The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 136 A Special Invitation: His Relationship with Miaoyin'er!
Upon hearing this sudden sound, all three people present were taken aback.

They instinctively looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Shuyi, dressed in a green official robe, leaning against a doorpost at the entrance of the restaurant, yawning and looking at them with a half-smile.

"Liu Shuyi! What are you doing here!?"

Qian Wenqing did not expect to run into Liu Shuyi here. Instead of feeling embarrassed about being caught talking badly about someone behind their back, he felt unlucky.

Over the past few days, he has come to a conclusion about a pattern.

Nothing good ever comes of running into Liu Shuyi!

Qin Wuyang didn't speak, but his eyes, as he looked at Liu Shuyi, were filled with unconcealed resentment and hatred. After all, if it weren't for Liu Shuyi, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Cui Lin quickly stood up and bowed to Liu Shuyi, saying, "Liu Yuanwailang."

Liu Shuyi waved to Cui Lin, then glanced at Qian Wenqing and Qin Wuyang.

To be honest, he also thought it was too much of a coincidence.

After leaving the palace, he and Du Ruhui both felt very hungry, so they wanted to find a restaurant to eat something.

As it turned out, the restaurant they randomly chose happened to be the same one where Qian Wenqing and his group were.

Just as Liu Shuyi arrived at the entrance, before even entering the restaurant, he overheard Qian Wenqing's attempt to bribe Cui Lin, and Cui Lin's firm refusal.

To be honest, if he hadn't chosen the restaurant himself and brought up the topic of the meal, he would have suspected that Du Ruhui was subtly guiding him. It was all too coincidental.

Faced with Qian Wenqing's questioning, he simply said in a calm tone, "Do you own this restaurant? You can come, but I can't?"

Qian Wenqing frowned deeply. Cui Lin had already resisted relying on his uncle, and now that Liu Shuyi had arrived, the difficulty of winning Cui Lin over had increased dramatically.

This immediately made him feel a sense of urgency, fearing that Liu Shuyi would use sweet words to deceive Cui Lin again.

He sneered, "Of course Liu Yuanwai can come. This restaurant isn't owned by me, so of course Liu Yuanwai can eat whatever he wants."

"However, as the saying goes, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

"I felt that Military Advisor Cui had a lot of skills but no opportunity to use them. It would be a real pity if he returned to Bingzhou in such a disgraceful manner. That's why I personally went to ask my uncle to help Military Advisor Cui."

"When my uncle heard that Military Advisor Cui was in such a bad situation, he immediately agreed to help him. As long as Military Advisor Cui nodded, he could stay in Chang'an immediately and make full use of his skills. His future prospects would be limitless!"

“But Liu, the Assistant Minister, just said that it was foolish of Military Advisor Cui to give up a sixth-rank position and agree to become a seventh-rank official for us… I am very curious, how could Liu, the Assistant Minister, dare to say such a thing?”

"There are no vacancies for Assistant Ministers right now, so how can Military Advisor Cui become one?"

"Could it be that Liu Yuanwailang deceived Cui Canjun with such lies just to prevent him from pursuing a better future with us, thus wasting Cui Canjun's talents and preventing him from ever returning to Chang'an in his lifetime?"

"If that's the case, then you're being far too ruthless, Liu Yuanwailang, and far too unfair to Cui Canjun!"

Hearing Qian Wenqing questioning Liu Shuyi, even Cui Lin felt a pang of anxiety.

Qin Wuyang looked at Cui Lin's clenched fist and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

Liu Shuyi is really too arrogant, daring to say anything. Now, perhaps subduing Cui Lin will be easier than he imagined.

Why is Liu Yuanwailang silent? Has this official seen through your thoughts and you don't know how to answer?

Seeing that Liu Shuyi remained silent, Qian Wenqing's sneer grew louder.

Then... he saw Liu Shuyi looking at him with an incredibly complicated expression.

Liu Shuyi couldn't help but ask, "You...didn't you go to the Ministry of Justice this morning?"

Qian Wenqing didn't understand Liu Shuyi's meaning. He said coldly, "I and Registrar Qin have been busy for a day and a night investigating a cold case from many years ago. We didn't sleep at all last night. This morning, we just sorted out some thoughts and were thinking of coming here to have a meal before going to the Ministry of Justice. What? Does Assistant Minister Liu now want to control my schedule?"

