Temple murder case exposed
Have you heard?
"Xu Lanxin, daughter of Xu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was pregnant with the child of Cen, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and was sent to Miaoyue Nunnery by Xu."
In the corner, two elderly women were eating melon seeds and chatting amongst themselves.
Rumors and whispers spread like wildfire throughout Kyoto.
Inside the Hall of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a large desk was placed in the center, with a fine Duan stone inkstone on the right and a purple-haired brush with a lotus-patterned handle on it.
The rumored male lead, Lord Cen, was sitting upright behind his desk, looking at the case files.
"Sir, we've found the source of the rumors. It's a woman who's waiting outside."
"Bring it over."
The man spoke without raising his head or taking his eyes off the file.
After receiving the order, the subordinate came over with a woman dressed in plain clothes.
The woman looked panicked, her eyes darting around, her hands tucked into her sleeves, her back slightly hunched, and her steps faltering.
Upon seeing Cen Yan, he immediately knelt down on the ground.
"My lord, I don't know what I have done wrong?"
Cen Yan did not look up, focusing on the case in his hands.
The subordinate glanced at his master, then turned back, and the woman who had been peeping hurriedly lowered her head.
Who authorized you to spread these rumors about me?
After waiting for a long time, Cen Yan changed the case file, glanced at the woman, and then looked at the case file in his hand.
"Your Excellency, no, no one asked me to spread this message. I only overheard it yesterday when I went to Miaoyue Nunnery to offer incense. I didn't mean to spread it; I just told Aunt Zhang next door when I got home."
"Please, please, Your Honor, have mercy and spare this humble woman!"
"Who told you that? Tell the truth, or else..."
The woman lowered her head even further in fright, her body trembling slightly, interrupting Cen Yan's words.
"My lord, I'll talk, I'll talk. Yesterday, when I was offering incense, I had just finished talking to someone and hadn't even left the temple when I saw a little maid crying under a tree. I only went over because I felt sorry for her."
"The maid said that her young mistress was pregnant, pregnant with the adult's child."
As the woman finished speaking, she glanced at Cen Yan and, seeing that he was still looking at the case file, raised her voice slightly, as if afraid that he wouldn't hear her.
"That girl also said that she was waiting for the adults to rescue her, and that her master would help her mistress have an abortion so that she could spend the rest of her life at Miaoyue Nunnery."
You mean I should go and rescue her?
Cen Yan finally reacted, putting down the case file in his hand and coldly looking at the woman.
The woman was so frightened that she quickly denied it, saying, "It wasn't me who said it, it was that little girl. She even said that the master should bring more guards. I only heard a little bit and then I ran away."
"What does that little maid look like?"
"That little maid was quite pretty, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a round face."
Cen Yan frowned slightly, as if he had thought of something.
"Let her go."
When the subordinate returned, before he even entered the room, he bumped into Cen Yan coming out.
"Qingyun, notify the police station to come with me to Miaoyue Nunnery."
"Zijin, Zijin. Are you going to Miaoyue Nunnery to fetch your sister-in-law?"
The newcomer wore a bright green round-necked robe with the collar embroidered with small floral patterns, a pink hairpin, and carried a folding fan.
What a beautiful kingfisher!
Cen Yan only gave him a cold look, letting him figure it out himself, and walked away.
The man touched the tip of his nose, realizing he had made a fool of himself, and then started pestering Qingyun.
"Your Highness, the Lord is off on official business. Please go back first."
"Alright, alright, I know everything. What office? It's rare for your family to use official business for personal gain. I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't go and check on them."
Qingyun was so angry that she ignored him and quickly caught up with Cen Yan.
In the afternoon, the number of worshippers at Miaoyue Temple gradually decreased, with only a few staying for vegetarian meals.
Soon, under Cen Yan's orders, Miaoyue Nunnery was surrounded by the police.
Several police officers entered Miaoyue Nunnery first, and the scattered worshippers inside were terrified.
These past two days, Lanxin has continued to chant sutras, copy sutras, and repeat these three things in her sleep.
