Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

092: The Birth of a New Buddha

Su Wen frowned as he looked at the corpses of Shen Qiushui and Lu Yao, lost in thought.

Although Su Wen didn't know what they would do after killing the ten people, it was clear that this matter was related to Buddhism, and Yi Tian himself was related to Buddhism, specifically the Mahayana Lotus School.

The Buddha that Shen Qiushui spoke of before her death and the Buddha that Xu Ran spoke of are very likely the same person, namely Yi Tian. If so, it seems that Yi Tian is probably already in the territory of Shazhou.

However, the sandbar is too vast for Su Wen to find. Moreover, Su Wen still has no clue about Yi Tian. When he left Qingzhou, Su Wen had already ordered people to investigate Yi Tian, ​​but they could not find anything.

Wu Zetian had too many male favorites. Su Wen had already ordered people to focus on investigating the people around Xue Huaiyi. However, Xue Huaiyi was the abbot of Baima Temple at the time, and it was rumored that most of the people in Baima Temple were Wu Zetian's male favorites. After Wu Zetian was placed under house arrest...

Zhang Jianzhi led troops to strangle Xue Huaiyi and then set a large fire. Xue Huaiyi must not have escaped alone; there must have been others who escaped with him.

However, finding the people who were inside the White Horse Temple at that time was extremely difficult, because no one knew how many people were inside the White Horse Temple!

Therefore, it was impossible to investigate. However, Su Wen believed that Shen Qiushui and Lu Yao were important pieces. If two pieces were lost, the person in charge would not sit idly by but would choose to attack.

It's like a game between two sides. Knowing that they have lost two pieces, almost everyone will choose to attack instead of defending, because defending means that the game is already lost. Only by taking the initiative can they have a chance to turn defeat into victory!

Just as Su Wen was pondering, Xu Ge suddenly spoke up, "Master, didn't you say you were going to invite me to a banquet?"

Su Wen suddenly looked up, and a chill ran through him: "Oh no!"

After saying that, Su Wen hurriedly ran out the door without any hesitation, turning a jog into a long run, and then into a sprint with gritted teeth, with Xu Ge following closely behind.

"Wow, this city is huge!"

Su Wen roared as he ran.

Before long, Su Wen arrived at Yan Yue Lou, panting, only to find that Xu Ge had arrived long before him.

Xu Ge had already gone up and spoken with the other party. Su Wen leaned against the wall for a while before slowly stepping up to the door of the room. After tidying himself up a bit, Su Wen gently knocked on the door.

The door was pushed open from the left and right by two maids, and what came into view was...

Many officials and military officers were kneeling on the left and right sides, while Cui Lin, the Grand Chancellor, Right Chancellor, head of the three provinces, and the head of the prime ministers, was the third-rank official.

In the Tang Dynasty, the first and second ranks of civil officials were honorary positions, while the third rank was the highest-ranking official. Therefore, it can be seen how great Cui Lin's status and power were. A little below him, a woman was kneeling, wearing a jade curtain on her head, with her head slightly lowered. Su Wen recognized her; she was none other than Cui Lingyu!

When Cui Lin saw Su Wen walk in, she leaned back slightly and said, "Our busy Imperial Envoy Su has graced us with his presence! I thought you weren't coming!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen hurriedly went to his seat, poured himself a glass of wine, bowed to everyone, and finally bowed to Cui Lin, saying, "I just remembered an important clue in the Shazhou case, so I went to apprehend the murderer. That's why I'm late. I'll first drink three cups of wine as an apology. My apologies!"

After saying that, Su Wen drank three cups in one go.

Cui Lin then sat up and said, "Since it was for official business, then it's understandable, and I forgive you!"

Su Wen responded and poured another cup, saying, "Prime Minister Cui, this cup is for you, after traveling a long way to this sandbar!"

Seeing Su Wen drink another cup, Cui Lin's earlier displeasure vanished, replaced by a look of delight. "So, from what you just said, you've already solved the Shazhou case?"

Su Wen nodded in agreement, but after glancing at the people below, Cui Lin said, "It's alright, we're all on the same side. Although Shazhou is located in Longyou Road, only our own people would come to such a remote place. Those big shots wouldn't want to come to such a remote area!"

Su Wen looked around the hall and saw Qin Zhan there. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Reporting to Prime Minister Cui, this case has been solved, and the murderer has been identified. However... the real murderer behind this case has not yet been apprehended, so it will probably take some more time. Moreover, I feel that he should make his move soon!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Lin thought for a moment and said, "You mean, there's an even bigger killer behind this case?"

Su Wen nodded.

Upon hearing this, Cui Lin became interested and flicked her sleeve, saying, "Then tell me what happened in this case, let me hear it too!"

Su Wen stood up, walked to the front, and bowed deeply, saying, "Yes!"

"There are a total of nine victims in this case: three officials who were appointed to manage household registration, two household registration clerks, one patrol captain, one shop manager, the former governor, and the Tibetan envoy who was killed at 1-3 AM today!"

"These nine people seem unrelated, but they all point in the same direction: Shen Qiushui, the cloth seller at the market who claims to be from India!"

"This woman was exceptionally beautiful, with a face that could rival the beauty of fish and geese. It was precisely because of her beauty that they had their chance. This woman was responsible for seducing these officials, leading them to specific rooms, drugging their drinks, and then Shen Qiushui would leave while Lu Yao came out to commit the murders!"

"Lu Yao may appear to be a slave, but he is not actually a slave. He is an artist at Ningyue Pavilion. Everyone in Ningyue Pavilion is an orphan. In order to enable them to live independently, Master Huineng taught them some miscellaneous arts."

"This Lu Yao's skill is probably similar to the acrobatic art of unraveling copper rings, called the art of bone shrinking. This art is a method of esoteric Buddhism. Master Huineng passed this method on to them in order to help them survive!"

"Lu Yao used this method, lying in ambush in a closet in a specific room several days in advance, waiting for the right opportunity!"

"As for why Lu Yao became a slave, I think it was because the status of a slave was so low that no one would notice, and there was plenty of time to commit the crime."

"Lu Yao left Dunhuang County by herding livestock for his master, going to graze the animals outside the city. Sometimes he would stay out for several days at a time, during which time he would secretly sneak back into the city to ambush and kill people!"

"As for the cattle and sheep he was herding, they were entrusted to Tibetans who were hiding outside the city. It was Zhang Yi who discovered that Lu Yao and Shen Qiushui were both Tibetans!"

"Several victims were killed by Lu Yao and Shen Qiushui using this method!"

"The reason they aren't the real killers is because before Shen Qiushui drowned himself, he said that Buddha would avenge him. This reminded me of the Lotus Case I solved in Qingzhou not long ago. Xu Ran also said before he died that Buddha would avenge him!"

"The Buddha these two are referring to is very likely the same person!"

"However, I discovered that there is still some connection between the former governor and the Tibetan envoy, but it is not yet known what they are discussing."