly asked, "How is it?"

The guards all shook their heads.

“There were no performers last night…”

"No other gatherings of people have occurred."

"The same applies to the other two streets."

"It's business as usual."

Hearing the guard's words, the butler's heart sank. The more normal everything seemed, the less likely they were to find any clues about the young master's disappearance.

His brows furrowed even deeper, and he couldn't hide the anxiety on his face.

"Master Liu..."

He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi and said, "Still no results, what should we do?"

Unlike the butler, Liu Shuyi didn't look worried. He thought for a moment and said, "Sometimes, not gaining anything is also a gain."

"Let's go."

He pulled on the reins and turned the horse around.

The butler was taken aback and quickly asked, "Are we going there?"

Liu Shuyi's gaze was deep: "The Imperial City, Hanguang Gate."

…………

The Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, also known as the "Imperial Court," was primarily responsible for matters concerning the imperial family and relatives. If a member of the royal family committed a crime, no other court was authorized to handle the case; only the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs could.

Therefore, unlike other government offices, it was located next to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and adjacent to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, in the southeastern part of the Imperial City, on the east side inside the Hanguang Gate.

If Changsun Chong were to leave the Imperial Clan Court, he would have to pass through the Hanguang Gate.

At this moment, in front of Hanguang Gate.

Liu Shuyi was questioning the guards stationed here.

"Did you personally witness Changsun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, leaving Hanguang Gate last night?"

"Yes." The guards all nodded in agreement.

"What time is it?"

"Just past the hour of Xu (7-9 PM)."

"Which direction did the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices walk in?"

The guard raised his hand, pointed to the east, and said, "Follow this path and head towards the Vermilion Bird Gate."

Liu Shuyi looked in the direction the guard pointed. The road ran along the edge of the imperial city and headed east. Because ordinary people had a sense of awe for the imperial city, there weren't many people on the road, and it was very smooth to ride a horse.

Although there weren't many pedestrians on the road, Changsun Chong certainly didn't have his accident here. After all, there were imperial guards patrolling the city walls every twelve hours, and all of Changsun Chong's movements would have been seen by these guards, so the thief wouldn't have had a chance to make a move.

He thought for a moment, then rode east along the road and arrived at the intersection of Zhuque Avenue.

According to the butler, this is the key fork in the three roads leading to the Changsun residence.

Changsun Wuji's residence is located in Xuanyangfang. From here, you can continue east to Pingkangfang, then head south to reach the north gate of Xuanyangfang.

Alternatively, one can head south from this intersection, enter Zhuque Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Chang'an City, and then head east at the next intersection, passing through the road between Xingdao Ward and Kaihua Ward, to reach the gate north of Xuanyang Ward.

The last route is to go east along Zhuque Avenue, past another intersection, from the road between Kaihuafang and Anrenfang, which leads directly to the south gate of Xuanyangfang.

Because Changsun Wuji's residence was located in the southern part of Xuanyang Ward, and the road between Kaihua Ward and Anren Ward was wider than the roads between other wards, and the main thoroughfare was Zhuque Avenue, it was the road that Changsun Chong traveled most often.

"Changsun Chong did indeed leave the Imperial Clan Court, he didn't disappear there..."

"But from that moment on, no one on the road saw Changsun Chong again..."

"This is a three-way intersection. Changsun Chong can either continue east, go south, or turn back. He will inevitably pass through Hanguang Gate, and the guards there cannot possibly fail to notice..."

"If we continue eastward, passing by the imperial city, the guards protecting the city should be able to spot him, but Changsun Wuji has already asked them, and they haven't seen him..."

"This means he probably didn't choose this path."

"That means heading south along Suzaku Avenue?"

Liu Shuyi looked toward Zhuque Avenue, which, as the most important and only main street in Chang'an City, was bustling with activity and a constant flow of people.

As he had just arrived in the capital, in less than a quarter of an hour, he must have brushed past at least a hundred people.

Changsun Chong must have felt the same way last night.

But no one saw the official on horseback pass by at that time...

strange!
Why is it that neither of the two possible routes is the one that Changsun Chong could have taken?
Does he really think he can just disappear on the spot?
or……

Suddenly, Liu Shuyi seemed to have thought of something, and his gaze abruptly turned to the left and right.

Seeing Liu Shuyi deep in thought, Du Gou and the others waited quietly, afraid of accidentally making a sound and interrupting his thoughts. Now, noticing a noticeable change in Liu Shuyi's expression, the steward couldn't help but ask, "Master Liu, have you thought of something?"

Liu Shuyi looked at the steward, pointed to Guanglu Ward and Xingdao Ward, which were right next to each other at the intersection, and said, "Have you checked these two wards?"

"what?"

The butler paused for a moment: "Go into the workshop to investigate?"

