Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

046:5 Prison

County government office.

Cui Lu said, "Magistrate Su, I know you have only been in office for a few days and you have already been asked to investigate several murder cases. But you should consider the impact. Now, the people of Chongqi Ward and Yujiao Ward are all terrified, to the point that the whole of Luoyang County is in a state of panic, and everyone is afraid that they will be the murderer's next target."

"Look at the streets of the county! Even small vendors don't dare to set up their stalls anymore. Many foreign envoys are coming to me seeking protection, all afraid of becoming the target of a murderer. How can I explain this to the Emperor, and how can I explain it to the people?"

Su Wen lowered his head and said, "I don't know why the news was leaked. Please forgive me, Governor Cui. I will catch the murderer as soon as possible, close the case, and restore peace to the people!"

Cui Lu took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Magistrate Su, then I'll trouble you to catch the murderer as soon as possible!"

After saying this, Cui Lu turned and left the county office.

After Cui Lu left, Li Xingguo said, "We've already discussed this matter with Li Moxuan. Could it be that Li Moxuan leaked it?"

Su Wen shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be. I suspect the murderer leaked it on purpose!"

Li Xingguo said, "What? The murderer deliberately leaked it?"

Su Wendao said, "Yes, killing several people in a few days would naturally attract the attention of the authorities. The murderer probably knows the direction of our investigation, which is why he's afraid. Out of fear, he'll definitely stir up trouble. Of course, there's another crucial point: the patrols by the Bad Guys in Chongqi Ward and Yujiao Ward have increased, reducing his opportunities to strike. So he needs to take advantage of this chaos to fish in troubled waters!"

Li Xingguo exclaimed in surprise, "You mean, he'll do it again?"

Su Wen nodded and replied, "That's right!"

Before he could finish speaking...

Xu Ge rushed in from outside, his face urgent, and said, "Magistrate Su, General, a body has been found in Chongqi Ward. I have already ordered men to secure the scene!"

Su Wen glanced at Li Xingguo, then looked at Xu Ge and said, "Take me to see him quickly!"

Li Xingguo said, "This murderer is truly ruthless and vicious, killing three people in just two days!"

Su Wen did not reply.

Before long, Su Wen and Li Xingguo arrived at a house. This house was located in a remote area, with a black gate and no neighbors nearby. Su Wen frowned and said, "Is this the coroner?"

Xu Ge nodded in agreement, "Yes, this is Wang Wu, the coroner from Luoyang County, but the deceased is not Wang Wu, but his son!"

Su Wen looked at Xu Ge: "Explain in detail!"

Xu Ge replied, "The deceased was Wang Youfu, the son of the coroner. He made a living selling pancakes on the street. In the past few days, several murders have occurred one after another, and the coroner has been performing autopsies for the county government. He couldn't go home yesterday, and when he returned this morning, he found his son sitting on a stool. When he went over to look, he realized that his son was already dead, and his heart had been dug out and taken away!"

When Su Wen entered the room, he saw that the coroner, Wang, was examining his son's body. His eyes were full of tears, but he did not let them fall and continued the examination.

"Deceased: Wang Youfu, male, between 6 feet 7 inches and 6 feet 8 inches tall, medium to thin build, 31 years old, no external injuries, no signs of poisoning, powder in his mouth and nose, smiling face, cause of death: stabbed from behind with a sharp blade, heart removed!"

Upon seeing this scene, Su Wen was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

However, upon seeing Su Wen enter, Coroner Wang struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with tears. He knelt tremblingly before Su Wen, his voice trembling with sobs, and said, "Magistrate Su, it is said that you are a brilliant judge of cases, incredibly skilled at solving them. This old man hopes that Magistrate Su can find the murderer for my son, bring him to justice, and give my son peace!"

Su Wen hurriedly stepped forward to help Wang the coroner up, saying, "Coroner Wang, don't worry, I will solve this case as soon as possible. Please go and rest first, leave this to me!"

After saying that, Su Wen looked at the thugs beside him and said, "Someone, take Coroner Wang to the county office to rest. Don't let Coroner Wang go home for now!"

"Yes, magistrate!"

After seeing the coroner leave, Xu Ge sighed and said, "Alas, the three great misfortunes in life are losing one's father in youth, losing one's spouse in middle age, and losing one's son in old age. This coroner Wang has experienced them all!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen glanced at Xu Ge and asked, "What do you mean?"

Xu Ge replied, "Magistrate, you don't know this, but Wang the Coroner's father was also a coroner in this county. He died of illness when Wang was seventeen. Wang's wife also died during childbirth due to bleeding. I never thought... now, our son is dead too!"

Xu Ge said, "Everyone says that Coroner Wang has been in contact with too many dead people, which has damaged his karmic virtue and led to the constant misfortunes in his family!"

Su Wendao: "So that's why they painted his door black?"

Xu Ge nodded: "The former magistrate was forced by the people to paint the gate black!"

Su Wen took a deep breath and didn't say anything more. He really felt it was not worth it. In ancient times, coroners not only had an extremely low status, but they also suffered all kinds of discrimination. But what could Su Wen do?

Even someone as brilliant as Song Ci, who wrote the world's first book on forensic medicine, still couldn't improve society's perception of coroners. Could Su Wen possibly change that?

Su Wen was at a loss for words.

Su Wen glanced at the corpse, then looked at Xu Ge and asked, "What was the relationship between the deceased Wang Youfu and his father, the coroner Wang?"

Xu Ge replied, "Their relationship is actually very good, but in the eyes of strangers, Wang Youfu doesn't treat Wang the coroner well. This is because Wang Youfu is naturally intelligent and has a photographic memory, but because his father is a coroner, he can't pass the imperial examinations. Therefore, Wang Youfu often complains about his father, Wang the coroner, and sometimes even scolds him. But this is only on the surface. In fact, Wang Youfu is very filial. He often buys wine, meat, and grain for Wang the coroner. I remember a few years ago, one day when it was snowing heavily, Wang the coroner had a fever. After curfew, Wang Youfu carried his father on his back and searched for more than a dozen pharmacies on the street before finally curing him. As a result, Wang Youfu was punished with twenty strokes of the cane for breaking the law!"

Su Wen looked at the candy and meat on the table and asked, "Has Wang Youfu had any good news lately?"

Xu Ge replied, "Wang Youfu's wife gave birth to a daughter a few days ago. She's very well-behaved and adorable. We even went to give her a gift and attended the banquet!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen could only sigh, "An elderly person burying their child, leaving behind a widow and her orphan!"

Su Wen asked, "Does Wang Youfu's wife know about this?"

Xu Ge shook his head: "We haven't told her yet. Wang Youfu's wife just gave birth a few days ago, and we're afraid it will be too much of a shock for her, so we haven't gone to tell her!"

Su Wen said, "You should have told me sooner!"

After saying that, Su Wen went to the corpse, put on gloves, and said, "Lift the deceased to the ground; I need to examine some things!"

Several thugs responded and lifted Wang Youfu up. Just as they lifted him up, a small bottle fell to the ground and rolled a few times. Su Wen quickly looked at the small bottle.

Li Xingguo, who was standing to the side, stepped forward, picked up the small bottle, and handed it to Su Wen.

Su Wen took the small bottle, and saw very small writing on it: "May the Lord keep you safe!"

Su Wen looked at Xu Ge and asked, "Xu Ge, do you recognize what this is?"

Su Wen opened the bottle and smelled it; it had no odor, just plain water. Xu Ge glanced at the bottle and said, "Magistrate, this is holy water given to believers by the Nestorian Church, said to cleanse a person of all their sins!"