Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

023: The Nightmare Chases the Murderer

Su Wen turned and left. He had come here to obtain some basic information. Moreover, the Taoist priest had said that the design was carried out by a man surnamed Yuan. Could it be the person who appeared in his dream, Yuan Tianfang?

With a hint of doubt, Su Wen left the Taoist temple and headed to the Ningshui County government office.

To be honest, Su Wen was still uneasy along the way. He was going to the county government to request an inspection based on just a dream. He was neither a military governor nor an imperial envoy, nor even an official. If he was scolded, that would be one thing, but if he was accused of overstepping his authority, he would be finished.

In ancient times, overstepping one's bounds was a serious crime, punishable by beheading!

Before long, Su Wen arrived at the entrance of the Ningshui County government office. He handed a letter to a constable and said, "My name is Su Wen. I'm here to see Magistrate Cui of Ningshui County. Please inform him of my presence."

The constable replied, "Very well, sir, please wait a moment, I will go and inform Magistrate Cui immediately!"

Su Wen said, "Thank you!"

A moment later, an old man slowly walked out. He had a ruddy complexion and was full of energy. He didn't look like a man in his sixties at all, but rather like a man in his thirties or forties.

Upon seeing him, Su Wen quickly bowed to the old man and said, "I am Su Wen, greetings to Magistrate Cui!"

Cui Ziyan nodded and smiled, "Dr. Su Wen, a criminal investigator, well, I originally thought it was just boasting when my granddaughter and nephew mentioned him, but seeing him today, he is indeed extraordinary in appearance and has an imposing presence. May I ask what brings you to my Ningshui County today?"

Just as Su Wen was about to speak, Cui Ziyan, though smiling, revealed extreme dissatisfaction in his eyes, saying, "Unfortunately, although my Ningshui County is poor, I am still considered an honest and upright official. Ningshui County has not had a murder case for ten years, and even minor cases have been rare for almost three years!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was quite shocked. Although Ning Shui County was somewhat poor, it was not small, with a population of nearly 100,000. To achieve three years of zero crime was indeed quite an accomplishment!

Su Wen's mind worked quickly, and he hurriedly said, "Magistrate Cui, you misunderstand. I'm not here to investigate anything; I'm just looking for someone!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Ziyan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Su Wen and asked, "Who is it?"

Su Wen slowly said, "I've heard that Yuan Tianfang is an expert in the design of houses and pagodas. When I visited Qingfeng Temple today, I was struck by its magnificent and exquisite architecture. I immediately felt that this complex must have been designed and built by a master architect. So I asked the Taoist priest, who said that the man's name was Yuan Tianfang. Therefore, I came here to find this master architect and learn from him!"

At this point, Su Wen deliberately leaned close to Cui Ziyan and said in a low voice, "Magistrate Cui, you may not know this, but I am merely a coroner. Although His Majesty bestowed upon me the title of Doctor of Criminal Justice, it is only a minor official post. I believe it is unlikely that I will become an official, and I will definitely have to go back to being a coroner in the future. Since being a coroner is a dead-end job, I might as well resign from this lowly status and become a master architect. That way, I can at least make a living!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Ziyan merely chuckled and said, "Hmph... Do you take me for a three-year-old child, or a newcomer just entering officialdom?"

Su Wen was taken aback and frowned slightly.

"Let's be frank, no beating around the bush. Just tell me, did you come here to investigate a case?"

Su Wen couldn't help but mutter to himself: It seems I really underestimated this old man; he's definitely got some skills!

Su Wen decided to drop the pretense and stretched, saying, "Alright, since Old Master Cui has already seen through you, let's not beat around the bush tomorrow. I'm here to investigate a case at Yuan Tianfang's request!"

Cui Ziyan chuckled, then waved his hand and said, "Since Dr. Su is unwilling to tell the truth, then I will not chat with Dr. Su here any longer. I am busy with official business in the county, so I will take my leave!"

When Su Wen saw that Cui Ziyan was about to leave, he became a little anxious. He had no right to investigate since he was here, and if he angered Cui Ziyan, he would have even less chance to solve the case!

Su Wendao said, "I did indeed come here to investigate the case!"

Cui Ziyan stopped and asked, "Who taught you this?"

"Yuan Tianfang!"

Cui Ziyan couldn't help but sneer: "Dr. Su, are you still making fun of me? This Yuan Tianfang is the number one feng shui architect in Ningshui County, and he is also very famous in the entire Youzhou. His family is harmonious, and he has two sons and a daughter. They have always lived in Ningshui County. So why would he come to you to seek justice?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was taken aback. Cui Ziyan sneered and said, "Show him out!"

After saying that, Cui Ziyan turned and left, leaving Su Wen alone in the same spot, somewhat bewildered. Could it be that he was just having a dream and overthinking?

After sitting in front of the county government office for a long time, Su Wen decided to go to Yuan Tianfang's house first to check. If there was really no problem, then he was just overthinking things!

With that in mind, Su Wen went straight to the street and asked someone for information.

Su Wen arrived at a small noodle shop and said, "One bowl of noodles and a side dish!"

The noodle vendor said, "Please have a seat, sir. It'll be ready in a minute!"

Su Wen then looked at the uncle and asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you know where Yuan Tianfang's house is located?"

While cooking noodles, the uncle pointed in a direction and said, "Walk fifty steps west, turn left, walk one hundred steps, then turn right and you'll reach Ning Shui Street. Thirty steps from there, you'll find Yuan Tianfang's house!"

The middle-aged man placed the noodles in front of Su Wen's table, then went back to cook the side dishes and asked, "Sir, would you like to have Yuan Tianfang look at your feng shui, or design your building?"

Before the words were finished, someone muttered from behind, "Dead...dead...came back to life...came back to life again..."

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately turned around and saw that the person was a middle-aged man in his thirties, but he seemed to have some intellectual problems. His hair was messy, half of it was hair and the other half was bald. His eyes were slanted and his mouth was crooked. His feet were deformed, and he walked with a staggering gait. One of his hands was short and atrophied, while the other hand looked normal but was like skin and bones. His clothes were also tattered, and he even emitted a foul stench!

The middle-aged man looked at the older man, then quickly stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and pulled him to a corner near the wall to sit down. He then brought him a bowl of porridge and said, "Amu, just eat here and don't talk!"

After saying this, the uncle went to the stall to wash his hands, then prepared the side dishes and handed them to Su Wen, saying, "Please forgive me, sir. His name is Amu, and he is thirty-three years old this year. When he was about eleven years old, a thick fog rolled in on Qingfeng Mountain, and he lost his way. By the time his parents found him, he had already become mentally impaired. His parents passed away a few years ago, and now only his younger sister remains in the family. His sister is the wife of Yuan Tianfang's second son!"

"Amu's sister usually gives a lot of money to our neighbors, asking us to take care of him and give him some food when we see him!"

Su Wen focused his attention on what was being said.

At thirty-three years old, when he was eleven, at Qingfeng Temple on Qingfeng Mountain, Yuan Tianfang lost his way and became mentally impaired.

All of this seemed to be pointing out to Su Wen that there was definitely a big problem. It seemed that his dream might not be a lie. He should go to Yuan Tianfang's house and investigate!