Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

015: The Weixian County Five-Corpse Wrongful Murder Case

Upon seeing this, Lu Xingwen quickly spoke up, "Let's not talk about that now, Dr. Su, what's wrong?"

Su Wen wiped his mouth with a towel, calmed himself down, and said, "I choked a little while drinking, but it's nothing, I'll be fine after a while!"

Upon seeing this, Cui Wuyi smiled slightly and said, "Today's wine is no ordinary wine; it is the renowned 'Thousand Mile Intoxication' from Zuixianglou. You all should savor it!"

Su Wen bowed and said, "I just found this wine too smooth. One sip and it went straight down my throat, catching me off guard and causing me to choke. Please forgive me!"

Everyone chuckled, and Xue Song smiled and said, "I, Xue Song, would like to first offer a toast to Dr. Su. At first, I thought Dr. Su was a corrupt official who rose to power through shady means, so I have offended him in many ways. Today, I would like to offer Dr. Su a toast as an apology!"

Su Wen hurriedly stood up, a smile on his face, and said, "General Xue Song, you flatter me. I was somewhat offensive to Xue Ne yesterday. General Xue Song, please forgive me!"

With that, Su Wen downed the wine in one gulp!

Xue Song followed suit and drank it all in one gulp!

At this moment, Zhang Shuo, who was standing to the side, raised his wine cup and said, "Dr. Su is so talented, why was he only appointed as a Doctor of Criminal Justice, a mere minor official post?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen smiled awkwardly and said, "To be honest, I used to be a coroner in Anle County. Because I solved a case, I was recommended by Magistrate Wang to the Court of Judicial Review. The Court of Judicial Review reported to the Emperor, who, after much deliberation, gave me the title of Doctor of Criminal Justice, assigning me to investigate cases and apprehend criminals. Coincidentally, this strange case occurred in Youzhou, so the Court of Judicial Review sent me here to solve it, firstly to give me experience, and secondly to test my abilities!"

After these words were spoken, everyone understood. Just as Lu Xingwen was about to speak, Su Wen spoke first: "By the way, I heard from Magistrate Wang that the Emperor and Prime Minister Lu originally wanted to give me a high-ranking position as a county lieutenant, but Prime Minister Yao decided to let me gain some experience first and see how I'm capable!"

At this point, Su Wen paused for a moment and said, "Therefore, I was given a special official title, Doctor of Criminal Justice!"

"By the way, I've heard that Prime Minister Lu and Governor Lu Xingwen are both from the Lu clan of Fanyang. As a mere criminal investigator, I'll likely never have the chance to meet Prime Minister Lu in my lifetime, but today I'm fortunate to meet Governor Lu Xingwen here. Since we are from the same family, I'd like to express my respect and gratitude with this cup of wine. I humbly request that Governor Lu drink this cup on behalf of Prime Minister Lu!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingwen smiled slightly and said, "Since that's the case, then I will drink this cup of wine on behalf of my clan's Prime Minister Lu!"

Su Wen rose and toasted Lu Xingwen, saying, "I am very grateful to Prime Minister Lu for his high regard, and I offer this toast to express my gratitude!"

After saying that, Su Wen drank it all in one gulp.

"Dr. Su is very talented. Although he is only a Doctor of Criminal Justice now, I think it is only temporary. He will surely be promoted in the future!" He Fang said.

Su Wen raised his wine cup to He Fang and said, "Then I thank Magistrate He for his kind words!"

He Fang raised his glass to Su Wen, and the two drank it down in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone went home.

......

Su Wen and Zhao Qing had just returned to their room when they heard two knocks on the door.

The two men were somewhat surprised, wondering if something else was wrong. Zhao Qing then opened the door, and was greeted by two constables. Zhao Qing asked in confusion, "Gentlemen, is there something you need?"

"I wonder if Dr. Su is here?" one person asked, bowing.

Su Wen looked towards the door and asked, "What is it?"