His words were meant to satirize Liu Shuyi for meddling too much; both Liu Shuyi and he were officials, and Liu Shuyi had no right to interfere in his affairs.

To everyone's surprise, after hearing his words, Liu Shuyi nodded seriously: "It really needs to be addressed."

"Since I've run into you, I'll tell you now, so I don't have to find another opportunity to explain later."

Liu Shuyi looked at Qian Wenqing and said, "From today onwards, you must report to me every morning what you need to do. If I am not in the Ministry of Justice, inform Zhao Feng, or write it down and send it to my office."

"At the same time, before you finish your shift each day, you must inform me of what you did that day."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's words, Qian Wenqing and the others were all stunned.

"Liu Shuyi, are you out of your mind?"

Qian Wenqing couldn't help but say, "Do you know what you're saying? You're a high-ranking official, and so am I. You expect me to report to you every day? Have you lost your mind?"

Even Cui Lin couldn't understand Liu Shuyi's words.

That's really... absurd.

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I just remembered something I forgot to tell you."

Liu Shuyi no longer leaned against the doorpost. He straightened up, his eyes fixed intently on the crowd in front of him, and slowly said, "I have solved the case of the Ma family massacre. His Majesty has greatly praised me and announced my promotion at today's court assembly. In other words, I am now the Director of the Ministry of Justice."

"so……"

He looked at Qian Wenqing with a smile: "Tell me, do I have the qualifications?"

"What!?"

The moment Qian Wenqing heard Liu Shuyi's voice, her head buzzed and her mind went blank.

He jumped to his feet, his eyes fixed on Liu Shuyi, his voice shrill with shock: "How is this possible?! You...you're telling the truth?"

Qin Wuyang stared at Liu Shuyi in disbelief, and Cui Lin's expression wasn't much better.

Liu Shuyi shrugged, then suddenly looked towards the door and said, "Lord Du, if Master Qian doesn't believe me, why don't you testify for me?"

Master Du!?
Du Ruhui is outside the door!?
Everyone's expression changed, and they quickly looked towards the door.

At this moment, Du Ruhui slowly walked in.

He gave Liu Shuyi a deep look, knowing that Liu Shuyi was deliberately trying to put Qian Wenqing in a bad light, so he cooperated with Liu Shuyi and watched an interesting show.

Now, it's time to end this charade; otherwise, if it continues, it will only embarrass the Ministry of Justice.

Upon seeing Du Ruhui arrive, Qian Wenqing's heart sank.

If Du Ruhui is really here, then Liu Shuyi's words cannot be false.

In other words, Liu Shuyi really did become a doctor!
What's the point of working so hard day and night without sleep?
"His Majesty has personally appointed Physician Liu, and from now on, Physician Liu will be in charge of the Ministry of Justice." Du Ruhui said calmly, "Minister Qian, you must cooperate well with Physician Liu from now on."

Qian Wenqing felt as if her heart was bleeding.

why?
Isn't Liu Shuyi's investigation into the Ma Qingfeng family massacre case a death wish and an attempt to offend His Majesty?

Why was he promoted directly?

What happened in between that I don't know about?

Qian Wenqing couldn't understand it, nor did she want to understand it.

Liu Shuyi actually became a doctor and his superior... Qian Wenqing felt a chill in his heart when he thought about how he had bullied Liu Shuyi in the past.

Previously, Liu Shuyi was a junior official, of the same rank as him, and therefore could not retaliate against him.

Now that Liu Shuyi has become a doctor, if he wants to take revenge on me, wouldn't I have no choice but to endure it?

The thought of all this made him feel utterly disheartened.

Even though he was heartbroken, he could only obediently bow and say, "This humble official will definitely cooperate fully with Physician Liu."

Qian Wenqing was grinding her teeth to powder, while Qin Wuyang looked terrified.

Liu Shuyi actually became a fifth-rank physician...

His rank is so much higher than mine. If Liu Shuyi were to take revenge on me for his brother, wouldn't I be doomed?

Thinking back to his recent slander against Liu Shuyi, Qin Wuyang's legs went weak and he felt dizzy.

