Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

010: The Strange Case of Youzhou

Su Wen had just stepped out of the county office when he ran into Zhao Qing, who was rushing over.

"Dr. Su, there are no short-term rentals available here, so you'll have to stay at a tavern!"

Su Wen responded, then walked to Zhao Qing's side and deliberately lowered his voice, saying, "Have you ever seen anything that can easily knock someone out or render them unconscious?"

Zhao Qing shook his head: "I've never heard of such a thing. If it existed, wouldn't sending people to infiltrate military camps allow one to dominate the war?"

Su Wen suddenly realized, but still seemed thoughtful as he said, "Go find a few foreign merchants and ask them if they have any datura flowers!"

Zhao Qing frowned, looking puzzled.

Su Wen whispered, "These corpses all had their internal organs removed while they were still alive, but they didn't resist. It couldn't have been voluntary, could it? So someone must have drugged or anesthetized them first before removing their internal organs while they were still alive!"

Zhao Qing swallowed hard and asked, "Does such a thing really exist?"

Su Wen nodded, but did not answer.

Su Wen knew that such things existed in later generations, namely anesthetics, but he didn't know if they actually existed in the Tang Dynasty. Dramas and novels often mention sleeping potions, but such things couldn't possibly exist.

After all, even with the advanced technology of later generations, they still couldn't master something that could knock people out with a mere breath or a bluff.

If such a thing existed, wouldn't the course of a war be easily and completely controlled?

However, Su Wen learned from some medical books that there was such a thing as Mafeisan (麻沸散). The flower Datura (大陀罗) itself contains anesthetic components. If you grind its components, add some Chinese herbs, boil it, and then make it into powder, it can also achieve an anesthetic effect when people drink it. However, the dosage is definitely difficult to control. But for people who are going to have their internal organs removed anyway, it doesn't matter whether they die from drinking it or are anesthetized!

Thinking this through, Su Wen slowly said, "Go and investigate secretly first!"

Zhao Qing responded.

Su Wendao asked, "Which tavern did you rent?"

Led by Zhao Qing, Su Wen arrived at the tavern. After returning to the tavern, Su Wen went back to his room and lay down. It wasn't that he didn't want to investigate, but he was simply too weak to walk; his legs felt like they didn't belong to him anymore.

He barely learned to ride a horse under Zhao Qing's guidance along the way, and it's quite an achievement that he didn't die on the road.

Not to mention that they had been eating and sleeping in the open along the way, and hadn't eaten anything good. The flatbread was even harder than French bread. They could barely eat it by taking a bite and then drinking water. I really admire the physical fitness of people in ancient times; they were truly strong.

Su Wenchao lay down on the bed, his mind filled with every aspect of the case.

The killer committed murders according to the twelve zodiac animals, with the order determined by the zodiac animal of each of the twelve months of the year. The internal organs removed were determined by the time of day corresponding to each of the twelve zodiac animals.

This shows that the killer was not only proficient in metaphysics and the Eight Characters of Birth, but also in medicine; otherwise, he would not have been able to make such an accurate incision and remove the corresponding organ!

In ancient times, corpses were treated with the utmost respect, and there were even laws prohibiting the desecration of corpses. It was impossible for anyone to dissect a corpse, so how did the murderer become so proficient and skilled?

......

"Knock knock knock..."

A series of urgent knocks came at the door.

"Dr. Su, we've found another body!"

Zhao Qing's shouts woke Su Wen from his sleep. He opened the door and saw Zhao Qing saying urgently, "Dr. Su, Magistrate Cui wants you to hurry to the underground drainage system in Nanfang!"

Su Wen frowned, deep in thought, but remained calm. He looked at Zhao Qing, then turned to wash up and asked, "Yesterday I asked you to inquire about datura flowers. Did you get any clues?"

Zhao Qing shook his head slightly and said, "No, almost none of the Hu merchants I asked had ever heard of this. However, one Hu merchant told me to ask at the Ghost Market. He said that recently, the forbidden drug Five-Stone Powder has been sold there!"

