Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

004: The Monk Case

"If there were no coroners in this world, who would redress the grievances of the victims? Without coroners, the murderers could go unpunished. How could the common people live in peace and tranquility?"

At this point, Su Wen lowered his head but glanced briefly at Magistrate Wang. Magistrate Wang couldn't help but shout, "Well said! Although you are just a coroner, you have such insights and such ambitions. It's truly admirable!"

At this point, Magistrate Wang pondered for a moment, then stepped forward to help Su Wen to his feet, saying, "Now that you have learned of this lead, I hereby appoint you to investigate this mystery. Are you confident in your ability to solve it?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately understood that he had met a benefactor and his opportunity had arrived!

Su Wen hurriedly clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Thanks to Magistrate Wang's high regard, I will certainly solve this case within three days!"

"Very well!" Magistrate Wang shouted, "All the constables in this county office are at your disposal for the next three days. I hope you... will not fail to live up to your words and will bring justice to the deceased!"

"Yes, Magistrate Wang, please rest assured!"

Magistrate Wang responded, "Alright, you may leave now. I have already dispatched men on horseback to the Court of Judicial Review. I will definitely return the case for retrial before the Court of Judicial Review makes its final judgment. I have also dispatched men on horseback to the Ministry of Personnel to impeach Magistrate Ma. I will make sure that this corrupt official is dismissed!"

Su Wen did not reply, but simply stood there quietly waiting.

Magistrate Wang turned around and looked at Su Wen, saying, "What are you still standing here for? Go back now, curfew is about to start!"

"Reporting to Magistrate Wang, I would like to request a second autopsy!"

Magistrate Wang responded, "All matters concerning the investigation are now in your hands. You don't need to ask me anymore. Do whatever you want!"

"Yes, Magistrate Wang!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately turned around and headed straight for the county government's morgue, with Zhao Qing following closely behind.

Watching Su Wen enter the underground morgue without hesitation, Zhao Qing couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He said, "Brother Su, you dare to examine a corpse this late at night? Aren't you afraid of the corpse coming back to life?"

Su Wen smiled coldly. At first, Su Wen was really afraid that he had transmigrated into a world where demons and monsters coexisted. Now it seems that this is just a normal feudal dynasty.

"As Di Renjie once said: There are no ghosts or gods in this world, only people who pretend to be gods and ghosts!"

Zhao Qing asked with a puzzled look, "Brother Su, I feel like you've become a different person. The you from before..."

Su Wen smiled and said, "As the saying goes, 'A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it transforms into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds.' This may be the only opportunity I have in my life, and I must seize it. Otherwise, I will only ever be a lowly coroner!"

Without another word, Su Wen put on a white cloth cover and lifted the white cloth covering the monk's body, saying, "Zhao Qing, can you write?"

"meeting!"

"Please write down everything I say later!"

"good!"

"Note: The deceased was a male monk, dressed in blue robes, and about seven feet tall. He had multiple bruises on his body, indicating he had been in a struggle. There were friction marks on the heels of his shoes, suggesting he had been dragged after death. Therefore, the well where the deceased was found was not the primary crime scene. There were several bruises on the deceased's head, likely caused by multiple impacts. There were multiple wounds on the left side of the deceased's neck, each one to two inches long. The examination results indicated that the wounds were caused by a sharp blade, with the force applied from top to bottom. The murder weapon was identified as a kitchen knife or cleaver. The most severe cut was about one inch deep, which was the fatal wound."

"The examination revealed skin flakes between the thumb and forefinger of the deceased's right hand, likely caused when the victim grabbed the assailant. These skin flakes belong to the assailant!"

"Upon examination, there were several scratches on the left arm, which were likely inflicted by someone else."

"The examination revealed obvious signs of intercourse in the deceased's genitals... This indicates..." Su Wen frowned and said, "...signs of sexual intercourse!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qing was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened as he said, "Brother Su, are you mistaken? This is a monk! How could a monk possibly have a record of sexual relations?"

