Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

088: The Murder Case of the Buddha of Shazhou

Upon hearing the name Huineng, Su Wen felt a chill run down his spine, and his mind automatically recalled his conversations with the monks during his investigations in his previous life.

Huineng, often mentioned by some monks, is one of the Six Patriarchs of Buddhism!

Su Wen pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I never imagined that Master Huineng had such an unknown side; he truly inspires my respect!"

After saying this, Su Wen asked, "So, does that mean everyone in Ningyue Pavilion is a monk?"

The burly man chuckled and said, "At first, everyone wanted to become monks with our godfather and study Buddhism, but he disagreed. He said that becoming monks wouldn't save the world or help more suffering people. So he funded our travels around the world to help those suffering!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was even more shocked. This was a true master. No wonder he was revered by later generations as one of the Six Patriarchs of Buddhism.

Su Wen then took out several dozen coins from his pocket and handed them to the burly man, saying, "This is a small token of my appreciation. If you ever need any help in the future, please feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to assist you!"

The burly man bowed to Su Wen and said, "Thank you, sir. May you dedicate yourself to serving the people. Heaven will surely bless you!"

Su Wen bowed to the burly man and said, "Alright, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. I'll come back to your Ningyue Pavilion tonight to see your acrobatic performance!"

The burly man chuckled sheepishly and said, "Thank you for the honor, sir!"

After Su Wen finished speaking, he turned and left.

Back at the government office, Qin Zhan was already waiting for Su Wen inside.

Upon seeing Su Wen, he immediately bowed and said, "This humble official greets Imperial Envoy Su!"

Su Wen asked, "How did it go? Did you find anything when you went to investigate Lu Yao's background?"

Qin Zhan replied, "Reporting to Imperial Envoy Su, I ordered my men to thoroughly investigate Lu Yao's background. According to what we've learned, Lu Yao was originally a refugee who wandered from place to place due to the war. He was later kidnapped by slave traders and sold to a Tibetan nobleman for herding livestock. Afterward, the Tibetan nobleman sold him to a local wealthy merchant, who then brought him to the Tang Dynasty to do business. So, he has been trading garlic and spices for the merchant, and sometimes he also herds livestock outside the city for him!"

Su Wen looked at Qin Zhan and asked, "Have you found out that he was originally from Ningyue Pavilion?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhan shook his head and said, "We haven't found anything. Could it be that Imperial Envoy Su has already discovered something?"

Su Wen said, "It wouldn't be accurate to call it a discovery, but this person is definitely not simple. He has a tattoo on his wrist, which is the emblem of Ningyue Pavilion. This means that he must have been a member of Ningyue Pavilion before. Since he is hiding it, it means that he doesn't want people to know that he is a member of Ningyue Pavilion, or rather, he doesn't want to implicate the people of Ningyue Pavilion!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhan was completely bewildered, having no idea what Su Wen was up to.

Su Wen smiled slightly and said, "Alright, you go ahead and get busy. After I go to Ningyue Pavilion tonight to watch the variety show, I might get even more clues!"

Qin Zhan asked, "Is Imperial Envoy Su going to Ningyue Pavilion to watch acrobatic performances tonight?"

Su Wen nodded in agreement, "Yes, I've never seen acrobatics before. I'd really like to go and see it, to broaden my horizons!"

Qin Zhan said, "Alright, tonight Zhang Changshi and I have already prepared a banquet at Qunyinglou, and would like to invite Imperial Envoy Su and Young Master Xu to attend, so as to welcome you both... This..."

Su Wen said, "Oh, it's alright. We can have the banquet after we finish watching the variety show!"

Qin Zhan hesitated for a moment and said, "It's fine for Zhang Changshi and me to wait, but someone has come from Chang'an specifically to see Imperial Envoy Su. What should Zhang Changshi and I say to that?"

Su Wen asked, somewhat puzzled, "Who is it? From Chang'an?"

Qin Zhan slowly said, "The Grand Secretary, Cui Lin!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was shocked and asked with a puzzled look, "But I've never met him before. What is he doing here?"