Su Wen turned to look at Zhao Qing, frowning, and said, "The Ghost Market?"

Zhao Qing said urgently, "Dr. Su, let's talk about the Ghost Market later. Let's go to Nanfang first. Magistrate Cui has been waiting for you for a while. I heard you offended him yesterday. Although the Cui clan of Qinghe is not as powerful as the Cui clan of Boling now, the Cui clan of Qinghe is still the second largest clan in the world. He will definitely cause you trouble later!"

Su Wen remained unhurried and said, "I'm not afraid of him!"

"Is it enough to simply not be afraid?" Zhao Qing asked, his face filled with worry. "There are many high-ranking officials in the court who are from the Cui family of Boling!"

After washing his face, Su Wen casually tossed the towel aside and said confidently, "What's there to be afraid of? At worst, I'll just die!"

After saying that, Su Wen strode towards the door and said, "Lead the way!"

......

Before long, Zhao Qing led Su Wen to the underground drainage channel in Nanfang. Cui Wuyi, He Fang, He Yan, and seven or eight constables were standing nearby. There were guards outside, and a coroner was examining the body.

When Cui Wuyi saw Su Wen arrive, she didn't give him a friendly look, rolling her eyes and saying, "Dr. Su, it's been half an hour since we notified you of the discovery of the body. How can we solve the case with such a delay?"

Su Wen pushed through the crowd and went straight to the corpse, saying, "This place is not under my jurisdiction. Besides, the Dali Temple only ordered me to investigate that strange case. This is not a case. It is clearly your business as the magistrate of Lu County. What does it have to do with me?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Wuyi snorted coldly, furious, but did not continue speaking.

Su Wen crouched down, glanced at the corpse, and saw the coroner's puzzled expression. He said, "Sir, please step aside. I'll take care of this!"

The old coroner replied, "Yes, sir!"

The old coroner struggled to his feet, straightened his back, and looked pale, as if he was exhausted!

He Fang looked at the old coroner and said, "Old Lin, you're getting on in years and are injured. You should rest more. Let Dr. Su examine the body."

Su Wen glanced at He Fang, then said coldly, "Zhao Qing, I'll tell you, remember this!"

"Yes!" Zhao Qing took out paper and pen from his bosom.

"Note: At the scene, two hands, two feet, and a head were found, but no body. The limbs were the right hand and right foot. The deceased were two women, aged approximately 16-19. You can check with the household registration book to see if any women are missing!"

"Dr. Su, how do you know that these are the hands and feet of two women?" He Fang asked in confusion.

Su Wendao said, "Women's arms and fingers are generally more slender, and they tend to walk with a more graceful gait, while men are more unrestrained and like to walk and jump, so the skin on their heels is tougher. Furthermore, although the skin on this head and face has been peeled off and the face has been severely damaged, it is still possible to see that it is a complete head pieced together from half of two heads. Because the nasal bridge and the distance between the eyebrows are inconsistent, it is the body of two women!"

He Fang said, "Continue searching and exploring inside to see where the rest of the body is!"

Su Wen slowly stood up and said, "The other parts won't be here. The head, right hand, and right foot are all Yang, while this sewer is Yin. Someone is using Yin-Yang and Five Elements techniques to kill someone!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Wuyi couldn't help but sneer: "This is utterly absurd! Yesterday you talked about the Twelve Zodiac Animals Formation for killing, and today you're talking about the Yin-Yang and Five Elements techniques. I think you're just a complete idiot, using superstition and nonsense to deceive the gods and ghosts!"

Hearing Cui Wuyi's increasingly excited tone, Su Wen merely rolled his eyes at him and said coldly, "This is nothing more than a pretext thrown out by the murderer after discovering that I know his motives. I originally thought that the members of the Qinghe Cui clan, once the first clan, were all exceptionally intelligent, but after seeing them yesterday and today, I find they are nothing special!"