The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 75: The Appearance! Who is the mantis, and who is the oriole?

"Did I hear correctly?"

Wang Gui was momentarily dazed, wondering if he was hallucinating.

He couldn't help but ask Liu Shuyi for confirmation: "Master Liu, are you talking about... Zhang Shu, Lin Jiangqing's grandson-in-law who married into the family?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi's words were truly beyond their expectations.

After all, Lin Jiangqing's grandson-in-law had been dead for a long time and was beyond dead; his body was stiff.

How could a dead person help them find the murderer?

They wouldn't be so surprised if Liu Shuyi mentioned any living person they didn't know.

Liu Shuyi naturally knew how unexpected his words were, so he didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "We have always had a question about Lin Jiangqing's granddaughter and grandson-in-law that we haven't been able to answer."

Du Gou's mind raced, and he immediately said, "No children, and living in separate rooms?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "That's right. We analyzed it before. Generally, families would find a son-in-law to marry into the family so that he could have children as soon as possible, so that their family could have more offspring, continue the family line, and inherit the family business."

"But Lin Jiangqing's granddaughter's room is still her boudoir. She has been married to Zhang Shu for several years, but they have never even shared a room. She is still a virgin."

"Moreover, Zhang Shu also had his own room. In his room, we did not find any women's clothes or any traces of women living there."

"This suggests that the two of them may never have lived together from the beginning."

Du Gou considered the many details of the two rooms and nodded, saying, "Indeed, there is no trace of another person in either of their rooms..."

He frowned: "It's really strange. If they were living in the same room, and Lin Jiangqing's granddaughter didn't like Zhang Shu and didn't want to share a room with him, making Zhang Shu sleep on the floor, then Lin Jiangqing and the others wouldn't know the specifics and wouldn't bother with them."

“But they clearly live in separate rooms. Under these circumstances, Lin Jiangqing and the others must know that the two are not close and that this has not changed over the years.”

"Under these circumstances, how could they possibly ignore the fact that the two are in such a predicament in order to have offspring?"

Zhao Feng, Wang Gui, and the others looked thoughtful, unable to understand the reason behind it.

"And one more thing……"

Liu Shuyi's voice continued: "You all know the secret of the Lin family. They pretend to be kind, but in reality, they are utterly wicked."

"In this situation, what do you think..."

He looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Would they dare to easily go to their grandson-in-law?"

"Aren't they afraid that their grandson-in-law won't approve of their wicked ways of making money?"

"Aren't they afraid that their grandson-in-law will expose their secrets and let outsiders know their true colors?"

"This..." Wang Gui was stunned: "It really is! If the crimes they committed were discovered, even being slowly sliced ​​to death would be too lenient! They would never dare to marry an outsider so easily, especially one who lives in their Lin residence!"

Zhao Feng nodded in agreement: "The secret room is in the backyard. They also buy and sell beggars and refugees. There's no way they could keep it from Zhang Shu."

"Yes, they couldn't possibly keep it from Zhang Shu..."

Liu Shuyi said, "If Zhang Shu and his granddaughter were in love and he were willing to collude with the Lin family for her sake, that would be one thing... But what is the reality?"

He glanced at everyone and said, "Zhang Shu and his wife have been living in separate rooms for years. Forget about being affectionate; it's a miracle they haven't become enemies!"

"Even so, they weren't worried that Zhang Shu would betray them, so they killed him! Instead, they let Zhang Shu live comfortably in the Lin residence..."

Do you all think this is normal?

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes suddenly widened.

They finally understood the meaning behind Liu Shuyi's long and roundabout way of doing things.

"Yup!"

"The Lin family's attitude towards Zhang Shu is too strange."

"Given Lin Jiangqing and his ruthlessness, if they sense that Zhang Shu poses a threat to them, they will definitely not show any mercy."

"That's right, and their hypocritical kindness is deeply ingrained. Even if they kill Zhang Shu, they can easily explain it away with an accident or illness, and the neighbors won't suspect anything. They don't need to worry about the consequences of killing Zhang Shu at all."

