The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 185 A Scheme Against Wei Zheng? Wan'er's Heart Has Been Winned Over by the Young Master!

After leaving the courtyard of the Ministry of Justice, Liu Shuyi walked unhurriedly toward Liu Quan's office.

As he walked, he glanced at the officials of the other three departments.

Consciously observe whether their attitude and reaction to you are different from before.

Since Liu Quan visited the other three departments yesterday and met with their officials, these officials now had the opportunity to glean Liu Quan's thoughts about them from his words and attitude.

Therefore, by observing the changes in the reactions of the other three officials to him, one could deduce Liu Quan's attitude.

"Dr. Liu."

"I have met Physician Liu."

"Doctor Liu is still as handsome and dignified as ever."

The flattery and respect remained the same, and Liu Shuyi did not notice anything amiss.

He realized that although Liu Quan had not gone to the Ministry of Justice, Liu Quan should not have said or hinted at anything that displeased him. Otherwise, these low-level officials would not have remained unchanged.

He nodded in response to each of them and soon arrived at Liu Quan's office.

Just as I was about to raise my hand to knock on the door.

crunch--

Suddenly, the door was opened from the inside.

Liu Shuyi reacted quickly, stopping his raised hand in time to avoid hitting the person who opened the door in the face.

Seeing Liu Quan staring blankly at his fist, Liu Shuyi calmly withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, and then bowed and said, "Greetings, Vice Minister Liu. I was assisting Wannian County in investigating a case yesterday and was not at the Ministry of Justice. I was unaware of your return and did not pay my respects. I hope you will forgive me."

Hearing Liu Shuyi's clear voice, Liu Quan finally realized what was happening. He coughed and then smiled as he helped Liu Shuyi up. "I heard from Magistrate Li this morning at the court assembly what Doctor Liu did yesterday. Doctor Liu has made a great contribution and brought honor to our Ministry of Justice. This is a good thing. How could I blame you for this?"

Liu Shuyi stood up and said, "I have always admired Vice Minister Liu, but I was afraid that he might misunderstand. Now I can rest assured."

Liu Quan laughed heartily: "To be honest, Doctor Liu, although I am far away in Jiangnan, I have heard many legendary stories about you before I returned. This makes me both curious and admiring of you. What kind of god could have such abilities?"

"Therefore, the first thing I wanted to do after returning was to meet you, the world's best detective. But when I heard that you had gone out to investigate a case, I had to suppress my impulse and think that I would go to the Ministry of Justice to find you after you returned... And here I am?"

Liu Quan smiled and spread his hands: "I was just about to go out when you arrived."

As he spoke, Liu Quan was also sizing up Liu Shuyi.

He wasn't completely unfamiliar with Liu Shuyi; after all, before he went to Jiangnan, Liu Shuyi had already solved the case of the vengeful spirit of the Prince of Xi, showing his talent.

However, at that time Liu Shuyi was only a minor official. Although he had made contributions, he was still far from Liu Shuyi's level. Therefore, Liu Shuyi only glanced at him a few times and then paid no more attention to him.

Who would have thought that he had only gone to Jiangnan to handle a case, but when he returned... the lowly clerk he was back then had become a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice, second only to him.

Moreover, this doctor personally sent another vice minister of the same rank, Wei Qian, to prison...

This made Liu Quan, who was already extremely cautious, feel even more uncertain. He had only been away for a little over a month, so how could the Ministry of Justice have changed so much when he returned? This made him wonder if he had misremembered the time, or if he had been away for more than a year or even several years.

"What a coincidence."

Liu Shuyi seemed oblivious to Liu Quan's scrutiny and laughed, "In that case, I am truly destined to meet Minister Liu."

“Who says otherwise?” Liu Quan looked away, realizing it wasn’t appropriate for the two of them to just stand there at the door, so he invited Liu Shuyi into the office.

