Chapter 5: Du Ruhui's Anticipation!

Although Li Shimin had ordered Pei Ji, Du Ruhui, and Wei Zheng to lead the inquiry together, Du Ruhui, as one of Li Shimin’s most trusted and influential ministers, held a higher standing than the other two.

Thus, once Du Ruhui nodded and agreed to Liu Shuyi’s request, even if Pei Ji were still unwilling, he could no longer object.

For if he did, he would no longer be opposing Liu Shuyi alone, but challenging Du Ruhui himself.

“Since Deputy Director Du is willing to give you a chance, then I shall grant you three days.”

Pei Ji still fixed Liu Shuyi with the look of a magistrate interrogating a prisoner, his voice cold, laden with the authority of one accustomed to command.

“If, by this time three days from now, you still cannot produce the murderer, then I shall personally come and take you into custody!”

“At that time...”

His gaze swept over Du Ruhui and Wei Zheng as he said, “No one will be able to save you.”

With that, Pei Ji turned at once and strode away from the decrepit courtyard, which in his eyes was wretched beyond measure.

Watching Pei Ji’s departing back, Du Ruhui’s eyes grew slightly deeper.

How could he fail to hear that Pei Ji’s final words had been meant for him as well?

Pei Ji was reminding him that, since he was now giving face and not making things difficult for Liu Shuyi, then when the time came for him to deal with Liu Shuyi three days later, Du Ruhui ought to know better than to interfere.

What a fair exchange indeed...

Du Ruhui narrowed his eyes, then withdrew his gaze and once more looked at Liu Shuyi.

The rising sun cast its light from the east, falling upon Liu Shuyi as though draping him in a magnificent scarlet official robe.

Even with the most exacting eye, Du Ruhui could find no flaw in Liu Shuyi’s conduct just now. He could not help but wonder: if he himself were placed in the same perilous situation as Liu Shuyi, would he have handled it any better?

The answer seemed to be no.

This was a remarkable man whose talent he had once misjudged even himself, so what the outcome would be three days hence, he truly looked forward to seeing.

“Since the matter of the Prince of Xi’s corpse being missing and the murder of Zhao Ci and the others are two separate cases, we cannot devote all our time and effort to the same one. Therefore, I shall not accompany you in investigating the case of Zhao Ci and the others.”

Du Ruhui spoke slowly, his voice still gentle.

“I will arrange for two men to assist you. You may investigate with complete freedom; there is no need to concern yourself with the rank or position of whomever you question. You only need to remember one thing...”

He looked at him, his tone calm yet carrying an unmistakable force: “You are a man from my Ministry of Justice. Behind you stands my support. I have authorized you to investigate in my place. Whoever resists, whoever prevaricates, is opposing me! I will settle accounts with them myself!”

“So...”

He raised a hand and patted Liu Shuyi on the shoulder. “Investigate it well. Do not let my lifelong reputation stumble in your hands; I do not wish to become the butt of laughter three days from now.”

Hearing Du Ruhui’s words, even Liu Shuyi, who had lived two lives, could not help feeling warmed to the heart.

His regard for Du Ruhui only deepened.

He nodded emphatically. “I will prove that Duke Du has not trusted the wrong man.”

“Good!”

Du Ruhui laughed heartily. “A man from my Ministry of Justice ought to have that kind of confidence!”

With that, he turned directly and looked toward the crowd behind him. “Cheng Chumo, Du Gou, come here!”

As the words fell, two figures stepped forward at once.

The man on the left was about twenty years old, dressed in a green official robe. He was tall and slender, with a gentle, scholarly bearing, all refined and bookish grace.

The man on the right was likewise around twenty. He wore black armor and carried two enormous battle axes across his back. Broad and powerfully built, with a dark complexion, he looked like a fusion of Judge Bao and Zhang Fei.

Du Ruhui introduced them: “Cheng Chumo, Left Guard Commander of the Imperial Guard; my son Du Gou, Assistant Magistrate of the Court of Judicial Review. From now on, these two will assist you in your investigation. Whatever you need, tell them directly.”

Upon hearing this, the scholarly Du Gou looked at Liu Shuyi with clear, bright eyes and cupped his hands. “Chief Clerk Liu is quick-witted and sharp-eyed, seeing through things with remarkable precision. I am deeply admiring.”

