Chapter 5 Chapter 5 This matter will not be resolved in a short time. ...
Zhu Song didn't sleep all night. When he arrived at Dali Temple, it was still dark. He originally wanted to look for information, but he was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes, so he decided to take a nap first.
Sometimes there is a lot to do and you may not be able to go home every day, so positions above the Dali Temple Director have their own rest rooms.
The capital has been much more peaceful in the past two years. Zhu Song hasn't slept in the Dali Temple for a long time. The bed was covered with dust. By the time he changed the bedding, it was already dawn, but it was still early and he could take a nap.
He said he would take a short nap, but when Zhu Song woke up, it was almost noon. If he hadn't been tempted by the smell of food, he would have continued to sleep.
Zhu Song went out and asked the guard at the door, "Is everything okay this morning?"
The officer replied, "Prefect Qu came over and said he wanted to see you, but was called away by Lord Gu."
Zhu Song frowned. Could it be that there was a clue about the strange man?
"Where is Lord Gu now?"
The officer glanced at the sky and said, "We should eat in the temple kitchen at this time."
I still have the mood to eat, it seems that the matter is not serious. Zhu Song thought so and came to the temple kitchen. He saw Gu Huaiyu sitting in the middle. Zhu Song got his food and sat down opposite him. "What do you want to talk to me about, Lao Qu?"
Gu Huaiyu looked up at him and said, "He said you said his tea was the best, so he brought you a pot specially."
"That's it?"
Gu Huaiyu didn't joke around any more and got down to business. "What happened last night has spread throughout the capital. People are saying that the strange man is a green monkey. He wants to know what you think."
Zhu Song remembered that in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, there was a beast, shaped like a monkey but with white ears, that would jump on passersby, had a green face and fangs, and liked to eat human blood. It was called the "green monkey," and eating it would prolong one's life.
"The authenticity of the Classic of Mountains and Seas has always been in doubt. Is it because some people with bad intentions are trying to confuse people?"
Gu Huaiyu remained noncommittal, simply saying, "The phrase 'extending life' is too tempting. The entire capital is now spontaneously searching for the Green Monkey. It's become a huge uproar and everyone knows about it."
Zhu Song said, "Then the pressure on Old Qu will be huge. If he can't catch the culprit, he will probably be held accountable."
Gu Huaiyu said, "With so many people, we can definitely catch him, but if this gets to the higher-ups, Old Qu will be in big trouble."
Zhu Song recalled the scene from last night, "To be honest, I saw him last night too."
Gu Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, motioning Zhu Song to continue. Zhu Song continued, "Even though I only saw it once, I can be sure it was a human, not a beast."
Gu Huaiyu was silent for a long time before he said, "I hope this matter won't get to the higher-ups."
As a result, what he feared came true. Just after lunch, someone came from the palace and summoned Zhu Song to come and see the emperor.
Zhu Song and Qu Zhoubai entered the Qinzheng Hall together. They looked at each other and knew what was going on.
After entering the Qinzheng Hall, the two of them bowed together and said, "Your Highness."
The Emperor Liang, who was over fifty years old, sat at the head of the table. He looked majestic without being angry. "Stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Liang looked at Qu Zhoubai and asked, "How's the investigation going into the green ape that appeared in the capital a few days ago?"
Qu Zhoubai bowed and replied, "I have mobilized all the officials of Jingzhao Prefecture to search the capital, but found nothing. It's as if he disappeared out of thin air. He suddenly reappeared last night, but after my investigation, I still can't find any trace of him."
Emperor Liang looked at Zhu Song and asked, "Were you there last night?"
Zhu Song's heart skipped a beat and he quickly replied, "Yes, someone in my family fell ill last night. The court doctor was away, so I went out to get a doctor. I was passing by Changning Street when I heard someone shouting for help, so I went to see him."
Emperor Liang didn't ask much about his family affairs, but simply said, "Since you're involved, then you should work with Zhou Bai to handle this matter and bring the Green Ape to justice as soon as possible. I also want to see what this legendary Green Ape actually looks like."
The meaning of this statement is very clear. Zhu Song originally wanted to say that Qingwei was just a guess, but now he can't say it anymore. Whether it is true or not, he has to catch it to verify it.
"Yes, I obey your command."
The two men came out of the Qinzheng Hall, talking as they walked. Zhu Song asked, "What's the situation now?"
Qu Zhoubai replied, "I'm finding it."