Qin Zhan looked at Su Wen with some doubt, then smiled and said, "Imperial Envoy Su, you certainly know how to joke. I have already heard about this matter, how could Imperial Envoy Su not know?"

Su Wen was completely confused and had no idea what it meant.

Seeing Su Wen's expression, which seemed genuinely unaware, Qin Zhan said with a hint of delight, "The Emperor bestowed a marriage upon Imperial Envoy Su; surely Imperial Envoy Su is unaware of this?"

"An arranged marriage?" Su Wen exclaimed in surprise, "When? And with whom? How come I had no idea?"

Qin Zhan smiled and said, "Well, it turns out that Grand Secretary Cui has come to see you in person!"

When Su Wen heard that he had been betrothed, he was a little stunned and began to think.

Why would a sage concern himself with his private affairs? Especially those of the Cui family of Boling—what is he trying to do?

Logically speaking, the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families should look down on him. Besides, these people have a very high status. Logically speaking, they would not even look down on the emperor or the royal family. Why would they look up to him?

I'm just a coroner, my parents died early, and my family is dirt poor. We can't even afford a bride price. Why is that?

Seeing that Su Wen remained silent, Qin Zhan smiled and said, "Imperial Envoy Su, you need not doubt that the reason His Majesty bestowed this upon you, in my humble opinion, is to bind you to the Cui and Lu families through marriage!"

Su Wen asked with some doubt, "Could it be that the Cui family and the Lu family have some kind of relationship?"

Qin Zhan couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Imperial Envoy Su is joking again!"

Su Wen hurriedly bowed respectfully to Qin Zhan and said, "I am truly ignorant of the ways of officialdom, and I humbly request that Commander Qin offer some guidance!"

Su Wen's words are not wrong. Su Wen doesn't understand the reasoning behind this at all. If he doesn't figure out the intricacies of these things now, he might easily make a wrong step and be torn to pieces!

Qin Zhan began, "The Cui families of Qinghe, Boling, and Fanyang all originated in Hebei and Henan, and belong to the same interest group. For hundreds of years, they have been intertwined, and even before the prohibition on marriage, they had already formed alliances through intermarriage to consolidate their power and influence. So, although they appear to be three families, they are actually one!"

Qin Zhan looked at Su Wen and said, "According to the information I have, the Su family is the Zhao Qun Su clan of Hebei, and they belong to the same interest group."

Upon hearing this, Su Wen finally understood that he actually belonged to the Hebei Group faction!

Upon realizing this, Su Wen suddenly understood. No wonder Yao Chong, Zhang Shuo, and Wang Yu were all trying their best to recommend him. Good heavens, it turns out they all belonged to the Hebei faction!

Qin Zhan continued, "Although the Zhao and Su families of Hebei declined hundreds of years ago and are no longer considered a prominent clan, Imperial Envoy Su is exceptionally talented. In just one year, he solved several major cases, including the Youzhou mystery, and even killed Xue Huaiyi, who attempted to resurrect Empress Wu Zetian. The Emperor is currently in need of capable people, and you have solved such a major problem for him. Naturally, you will be valued by the Emperor!"

At this point, Qin Zhan glanced around and deliberately lowered his voice, saying, "Imperial Envoy Su, I'll just tell you the truth. In the present world, the Guanlong Group wields immense power, completely infiltrating the Dali Temple. Nearly 70% of the generals in the army are from the Guanlong Group. This is not a good thing. Furthermore, many people were originally on Empress Wu Zetian's side, but Her Highness the Grand Princess Zhenguo recruited them. Although many have been eliminated, their roots remain!"

Qin Zhan stopped there, but Su Wen already understood.

The main purpose of the sage's decision to begin giving important positions to the Hebei faction was to weaken the power of the Guanlong Group.

Su Wen suddenly realized why he had been given the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice's Criminal and Prison Administration Department. It was to rival the Court of Judicial Review and prevent the Guanlong Group from completely controlling the Ministry of Justice.