The old nun didn't seem to fully believe, and every day she would come to take her to the Buddhist hall until she returned to her residence.
Although she was safe for the time being, she knew that she was being watched all along.
The surveillance was clumsy for her; she could catch the old nun's gaze every time she glanced out of the corner of her eye.
Today, the copying of this scripture is a bit slow. As for why?
She had a feeling that something had happened that made her uneasy and unable to calm down.
So much so that he was still copying in the Buddhist hall past noon.
Who is hosting this event?
He's here.
Lanxin, who was copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall, looked up excitedly upon hearing the familiar voice.
I instinctively felt something was wrong and wanted to look down, but it was too late.
A cold dagger was pressed against his neck, and his shoulder was gripped painfully, forcing him to stand up.
"Don't make a sound."
The old nun used two strong nuns to tie her up like a dumpling, stuff her with a wad of cloth, and threw her into the dark room behind the Buddhist hall.
The dark, enclosed room was filled with a damp and chilly atmosphere.
Lan Xin prayed that he could enter the Buddhist hall, so that he would have a chance.
"Sir, my daughter is in the Buddhist hall. She copies scriptures there every day."
That's Xiaoxi's voice.
"Woo woo," Lan Xin tried her best to make a sound, but unfortunately, the people outside seemed unable to hear her.
"Tell me honestly, where exactly is Miss Xu?"
It sounded like the voice of one of his subordinates.
“As I have already said, Miss Xu sneaked out during her morning prayers and has disappeared. We are also looking for her.”
"Why don't you come with me to search for Miss Xu? It would be better to find her sooner rather than later."
No, if he gets tricked into going out, I'll be in danger.
Xu Lanxin went all out and started banging her head against the wall.
It really hurts! Cen Yan, you have to compensate me for my losses.
"Thump, thump," one after another.
The repeated head-banging stimulated her nerves, causing her to feel nauseous and want to vomit.
I felt dizzy and my consciousness began to blur. In a daze, I saw a white light in front of me, and a red figure in the middle of the halo.
The rich fragrance of agarwood surrounded her nose as she gently supported herself.
"Are you alright? Can you walk?"
Xu Lanxin bit her tongue, trying to clear her head, and gave a self-deprecating smile.
What do you think, sir?
He finished speaking weakly, and before he could say anything more, he picked her up amidst several gasps.
"Zijin, is this what you call an office?"
Pei Yan'an gave him a suggestive look, accompanied by a slightly lewd expression.
Cen Yan gave him a cold look, letting him figure it out himself, without saying another word to him.
The man wasn't annoyed; he followed in Lan Xin's footsteps and moved closer to her.
"Sister-in-law, how did you get hurt?"
Seeing that she didn't speak, he continued in a familiar manner:
"I heard you're pregnant with Zijin's child. Look how anxious he is. He barely ate a couple of bites of food before rushing over here."
"Shut up."
Cen Yan suppressed the urge to hit someone and glared at him angrily.
The kingfisher kept its beak shut, suppressing its laughter, and silently took a step back to follow.
"Hehe, that guy is really funny, who is he?"
He gave me a cold look, and his thin lips parted slightly: "All done?"
Startled, she immediately hugged his neck tightly, buried her head in his chest, and said in a low, muffled voice, "Not yet."
His chest vibrated slightly; he was laughing.
A faint smile appeared on his usually cold face as he glanced down at her.
Lanxin buried her face in his chest like an ostrich.
The warmth of my breath seeped through the thin fabric and onto my chest, causing a tingling sensation that spread throughout my entire chest cavity.
Upon arriving at the Buddhist hall, Lanxin was gently placed on a chair, and then she instructed a subordinate to fetch a doctor.
"Have all the people in this temple been brought under control?"
Lan Xin looked at Cen Yan and, after receiving a positive reply, said again, "Sir, please send someone to the small courtyard behind the temple, next to the east wing, and move the clay Buddha statues here."
The old nun, who was being controlled, stared wide-eyed in terror and began to struggle violently.
