The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 90: Not assassinated! The shocking cause of death!

The front hall of Dutingyi.

After passing through the guards' inspection, Liu Shuyi entered the hall.

Upon entering the main hall, he saw two imperial guards clad in armor, with swords at their waists, staring intently at him.

Behind them stood the young Crown Prince Li Chengqian, dressed in a python robe, exuding nobility, yet his face still held a youthful innocence.

Li Chengqian was born in the second year of the Wude era, and is now only nine years old. Although he is young, he already has a calm demeanor. Even after experiencing a bizarre murder case, there was no panic on his face. Only when he looked at me did he occasionally reveal his curiosity, which made Liu Shuyi feel the vitality that should be present at his age.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Liu Shuyi bowed respectfully.

"No need for such formalities, Mr. Liu."

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly and said, "I have received my father's edict. My father believes in your abilities, so I also believe in you."

"From now on, you will be in full charge of this case, and everyone, including myself, will cooperate with you unconditionally."

As he spoke, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes, as if he were very interested in Liu Shuyi's investigation, and he asked, "What are you planning to do next?"

Li Chengqian's straightforwardness made Liu Shuyi nod inwardly. What he was most worried about was that Li Chengqian knew nothing, but the bravado of a young man meant he liked to point fingers and give orders.

Fortunately, Li Chengqian at this time was far from the crown prince who would later be on the verge of being deposed.

He is at the most humble and hardworking stage of his life.

Liu Shuyi said, "I found a few helpers, and they have already gone to examine the body and conduct inquiries on my behalf."

As he spoke, he gave a brief account of the events involving Du Ying, Du Gou, and others.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "Liu Yuanwailang has already started his operation as soon as he arrived at Duting Post Station. His efficiency is so high. Father Emperor's choice of you was indeed correct."

"It's all what I should do."

Liu Shuyi looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Since all the information I currently have about the case comes from others and I do not have any eyewitness accounts, I would like to hear Your Highness's description of the case."

Li Chengqian ordered someone to bring Liu Shuyi a low stool and let him sit down before saying, "All of this happened too suddenly. I don't actually know much."

"It's alright, Your Highness. You only need to tell me what you have seen and heard."

Seeing Liu Shuyi's words, Li Chengqian nodded and said, "This evening, I, along with Xie Mo, Vice Minister of Revenue, Kang Wei, Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Wei Cheng, Vice Minister of Rites, Hou Junji, Vice Minister of War, Feng Chenggong, and other officials, hosted a banquet for the Xueyantuo envoys..."

The Tang Dynasty's alliance with the Xueyantuo was primarily aimed at war, which inevitably involved provisions, funds, and troop deployment. Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War each sent their second-in-command to accompany them. The Court of State Ceremonies was responsible for diplomatic affairs, but its orders were subject to the Ministry of Rites, so the Ministry of Rites also arranged personnel.

As for the Lüben Langjiang, he was the Crown Prince's personal guard, responsible for protecting Li Chengqian.

As expected, Li Chengqian's banquet this time also carried a clear political connotation, which was equivalent to a close contact between the successors of the two countries, second only to the personal meeting between Li Shimin and Xueyantuo Khan.

This alone demonstrates how much the Tang Dynasty valued its alliance with the Xueyantuo.

But then, an unexpected event occurred...

Liu Shuyi could imagine how furious Li Shimin would be when he learned of this news.

"Because I am still young and cannot drink alcohol, I substituted water for wine throughout the entire meal..."

Li Chengqian's voice continued, "The Xueyantuo envoys also understood me. The atmosphere at this banquet was very warm, and the Xueyantuo envoys were very hospitable..."

Liu Shuyi listened attentively to Li Chengqian's account. Because Li Chengqian was one of only two people present, besides Feng Chenggong, the military officer protecting him, who had not been drinking, he was more clear-headed and his observations were more detailed than those of the others who were drunk.

After listening to Li Chengqian's story, Liu Shuyi looked thoughtful.

