strictlysupreme Chapter 1198 Brother Gu, your taste is quite excellent.
Chapter 1198 Brother Gu, your taste is quite excellent.
"What kind of looks are those? I just think this is a trivial matter that doesn't need to trouble the important figures in the temple." Noticing Zheng and Fei's gazes, Young Master Liu, though his expression was somewhat unpleasant, still spoke firmly:
"As for this key, this property belongs to my family. Is there a problem with my father giving me a key?"
"But you just said you didn't know where the key is?" Zheng Tuo asked, frowning, his gaze towards this young master Liu filled with suspicion.
"Who cares why? There's definitely something fishy in this cabinet. We'll find out once we open it." Fei Boyuan said bluntly, taking the key as he reached for it and quickly walked towards the locked cabinet.
This Qiwu lock is truly amazing.
Previously, they were unable to open or even damage the lock no matter what they did, but after inserting the key, it was opened very easily.
"squeak~"
With a slightly jarring sound, the cabinet door was pulled open, and a strong smell of ink wafted out. Looking inside, one could see a large collection of books, as well as many letters and ledgers.
Strangely, all the books and letters were piled up on the left side of the cabinet, while the right side was largely empty.
"Is that enough?" Young Master Liu said impatiently, "These are all things related to the temple. They must be carefully kept and not seen by outsiders. Do you still think that these things are related to the murderer who killed my father?"
This……
Zheng Tuo and Fei Boyuan were speechless and turned their gazes to Gu Xiu. After all, it was Gu Xiu who had just said that there were clues about the murderer, but now it was clear that there was no real connection.
Even Li Changgong couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "When I came last night, the cabinet was locked, and nothing has changed about it today..."
It seems that although he wanted to clear his name, he also knew he had to tell the truth.
"Did you hear that? Even the murderer couldn't stand it anymore!" Young Master Liu gave Gu Xiu a look of disgust: "What could a locked cabinet possibly have to do with anything?"
But the next moment, Young Master Liu's expression suddenly froze.
Because Gu Xiu simply said in a low voice, "A cabinet is indeed no big deal, but what if someone is hiding inside the cabinet?"
what?
Someone is hiding there?
Everyone was taken aback, but Gu Xiu had already come to the cabinet and examined it carefully before asking, "Officer Zheng, Officer Fei, haven't you two figured anything out yet?"
This……
Fei Boyuan scratched the back of his head, not quite understanding what Gu Xiu meant. Zheng Tuo, however, suddenly narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping carefully over the cabinet. After a moment, he said:
"These piled-up ledgers and letters were not originally piled on top of these books. If I'm not mistaken, they were originally categorized and placed in fixed locations."
"Someone piled these ledgers and letters on top of these books!"
"How did you figure that out?" Fei Boyuan asked curiously, sticking his head out to take a look. "Although it does look a bit messy when piled up like this, there's nothing wrong with it, right?"
“Dust.” Fei Boyuan pointed to the empty area on the floor:
"Although some of the dust has been wiped away, you can still tell from the edges that these account books and letters were previously categorized and put away. In fact, you can tell from the other bookshelves that Mr. Liu is a very tidy person. He likes to categorize and put away all kinds of books. It is abnormal that this cabinet is messy."
"In other words..." Fei Boyuan then offered his judgment: "Someone hid in the cabinet, and that person piled all the letters and account books on top of the books, and wiped away the dust while hiding!"
As soon as these words came out.
Young Master Liu's expression changed visibly several times.
However, he remained relatively calm:
"Nonsense! Li Changgong himself said that the cabinet door was locked when he came last night, and it's locked again today. Does anyone think they can hide inside without opening the cabinet?"
"Could it be that he used some kind of supernatural means, hid in the closet, killed someone, and then escaped by walking through the wall?" Fei Boyuan asked.
Young Master Liu laughed: "Officer Fei, you've already seen it before, this room can't be used with any divine power!"
This……
Fei Boyuan realized that indeed, all divine power in the room had been suppressed, and everyone in this place was just a mortal, so it was impossible for them to have the ability to pass through walls.
But if it's impossible to get through the wall, how could the murderer hide inside the closet, lock himself inside, then come out of the locked closet to commit the murder, and then escape? It's completely illogical.
Even Zheng Tuo couldn't help but frown, unable to understand, and finally could only seek help from Gu Xiu:
"Gu Xiu, what are your thoughts?"
Gu Xiu smiled but didn't give an answer. Instead, he asked, "Why does the one hidden in the closet have to be the murderer?"
what?
Not the murderer?
Why hide it in the closet?
Fortunately, Zheng Tuo, the constable, was much more capable than Fei Boyuan. Even after Gu Xiu had given him such a strong reminder, he quickly realized what was going on.
He immediately went back into the cabinet, wiped his hand on the surface, and saw that his hand was stained with some black paint. He then quickly went to Liu Gong's body on the ground, searched carefully, and soon found the same black paint marks on Liu Gong's elbows and trouser legs.
This discovery caused Zheng Tuo's expression to darken abruptly. He turned to Li Changgong and asked, "When you came last night, were you sure it was Lord Liu you saw?"
"Huh?" Li Changgong seemed a little taken aback, instinctively wanting to nod, but before he could speak, Gu Xiu quietly reminded him:
You should think carefully before you answer.
These words seemed to put immense pressure on Li Changgong. He glanced at Gu Xiu, then at Young Master Liu beside him, and finally lowered his head.
