Chapter 7: Alas, I've Already Solved the Case! (Combined Edition)

“Really? You truly know everything now?”

Cheng Chumo was both shocked and skeptical—not because he distrusted Liu Shuyi, but because Liu’s revelation came so suddenly.

What Liu Shuyi had seen, Cheng had seen as well.

What Liu Shuyi had heard, Cheng had heard too.

Yet, Cheng still knew nothing, while Liu claimed to know everything. This made Cheng wonder if he had missed something by being distracted.

Even the composed and gentle Du Gou stared intently at Liu Shuyi, his eyes unblinking.

Liu’s dark pupils shifted slightly, and under the sunlight, they seemed to gleam with an inner light.

He did not conceal anything. “We can basically identify the culprit, but there’s still something missing to make him confess…”

He then looked directly at Madam Zhao. “Madam Zhao, please take me to the room where Master Zhao was found dead.”

Madam Zhao, having overheard the conversation among the three men, looked at Liu Shuyi with eyes that reflected a glimmer of hope emerging from the depths of despair.

Her demeanor toward Liu Shuyi grew warmer.

This time, not because of Du Ruhui’s command.

“Very well!”

She immediately turned and began leading the way. “After Master returned from duty yesterday, he seemed unsettled. I urged him to rest early, but he insisted he had urgent official business to attend to through the night. He then went into his study and forbade anyone from disturbing him.”

“Later, around midnight, the servants suddenly heard terrible cries from the study. They quickly opened the door and found…”

Madam Zhao took a handkerchief to her eyes, her voice choking with emotion, “They found Master writhing on the floor, clawing at his own face until it was bloody and raw, bones exposed, screaming ‘Ghost! Help me!’ But soon after… he passed away.”

Du Gou addressed Liu Shuyi, “The other two victims died in the same manner, but when they died, the ghost hovered directly above their heads. This time, Master died in the study, yet the ghost was above the bedroom.”

Listening to Du Gou, Liu Shuyi’s expression grew clearer. “So it is.”

“What?” Du Gou was momentarily taken aback.

Before Liu Shuyi could say more, Madam Zhao stopped. “It’s right here.”

Liu Shuyi looked up to see the door of the room ajar, guarded by two Golden Guards.

Through the open door, a corpse lay on the floor.

Beside the body, a middle-aged man in gray robes paced nervously.

Hearing footsteps outside, the man quickly looked up.

Seeing Liu Shuyi and the others, he hurried out. “Greetings, Chief Investigator Cheng, Minister Du, Director Liu.”

This man was the coroner from the Ministry of Justice, whom Liu Shuyi knew.

Nodding slightly, Liu entered the room. “What’s the autopsy result?”

The coroner hurriedly replied, “Master Zhao has scratches on his face and neck, but no other wounds. From my preliminary judgment, like Zhao Wenyi from the Ministry of Revenue and Wang Lucheng from the Ministry of Works, he also appears to have died from poisoning.”

“Poisoned?”

Liu Shuyi glanced down at the corpse.

Zhao Ci’s face was ravaged; his expression twisted in terror, eyes wide with fear. Though dead for several hours, the horror and despair he felt before death were still palpable.

“What kind of poison?” Liu Shuyi asked.

The coroner shook his head, embarrassed. “I don’t know… this world is full of strange poisons. But a toxin that causes such terror and self-inflicted wounds—I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

Liu Shuyi frowned.

No wonder Du Ruhui and the others had made no progress in their investigation. Without knowing the poison, how could they probe further?

Fortunately, this did not affect Liu much.

He only needed to know how the murderer killed.

He stopped questioning the nervous coroner and turned his attention to Zhao Ci’s study.

The room was spacious, with two rows of red lacquered bookshelves packed tightly against the walls. Beneath the window stood a pearwood writing desk, cluttered with brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and several books.

Liu Shuyi sat on a low stool.

Directly opposite him lay an unfolded sheet of rice paper.

It bore no writing, only a few ink drops that had bled into blotches.

Staring at the pristine paper marked by dark ink spots, Liu Shuyi’s eyes deepened. “He wanted to write something but didn’t… Was he unsure how to write? Or was he afraid? Or hesitant whether to write at all?”

Tapping his fingers on the desk, various thoughts rose in his mind.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, he felt something brush his leg beneath the desk.

