The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 149: Possessing the identity of a thief, Liu Shuyi personally plans the crime!

Although the Ministry of Revenue had its own treasury, most of the taxes collected by the Ministry of Revenue, as well as the tributes from other countries, had to be placed in the national treasury and allocated by the imperial court. Therefore, the scale of the Ministry of Revenue's treasury was not large.

Liu Shuyi followed behind Fu Wuwei, listening to Fu Wuwei's introduction of the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse as they walked.

"The Ministry of Revenue has three warehouses, which correspond to the national treasury's gold warehouse, expenditure warehouse, and granary warehouse, storing gold, silver, copper coins, silk and other tax-paying goods and grain."

"The main purpose of the Ministry of Revenue's treasury was as a transit point. Taxes collected from various regions would first enter the Ministry of Revenue's treasury, where the Ministry would count and confirm them before transferring them to the national treasury."

"If the national treasury is not full, the Ministry of Revenue's treasury will take over... Of course, that's the rule, but so far, the national treasury has not been unable to hold the contents."

"Back then, in order to simplify the process and make it quick, the salaries were not sent to the national treasury, which had many rules. They were only transferred through the Ministry of Revenue's Treasury before being transported to the military camps."

As he spoke, Fu Wuwei stopped.

He raised his hand and pointed to the courtyard to his left, saying, "This is the warehouse."

Liu Shuyi looked up and saw a fork in the road ahead, leading in three directions, with each road ending in a courtyard.

These courtyards cover a large area, and each courtyard contains a large building.

The building in the courtyard to the left is a three-story tower-like structure.

The building in the courtyard directly in front is a three-story attic-style building.

The building to the right is a cylindrical granary, which clearly corresponds to the Taicang granary, where the national treasury stores grain.

Although Fu Wuwei said that the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse was not large in scale, this so-called small scale was only relative to the national treasury.

At this moment, the gates of these courtyards were locked, and guards were stationed outside each gate. Guards could also be seen inside the courtyards.

Even though the Ministry of Revenue's treasury was of a much lower rank than the national treasury, it was still heavily guarded. One can imagine how heavily guarded the national treasury of the Tang Dynasty must have been.

Liu Shuyi asked, "Has the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse always been so heavily guarded?"

Fu Wuwei nodded and said, "What we see now are the regular guards of the warehouse. Since the day the warehouse was put into use, it has always been guarded by these guards day and night."

"Regular guards?"

Liu Shuyi keenly noticed the subtle nuances in Fu Wuwei's words and asked, "Could there be unconventional guards?"

"Doctor Liu is indeed very perceptive; he noticed the key point as soon as I mentioned it..."

Fu Wuwei nodded again and said, "That's right, there are indeed unconventional guarding situations. I just introduced to Doctor Liu the most important task of my Ministry of Revenue's treasury, the unconventional situation, which is the period of tax transit."

"Liu Langzhong felt that the guards in front of him were very strict, but in reality, compared with the few months of autumn and winter when taxes are collected every year, this is nothing at all."

“Whenever autumn and winter come, it’s not the guards from my Ministry of Revenue who are guarding this place, but the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards will be stationed directly in the Ministry of Revenue to guard the warehouse. Every day when we leave the warehouse, we have to be searched by the Imperial Guards. It’s true that not even a copper coin or a grain of millet can be taken out of the warehouse. If it is discovered, it is a serious crime.”

"Back then, everyone who went into the warehouse to carry out a mission wished they could take off all their clothes and take a bath before leaving, for fear that if they were not careful, their lives would be ruined."

Liu Shuyi nodded; he didn't think there was anything wrong with the court doing this.

Taxation is the foundation of a nation and must not be compromised.

If the storehouse is not strictly guarded and severely punished, one can imagine what would happen if someone in the Ministry of Revenue had the idea to take things away from the storehouse.

Never underestimate the greed in people's hearts.

As they talked, Liu Shuyi and the others continued forward. Just as they reached the gate of the courtyard, the guards quickly stepped forward and stopped them.

Even though they recognized Fu Wuwei, they all asked in cold, stern voices, "What brings you here, Physician Fu?"

Fu Wuwei didn't mind the guard's attitude. He took out two items from his pocket: a black token and a key.

He raised the token and said, "By order of Minister Tang, in cooperation with Liu, the Assistant Minister of Justice, to investigate the case, open the gate immediately."

