Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

008: The Strange Case of Youzhou

One of them took the document and said, "Alright, wait here for now, I'll go report right away!"

A moment later, a soldier came out and said, "The Commander-in-Chief requests your presence!"

Su Wen looked at Zhao Qing and said, "Go find a place to stay first, I'll be there in a bit!"

Zhao Qing asked, "Do I need to stay for an extended period?"

Su Wen said confidently, "No need. I will solve this case within ten days!"

Zhao Qing responded, and Su Wen stepped into the mansion. Upon entering the main hall, he saw an elderly man, over fifty years old, sitting in a chair. Although he was an old man, he had a dignified bearing, exuded righteousness, and was very strong. He looked like he must have been a military general in his youth, and was quite capable in combat.

Su Wen stepped forward and bowed to the old man, saying, "Su Wen, the coroner of Anle County, has been ordered by the Dali Temple to investigate this strange case and has come to the Governor's Mansion to request approval!"

The old man looked up at Su Wen, then said, "Governor Xue Ne of Youzhou is currently dealing with official documents and cannot perform the proper greetings. Please forgive me!"

Su Wen remained silent, his mind racing. Xue Ne, Xue Rengui's eldest son!

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes beside him said without any politeness, "You, a mere coroner, dare to take on such a bizarre case? How laughable!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen didn't say much, but rolled his eyes at the man and said, "I've heard many people say that General Xue Rengui was originally a cook..."

At this point, Su Wen abruptly stopped speaking, and the middle-aged man pointed a finger and shouted, "Insolence! You're just a coroner, given a minor official post, how dare you speak so arrogantly?"

Su Wen bowed and said, "The Court of Judicial Review has granted me full authority to investigate cases. Now that I have reported to the Governor's Office, speed is of the essence. The case has not yielded any clues for more than ten days, so it should be solved as soon as possible. Therefore, this humble official will take his leave now!"

After speaking, Su Wen turned and walked towards the hall without the slightest hesitation!

The middle-aged man was furious and was about to shout at him to stop, but Xue Ne raised a hand to stop him, scoffing, "He's young and hot-blooded. He'll come looking for me after he gets his comeuppance!"

After leaving the governor's mansion, Su Wen went straight to the county government office in Luxian County.

Upon arriving at the Luxian County government office, Su Wen did not see the county magistrate or the county constable. Following the directions of the county clerk, Su Wen went directly to the mortuary.

The county magistrate said, "Dr. Su, this body was discovered on the seventh day of the fifth month. The coroner determined that the body was murdered at noon!"

Su Wen lifted the white cloth and said, "I'll tell you, and you'll remember!"

The county magistrate replied, "Yes!"

"Remember, the deceased was male, about six feet tall, around 22 years old, in his prime. He had no external injuries, but a stab wound to his chest, and his heart had been ripped out!"

The county magistrate responded, "This was already known after the coroner's examination; there's no need for another examination!"

Su Wen frowned, then looked at the county magistrate and asked, "What about the other bodies?"

The county magistrate said, "Those two over there are too!"

Su Wen turned and lifted the cover of a nearby corpse. The county magistrate continued, "This body was discovered on the third day of the first lunar month. The coroner determined that the victim was murdered at 2:45 AM!"

Su Wen glanced at the body and found that the deceased had no external injuries, but had a knife wound in the abdomen and had his lungs removed!

Su Wen frowned upon seeing this, then hurriedly lifted the cover of a nearby corpse and asked, "Where is this corpse?"

The county magistrate, flipping through the case file in his hand, said, "This body was discovered on the fourth day of the second month. The coroner determined at 1:15 AM that the body was murdered!"

Su Wen examined the body and found that its abdomen had been cut open and its intestines had been removed!

Upon seeing this, Su Wen frowned and asked, "Were any bodies discovered in March and April?"

When Su Wen asked this question, the county magistrate froze on the spot, momentarily at a loss for words. He shook his head and said, "No body was found!"

"Where is the county magistrate?" Su Wen asked. "Were any people missing in March and April?"

The county magistrate pondered for a moment and said, "There really is!"

Su Wen strode towards the door and said, "Draw the location where these people were found on a map. Also, immediately notify someone to inquire whether the missing persons have been found. Go and call the head of the household registration office, and also call the deceased's family members!"

The county magistrate responded.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw a man in a green official robe and another in a light green official robe walking toward the morgue.

The two men stopped in their tracks the moment they saw Su Wen, and one of them spoke up, "You must be Dr. Su Wen, right?"

Su Wen stopped and bowed to the two men, saying, "Indeed, may I ask who you two are?"

The man in the green official robes bowed and said, "I am Cui Wuyi, the magistrate of Lu County, and this is He Fang, the county lieutenant of Lu County!"

"Su Wen has met Magistrate Cui and County Lieutenant He. I didn't see either of you when I arrived, so I had the County Assistant lead me to examine the body first!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Wuyi immediately straightened his back and said, "Dr. Su is certainly very busy; he didn't even bother to inform me, the magistrate of Lu County, about the autopsy?"

Su Wen bowed and said, "The Court of Judicial Review has ordered me to solve the case as soon as possible, so please forgive me, Magistrate Cui and County Lieutenant He!"

"Hmph!" Cui Wuyi snorted coldly, then waved his hand and said, "Then, I wonder if Dr. Su has any clues?"

Su Wen looked at Cui Wuyi and He Fang, his sharp edge undiminished, and said, "Yes, I think there are still two bodies that haven't been found in March and April. We're currently having the county magistrate summon the county's household registration registrar and the families of the missing persons!"

Cui Wuyi frowned immediately, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Su Wen bowed to the two men and said, "I won't exchange pleasantries for now. The orders from the Dali Temple are urgent!"

After saying that, Su Wen walked past Cui Wuyi and He Fang.

After Su Wen had walked away, Cui Wuyi snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and said, "Hmph, a mere coroner dares to be so arrogant. If he can't find out the truth, I will definitely petition the Ministry of Personnel to punish him!"

......

In the main hall of the county government, the county magistrate drew the locations where the three bodies were found on a map for Su Wen. Su Wen carefully examined the three locations on the map, and then a memory flashed through his mind of an ancient book he had seen at the police station before.

Without any hesitation, Su Wen quickly began to draw a circular pattern on the map.

Upon seeing this, the county magistrate was quite shocked and hurriedly asked, "What is this?"

Su Wen said with a serious expression, "The Twelve Zodiac Animals Formation!"

The county magistrate was shocked upon hearing this!

Su Wen looked at the county magistrate and asked, "Magistrate, are the two missing people living near the locations marked on these twelve points on the map?"

The county magistrate swallowed hard and quickly pointed to two spots, saying, "There are indeed two households at these two spots!"

"Quickly send men to search the vicinity. These two locations represent the dragon in March and the snake in April. The dragon hides in water, so look for wells and places with water. The snake hides in grass and the ground, so look for bushes and underground caves!"

"Yes!" The county magistrate responded and hurried off to search.

When Su Wen saw the twelve zodiac animal formation he had pointed out, he recalled his days in the police station.

It is said that feudal superstition kills people. Even in the future, with such advanced technology, Su Wen has encountered many instances of people committing murder due to feudal superstition, including many sacrificial rituals!

The Twelve Zodiac Animals Formation is one such sacrificial method!