Li Chengqian's words were a combination of Du Ruhui and Cheng Chumo; he calmly recounted everything he had seen, but due to his young age, he subconsciously added some subjective judgments and feelings.

After hearing the three people's accounts, Liu Shuyi had a complete grasp of the ins and outs of the entire case.

But this only deepens my confusion.

According to Li Chengqian, at the banquet, Ba Zhuo only sat at his small table and drank wine from beginning to end. Although he accepted all the toasts offered by the Tang officials and drank them all, in reality, because the officials present were of high status, no one moved around. Even when toasts were offered, they were raised from a distance.

In other words, no one actually came into contact with the bamboo shoots during the entire banquet.

Not only Ba Zhuo, but all the other people had no contact with each other either.

Except for going to the restroom, no one left their position.

In this situation, how did the thief control Ba Zhuo?
Ba Zhuo acted perfectly normal during the banquet, but after it ended, he suddenly went mad and started killing people...

Could it be that the problem wasn't during the banquet, but rather during the brief time they spent walking out together after the banquet ended?

Liu Shuyi immediately asked, "Your Highness, after your banquet ended, and then Ba Zhuo suddenly started killing people, did anyone have any contact with Ba Zhuo during that time?"

"This……"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment, then hesitated, "Yes, there is."

"Oh? Who is it?" Liu Shuyi pressed.

"solitary!"

Liu Shuyi's eyelids twitched: "Your Highness?"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "When the banquet ended, I got up to leave, and Ba Zhuo also got up and came to my side to see me off."

"After that, we left the main hall together and headed towards the gate of Duting Post Station. But before we even reached the gate, Ba Zhuo suddenly abandoned me and rushed straight towards Kang Shaoqing."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuyi suddenly realized something and said, "Ba Zhuo was very close to His Highness the Crown Prince at that time?"

"Yes."

"Where is Kang Shaoqing? Where is he located?"

"Directly behind me, to the right rear of Ba Zhuo."

"Where was General Feng in that position?"

"On my other side, to my left and right are Ba Zhuo and General Feng Lang."

"If Ba Zhuo had not intended to kill Kang Shaoqing, but instead suddenly attacked His Highness the Crown Prince, would General Feng have been able to protect His Highness in time?" Liu Shuyi asked.

“This…” Li Chengqian frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “I don’t know either. You’ll have to ask General Feng.”

"Where is General Feng? Why isn't he here protecting His Highness the Crown Prince?" Liu Shuyi only saw two imperial guards protecting Li Chengqian, but did not see Feng Chenggong.

Li Chengqian said, "I sent him to appease the Xueyantuo envoy for me."

"The alliance between the Tang Dynasty and the Xueyantuo must not be disrupted by this incident. Therefore, we cannot frighten them too much, lest it affect the important matters to come. But I do not know who the real culprit is, so I cannot risk my life. I can only let him go and appease them on my behalf."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly.

Just then, a deep, gruff voice came from outside: "Your Highness, this humble general has returned."

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "What a coincidence! We were just talking about General Feng, and General Feng is back now."

He immediately let Feng Chenggong in.

Soon, a middle-aged man, even more robust than Cheng Chumo, with a resolute face and sharp, eagle-like eyes, walked in.

He first bowed to Li Chengqian, then nodded to Liu Shuyi, and then stood beside Li Chengqian, like a demon god protecting him.

Li Chengqian asked Feng Chenggong about Liu Shuyi's problem.

Then Liu Shuyi saw Feng Chenggong frowning and looking serious. He said, "Ba Zhuo is walking side by side with His Highness. If his target is His Highness the Crown Prince, I won't be able to stop him in time. I can kill him as soon as he makes his first stab, but by then, His Highness will have already been stabbed."

"This is my dereliction of duty. I never thought that Your Highness would be in danger under those circumstances. I will take the initiative to accept punishment when I return."

Li Chengqian comforted you, saying, "Who would have thought that a perfectly healthy person would suddenly go mad? It's not your fault."

Feng Chenggong remained silent, but tightened his grip on the knife hilt.

