Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

026: The Nightmare Chases the Murderer

Cui Lingyu hesitated for a moment, head bowed, then said softly, "Dr. Su, please forgive me for being unable to help you with this. According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, stealing official documents and files is a serious crime. I cannot violate the laws of the Tang Dynasty. Please forgive me, Dr. Su!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was momentarily stunned and said, "Oh, if that's how it is, then please forgive my abruptness, Miss Cui. At least we have a clue now. I can use this clue to search for other clues in the same way. Thank you very much, Miss Cui. When I have time, I will definitely host a banquet for you to express my gratitude!"

Cui Lingyu smiled slightly and said, "Lingyu is unable to help Dr. Su, so there's no need for thanks!"

Su Wen smiled and said, "This household registration is already the greatest help. I'll go investigate the clues first. Thank you very much, Miss Cui!"

After saying this, Su Wen bowed to Cui Lingyu and then turned to leave.

After Su Wen left, a person slowly walked out of the room. Cui Lingyu bowed to him and asked, "Is this person truly talented?"

"Lingyu doesn't know!" Cui Lingyu gave a curtsy to the newcomer.

The man raised his hand, indicating that it was unnecessary.

Cui Lingyu asked, "Does Father know what case he is investigating?"

The man took a deep breath and took out a letter from his pocket, saying, "This was written to me by Magistrate Wang of Wei County next door. He said that when he was in Wei County, he dreamed of a man named Yuan Tianfang who told him in his dream that he was wronged and asked Su Wen to clear his name!"

"A dream?" Cui Lingyu was surprised.

The man said, "Yes, he really cares about what happened in the dream. Yesterday, I had someone follow him and found that he went to Yuan Tianfang's house after he disguised himself. After he came out, he came to you to get the household registration information. Later, we found that he went to Amu's house. It seems that he really did find some clues."

Cui Lingyu looked at her father, her face full of surprise, and asked, "Father, do you mean his dream was real?"

"It's hard to say about dreams, but judging from the direction of his investigation and the twins, he probably suspects that Yuan Tianfang is indeed an imposter, hence his suspicion that they might be twins!"

At this point, the man stroked his beard and said, "It seems your uncles were right; this man is indeed very talented. No wonder Wang Yu and Yao Chong both highly recommended him!"

Cui Lingyu said, "I heard that he was previously a coroner and only solved one case. Why is Wang Yu so certain that he is a great talent?"

The man smiled and said, "I don't know. However, after the Dali Temple saw the case file he wrote and submitted it to the Emperor, the Emperor said that this person was a great talent, a prodigy. Nothing more is known!"

The man looked at Cui Lingyu, then took out a letter from his robes and handed it to her, saying, "A message from Chang'an, delivered by express courier!"

"He was originally a coroner, yet the Emperor made an exception and promoted him to a new official position: Chief Justice of the Ministry of Justice, a seventh-rank official. Although the position is not high, he can access all case files in the entire Tang Dynasty and supervise all cases. His power is even greater than that of the Minister of Justice. It's truly strange!"

Cui Lingyu said, "Since the Sage has already given the order, why is A-Weng still making things difficult for him?"

The man smiled and said, "Father is testing him to see if he's truly capable. I'll be frank with you. You're already engaged, and the Emperor wants to choose a marriage partner for you. He wants to win us over, so he wants to marry you into the royal family. A-Weng and the family disagree. Although our Boling Cui clan is still the leading family, because of our previous alliance with Princess Taiping, since the Emperor ascended the throne, he has only promoted other Guanzhong nobles. The Emperor intentionally wants to weaken our Boling Cui clan!"

Cui Lingyu responded, already understanding what her father meant!

The man looked at Cui Lingyu and said, "The Emperor wants to give him an important position for three reasons: first, because he is very talented; second, because he is a coroner with no powerful connections; and third, according to Eunuch Gao Lishi, the Emperor intends to cultivate him, and he will surely rise to a higher position in the future. Moreover, Eunuch Gao Lishi also said that our Cui family should arrange for someone to contact him. The Emperor probably wants to marry you or another married woman from the Cui family to him!"

Cui Lingyu already understood what her father had said.

The man looked at Cui Lingyu and said softly, "Lingyu, you should understand that since you were born into the Cui family of Boling, your marriage has never been your own decision, nor even your mother's or my decision!"

Cui Lingyu replied, "Lingyu understands!"

The man said, "The Sage intends to cultivate this person, who will surely become a powerful figure in our Great Tang Dynasty. The Sage intends for our Cui family to form a marriage alliance with him. This is also the Sage's thought and plan, intending to separate our Cui family from other aristocratic families, thus preventing us from forming marriage alliances with them, so that our Boling Cui clan can become a force that the Sage can control. If this person is given an important position in the future, then our Boling Cui family will be completely bound to the Sage's hands, and our Boling Cui clan will inevitably become a knife in the Sage's hand, used to eliminate or deter other aristocratic families!"

The man patted Cui Lingyu on the shoulder and said, "Lingyu, from the day we were born into a prominent family, we lost all our choices. We hope you can forgive your father and mother; there's nothing we can do about it!"

Cui Lingyu said, "Father, I understand. From the day I was born into a prominent family, I knew that my life must prioritize the family. Marriage is inevitable. Besides, if this person is truly talented, I won't feel wronged marrying him!"

The man nodded and then stepped into the house.

......

After leaving the Cui family, Su Wen went out onto the street and found a place where he could ask for information: a tavern.

As soon as Su Wen entered the tavern, he shouted, "Bring me a pot of good wine and two cold dishes!"

The waiter responded and soon brought over two cold dishes and a pot of fine wine. Su Wen looked at the waiter and whispered, "Waiter, does your tavern have anyone who specializes in selling information?"

The waiter shook his head, but then pointed to a group of thugs drinking on the side.

Su Wen thanked the waiter and then called out to the thugs.

A thug rushed over and said, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with? Do you want to buy any information?"

Su Wen took out a money pouch from his bag, pulled out a hundred coins, and threw it on the table, saying, "I have a question for you. You must answer truthfully. If you answer correctly, this money is yours!"

The thug stared at the hundred-dollar bill on the table, his eyes practically bulging with greed.

Su Wendao said, "I'm asking you, do you know about the incident forty-six years ago when the Liu family in Ningshui County gave birth to twins?"

The thug chuckled and said, "Everyone in Ningshui County knows about this, but they only know the basics. I know the whole story!"

Su Wen looked puzzled: "How do you know the whole story? You look to be only in your early twenties. How can you know so much about something that happened forty-six years ago?"

The thug chuckled and said, "I know because my godfather was a coroner in Ningshui County more than forty years ago. My father told me that himself, so I know!"

Su Wendao said, "Oh, then tell me. If you get it right, I'll give you another hundred coins as a reward!"

The thug sat down next to Su Wen with a laugh and said, "Forty-six years ago, on that night, Liu Qingqing, the daughter of the Liu family, had a difficult childbirth. The midwife delivered two sons, one older and one younger. The younger son died shortly after birth, and then the Ming family came to snatch the body that very night!"