"But they didn't kill Zhang Shu. Instead, they bought him so many nice clothes and made him live so comfortably in the side room..."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, all sensing Zhang Shu's unusual behavior.

However, I can't understand why this is happening.

Jia Ping's mind was currently preoccupied with Changsun Chong. Seeing that Liu Shuyi had indeed discovered details they had overlooked, he quickly said, "Master Liu, please tell us quickly. What exactly happened? And how can we find the murderer and rescue the young master through the already dead Zhang Shu?"

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively fell silent and looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi didn't keep them in suspense, saying, "Actually, we can understand everything by deducing from the situation of Zhang Shu and the Lin family."

"First of all, the Lin family was well aware that Zhang Shu had no feelings for Lin Jiangqing's granddaughter, but none of them interfered or made things difficult for Zhang Shu. Instead, they provided him with good food and drink..."

"This means that Lin Jiangqing and the others may not have originally intended for the two of them to get married."

"This can be seen from the fact that Lin Jiangqing's granddaughter's boudoir has no trace of wedding decorations, which means they may not have even had a wedding ceremony."

"The so-called marriage into the family is probably just a pretext for Zhang Shu to enter the Lin residence."

Liu Shuyi's words were nothing short of astonishing.

The marriage, which was common knowledge and even registered in the official household register, was, in Liu Shuyi's eyes, merely a legitimate reason to enter the Lin family...

But after careful consideration, everyone agreed that Liu Shuyi was right.

The many unreasonable situations between Zhang Shu and his wife in the Lin family can be explained by the fact that the two were never actually married.

"Secondly..."

Liu Shuyi continued, "As I just said, if the Lin family's secret were to be exposed, it would be a catastrophe. Under such circumstances, they are willing to let Zhang Shu, an outsider who is not even their marriage partner, enter the Lin residence..."

That can only mean one thing...

He looked at everyone, his voice low, causing everyone to subconsciously bow slightly, their hearts tightening.

Then they heard Liu Shuyi say, "Zhang Shu knew the Lin family's secrets... well before he even entered the door!"

"He entered the Lin family with a legitimate identity, probably to help them buy and sell people!"

"in other words……"

Liu Shuyi looked at everyone: "Zhang Shu is also an accomplice of the Lin family!"

Zhang Shu is an accomplice of the Lin family!?
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a tingling sensation that instantly climbed up their spines, giving them a feeling of relief and clarity after the initial shock!
"That's right! If Zhang Shu is an accomplice of the Lin family, then everything makes sense!"

"How could I not have thought of this possibility!"

"That must be it! Only this reason can explain everything!"

The crowd discussed excitedly.

The two mustaches at the corners of Jia Ping's mouth swayed back and forth as he continued to mutter to himself.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter: "That makes sense! That makes sense! Master Liu is indeed a brilliant judge; he discovered the key point in an instant!"

He hurriedly said, "The murderer is an accomplice of the Lin family, and Zhang Shu is also an accomplice of the Lin family... So, the murderer and Zhang Shu may actually be in cahoots. It's just that this time, for some reason, the murderer also killed Zhang Shu to silence him!"

"So, if we investigate Zhang Shu, we can find clues about the murderer?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Steward Jia is intelligent."

He looked at the crowd and said, "Human trafficking is no small business."

"It involves many aspects such as population acquisition, population transportation, and connecting with buyers."

"The entire process is extremely complex and must be kept strictly confidential. Otherwise, any loophole in any link could cause everyone on the line to suffer."

"And this is something that the Lin family of five cannot manage on their own."

"Therefore, the Lin family must have other partners, and there may even be a master behind the Lin family who controls the whole situation. The Lin family is just one link in this huge business chain."

"But whichever the possibility, the most important thing between partners in this kind of high-risk business is trust."

"If there is not enough trust, and you are constantly worried that someone will betray you, then this business cannot be done."

"But they are all people who prioritize profit above all else, have no bottom line, and are devoid of humanity. How can we be sure that such people will not betray us?"

"I think……"

Liu Shuyi paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the tense faces of the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "Only by placing your trusted confidants next to the enemy and keeping a close eye on them can you truly feel at ease."