Ignoring their words of comfort and self-reproach, Liu Shuyi's mind was racing.

He had a question that lingered in his mind, a question he just couldn't figure out.

If all of this was indeed the work of Turkic spies, whose aim was to undermine the alliance between the Tang Dynasty and the Xueyantuo, then why didn't they simply have Bazhuo target Li Chengqian?

Li Chengqian's status and position were far beyond what Kang Wei could compare to.

As long as Ba Zhuo harms Li Chengqian, regardless of whether Li Chengqian dies or not, the wrath of the Tang Dynasty will be even greater than it is now.

Moreover, given the circumstances at the time, Ba Zhuo was closest to Li Chengqian, and the probability of successfully attacking Li Chengqian was even higher than that of attacking Kang Wei.

However, Ba Zhuo did not make a move against Li Chengqian.

why?
Is it because they are worried that Feng Chengneng can protect Li Chengqian?

Or is it that Ba Zhuo cannot choose his target arbitrarily? Kang Wei was a target that was set up long ago, and even the mastermind controlling everything behind the scenes cannot change his mind on short notice?

If that's the case, why would Ba Zhuo listen to the person behind the scenes and choose Kang Wei?

Why choose Kang Wei instead of someone else?

Liu Shuyi frowned. He realized that this could be a very important clue, and solving this mystery might be the key to solving the case.

"Your Highness."

Liu Shuyi looked at Li Chengqian and said, "I will be going to the place where you held your banquet to look for clues, so I will not accompany Your Highness any longer."

"You're going to look for clues?"

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, and he said, "Can I go with you?"

"Huh?" Liu Shuyi was surprised.

Although Li Chengqian remained composed, his curious eyes betrayed his eagerness to try.

He coughed and said, "My father ordered me to cooperate fully with you, so..."

What do you mean by fully cooperating with me? Li Chengqian is clearly just curious about the investigation and wants to experience the process of investigating the case with me... Liu Shuyi has seen countless people. Although Li Chengqian is much more mature than other teenagers, he is still a nine-year-old child after all. How could his true thoughts be hidden from Liu Shuyi's eyes?

He thought for a moment and said, "The truth of the case is still unclear, and the thieves' intentions are unknown. The Duting Post Station is not entirely safe. Your Highness can investigate with me, but you must protect your own safety."

Seeing that Liu Shuyi agreed, Li Chengqian stood up and said, "Don't worry, Liu Yuanwailang, I have the Imperial Guards protecting me, nothing will happen."

Liu Shuyi looked at Feng Chenggong, who said in a deep voice, "I will protect His Highness the Crown Prince at all times."

Feng Chenggong was a calm and collected person, so since he said that, Liu Shuyi no longer needed to worry.

"Alright, let's not delay, let's go."

…………

Duting Post Station has a building comparable to an imperial palace, which was used by the royal family or the court to entertain envoys.

When Liu Shuyi and his group arrived, they found the palace gates closed, with armored and armed guards standing in front of them.

Li Chengqian said, "The moment the case occurred, I ordered the Imperial Guards to seal off Duting Post Station. I was worried that Bazhuo would go mad and that it was related to our banquet, so I also sealed off this place at the same time, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Your Highness is right. If people come and go from the banquet, or even if the dishes are taken away, any clues here may be destroyed."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's praise, Li Chengqian couldn't help but smile.

He spent his days in the Eastern Palace either reading with his teacher or studying strategies for governing the country. It was incredibly dull and boring, and he found the days tedious and unbearable. But then, he overheard eunuchs and palace maids discussing Liu Shuyi's case. Listening to the tense and mysterious investigation process, he felt his heart pounding more violently than ever before. It was as if this case had made his monotonous life interesting.

Then he hurriedly asked the eunuch about all the cases that Liu Shuyi had recently solved. He was immediately amazed and Liu Shuyi became both mysterious and powerful in his mind.

Being able to witness Liu Shuyi investigating a case firsthand, and even receive praise from the brilliant detective, gave Li Chengqian a wonderful feeling as if he had personally participated in those mysterious cases.

