Use the other person's guilty mind to identify lies

Liars often feel guilty when they lie. Sometimes, a liar has only a little guilt; sometimes, the guilt is so strong that it reveals loopholes and makes it easy for the other person to expose the lie. A very strong sense of guilt can make a liar miserable, and make a liar feel that it's not worthwhile to lie, it's like suffering. Although admitting to lying is punishable, in order to relieve this strong sense of guilt, the liar is likely to decide that it is better to confess.

Because of this kind of fear and guilty feeling, the liar will make us recognize the lie successfully.

During the reign of emperor ningzong of Song Dynasty, Liu Zai was appointed magistrate of Taixing county. Once, a wealthy family lost a gold hairpin. They looked around and found it missing. They went to the county. After investigating, Liu Zai learned that Jin Chai was lost indoors. At that time, only two servants were present, but no one admitted taking Jin Chai.

Liu Zai took them to the county government and put them in a house without questioning. Everyone was confused, but Liu Zai, like nobody, drank, walked and chatted with everyone.

When it was dark, Liu Zai took two reeds and went into the room where the servant woman was kept. Each of them gave one and said, "take the reeds well. Tomorrow I will settle the case according to the reeds. If anyone really steals the gold hairpin, the reeds will grow two inches." Then he closed the door and left.

The next day, the maid was brought to the hall. Liu Zai took the reed and examined it. Sure enough, it grew two inches. With a smile, Liu Zai pointed to the servant woman holding the short reed and cried out, "how did you steal the master's gold hairpin? I don't want to recruit from the facts yet The servant woman, trembling, immediately fell on her knees and murmured, "I took the gold hairpin. How do you know?"

Liu Zai replied, "the reeds I gave you are the same length. If you don't have ghosts in your heart, how can you secretly cut off one section?" The servant knew that she had been cheated.

It was because Liu Zai knew that the lying maid had a sense of fear and guilt that he used this test to expose herself and identify the liar.