Liu Quan's office was larger than Liu Shuyi's. Two rows of bookshelves stood against the wall, and some files and writing implements were placed on the desk. Apart from that, there were no decorations in the office, nor were there any of Liu Quan's personal belongings.

"Please have a seat, Physician Liu."

"Vice Minister Xie Liu".

After the two sat down, Liu Shuyi said, "Minister Du is not in the Ministry of Justice. Now the Ministry of Justice can only rely on Vice Minister Liu. I wonder if Vice Minister Liu has any instructions or arrangements for the Ministry of Justice or for me?"

"I dare not say that."

Liu Quan quickly replied, "Although Minister Du is not currently in the Ministry of Justice, I will immediately consult him whenever anything happens there. The Ministry of Justice will always rely on Minister Du, and I am merely following his orders and sharing his burdens."

As always, he is cautious... Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "I know that the Ministry of Justice relies on Minister Du, but Minister Du is also busy with national affairs and there are times when he cannot attend to the Ministry of Justice. In this case, I can only let Vice Minister Liu make the decision."

"That's it..."

Liu Quan thought for a moment and, finding no potential threat in those words, said, “In such special circumstances, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, I naturally have to shoulder the responsibilities of the Ministry. However, I have been away from the Ministry of Justice for over a month and do not yet have a clear understanding of the current situation. Therefore, I will not interfere. All departments can continue as before. If there are new tasks or sudden major cases, and if Minister Du is too busy to attend to the Ministry of Justice, then I will make a decision.”

This was yet another flawless answer: no interference. In this way, if any of the four departments of the Ministry of Justice had a problem, it would be the department's own problem, and would have nothing to do with him…

This kind of personality has both advantages and disadvantages for Liu Shuyi.

The good thing is that I don't have to worry about Liu Quan coming back and bossing me around or interfering with my work.

The downside is that if you make a mistake or are at a clear disadvantage in a fight with others, don't expect Liu Quan to help you. Liu Quan will only make the decision that is most advantageous to him based on the situation. It is already kind of him that he doesn't attack you.

At this point, Liu Shuyi had a preliminary understanding of Liu Quan's attitude towards him.

I also know how to deal with Liu Quan from now on...

…………

An hour later.

With Liu Quan's warm farewell, Liu Shuyi left Liu Quan's office.

As the door closed, the smile on Liu Shuyi's face quickly faded, replaced by an unconcealable sense of helplessness.

He really didn't expect... Liu Quan to be such a chatterbox.

After talking for about 45 minutes, he felt it was time to end the conversation and go about our own business.

But to his surprise, Liu Quan wouldn't let him leave at all, and kept asking him all sorts of questions.

He asked about the events that had occurred in the Ministry of Justice during this period, as well as Liu Shuyi's private affairs, such as whether he was married, whether he had a sweetheart, how many relatives he had, and whether he was experiencing any difficulties. If Liu Shuyi hadn't known Liu Quan's cautious nature and his reluctance to have much involvement with him, he would have suspected that Liu Quan had also taken a liking to him and wanted to become his father-in-law.

Logically speaking, a cautious person like Liu Quan should speak little, since the less he speaks, the fewer mistakes he makes.

But to everyone's surprise, he was the opposite.

Of course, Liu Quan also wanted to find out his true strength so he could determine how to treat him in the future... But even so, it was still too much of a dragging on.

"I can't meet with him alone unless it's absolutely necessary; my ears are about to give out..."

Liu Shuyi shook his head and quickly returned to the courtyard of the Ministry of Justice.

Just as he was about to enter his office, he heard someone calling his name from behind.

"Dr. Liu."

Liu Shuyi turned around and saw Lu Yangyuan walking in from outside the door in a hurry.

Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Have you met Yuan Lingtai?"

"Yes."

Lu Yangyuan said, "After I met Yuan Lingtai, I repeated what Doctor Liu had said. When Yuan Lingtai heard that it was about to calculate an auspicious day for Yang Wenwan's burial, he did not hesitate at all and immediately began to calculate it."

"Then, he gave a date."

