Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

055: Steamed Bun Shop

Before long, Xu Ge and several thugs brought the madam to the county government.

Upon entering the county government office and seeing Su Wen, he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, saying, "Sir, I haven't done anything wrong, why did you bring me to the county government office?"

Su Wen glanced at the madam and asked, "Madam, where does this 'Little Yue'er' you mentioned live?"

The madam replied, "I live in the neighboring Yun'an County!"

"Little Yue'er hasn't returned for three days. Have you sent anyone to inquire about her whereabouts?"

The madam said, "We didn't send anyone to gather information!"

Su Wen frowned and said, "I didn't send anyone to investigate. How did you know Xiaoyue'er was missing?"

Faced with Su Wen's questioning, the madam was speechless for a moment. Su Wen frowned and shouted angrily, "Not a single word of truth is out of your mouth! Guards, give her the severe torture!"

Upon hearing this, several thugs grabbed sticks and prepared to attack. The madam, terrified, immediately kowtowed and hurriedly said, "Actually, I know she was kidnapped when she went back to visit her family. The other party gave me two silver ingots, saying it was for her ransom, and told me not to report it to the authorities. They also said they would send someone to buy out her mother!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen squatted down and glanced at the madam, whose face was filled with fear.

Su Wen continued, "Is Xiaoyue'er a slave?"

The madam didn't dare to look up, and shook her head, saying, "No!"

Su Wendao said, "They are not slaves, so why do you dare to buy and sell them? Is your Wangyue Tower a place of forced buying and selling?"

Upon hearing this, the madam was immediately terrified and stammered, "No, no, no... no one at Wangyue Tower forces anyone to buy or sell. Most of them are from poor families who can't survive, so they come to Wangyue Tower to sell themselves or their art to earn a living!"

"So what's the situation with this Xiaoyue'er? Is she selling herself? Or her art?"

The madam lowered her head and whispered, "She's always been a performer, but she also sold herself twice. I remember it was because her mother was seriously ill and she had no money, so she chose to sell herself. She only did it twice, and hasn't done it since!"

"Then she's not a slave. You... knowing Xiaoyue'er isn't a slave, yet you dared to accept this so-called ransom? You're incredibly audacious!" Su Wen stood up and glanced at the madam, saying, "Do you know who that person is?"

The madam said, "I don't know. He came at night, and after saying what he saw outside the window, he threw the money at me and left!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen pressed further, "Does Little Yue'er have any enemies?"

The madam shook her head and said, "Xiao Yue'er is from a poor family. She always keeps her head down and works quietly, hardly ever speaking, so how could she offend anyone or have any enemies!"

Su Wen sneered, "Little Yue'er is dead, did you know that?"

Upon hearing this, the madam's eyes widened in shock. Su Wen continued, "Because you knew that the other party was going to kidnap Xiaoyue'er, but you did not report it to the authorities, which led to Xiaoyue'er's death, you are also primarily responsible. According to the Tang Dynasty law, those who traffic women should be sentenced to hanging. After the murderer is caught in this case, it will be reported to the Dali Temple, and the Dali Temple will determine your crime."

Su Wen raised his voice and shouted, "Guards, throw him into the death row!"

"yes!"

Just as the two thugs were about to drag the madam away, Su Wen suddenly frowned, remembering something, and said, "She sold herself twice? Who were those two women with? Do you remember?"

The madam was completely terrified and dared not hide anything, replying, "I remember, one was Mo Chuan, a merchant from Yun'an County who sold silks and satins, and the other was Han Xuan, a doctor from this county!"

Su Wen pondered for a moment, then looked at Xu Ge and said, "Xu Ge, come with me to see Han Xuan!"

Xu Ge responded.

Before long, the two arrived at the clinic run by Han Xuan on the street. Su Wen entered the clinic and saw a refined young man, about twenty-two or twenty-three years old.

Before Su Wen could speak after entering the clinic, Xu Ge asked directly, "Is Han Xuan here?"

The young man stood up, glanced at the two men, and then bowed, saying, "I am Han Xuan. May I ask what brings you two here?"

Su Wen remained silent, but Xu Ge, seeing this, spoke directly: "We are government officials. We'd like to ask where you've been these past few days?"

Han Xuan said, "I've been at the clinic these past few days!"

"Are there any witnesses?"

Han Xuan said, "The neighbors can all testify. I wonder what you two are talking about? Could it be that I have done something wrong? Although I am a doctor, I am a scholar, a weak and frail one. I am well-versed in the laws of the Tang Dynasty and have never dared to violate them, except... I often go to Wangyue Tower... But I have no official rank, so I have not violated the laws of the Tang Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen did not hesitate and immediately walked away.

Upon seeing this, Xu Ge immediately followed Su Wen and chased after him.

Xu Ge said, "Master, why are we leaving? You haven't asked yet!"

Su Wen said, "No need to ask, he's the murderer!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ge's eyes widened, and he asked, "Then...why not arrest him?"

Su Wendao said, "Many times, the difficulty isn't in solving the case, but in obtaining evidence. In many cases, we clearly know who the murderer is, but to catch the murderer, we need evidence. You can't just force a confession out of someone, can you?"

Xu Ge asked, "Oh, Master, how did you know he was the murderer?"

Su Wendao said, "First, the victim's skin was peeled off using mercury. He was a doctor, so naturally he had access to mercury and knew the method! Second, the victim was cut into hundreds of pieces, which must have required considerable skill with a knife. He was a doctor, and I just noticed a bag of knives for treating injuries on his medicine cabinet! Third, he was too calm and answered fluently, without any hesitation, as if he had planned it in advance. Fourth, I just carefully observed the clinic. Although it's located in a bustling area, it's at the very back. Normally, only patients come here; other people don't pass by. Also, going through the boxes next to it leads directly to an abandoned house, indicating ample time to commit the crime!"

Su Wen then looked at Xu Ge and asked, "Also, what do you think a normal person would do if they saw government officials coming to their door?"

Xu Ge suddenly realized and said, "I'll be scared, I might even be very nervous!"

Su Wen smiled and said, "That's right, and you remember when we were in the abandoned courtyard, I had the thugs register the names of everyone present!"

Xu Ge replied, "I remember!"

Su Wen took the record book out of his pocket and handed it to Xu Ge, saying, "Take a look and see whose names are on it!"

Xu Ge quickly took it out and examined it carefully. Sure enough, she found Han Xuan's name in the record.

Xu Ge asked, "Why is that, Master?"

Su Wendao said, "Most murderers return to the crime scene to investigate and gather information, especially when the authorities begin investigating. They start thinking repeatedly about their strategies, which includes answering the authorities' questions, so..."

Xu Ge interjected, "That's why he was so calm just now, and immediately gave his answer without any hesitation or thought!"

Su Wen smiled and said, "Smart!"

Xu Ge asked, "So what should we do now?"

Su Wendao said, "Find evidence, a motive for the murder, or some clues that can identify him. Only then will he obediently confess!"

Xu Ge said, "Then how do we find it? The body was dumped at dawn, and there's no one around at that time!"

Su Wen didn't speak, but just looked at Xu Ge. Xu Ge thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Su Wen and said, "Master, we can start by investigating the people around Han Xuan. Let's find out if there were any conflicts or emotional entanglements between him and the deceased!"

Su Wen nodded.