Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

Chapter 125: The Azure Dragon Case

Su Wen, along with Xu Ge and several constables, rode to Zhongnan Mountain, which was about a hundred miles away from Chang'an. In some parts of Zhongnan Mountain, many palaces and villas were built, almost all of which belonged to the royal family, including the villas of Princess Taiping and Emperor Emeritus Li Dan.

However, these places are all staffed with cleaning and guards, so it is unlikely that they would be here. Therefore, Su Wen and Xu Ge arrived at a place about 150 or 160 miles away from Chang'an City, led by local constables.

There is a village here with a small population, about a dozen households. Four or five families in the village are hunters who make a living by hunting and chopping wood.

When the villagers saw Su Wen, Xu Ge, and a group of seven or eight constables arrive, the women hurriedly hid inside their houses, leaving only a few elderly people standing on the road leading into the village to wait.

Upon seeing Su Wen and Xu Ge, he immediately bowed and said, "Song Xun, the village head of Shili Village, greets you two officials. May I ask what brings you to Shili Village?"

Su Wen spoke first, saying, "Lord Song, I am Su Wen, the Chief Prisoner, and this is Xu Ge, the Judicial Advisor of Yongzhou. We have come here to inquire about something, and we would be grateful if Lord Song would be so kind as to inform us!"

Song Xun hurriedly bowed and said, "Gentlemen, please come to the village for a chat!"

Su Wen was the first to dismount, followed by Xu Ge, and the rest of the group followed suit. Su Wen said, "Please!"

Upon arriving in the village, it did not appear particularly wealthy. The walls were constructed of yellow mud and blue bricks, and the roofs were covered with tiles and thatch. Almost all the children in the village were dressed in coarse linen clothes.

It's only a two-hour journey from here to Chang'an, but it feels like two different worlds.

Song Xun asked his wife to brew some tea for the group to quench their thirst. Su Wen did not refuse, after all, they had traveled a long way on horseback and were indeed thirsty.

Song Xun arranged a few low earthen stools for the group to sit on. Su Wen and Xu Ge sat down, while the other constables either sat directly on the ground or watched the horses at the village entrance.

Su Wen didn't mince words and said directly, "Lord Song, we've come here to inquire whether you've heard of any story about a blue dragon falling from the sky this March?"

"Fallen...Fallen Dragon?" Upon hearing this, Song Xun's expression changed drastically. Without any hesitation, he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "Sir, the people in our village know nothing. If the Emperor is to blame, just arrest this old man. I ordered the others in the village not to spread this!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately frowned and looked at Song Xun. Xu Ge, who was standing nearby, went to help Song Xun up. Su Wen said, "Master Song, do you mean that everyone in your village has seen it?"

Faced with Su Wen's question, Song Xun nodded silently and said, "Yes, I saw it all. But please forgive me, sir. I asked the villagers not to spread this matter. I don't know who told them. If you want to blame someone, please blame me alone and spare the others in the village!"

"Lord Song, please get up. No one will blame you!"

Song Xun glanced at Xu Ge, then looked at Su Wen, who said, "Please tell us the whole story in detail, Lord Song!"

Song Xun then looked at everyone, then at Su Wen and asked, "Regarding the dragon's fall, are you sure you won't blame me?"

Su Wendao said, "I know what Lord Song is worried about. Please speak frankly, for there must be some hidden reason behind this!"

In ancient times, the dragon represented the emperor, especially the Azure Dragon, which represented the gods and imperial power. The phrase "nine-five supreme" refers to the nine heavenly dragons and five water dragons. The nine heavenly dragons represent nine great mountains, and the five water dragons represent five major rivers. Therefore, the emperor was also called the Son of Heaven, the True Dragon.

The fall of the Azure Dragon can actually be interpreted in another way: it means the emperor has perished, and the imperial power has died. In ancient times, this was a great disrespect. If this were true, the village would very likely be arbitrarily accused and massacred.

It must be said that Song Xun was very clever. He knew the importance of this matter, which is why everyone in the village kept quiet and did not allow it to be spread.

This is why no news has leaked out at all!

After thinking for a moment, Song Xun finally spoke, "That was the eighth day of the third month."

"On the night of the eighth day of the third lunar month, a strong wind blew and a torrential rain poured down. Everyone stayed at home to avoid the rain, and I also went to bed early."

"It was past midnight when I suddenly heard a thunderous roar, so loud it shook the heavens and the earth. A clap of thunder woke me from my sleep. Then I heard someone banging on the door. I got up and opened the door. The person who came was none other than Song Niu, the hunter from the village."

"Song Niu said that a landslide occurred on the west side, burying Song Tiemu's house. His wife and daughter were still inside, so I quickly called on the villagers to go and rescue them!"

"When we arrived at the west side, we saw that the mountain had buried most of Song Tiemu's house with mud and rocks. Song Tiemu's wife was still in the house. Everyone was frantically digging through the mud and rocks, trying to dig the two people out of the house. Just as everyone was busy, a thunderclap suddenly rang out. A bolt of lightning struck straight down from the top of the mountain. Then everyone heard a sound like a bull's bellow."

"The sound was like thunder, resounding through the sky."

"At this moment, someone in the crowd shouted that something had fallen from the mountaintop. Everyone looked up and saw a huge thing crashing straight into the mountain from the sky. In the flash of lightning, we could see that it was a huge blue dragon."

Su Wen interrupted Song Xun, saying, "You mean you saw all the people from your village who went to dig up the mud and rocks?"

Song Xun nodded: "The next day, at daybreak, I called Song Niu and a few other brave hunters into the mountains, but we didn't find the Azure Dragon's corpse. However, we did find some dragon scales!"

Su Wendao said, "Lord Song, could you please show me the dragon scales?"

Song Xun said, "A while ago, a monk came and bought all the dragon scales. Each scale cost three hundred coins. Everyone in the village sold theirs, but I still have one scale left. I want to keep it as a souvenir, since no one has ever seen such a dragon scale in thousands of years!"

As Song Xun spoke, he got up and went into the house. Then he took out something wrapped in cloth and slowly walked out, handing it to Su Wen. Su Wen took the cloth, opened it, and saw a piece of blue scale inside.

The scales were about half the size of a palm, and were entirely blue, extremely smooth, and as clear and bright as jade, making them very beautiful.

Su Wen held it to his nose and smelled it. There was a faint medicinal fragrance. Su Wen was thoughtful. He picked up a small stone from the ground and drew a line on the scale with force. Then, he examined it carefully with the help of the light.

You can vaguely see that beneath the cyan color, one end is black and the other side is white.

Clearly, someone had used some means to color the scales blue, making them appear as dragon scales. Su Wen then looked at Song Gong and said, "Song Gong, I'll give you five hundred coins. Sell me this; it's very useful for a case!"

Song Xun clearly dared not object, so he could only nod. Su Wen continued, "Lord Song, could you please take us to the place where you found the dragon scales?"