Wang Gui's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "So, Zhang Shu is a thief from another link in the chain, sent to monitor the Lin family?"

Zhao Feng nodded emphatically: "That must be it! Otherwise, there's no way to explain these unusual things about Zhang Shu and the Lin family."

“If it’s surveillance, then it makes perfect sense. Otherwise, if Zhang Shu is an accomplice in other parts of the operation, there’s no need for him to enter the Lin family and become tied to them. After all, once he’s in the Lin family, his movements will be restricted, and with the neighbors watching, he won’t be able to do much outside the Lin family.”

The others pondered carefully and nodded in agreement.

Du Gou raised his eyes and looked at Zhang Shu's disemboweled corpse in the room behind Du Ying. He pondered and said, "If Zhang Shu was really sent by the thieves from other links, then Zhang Shu was the bridge between the Lin family and the thieves from other links. After the Lin family tamed the beggars and refugees, they wanted to sell them to buyers through people from other links. Zhang Shu was the crucial person in that process."

"Yes."

Liu Shuyi said, "Zhang Shu must have had more frequent contact with thieves from other parts of the Lin family than the others. So if we can find out Zhang Shu's activity patterns and know who he often contacts, then that person is probably their accomplice!"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's words, the butler Jia Ping immediately became excited.

He said, "I will immediately use the power of the Changsun family to conduct an investigation."

Why go through all that trouble?

Liu Shuyi shook his head and said, "Lin Jiangqing deliberately fabricated the image of a great philanthropist, making the neighbors pay extra attention to the Lin family."

“If Zhang Shu doesn’t go out late at night, his neighbors will definitely find out.”

"Moreover, the Lin family needs to transport the tamed slaves out every once in a while. If they choose to do it at night, the north and south gates of the wards will be closed during curfew. In addition, the patrol routes of the guards are unpredictable every day, so it is extremely difficult for them to transport people smoothly."

"So most likely, they act during the day when there are many people around..."

"These innocent people are not willing to be slaves. If they are discovered during transport, they will inevitably cry for help and struggle... Therefore, they are likely to use vehicles such as horse-drawn carts, oxcarts, and donkey carts to tie up these innocent people and hide them inside, so as to transport them out." "As we just mentioned, Zhang Shu is a confidant of the other bandits and is the link between the Lin family and the upstream. Therefore, the task of transporting slaves to the upstream bandits is very likely to fall on his shoulders."

"so……"

Liu Shuyi looked at Jia Ping and said, "We only need to ask the neighbors whether the Lin family has vehicles coming and going every once in a while, and whether the person in the vehicle is Zhang Shu, then we can know where Zhang Shu is going and who he is in contact with."

Jia Ping never expected that Liu Shuyi not only saw through Zhang Shu's identity, but also considered how to find Zhang Shu.

If they could really get this information from the neighbors, it would be much faster than the Changsun family using their intelligence network to investigate.

Without any delay, he immediately instructed his men to go and inquire at the neighboring houses.

Soon, dozens of people rushed out of the Lin residence.

After doing all this, Jia Ping breathed a sigh of relief. He put his hands together and couldn't help but say, "Amitabha, may Buddha protect us. We must successfully find out Zhang Shu's secret, and may the young master be safe and sound."

Seeing Jia Ping's nervous and worried expression, Liu Shuyi shook his head.

He never placed his hopes on ethereal gods and Buddhas; he only believed in himself.

Du Gou looked at the distorted corpses in the room, thought for a moment, and said, "Tell me, why did Lin Jiangqing's accomplices want to wipe out the entire Lin family?"

"Either the person who dominates this business online feels they've made enough money and wants to retire, but they're afraid that one day everything they've done will be discovered, so they first eliminate all the people involved, leaving no one alive except those they trust."

"Either the Lin family made a mistake and risked being exposed, and others saw them as a threat that would eventually implicate them, so they eliminated them in advance to ensure their own safety."

