Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

012: The Strange Case of Youzhou

He Yan looked at Su Wen, but Su Wen ignored him and turned around, saying, "Let's go find that sashimi vendor!"

Su Wen turned and left, and He Yan hurriedly followed.

After leaving the Qingyi Pavilion, the two headed straight for the sashimi vendor.

Before long, the two arrived at the sashimi vendor's place. Pushing open the door, they saw a young man of about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old tattooing a woman's wrist. The woman was sitting in a chair, fast asleep.

Just as He Yan was about to ask a question, Su Wen reached out to interrupt him and looked around. The tattoos of the Tang Dynasty were actually not much different from the tattoos of later generations, and the tools were also not much different.

Rows of silver needles, some large and some small, and a lot of paint. The tattoo on the woman's wrist, though a small rabbit, is exquisite and beautiful.

In the past, tattoos were a form of punishment for criminals. However, during the Tang Dynasty, which was extremely open, tattoos became a popular trend, especially among women. Many women would have exquisite paintings tattooed on their arms, wrists, and backs.

Su Wenchao glanced at He Yan and said, "You can leave now. I have something I need to ask him privately!"

He Yan was taken aback for a moment, but still bowed and left the sashimi shop.

The tattoo artist didn't stop his work. He glanced at Su Wen, then paused and said slowly, "Sir, I have other work to do right now. Please wait a moment!"

Su Wen said, "No need. I came here simply to ask you something!"

"You said?"

Su Wen walked to the woman's side, reached out and probed her nostrils, and slowly said, "This kind of tattoo is different from painting; it must be very painful. Why is she sleeping so soundly?"

The sashimi vendor smiled and said, "Sir, this is how I, the sashimi vendor, make a living. Please forgive me for not being able to tell you!"

Su Wen looked at the sashimi vendor and said, "You didn't buy the Five-Stone Powder at the Ghost Market and give it to her, did you?"

Faced with Su Wen's questioning, the sashimi vendor angrily retorted, "Nonsense! Five-Stone Powder is a forbidden drug. Although I am just a lowly sashimi vendor, my ancestors have practiced medicine for generations, and my master was the renowned physician Sun Simiao's eldest disciple. How could I possibly use such a poison as Five-Stone Powder to harm people?"

"Then what did you use? Datura flower?" Su Wen suddenly frowned and stared directly at the sashimi man, which startled the sashimi man and made him dare not continue speaking for a moment.

Sashimi-ro's breathing became rapid, and a lot of cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Su Wen slowly turned around, touched a small box on the table, sniffed it, and said, "Since you don't want to talk, then I'll take you to the county government office. There are plenty of ways to make you talk!"

After saying that, Su Wen closed the small box and put it into his pocket without hesitation: "This box should contain powder made from datura flowers, right?"

"Our Great Tang Dynasty has explicit regulations that datura flowers are forbidden medicines and their use is absolutely prohibited. Your use of them should warrant a sentence of being cut in half at the waist or beheaded!"

Faced with Su Wen's pressure, the tattoo artist lowered his head and slowly said, "This stuff is indeed made from several herbs, including datura flowers, aconite, and datura. Grind them into powder, mix them together, boil them, dry them, and grind them into powder again. This can be used as an anesthetic to make people drowsy and painless. That's what I use to tattoo my customers!"

Su Wen asked, "Where did you get this?"

"My master was the eldest disciple of the legendary physician Sun Simiao. He researched for many years and thus invented this medicine. However, the formula was later lost. Two years ago, Princess Taiping's coup failed. My master and I were originally working under Princess Taiping. During the emperor's purge, I was demoted to a commoner, and my master was exiled to the border army. He eventually died in despair. In order to survive, I chose to become a sashimi vendor. I didn't do well at first, but at the end of October last year, this medicine suddenly appeared in the ghost market. They named it: Gastrodia Powder!"

The sashimi chef sighed, "Since I got this gastrodia powder, my sashimi skills have improved, and my reputation has grown. At least I can earn some money to survive!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen didn't say anything further. He simply took the box from his arms, placed it on the table, and asked, "You didn't use this gastrodia powder for anything bad, did you?"

The sashimi vendor scoffed, "How could I...do something so heinous? This gastrodia powder is the culmination of my master's life's work, originally intended to save lives and treat those suffering from illness... and yet..."

The sashimi vendor did not continue speaking, but slowly lowered his head.

Su Wen asked, "Is Gastrodia elata powder only available at the Ghost Market?"

"Yes, and it's only sold on the 15th of each month. It's extremely expensive, and very few people buy it!"

"Why?" Su Wen asked.

"Although the other ingredients are easy to find, datura flowers are a forbidden medicine, extremely expensive, and the production process is very difficult, requiring many steps. More importantly, the Tang Dynasty prohibits the cultivation of this flower, so it must be brought from foreign lands. If it is discovered, the perpetrator will be beheaded. Therefore, it is very expensive, and crucially, not many people use it, because this thing only works if someone else takes it!"

At this point, Sashimi Man paused and continued, "This stuff has a very strong smell. Even if you put it in water, someone can immediately tell something's wrong. So, if you want to use it for evil purposes, someone has to drink it willingly or be forced to drink it. Although this medicine can make people fall asleep, it takes at least a third of an incense stick's time for it to take effect. If you force someone to take it, they'll run away. That's why no one would buy it even in the Ghost Market!"

Only after hearing this did Su Wen understand.

The people selling this stuff don't know how to purify it, and of course, the technology of this era makes it impossible to purify.

Thinking of this, Su Wen quickly realized something: the victims had no external injuries. Combined with what the sashimi vendor said, the victims had all drunk the liquid voluntarily. In other words, the victims all knew the murderer!

In just a moment, Su Wen realized the most crucial point in solving the case.

However, without evidence, it's all just empty talk. Let's go to the ghost market first and investigate the gastrodia powder!

"Don't leave Luxian for now. Let's talk about it again when this case is solved!" Su Wen strode towards the door, but stopped abruptly, turning back to the sashimi vendor and saying, "By the way, sashimi vendor, your skills are truly amazing. May I ask your name?"

The sashimi vendor clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "I am Ji Ming!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was stunned for a moment, then looked at Ji Ming again, feeling deeply shocked, but he dared not say it.

Ji Ming looked at Su Wen and said softly, "Shangguan, is there anything I can help you with?"

Su Wen snapped out of his shock and waved his hand, saying, "Since your master is Sun Simiao's disciple, your medical skills must be quite remarkable. Why not continue to save lives? How can you give up just because you've been demoted? As the saying goes, 'A great man is born between heaven and earth; how can he do nothing?'"

Ji Ming simply smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Shangguan. I will remember it!"

Su Wenmai stepped out of the shop, still somewhat shocked. Ji Ming, the number one divine physician during the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, was a famous figure in history books. He actually met him in Youzhou City today!

The next second, an even more shocking scene spread through Su Wen's mind. That's right, he had traveled to the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty. In other words, if he had the chance, he could meet the poet Li Bai and the greatest scholar of all time, Yan Zhenqing.

Thinking of this, Su Wen felt an overwhelming excitement. This was something Su Wen had never imagined in so long!