"Open the door." Liu Shuyi was unaware that his word of praise had stirred the heart of the young crown prince beside him. He went straight to the front of the hall and gave the order directly to the Imperial Guards.

crunch--

The door is opened.

The candles inside the hall were still burning, illuminating the bright banquet scene.

Directly opposite the palace gate, there was a table and a cushion, and then five tables on each side.

Li Chengqian followed Liu Shuyi into the main hall and said, "I sit in the main seat. To my left are officials of my Great Tang Dynasty, and to my right are envoys of the Xueyantuo."

“Bazhuo sat at the head of the table on the right, followed by Tutun of Xueyantuo. Tutun was an official position similar to a combination of the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate of our Great Tang Dynasty. His name was Zhaohe. Then there was Beke—Feiqin, the tribal chief and general of Xueyantuo. Next was Hulile, the general who pulled Bazhuo away. The last one was Jiezhuo, a civil official equivalent to the Attendant-in-Ordinary of our Great Tang Dynasty. Jiezhuo was a rare scholar among Xueyantuo. Negotiations with our Great Tang Dynasty were mainly carried out by him and Bazhuo.”

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly, having formed a preliminary impression of the members of the Xueyantuo delegation.

The lineup, led by the Crown Prince, including Showa, who was in charge of finances and had the responsibility of supervision, two military generals, Fei Qin and Huli Le, and the civil official Jie Zhuo who was in charge of negotiations, was basically the same as the people brought by Li Chengqian. As long as the two countries reached an agreement, the supplies and troops could be deployed immediately.

As he walked past these tables, he saw that the plates on the tables were full of food, but the wine jugs on the tables were empty, with almost nothing left.

It seems everyone understands that this was just an official social event.

Liu Shuyi walked to Ba Zhuo's table and looked down at it.

Then it was observed that Ba Zhuo's condition was the same as the others; he barely touched the dishes and didn't eat much at all. On the contrary, there were four empty wine jugs.

Liu Shuyi sat down in Ba Zhuo's seat, slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and put himself in Ba Zhuo's shoes.

When he reopened his eyes, his mind was no longer focused on solving the case, but rather on how, as Ba Zhuo, he could appease Li Chengqian and demonstrate humility before the Tang Dynasty to ensure its full support for the Xueyantuo...

In this situation, what should I do?
As he pondered this, his gaze kept shifting between Li Chengqian's table and his own...

"General Feng, have you noticed that Liu Yuanwailang looks exactly the same as Ba Zhuo did back then? Am I seeing things wrong?"

Li Chengqian couldn't help but ask.

Feng Chenggong also frowned: "It does feel like a burning sensation."

Zhao Feng then whispered, "Master Liu must have assumed Ba Zhuo's identity and was thinking from Ba Zhuo's perspective to see if he could discover anything unusual."

"Identify him as Ba Zhuo?" Li Chengqian's eyes widened in surprise. "You can do that? No wonder he gave me the feeling of Ba Zhuo, it's so similar! Exactly the same!"

Feng Chenggong was also somewhat surprised, as this was the first time he had ever seen a case investigated in this way.

At this moment, Liu Shuyi closed his eyes again, and when he opened them again, he had regained his previous composure.

"How about it?"

Li Chengqian asked curiously, "Did you find anything?"

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment, then nodded: "A little."

"Really?"

Li Chengqian was surprised and quickly asked, "What discovery?"

Liu Shuyi said, "Just now, when His Highness recounted the banquet to me, he told me that Bazhuo kept offering toasts to His Highness and kept saying nice things to him. He also drank all the toasts offered by officials of our Great Tang Dynasty without hesitation... Given his status and interests, there was nothing wrong with what he did, but..."

Liu Shuyi changed the subject, saying, "He forgot to do one thing."

"What did you miss?" Li Chengqian asked, puzzled.