The guard carefully checked the token, and after confirming that it was correct, he turned to the other guards and said, "Open the door."

Then a creaking sound was heard, and the iron bars and doors, made of fine iron and resembling a prison cell, were slowly opened.

Seeing Liu Shuyi's curiosity about the courtyard gate, Fu Wuwei explained, "The reason for using a prison-like door is that in the event of an accident, the guards in the courtyard can directly see what is happening outside and react immediately, so as not to have their view blocked and not be completely unaware of what is happening outside."

Liu Shuyi nodded. Many seemingly strange regulations are often the result of hard-won lessons.

Upon entering the courtyard, Liu Shuyi discovered that there were even more guards inside.

There was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps, and all of them had swords hanging at their waists and eyes like eagles. Even in the dead of night, not one of them was tired or sleepy... These guards were clearly all elites.

Liu Shuyi asked, "When the military pay was placed here back then, was it guarded like this at night?"

Fu Wuwei nodded and said, "In addition to these guards, Feng Mu also arranged for a deputy general and fifty elite soldiers to come here. They will directly replace the guards of my Ministry of Revenue and guard the warehouse gate."

"Back then, the security of this courtyard was comparable to that during tax collection."

Upon hearing this, both Liu Shuyi and Du Gou frowned.

They could already sense from Fu Wuwei's account how difficult it was for thieves to steal and exchange the military pay here. Now that they had come here in person and seen the guards, they felt even more strongly that it was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

At this moment, even someone as resolute as Du Gou wavered.

With such tight security, is it really possible to steal 200,000 strings of cash without alerting anyone?
He couldn't help but look at Liu Shuyi.

Although Liu Shuyi also frowned, there was no self-doubt on his face, but rather exploration and contemplation. He kept looking around at his surroundings, and finally his gaze settled on the tall tower in front of him.

"Doctor Fu, open the door."

Based solely on theory and logical deduction, the case before him was something only a god or demon could accomplish, so Liu Shuyi was not going to delay any longer.

Asking more questions or thinking more is not as effective as conducting on-site investigations and searching for clues.

If clues can be found, then this thing that only gods and demons could do is just a trick by thieves to cover their tracks.

If you can't find... to represent your own inference, it may be wrong. It's the right way to recognize your mistake and quickly look for other directions.

Liu Shuyi never gets stuck on trivial details, nor does he fall into the trap of self-doubt and internal strife... After all, he knows very well that investigating cases is something that requires constant trial and error.

It's perfectly normal to waste time and effort if you go in the wrong direction.

As he has done before, it is rare for every investigation to lead directly to the truth.

Fu Wuwei dared not delay. Following the same procedure as before, he took out Tang Jian's token and handed it to the guard for inspection. After the guard confirmed it, he opened the door he was guarding.

This time, however, it wasn't the guards who unlocked the lock; it was Fu Wuwei who opened it using the key he had obtained from Tang Jian.

Watching Fu Wuwei skillfully unlock the lock, Liu Shuyi asked, "I wonder how many keys there are in this storeroom? Besides Minister Tang, are there any other people who have them?"

Fu Wuwei said, "There are two keys in total. One is in the hands of Minister Tang, and the other is locked in a treasure chest in Minister Tang's office. The treasure chest has two locks, and it can only be opened by opening both keys at the same time. These two keys are in the hands of two vice ministers respectively."

"In other words, when Minister Tang is in the Ministry of Revenue, or when Minister Tang can be found at any time, only the key in Minister Tang's possession can open the treasury."

"But if Minister Tang is not in Chang'an, or has entered the palace and cannot be contacted, and there is an urgent need to open the storeroom, then two vice ministers will need to come forward together, take out the key to open the treasure chest, and then take out the key to the storeroom."

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly. The Ministry of Revenue, as the department in charge of money, certainly had a strong sense of security.

Minister Tang Jian wields absolute power, but if he is absent, the two vice ministers must reach an agreement before the treasury can be opened... The vice ministers are essentially in a competitive relationship, vying for power. It's considered amicable if they don't fight to the death, and it's difficult for them to collude with each other. This prevents anyone from harboring ill intentions and causing unpredictable consequences.

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and then said, "If it is necessary to open the storeroom, Minister Tang certainly will not come to unlock it himself. I wonder who he usually gives the key to?"

