Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

085: The Murder Case of the Buddha of Shazhou

Su Wen took a deep breath, glanced at Xu Ge, and said, "Xu Ge, after you finish questioning Lu Yao, go to the market and keep a close eye on him. There's something fishy about that kid!"

Xu Ge responded!

"Go to the inner hall now and make sure you see Lu Yao clearly. Don't let him know you're an official!"

Xu Ge replied, "Yes, Master!"

Before long, Qin Zhan led a man into the courtroom. Su Wen carefully examined the man in front of him named Lu Yao.

Lu Yao was only about six feet five inches tall, with dark skin, an average appearance, and was very thin. His clothes were also quite ordinary.

He glanced at Su Wen, then bowed and said, "This humble commoner greets esteemed officials!"

Su Wen glanced at the man and slowly approached him. The smell of garlic on him was very pungent. Su Wen carefully examined his hands. His fingers had turned yellowish from years of peeling garlic, and there was a moon tattoo on his wrist, which looked like a mark of a slave.

In just a moment, Su Wen automatically compared the traces left by his fingers, which were soaked in garlic, after he killed the Tibetan envoy and then stole something from his clothes, with almost identical marks!

Su Wen had already guessed that Lu Yao might be the murderer who killed the Tibetan envoy.

However, the modus operandi, motive, and what he wanted to take from the Tibetan envoy are all unknown, since the Tibetan envoy and the former governor are still in contact.

Su Wen is completely unaware of this, so even if we suspect he is the murderer, we cannot rashly convict him. Otherwise, we might alert him, because the truth behind this matter may not be so simple!

After thinking about this, Su Wen said softly, "I ask you, what is your relationship with Shen Qiushui?"

Lu Yao said, "I have no relation to Madam Shen. Madam Shen is beautiful and kind-hearted. I am a slave, sold to a horse owner who sells garlic. I help sell garlic at the market and occasionally herd cattle and sheep. We are always hungry and cold, and no one respects us. No one even wants to talk to us!"

"But Madam Shen is different. She often treats us slaves to meals and fruit, and we slaves are all very grateful to her!"

At this point, Lu Yao looked at Su Wen and said, "I wonder if Shangguan has any other questions? It's almost 9 AM, and I need to go grazing the sheep outside the city. If I'm late, I'll get whipped by my master again!"

Su Wen replied, "I'll let you leave after I've asked all the questions!"

Su Wen asked, "Where were you at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) today?"

Lu Yao said, "I've been herding livestock outside the city for the past few days. The city gates opened at dawn this morning, so I just got back!"

Su Wen seemed thoughtful, but still waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can go back now!"

Lu Yao said, "Thank you, sir!"

After Lu Yao left, Su Wen looked at Qin Zhan and said, "Commander Qin, send someone to investigate Lu Yao's background and origins, the more detailed the better!"

Qin Zhan bowed in response: "Yes!"

......

Su Wen left the government office and went with Zhang Xizhou to the warehouse where the former governor's belongings were stored.

As Su Wenshun walked, he asked, "Chief Secretary Zhang, how was the former governor killed? Is there an autopsy report?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xizhou frowned, his face filled with worry, and said, "The way the former governor died was even more bizarre than this case!"

"Oh?" Su Wen exclaimed in surprise, "That's so bizarre?"

Zhang Xizhou said, "The former governor died in an abandoned, dilapidated temple. The entire temple was planned for renovation seven days ago, so the surrounding area has been sealed off. The temple can only be entered through the main gate. Moreover, the main gate faces the most famous arts and crafts hall in the entire Shazhou, which is usually bustling with people. Next to it is a tavern, which is also a gathering place for swordsmen."

"According to inquiries, no one saw anyone enter the temple that day. Because the previous few days were the Qixi Festival, many unmarried men and women went out with their families, and the workers who were repairing the temple were also on holiday. Therefore, the temple gates were closed, and no one could enter!"

"The people who discovered the governor's body were the workers who went to repair it the day before. The coroner's examination revealed that the governor died at midnight; the wound pierced his chest, a fatal blow!"

"The murder weapon is none other than the sword held by the wrathful Vajra in the temple!"

"It was a completely secret chamber; there's no way of knowing how the governor was killed!"

Su Wen was quite shocked to hear this. In other words, it was another locked-room murder, making it two locked-room murders in total!

Su Wen asked, "Are there any clues at the scene?"

Zhang Xizhou shook his head and said, "There are absolutely no clues. The entire temple is under renovation, so it's very clean inside, and there's nothing unusual!"

Su Wen frowned and asked, "Is there really no place to enter the temple?"

Zhang Xizhou said, "That's not it. In the temple wall, there's a hole about the size of a human head. The temple workers deliberately made that hole so they could put bamboo and repair tools in from the outside. I had someone test it, and even a one- or two-year-old child couldn't crawl through it, let alone someone who could kill the former governor!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen responded, "I read in a letter that the Emperor said that in the past month, not only the governor had died in Shazhou, but also many other officials?"

Zhang Xizhou nodded: "Yes, otherwise Qin Zhan and I wouldn't be so tired. Counting them up, there have been about seven in total, plus the former governor and the Tibetan envoy, making a total of nine!"

Su Wen asked doubtfully, "Did the deceased have anything in common?"

Zhang Xizhou stopped and thought carefully for a moment, then looked at Su Wen and said, "I didn't notice it much before, but after hearing your question today, I suddenly remembered. There really is a common point: everyone died in a secret room, all in their own rooms, silently, without any clues, and without anyone seeing any trace of the murderer!"

"Furthermore, in all the places where the dead were found, there were either Buddha statues, paintings of Buddha, or temples!"

Su Wen frowned, immediately noticing something was amiss.

The entire room was filled with Buddha statues, so someone must be playing a trick. Su Wen took two steps forward, then suddenly felt a jolt of alarm and hurriedly looked at Zhang Xizhou, saying, "Oh no!"

Zhang Xizhou was also bewildered and asked, "Imperial Envoy Su, what's wrong?"

Su Wendao said, "If all nine victims died in a secret chamber, and all of them had Buddha statues or similar objects in their possession, then the murderer must have been up to something. Dunhuang Shazhou has many Buddhist disciples, and most of the merchants from the Western Regions and people from other places are Buddhists. Moreover, most of the people of our Great Tang are also Buddhists!"

Su Wen looked at Zhang Xizhou with a horrified expression and said, "If the murderer is spreading rumors now, wouldn't the entire Shazhou be thrown into chaos!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xizhou frowned deeply, a chill running down his spine. He looked at Su Wen, about to speak.

Suddenly, a constable came running in shouting, "Imperial Envoy Su, Chief Secretary Zhang, a large crowd has gathered outside, demanding that the government reveal the identity of the murderer of the people who died a few days ago. Furthermore, a rumor has suddenly spread among the people that all nine cases were murders committed in a locked room, and that there was no real murderer, but rather that Buddha was punishing those who had committed evil!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen took a deep breath, and Zhang Xizhou trembled as well!