Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

033: The Strange Case of Youzhou

"Let's go!" Su Wen said softly.

Su Wen and Ji Ming returned to Youzhou City, where soldiers shouted, "Who goes there? It's curfew! How dare you break the curfew?"

Su Wendao said, "Peace reigns throughout the land!"

"Long live the Tang Dynasty!" the soldier shouted. "Password correct, open the city gate!"

Now, Su Wen doesn't need Magistrate Cui Wuyi's permission to directly access any files in the county government. Su Wen opened the weather and geological records of all the counties in Youzhou City over the past few months.

This is quite a task. While Su Wen was doing his research, a scene suddenly flashed through his mind: what the old fisherman had said when he was on the banks of the Ningshui River was that it had been raining recently and the weather had only cleared up in the last few days.

Ningshui River is located at the border of Ningshui County and Weixian County, so you only need to check the weather records of Ningshui County and Weixian County!

After checking carefully, Su Wen discovered that Ningshui County had indeed been experiencing rain for nearly ten days in the latter half of April.

Su Wen vaguely remembered that the datura flower is a plant that likes warmth. Although it is highly adaptable, it cannot grow in humid and shady places. Therefore, the best place to plant datura flowers is generally in the drier areas of the Western Regions.

In other words, the datura flower has been planted in Ningshui County. It seems I'll have to go to Ningshui County again!

As Su Wen watched the sky outside gradually brighten, a man hurriedly returned. Su Wen looked at the newcomer and recognized him as Li Xingguo. Su Wen quickly stepped forward and asked, "Did that man in black go to Ning Shui County?"

Li Xingguo exclaimed in surprise, "Chief Director, how did you know about this without even going there?"

Su Wendao said, "I deduced this from my conversation with the man in black. General Li, I need you to immediately mobilize a thousand soldiers to search every dry area in the entire Ningshui County and find out where the datura flowers are being planted!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xingguo was shocked: "Datura flower? This...isn't that a banned substance?"

Su Wen replied, "Currently, apart from the clue in Ningshui County, there isn't a single other lead. Therefore, I need to do something!"

After thinking for a moment, Li Xingguo said, "To intimidate others?"

Su Wen responded, "Let's test the waters first and see if they'll throw out another pawn. If they do, it means they have considerable power!"

At this point, Su Wen suddenly remembered something.

All those who were killed had their hearts, livers, spleens, and lungs precisely removed. At the time, Su Wen suspected that the murderer was a doctor who was extremely skilled in medicine. However, upon closer examination, he realized that in feudal society, even doctors would not dare to perform an autopsy without authorization, as this was considered an insult to the corpse and could result in severe punishment, such as being cut in half at the waist.

However, there is one exception to this profession: he has plenty of time and corpses to practice on, and can even mend them without anyone noticing.

A thought flashed through Su Wen's mind: "General, let's not mobilize the troops for now. I suddenly remembered something. I've always wanted to see someone in Ningshui County!"

Li Xingguo asked, "Who is it?"

Su Wendao: "Coroner!"

......

In Ningshui County, Su Wen, along with Li Xingguo, went directly to the coroner's office without informing Magistrate Cui Ziyan.

Upon arriving at the coroner's office, Su Wen knocked on the door.

A moment later, a voice came from inside the room: "Coming!"

As the door opened, Su Wen saw that the person who opened it was a man who was about five feet tall, almost six feet tall, which is about 1.6 to 1.7 meters tall. He had dark skin and a goatee. Upon closer inspection, he looked a bit like Xiao Bao.

Su Wen was so startled that he almost screamed, but he held it in.

Su Wen bowed to the man and said, "I am Su Wen, the Chief Justice of the Criminal Investigation Department and a Doctor of Criminal Investigation. I greet Coroner Wei Nanzi!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Nanzi hurriedly bowed and said, "Wei Nanzi greets superiors. May I ask what brings you two superiors to my home today?"

Su Wen smiled and said, "When I was investigating a case in Wei County last time, I found that Coroner Wei's autopsies were flawless and extremely thorough. Therefore, I have always wanted to meet him. I wonder if Coroner Wei would allow us to come into his home for a chat?"

"The arrival of you two esteemed officials is an honor for my household! Please, please come in!"

Su Wen and Li Xingguo entered Wei Nanzi's house. In Wei Nanzi's courtyard, there were many wooden coffins, as well as some small wooden toys, tables, chairs and benches.

Su Wen touched it with his hand and said, "Coroner Wei's craftsmanship is quite good!"

Wei Nanzi said, "Alas, being born a coroner means I can't pass the imperial examinations, I can't get promoted, I have no official position, and no salary. It's a problem to make a living just by examining corpses. I can only do some manual labor and sell things on weekdays to earn a little money to eat!"

Su Wen recalled his past life, but this feeling was fleeting. He looked at Wei Nanzi and said, "By the way, Wei, when I saw your autopsy records in Wei County, they were incredibly meticulous. I wonder who you learned from?"

Wei Nanzi said, "My father was a coroner his whole life, but it's a pity he was just a coroner until he died, and he even made me a coroner because of him!"

After saying that, Wei Nanzi gave a cold laugh, then said, "Please have a seat, gentlemen. I'll brew a pot of fine tea for you to try!"

Su Wen glanced at Li Xingguo to the side and lowered his voice, saying, "This man's knife skills are extremely impressive. I initially thought the murderer was someone exceptionally skilled with a knife, but now it seems most likely it's him!"

Su Wen rose and bowed towards the room, saying, "Coroner Wei, please come back for tea in a few days. We must hurry back to Youzhou City now, as Magistrate Cui has invited us there. We'll take our leave now!"

After saying that, Su Wen and Li Xingguo turned and left. Wei Nanzi only called out a few times from inside the house, but did not chase after them.

The two left the house and walked away from Wei Nanzi's residence. Su Wen said, "General, send someone to keep a close eye on him. If he's a smart man, he should take action immediately!"

Li Xingguo responded and then parted ways with Su Wen.

Su Wen went straight to the county government office.

Upon arriving at the county office, Su Wen bowed to Cui Ziyan and said, "Magistrate Cui, I would like to ask which counties have borrowed Wei Nanzi as their coroner in the months leading up to the first month of the lunar calendar?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Ziyan smiled slightly and said, "Director Su is indeed very diligent. He's already investigating a new case after only a few days?"

Su Wen bowed again and said, "I implore Magistrate Cui to tell me that this case is of great importance, and I fear it may be an extremely terrifying conspiracy!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Ziyan's playful expression vanished, replaced by a serious one. He said, "If I remember correctly, in the past few months, apart from Wei County, no one else has borrowed Wei Nanzi. However, last December, Youzhou City did borrow Wei Nanzi. I remember the loan lasted for almost half a month. At that time, there were many bandits outside Youzhou City, so the authorities ordered the suppression of the bandits, resulting in many deaths. Therefore, they urgently needed a coroner, and thus borrowed Wei Nanzi!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen frowned and began to make plans in his mind.

The bandit suppression efforts resulted in many deaths. In December, exactly the same month as January, the first person in Youzhou City had their organs harvested, meaning...

Su Wen immediately clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Thank you, Magistrate Cui. I must return to Youzhou City immediately!"