Xiangguo Temple (3)
His voice was icy cold, as he desperately suppressed his anger. A chilling killing intent instantly spread, startling the pilgrims who had been quietly sobbing into silence.
For a moment, the front yard was deathly silent, with only the sound of the mountain wind howling.
Behind them sat thousands of gods and Buddhas in the grand hall. The golden Buddha statues stood on high platforms, their slightly lowered eyes reflecting the fear and anger of the mortals below. The slightly upturned corners of their lips, illuminated by the flickering firelight, revealed a strange kind of compassion.
Looking at Zhou Yanzhi's cold and hard expression, Song Baiyu remained calm and composed, even bowing politely to Zhou Yanzhi before asking, "What is the meaning of this, Lord Zhou?"
Zhou Yanzhi took a step closer, his gaze fixed on Song Baiyu's face, trying to discern every change in his expression. After a moment of silence, he said, slowly and deliberately, "I'll say it again, where is she?!"
When he arrived at the incense burner, he only saw Ji Feng and the guards lying on the ground. Jie Xiangsi and the used whistling arrow were nowhere to be seen. Ji Feng was unconscious, and he couldn't get any information out of him.
But Song Baiyu is different.
According to his understanding, Song Baiyu had not been to Xiangguo Temple at all during this period. Xiangguo Temple was surrounded by guards, and the security was very tight. People could only travel by the main road. If there was no secret passage, how did he appear here?
Clearly, Song Baiyu had also considered this. He gritted his teeth, his hand clenching tightly in his sleeve. The purpose of this third-party force destroying the secret room… was to incite him to fight Zhou Yanzhi!
After a moment of silence, Song Baiyu took out a whistling arrow from his sleeve and calmly explained, "If you suspect me because of this whistling arrow, I can explain that my attendant accidentally stepped on it. If you don't believe me, you can send it to the Dali Temple for comparison and examination."
Having said that, he turned around and beckoned a man forward, saying, "This man is the one who stepped on the whistling arrow."
Zhou Yanzhi stared intently at the man, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if he could peel away his skin and see into his very soul.
The silence lasted only a very short moment. He slightly turned his head, and then someone stepped forward, took the whistling arrow from Song Baiyu's hand without saying a word, and took the person away.
The movements were swift and decisive, leaving no room for doubt.
Turning his gaze back to Song Baiyu, whose eyes were no longer calm but rather slightly somber, Zhou Yanzhi slowly spoke: "Since Lord Song is so considerate and has taken the initiative to present the evidence, why not come to my Dali Temple for a while? That way, we can clear your name as soon as possible and restore your innocence."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a heavy, authoritative weight, enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
Upon hearing this, Song Baiyu's brow twitched, and a hint of barely suppressed anger finally surfaced in his eyes. He tried his best to make his voice sound calm: "Has Lord Zhou forgotten the law? Without concrete evidence, the Court of Judicial Review has no right to arbitrarily detain and interrogate officials appointed by the court!"
"Evidence?" Zhou Yanzhi took a step closer, a slight smile playing on his lips, but his eyes held no mirth. "Whether there is evidence or not, I will know after I thoroughly investigate Xiangguo Temple. Moreover, please rest assured, Lord Song, this is an 'invitation' to Dali Temple, not an 'interrogation,' and naturally, I will not send you to prison. Once I have ascertained the truth, I will personally apologize to you and personally escort you back to your residence."
Song Baiyu took a half step back. "What if I, Song, am unwilling?"
"Unwilling?"
Zhou Yanzhi chuckled softly, then suddenly took out a token from his robes and presented it directly to Song Baiyu. The black-gold token gleamed coldly amidst the incense smoke filling the courtyard, revealing the three large characters "Imperial Decree" on it!
"The Emperor's decree is here!" His tone suddenly rose, carrying an unyielding sternness: "No one is allowed to obstruct the Dali Temple's handling of cases!"
"Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
Once the emperor's decree is issued, it is as if the emperor himself has arrived.
Everyone in the courtyard, including Wu Yue and the other officials from the Dali Temple behind him, all changed their expressions drastically and knelt down in unison. In an instant, the courtyard was filled with kneeling figures.
Zhou Yanzhi lowered his eyes and glanced at Song Baiyu kneeling on the ground. His voice was icy cold, each word like it was soaked in ice: "Lord Song, I am not here to discuss this with you."
"You have to go to the Dali Temple, whether you want to or not!"
Then, without turning his head, he called out to those behind him, "Guards, 'invite' Lord Song back to the temple!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several officials immediately got up from the ground and swiftly and forcefully helped Song Baiyu and the others up. "Lord Song, please."
Song Baiyu abruptly pulled away the hands that were gripping his arms, straightened his slightly disheveled sleeves, and then looked up at Zhou Yanzhi. All pretense of friendliness vanished from his eyes, replaced by a cold gaze.
"Lord Zhou, when the snipe and the clam fight, you must keep your eyes open and investigate carefully, lest the real fisherman have the last laugh."
Zhou Yanzhi remained silent, but simply waved his hand, and Song Baiyu and the others were quickly "invited" away by the officials.
...
The mountain wind howled, carrying the acrid smell of burning from the Sutra Repository in wisps and lingers, enveloping everyone in the courtyard.
