Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

076: The Lianhua Case in Qingzhou

The next day is dawn.

As before, only some shops in Qingzhou City were open, and there were still not many people on the streets. As for the massacre last night, it seemed to be of no concern to the people of Qingzhou. After all, they had not participated in the rebellion. As the saying goes, "If it doesn't concern you, don't bother with it."

To ensure that no one would easily believe in the so-called dual-bodied Buddha statue or the Mahayana Lotus Sect, Su Wen directly posted notices in Qingzhou Prefecture, stating clearly: The Mahayana Lotus Sect is a heretical sect, please do not join!

Su Wen looked at Xu Ge and said, "Xu Ge, dress up today and go to the ghost market and pharmacies to inquire if there are any drugs that can control people!"

Xu Ge responded and then turned and left.

Last night, Su Wen was thinking about clues, but he forgot the most important thing in solving a case: commonalities.

The victims were all women, and they did not know each other. So how did the murderer know them?

Then Su Wen thought of something: the deceased had all worn light makeup before their deaths, and each had a lotus flower between their eyebrows. Judging from how exquisite the lotus flowers were, they must have been made by the same person. In other words, it must have been a place like a rouge shop or a sashimi shop.

Since Su Wen went alone, he naturally couldn't find out any information, so he called Cheng Nianci along.

"I wonder why you summoned me instead of investigating the case, Shaoqing?"

Su Wen bowed and said, "Yesterday, Miss Cheng saved my life. How could I not repay such a great kindness? Today, I would like to invite Miss Cheng to choose some rouge or sashimi as a token of my gratitude!"

Cheng Nianci rolled her eyes at Su Wen and said, "Why should I, a ghostwriter wandering the martial arts world, dress up so flamboyantly!"

This retort left Su Wen speechless for a moment. Just as Cheng Nianci turned to leave, she suddenly stopped, turned back, and looked at Su Wen, saying, "Hey, wait a minute, I suddenly remembered, floral appliqués are all the rage in the Tang Dynasty lately. I've seen them; they're very exquisite. How about you ask me to embellish one for you?"

Su Wen asked in confusion, "What's a floral appliqué?"

Cheng Nianci smiled and said, "Let's go, you'll see for yourself!"

After saying that, Cheng Nianci led Su Wen out of the county government office and headed straight for the largest flower and hairpin shop in Qingzhou City.

Before long, Su Wen and Cheng Nianci arrived at a two-story shop in Qingzhou City. Qingzhou City had been deserted for some time, but this flower shop was an exception, with many women walking out of it with joy on their faces.

Su Wen and Cheng Nianci entered. A waiter in his twenties immediately ran over, bowing and scraping, and said, "Gentlemen, please come in. Is there anything you need?"

This was the first time Su Wen had ever seen a shop like this, so he was naturally curious and looked around, glancing here and there.

Cheng Nianci said softly, "I'd like to order some floral decorations. What are you good at making?"

Seeing this, the shop assistant immediately led Cheng Nianci away, saying, "We have some styles in our shop; young lady, please come with me and choose one!"

Cheng Nianci nodded, then glanced at Su Wen and said, "This way!"

Su Wen quickly responded and followed closely behind.

Arriving at a wall, Su Wen was struck by the hundreds of portraits densely covered with each one, each one remarkably lifelike.

The waiter said, "Young lady, please feel free to choose. Once you've made your selection, just call me and I'll arrange for someone to décor it for you!"

Cheng Nianci nodded in agreement, then stepped forward to examine the painting, exclaiming, "Wow, this painter is truly amazing! He has painted the woman and her floral decorations so lifelike, it's so beautiful!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen almost instantly realized something.

Yes, so how did the sergeant select the women?

Almost instantly, Su Wen hurriedly began searching the entire portrait wall. Su Wen's greatest strength was his photographic memory. This wasn't really a superpower, at least compared to his teacher, and even many forensic doctors who were born with photographic memories, especially for faces.

At a glance, Su Wen recognized that there were more than a dozen portraits on the portrait wall in which the women looked very similar to the deceased, almost identical.

Su Wen then looked at Cheng Nianci and said, "Madam Cheng Nianci, I need your help!"

Cheng Nianci looked puzzled, while Su Wen called out, "Hey, come here!"

A shop assistant rushed over, and Su Wen looked at him and said, "Which of your florists is the best? I want her to order something for my sworn sister!"

The shop assistant smiled and said, "Sir, the best craftsman in our shop is my master. However, he went to the next county early this morning to discuss matters with other shopkeepers. But please rest assured, all of us florists learned from our master and are only allowed to do florists with his permission. So please rest assured, if the florists don't do a good job, we won't charge you a single penny!"

Su Wen feigned a smile, then probed indirectly, "Aren't your shops only found in Qingzhou?"

The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "Of course not! Throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, with over 300 prefectures and 1,500 counties, we have hairpin shops in at least 70 prefectures and 400 counties!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was utterly shocked, but he chuckled and said, "Your master is really rich!"

The waiter, beaming with pride, said, "Of course!"

Su Wen said, "Alright, enough of that. Let's quickly take my sworn sister to decorate!"

After saying that, the waiter turned around and said, "Alright, I'll go clean the room. Please wait a moment, gentlemen!"

Cheng Nianci looked at Su Wen with a puzzled expression and asked, "Su Shaoqing, when did I become your sworn sister?"

Su Wen smiled but didn't say anything. He just gave Cheng Nianci a look, and Cheng Nianci, being a smart woman, understood immediately!

A moment later, the shop assistant led Cheng Nianci to a small, private room. Su Wen stood to one side, while a florist rose and bowed to Su Wen, saying, "Please sit down. May I ask what this lady would like to decorate, and where?"

Before Cheng Nianci could speak, Su Wen interjected, "Let's place a lotus flower between the eyebrows!"

The florist replied, "Alright, madam, please lie down in the chair, I'll begin!"

The florist picked up a very fine brush and first drew a lotus flower on Cheng Nianci's forehead, a process that took a full quarter of an hour.

As soon as Su Wen looked at the finished painting, he began to compare it with the lotus flower on the deceased's forehead, and indeed it was almost identical!

Su Wen laughed and said, "My lord, your craftsmanship is truly superb! The painting is so lifelike. I wonder if you are the only one who can paint so exquisitely, or if all florists are this skilled?"

The florist smiled slightly and replied, "We all learned our skills from the shop owner; they taught us everything, so naturally everyone's work is quite exquisite. But compared to the shop owner, it's still far inferior!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen seemed to be deep in thought.

Yi Tian's ultimate goal was naturally to rebel. Since he wanted to rebel, he needed money, and flower shops were the source of funds. Considering that there were flower shops in a small part of the Tang Dynasty, it meant that they had probably been planning for a long time.