The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 116 The news spread, and everyone was shocked: Impossible, absolutely impossible!

When Wang Gui saw Wan'er kick Du Shu to the ground, he quickly led his constables from where they had been hiding.

He was both annoyed that Wan'er was too impatient and hadn't followed the plan to lure Du Shu into their ambush, and worried that Wan'er was no match for Du Shu and would be injured by him. So he ran extremely fast, drawing his sword from his waist as he ran, thinking of protecting the pretty little maid Wan'er as soon as possible.

But when he rushed to the gate of the villa and saw the scene inside, his eyes widened in surprise.

"hiss……"

He gasped and instinctively touched his face.

Inside the door, Wan'er was kicking Du Shu's face repeatedly. Du Shu did not fight back as she had feared. Instead, he curled up, covering his head with his arms. There were obvious wounds on his arms, and blood was flowing from his nose and mouth. His right cheekbone was completely collapsed, and it looked as if Wan'er had kicked it off.

What kind of strength does it take to break someone's facial bones in such a short time?

I never expected that Wan'er, who looks so gentle and weak, would be so strong!

"Women can be truly terrifying when they get angry."

Fearing that Wan'er would kick Du Shu to death, Wang Gui quickly ordered his men to pull Wan'er away and tie Du Shu up.

Only then did Du Shucai have a chance to speak. He spat out blood and angrily shouted, "What the hell have you done? What crime have I committed?!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Wang Gui glanced at Du Shu and then noticed that Du Shu, whose face was bruised and swollen, with snot, blood, and tears streaming down his face, was missing two front teeth and spoke with a severe lisp.

Wan'er sneered, "I'm asking you why you arrested him, and what crime he committed."

"What crime did you commit?"

Wang Gui stared at Du Shu with a chilling expression, his eyes like knives piercing Du Shu's heart: "You've been monitoring us in Yongpingfang for so long, you don't actually think we came here by chance, do you? Murderer!"

Du Shu's pupils contracted, and his already bruised and swollen face turned deathly pale.

Wan'er ignored Du Shu and looked at Wang Gui, saying, "When we asked him to go back to the Du residence just now, he hesitated a lot. Even after hearing that his wife was sick, he was unwilling to leave here."

"After much persuasion, he still had to rush back before curfew. As expected, just as the young master predicted, he hid Mo Xiaofan in this villa."

Earlier, when they spotted someone coming out of the Du residence from the restaurant opposite the Du residence, Wang Gui immediately led his men to stop that person.

The person was none other than Madam Du's maid. The reason she came out was to ask Du Shu to go back and visit his sick wife.

According to the maid, Du Shu had not returned to the mansion for three days. The sick lady missed her husband very much, so she wanted to take this opportunity to call Du Shu back.

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui immediately informed Liu Shuyi. Liu Shuyi speculated that Du Shuying was with Mo Xiaofan and had not returned to the house because he needed to keep an eye on Mo Xiaofan.

Then he decided to turn the tables and use the maid to lure Du Shu out.

They were afraid that the maid would betray them, so they specifically asked Wan'er to accompany them. On the one hand, she could keep an eye on the maid, and on the other hand, Wan'er was quick-witted, so if the maid couldn't persuade Du Shu, she could help come up with a solution.

As it turned out, Du Shu really fell for the trap.

Upon hearing Wan'er's words, Wang Gui did not hesitate and immediately led his men into the villa to search it.

At this moment, Liu Shuyi, Du Gou, and Zhao Feng also came over.

Seeing Du Shu's miserable appearance, Du Gou and Zhao Feng's eyelids twitched a few times. They secretly glanced at Wan'er and thought to themselves that they must never offend this pretty maid in the future.

Liu Shuyi also gave Wan'er a deep look, but he wasn't particularly surprised, since he knew very well that Wan'er was no ordinary maid.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Du Shu, noticing Du Shu's pale face, and said indifferently, "Compared to your father, you are far inferior."

“Your father committed 60 crimes in 5 years, and he never failed once.”