Liu Shuyi asked directly, "Which day?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow?" Liu Shuyi raised an eyebrow.

Normally, when divining an auspicious day, several options are given. However, Yuan Tiangang did not give him any other dates, only the one closest to today. This shows that Yuan Tiangang understood his meaning; he knew that he definitely wanted Yang Wenwan to be buried as soon as possible.

Two collaborations, and they even developed a great understanding?
Liu Shuyi nodded: "Then let's settle it like this. Yang Wenwan will be buried the day after tomorrow. Send someone to inform Yang Hui about this later so he won't worry."

Lu Yangyuan nodded: "This humble official understands."

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Yang Hui... he must also want to bury his daughter himself. Should we try to help him?"

Liu Shuyi gently stroked the jade pendant at his waist with his fingertips. In fact, he had thought about this before, but Yang Hui had already been sentenced to prison. If he were to come out and bury Yang Wenwan, it would be an "exception".

If Yang Hui were just an ordinary prisoner, that would be easy; Li Xinchun could make the decision.

But now, Yang Hui is a prisoner known to all the officials and military officers, and even Li Shimin is paying attention to him.

Moreover, Li Shimin just made an exception for Yang Hui today, and two days later, Yang Hui wants to make another exception... This is a bit too much.

Originally, Li Shimin might have pitied him, but since he was not satisfied, Li Shimin's opinion might have changed.

In order for Yang Hui to be able to get out of prison safely in six months, Yang Hui should no longer ask for an exception... But, for this daughter, Yang Hui lost his family and lived a lonely life for ten years...

It can be said that everything that happened to the Yang family afterward, and Yang Hui's current situation, all stemmed from Yang Wenwan. If he could personally bury Yang Wenwan, the obsession in Yang Hui's heart might finally dissipate.

Moreover, Yang Hui had originally planned to commit suicide to be with his wife and children. He probably wasn't afraid of Li Shimin changing his opinion of him. Whether he could get out of prison or not, he might not really care that much. Under these circumstances, Yang Hui's choice was self-evident.

"Fine, I'll think of something."

Liu Shuyi sighed inwardly. In order for Yang Hui to be able to wholeheartedly serve as the steward of the Liu family, he would put in a little more effort and consider it as working for the well-being of his employee.

“However…” He said to Lu Yangyuan, “Don’t tell Yang Hui yet. I may not be able to succeed. He has just experienced a huge change and his emotions are unstable. Don’t let him suffer disappointment again. I’m afraid he won’t be able to handle it. It’s not too late to tell him after I succeed.”

Lu Yangyuan nodded emphatically and grinned, "I knew Liu Lang was kind-hearted and wouldn't be able to bear it..."

"Alright, stop being so sarcastic and get back to work."

"Yes!"

Lu Yangyuan chuckled and turned to leave. Watching Lu Yangyuan's retreating figure, Liu Shuyi shook his head helplessly. Lu Yangyuan and his group flattered him every day; after a while, they started to put him on a pedestal, and he couldn't help but feel like a bad guy.

However, how to get Li Shimin to make another exception for Yang Hui is a problem.

We cannot let Li Shimin think that Yang Hui is too greedy... Therefore, this matter cannot be mentioned by people like ourselves who are related to Yang Hui. It must be mentioned by someone who has never had contact with Yang Hui and whom Li Shimin trusts and believes would never have any selfish motives.

Liu Shuyi thought of two such people…

One was the Imperial Censor Wei Zheng. Given Wei Zheng's personality, Li Shimin would never suspect any ulterior motives in his proposals. Moreover, although Wei Zheng was somewhat rigid and strict, it did not prevent him from being a rare good official.

If we could find a way to let Wei Zheng hear about Yang Wenwan's impending burial and Yang Hui's almost insane obsession, and then try to stir up some emotion, Wei Zheng might take the initiative to apply for an exception for Yang Hui.