Liu Shuyi said calmly, "Either the Lin family thinks they've made enough money and don't want to take any more risks, so they want to withdraw... But how can the others allow it? Who knows if you'll betray us? The Lin family isn't high enough to silence the others, so naturally they'll be silenced."

Listening to Liu Shuyi's words, Wang Gui couldn't help but sigh, "Once you get on this pirate ship, you're destined to either capsize with it or be pushed into the water and drown. There's no chance of getting off safely... The Lin family couldn't possibly not know this, but they still got on the pirate ship."

"Wealth and money can move people's hearts; this has always been the case."

Du Gou said, "However, they amassed so much wealth through this, yet in the end they dared not show it off in public, and could only secretly change into new clothes in their rooms... Thinking about it, it's quite laughable."

Is it ridiculous?
That's really ridiculous.

This is laughable, but it comes at the cost of the futures and lives of countless innocent people.

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart.

He turned around and looked towards the direction outside the courtyard gate, gazing at the sparsely populated street.

He wondered if the master behind Miaoyin'er had also realized that Changsun Chong's disappearance was related to the Lin family's extermination case.

He was the first to discover the copper coins; they certainly wouldn't have paid attention to the Lin family's extermination case before him.

But if they were secretly watching him and saw him investigating the Lin family's case, they would probably understand everything...

So, right now, is there a pair of eyes watching me, just as they are watching Zhang Shu of the Lin family?

If so...

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes, his deep gaze shifting between light and shadow...

"Master Liu, we've found out..."

At this time, a burst of rapid footsteps came.

Then, the people from the Changsun residence who had just been dispatched rushed into the Lin residence.

The butler, Jia Ping, quickly stepped forward and asked, "How is it?"

The head guard said, "Just as Master Liu said!"

“These neighbors said that the Lin family was frugal and very thrifty, so Zhang Shu would personally go to the farmers to buy their meals by driving a donkey cart. The Lin family said that this would save them some money, and they had been doing this for years.”

"Just as I expected!" Everyone's eyes lit up immediately.

Originally, Liu Shuyi's words were just a deduction.

But now, it has been completely confirmed.

Wang Gui sneered, "Not keeping a single old garment, filling the wardrobe with expensive new clothes, yet haggling over a few copper coins when buying groceries... This is truly the first time I've ever seen such frugality!"

Ignoring Wang Gui's inner grumbling, Liu Shuyi asked, "Do they know where Zhang Shu purchased his grain and vegetables?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Ping couldn't help but look nervously at the guard.

The guard nodded and said, "These neighbors aren't exactly wealthy, so after hearing that the Lin family is so frugal, they want to be just as thrifty as the Lin family."

Therefore, they once rode in Zhang Shu's donkey cart together to buy vegetables.

"According to them, it was a vegetable market located in Da'an Ward, the southernmost part of Chang'an City. However, they did not go into the vegetable market, but waited at the entrance for farmers to deliver vegetables to the market. They would intercept the farmers at the entrance and buy the freshest vegetables directly from them."

"Because after the farmers deliver their vegetables to the vegetable market, the market will raise the price and then distribute them to various parts of Chang'an for sale, so the price of vegetables bought from farmers is the cheapest."

"However, it takes more than half of Chang'an City to get from here to Da'anfang, which is quite a long distance. The neighbors felt that it took too much time, but the Lin family said that they were willing to help the neighbors, so every time Zhang Shu went out to buy vegetables and grains, he would bring some back for them as well."

Listening to the guard's words, Wang Gui couldn't help but say, "The Lin family has really taken hypocrisy to the extreme."

"No wonder these neighbors praise the Lin family so much. If it were me, I would also be deceived by the Lin family's appearance if I didn't know their true colors."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Indeed, they give gifts during holidays, sell their possessions to help with medical treatment when a neighbor is sick, and now they even help each other save money on groceries... If I had such a neighbor, I would probably feel incredibly lucky and would want to praise them every day.

Little did these neighbors, who considered themselves lucky, know that their good fortune came at the cost of the misfortune of countless innocent people.

