Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

Chapter 122: The Azure Dragon Case

Su Wen nodded, then put the embroidered box into his sleeve and said, "Lingyu, I'll go find Ji Ming first and have him take a look at what this Azure Dragon Powder is!"

With that, Su Wen strode out of the mansion and headed straight for the Duke's mansion. Because the prison was still under construction, the people Su Wen had recruited were temporarily staying at the Duke's mansion.

Upon arriving at the Duke's mansion, Su Wen went straight to Ji Ming's room. Ji Ming was doing very well in the mansion, even giving free hair ornaments to many maids to pass the time.

Because Ji Ming had been a sashimi vendor for several years, his skills were superb and his techniques were excellent, which even attracted many nobles and rich people to come and ask him to decorate their dishes.

When Su Wen arrived, he saw Ji Ming still applying floral decorations to a beautiful woman.

Su Wen said, "Ji Ming, come out here for a moment and help me see what this thing is!"

When Ji Ming saw Su Wen arrive, he put down his writing brush and said, "Madam, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

The beautiful woman nodded in agreement.

Ji Ming left the room, and Su Wen handed him a brocade box from his sleeve. Ji Ming took the box, opened it, examined it carefully, then smelled it before smiling slightly and asking, "Where did you get this?"

Su Wen frowned and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Ji Ming smiled and said, "Of course I know. Su Shangguan, don't forget that I am a disciple of Sun Simiao, the Medicine King. Although I can't be called a divine doctor, there are only a handful of people in the entire Tang Dynasty whose medical skills are better than mine!"

Su Wen said, "Alright, stop being so mysterious, what exactly is this thing?"

Ji Ming chuckled and said, "This stuff is called Yiduo San, it's used for sexual intercourse, but it probably contains dog penis, donkey meat, elephant trunk, rhinoceros horn, and other such things!"

As he spoke, Ji Ming dipped his finger in the mixture, licked it, and said, "There should be something extremely special in here, somewhat similar to gastrodia elata powder. I think it's to enhance its effects, so this stuff was added. If I'm not mistaken, it's something that can induce hallucinations, probably something like Five-Stone Powder!"

Su Wen understood in an instant and said, "You mean, this is a stronger version of an aphrodisiac that can cause hallucinations after ingestion?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ming was taken aback for a moment and said, "Aphrodisiac, what a brilliant name! Spring, when all things revive, how wonderful! Su Shangguan, it seems you've given this Yiduo Powder a good name. Perhaps it will be recorded in history books and passed down through the ages!"

As Su Wen spoke, he took the box from Ji Ming's hand and said, "I won't discuss this with you here anymore, I need to go investigate the case!"

As Su Wen turned and left to find Xu Ge, he took out the Ningxiang Collection and flipped through a few pages. He immediately blushed when he saw it. Good heavens, this Ningxiang Collection was a pure erotic book, complete with pictures.

This book was not a banned book during the Tang Dynasty; it was allowed to be bought and sold.

Upon seeing Xu Ge, Su Wen said, "Send someone to investigate and see who is selling Azure Dragon Powder in Chang'an City!"

Xu Ge responded, and then Su Wen looked at Xu Ge and continued, "Investigate and find out who wrote this Ningxiang Collection!"

At this moment, a question arose in Su Wen's mind: what exactly was the other party trying to do by selling Azure Dragon Powder and Fragrance Collection?

Of course, there is another very important thing, which is to perform an autopsy. Only by performing an autopsy can Su Wen find out the true cause of death of the deceased Li Xinyue, which is very important for solving the case.

However, Su Wen did not dare to take direct action on this matter. After all, the background of the deceased Li Xinyue was not simple. She was the youngest daughter of the Jiangnan Jiedushi, which was no ordinary person.

Moreover, as dusk approaches, Su Wen has chosen not to enter the palace. He plans to seize the authority to handle the case during tomorrow's court assembly.

......

The following day, a court assembly was held in the Taiji Hall.

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court is dismissed!"

Following Gao Lishi's shout.

One man stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, my daughter died without cause yesterday. The magistrate of Wannian County has passed the case to the Judicial Officer of Yongzhou, who in turn has handed it over to the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou, who in turn has passed it over to Su Wen, the Minister of the Prison. I don't care who it's passed on to, I just want Your Majesty to appoint someone to investigate this case fully, instead of passing it around until nothing is ever found!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately understood that this person was Li Zheng, the military governor of Jiangnan!

At this moment, Li Linfu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, since this case involves the Military Governor of Jiangnan, the Magistrate of Wannian County and the Judicial Advisor of Yongzhou no longer have the authority to investigate. Why not entrust this case to our Ministry of Justice?"

Xiao Song, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this case involves a high-ranking official of the third rank in the court. It would be more appropriate to hand this case over to the Court of Judicial Review!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen stepped forward without hesitation and said, "Your Majesty, according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, this case occurred in Wannian County and should be investigated by the magistrate of Wannian County. However, this case is complex and beyond the magistrate's capabilities. Therefore, the Judicial Officer of Yongzhou was requested to investigate. But the Judicial Officer of Yongzhou is still young, so the Chief Clerk asked me to investigate on his behalf. Therefore, this case should be handed over to the primary investigator, which is me. Since I belong to the Prison Administration Department, this case should be investigated by the Prison Administration Department!"

Just as Li Linfu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was about to speak, the Emperor decisively interrupted him, saying, "This case concerns a high-ranking official of the third rank in the court. Su Wen, are you confident in your ability to handle this?"

Su Wendao said, "Your Majesty, I have some leads on this case, but since the Prison Warden is not yet officially operational, it does not have the authority to handle cases. Therefore, I dare not make a big fuss or act legitimately. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to investigate this case with full authority, so that I can show the ministers who previously opposed the establishment of the Prison Warden its ability to handle cases!"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded and said, "Minister Su is right. There has been considerable criticism in the court regarding the establishment of the Prison Warden's Office. I also believe that the people in the Prison Warden's Office should demonstrate their abilities to you all, so that everyone knows they are not useless!"

At this point, the Sage stood up and said, "Since the Prison Warden has not yet been fully repaired, then the Yongzhou Judicial Office will be temporarily renamed the Prison Warden, and this case will be entrusted to you, Su Wen, for full investigation!"

The Emperor looked at the official in charge of the Secretariat below and said, "However, your rank is not high. This case involves a third-rank official, and I fear you will be hesitant. The Secretariat has drafted an edict, and I hereby grant Su Wen, the Minister of the Prison, the authority to act expediently. You should solve this case as soon as possible and bring justice to Li Zheng's beloved daughter, Li Xinyue!"

Su Wen bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Xiao Song, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, spoke up: "Your Majesty, this case is of great importance. I wonder how long the Minister of the Prison will need to solve it?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor remained silent, looking at Su Wen with apparent expectation. After a moment's thought, Su Wen slowly said, "Your Majesty, based on the clues I currently possess, this case is likely not so simple. It involves the Youzhou Mystery Case, the Qingzhou Lotus Case, and the Shazhou Yitian Case. Therefore, I dare not set a date, and I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

These words immediately caused a stir in the imperial court. After Su Wen solved these cases, he reported them to the Emperor, who then informed the three provinces of the full scope of the case. Therefore, everyone was shocked when they heard that these three major cases were involved.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who had just been arguing, along with the other officials who were itching to make a move, all dared not utter a sound.