“You were faking it that day. We should have killed you then, for ruining our plans.”
The old nun, pinned down by the police, shouted with all her might, her face turning bright red.
Lan Xin didn't have the energy to fight back, she just stared at her coldly.
"Wait until the evidence comes before you yell!"
Feeling dizzy, she leaned against the person behind her, and the warmth of his body made her feel at ease.
Xiao Xi, standing nearby, was getting impatient and took a few steps forward with a desperate attitude, but was scared back by Cen Yan's cold gaze.
After the old doctor finished bandaging Xu Lanxin, Cen Yan helped her out of the Buddhist hall.
In Xianglu Square, there are various Buddha statues, including painted Medicine Buddha, Arhat Buddha, and Bodhisattva statues that have just been sculpted and are not yet dry.
"The adults told someone to knock these Buddha statues open gently, so as not to damage the things inside."
"Someone come here."
His loud, deep voice resonated in her ears.
"Smash it open."
The patrolmen assigned their respective stone statues and began to systematically smash them.
The first thing to be chiseled open, with a series of "bang bang" and "thump thump," was the still-wet stone statue.
A tender, fair arm popped out, covered in lime and some bluish-purple mottled scars.
There were bursts of exclamations.
"Utterly depraved, utterly depraved, worse than an animal."
The first bird to jump out was the kingfisher, which, not satisfied with just a few curses, went up to the old nun and slapped her a few times.
"Men, search this place for me."
Cen Yan, standing beside him, coldly ordered, "Take everyone from Miaoyue Nunnery back for interrogation."
Then, he turned to look at her.
"I'll take you back to your residence first."
The voice was not as cold and harsh as when it had given orders to its subordinates; it contained a hint of gentleness.
"good."
On the way back to the city in the carriage, the journey was a bit bumpy. Lanxin leaned on his shoulder, and he did not refuse, but just sat up straight.
"How did you guess that, sir?"
The man chuckled and replied, "You're pregnant with my child, and you asked me to save you. How could I not have guessed?"
His tone was calm and even, making it impossible to guess his mood.
"My lord, you mustn't take this seriously. I only resorted to this tactic to get you to arrest the criminal."
"You're really bold."
As the man finished speaking through gritted teeth, Lan Xin felt a pain in her hand as he gripped it tightly.
Lan Xin immediately smiled ingratiatingly, "My lord, no problem, no problem. Ouch, be gentle! Do you want to make my injuries worse? If I don't recover, I'll just stay at your residence to recuperate!"
"I don't care what happens if rumors spread later."
The man simply looked at her intently, released her hand, and said nothing.
The emotion in his eyes didn't seem like anger; it was hard to decipher.
Soon, they arrived at the Xu residence. After getting off the carriage, the gatekeeper ran inside to announce their arrival.
Cen Yan gave Xiao Xi a wink, and Xiao Xi immediately understood. She came to Cen Yan's side, took Lan Xin from him, and helped her up.
As soon as I entered the mansion, my father, carrying the two white lotuses, rushed over.
The father, with a respectful smile on his face, bowed to Cen Yan.
"My lord, I have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."
"Lord Xu, there's no need for such formalities. A murder has occurred at Miaoyue Nunnery, and I'm just taking the opportunity to escort your daughter back home."
The man politely said, "Since Miss Xu has returned home safely, I will take my leave now."
Before he had taken more than a few steps, he turned back and said, "Lord Xu, your daughter may be summoned as a witness. I hope you will allow it."
"Yes, yes," the father nodded repeatedly.
After Cen Yan walked away, his father reverted to his usual demeanor and ordered, "Someone, lock this troublemaker in his room and don't let him out."
"Father!" The voice was laced with anger, leaving Lan Xin speechless.
The look in his eyes was devoid of any affection, and then he coldly said to her, "You unfilial daughter, stay home and reflect on your actions. I will have your mother choose a good husband for you within three days and get you married off."
After saying this hastily, he left with the two white lotuses without waiting for her to explain.
It's utterly ridiculous.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com