Du Gou took a deep breath, suppressing his complicated thoughts. Recalling the guard's words, his eyes flickered, and he quickly looked at Liu Shuyi and said, "Because Zhang Shu had personally taken these neighbors to Da'anfang before, and every time he went out, he would bring back fresh vegetables from Da'anfang for the neighbors, the surrounding neighbors didn't care at all about Zhang Shu frequently taking the donkey cart to Da'anfang. Instead, they had gotten used to it."

"Even if others are paying attention to Zhang Shu, they probably won't think much of it after asking the neighbors."

"So, Da'anfang..."

He said, "Da'anfang is the hiding place of Zhang Shu's accomplices!?"

Upon hearing Du Gou's words, everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and they all quickly looked at Liu Shuyi.

The members of the Changsun family, including Jia Ping, held their breath in tension.

Then they saw Liu Shuyi smile slightly: "It's not accurate to say that Da'anfang is their hiding place; it should be said that it's one of their strongholds."

“Zhang Shu would secretly send the tamed slaves to their stronghold, and then other people would secretly send these slaves to various buyers. Only in this way could the entire human trafficking transaction be completed.”

"Let's go!"

Liu Shuyi turned around immediately: "Take a neighbor who has been to the vegetable market with him and have him show us the way. We... are going to Da'anfang!"

…………

Just as when they arrived, they were in a grand and imposing procession.

When they left, everyone moved faster and more urgently.

With the thunderous sound of horses' hooves, Liu Shuyi and his men all departed.

Only a few yamen runners from the Chang'an County government remained to handle the aftermath.

At that moment, no one noticed that after Liu Shuyi and the others left, a figure peeked out from around the corner of the street in the distance.

He was dressed in a black robe, and had an ordinary face—the kind of appearance that wouldn't attract much attention in a crowd.

At this moment, his deep eyes stared in the direction where Liu Shuyi and the others had left, and he murmured, "Da'anfang? Changsun Chong is in Da'anfang?"

Without any hesitation, he immediately turned around and disappeared around the street corner.

Unbeknownst to him, after he left, a figure suddenly emerged from the corner where Changsun Chong had left the last copper coin.

If the man in black saw him, he would surely recognize his identity.

—Wang Gui, the county magistrate of Chang'an!
After leaving with Liu Shuyi and the others, he stopped after turning a corner and hid there.

Wang Gui frowned, staring at the street corner across the street: "Damn it, how come someone is really spying on us!?"

Just as he was leaving the Lin residence, he was walking side by side with Liu Shuyi when Liu Shuyi suddenly whispered to him to hide there and observe whether any hidden figures would appear after they left.

At the time, he couldn't understand how anyone could dare to hide in the shadows and spy on them in broad daylight...

And it actually exists!

"Whose faction is this?"

"Damn it! Why does it suddenly feel so dangerous?"

Wang Gui shrank his neck involuntarily. Seeing the man leave, he didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately mounted his horse, and chased after Liu Shuyi and the others.

Because Liu Shuyi and his group were moving too fast, by the time Wang Gui caught up with them, they had already arrived at Da'anfang.

"Master Liu..."

Wang Gui approached Liu Shuyi, looked around, lowered his voice, and said, "There really is someone watching us."

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed, and he said, "Wearing black?"

Wang Gui's eyes widened: "How did you know?! Did Liu Yuanwailang see him too?"

Sure enough it was them!
Liu Shuyi naturally didn't see it, but when he inquired about Changsun Chong's whereabouts from street vendors, he learned that another group of people dressed in black were also looking for Changsun Chong.

They did indeed set their sights on me.

Now they know that Changsun Chong is in Da'an Ward...

Liu Shuyi turned his head and looked at the street behind him.

The streets were bustling with people, each one hurrying along, as if no one was paying attention to them.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Are you trying to pull off a 'mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind' scenario?"

He looked up at the plaque of "Tongfu Vegetable Shop" in front of him.

"I just don't know who the mantis is and who the oriole is unaware of..."

…………

P.S.: It's the last day of the holiday, so I'm taking a short break. Only 6400 words updated today. Thank you all for your support; my monthly votes have increased significantly these past two days, thank you so much!
(End of this chapter)