Fen Ling and Yun Ze returned to the Buddha Temple and reported to the Rui’an King.
By this time, Rui’an King had finished his interrogation, but no major progress had been made on the case compared to the previous round. Although he suspected the abbot was involved, the abbot was able to answer every question convincingly, leaving no loopholes. Rui’an King had exhausted both his night and most of the day without gaining much.
Without conclusive evidence against the abbot of Buddha Temple, and without an edict from the Emperor, he couldn’t just apprehend him.
Rui’an King was frustrated but felt helpless. He could only abide by Fen Ling’s words and wait for Su Rong and Ye Guixue to find him.
Having summoned and scrutinized every monk, even though no desired results had been obtained he still didn’t release them. This had led to no one being left to cook at the temple.
No food was served for the monks, and Rui’an King had lost his appetite as well.
When Fen Ling returned, the abbot was assuring Rui’an King, "Amitabha, your Highness, I have reported all that I should, and you’ve already questioned all the monks. Shouldn’t you release everyone now? If this continues, the older and younger monks will not be able to endure hunger and cold, which might result in loss of lives."
Rui’an King also felt it couldn’t continue in this way. He waved his hand, "Everyone disperse, go back to your duties."
The abbot heaved a sigh of relief.
Fen Ling walked in from outside, overheard their conversation, and cheerfully said, "Wait a moment, Master Abbot, my sister and Second Young Master Ye found a gold hoarding location behind Yingzui Cliff. The thousand-acre forest behind Buddha Temple, including Yingzui Cliff, all belong to the Temple. You need to give a clear explanation in this regard. Otherwise, not only you shall not eat but also face the consequences."
The abbot’s complexion changed.
Fen Ling laughed, walked up to the abbot, and easily tied him up. She then skillfully searched and emptied all his possessions, even taking off the Buddha Beads around his neck to prevent him from swallowing them in a suicide attempt. She covered his mouth with a handkerchief, then turned to Rui’an King, who was in shock, and said, "Your Highness, you shouldn’t be too lenient. You should praise Prince Xie from your Residence. He, being your son, knows how to be assertive, and his interrogations are swift. Your kindness won’t yield results. I’ve tied him up for you. Shall I lead the way to Yingzui Cliff behind Buddha Temple where the gold hoarding location is discovered?"
Rui’an King resigned, "Interrogating other suspects is different from interrogating the abbot, he was favored by the Queen Mother, and awarded by the Emperor himself. Without a royal decree, I can’t just apprehend him."
Making an understanding nod, Fen Ling said, "I’m not afraid, neither is my sister. Therefore, there you go. Shall we hurry?"
Rui’an King, naturally wanting to see for himself, nodded his agreement.
Fen Ling handed over the tied-up abbot to a guard, and then began to lead Rui’an King.
In reality, Su Rong and Ye Guixue weren’t merely taking a stroll. When Fen Ling found them, they were just descending from halfway up the mountain and walking at a leisurely pace. Hence, she misunderstood them as out on a leisurely walk.
After Fen Ling left to find Rui’an King, Su Rong turned to Ye Guixue and said, "Let’s find a place to roast pheasants while we wait for Rui’an King. I’m starving."
Ye Guixue nodded, "Alright."
Tired, Su Rong directed several guards to catch pheasants.
The guards returned promptly with pheasants. Su Rong and Ye Guixue found a sheltered spot, lit up some firewood, and started roasting the pheasants while waiting for Rui’an King.
Rui’an King arrived shortly after.
The roasted pheasants Su Rong and Ye Guixue were preparing had just finished cooking. Each of them held a half, savoring the delectable smell, they greeted the arriving Rui’an King, "Your Highness, would you like to join us?"
Rui’an King wanted to decline, but having been busy through the night and most of the day, he was famished and nodding instead, "Thank you both, I haven’t eaten the whole day."
Fen Ling rushed forward, divided a pheasant that was left to one side in half, and generously extended one piece to Rui’an King, "Enjoy, your Highness!"
Rui’an King took it with thanks.
All of them were hungry, and prioritized satiating their appetite before speaking. For a while, they quietly enjoyed their meal.
Su Rong and Fen Ling were eating rapidly, contrary to the leisurely pace of Ye Guixue and Rui’an King. After Su Rong finished eating, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief and explained to Rui’an King how they discovered the gold hoarding location the previous day. She concluded, "In my opinion, considering the size of the hoarding location, more than two hundred boxes of gold must have been concealed there. Some portion seems to have been secretly transported out several days ago, based on the new traces we found. Fortunately, Guixue and I acted swiftly, otherwise, a few days later, even these two hundred boxes would have disappeared."
Ye Guixue nodded, agreeing, "Correct, the traces are quite new, just a few days old."
Jumping in quickly, Fen Ling chimed, "Yun Ze and I thoroughly searched all over the Buddha Temple, only finding two secret tunnels: one leading up the mountain, and the other downhill. The one leading up, I speculate, was probably used to divert attention and conduct shady activities."
Being finally satiated, Rui’an King had regained some energy. He nodded and said," I understand the general situation now and must visit the gold hoarding location." He got up and asked Su Rong and Ye Guixue, "Will you accompany me, Miss Su, and Second Master Ye, or take a rest at Buddha Temple?"
Waving her hand dismissively, Su Rong responded, "Go ahead, your Highness, with Fen Ling leading the way. We’ll head to the Buddha Temple and meet with the abbot."
Rui’an King nodded in agreement.
Therefore, guided by Fen Ling, Rui’an King went to the gold hoarding location, while Su Rong and Ye Guixue went to the Buddha Temple.
Upon arriving at the Buddha Temple, they found the abbot bound and seated in a chair, with all the monks of the Buddha Temple huddled together, looking terrified like small birds. Guards from both the Rui’an King Residence and the Duke Residence were keeping a watch over them.
Seeing Su Rong and Ye Guixue, the abbot started making muffled noises.
Walking forward, Su Rong pulled off the cloth stifling the abbot’s mouth and asked, "Master Abbot, is there something you wish to say?"
The abbot replied: "I have been wronged."
Su Rong laughed, "Is the gold stash hidden halfway up Yingzui Cliff not your doing?"
The abbot’s face was deathly pale, "No, it wasn’t..."
Su Rong asked, "Then who was it?"
"I don’t know," the abbot replied.
Putting the cloth back in his mouth, Su Rong cut him off, "I’m not an investigator, claiming innocence and ignorance won’t work with me. If you don’t speak the truth, I can’t help you. If you don’t want to bring the Buddha Temple down with you, it’s best to think carefully about what you’re going to say."
She then ignored him, turning to Ye Guixue, "We’re tired as well, shall we find a place to rest?"
Ye Guixue glanced at the abbot, nodded, "The courtyard where we stayed last time was quite nice."
Su Rong agreed, "I found it nice too, let’s go."
Therefore, they both proceeded to rest in the courtyard where they had stayed previously.
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