As for the other one, it was Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian was still quite young, and it was the time when his affection for Li Shimin was at its strongest. If Li Chengqian, as a son, were to bring up the matter of Yang Hui burying Yang Wenwan from a familial perspective, Li Shimin would surely be moved by his son's understanding and deep affection, and in his joy, he would definitely agree immediately.

During his investigation of the Xueyantuo envoy case, he had developed a certain friendship with Li Chengqian and had some understanding of Li Chengqian's personality, so it wouldn't be difficult to persuade Li Chengqian.

So, who should we choose?
Liu Shuyi's eyes flickered as his mind raced, comparing the pros and cons of the two men...

A moment later, he let out a soft breath.

Decided……

"Wei Zheng, perhaps."

Although Li Chengqian's path was easier to succeed on, if Li Shimin found out that Li Chengqian went to him because he was instigated or plotted against by others... the consequences would be very serious.

Li Shimin doted on Li Chengqian so much that he would never allow anyone to take advantage of him.

Wei Zheng, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy song and dance dramas...

That being the case...

Liu Shuyi's lips curled up; he had an idea.

…………

In the evening, it was time to finish my shift.

Liu Shuyi stretched and left the office.

Although he didn't encounter any cases that required his investigation today, he was forced to spend an hour by the talkative Liu Quan in the morning, then spent two hours writing the script, and finally spent the last part of his time processing case files... He only put down his brush when he finished his shift.

This day was no easier than when he was investigating a case.

Fortunately, unlike when investigating a case, I don't have to work day and night; I can leave work on time.

Riding in the carriage driven by Mo Xiaofan, Liu Shuyi's body swayed slightly with the carriage, and the hustle and bustle of the city outside filled his ears. His eyelids involuntarily closed.

He seemed to have not felt this relaxed in a long time.

Constantly busy with cases and under intense pressure from the enemy, he was always on edge, and seemed to have no time to listen to the bustling sounds of the street.

At that moment, listening to the shouts, bargaining, and bickering, he didn't find it annoying at all; on the contrary, he found it quite pleasant and hypnotic... and so, without realizing it, he fell asleep.

"Uu——"

Mo Xiaofan stopped outside the Liu residence.

Almost the instant he stopped, the tightly closed courtyard gate was opened.

Like a nimble elf, Wan'er hopped out from behind the door.

"Master~"

She tilted her head up sweetly, ready to welcome the young master's return, but for a long time, the carriage curtain remained motionless.

Wan'er blinked blankly and asked, "Young Master hasn't returned?"

Mo Xiaofan glanced back and lowered his voice, "He's asleep. Should we wake him up, young master?"

"do not want!"

Wan'er was afraid that Mo Xiaofan would wake Liu Shuyi, so she quickly said, "Young Master must be too tired to fall asleep. If you dare to wake him up, I will beat you to death."

Mo Xiaofan: "..."

"Who wants to kill whom?"

At this moment, Liu Shuyi's slightly hoarse voice came from inside the carriage, as he had just woken up.

Wan'er glared at Mo Xiaofan, then quickly lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Young Master, you misheard. A rat just passed by, and I said I was scared. Xiaofan said he was going to kill the rat."

"Right? Xiao Fan?" Wan'er threatened Mo Xiao Fan with her eyes.

Even when he was kidnapped by a serial killer, Mo Xiaofan never backed down, but at this moment he subconsciously shrank his neck and hurriedly said, "Yes, yes."

Liu Shuyi had actually woken up the moment Mo Xiaofan stopped. He hadn't forgotten that he was still in a dangerous situation where he was being targeted by many forces, so he dared not really sleep soundly.

Therefore, he heard their conversation very clearly, but he did not intend to expose Wan'er's lie, otherwise, given Wan'er's personality, she would surely get angry.

Stepping down from the carriage, Liu Shuyi asked, "Have the guards and servants all arrived?"

Wan'er nodded: "Everyone is here, just waiting for the young master to see them."

"Let's go, don't keep them waiting."

