Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

066: The Lianhua Case in Qingzhou

Of course, this case and that murderer should be quite similar, but it is obvious that this person is not just a simple murderer who becomes a bodhisattva, but is performing some kind of ritual that Su Wen is unaware of!

Because the murderer placed all the victims by the water, which in Buddhism represents cleansing sins and guidance, it is clear that the murderer's motives were not purely murder, but rather a ritual.

Therefore, the murderer did not want the victim to die innocently, so he placed the body by the river so that the river could guide the victim's soul across the Bridge of Helplessness.

At this point, Su Wen looked at Xu Ge and said, "But these are just my guesses, though probably true. It's a pity the killer cleaned so thoroughly that there are no clues!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ge suddenly realized and said, "Xia Wenyu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, probably also thought of this possibility, so he began to arrest monks, Taoists, and scalpels in large numbers..."

Su Wen responded, "Yes, but this is clearly a very foolish thing to do. If you arrest him, even if the other party already knew, they certainly wouldn't have told him!"

Xu Ge responded, and Su Wen said, "What we need to do is two things. Tomorrow at dawn, go to various temples and inquire whether there are any newly built temples in Qingzhou City recently, or any wandering monks who are Buddhist but different from Buddhism!"

Xu Ge was confused by Su Wen's words, but he didn't ask any further questions.

As for Su Wen, he wanted to go find the ghostwriter to inquire about it.

These ghostwriters make a living by capturing wanted criminals of the imperial court, so they all have their own channels to get inside information. Therefore, Su Wen wanted to go and investigate these ghostwriters to see if they could find any new clues.

No sleep for one night.

The next day, at dawn!

Many people opened their doors and came out onto the street, only to find that the patrolling soldiers were no longer there, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

When Su Wen learned of this situation at the county government office, he decided to add fuel to the fire by ordering people to beat drums and gongs and shout that the execution would take place at the East Market at noon.

In fact, allowing the common people to watch executions has a long history. Firstly, it can deter those who intend to commit crimes; secondly, it can promote the fairness of the government and the power of the emperor; and thirdly, it can humiliate those who commit crimes.

As the Vice Minister of the Prison and the Acting Governor of Qingzhou, Su Wen naturally had to be present at the scene to personally supervise the execution!

That's why Xu Ge was sent alone to various temples to inquire.

Su Wen sat in the chair, waiting quietly. Within a fifty-meter radius, many constables stood, blocking the onlookers. On one side, four people were being held captive, their hands tied behind their backs and shackled. The shackles on their feet were made of iron and were very heavy; Su Wen had tried them once before.

This thing weighs at least several tens of kilograms. Once you put it on, it makes walking very difficult; you can only move little by little on the ground.

This was the first time Su Wen had ever seen such extremely cruel punishments as waist-cutting, beheading, and dismemberment. Su Wen kept drinking water repeatedly, feeling extremely nervous, even more so than the prisoners on the side!

At first, only a few dozen people came out to watch, but as noon approached, the number of people gradually increased, to the point that the area was completely surrounded.

As more and more people gathered, Su Wen took a sip of water, then stood up and shouted, "Fellow villagers, I am Su Wen, personally appointed by the Emperor, acting governor of Qingzhou, vice minister of the Ministry of Justice's Department of Criminal Justice, former magistrate of Luoyang County, chief minister of the Department of Criminal Justice, county lieutenant of Jiaoshui County, and professor of criminal justice!"

"Why is this title so long?" someone commented.

"A long title shows that they got there through their own abilities, not because of their family connections!"

"Deputy Director of the Prison Department of the Ministry of Justice, is this a newly created official position? I don't recall having a Prison Department position in the Ministry of Justice."

"That's even more impressive; it would be enough for a saint to create a separate department just for him!"

"Yes, then this Su Shaoqing really does have some skills!"

"Nonsense! My cousin is a captain. I heard he only arrived in Qingzhou around noon yesterday, and last night he posted notices saying that a conscript disguised as a murderer had been found to have raped and murdered four girls, and the verdict was handed down today!"

"So fast?"

"Yes, shouldn't the verdict be based on the verification by the Court of Judicial Review before a judgment can be made?"

"I've heard that as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice's Criminal Justice Department, his position is equivalent to that of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Therefore, he doesn't need to go through the Court of Judicial Review for questioning and can supervise cases nationwide and make judgments independently!"

"Oh, such great power?"

"This person must be very capable; they're definitely not a good-for-nothing!"

"Isn't that obvious? If you weren't impressive, you could find out someone was trying to pass off inferior goods in just one day?"

"I heard he also uncovered clues about the real culprit in the Lotus Case!"

"Really? That former Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review investigated for almost a month and found nothing. He caused quite a stir in the city, and I heard he randomly arrested nearly a hundred people and threw them into prison!"

As the crowd discussed the matter, Su Wen spoke up: "Fellow villagers, the reason we have gathered here today is to witness the execution of these four men, who have committed heinous crimes, deceiving the innocent by falsely accusing others of raping and murdering four women. Today, we will put them to trial!"

"Furthermore, regarding the true culprit behind the Lotus Case, I have uncovered some clues. I hereby assure you all that I will solve this case within ten days, restoring peace to everyone!"

"As for those innocent people who were previously detained, I will release them after questioning them. Regarding the matter of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review ordering troops to patrol the city, I have ordered all troops to withdraw from Qingzhou City and return to their respective camps. Please rest assured, you can begin your normal lives today!"

After Su Wen finished speaking, he checked the time, turned around and returned to his desk, saying, "It's noon. Bring Sun Si up here and have him cut in half at the waist!"

After saying this, the two constables led Sun Si to a guillotine. The guillotine was about two meters tall and was suspended by a rope, somewhat resembling a Western guillotine.

The constables pinned Sun Si to the ground, with one man holding his hands and the other his feet.

Although Su Wen was a forensic doctor, he was still a little nervous and scared when he saw a living person about to be executed for the first time. He even felt a little terrified. But for some reason, he also felt a little excited.

Su Wen picked up the token from the table and threw it downwards, shouting, "Execute!"

An enforcer cut the rope with a broken knife; the rope snapped instantly, and the guillotine fell immediately.

"Click"

With a loud bang, blood splattered everywhere. Sun Si was in so much pain that he couldn't even scream. His upper body began to struggle violently, while the constable held him down tightly. It wasn't until a while later that Sun Si finally died.

Su Wen hadn't expected that being cut in half at the waist would be so cruel. A person who is cut in half at the waist will not die immediately, but will take several minutes to die. Sun Si must know very well the pain during this process. His real death was due to excessive blood loss!

The two men were beheaded while kneeling on the ground. The two executioners raised their blades and brought their heads to the ground, so their deaths were not so painful.

The subsequent dismemberment by cart sent chills down Su Wen's spine.