Chapter 477 They'll all be driven to their deaths at Ningyuan Temple!
Just as he was bitterly denouncing the injustice in his heart, the Guanyin statue let out another sigh.
"Don't you understand?"
"After reciting scriptures for so many years, you still haven't seen through the ways of the world."
"Xie Huaiyuan, you were wrong back then, and no matter what you do, you can't make up for the consequences and harm you caused."
Upon hearing a voice coming from the Buddha statue, Jia Guan sat down on the ground again.
Then, the voice from the Buddha statue in the distance sounded again, seemingly real but not quite: "Xie Huaiyuan, you dare to sculpt a mortal's appearance on the Guanyin statue, offending the gods for your own selfish desires."
"As the abbot, what crime should you be charged with?"
Xie Huaiyuan's face, which had been filled with a hint of infatuation, instantly turned into one of shock upon hearing these words.
He retreated backward using both his hands and feet.
Then, with a gurgle, he scrambled to his feet, turned around, screamed, and ran away.
Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi then emerged from behind the Guanyin statue.
Those seemingly plausible words were naturally spoken by Li Qingluo.
Unexpectedly, after only a few words, Xie Huaiyuan was so frightened that he wet himself.
However, the two men's madness still took Li Qingluo by surprise.
A mere portrait and name of Zongzheng Qingyue are enough to reveal their true forms; one wonders how terrified they would be if they saw Duan Rongshi's appearance again.
It's clear how many wrongdoings these two men committed against their mother back then.
"Ah Shi, are you alright?"
Li Qingluo was more worried about Duan Rongshi.
The two men's words were full of insults towards the mother, especially the old bald monk, who seemed to be deeply in love with the mother, but in reality he was the one who deserved to die the most!
While he was having an affair with the second princess, he was lusting after his mother. Even Li Qingluo wanted to tear him apart, let alone Duan Rongshi, the only son of Zongzheng Qingyue.
He probably secretly wished he could grind them both to dust.
Duan Rongshi pursed his thin lips and walked out of the Guanyin Hall with an icy demeanor, his cold gaze sweeping over the entire Ningyuan Temple.
“Since this place has already defiled Buddhism, it has no reason to remain in the world.”
"I want them all to die in agony!"
The raging fury in his eyes made Li Qinglu tremble violently.
It's time for these fake monks to be punished!
Beneath the Guanyin Hall lies an underground chamber.
All the monks were pale and trembling.
This underground chamber was where they had lived for over a decade, yet they had never known of this place.
But these people have locked them up here.
Who exactly are they?
This is no ordinary merchant!
The vast majority of the monks in the temple are now here.
Moreover, several men in black were keeping a close watch on them, and anyone who dared to make a sound would be immediately slapped across the face.
These slaps from the men in black were no ordinary slaps. One slap not only swelled up his face, but also knocked out Jiechen's teeth.
Who would dare to disobey?
What terrified the monks even more was that they had all overheard the abbot's earth-shattering secret!
That Princess Changning was actually the illegitimate daughter of the abbot and the second princess!
The abbot almost killed the second princess.
Not to mention those filthy thoughts and words.
The abbot, who used to be aloof and detached, rarely concerned with worldly affairs, now had this true face, which the monks found hard to accept.
Some novices could only mutter Buddhist scriptures in their sleep, hoping to cleanse themselves of their sins as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, seasoned veterans like Jiechi, Jiekong, and Jiechen simply sat there indifferently, dumbfounded.
Hearing the footsteps above disappear, Jiechen angrily asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Sha San stepped forward and slapped Jie Chen across the face again.
Before Jiechen could fight back, he kicked him hard again, pinning him down so he couldn't move or turn over.
"If you want to die, then make a bigger scene."
"Anyway, none of you are any good people."
"Because we are merchants, they bully and suppress us, and they are never satisfied with how much money they want to steal from us."
"We're not the first one these days, are we?"