“You flatter me, truly. It was only good fortune on my part.” Liu Shuyi hurriedly returned the courtesy.

The broad-faced, dark-skinned Cheng Chumo also cupped his hands in a blunt and straightforward manner. With the movement, the battle axes on his back struck one another, producing a crisp ringing sound.

“Really just good fortune? Then can you find the murderer? If not, wouldn’t that mean you’re doomed for certain?”

So military men are all this stubborn and inarticulate...?

Liu Shuyi’s eyelid twitched, but he still replied with a smile, returning the salute. “To stay alive, I will do everything in my power to find the murderer.”

Looking at the two men before him, one scholarly and one martial, both of distinguished status, Liu Shuyi somewhat understood Du Ruhui’s intention in assigning them to him.

On the one hand, Du Gou and Cheng Chumo were of high birth and status; with them at his side, he would not have to fear ordinary officials deliberately making things difficult for him.

On the other hand, their standing meant they could not possibly be bought over by him, so with them watching him, there was no need to worry that he might use the investigation as a pretext to slip away.

Du Ruhui had considered everything with great thoroughness, leaving no loophole whatsoever.

“All right.”

Seeing that the pleasantries were done, Du Ruhui wasted no more time and said to Liu Shuyi, “Time is pressing, so I will not delay your investigation. Remember, you only have three days. One extra quarter-hour and I may still tolerate it, but Pei Sikong will not. This is the most I can win for you, so make the most of it.”

Liu Shuyi said solemnly, “This humble official understands.”

Du Ruhui nodded and said nothing more. After exchanging a glance with Wei Zheng, he departed together with him without the slightest delay.

Very soon, the crowded courtyard opened up once more.

Wan’er watched the mass of people leaving, recalled the aggressive manner in which they had come, and for a moment could not help feeling dazed.

She had not expected that Young Master would truly survive this calamity.

Not only that, he had even secured a chance to solve the case and earn merit. If he truly broke the case, and left such a favorable impression on Du Ruhui, why would he ever lack the chance of advancement in the future?

In other words, Young Master had not only survived the present crisis, but had also brought a glimmer of dawn to his future prospects...

Had Young Master truly been concealing his abilities all along?

Was this version of Young Master the real him?

Wan’er’s clear, moist eyes looked somewhat stunned as they rested on the upright, handsome man before her.

Sensing the pretty maid’s scrutiny, Liu Shuyi also knew how different his present behavior was from that of the original owner of this body.

But in this moment of crisis, he had no time to care whether the persona he had fashioned was collapsing or not.

He raised a hand and gently rubbed Wan’er’s head, smiling as he said, “I’ve frightened you, haven’t I? It’s all right now. Go and rest properly.”

Although in his eyes Wan’er was still of unknown origin, and had in fact appeared precisely at the time when his elder brother mysteriously vanished... just from how, when danger struck him moments ago, she had stepped forward on her own to shield him and protect him, he could not bring himself to feel any resentment toward her.

Feeling the warmth from the hand resting upon her head, Wan’er’s lovely cheeks reddened a little, and she asked with concern, “Then what about you, Young Master?”

“As for me, I naturally have to investigate the case. I only have three days, so I dare not be lazy.”

Liu Shuyi lifted his gaze to the blazing sun hanging in the east. It was said that the moon shone bright in the Qin era and the pass was cold in the Han; though the times were different, the sun and moon in the sky remained the same forever.

And he, even after returning to a world more than a thousand years in the past, still seemed destined to tread the path of investigation, a road filled with mystery, danger, and excitement.

He drew a deep breath, no longer delaying, and looked toward Du Gou and Cheng Chumo before him.

“Let us go.”

“Where to?” Cheng Chumo asked with curiosity.

Du Gou, with his gentle bearing, also looked at Liu Shuyi.

Then they saw a glimmer of sharp brilliance flashing in Liu Shuyi’s dark eyes. At this moment, he seemed to overlap with the self he had been in his previous life.

His keen mind was already racing madly.

“The files concerning the four men including Han Du belong to the Ministry of Revenue.”

“The first dead man, Han Du, was also an official of the Ministry of Revenue, and he died right there in the Ministry of Revenue.”

“So the Ministry of Revenue... must have some kind of connection to the murderer!”

“Rather than chasing a ghost, it is better to investigate the people.”

“We’re going to the Ministry of Revenue to investigate the people!”