He had never regretted it so much. If he had known that Liu Shuyi would become a doctor, even if he had a hundred times the courage, he would never have dared to bully Liu Shuzhong or slander Liu Shuyi...

As for Cui Lin, he stared blankly at Liu Shuyi.

"He did it, he actually did it."

At this moment, Cui Lin was completely convinced. He had been resentful when Liu Shuyi replaced him as the assistant director.

Now, he was completely convinced, because he knew very well that no matter how hard he tried, he could not create a miracle like Liu Shuyi's.

Liu Shuyi took in the changes in everyone's expressions and said with a smile, "I'll have to rely on Master Qian's cooperation from now on."

Qian Wenqing said unwillingly, "It's all what I should do."

After saying that, he couldn't hold on any longer, so he made up an excuse and left with Qin Wuyang and the others in a sorry state.

Soon, only Cui Lin remained.

Cui Lin looked at Liu Shuyi with a very complicated expression, and cupped his hands to say, "Congratulations, Physician Liu."

Liu Shuyi approached Cui Lin with a smile and said, "I also congratulate you."

"What?" Cui Lin didn't understand what Liu Shuyi meant.

Liu Shuyi laughed and said, "Military Advisor Cui hasn't forgotten what I just said, has he?"

Cui Lin was taken aback, realizing what Liu Shuyi meant. His eyes widened suddenly, and his breathing became rapid.

"What Doctor Liu just said wasn't to refute Magistrate Qian, but rather... but rather..."

Liu Shuyi said with a smile, "I can easily force him to kneel and beg for mercy with my power. Why would I need to fabricate lies to refute him?"

"Cui Canjun..."

He looked directly into Cui Lin's eyes and said, "I know your abilities better than anyone else. Even Qian Wenqing knows that if you return to Bingzhou, it will be a great loss to the court. How could I not know? I have already recommended you to Lord Du for the new position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice. With our recommendation, the Ministry of Personnel will definitely not refuse you this time."

"So, very soon... you'll be the new Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice!"

Cui Lin listened to Liu Shuyi's words and stared blankly at Liu Shuyi.

Not long ago, he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol here and felt hopeless about his future.

Now, Liu Shuyi directly told him that he was about to become a sixth-rank official.

My future has returned to the track I originally planned.

This filled him with a complex mix of emotions, both bittersweet and overwhelming.

He also knew that all of this was because of Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi had just been promoted, and the first thing he did was recommend himself... Clearly, Liu Shuyi knew his predicament, and he always had himself in mind.

His eyes were slightly red, he took a deep breath, and bowed to Liu Shuyi in an extremely formal manner.

"This humble official will forever remember Physician Liu's kindness and never forget it in this lifetime!"

…………

Half an hour later.

On the way back to the Liu residence.

After having breakfast with Du Ruhui and Cui Lin, Liu Shuyi parted ways with them.

Du Ruhui knew how hard Liu Shuyi had worked the day before, so he gave Liu Shuyi a day off to rest and take up his post at the Ministry of Justice the next day. Cui Lin, on the other hand, was very excited about the unexpected turn of events and wanted to go back to tell his family the good news. So the three of them went off in three different directions.

Recalling the grateful look on Cui Lin's face when he left, Liu Shuyi smiled gently.

He knew that Cui Lin had completely joined his faction.

With Cui Lin's addition, he had made a breakthrough in the aristocratic family level.

Although Cui Lin was only from a collateral branch of the Cui family, he was still able to know some information about the aristocratic families, and at crucial moments, he could also serve as a bridge for communication between himself and the aristocratic families.

This is a huge leap forward for me.

At the same time, Cui Lin's appointment as an assistant director of the Ministry of Justice will also increase his control over the Ministry of Justice. With him and Cui Lin in charge, Qian Wenqing will basically have no chance to cause any trouble.

In the Ministry of Justice, he was considered to have a second powerful supporter besides Du Ruhui.

Then there's his own lightning-fast advancement...

This case of Ma Qingfeng's family massacre can be considered a great success.

Sure enough, the greater the risk, the greater the reward; this risky investigation was well worth it.

"Uu——"

At this moment, the coachman suddenly stopped the carriage.

