Chapter 178 Something Happened (Part 1)
It took about an hour to get back to the capital from Zhuangzi. The two set out at noon. When they were about to reach the capital, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Zhuang Wan was dozing with her eyes closed when she suddenly fell forward and jumped in fright. Fortunately, Pei Xingju was quick to catch her arm.
"What's going on?" Pei Xingju frowned and asked outside.
The driver replied, "Please forgive me, sir. A child just ran in front of the chariot, and I quickly reined in my horse."
Hearing the commotion outside, Pei Xingju lifted the curtain of his carriage. He saw a crowd of people rushing in one direction, with someone shouting, "Someone's dead in Guangji Temple! Someone's dead in Guangji Temple!"
"Lü Huai, go take a look."
"Yes." Guard Lu took the order and left.
Not long after, he returned: "Sir, it is said that a Buddha statue at Guangji Temple collapsed and killed a mother and daughter. Moreover, the statue that fell was the golden statue of Buddha donated by the Empress Dowager three years ago. The incident has caused quite a stir, and even the Jingzhao Yin has been alarmed."
After pondering for a moment, Pei Xingju ordered, "Turn and go to Guangji Temple."
.
Guangji Temple is a large temple outside the capital. It has been well preserved through several dynasties. In the previous dynasty, a famous monk came from afar to preach Buddhism, making Guangji Temple famous far and wide.
After the founding of the current dynasty, the previous emperor commissioned renovations and expansions, making Guangji Temple even more magnificent. Later, the Empress Dowager would visit Guangji Temple every year on the Buddha's Bathing Festival to eat vegetarian food and worship Buddha, making it a royal temple for a time. The noble ladies of the capital followed the Empress Dowager's passion and made worshipping Buddha a fashionable practice. Whenever the weather was good, the ladies of high rank and noble families would gather to visit.
Three years ago, the Empress Dowager had a gilded Buddha statue cast for Guangji Temple, making it a popular destination in the capital. Commoners, having never seen a golden Buddha statue before, traveled thousands of miles to admire it. Guangji Temple was bustling with people almost daily, with hundreds and thousands of people coming and going.
The snow stopped today, and it is the second day of the Chinese New Year, the day for offering sacrifices to Buddha and ancestors. Many people spontaneously brought fruits, incense and money to Guangji Temple to worship, but unexpectedly the Buddha statue in the Bodhidharma Hall collapsed and crushed a mother and daughter to death.
According to eyewitnesses, the mother and daughter arrived early in the morning to wait. When it was their turn to burn incense and offer sacrifices, the woman muttered a lot, primarily about her husband being bedridden and her infant child crying for food. She had brought her daughter to pray for the Bodhisattva to bless the family with a prosperous New Year. Unexpectedly, the Bodhisattva's blessing failed, and both mother and daughter died. The bedridden man suffered the loss of his wife and daughter, and the child also suffered the loss of his mother at such a young age.
After hearing these words, those who heard them were sad and those who saw them shed tears, and the people watching could not help but sigh.
Everyone was discussing, "Why did the Buddha statue fall down out of nowhere?"
"Yes, wasn't this donated by the Queen Mother? It's a golden Buddha statue, but why does it look even less solid than a wooden one?"
"It's not falling, look carefully..." Someone said, "The statue is broken at the legs."
"Ah! That's even stranger!"
It's quite strange!
Pei Xingju and Zhuang Wan squeezed into the crowd to observe the collapsed Buddha statue. It was enormous, about ten feet tall, and its size resembled a pillar that three people could hug. One could imagine the impact of such a statue falling on someone.
Zhuang Wan subconsciously looked at the ground, but just as she saw a pool of blood, her eyes were covered by Pei Xingju.
"Don't look at it," he said, "or you'll have a nightmare."
He pulled Zhuang Wan behind him and glanced at the bloody corpse on the ground. Even though he had seen many dead people, he couldn't help but be moved.
The ones who were oppressed were not others, but a weak mother and daughter, and common people whose husbands were bedridden and who had young children.
After a while, the officials rushed over and said, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way quickly! The prefect is here!"
The onlookers hurriedly backed away, and soon, the portly figure of Feng Fuyin rushed over. When he turned around and saw Pei Xingju there, he was immediately frightened and his back was chilled.
"Master Pei!" He stepped forward and saluted: "I didn't know Master Pei was here."
"I returned to Beijing early this morning and heard on the way that someone had died in Guangji Temple, so I came to take a look."
Feng Fuyin thought again and realized that Pei Xingju was from the Ministry of Justice, so it was reasonable for him to come and see the dead. The uneasiness in his heart gradually disappeared.
"I wonder if Lord Pei has discovered anything?" he asked.
Pei Xingju didn't respond, but instead ordered, "First, carry the deceased out from the ground. Also, send two coroners to perform an autopsy as soon as possible."
Feng Fuyin hurriedly asked, "According to Lord Pei... is there something wrong with the corpse?"
Pei Xingju sneered, "I have never said that. Lord Feng is the prefect of Jingdu Prefecture. Doesn't he know that a dead person needs an autopsy?"
"Yes, yes," Feng Fuyin chuckled, "This humble official was also frightened and confused."
He moved closer, as if to remind him intentionally: "Master Pei, it is said that this Buddha statue was donated by the Queen Mother three years ago. This case... is not easy to investigate."
The implication is that since this is a matter concerning the Empress Dowager, there is no need to be too serious about it and it can be dealt with perfunctorily.
Pei Xingju smiled. This Jingzhao Yin was a slippery figure in official circles. He appeared to be the emperor's man, but secretly he was diligently trying to curry favor with the empress's party, unwilling to offend either side. No wonder the officials arrived at Guangji Temple early today, while Pei Xingju was late. He must have been unwilling to solve this case.
"Master Feng," Pei Xingju also whispered, "It is precisely because this matter concerns the Queen Mother that we need to investigate. Otherwise, Master Feng would lose his official position."
Feng Fuyin was startled: "Please explain clearly, Lord Pei."
Pei Xingju: "The collapse of the Buddha statue donated by the Queen Mother affects her reputation. If the people use this as a reason to criticize the Queen Mother, will she forgive you if you don't reveal the truth?"
Feng Fuyin was able to sit in the position of Jingdu Fuyin, so he was naturally no fool. He immediately understood something and asked in shock, "Master Pei, are you saying that this incident was not a natural disaster but a man-made disaster?"
"I have never said this." Pei Xingju rolled up his sleeves.
Feng Fuyin's face turned pale at this moment.
Before coming here, he'd heard about the collapse of the Buddha statue donated by the Empress Dowager, and he'd been deeply troubled. If he were to investigate, the only responsibility would be the Empress Dowager, and he wouldn't dare to do that even if he had a hundred guts. But now, Pei Xingju suggested there was a conspiracy behind the statue's collapse, and there was no room for compromise. Whether it was man-made or a natural disaster, the truth had to be revealed. Whether that truth would be revealed depended on how the situation unfolded.
He hurriedly bowed to Pei Xingju and said, "Thank you, Master Pei, for your advice. I will send for the coroner right away."
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