"As a result, the title of murderer was passed on to you. You were arrested before you could even commit a single crime. If your father knew about this, he probably wouldn't be able to rest in peace even in the afterlife."

Du Shu never expected Liu Shuyi to ridicule him like this, mocking his most respected father.

His eyes widened, bloodshot and bloodshot, and he snapped angrily, "Shut up!"

"I was just unlucky!"

"If Mo Xiaofan hadn't noticed something amiss along the way, delaying my time and trapping me in Yongpingfang, you would never have been able to find any clues!"

Liu Shuyi chuckled: "Indeed, choosing Mo Xiaofan as your target was your biggest mistake. Your luck is really not good."

"but……"

He looked intently at Du Shu, a half-smile on his face, and said, "You didn't refute my claim that your father committed the crime. It seems I was right after all."

"There are two murderers. Five years ago it was your father, and now it's you."

"Thank you for confirming this for me."

"You!!!" Du Shu's pupils shrank, as if struck by lightning.

He thought Liu Shuyi was mocking and ridiculing him, but little did he know that Liu Shuyi's real purpose was to confirm his father's crimes through him.

"No, my father never did such a thing! I am the murderer! It has nothing to do with my father!"

He quickly retorted.

But who would believe him?
Liu Shuyi calmly said, "Your father did not live alone. He had servants and family. It is not difficult to determine that he is a murderer. Whether you refute it or not, it cannot change the fact that it has already happened."

"I--"

Du Shu opened his mouth, but could no longer utter a word of defense.

Seeing how easily Du Shu's defenses were broken down by his words, Liu Shuyi couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't fought such an easy battle in a long time.

Since his transmigration, almost all the opponents he had encountered were meticulous and cunning officials. Compared to them, Du Shu, who came from a merchant background, could be described as "honest".

Liu Shuyi said, "Actually, I'm very curious. Why does your Du family hate those laborers so much? Your father killed sixty people and was still not satisfied. Before he died, he entrusted his wish for revenge to you."

"Those laborers were pitiful people after all. Their tasks were arduous, and many of them died from exhaustion. It's understandable that they didn't complete their tasks. How could they be worthy of such revenge from you two generations of father and son?"

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's question, Du Shu suddenly sneered: "Pitiful people? What kind of pitiful people are they?"

“They went to my grandfather and said they were exhausted and couldn’t take it anymore. They hoped my grandfather could let them rest. My grandfather was kind-hearted, so he agreed.”

"As a result, they knew my grandfather was kind, so they begged him every few days to let them rest, and even tried to slack off while working. In the end, they didn't die from exhaustion, but my grandfather was killed because he failed to complete his mission."

"After my grandfather died, instead of blaming themselves, they made sarcastic remarks and said that it was retribution, retribution for my grandfather not treating them like human beings."

Du Shu stared at Liu Shuyi, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out, looking ferocious: "Tell me, should we take revenge on them? They made me lose my beloved grandfather, so let's make them lose their loved ones first, and then kill them after they've recovered from their grief!"

"I only hate that I didn't do it cleanly enough, I only hate that I'm incompetent and got caught by you!"

Looking at Du Shu's ferocious and twisted face, and listening to his unwilling words, Liu Shuyi finally understood the motives of the Du family father and son.

No wonder they hate those farmers so much and want to take revenge like this.

Liu Shuyi didn't know if what happened back then was really as Du Shu said. He only knew that even if it was true, the wronged should be held accountable.

It is wrong to kill innocent people.

"Mo Xiaofan has been found!"

Just then, Wang Gui's shout came from inside the villa.

Liu Shuyi and Wan'er exchanged glances and quickly entered the courtyard.

Following the sound, they arrived at the woodshed in the other courtyard.

Then they saw Mo Xiaofan, bound by ropes, lying motionless on the cold ground with his eyes closed.

Wang Gui cut the rope with a knife, then picked him up and said, "Unexplained coma."

Liu Shuyi immediately said, "Send it to the nearest doctor..."