"He did not offer a toast to the officials of the Great Tang Dynasty. No, that's not the right way to put it. It should be said that he did not take the initiative to seek out the officials of the Great Tang Dynasty for a drink."

Seeing that Li Chengqian did not understand his meaning, Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, during the banquet, did you only drink with Bazhuo and not pay any attention to the other envoys of Xueyantuo?"

"Of course we'll take care of it."

Li Chengqian said, "The envoys are all distinguished guests. Although they are of different statuses, in order to show the grandeur of our Great Tang, I have treated each of them with great respect, spoken to them individually, and raised a cup with them. How could I possibly ignore them?"

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Yes, Your Highness, as the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, must take care of the distinguished guests of Xueyantuo. Conversely, as the Yehu of Xueyantuo, shouldn't Bazhuo also take care of the other officials of our Great Tang, just like Your Highness?"

"Not to mention, Xueyantuo is not a major power. It was only established because the Tang Dynasty needed such a force in the northern desert to restrain the Turks. To put it bluntly, Bazhuo may seem to be the successor of Xueyantuo, but his actual status is not high! He will still need to rely on the Tang Dynasty. In this situation, in addition to befriending His Highness, it is also necessary for him to befriend other officials."

Li Chengqian looked enlightened and nodded, saying, "Now that you mention it, it really is a bit strange."

"He certainly didn't talk to or drink with other people like I did."

Feng Chenggong looked at Liu Shuyi and asked, "What does this anomaly mean?"

Liu Shuyi shook his head: "I haven't figured it out yet. Maybe Ba Zhuo is only concerned about His Highness the Crown Prince and has indeed neglected others. He may also be hiding other secrets."

He looked back at the food and wine on the table and asked, "Were these dishes prepared by the cooks at Duting Post Station?"

"No."

Li Chengqian shook his head: "It was prepared by the chef I brought from the Eastern Palace. The chefs at Duting Post Station can't make this kind of banquet."

The cook in the Eastern Palace...

Liu Shuyi nodded: "What about the ingredients? Were they also brought from the Eastern Palace?"

"No, it was purchased by Duting Post Station."

Li Chengqian said, "Does Master Liu suspect that there is something wrong with the food and wine?"

Liu Shuyi said, "We cannot rule out that possibility."

"But we all ate the same food and drinks, right? We're all fine."

"Is the order in which the food and drinks are served fixed, or are they placed down randomly?"

"Naturally, it should be fixed, otherwise it would be too chaotic."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Since it's fixed, it means we can determine which portion of food and drinks will be delivered to Bazhuo's table."

Li Chengqian's eyes widened: "Could it really be a problem with the food and wine?"

"Just try and you will find out."

Liu Shuyi turned to Lu Yangyuan and said, "Deputy Lieutenant Lu, go find two dogs and have them eat the food that Ba Zhuo and Kang Shaoqing shared, and see if they have any unusual reactions."

"Why do we need to verify Kang Shaoqing's food? Isn't he a victim?" Li Chengqian asked, puzzled.

"When Ba Zhuo attacked Kang Shaoqing, Kang Shaoqing's reaction was also strange, so since we need to verify, we should verify both of them."

As he spoke, he asked, "Which one is Kang Shaoqing's desk?"

Li Chengqian said, “The five tables on the left are occupied by General Feng, Vice Minister Xie of the Ministry of Revenue, Vice Minister Hou of the Ministry of War, Junior Minister Kang, and Vice Minister Wei of the Ministry of Rites. The fourth table belongs to Junior Minister Kang.”

Liu Shuyi looked at Lu Yangyuan: "Take some food from each of these two tables, go ahead."

"Yes."

Without any hesitation, Lu Yangyuan quickly found an empty plate, poured some of the food from Ba Zhuo and Kang Wei's table, and then carried the two plates of food away.

Liu Shuyi got up and went to Kang Wei's table. Looking down, he saw that Kang Wei's table also had a lot of food left, no different from the others. The only difference was that he drank very little alcohol, with only two empty wine jugs.

He thought for a moment and said, "Did Kang Shaoqing also pay respects to Ba Zhuo?"