He shook his head directly: "No, we have limited manpower and time. We only conducted investigations along the way and did not enter the neighborhoods. After all, if we were to enter the neighborhoods, there are so many neighborhoods in Chang'an City. Even if we were to do it, it would take us a month to complete the investigation."

Liu Shuyi understood the steward's meaning and said, "The other wards don't need to be investigated, but these two wards must be investigated!"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Du Gou's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Do you mean... that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices might have entered these two wards and disappeared here?"

The butler's eyes widened suddenly, his breathing quickened, and he asked anxiously, "Really?"

Liu Shuyi squinted and said, "Your investigation revealed that not only did you not see any riders, but you didn't even see a single horse. This means it's impossible that the thieves separated Changsun Sicheng from his horse and kidnapped him separately. Otherwise, people could change clothes and hide, but horses couldn't. So, Changsun Sicheng and his horse disappeared together..."

Everyone nodded instinctively.

"But no one on the road, including the people who set up stalls by the roadside last night, saw Changsun Sicheng or any horses..."

“If they weren’t lying collectively.”

"Then there is only one possibility..."

He glanced at the crowd and said, "It's very likely that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices never even set foot on those two roads. In other words, he may have disappeared right here."

The butler's pupils contracted: "Disappeared here!?"

"According to the Imperial Guards, he has already arrived here. If someone were to kidnap him here, he could easily alert the Imperial Guards who are guarding the Imperial City nearby with just a shout. Therefore, he must have disappeared here on his own initiative."

"But he couldn't have really disappeared into thin air; he must have gone somewhere on his own. And here, besides those two roads, there are only the gates of the two wards left."

"so……"

Liu Shuyi looked at the steward and said, "Although you all say with certainty that Changsun Temple Assistant Minister will definitely go straight home, after eliminating all the impossible possibilities, the logic tells me that he simply did not choose to go home."

Instead of going home...

Instead, he went somewhere else, but the young master didn't inform the family...

This was the first time the young master had acted in this way.

Why would the young master do something so different from usual?

The butler couldn't understand it. Subjectively, he thought this was not something the young master would do, but reason told him that Liu Shuyi was right.

Without any hesitation, he immediately said, "Quickly! Investigate inside the workshop!"

Upon hearing this, the guards following behind immediately split into two groups and quickly entered Guanglu Ward and Xingdao Ward.

The butler rubbed his hands together nervously, his face showing both tension and hope.

Although I don't understand why the young master is behaving so differently from before, finding him is better than anything else.

Seeing this, Zhao Feng and Du Gou couldn't help but feel nervous.

After all, Changsun Chong's identity was truly too special. He was the emperor's beloved nephew, and it could be said that Changsun Chong was the most respected and favored maternal relative among the younger generation.

Their status was only slightly lower than that of a prince.

If something happens to him, not to mention how crazy Changsun Wuji will go, His Majesty will definitely be furious.

At that time, who knows what kind of bloody storm will rage on.

Liu Shuyi also glanced at the two gates from time to time, but unlike the others, he wasn't worried about not finding clues about Changsun Chong; he was worried about being slower than the mastermind behind the scenes.

If the mastermind behind the scenes gets there first, that will be the real trouble.

"Liu Yuanwailang".

At this moment, Liu Shuyi heard a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

He turned around and saw several beggars gathered around a naan vendor, swallowing hard and staring at the naan with gleaming eyes.

The person who shouted to him was one of the beggars.

He knew this beggar.

It was during the capture of Liu Yuanming that Wan'er introduced her to Mo Xiaofan, the little beggar who had helped her a great deal.

At this moment, Mo Xiaofan was waving his hand vigorously at him.

Liu Shuyi smiled, dismounted, and came to Mo Xiaofan.

Seeing them staring at the naan, he smiled and said, "It's on me."

"Need not."

Mo Xiaofan stopped Liu Shuyi directly, saying, "No need for you to spend money, Mr. Liu, we have copper coins."

"You have money?"

Liu Shuyi was somewhat surprised. Although beggars could occasionally beg for some money, there were quite a few beggars in front of him. Eight beggars would need some copper coins to eat their fill.

He thought for a moment and said, "Let me do it. It's not easy for you to beg. You must have put in a lot of effort to get these copper coins. You helped me before, so this is my way of repaying you."

"Hehe, it's not that difficult."

Mo Xiaofan shook his head again.

He said, “We’re lucky today. We haven’t even begged yet, but we’ve already found a lot of copper coins in Guanglu Lane. So, Master Liu, you really don’t need to help us. This is unexpected wealth. If we don’t spend it, we might get into some trouble. It’s better to spend it. It’s not a good thing for a beggar to have money on him.”

"Found a coin?"

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow. His first thought was whether these little beggars had been stealing chickens or dogs.