"Dr. Liu, we've arrived."

Since the restaurant was not far from the Ministry of Justice, Du Ruhui had the coachman take him back, while he walked to the Ministry of Justice.

This made Liu Shuyi once again feel grateful for his father-in-law's care for him.

He stepped down from the carriage and bowed to the coachman, saying, "Thank you, you've had a long journey."

The coachman smiled and said, "It's all what I should do. If there's nothing else for you, Doctor Liu, I'll head back now."

Liu Shuyi nodded: "Please convey my gratitude to Mr. Du."

The coachman knew how close Liu Shuyi was to his master and young master and young lady, and that they might very well become family in the future. So he was very friendly and enthusiastic towards Liu Shuyi. After nodding emphatically, he didn't linger and urged the horses to hurry to the Ministry of Justice. His master might have to travel at any time, and he had to be ready at all times.

After watching the carriage leave, Liu Shuyi turned around and looked towards the Liu residence.

Compared to when he first transmigrated, the Liu family mansion had changed drastically.

The walls and gates were repainted, and the interior of the mansion was also renovated. The Liu residence finally shed its dilapidated appearance and gave it the look of an official's family.

Just as Du Ruhui had predicted, as his power grew, the whole world seemed to be getting better on its own initiative.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Boom boom boom!
There had only been a few knocks on the door when a boy's voice rang out: "Who is it?"

Liu Shuyi quickly recognized the voice as belonging to Mo Xiaofan.

He smiled and said, "Xiao Fan, it's me."

Upon recognizing Liu Shuyi's voice, Mo Xiaofan quickly opened the door.

"Dr. Liu, you're back!"

Mo Xiaofan looked at Liu Shuyi with incredibly bright eyes, filled with undisguised admiration and excitement.

Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow: "You know about my promotion?"

Mo Xiaofan nodded emphatically: "Not long ago, someone from the Ministry of Personnel came and delivered the young master's official robe and fish-shaped pouch. That's when we learned that the young master had been promoted to the fifth rank."

The Ministry of Personnel acted quite quickly.

Liu Shuyi yawned and entered the courtyard.

As soon as they entered, a pleasant fragrance filled the air, and Wan'er ran over with a smile.

"Young Master! You're amazing! You've been promoted one after another in just one month. The neighbors all say that you have the demeanor of the Master. In the future, the Liu family will surely regain its former glory under your leadership."

Looking at Wan'er's youthful appearance, Liu Shuyi also felt that he had become much younger. All the messy people and things in the court seemed to be far away from him at this moment.

He let out a soft breath, letting down his guard and completely relaxing.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "It's not that exaggerated."

Wan'er snorted, "I don't think it's an exaggeration at all. On the contrary, I think they underestimated the young master. The Liu family will definitely be more prosperous in the young master's hands than in the old master's time."

"You."

Liu Shuyi flicked Wan'er's forehead and said, "Don't say this to anyone, or you'll get into trouble."

Wan'er stuck out her tongue and said, "I'm not stupid, I won't cause trouble for the young master."

Liu Shuyi looked at the spacious and tidy courtyard and asked, "Where is Uncle Chang?"

Wan'er raised her chin in one direction: "I heard that the young master was promoted to the fifth rank and he was so happy that he shed tears on the spot. After seeing off the officials from the Ministry of Personnel, he couldn't wait to offer incense to the master and madam and tell them the good news."

Liu Shuyi shook his head helplessly. As the only old servant left after Liu Wenjing was killed, Chang Bo's lifelong wish was to restore the Liu family's glory.

So every time he made a little progress, Uncle Chang would be so excited and happy that he would shed tears, and he would often go to Liu Wenjing's memorial tablet to praise himself.

Once, Liu Shuyi happened to pass by the ancestral hall and heard Uncle Chang praising him, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

I wonder if Liu Wenjing, now in the underworld, would suspect she gave birth to a deity if she heard what Uncle Chang said.

However, he also understood Uncle Chang. When people get old, they always need something to look forward to, so they won't just count down the days until they get closer to death.

"Keep an eye on the time. When it's almost time, go and call Uncle Chang. Don't let Uncle Chang kneel for too long and hurt his knees."