Without any delay, the group quickly left the villa and soon arrived at the clinic, which was only one street away.

boom!
Wang Gui kicked the door open, startling the doctor inside so much that he almost jumped up.

"Doctor, please take a look at him quickly."

The doctor was about to get angry, but when he saw the official robes on Wang Gui and the official robes of Liu Shuyi and others who followed closely behind, his anger immediately turned into a forced smile.

"Sir, please don't worry, I will examine him right away..."

The doctor carefully took Mo Xiaofan's pulse, then examined his eyelids. He immediately said, "His pulse is normal, and there are no signs of poisoning. He has been unconscious, so he must have been drugged. He will wake up once the effects of the drug wear off."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Gui wiped the sweat from his forehead: "We finally managed to save him! It was so difficult."

Du Gou smiled gently: "It's good that you're alright."

Wan'er pursed her lips, then stood in front of Mo Xiaofan and bowed respectfully to Du Gou and the others: "Mo Xiaofan is the one I know best. Since he is temporarily unable to wake up, I will thank you all on his behalf. Without your help, he would never have been able to escape danger. Once he wakes up, I will have him visit you one by one to express his gratitude."

Wang Gui quickly waved his hand: "There's no need for such trouble. He got into trouble within the jurisdiction of Chang'an County, so it's only right that I save him."

Wan'er shook her head: "Nothing in this world is a given. You all saved his life, so he should thank you personally."

Before Wang Gui could say anything more, Liu Shuyi said, "Let's do as Wan'er says."

He knew about Wan'er's relationship with Mo Xiaofan and also knew that Wan'er felt guilty for hiding these things. Letting them thank him in person would put their minds at ease.

Wan'er looked at Liu Shuyi gratefully. Liu Shuyi nodded slightly and continued, "Mo Xiaofan needs to recuperate. His place is too messy, so let him stay at the Liu residence for now."

Wan'er nodded vigorously; that was what she thought too.

"All right."

Liu Shuyi looked at Wang Gui and the others, cupped his hands and said, "This case is difficult, and I am very grateful for your help. Otherwise, even I would probably not have been able to solve it smoothly."

"I won't say thank you. It's my treat from now on. Let's drink until we drop."

…………

Two quarters of an hour later.

The Ministry of Justice.

Qian Wenqing, accompanied by a group of trusted confidants, entered the Ministry of Justice compound with a smug air.

As they walked, a trusted aide said, "Master Qian has displayed extraordinary prowess, solving the murder case in Wannian County in just over a day. I believe his achievement will definitely rank him ahead of everyone else."

"That's inevitable! After all, besides Liu Shuyi, who else can solve a case in a day? Qian Yuanwailang now has abilities that are in no way inferior to Liu Shuyi's, and what about Liu Shuyi? I heard he took on the case of the serial killer! Everyone knows how cunning and difficult the serial killer is. Five years ago, the Emperor Emeritus used all the power of the three ministries but still couldn't catch him. It will only be more difficult for Liu Shuyi to investigate again after five years! So, he absolutely cannot solve the case in a day like before."

"That's right, time can destroy all clues. I really don't know what Liu Shuyi was thinking, to actually take on a case involving a serial killer! Doesn't he know how the serial killer made the Third Division look bad five years ago?"

"Ha! What else could he be thinking? Of course, he wants to gain even greater merit by solving the murderer's case! Unfortunately, the murderer's case is different from all the cases he has encountered before. The murderer comes and goes without a trace, never committing crimes in the same prefecture twice. After the murderer kills someone, he will run away immediately. Even if Liu Shuyi finds out who it is, by then the murderer will have already escaped. It will probably be very difficult for him to arrest him within half a month."

"That's not difficult at all! It's simply impossible! I heard that when Liu Shuyi took on the murder case, a whole day had already passed. Unless he can solve a case that the three judicial departments couldn't solve in five years within two days, once the murderer escapes Chang'an, he'll be free to roam. Let alone catching him in half a month, catching him in half a year would be considered fast."