Without a second thought, Fu Wuwei said, “Usually, whoever needs to open the warehouse to carry out a mission will go to their superior, and the report will be passed up the chain of command until it reaches the level of the physician. Then, the physician will confirm that the warehouse does need to be opened and then ask Minister Tang for instructions.”

"After Minister Tang gives his permission, he will hand the key to the physician, who will then lead his men to the storeroom. Under the supervision of the guards, the physician will deposit or retrieve the corresponding items."

Liu Shuyi nodded knowingly.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "In other words, only those of the rank of physician or above are qualified to handle the key, while officials below the rank of physician have no opportunity to touch the key?"

"Yes."

Liu Shuyi looked at the massive lock on the warehouse door and nodded thoughtfully. The door was made of fine iron, a foot thick, and required two elite guards to push it open with force.

The guard pushed the door open wide enough for two people to pass through, then stopped and said, "Please, everyone."

Fu Wuwei explained to Liu Shuyi, "The door to this warehouse is too heavy. We usually only open it to this size. We only open it completely when we need to move something bigger."

Liu Shuyi didn't care about such a small matter. He nodded, picked up the lantern, and went into the warehouse.

Upon entering, Liu Shuyi felt as if he had fallen into a dark abyss. Without the moonlight, the faint light of the lantern in his hand was swallowed up by the darkness in the warehouse. When he looked around, it was as if he were blind. He could not see anything. All he could see was pitch black and empty space.

He knew this was because the warehouse was completely enclosed. Although windows could be seen from the outside of the tower, they were all sealed with iron plates, preventing any light from entering. In addition, the warehouse was so large that the area illuminated by the lanterns was completely empty. It felt like a small boat adrift on a boundless ocean.

"Please wait a moment, Dr. Liu, let me light the candles first."

Fu Wuwei, carrying a lantern, easily found the candlesticks embedded in the wall and lit the candles on them one by one.

As dozens of candles were lit, the once pitch-black warehouse finally became bright.

Only then did Liu Shuyi see the entire warehouse.

Although from the outside this tower-shaped warehouse appears to be three stories high, in reality, it is just like a stadium in later times—it looks very tall, but is actually only one story high.

It was so tall and wide that a person standing there would look like a dwarf in the court of giants. Liu Shuyi couldn't imagine how many copper coins it would take to fill such a large warehouse.

The floor was paved with marble, which was very smooth and flat. The candlelight reflected on it, just like looking in a mirror.

The walls were made of brick and painted silver, but Liu Shuyi clearly remembered that when he looked at the warehouse from the outside, the walls were made of stone... So it seems that the walls of this warehouse should have at least two layers, and their thickness is not much different from that of the iron gate.

If an accident occurs and someone tries to forcibly seize the warehouse... without the key, even breaking down the wall would be difficult.

Even with two groups of guards outside, and the walls, doors, and even windows that couldn't be easily broken down by manpower, the thieves managed to quietly replace the silver with stones and safely transport the silver out... What methods did they use to do that?

As Liu Shuyi pondered, he asked Fu Wuwei, "Where were those salaries put back then?"

Fu Wuwei quickly carried the lantern to the center of the warehouse and said, "This is it. Back then, copper coins were piled up like mountains here..."

Fu Wuwei exaggeratedly spread his hands wide: "If our warehouse weren't big enough, it probably wouldn't be able to hold it all."

The scene flashed through Liu Shuyi's mind: mountains of copper coins, which, after being counted, were packed into boxes, and those boxes, when piled up, formed an even higher and larger mountain...

Even if this warehouse is large enough, it would probably still take up most of the space.

Previously, he had no clear sense of the quantity of 200,000 strings of copper coins, but now, considering the size of the warehouse, he realized just how terrifying its weight and volume were.

To extract so many copper coins within just three hours, then carefully weigh them and replace them with stones or other weights... let alone dozens of people, even hundreds might not be able to complete the task.

This was no easier than the Ministry of Revenue counting the amount of military pay; the workload was terrifying.

Moreover, the warehouse area is only so big, and the number of people it can accommodate is limited, which means that... at most, only a few dozen people can participate.

But dozens of people simply can't complete this workload!

Not to mention, there were two other groups of people guarding the outside, and they would notice any unusual noises coming from inside the warehouse...

No matter how you look at it, it's impossible to do!

Liu Shuyi frowned deeply. At this moment, even he had to consider whether his deduction was wrong, and whether the silver was not lost here, but was lost during transport...

He walked around the empty warehouse with a furrowed brow.

