Chapter 1: Schemes!

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Liu Shuyi was suffering from a terrible headache—both literally and figuratively.

He sat on a cold, low stool, rubbing the large bump on his head while gazing at the antique-styled room before him. Normally proud of his calm and rational demeanor, even he could not prevent a look of shock from surfacing in his eyes.

After all, transmigration was hardly an everyday occurrence.

Moreover, the situation he found himself in after crossing over was, to put it mildly, beyond complicated.

Yes, he had transmigrated.

In his previous life, he had just endured several sleepless days and nights to crack a serial murder case. He had only just apprehended the suspect and was looking forward to a well-earned rest, when he opened his eyes and found himself here.

With memories now fused, he understood his current predicament.

The date was the twenty-second day of the second month in the second year of the Zhenguan era of the Great Tang. The place: the Liu residence in Changxing Ward, Chang’an.

His present identity was that of Liu Shuyi, the second son of Liu Wenjing—a founding hero of the Tang who was later executed for treason. He now served as a junior official in the Ministry of Justice, sharing the same name as in his previous life.

Although his father had been executed for rebellion, this alone did not make his current circumstances so unspeakable to someone as composed as he was. After all, nine years had passed since then.

Despite the hardships endured due to his father’s crime, at least the original Liu Shuyi had managed to enter the Ministry of Justice, albeit as a low-ranking official. It was already a step up from the most abject poverty.

What truly left him at a loss for words was that he—or rather, the original Liu Shuyi—had been set up and was now entangled in a major affair!

And it all began just over a month ago.

At the start of the second year of Zhenguan, the tomb of the deposed Crown Prince and Prince of Xi, Li Jiancheng, was completed. After calculations by the Ministry of Rites, the burial was set for the thirteenth day of the first month, at Gaoyang Plain in Chang’an County.

With Li Jiancheng finally interred, all matters relating to the Xuanwu Gate Incident ought to have settled—dust to dust, earth to earth.

But unexpectedly, a month later, disaster struck.

On the night of the thirteenth day of the second month, a sudden gale arose, and a violent snowstorm swept through. The guards at Li Jiancheng’s tomb were battered by the wind and snow, unable to keep their eyes open, and were forced to shelter indoors.

When the storm subsided the next morning and the guards went out to check, they were stunned by what they saw.

Li Jiancheng’s tomb had collapsed.

They rushed into the burial chamber, only to discover a crack in the ice-sealed coffin—and peering inside, Li Jiancheng’s corpse had vanished!

They were instantly chilled to the bone, as if plunged into an icy abyss, and hurriedly reported the matter to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin was furious, commanding the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicature and Revision, and the Imperial Guards to investigate together and search for Li Jiancheng’s body.

Yet, the corpse was nowhere to be found. Instead, rumors spread of Li Jiancheng’s ghost appearing to murder people.

Within seven days, two ministers at court died in succession.

Both officials had been loyal retainers of Li Jiancheng during the reign of Emperor Wude.

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On the nights they were killed, witnesses claimed to have seen Li Jiancheng’s ghost drifting through the night sky.

Tales quickly circulated that Li Jiancheng, unwilling to accept the loss of his throne and resentful of the traitors who betrayed him, was determined to slaughter all the officials of the court.

Panic seized the people, and Li Shimin’s anger only grew. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicature and Revision to investigate, with Sikong Pei Ji, Chancellor Du Ruhui, and Censor-in-Chief Wei Zheng presiding.

A pall seemed to hang over all of Chang’an. Even ordinary citizens were cowed into silence, and the usually bustling East and West Markets had grown uncharacteristically quiet.

None of this, in theory, should have had anything to do with the original Liu Shuyi.

After all, he was a minor official with no connection to Li Jiancheng. If the sky were to collapse, it would surely be the last to fall on him.

But fate had other plans. Last night, a third official was killed by Li Jiancheng’s ghost.

And by sheer misfortune, the original Liu Shuyi had been near that official’s residence at the time, and was spotted by the night watchman.

Terrified, he fled in panic, only to crash into a wall and raise the very bump now throbbing on his head.

He barely made it home, only to discover his money pouch was missing—likely dropped when he fell against the wall.

Worse yet, the pouch was embroidered with the character for "Liu," and he had used it openly at the Ministry of Justice before. If any colleague saw it at the crime scene, they would recognize it at once.

The night watchman had also seen his face, and would have no trouble identifying him. Even if he claimed to have lost his pouch, it would do him no good.

The original Liu Shuyi had been utterly paralyzed by fear, certain that his doom was at hand. That night, he developed a fever and, in the throes of terror, his soul departed, making way for Liu Shuyi’s own arrival.

“To think he was quite literally scared to death…”

Liu Shuyi, recalling all this, shook his head.

Yet he understood—the blame did not lie entirely with the original.

When Liu Wenjing was executed for treason, the original Liu Shuyi had been only ten years old. His family, once basking in glory as founding heroes, was cast down into the abyss of infamy as traitors.

He had suffered countless slights and injustices through the years, endured beatings, and been ostracized.

Once a confident youth, he had become timid and fearful.

Two years ago, his only kin—his elder brother—suddenly disappeared. The only person who had shielded him from the world was gone, leaving him even more anxious, terrified that he would be the next to vanish.

So, when faced with last night’s events and knowing how enraged Li Shimin was, he realized there was no escape and succumbed to his terror.

All the more so because—

Liu Shuyi narrowed his eyes. The reason the original had braved the night curfew to approach the murdered official’s residence was a mysterious note he had received.

The note contained just ten characters: "To find your brother, come to Zhao Ci’s residence at midnight."

Yes, he had gone in hope of finding his brother, missing for two years.

He had clung to a sudden hope of family reunion.

Instead, he found no brother—and was about to be cast into ruin. Hope turned to despair. Faced with such a double blow, how could someone so timid and fearful endure it?

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All of this, without a doubt, was a thorough and deliberate setup!

Someone wanted the original Liu Shuyi to bear the blame for these murders!

With the original lured to the scene, a witness in place, it was likely that other physical evidence implicating him would be found at the crime scene.

Even without the lost money pouch, the trail would still lead to him.

He could not escape—there was no way out…

“After a lifetime of solving cases, I never imagined I’d one day become the suspect in a case myself—framed with such ‘irrefutable’ evidence, no less!”

Liu Shuyi frowned, his mind racing with calculated clarity.

He was searching for a way to break the deadlock.

He was not the original Liu Shuyi; resignation to fate was not in his vocabulary.

He would not accept death so easily.

But how to turn the tables?

Should he present the note and tell the truth?

Who would believe him?

More importantly, the fury of Li Shimin, the destabilizing rumors shaking the Tang Dynasty, and the pressure of a nation’s scrutiny would weigh heavily on those tasked with investigating the case—Du Ruhui and the others. They desperately needed to give Li Shimin an answer.

Even if doubts remained, they would likely hand him over if no other clues emerged.

They had no other choice.

If he were caught, he would never escape.

But to flee? Where could he run?

And was it already too late?

Perhaps Du Ruhui and his men were already on their way to arrest him.

Knock, knock, knock!

At that moment, the door was suddenly pounded from outside.

Wan’er, the maid, called out anxiously, “Young master, something terrible has happened! The authorities have broken in—they’re here to arrest you!”