But then he thought about it again. Mo Xiaofan could easily refuse the money he offered to repay him, and he also refused without hesitation when invited to work at the Liu residence. Such a person didn't seem like the kind of person who would do something like stealing chickens and dogs for a piece of naan bread.

Moreover, Mo Xiaofan was someone Wan'er valued, and Wan'er...

Liu Shuyi's eyes gleamed, and he asked curiously, "There are quite a few copper coins here. How did you find them?"

Mo Xiaofan originally thought that Liu Shuyi would immediately suspect him of stealing the copper coin when he heard that he had found it, but to his surprise, he did not see the slightest suspicion on Liu Shuyi's face.

All that remained was trust and curiosity.

This made his eyes light up a little.

He thought to himself that Liu Yuanwailang was indeed different from other officials; he did not doubt their character just because they were of lowly status.

His tone became lighter as he said, "We didn't get any food yesterday, and we were all very hungry, so we came out to beg early this morning."

"Our original plan was to go to these neighborhoods where there were many high-ranking officials and nobles, and walk through the streets and alleys to see if we could encounter any servants from the households of these officials and nobles coming out to throw away leftover food..."

"As we were walking in Guanglu Lane, we suddenly found two copper coins under a corner of a wall."

"Those two copper coins were right against the corner of the wall, and they weren't easy to spot. If we hadn't been looking down and searching for food, we probably wouldn't have found them either."

"So we were very excited. We never expected to find money so early in the morning."

"We picked up the coins and were about to leave when, guess what happened?"

Liu Shuyi glanced at the handful of copper coins in Mo Xiaofan's hand and said, "More than two?"

Mo Xiaofan's eyes lit up: "Master Liu is truly amazing!"

He nodded emphatically: "That's right, we just got up to leave when we found some copper coins on the ground not far away."

"Then we went there to pick them up, and when we looked up, we found new copper coins."

"We walked along, picking up coins as we went, and finally found these fifteen copper coins, enough for us to eat our fill."

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "So, Master Liu, you really don't need to buy any for us. We have enough copper coins."

The other beggars were all younger than Mo Xiaofan, and upon hearing this, they all nodded obediently, none of them showing any greed.

Looking at them, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

In this world, how many people have no worries about food or clothing, yet they resort to any means to pursue higher status and more wealth?

Mo Xiaofan and his friends, who were truly worried about food and drink, were actually content with what they had.

Just then, a series of footsteps approached rapidly.

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw the guards that the steward had sent into the neighborhood to gather information walking towards them.

The butler quickly asked, "How is it?"

The guards all shook their heads.

"No abnormalities were found."

"Everything is normal on the road. When we asked the pedestrians we met, they all said they had not seen the official on horseback last night."

“There are many houses in the neighborhood. If we ask every single one of them, we need to send more people. We probably won’t be able to finish asking them all today.”

The butler frowned upon hearing the guard's words.

Although there was still no news, he hadn't asked everyone yet, so he wasn't discouraged.

He looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Master Liu, I will immediately send a message to the master and ask him to send more men. Please wait a moment, Master Liu."

As he spoke, he turned to go to the Ministry of Personnel to find Changsun Wuji.

"No need."

But to his surprise, Liu Shuyi stopped him.

The butler looked at Liu Shuyi with a puzzled expression.

Then Liu Shuyi slowly said, "I think I should be able to find the place where Changsun Temple Assistant disappeared."

"What!?"

The butler was taken aback.

Zhao Feng, Du Gou, and the others also looked at him with surprise.

Liu Shuyi had been waiting here the whole time, without even going inside the neighborhood. How could he suddenly say he could find it?

real or fake?

Everyone stared intently at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi then looked at Du Gou and said, "Does Vice Minister Du still remember what you said when you introduced Vice Minister Changsun's characteristics to me?"

"You mean?"

"I like losing money!"

"What?" Everyone was taken aback.

Liu Shuyi's eyes were deep: "Changsun Temple Assistant is a smart man, a very smart man, so if he encounters danger, or something that may be risky to him, he is likely to have a backup plan."

"So, how can he let us know that this backup plan was left by him?"

"I think the only thing that's truly unique about him is..."

"Not long ago, Mo Xiaofan and his group found a copper coin in Guanglu Lane. According to them, the coin had been lying there all along the way, and it felt to me as if it were guiding them..."

"This matter happens to coincide with the Changsun Temple Assistant's habit of losing money."

"So, you say..."

He glanced at the astonished crowd and slowly said, "Could this be the backup plan that Changsun Temple Assistant left for us?"

　I've been dealing with some miscellaneous things lately, which kept me up all night and affected my condition. The content I wrote this morning wasn't good enough, so I spent the whole afternoon rewriting and revising it, which is why I'm so late. I apologize for that.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)