Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

072: The Lianhua Case in Qingzhou

"Hmph!" Du Yu sneered, "I thought you would be like that Xia Wenyu, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who misled him even slightly, and he immediately started to act arbitrarily. But you actually did the opposite. No wonder you were able to keep getting promoted despite being an exception, rising from a lowly coroner to the acting governor of Qingzhou in just over a year. They even created a new position specifically for you. You're truly impressive!"

Su Wen raised his voice and demanded, "And you? Why have you rebelled against my Great Tang?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yu first smiled disdainfully, then looked at Su Wen seriously and said, "I'm not like you, so clever and resourceful. I'm just a military general. Military generals rely on battle merits. Do you know what my battle merits are?"

Du Yu suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "I... participated in bandit suppression, fought against the Uyghurs, took the lead in the assault, and captured the flag. In the war, I personally beheaded fifty people. Even so, I still haven't been given important responsibilities, and I haven't even been promoted to the rank of Zhechong Duwei. I can only be a small captain in Qingzhou Prefecture. I'm not satisfied! Why is it that those scions of noble families, who know nothing, come here as deputy commanders and go back to become deputy captains?"

"We brothers have all fought our way up, risking our lives on the edge of a knife. Is it fair that just because we're not from a powerful family or a prestigious clan, we're treated this way?"

Du Yu grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his grip on his long-handled sword tightening. Suddenly, he abruptly changed the subject, donned his helmet, and roared, "Su Wen, as the Junior Warden of the Prison, you have condoned the murder of dozens of innocent people by your subordinates. Today, I will execute you on the spot!"

After saying that, Du Yu spurred his horse and shouted, "Giddy up!"

The warhorse neighed and galloped over. Su Wen had never seen anything like this before. His mind went completely blank. He had no idea what to do, and he even forgot how to run!

Just as Du Yu was three or four meters away from Su Wen, a figure suddenly jumped down from the roof and crashed down on him like Mount Tai.

Upon seeing this, Du Yu quickly pulled on the reins and raised his longsword to block. With just one strike, Du Yu's tiger's mouth was torn open, and his arm trembled slightly.

Suddenly, the man delivered a powerful kick to Du Yu's chest, sending him flying off his horse and crashing heavily to the ground.

"Young Master Su, do not be afraid, I have been waiting here for a long time!"

Su Wen finally came to his senses and looked at the person standing in front of him.

Seeing that Su Wen didn't recognize him at all, he asked, "Hero, who are you?"

This man held a shiny silver iron spear, wore a long black robe, was nearly seven feet five inches tall, broad-shouldered and burly.

Without turning his head, he said, "I am Cui Changfeng, a member of the Right Thousand Ox Guard under the tutelage of the former Emperor Zhongzong, from a branch of the Cui clan of Boling!"

Cui Changfeng turned and glanced at Su Wendao, saying, "Right now, I'm just an insignificant ghostwriter!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen recalled one of the people he had questioned in prison.

Su Wendao asked, "Why is Hero Cui here?"

Cui Changfeng said, "Before the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple came, this place was always the territory of the 'knife-hunting men.' This building isn't a temple, but rather our meeting place. Sometimes we 'knife-hunting men' would exchange information and share it to catch more wanted criminals and get the reward money. I never expected that after we were caught, this temple would start worshipping these obscene Buddha statues!"

Thinking about this, Su Wen finally understood why Xia Wenyu wanted to capture the knife-wielder. It turned out that he had also found out about the Twin Buddha statue. Unfortunately, he was probably misled by Xu Ran and Du Yu!

Du Yu struggled to his feet, took a deep breath, and said, "So what if he's the General of the Thousand Bull Guards? Brothers, kill him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers shouted in unison, then formed a military formation and began to march forward.

Seeing this, Cui Changfeng had no choice but to retreat. After all, once the army was in formation, it was impossible to launch a frontal assault. The enemy was not just ordinary soldiers, but fully armored elite troops.

It is simply a pipe dream for one person to defeat an elite army.

Cui Changfeng turned and glanced at Su Wendao, saying, "Entering the hall, the entrance is narrow; one man can hold it off against ten thousand!"

Su Wen turned and ran into the temple. At that moment, Cui Changfeng stood at the door, holding a long spear.

Su Wenze shouted loudly, "Soldiers, this case has nothing to do with you. I believe you all followed the captain's orders. If you can turn back in time, I will petition the court to exempt you from punishment. If you continue to act recklessly, you will be branded as traitors and your entire families will be exterminated. How will you face your ancestors then!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers hesitated for a moment. They had not committed any crimes and were simply following orders. If this failed, it would truly be considered treason.

You must know that Su Wen was the acting governor of Qingzhou and the vice minister of prison. To murder a high-ranking official of the fourth rank in the imperial court was treason!

Just as the morale of the army was wavering, Xu Ran shouted loudly, "Gentlemen, do not believe this traitor's deception! When the great cause is accomplished, you will all be the greatest contributors, and in the future, you will be ennobled as marquises!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen immediately understood that the other party indeed wanted to rebel, but why would they kill so many women if they wanted to rebel?

However, before Su Wen could think further, several soldiers steeled themselves and charged towards Cui Zifeng with a loud shout.

Seeing this, Cui Zifeng didn't hesitate. He swept his spear, forcing several men back, then did a sideways somersault in mid-air, pressed down on the spear, rolled forward, and forcefully shoved it, knocking several men to the ground. He quickly got up, looked at the soldiers, and shouted, "If you dare take another step forward, kill you without hesitation!"

Seeing this, the soldiers hesitated. Xu Ran, seeing this, was furious but helpless, and could only look at Du Yu and say, "Kill him!"

Upon hearing this, Du Yu kicked the Mo Dao standing on the ground and rushed forward in a flash. The Mo Dao relied on its power and domineering nature.

Du Yu lunged forward, but Cui Zifeng dodged to the side. Du Yu swept his spear with tremendous force, but Cui Zifeng blocked it with his gun!

Then push it away with force.

The two sides took their positions, and the nearby soldiers all stepped aside, not daring to step forward. In fact, at this moment, all the soldiers were just watching.

After all, who among the elite soldiers, clad in full armor, would be truly foolish? Their actions now amount to rebellion, given that there is a high-ranking official of the fourth rank in the imperial court inside, and Cui Zifeng, a former commander of the Imperial Guard, is standing at the door.

Even the dumbest person would know to wait. If it were Du Yusheng, then they should rush in and kill Su Shaoqing. This could then be disguised as Su Shaoqing being killed by the accomplice while investigating a case, and that they would kill the accomplice and quell the unrest.

If Du Yu loses, then he should lay down his weapons and surrender. After all, Su Shaoqing has guaranteed to exempt them from punishment, so it seems like a good deal no matter how you look at it.

Therefore, none of the soldiers continued to advance, but instead kept their distance, allowing the two to fight one-on-one head-on.

Cui Zifeng wielded a bright silver iron spear weighing twelve catties and six ounces. He was a Right General of the Thousand Ox Guard under the former Emperor Zhongzong, and belonged to the emperor's personal guard. All of them were elites among elites!

Du Yu wields a Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), weighing 22.7 jin (approximately 16.8 kg). He is the squad leader, but he has previously participated in wars against the Tang Dynasty and the Uyghurs, earning the military merits of being the first to scale the walls and capture the flag. He has also been awarded the title of "fifty-man kill," making him an elite among elites. His strength should not be underestimated!

The two sides are now facing off in a battle that can be described as elites against elites, and fierce generals against guards!