Su Wen frowned, his memory flashing through his mind, then looked at Zhao Qing and said, "Zhao Qing, did you see any of Zhang Wan's servants, or even Zhao the butcher, by the well today?"

Zhao Qing thought for a moment and said, "The Zhao butcher's house is not far from there, so naturally everyone would come to see what happened when a body was discovered. Zhang Wan's servants, oh, their steward, have come to see it!"

"Understood!" Su Wen covered the area with the white cloth, removed his gloves, and stepped outside, asking, "How far is it from here to Qingming Temple?"

Zhao Qing said, "It's not far, about ten li!"

"Come, follow me to Seimei Temple!"

Zhao Qing said, "No, curfew is about to begin. If we are discovered outside by the soldiers, we will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane at best, and shot dead on the spot at worst!"

"Didn't Magistrate Wang give me full authority to investigate cases? Does that mean I can't even move around on the streets?" Su Wen asked.

Zhao Qing said, "Brother Su, shouldn't investigations be conducted during the day? Why are you investigating at night?"

Su Wen said, "How can you see ghosts in broad daylight?"

Zhao Qing was shocked, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "This...this...you...didn't you say there are no ghosts in the world?"

Su Wen patted Zhao Qing on the shoulder and said, "I'm talking about the person pretending to be a ghost!"

Before long, Su Wen led Zhao Qing to the gate of Zhang Wan's residence. Su Wen looked at the Zhang residence and then at the surroundings, asking, "What time is it now?"

Zhao Qing said, "It is now 1:15 PM!"

Let's go!

Before long, Su Wen brought Zhao Qing to Old Liu's charcoal-selling house. Su Wen stopped and asked, "What time is it now?"

Zhao Qing said, "It's three-quarters past Hai hour!"

Su Wen got up to leave, but Zhao Qing stopped him, saying, "Brother Su, aren't we going to Qingming Temple? Why are we coming this way? It's quite a distance from here!"

"I know, let's go!"

Su Wen helped Zhao Qing up and then asked, "Is there a shortcut to Qingming Temple?"

"Yes, it's shorter to take the path along the edge of the village, but that area is mostly occupied by butchers, and many of them keep hunting dogs. It's easy to get bitten if you walk that way at night!"

"With you here, Zhao Qing, do you think you, a mere constable, are afraid of a few dogs?"

"I'm not afraid of that, it's just..." Zhao Qing was about to speak when Su Wen interrupted him: "Let's go!"

Zhao Qing could only sigh, and the two continued walking along the path. After a lot of time, they passed by a house and happened to see a woman named Zhang splashing water outside the door.

The two were splashed with water, which startled the person who splashed them. Zhao Qing turned around to curse, but Su Wen turned back and saw that Zhang Shi was none other than Zhang the butcher's wife, Zhang Shi!

"What are you doing here so late at night instead of sleeping?" Zhao Qing shouted.

"Sir, this is my home. I just finished taking a bath and splashed water outside. I was wondering why you two were sneaking around here so late at night instead of sleeping?" Zhang said, her words sounding quite formidable.

Su Wen didn't answer but looked at Zhang Shi and said, "Isn't your home in the market? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Counselor Su, you really never leave your house! How many people in Anle County don't know that my family has lived here for generations? Do you think you can raise livestock in the market? The market stalls are just for selling meat, not for living in!"

"I'm telling you, you two have been selling meat for several years now. You should be able to afford a house in the county by now, right?" Zhao Qing said.

"Who knows what my husband is up to? He keeps telling me to sell this house and buy one in the county. He keeps saying it's our ancestral home and can't be sold. I really don't understand. I'm so unlucky to have married him!" Zhang said, touching her wet hair.

Su Wen subconsciously glanced at Zhang's hand, and Zhang, seeing it, quickly hid her hand.

Logically speaking, Su Wen should not be so impolite. After all, this is a feudal dynasty. Although the Tang Dynasty was extremely open, no different from modern times, the distinction between men and women was still the basic principle, and etiquette could not be ignored!