Because of Wan'er's special status, to be honest, Liu Shuyi was really curious about the kind of people Wan'er had found for him.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees that the once empty courtyard is now occupied by a number of people.

They were men and women, arranged in three rows.

The row on the left consists of ten men, each burly and strong with resolute eyes, clearly skilled in martial arts. Judging from their spirit and energy, Liu Shuyi believes they have likely been on the battlefield.

The middle row also consists of eight men. Compared to the men on the left, they are no longer as robust, are around twenty years old, and have tanned skin... They must be ordinary servants.

The row on the right consists of six women, each with a different appearance and build. Two of them are slightly plump and quite strong. Two are middle-aged women with weathered faces, clearly having experienced a lot. The other two are young and beautiful, but without exception, their hands are covered in thick calluses... The situation of the maids is a bit more complicated.

Upon seeing Liu Shuyi approaching, the twenty-four men immediately bowed in unison, saying, "Greetings, Physician Liu."

Since Liu Shuyi had not yet given his approval, they were not yet members of the Liu household, so they could only address Liu Shuyi as Doctor Liu.

Liu Shuyi nodded slightly. He had just observed that these people had been standing in the courtyard for who knows how long, but he did not see any dissatisfaction on their faces. When they first came in, he did not find anyone slouching. Everyone had their backs straight... This first impression alone made him very satisfied.

He said, “There’s no need for such formalities. I work in the Ministry of Justice, so my schedule isn’t very flexible. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Please don’t take offense.”

Everyone was completely surprised by Liu Shuyi's polite and gentle manner, and quickly shook their heads.

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "Wan'er has already explained the treatment you receive in the manor, right? Is there anything you feel is inappropriate or needs to be changed?"

"No, no, Miss Wan'er has already given us the highest amount."

"That's right. I have no other desires but to live up to the trust placed in me by Doctor Liu and Miss Wan'er."

Listening to their words, Liu Shuyi nodded again. He looked at Wan'er and asked, "Do you have their names on the register?"

"of course."

Wan'er took a book and handed it to Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi opened it and saw that each person's name and background were written in detail.

He quickly scanned the information on these people and asked, "Has Uncle Chang met with them?"

"I have met them. As soon as they arrived, Uncle Chang couldn't help but chat with them for a while."

"Is Uncle Chang satisfied?"

"It should be alright..." Wan'er said, "Unfortunately, when Uncle Chang left, he didn't secretly tell me who was not good."

"Well."

Liu Shuyi returned the book to Wan'er and said, "Let them come to the manor to work as soon as possible."

Wan'er was taken aback: "Young Master, don't you want to talk to them one by one carefully?"

"What are we exchanging information about? Are we interrogating them about their purpose in coming to my Liu residence?"

Liu Shuyi said with a smile, "Since I entrusted this matter to you, it means I believe in your abilities. Meeting them today is a way to get to know them in advance, so that they won't be stopped at the door by me when they come back, as if I were a stranger. That would be embarrassing for me, wouldn't it?"

Normally, Wan'er would laugh heartily when Liu Shuyi joked around, but this time, she sniffed and fell silent, which was unusual for her.

Liu Shuyi's trust in her was like a furnace, scorching her heart.

She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and nodded emphatically: "Young Master, rest assured, the person I chose will be absolutely loyal to you forever."

Silly girl, don't you realize there's something wrong with what you just said?

Liu Shuyi felt that it wouldn't be long before Wan'er took the initiative to tell him her secret.

He twisted his neck, stretched his body, and said, "Alright, you can communicate with them again. If there are no problems, sign the contract. I'm exhausted after a long day, and it's rare that I have nothing to do tonight, so I need to get some rest."

Wan'er's sweet smile returned: "I know, young master, go and rest. Dinner will be ready soon~"

…………

P.S.: I've finally finished writing this interspersed content. I'm not good at writing about everyday things, but there are some things I have to write. Fortunately, it's almost done. The next chapter will start a new case!
(End of this chapter)