"Doesn't this mean that Liu Shuyi was too greedy, and as a result, he was implicated by this case, shooting himself in the foot?"

"This is the consequence of greed!" With that, the official bowed to Qian Wenqing and said, "Master Qian is indeed insightful, accumulating merits with small cases! Master Qian has already solved the case, while Liu Shuyi is burdened by greed, and the others are no match for Master Qian at all... Therefore, Master Qian will inevitably be the final winner, and I will soon be able to call Master Qian a doctor."

Upon hearing this, the others couldn't help but glare at the man, secretly thinking that he had stolen the best opportunity to flatter them.

Qian Wenqing listened to their words and felt very pleased, but his expression remained indifferent: "The competition has only just begun. We cannot be arrogant. We must remain steady."

"I am not as arrogant as some people who think they can get away with something once and for all and gain an advantage with one case, only to end up losing more than they gain."

Everyone knew perfectly well who this person was.

They quickly nodded in agreement, continuing to criticize Liu Shuyi in order to elevate Qian Wenqing.

"Huh? That looks like Zhao Feng." At this moment, one of the leaders suddenly spoke up.

Qian Wenqing and the others looked up and, sure enough, the person who hurriedly walked towards the Ministry of Justice courtyard was none other than Zhao Feng.

Why does Zhao Feng seem to be in such a hurry?

"They chose a greedy master, but their cleverness backfired, and they got bogged down in the case, unable to find the murderer. How could they not be anxious?"

"Too."

Everyone whispered.

Upon hearing this, Qian Wenqing's eyes flickered, and he suddenly called out, "Zhao Feng."

Zhao Feng originally wanted to avoid Qian Wenqing and the others, but unexpectedly, Qian Wenqing took the initiative to call him, so he had no choice but to come over.

"Master Qian." He bowed to Qian Wenqing.

Qian Wenqing glanced at him and saw that he was covered in sweat from rushing to get there, which made her understand Liu Shuyi's situation even better.

He slightly raised his chin and said calmly, "Zhao Feng, to be honest, I actually think highly of you. You are capable and smart... You've been running around with Liu Shuyi for a day, so you should know what the outcome will be."

"And what about me?"

"I have already solved one murder case, and there will be a second and a third in the future, until I leave everyone far behind."

"I believe you can guess who the ultimate winner will be. But I value talent most and do not wish to see it wasted by the former master, so..."

He looked at Zhao Feng and said, "I am willing to give you a chance to abandon darkness and embrace the light. Are you willing to work for me?"

Zhao Feng was completely stunned.

He had considered that Qian Wenqing might take advantage of Liu Yuanwailang's absence to cause him trouble, and he had also considered that Qian Wenqing would bully him in the same way he had bullied Liu Yuanwailang before. But he never expected that Qian Wenqing would actually go to such lengths to turn him against him.

Was it because I hadn't been steadfast enough in my loyalty to the official?

Where did Qian Wenqing get the idea that he could be turned against him with just a few words?
Moreover, Qian Wenqing said that he had followed Liu Yuanwailang for a whole day and should know the outcome of Liu Yuanwailang's affair... What does that mean?
He didn't think he was stupid, but at this moment, he couldn't understand Qian Wenqing's thought process at all.

He couldn't help but say, "Master Qian, are you just bored and looking for something to amuse me?"

"presumptuous!"

Qian Wenqing had just frowned when his confidant scolded, "Zhao Feng, Master Qian gave you a chance to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and instead of being grateful and kneeling down to kowtow, you dare to speak to Master Qian like that? Are you determined to die with Master Liu even though you know he will lose?!"

"what?"

Zhao Feng was taken aback: "Liu Yuanwailang will lose? How could you possibly think that?"

The confidant sneered, "What are you pretending for? Who doesn't know that Magistrate Liu took on the case of the murderer? Who doesn't know how troublesome this case is? Magistrate Liu should regret taking on this case now, shouldn't he? I thought you were very smart, but I didn't expect you couldn't even see this much—"

"Do you regret taking this case?"