"Speak! What other evil deeds have you committed!"
"As a monk, he truly embodies the word 'greed' to the fullest extent."
"What a waste to have tarnished this Buddhist robe!"
The pavilion was deathly silent, and every monk's face was filled with embarrassment.
Soon, Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi received a report from Sha San: "Miss, besides being greedy for people's money, some monks from Ningyuan Temple have also gone down the mountain to indulge in debauchery."
"They also often use the trick of changing fate through divination slips to swindle the money that poor people have saved up for several years."
"There were also those frivolous monks who used their skills as an excuse to deceive some young virgins or married women into prostitution."
"Not only that, that monk Jiechen also accidentally killed someone, and the body was buried in the peach grove behind the mountain."
"Also, the matter of Abbot Naga Temple should all be true. Jiechen said that he knew about this secret two years ago."
"He saw Jia Guan and the second princess having a secret meeting in the dense forest, the two of them pulling and tugging at each other, their words unclear."
"At that time, the Second Princess said that Princess Changning was of Jia Guan's bloodline, but Jia Guan refused to admit it."
Li Qingluo: "Okay, I understand."
"Thank you for continuing to watch over them."
"When the time is right, proceed according to plan."
Sha San immediately retreated silently.
Here, Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi stood at the highest point of the entire Ningyuan Temple.
That is, on the roof of the Guanyin Hall.
They looked at the now empty Ningyuan Temple, with only faint sounds coming from the side rooms.
Duan Rongshi then looked at Zhui Yu, who had just arrived behind him: "What's that commotion over there?"
Zhuiyu: "Your Highness, this Second Prince Consort is truly very patient."
"He clearly heard everything, but he pretended not to know anything and sent the second princess back to her room first. However, he was very serious about looking for the dozen or so guards who had gone missing from the princess's residence."
Duan Rongshi: "The power of the Princess's residence seems to be in the hands of the Second Princess, but it has obviously long since completely and truly fallen into the hands of this consort."
"This person is quite cunning."
Zhuiyu: "Yes, Your Highness. He continued searching for people in the temple while giving the Second Princess a perfunctory response."
"Judging from the Second Princess's expression, she seems to want to hurry down the mountain and return to Nan'an, but the Prince Consort doesn't seem to have the same idea."
"He is sending people to chisel the stones beside the mountain road, it looks like he wants to bury the mountain road."
Duan Rongshi: "Go, lend him a hand."
"Want to leave? No way!"
"By the way, are there any other routes up the mountain from Ningyuan Temple?"
Zhuiyu: "Yes. There is a very rugged path that leads to the back mountain. But the Second Princess definitely can't walk it, and even ordinary people would have a hard time doing so."
"Going up the mountain is relatively easy, but going down the mountain is practically a death sentence."
Li Qingluo hugged herself: "That's enough."
"Next, we just need to wait, and the wicked will line up and bring about their own destruction."
The pitch-black night sky quickly descended.
Li Qingluo and her group quietly settled down throughout Ningyuan Temple.
Their whereabouts were unlikely to be discovered by those who remained at Ningyuan Temple.
They all had some dry rations on them, so they wouldn't go hungry.
However, this caused great hardship for the monks at Ningyuan Temple.
Listening to the chewing sounds in the darkness, they were not only starving but also so thirsty that their mouths were cracked.
Someone dared to ask for some food and water, and naturally received another slap in the face.
"eat?"
"What right do you have to eat and drink?"
"They've swindled so much money from the people, they should have had enough by now, it's time for them to taste the bitterness of hunger."
The monks were in dire straits, and the Second Princess's room was also in an uproar.
Zongzheng Zhiyuan was already drooling with hunger. When she heard the servant report, she couldn't help but shout, "Not even a single grain of rice? How is this possible?"
"The road down the mountain is also blocked."
"Could it be that someone wants to force me to my death in Ningyuan Temple?"
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