One of the men said, "Dr. Su, we are constables from Wei County next door. We have been instructed by Magistrate Wang to come and invite you. Recently, a murder case occurred in Wei County. The former magistrate was transferred a couple of days ago. Magistrate Wang suspects that the murderer was coerced into confessing under torture. Magistrate Wang said that solving cases is not his forte, but he happened to hear from his friend, Magistrate Wang Yu, about your case, Dr. Su. Therefore, we have come to invite you to help investigate the murder case!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately replied, "Alright, I'll pack up right away and go to Wei County with you!"

Zhao Qing asked, "Dr. Su, shall I go with you?"

Su Wen said, "No need. You wait here. If you have any new leads, let me know immediately. I will solve the case in Wei County as soon as possible before the 15th, and then I will come back!"

Zhao Qing responded!

......

On the way, Su Wen asked the two men, "Could you give me a brief explanation of the murder case?"

One person bowed and said, "Yes, Dr. Su!"

"The murders occurred a few days ago. A family surnamed Qian was involved. Their youngest daughter, Qian Yin, and her mother, Zhu, were killed, their heads missing. According to the coroner's examination, Qian Yin showed signs of rape before her death, and her mother also showed signs of rape after her death. Former Magistrate Mo, after making numerous inquiries, learned that the day before, at noon, someone saw Zhou Yunlu passing by their house and being splashed with water by Qian's eldest daughter, Qian Jin. Zhou Yunlu even smiled at Qian Jin!"

"Afterwards, Magistrate Mo brought Zhou Yunlu back to the government office. After interrogation, Zhou Yunlu confessed that he had seen Qian Jin's beauty that day and was so aroused that he went to see her that night. However, he was driven out of the house by Qian Jin's uncle, Qian Bin. Enraged, he went home, grabbed a knife, went to the Qian family's house, killed Qian Yin and Zhu Shi, and cut off their heads and threw them away!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen inquired, "Did Magistrate Mo torture Zhou Yunlu?"

"Yes!" the two nodded in response.

Su Wen asked, "Has the head been found?"

The two men shook their heads and said, "We haven't found it. Zhou Yunlu was beaten several times and confessed several times. We've searched the places he said he hid the head in, but we haven't found it!"

"Magistrate Mo was busy with the transfer of officials, so he didn't pay attention and directly submitted the case file to the Court of Judicial Review. The succeeding Magistrate, Magistrate Wang, felt that the case couldn't be considered solved without finding the head, so he wrote to the Court of Judicial Review to continue investigating the case. However, Magistrate Wang had just taken over as magistrate and was very busy with official duties. He knew that his investigative abilities were not up to par, so he sent us here to invite you!"

"The case is closed even though the heads of both victims haven't been found?" Su Wen sighed. "Zhou Yunlu was clearly beaten too badly and couldn't withstand the torture, which is why he confessed. It's a classic case of forced confession. He probably doesn't even know who the victims, Qian Yin and Zhu Shi, were or how they were killed!"

The two constables didn't say much, after all, they were just following the orders of the county magistrate and county commandant, and they had no right to speak out of turn.

Su Wen sighed and said, "Where is Zhou Yunlu? Bring him to see me when he arrives!"

One of the constables said, "He...couldn't come. He died the day before yesterday morning because his injuries worsened!"

Su Wen didn't say anything, he touched his head and covered his eyes with his hand. To be tortured into a confession and die like that... it's simply...

After a long pause, Su Wen sighed and muttered under his breath, "Disregarding human life!"

......

Upon arriving in Wei County, Su Wen had two constables take him directly to the Qian family's residence without informing Magistrate Wang.

The constable nodded in agreement, and one of them took Su Wen to the Qian family, while the other went to reply to Magistrate Wang.

After Su Wen arrived at the Qian family's house, he pushed open the door. He took a step and then turned back to look at the door behind him. The bolt was broken in the middle, indicating that it had been forced open. Su Wen pointed to the door, and the constable said, "When Qian Bin returned, he found the door locked from the inside. He knocked but received no response, so he forced it open. As a result, he found the main hall door wide open and blood everywhere he looked."