Leaning back, he looked down and saw a small box tied to the right leg of the desk.

His eyes flashed as he retrieved the box.

Opening the lid, he found three translucent dice inside.

“Dice?”

Raising an eyebrow, he took them out and examined them closely.

They were exquisitely crafted, their surfaces smooth and pleasant to the touch.

“Madam Zhao,” Liu Shuyi suddenly turned to the beautiful woman tearfully watching her husband’s corpse. “Was Master Zhao a gambler?”

“Gambler?” Madam Zhao was confused by the question. “Of course not. Master never gambled. He said gambling was poison to the family and strictly forbade anyone in the Zhao household from doing so.”

Not a gambler, yet there were three such exquisite dice hidden here…

Liu Shuyi’s eyes flickered as a sudden thought came to him.

He turned to Du Gou. “Minister Du, I need your help with something.”

Du Gou, flipping through books on Zhao Ci’s shelves, looked up. “What is it?”

Liu Shuyi glanced at Madam Zhao, then whispered in Du Gou’s ear, “Help me investigate a few matters…”

Du Gou’s expression remained calm at first, but soon a puzzled look crept in. He seemed unsure why Liu Shuyi asked this.

“What is it?”

Liu Shuyi smiled knowingly. “If I’m right, Minister Du will uncover some very interesting things.”

Hearing the implication in Liu’s tone, Du Gou’s clear eyes glimmered.

“Very well!”

He nodded. “These matters are complex and may take some time, but I will use all available resources to find out everything as soon as possible.”

“Thank you!” Liu Shuyi said without hesitation.

Du Gou nodded slightly and left immediately.

Watching the steady Du Gou depart swiftly like the wind, Liu Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief.

If left to himself, it might take ten days to untangle these matters.

But with Du Gou’s full effort and the power of the Du family, the investigation could be expedited—perhaps even completed within a day.

That left only one final task…

Liu Shuyi looked at Cheng Chumo, who returned his gaze with wide, keen eyes like shining copper bells.

“Director Liu, do I have a mission too?” Cheng asked eagerly, rubbing his hands.

It seemed the whispered conversation between Liu and Du Gou had stirred him.

Liu’s eyes flickered as he nodded seriously. “Captain Cheng, are you ready for the most important task?”

Most important?

Honest Cheng had no idea of Liu’s schemes.

Hearing this, he straightened immediately, pounding his chest with excitement. “You trust me so much—I won’t let you down!”

“Good!”

Liu stepped closer and whispered in Cheng’s ear, “Go to the Ministry of Revenue and help me check on something…”

Cheng blinked. “So simple? That’s the most important thing? Director Liu, you’re not tricking me, are you?”

Liu was earnest, his serious expression showing no sign of doubt. “Once I reveal the truth, Captain, you’ll understand how important it is.”

“Alright!”

Satisfied, Cheng set off at once.

“Keep it low-key. Don’t let everyone at the Ministry know,” Liu reminded.

“I’m not a fool,” Cheng said with a wave of his hand, striding away confidently.

Soon, only Liu Shuyi and Madam Zhao remained in the antique study.

Noticing Madam Zhao glancing at him repeatedly, Liu pondered before asking, “Madam Zhao, I heard Master Zhao had a jade pendant with him when he died. Do you know where it was? And where it came from?”

The case was nearly solved; now it was time to consider how the culprit framed him.

Madam Zhao pointed to the floor on the left side of the body. “The pendant was right here. I hadn’t seen it before and knew it wasn’t Master’s, so I gave it to Minister Du and the others investigating.”

“As for where it came from, I don’t know.”

Her red, swollen eyes looked toward Liu Shuyi. “When Master came to the study last night, I brought him chicken soup. At that time, the floor was clear of any pendant.”

“Did anyone else enter or leave the Zhao residence that night before the incident?”

“No.”

She shook her head. “No outsiders entered. The servants guarded the study, and after I left, no one else came in.”

No one entered the study, yet the pendant was found nearby when Zhao Ci died. How did it get there?

Could the pendant have been on Zhao Ci all along?

Liu Shuyi knew from the original owner’s memories that the pendant had been lost for half a year.

The original owner didn’t know how it was lost and couldn’t find it despite searching.

It had been missing so long that when he considered how the culprit might frame him, he never imagined they’d use this pendant—lost half a year ago—to set him up.

