The Old Duke invited the Rui’an King into the study, knowing that he had taken over the case Zhou Gu had been investigating. He did not hide from him, and detailed the matters Zhou Gu did not mention about Princess Zhenmin and Su Rong to the Rui’an King.
The Rui’an King expressed his feelings, "I hadn’t expected the situation back then to be like this, no wonder Lady Su Qi is like the Princess Zhenmin from the past."
Being mother and daughter, it was natural for them to resemble each other.
The Old Duke sighed, "Su Rong has not had an easy time since she was little. I did not know that she had been targeted for assassination by the Nanchu Queen after Zhenmin passed away. It was during her visit to call off her engagement that she mentioned this, and only then did I find out."
If he had known earlier, he would have at least made some inquiries over the years, hoping to give her a peaceful environment in which to grow up.
Rui’an King said: "Now that I know about Lady Su Qi’s background, I have a clear direction to thoroughly investigate this case. The Duke can rest assured, I have no involvement with the inner circles of the Nanchu Country and have no connection with the various powers in the court. His Majesty asked me to investigate, and I will surely get to the bottom of it, I will not protect anyone."
He had noticed today that the emperor did have a protective heart towards Su Rong, which was a good thing.
The Old Duke nodded, "His Majesty trusts Lord Wang, and I also trust Lord Wang. But now that someone is targeting Zhou Gu, His Majesty has allowed Zhou Gu to recover from his injuries and not involve him in this case, but I cannot ignore it. Lord Wang, you can investigate your part, and I will also send people to investigate. If there are results, I will let Lord Wang know."
Rui’an King was sympathetic, "Those who want to kill Zhou Gu, the scope is narrowed down. With Lipin and the Fourth Prince involved, it’s a little harder to investigate, but the two monks are still there, and that’s a loophole."
He suggested, "Since I am here, and the two monks are at the Duke Residence, why not examine these two with Old Duke, how do you think?"
The Old Duke had no objections, "Alright, let’s go!"
The Duke’s Residence had a secret prison. The two monks, Wang Su and Guang Zhen, were brought to the secret prison by Ziye after informing the Old Duke of their return.
The Old Duke and Rui’an King came to the secret prison of the Duke’s Residence. Wang Su and Guang Zhen, now awake, were tied to the pillars. Cotton was stuffed in their mouths.
The Old Duke ordered the cotton to be removed from their mouths and said to them, "You two, who will speak first? Who is the one who ordered you? As you see today, the person behind the scenes wants you dead. If you don’t confess and expose the person behind the scenes, not only will you two not be able to live, but also the Buddha Temple will not escape unscathed."
Rui’an King said, "His Majesty has instructed me to investigate this case. His Majesty has not imposed trouble on the Buddha Temple yet. But once you refuse to confess anything, His Majesty will cause trouble for the Buddha Temple. Even then, the Buddha Temple, a thousand-year-old temple, will be destroyed at your hands. Both of you were orphans raised by the monks of the Buddha Temple when you were young. Can you bear to see the Buddha Temple destroyed overnight?"
Wang Su and Guang Zhen were more than shocked or scared, they were devastated. The two were bound and tied to the back of a horse, subjected to the bumps and dust along the way. They survived an assassination attempt and were thrown off a horse by Zhou Gu. That fall was harsh, almost leaving them breathless. When they woke up, they were again on the horse, jostled along. Now they were locked up in this dark prison, although no one had tortured them, they had tasted all the hardships they could throughout this journey.
Wang Su was the first to speak, "The poor monk was wronged, the poor monk really doesn’t know why Lord Zhou suspected me."
"Zhou Gu suspects you, certainly for a reason, because you really have problems." The Old Duke sternly looked at them, "If you don’t confess, you’ve just heard what the old man and the king said about the consequences."
Wang Su was almost in tears, "The poor monk is the head disciple of the master. In the future, I will inherit the mantle of the master. I have a Buddhist heart and would never kill. I really don’t know what I should confess?"
At this time, Guang Zhen spoke, "Brother, do you really not know what you should confess? The person Ding Man looked for at the Buddha Temple was you."
"Junior brother, don’t slander me." Wang Su was furious, "When did he look for me? I haven’t even seen him."
"But on that day, someone was talking in your room. I went to your courtyard to find you, but that person was hiding. Wasn’t that person Ding Man?" Guang Zhen questioned him.
Wang Su shook his head in denial, "It’s not Ding Man."
"Then who was it?"
"It was..." Wang Su was just about to continue, but he closed his mouth again.
"Elder brother, you should just confess! You shouldn’t put all the reverence of brothers and disciples at risk." Guang Zhen urged Wang Su.
Wang Su clenched his teeth tightly, not speaking a word.
The Rui’an King opened his mouth again: "If you do not admit today, I will not be patient with you. Once I leave here, if I have not obtained the answers I want, I will ask His Majesty to close down the Buddha Temple. All the people, will be chased out of Buddha Temple."