"Yes." Li Chengqian nodded: "He seems to have offered the salute quite a few times."

"Not few?" Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed. "How many times?"

While Li Chengqian was still deep in thought, Feng Chenggong's voice rang out: "Four times."

"Four times?" Liu Shuyi frowned, looked at Feng Chenggong, and asked, "How many times did General Feng offer his respects?"

“Twice,” Feng Chenggong said.

"What about the others?" Liu Shuyi asked again.

"Twice too."

"General Feng remembers it so clearly?"

Feng Chenggong said, "I don't like these kinds of occasions and I'm not good at communicating with people, so at the banquet, I mostly protected His Highness while remaining silent and bored. To pass the time, I paid attention to their toasts and drinking, so I remember them quite clearly."

Liu Shuyi nodded, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, and said, "Everyone else toasted twice, but Kang Shaoqing toasted four times. Why did Kang Shaoqing toast twice as many times as the others?"

He looked at Li Chengqian: "Is Kang Shaoqing and Bazhuo on good terms?"

Li Chengqian shook his head: "I only met Ba Zhuo today and do not know his relationship with Kang Shaoqing. However, when Ba Zhuo arrived in Chang'an, it was Kang Shaoqing who greeted him on behalf of the Honglu Temple. In the subsequent negotiations, Kang Shaoqing also kept in contact with Ba Zhuo. Their relationship should be more familiar than that of others."

Did the two of them have any conversation during the banquet?

“Conversation?” Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, “It was just normal small talk. Kang Shaoqing said some nice things to Ba Zhuo during the first two toasts. After that, Ba Zhuo kept talking to me and didn’t talk much to Kang Shaoqing. As soon as Kang Shaoqing picked up his wine glass, he would drink it down in one gulp.”

Liu Shuyi frowned.

Something is wrong!
The reaction to the cauterization is wrong!

As the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Kang Wei had been representing the Court of State Ceremonial in receiving him these past few days. As Li Chengqian said, he and Kang Wei were the people he knew best. Under such circumstances, when Kang Wei toasted him, he should at least show enough enthusiasm and politeness, even if he didn't return the toast.

However, on the two subsequent toasts from Kang Wei, he didn't give Kang Wei a chance to speak and simply drank the wine.

Is this really the exhilarating experience Li Chengqian described?
Or is it that he simply doesn't want to talk to Kang Wei? Is he deliberately trying to shut Kang Wei up?

Is it...

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered.

Is this why Ba Zhuo chose Kang Wei? Or is it that Ba Zhuo's choice of Kang Wei was related to Kang Wei's four toasts?

Kang Wei only needed to follow the others and offer a toast twice, so why did he offer two more toasts?
Did he have other intentions?

Liu Shuyi pondered for a moment before sitting down in Kang Wei's seat.

He put himself in Kang Wei's shoes and tried to understand Kang Wei's behavior at the banquet.

In the end, only the excessive toasting was found to be abnormal; otherwise, Kang Wei was perfectly normal.

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin, frowning in thought.

At this moment, Lu Yangyuan returned.

He told Liu Shuyi, "The food on both tables has been fed to the two dogs, and so far, they are doing well."

"Continue to observe and wait."

Ba Zhuo went mad only after the banquet ended, which shows that if there really was a problem with the food at the banquet, it wouldn't have shown up immediately.

"Yes." Lu Yangyuan nodded quickly.

At this moment, the palace door was opened, and Du Ying, dressed in black, walked in.

"I've finished the test."

Liu Shuyi strode forward and asked, "How is it?"

Li Chengqian followed, equally curious about Du Ying, whom Liu Shuyi called the greatest coroner of the Tang Dynasty. He wanted to know if this woman, who seemed like an iceberg, was really as formidable as Liu Shuyi had described.

Du Ying first bowed to Li Chengqian, then looked at Liu Shuyi and said directly, "Kang Shaoqing was not stabbed to death. His real cause of death... was poisoning!"

(End of this chapter)