Seeing Liu Shuyi's heavy steps and solemn expression, Du Ying pursed her lips and was about to step forward.

But she had just taken a step when Du Gou stopped her.

Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi, who had walked to the wall and reached out to touch the silver brick, and shook his head, saying, "Let him calm down."

"The case before us is beyond the comprehension of common sense and has long been beyond our capabilities. Neither you nor I can help him now."

"The only person who can help him out of his predicament is himself."

Du Ying understood her brother's meaning perfectly well. However, she didn't know when it started, but she really disliked seeing Liu Shuyi frown. Whenever Liu Shuyi encountered difficulties and his brows furrowed, her usually calm heart would feel sullen.

She didn't know why, she only knew that only when Liu Shuyi relaxed his brows would her heart return to peace.

"Will he be able to get through this?" Du Ying asked worriedly.

"If there is anyone in this world who can find out the truth of this case, it is only him..." Du Gou neither said he could nor he couldn't. The strangeness of this case had exceeded his imagination, and he could no longer make a judgment.

Looking at Liu Shuyi's imposing figure, which seemed to carry a mountain on his back, Du Ying slowly clenched her fair hands and said, "I believe he can."

…………

Liu Shuyi was unaware that Du Gou and Du Ying were worried about him. At that moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of how, if he were the thief, he could secretly take away the mountain of silver without alerting anyone, and replace each box with stones of equal weight within just three hours.

Since conventional methods of searching for clues were failing to yield any useful results, Liu Shuyi decided to employ unconventional methods.

He fully immersed himself in the role of a thief, thinking from the thief's perspective.

The modus operandi in this case is beyond the comprehension of common sense, which means that it is likely unique and not subject to many other possibilities.

Therefore, if you can think of a method that can achieve the same result as this case, then it is likely the method used by the thief!

"Sneak into the warehouse, unlock it, tear off the seal, take out the silver, weigh it, transport the silver out, bring in the stones, weigh them, transport the stones out, restore the seal, lock it again, clean up the scene, and slip out safely... In short, if I were a thief, that's all I would need to do."

"But these things cannot be separated from two things—entry and exit, and time."

"There's only one door to the warehouse, and it's locked with two groups of guards outside. It's impossible to get in or out through that door..."

Where are the windows?

Liu Shuyi looked at the window: "The window is sealed with iron plates, and it is basically impossible to move such heavy stones and silver through the narrow window."

"roof?"

He looked at the roof again, then quickly shook his head: "Even the windows are extremely difficult to move, let alone the roof. Besides, there are people in the yard. If someone is standing on the roof, it's impossible for them not to be noticed."

"There's still time... No matter how well we coordinate, it's absolutely impossible to finish all this in three hours. Even if the Ministry of Revenue did it openly, three hours might not be enough, let alone the fact that I don't even have three hours..."

Liu Shuyi stroked his chin, leaned against the wall, turned around, looked at the empty warehouse, and narrowed his eyes: "Since it's certain that there won't be enough time..."

"If I were to plan this, I would have to omit some procedures to ensure there is enough time..."

"What processes can be omitted? Or rather, which processes absolutely cannot be omitted?"

"Move away the pay and move in the stones... These are the only two things that absolutely cannot be omitted; everything else can be omitted."

"To ensure absolute success and complete the plan of stealing the sky and changing the sun in the shortest possible time, I will definitely omit all the steps that can be omitted, leaving only the two essential things to do..."

"Is the thief the same as I suspect? If so..."

Liu Shuyi had a bold guess in his mind: "Those stones might have been prepared in advance! They were placed in the same boxes and sealed with the same seals..."

"In other words, the thieves didn't do that much at all. They only did two things—moved the silver and its box away, and moved the stones and their box here... That's why there's no sign of the seals on the boxes being broken, because they were never actually opened after they were put on!"

"In that case, there will be plenty of time."

"Moreover, it takes the shortest time and can ensure that it is not discovered by outsiders to the greatest extent, greatly improving security!"

"If that's the case, all those stones would have been packed up long ago, waiting to be switched out... So how could a mountain of boxes have been left there unnoticed by anyone..."

"And doors, windows, roof... all possible entry and exit points have been ruled out. How could the thief have gotten in and out safely without alerting anyone..."

Liu Shuyi recalled his experience at the Cuihua Mountain Temple.

"This warehouse... could it also have secret passages or mechanisms?"

(End of this chapter)