Wang Su’s face turned pale, and his mouth trembled, but he still couldn’t say a word after a long time.
Rui’an King turned to Guang Zhen and pointed out bluntly, "And you, don’t think you can slip through. Based on what you just said, I can conclude that the person who killed Ding Man must be you."
Guang Zhen’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Rui’an King in terror. He couldn’t get a word out for a while, seemingly not understanding how Rui’an King had deduced that he was the killer based on just a few words.
Rui’an King sneered, "When I was young, I entered the court, the first place I went was the Ministry of Justice. I’ve seen cases, thousands of them, and I’ve judged people, thousands upon thousands. Do you think you can fool me with a few words?"
If it wasn’t for his experience and skills in investigation, His Majesty wouldn’t have only targeted him.
Guang Zhen was completely silenced.
Wang Su stared at Guang Zhen in shock.
"Tell me everything! Both of you. If you don’t care about the monks at the Grand Buddha Temple, how about after your deaths when you descend into beastly reincarnation, or never reincarnating? As Buddhists, some guide for good, some guide for evil, you should know this better than me," Rui’an King threatened the two.
Wang Su’s face turned pale and his lips trembled. Finally, he managed to speak, "Amitabha, the man I saw that day was the second son of the Marquis Ning Ze under the Nanping Residence."
"Ning Ze?" Rui’an King was taken aback.
"Yes," Wang Su nodded.
"What did he want with you?"
Once Wang Su had confessed about Ning Ze, he didn’t hold back the rest of the details. "He came to me because I have a sister who had been lost in Nanping since childhood. Ning Ze threatened me through my lost sister to help him marry Lady Su Qi."
Looking surprised, Rui’an King asked, "He wants to marry Su Rong? Why?"
"Lord Ning claimed to have fallen in love with Lady Su Qi at first sight. He said that since the Grand Buddha Temple is such a popular holy place, Lady Su Qi would surely visit during her time in Beijing. He asked me to drug her food and then notify him, so he could succeed in seducing her and force her to marry him," Wang Su explained, looking ashamed.
"I... I didn’t agree to him, just said I would consider it..." he added remorsefully.
With shame, he continued, "But, I have been in search of my missing sister for thirty years. From Lord Ning’s description, she might be in Nanping."
Rui’an King turned his attention to Old Duke.
The Old Duke was outraged, "A toad longing for swan meat! That Ning Ze bastard, he really thought highly of himself."
Rui’an King agreed with the sentiment. Ning Ze’s status could not match Su Rong’s even in the slightest. He then asked, "Did Ning Ze only approach you for this matter?"
Wang Su nodded, "Only this."
Swearing fervently, he stated, "I can swear that I have told your highness everything. Lord Thursday’s suspicion of me was also because I concealed the timeline of Ning Ze’s approach. I lied and Lord Thursday saw through it. Lord Ning said that if I dared expose this matter, not only would I be left with no place to be buried, but my lost sister would face a miserable outcome."
Rui’an King turned to Guang Zhen, "What do you have to say?"
Guang Zhen remained silent.
King Rui’an laughed coldly, "Who made you kill Ding Man? Confess truthfully. Otherwise, I will make good on my promise."
Guang Zhen still didn’t speak.
"Stubborn," Rui’an King looked at him. "I’ve seen many stubborn men. Once the torture tools come out, even the most resilient becomes weak. Do you want to try all the torture methods? The Duke Residence doesn’t have any, but the Ministry of Justice could lend you some."
Guang Zhen clenched his teeth in silence.
Wang Su couldn’t stand it anymore, "Younger fellow disciple, just confess! Consider our master, our brothers, the thousand-year foundation of the Grand Buddha Temple, and even think about yourself. Do you really want to die and reincarnate as a demonic beast?"
Buddhists feared that after death, they wouldn’t be allowed to reincarnate. They believed in the 18 layers of Hell, in being reborn as an animal, and that everyone’s fate after death is determined by their actions in life. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
But Guang Zhen remained silent.
Rui’an King ordered, "Someone, go to the Ministry of Justice and bring their tools."
Someone responded from outside and left immediately.
"Disciple!" Wang Su was in a panic.
Guang Zhen looked at Wang Su, a film of deadness covering his eyes. After a moment, he said, "Elder fellow disciple, I’m sorry. I... I can’t speak," and then he bit his tongue with a yelp of despair. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth as he bit his own tongue.
Rui’an King’s face darkened.
The Old Duke rushed forward, dislocating Guang Zhen’s jaw with one swift grab. Guang Zhen screamed again before fainting.
The Old Duke immediately shouted for help, "Get the residence doctor."
Someone responded and left immediately.
Wang Su was in shock. His fellow disciple chose to commit suicide by biting his tongue. He’d prefer to risk the potential destruction of the Grand Buddha Temple or reincarnate as an evil beast rather than speak. Was the person behind this so important to him that he chose death over confessing?
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