The flickering candlelight inside the hall illuminated the tear stains on the faces of the worshippers.
Zhou Yanzhi glanced at the group of worshippers huddled together, sobbing softly, and sighed silently. The burning of the Sutra Repository and the bombing of Xiangguo Temple must have truly terrified them and the surrounding people.
Looking back at Wu Yue, Zhou Yanzhi instructed, "Wu Yue, please take some people to find out what's going on with them, make a list, and if there's anything unusual, detain them first. As for the others, just... just let them go for now."
Wu Yue cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes!"
After glancing one last time at the terrified worshippers, Zhou Yanzhi turned and walked out of the courtyard, saying as he went, "The rest of the Dali Temple people, go search the mountain, don't miss a single clue."
The members of the Dali Temple: "Yes!"
suddenly.
"Pat-pat-pat—"
A Dali Temple official, covered in sweat, ran towards them. Upon seeing Zhou Yanzhi, he didn't even bother to bow and exclaimed urgently, "Reporting to Your Excellency, Guard Ji has woken up!"
...
Xiangguo Temple, the pilgrim's quarters.
The effects of the drug had not yet worn off. Ji Feng leaned weakly against the bedpost behind him, feeling a stinging pain. He frowned and looked at his right arm.
The wound had been bandaged, but it was quite bad; there were still traces of blood seeping through the white gauze.
He was wearing the same clothes he had worn moments before, covered in dust and bloodstains, and after rolling on the ground, he looked particularly disheveled.
When Zhou Yanzhi came in, he was about to get off the bed by holding onto the bedpost, but because he couldn't get any strength, he swayed uncontrollably to the side.
"Be careful!" Zhou Yanzhi stepped forward and pressed the person back onto the bed.
"Big... hiss—"
Unable to perform the proper greeting due to his injury, Ji Feng could only nod and grimace at Zhou Yanzhi while clutching his right arm: "Sir, Miss Zhou..."
When he mentioned Jie Xiangsi, Zhou Yanzhi did not speak, but his eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly for a moment.
Ji Feng's heart tightened, and a bad feeling crept into his mind. He immediately wanted to get off the bed and apologize, "I failed to protect Miss Biao. I deserve to die!"
"You should recover first." Zhou Yanzhi pressed Ji Feng, who was about to get up, back down with one hand and said with his hands behind his back, "The opponent must be quite strong to have injured you like this. Tell me what happened after I left."
"yes!"
Ji Feng quickly responded, saying, "After the master left, Miss Biao searched the Fifth Princess's courtyard again, but still found nothing. Later, Miss Biao went to the well to wash her hands... the well... yes! the well!"
Thinking of the well, Ji Feng suddenly exclaimed, "Sir, Miss Biao asked me to tell you that there is something wrong with the well at the inn!"
Is there a problem with the well?
Zhou Yanzhi's heart tightened, and he said in a deep voice, "I understand. Anything else?"
Ji Feng continued, "Just as I was about to go to find you, a group of men in black appeared out of nowhere, saying that their master wanted to invite Miss Biao. Then we started a fierce battle."
“Miss Biao tried to pull the whistling arrow away several times, but was interrupted by the leader in black. We were separated from each other without even realizing it.” Ji Feng paused and frowned. “Later… after a while, the man in black put a sleeping potion on us and we passed out. I don’t know what happened after that.”
Zhou Yanzhi nodded, "Okay, I understand. You focus on recovering, and I'll go check the scene again."
After saying that, Zhou Yanzhi turned and walked towards the door.
"etc!"
A scream suddenly came from behind.
Zhou Yanzhi paused, frowned, and turned around, looking at Ji Feng with a serious expression. "Is there anything else?"
Ji Feng hesitated for a moment before speaking hesitantly, "My lord, I don't know if I misheard, but the man in black called Miss Xiao 'Miss Xiao,' but Miss Xiao's surname is clearly 'Jie'!"
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhi said with difficulty, "...Miss Xiao?!"
Ji Feng frowned and nodded, "Miss Biao also objected, but the leader in black insisted on calling Miss Biao 'Miss Xiao'."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhi closed his eyes, then opened them again, his eyes filled with darkness. He left with the words "Take good care of yourself" before quickly leaving the room and heading towards the well.
Fallen leaves swirled and brushed against the man's face, then drifted away with the wind. His dark robes billowed up and down rapidly, the speed and amplitude revealing the turmoil in his mind.
Looking at the bloodstains still on the ground, Zhou Yanzhi's heart was in turmoil.
The only people who know his cousin's true identity are Xiao Jiangsheng and himself, but Xiao Jiangsheng would never hurt his own sister, so... who could it be?
Song Baiyu?
Could it be him?
...
Walking to the well, Zhou Yanzhi looked down and immediately saw the dark room that was not yet full of water. A faint, very light fragrance wafted from the well.
Zhou Yanzhi frowned instantly. Could it be... that the Moon Gazing Powder was hidden in the secret room?!
Could it be... that my cousin was kidnapped because she discovered this secret?!
"Men!" He quickly stood up and ordered the officials who rushed over after hearing the commotion, "Drain this well and send a few men down to search for anything."
"yes!"
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