“When I came to see Master Liu last night, he was sitting at the table writing something with his back to me, so I didn’t get a good look at his face. But I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Master Liu just asked me to have some pastry and tea before we talked about business.”
"Didn't you see his face?" Gu Xiu asked.
“This…” Li Changgong kept his head down, feeling Gu Xiu’s gaze, and replied, “I didn’t see clearly.”
"Did you notice anything unusual at that time?" Zheng Tuo asked.
"If anything is amiss..."
Li Changgong opened his mouth, glanced at Young Master Liu, and seemed to recall for a long time before saying, "Young Master Liu didn't talk much at the time. His throat seemed a little uncomfortable, and his voice was lower than usual."
"Other than that?"
“Besides that… nothing…” Li Changgong wanted to shake his head, but under Gu Xiu’s gaze, he still replied, “When I arrived, I knocked and waited for quite a while before Liu Gong finally opened the door…”
Seeing Zheng Tuo's serious expression as he kept pressing for details about Li Changgong, Fei Boyuan looked somewhat bewildered, but was too embarrassed to ask further. He could only tug at Gu Xiu, who was staring intently at Li Changgong, and ask, "Brother Gu, what's going on? I don't quite understand what you mean."
This was rather slow-witted. Gu Xiu couldn't help but glance at him sideways, wondering how this man had managed to become a head constable, but he still explained it to him:
"If I'm not mistaken, Liu Gong, whom Li Changgong met last night, might be the murderer."
"What!" Fei Boyuan's eyes widened in disbelief: "Could it be that Lord Liu had already been murdered back then?"
"He's probably not dead yet, just unconscious and hidden in a locked bookcase. The black paint stains on his body were from when he was stuffed into the closet."
"Wait! You mean the murderer first drugged Liu Gong, hid him in a closet and locked him up, then disguised himself as Liu Gong. After Li Changgong came in, the murderer drugged Li Changgong as well. After Li Changgong was unconscious, the murderer opened the closet, pulled Liu Gong out and placed him in front of Li Changgong, then killed Liu Gong with a dagger and framed Li Changgong?"
"Officer Fei is truly a genius. He sees through everything and figured out the murderer's methods in an instant," Gu Xiu praised.
"Ahem!" Fei Boyuan coughed lightly, "Young Brother Gu, your judgment is quite excellent."
Gu Xiu was speechless.
"That doesn't make sense either!" Fei Boyuan wondered. "But the doors and windows are locked from the inside. If there really was a third person, how did that person escape?"
"Officer Fei, are you sure the door is locked?" Gu Xiu asked.
“I’m sure,” Fei Boyuan nodded and said, “When I arrived, I heard Young Master Liu say that someone had died inside and the door was locked. He was trying to push the door open but couldn’t, so I kicked the door open.”
"Is there anything different?" Gu Xiu asked.
"What's different?"
"Yes, when you kicked the door, did you feel it was easy, or even effortless?"
"Wow, Brother Gu, you're a genius!" Fei Boyuan exclaimed in astonishment.
"When I kicked the door today, I was actually a little unsure at first, wondering if I could kick it open. But to my surprise, the door was as hard as tofu. My powerful kick didn't even have any resistance and I kicked it open."
"If I hadn't reacted quickly and pulled back in time, I probably would have had my leg pulled. So, Brother Gu, is there some kind of explanation behind this?"
"Old Fei, are you saying that Young Master Liu has been pushing the door open the whole time?" Zheng Tuo asked keenly from the side.
“Yes, if I hadn’t seen that Young Master Liu couldn’t push the door open no matter how hard he tried, I wouldn’t have kicked it so hard.” Fei Boyuan said, and then said to Young Master Liu, “I’m not trying to criticize you, but you’re such a big guy and you can’t even push a door open. Although the Confucian Temple doesn’t require you to be physically strong as an instructor, you are still too weak.”
Faced with these words, Young Master Liu's face turned pale and then red, and he even glanced at the door from time to time.
Finally, he couldn't resist taking a step and was about to rush out the door.
Just a pity.
Just as he was about to make a move, Zheng Tuo appeared in front of him, blocking his way.
"He murdered his biological father and framed someone else."
"Young Master Liu, you've certainly put on a good show."
"You're making baseless accusations! How could I possibly kill my own father! You have no proof!" Young Master Liu quickly retorted, but the panic and helplessness on his face betrayed his true thoughts.
Zheng Tuo observed his reaction and said calmly:
"Evidence?"
"I really can't take it out right away."
"Then you..." Young Master Liu was about to speak when Zheng Tuo added:
“But when we go to the yamen, we will ask an official who is well-versed in the Legalist and Divine Way methods of ‘rule by art’. I think that when that time comes, Young Master Liu will hand over the evidence himself.”
The words "treatment" caused Liu Gongzi's expression to change drastically, but he didn't even have the power to resist or explain himself before Zheng Tuo reached out and subdued him on the spot.
evidence?
Indeed, this isn't the real mortal realm; everything requires evidence.
Given enough suspicion, each religious sect will naturally have a way to make the real culprit confess.
(This case is inspired by the Chinese detective game "Shanhe Travel Detective," which is quite good. If you're interested, you can check it out.)
(There won't be any more investigation plots after this; it's just a starting point to introduce important characters and the plot. Originally planned for only two chapters, but I accidentally wrote two more. Sorry to those readers who don't like it!)