Liu Shuyi gave Wan'er a word of advice, then yawned widely: "I'm going to rest. If there's nothing serious, we'll talk about it when I wake up."

Looking at Liu Shuyi's exhausted appearance, Wan'er said with heartache, "I'll go get a basin of water for the young master to wash his feet. Soaking his feet before sleeping will help him relax."

…………

Liu Shuyi fell asleep and lost track of time.

When he woke up, it was already getting dark.

He stretched and felt refreshed, as if he had finally come back to life.

As I got up, dressed, and stepped out of my room, I saw Mo Xiaofan lighting a lantern.

"Young Master, you're awake."

Liu Shuyi turned his neck and asked, "What time is it?"

"The fourth quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM)".

"this late?"

I actually slept for a whole day.

Liu Shuyi asked, "While I was asleep, did anyone come looking for me?"

Mo Xiaofan said, "There are quite a few people, but they are only here to deliver visiting cards and invitations."

"Invitation cards?"

Mo Xiaofan said, "Sister Wan'er has put all those invitations in the young master's study."

Liu Shuyi nodded and quickly went to his study.

Upon entering the study, one sees two neatly stacked stacks of invitation letters on the table.

A stack of invitations, a stack of visiting cards.

He flipped through a few pages at random and immediately understood what was going on.

When the court assembly ended today, the congratulations from those fifth-rank officials were not just empty words, but were genuine.

Someone is hosting a banquet to celebrate, hence the invitation.

Someone wants to give a gift to congratulate you, so they send a visiting card in advance, hoping to get your permission.

In addition to them, there were also some officials of the sixth and seventh ranks, whether they knew them or not, who also sent invitations and visiting cards.

In just one day, there were dozens of posts.

This was an experience he had never had when he was a sixth-rank official.

As Liu Shuyi flipped through these posts, he couldn't help but sigh again, realizing that the fifth and sixth ranks were truly an insurmountable chasm.

After crossing that threshold, the world is completely different.

"Ok?"

Just then, Liu Shuyi was about to casually put the invitation aside when he suddenly stopped.

He reopened the post and looked at its contents.

His eyes narrowed immediately.

This is an invitation.

The content of the invitations was similar to other invitations, all stating that they were inviting the person to a banquet.

But there's one sentence that wasn't in the other posts.

The quote is: "Although I have only met your brother once, we felt an instant connection. We drank together and became bosom friends on the spot. Now that I have met Physician Liu, I feel that this is predestined..."

This person knew his elder brother, Liu Shuzhong.

This was the first time he had seen his brother's name from any other official besides Qin Wuyang.

Qin Wuyang, on the other hand, held Liu Shuzhong in extremely low regard.

This person, however, said that the two were bosom friends.

Is he truly a confidant?

If we are true friends, why hasn't anyone come looking for my brother since he's been missing for so long?
Furthermore, his predecessor had no related memories, and Liu Shuzhong never mentioned having made any close friends outside.

But if it's fake, given this person's status and position, there's absolutely no need for them to tell such a lie just to befriend me.

After all, this person's status is much higher than that of a doctor like myself.

Liu Shuyi's gaze shifted downwards, looking at the signature area on the invitation, where two characters were written in a flamboyant style—Han Xi!
That's right, this person is Han Xi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, one of the four officials summoned to the Ministry of Justice in the case of Ma Qingfeng's family massacre.

That smooth-talking, worldly-wise man, with one wife and three concubines, frequented brothels and even visited the Miaoyinfang!

Liu Shuyi had a deep memory of Han Xi, after all, Han Xi had talked to Du Ruhui and Du Gou about wives, concubines and brothels, which almost made him lose face in front of his future father-in-law and brother-in-law.

Moreover, Han Xi was in Miaoyinfang on the night of the massacre of Ma Qingfeng's family, and he even went to Miaoyinfang once a month, which made him even suspect whether Han Xi was related to the forces behind Miaoyin'er.

In this situation, the invitation Han Xi sent him specifically mentioned his elder brother...

The reason I transmigrated was because Miao Yin'er's forces used information about my brother to threaten the original owner of this body...

Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered for a moment, then he finally grabbed the invitation, went straight out, and said, "Xiao Fan, prepare my horse, I'm going to the banquet."

(End of this chapter)