Zhao Feng was completely confused. He said, "Master Liu has already solved the case and brought the murderer to justice. How could he have any regrets? What are you talking about?"

"Hmph! You said it yourself, he's already solved the case, and he doesn't regret it—what!?"

The confidant only realized what Zhao Feng had just said halfway through his sentence.

His eyes widened immediately, his expression one of utter shock and disbelief: "What did you say? The case is solved? Master Liu has solved the murder case!?"

Zhao Feng nodded: "Yes, about 15 minutes ago, Liu Yuanwailang arrested the murderer and also rescued the target who had been kidnapped by the murderer."

"how come!?"

The trusted confidant was completely dumbfounded.

He subconsciously looked at Qian Wenqing and the others, and saw that their expressions were the same as his.

His eyes widened, his pupils trembled violently, and his face showed utter shock.

Just a moment ago, they were mocking Liu Shuyi for being greedy, choosing such a difficult case to investigate, only to end up shooting himself in the foot...

To their surprise, Zhao Feng told them the next moment that Liu Shuyi had solved the case!

It wasn't that they thought Liu Shuyi was incapable of solving the case; it was just that five years ago, this case had involved the entire Three Judicial Offices and all the prefectural and county government offices, and even then, they hadn't caught the murderer. They believed that even if Liu Shuyi could solve the case, it was impossible for him to do so in just one or two days…

But to everyone's surprise, Liu Shuyi managed to crack it.

Moreover, Liu Shuyi took on this case yesterday evening, later than when they received the case from Wannian County...

Ultimately, they apprehended the murderer around the same time...

Even though the case he was handling was a very simple one, he still lost to Liu Shuyi in terms of time.

At that moment, the confidants felt like they were suffocating. Liu Shuyi was like a mountain, blocking their way.

With Liu Shuyi around, can Qian Yuanwailang really get the position of physician smoothly?

"Since Liu Shuyi has already solved the case, why are you in such a hurry?" Qian Wenqing still refused to believe it and made a last-ditch effort.

Zhao Feng shrugged and said, "The official was going to host a banquet for us to celebrate solving the murder case. We passed by the yamen, and the official asked me to file the case files according to the rules. I was worried that the official and the others would have to wait too long, so I was a little anxious..."

After saying that, he clapped his hands: "I've been delayed for quite a while, I need to hurry. If there's nothing else, I'll go return the files..."

Qian Wenqing's head was buzzing, and he couldn't care less about Zhao Feng anymore.

Seeing that Qian Wenqing remained silent, Zhao Feng curled his lips into a cold smile, then quickly turned and left.

Watching Zhao Feng's still hurried figure, everyone's feelings had undergone a complete change.

“Master Qian, we…” the confidant began cautiously.

Qian Wenqing glanced at him with a gloomy expression, then flicked his sleeve and gritted his teeth, saying, "No matter what method you use, find me a case right now! I want a case as difficult as Liu Shuyi's!"

"If we can't find it, nobody's going to sleep tonight!"

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I'm going out for a while. I hope you'll have good news when I return!"

After saying that, he quickly walked outside.

He needed to find his uncle, Pei Ji. These useless people might not be able to help him; only Pei Ji could turn the tide.

As Qian Wenqing walked away quickly, everyone's expressions flickered.

Liu Shuyi's ability to investigate cases is terrifying. Can Qian Yuanwailang really compare to Liu Shuyi?
If they cannot compete, and once Liu Shuyi becomes a physician and completely controls the Ministry of Justice, how can they expect to have a good end?
and so……

Now, if we abandon darkness and embrace the light, I wonder if it's too late...

Just now, Master Qian was advising Zhao Feng to abandon darkness and embrace light. If I were to do the same, Master Qian should understand, right?

…………

P.S.: I changed the writing style of this case, which somewhat limited the sense of satisfaction and affected my writing process... That's all for today. I'll wrap up the case first, then summarize my experience and think about how to investigate cases in more creative ways without affecting the sense of satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)