Could the culprit have prepared for this framing half a year ago?

No!

The murders of Zhao Ci and the others were clearly impulsive.

The culprit had not planned this from the start.

So originally, the culprit’s scheme did not include him!

Then why did the pendant, lost six months ago, end up in the culprit’s hands?

A contradiction…

It seemed he would have to wait until the culprit was caught to ask.

Liu Shuyi exhaled deeply. He had done all he could; now he must wait patiently.

…

Knock knock knock!

Urgent knocking echoed loudly.

Liu Shuyi, who had just crossed over last night and faced danger, then tirelessly pursued the case, was exhausted. After making all the arrangements, he returned home and fell asleep immediately.

Half-awake, he heard anxious voices outside.

“Master, bad news! Pei Sikong’s men have arrived!”

“They broke down our door again, accusing you of colluding with the Zhao family to murder imperial officials. The evidence is solid, and they’re coming to arrest you!”

Pei Ji’s men had come? To arrest him?

Liu Shuyi snapped fully awake.

He quickly threw on his clothes and opened the door.

There stood Wan’er, her beautiful face etched with worry.

“Master, what’s going on? Weren’t they giving you three days to investigate? The day isn’t even over, yet they’re back?”

Liu frowned, about to speak, when the scene he’d witnessed earlier replayed.

Armored soldiers charged in forcefully, surrounding him once again.

This time, their swords were drawn.

Cold and murderous expressions.

“Liu Shuyi, you conspired with Zhao Zhuo’s son to kill imperial officials, deceiving Pei Sikong, Minister Du, and Doctor Wei. The evidence is conclusive. You deserve death!”

“By Pei Sikong’s order, we’re taking you into custody! Resist and you will be executed on the spot!”

“Seize him!”

At the command, soldiers surged forward.

Wan’er’s face turned pale.

She nervously clutched Liu’s robe, unsure what to do.

She never imagined the situation would deteriorate so badly in a single day.

Why had Pei Ji gone back on his word?

Wan’er, both angry and panicked, looked anxiously at Liu Shuyi—and was startled.

Because Liu’s reaction was completely different from hers.

As soldiers charged, instead of fear, Liu narrowed his eyes and smiled coldly.

Indeed, that old dog Pei Ji never intended to give him a chance.

Not three days—not even one.

Yet…

Seeing Du Gou and Cheng Chumo rushing in, Du Gou’s face complex, Cheng’s beaming with success, Liu smiled faintly.

But alas, it was already too late!

Even a single day was enough.

He met the grim faces of the soldiers, feeling their chilling intent, and finally spoke.

“You’re just in time. If you hadn’t come, I was going to find you!”

Hearing this strange remark, the lead officer frowned and shouted, “Don’t try any tricks! Zhao Zhuo’s son has been captured and has implicated you! Pei Sikong explicitly ordered that no word of yours is to be trusted! Liu Shuyi, you won’t escape!”

“Escape? No, I don’t intend to run. I’m willing to go with you!”

Liu Shuyi said as he stepped forward willingly toward the murderous soldiers.

“As for arresting me on such serious charges, you can’t keep Minister Du and Doctor Wei in the dark…”

He suddenly turned to Du Gou and Cheng Chumo, who had just arrived, and called out, “Minister Du, Captain Cheng, please run to Minister Du and Doctor Wei and ask them to come to the Ministry of Revenue to meet me…”

“The Ministry of Revenue?”

The lead officer sneered, “What Ministry of Revenue? You murderer belong in prison!”

“Prison? No, the prison holds no truth!”

Liu shook his head slowly, continuing to call to Du Gou and Cheng Chumo.

“Tell Minister Du and Doctor Wei that…”

His eyes flashed, his clear voice cutting through the night:

“I’ve solved the case! The truth lies at the Ministry of Revenue!”

“What!?”

“You solved the case?”

Everyone present was stunned.

The lead officer’s expression froze.

He stared wide-eyed at Liu Shuyi, who fixed him with a meaningful gaze.

“If you don’t take me to the Ministry of Revenue, aren’t you afraid that the truth will be lost, and the Emperor will blame you, strip you of your skin?”

“Hah!”

“Now, are you sure you still want to take me to prison?”

The officer’s face turned pale instantly.