Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

081: The Buddha Murder Case in Shazhou

That afternoon, Su Wen and Xu Ge left Qingzhou at full speed, and Su Wen truly experienced the 800-li express delivery.

Su Wen wanted to give Yi Tian an information advantage, so he sped up the process.

Good heavens, this was practically an extreme form of torture, because the journey was so long that Su Wen's butt was practically worn out from sitting so long.

Along the way, they changed horses and set off immediately, not daring to stop for even a moment. They even traveled through the night several times, and it still took them a full eight or nine days to arrive.

The entire journey was nearly four thousand miles. Good heavens, by the time Su Wen reached the sandbar, he was so exhausted that he couldn't even walk and needed Xu Ge's help.

Sometimes you really have to admire the ancients. You know, only the rich could ride horses. Ordinary people couldn't afford to buy horses and could only walk.

Those titanium alloy legs are really something!

Along the way, while at the post station, Su Wen also received two urgent documents sent back to Qingzhou by the Emperor.

In one of the letters, the emperor was practically cursing. Su Wen had seen a notice on the way, announcing the closure of flower shops and the execution of anyone with even the slightest problem. This was even more terrifying than Su Wen had imagined.

Furthermore, I heard on the way that in the most severely affected prefecture, the governor ordered all members of the flower shop to be cut in half at the waist. Moreover, notices are now posted all over the Tang Dynasty, forbidding anyone from participating in the Mahayana Lotus Sect. In fact, various prefectures and counties have begun to strictly investigate all temples, and anyone found to be in trouble will be killed on the spot.

In addition, the sage issued a complete ban on Diyejia. Anyone, including those from the Ghost Market, who buys or brings Diyejia into the Tang Dynasty will be caught, cut in half at the waist, and have their entire family exterminated!

When Su Wen first heard the news, he felt a sense of fear.

This is Li Longji. It's fortunate that this is Li Longji during the Kaiyuan era. If it were Li Longji during the Tianbao era, I really don't know how crazy he would have been to do this!

Upon arriving at Shazhou, Su Wen went straight to the governor's mansion, intending to rest for a day before beginning his investigation into the governor's murder.

Having just finished showering and returned to his room, before he could even lie down, he heard a servant announce from outside the door: "Imperial Envoy Su, your superiors, the Commander and the Chief Secretary, heard of your arrival and immediately came to request an audience!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen wanted to curse inwardly, while Xu Ge was already fast asleep in her room.

Su Wen got up, put on his clothes and shoes, took a few deep breaths, then walked to the door, opened it, and said, "Lead the way!"

Upon arriving at the main hall, Su Wen saw Sima and the Chief Secretary. Sima was nearly seven feet tall, about forty years old, and had an upright appearance, looking like an honest official.

As for why he was an honest official? Because he was poor. His official robes were comparable to Su Wen's clothes, and it was obvious that he hadn't changed them for many years!

The chief clerk was slightly overweight, over seven feet tall, and looked somewhat like Yue Yunpeng from later generations, exuding a comedic charm, with a small mustache on his chin.

Su Wen bowed to the two men and said, "Su Wen greets Sima and Chief Clerk!"

Upon seeing this, the two hurriedly returned the greeting: "Your humble servants dare not accept such praise. We have also heard of Imperial Envoy Su Wen's reputation, and meeting him today, he truly is an outstanding individual. At only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, he has been promoted one after another; he is truly a prodigy!"

Su Wen smiled and said, "May I ask your esteemed surnames? I am new to this place and will need your help in the future!"

The two men quickly returned the greeting and introduced themselves: "I am Qin Zhan, and this is Chief Administrator Zhang of Xizhou!"

Su Wen smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "I wonder if Commander Qin and Chief Clerk Zhang have come to tell me something important? To be honest, I've traveled a long way and am quite tired. I'd like to rest early and begin investigating the murder of the former governor tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhan and Zhang Xizhou immediately replied with smiles, "Please don't be offended, Imperial Envoy Su. We had completely forgotten about this. Imperial Envoy Su has traveled thousands of miles from Qingzhou all the way here. It's all our fault for forgetting. We were originally planning to hold a banquet to welcome you and celebrate your journey!"

"Yes, we almost forgot. Imperial Envoy Su has had a very arduous journey. We are truly sorry. Please rest, Imperial Envoy Su. We will host a welcome dinner for you tomorrow evening!"

"It's alright, it's really troublesome for Commander Qin and Chief Clerk Zhang, I'm so sorry!" Su Wen said, his eyes were almost closed, he was so sleepy.

After the two men bowed to Su Wen, they turned and left. Su Wen then went back to his room to prepare for bed.

......

The next day, early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Then came a knocking sound on the door.

Su Wen woke up from his sleep and called out, "What is it?"

"Imperial Envoy Su, the Tibetan envoy was killed last night, and the Sima and Chief Secretary are waiting in the hall!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen frowned, instantly losing all sleepiness, and asked, "What Tibetan envoy?"

"A few days ago, the Tibetans brought gifts, intending to present them to the governor. Unfortunately, the previous governor was killed, so the Tibetan envoys could only stay in Shazhou, waiting for the new governor to arrive so they could deliver the gifts. They originally planned to present the gifts to you today, but he was killed last night at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). The judicial officer of the governor's office has already gone to investigate the crime scene. The Sima and the chief clerk ordered me to come and inform you!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen disregarded everything else and hurriedly got up. After a quick wash, he pushed open the door while dressing and said, "Come on, take me to see!"

The constable responded, and Su Wen said as he walked, "Go wake Xu Ge up; that brat sleeps even longer than me!"

The constable responded and then parted ways with Su Wen.

Su Wenze arrived at the main hall and met Qin Zhan, the military commander, and Zhang Xizhou, the chief administrator. The two hurriedly bowed to Su Wenze and said, "Imperial Envoy Su, we are truly sorry. However, this matter happened suddenly and is of great importance, so we had to inform you. If we have disturbed your peaceful slumber, please forgive us!"

Su Wen waved his hand and said, "My lords, there's no need for such formalities. I'm not good at politeness. Take me to the crime scene!"

Qin Zhan and Zhang Xizhou exchanged a glance, then bowed and said, "Alright!"

Shazhou differs slightly from other places in the Tang Dynasty, as it is divided into an inner city and an outer city.

The inner city was inhabited entirely by citizens of the Tang Dynasty, while the outer city was more mixed, with a large number of people from other countries living there, and even many merchants from the Western Regions conducting trade there.

This also made Shazhou extremely prosperous during the Tang Dynasty, especially its commerce.

The two led Su Wen to the outer city of Shazhou. Although there were walls surrounding the inner and outer city, no one was guarding the city gates or closing them, because there was no curfew in Shazhou.

The main reason was the booming commerce, and the fact that it got dark very late at night on the sandbar, around 9 PM.

Moreover, there are too many foreign merchants, taverns, brothels, teahouses, and shops. Therefore, Shazhou is an exception and basically has no tradition of curfew.

Su Wen arrived at a restaurant in the outer city. This restaurant was very luxurious, comparable to the Qingyi Restaurant that Su Wen had seen before. It should be considered a five-star restaurant!

At this time, there were many constables guarding and blocking the area, while a number of foreign merchants and some people who had gotten up early to watch the excitement gathered at the gate.