Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

007: The Strange Case of Youzhou

After everyone in the hall was taken away by the constables, Su Wen stepped to leave. Magistrate Wang did not stop him, but said softly, "The fact that this case was solved so quickly is all thanks to Coroner Su. I need to quickly organize the case files and send them to the Court of Judicial Review for a decision. I won't invite you to stay for dinner now; I'll treat you to dinner after I'm done with my work!"

Su Wen responded and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Magistrate!"

"County Magistrate, Coroner Su has done a commendable job in investigating this case. Go to the treasury and take five hundred coins as a reward to Coroner Su!"

The county magistrate nodded in agreement.

Su Wen thanked him again, turned and left. Magistrate Wang frowned as he looked at the case files and muttered, "Three cases submitted to the Court of Judicial Review in one day. I wonder if they'll be angry!"

......

Su Wen went to the tavern and bought a jar of wine, a new set of clothes, and some new bed sheets and duvet covers before returning home.

Su Wen hadn't eaten since yesterday, so he was quite hungry. He went home, cooked some meat, and enjoyed a delicious meal with some wine.

At first, Su Wen really thought about making some distilled liquor, but as he drank more and more, he found that Tang Dynasty yellow wine was really comfortable to drink, much better than distilled liquor. In fact, a sip of wine with a bite of meat was simply a unique delicacy.

After eating and drinking his fill, Su Wen went back to bed and went to sleep.

Coroners are very rare; in a small county like Anle, you might not encounter a corpse for ten days or half a month.

In his previous life, Su Wen was a forensic doctor who was extremely busy. Although he didn't have to investigate cases, there were a lot of corpses caused by car accidents and the like, and he even had to wait in line. He spent all day in the autopsy room. Now that he has some free time, he is really not used to it.

But all they did was eat and sleep, sleep and eat.

Two or three days passed just like that.

That afternoon, Su Wen, who had grown accustomed to this kind of day, was fast asleep in bed.

"Knock knock knock!"

A knock came at the door, and Su Wen, half-asleep, asked, "Who is it?"

Zhao Qing said, "I am Zhao Qing, Brother Su!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately woke up from his bed and hurriedly got up to open the door. Zhao Qing frowned and looked at Su Wen, saying, "Brother Su, why are you... still sleeping at noon?"

Su Wen, still half-asleep, asked, "What's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping? What else could you be doing?"

"Hurry up and wash up before heading to the county office. Magistrate Wang says he has something very important to discuss with you!"

"What's so important?"

Zhao Qing shook her head: "How would I know? Hurry up!"

Su Wen responded and hurriedly went to the side to wash up. Su Wen originally thought that there were no toothbrushes in this world, but it turned out that there were, but they were made of animal bones and bristles, and the toothpaste was a powder made of coarse salt and some fruit.

Before long, Su Wen put on his new clothes and went to the county government office with Zhao Qing. Several days had passed since he transmigrated, and his memories had basically merged with those of the original owner. At least he had mastered the basic etiquette, grammar, and vocabulary of the Tang Dynasty.

Su Wen struggled with the concept of time, and it took him more than ten hours to memorize it.

Upon arriving at the county government office, Su Wen and Zhao Qing simultaneously bowed to Magistrate Wang and said, "Your humble servants greet Magistrate Wang!"

When Magistrate Wang saw Su Wen arrive, he didn't hesitate at all. Holding a transfer order in his hand, he said, "Coroner Su, I reported your case-solving to the Court of Judicial Review. The Court of Judicial Review was quite shocked when they received it. You solved such a mysterious case in just one day. The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review recommended you to the Emperor, and the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Personnel to issue you a document appointing you as the Doctor of Criminal Justice in Youzhou!"

Su Wen took the document from Magistrate Wang, frowned slightly, and said softly, "A minor official appointment?"

Magistrate Wang replied, "Please don't look down on me. You know you're a coroner, and there's no way for coroners to be promoted. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review believes you're a great talent, so he made an exception and recommended you to the Emperor. The Prime Minister said that promotion for coroners is an exception, and they can't be promoted directly; they still need experience. Therefore, he's first appointing you as a minor official, the Doctor of Criminal Justice in Youzhou!" Magistrate Wang smiled and said, "By the way, Prime Minister Su Ting shares the same surname as you. Who knows, you might have been from the same family five hundred years ago!"

Su Wen was overjoyed, but he still tried to remain calm.

Although the title of "oblique official" was not highly regarded in the Tang Dynasty, it at least offered the opportunity and possibility of promotion. If one remained a coroner, then one would be a coroner for life, and even one's descendants would be coroners forever. The status of a coroner was only higher than that of people of low social status and slaves, and they were not allowed to take the imperial examinations!

Magistrate Wang then took out another document from his robes and said, "By the way, a strange case has recently occurred at the Court of Judicial Review. Ten days have passed without a single clue. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review recommends you to investigate this case. This is the transfer order, granting you full authority to solve the case!"

"Where?" Su Wen asked.

"Youzhou City!" Upon hearing this, Su Wen frowned immediately, realizing why he had been given the title of Doctor of Criminal Justice of Youzhou.

However, this is also a good thing. As long as I can solve this case, I will definitely be promoted, which can be considered as having a path to climb up the social ladder.

Su Wen took the document and said, "This subordinate obeys the order and will certainly solve this case!"

"Very well, then you shall proceed to Youzhou City today!" Magistrate Wang said.

"yes!"

Su Wendao asked, "May I borrow one person from Magistrate Wang?"

Magistrate Wang understood immediately and said, "Zhao Qing, starting today, you will accompany Dr. Su to Youzhou City to help him solve this mysterious case!"

Su Wen responded, "Thank you, Magistrate!"

Zhao Qing bowed and replied, "Yes, Magistrate!"

......

A few days later, Su Wen and Zhao Qing led their horses into Youzhou City, which later became the famous Beiping.

Because of its location in the north, nomadic tribes from the north would come here to trade and exchange goods. In addition, Youzhou City is the main city of Youzhou, so commerce is thriving here. Therefore, at this moment, there is a constant stream of pedestrians on the streets.

The streets were bustling with traffic and all kinds of shops, including restaurants, teahouses, brothels, and even street performers, making the already crowded city even more crowded.

In the busiest part of the town, a towering, colossal building stands tall, its entire structure a golden color, resembling a golden statue and exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Brother Su, what a magnificent sight!" Zhao Qing exclaimed in amazement upon seeing the towering building. Even Su Wen, a man from the future, was quite shocked to see such a massive and magnificent ancient building for the first time. The entire city was enveloped in a golden hue, like a yellow desert under the sun, giving people a sense of awe and majesty.

Su Wen and Zhao Qing led their horses straight to the Governor's Mansion of Youzhou!

According to the rules, the two men needed to report to the Governor's Office of Youzhou first and obtain approval before they could go to the county office where the murder occurred to obtain the case file.

Before long, the two arrived at the gate of the Governor's Mansion after making inquiries.

The Governor's Mansion, with its high gates and tall tiles, was magnificent and imposing, comparable to the awe-inspiring sight of Su Shi and Wen Zhengming when they first visited the Forbidden City in Nanjing.

Two soldiers in armor stood at the entrance.

Su Wen handed the horse reins to Zhao Qing, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Generals, I have been ordered to investigate this murder case. Please inform the Commander!"