Zhu Song said, "I'll go back and have the officers from the Dali Temple come look for him too. No matter if he's a human or a ghost, we have to find him."
Qu Zhoubai nodded. Now that the emperor had spoken, there was no time to delay.
Zhu Song returned to the Dali Temple and told Gu Huaiyu about the situation, but Gu Huaiyu was not surprised.
The Dali Temple and Jingzhao Prefecture jointly handled the case, and yamen runners could be seen everywhere in the capital searching for the suspect. However, after three days of searching the capital upside down, there was still no clue.
Zhu Song and the other two gathered in Jingzhao Prefecture with gloomy faces. If they couldn't catch the culprit, how would they report to their superiors?
Gu Huaiyu said, "Maybe he really isn't a green ape? Imagine if he's not a green ape, but a human, then he's most likely already out of the city."
Zhu Song said: "Once we leave the city, I don't know where to look for it anywhere in the world."
Qu Zhoubai said: "In my opinion, we should just look for it in the capital. If we can't find it, forget it."
Gu Huaiyu glanced at Qu Zhoubai, clearly disagreeing with his idea. "He appeared twice, once on Changxi Street and once on Changning Street. Perhaps we should analyze the differences between his two appearances."
"I'll go get the map." Qu Zhoubai said as he stood up.
Zhu Song carefully recalled the scene of seeing the green monkey that day, and whispered, "That day, he patted my shoulder, but he didn't mean to suck my blood. I even smelled a strong scent of Phalaenopsis on him."
"Phalaenopsis?" Gu Huaiyu frowned slightly, his voice suddenly rising. "I know there's a place ten miles outside the city where there are many Phalaenopsis orchids. Could that be it?"
"where?"
Gu Huaiyu stood up and said, "I'll take you there."
The two stood up and walked out. At this time, Qu Zhoubai came over with a map and hurriedly followed them. "Where are you going?"
Zhu Song turned around and looked at him, "Take all the remaining officers with you."
Qu Zhoubai shouted, and the officers hurriedly followed.
The place that Gu Huaiyu was talking about was a place called Yeguipo. The reason why it was called Yeguipo was because thirteen years ago, a fire killed all thirty-two members of the Lin family who settled here, leaving no one alive. It became a well-known haunted place.
The three of them came to Yeguipo and saw a field of blooming yellow Phalaenopsis from afar. It was a large patch of orange-yellow orchids, and the fragrance was so strong in the sunlight that it could be smelled from a long distance away.
Different varieties of Phalaenopsis orchids have different scents, and Zhu Song was sure that this was the scent he smelled that night.
Gu Huaiyu looked at Zhu Song, who nodded slightly. Gu Huaiyu then ordered, "Search."
Qu Zhoubai didn't understand what they were talking about and kept asking, "Why do you think he's here?"
Gu Huaiyu and Zhu Song looked at him at the same time, but no one said anything. Qu Zhoubai didn't understand what they meant, "Huh?"
Gu Huaiyu said: "Just wait and see."
Zhu Song said, "Let's go in and take a look too."
"Um."
The three men followed the path trodden by the yamen runners and walked forward. After a while, they heard a cry from the front, "Sir, we found it."
Zhu Song and the others hurried over and saw a yamen runner escorting a man towards them. The man looked young and had an outstanding appearance, but he was very thin. He was not panicked even though he was being escorted by the yamen runner, as if he had expected this day to come.
Zhu Song looked up and saw a hidden cave not far away, but most of the yamen runners were gathered in the cave, so it was not really hidden.
Several yamen runners came over with some impersonation costumes of green apes and pointed at the man, saying, "Sir, it's him who's pretending to be a ghost and scaring people."
Qu Zhoubai looked at the costumes and gave Zhu Song and the others a thumbs up. "It's amazing that they could find such a thing."
Zhu Song didn't respond. If he had known that Gu Huaiyu could find the person just by the scent of the Phalaenopsis, it wouldn't have taken so long.
Zhu Song ordered, "Bring the man back and bring the case to court."
The group hurried back to the city. The story of the green monkey had become widely known. When the common people saw the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen runners escorting people, their first reaction was that it was a green monkey. Some brave enough even asked, "Sir, is this what a green monkey looks like during the day?"
"It turns out that the green ape is only scary at night, but so handsome during the day."
"Can eating it really prolong your life?"
“…”
Soon, the news that the Qingwei was caught in Jingzhao Prefecture spread, and the people who came to watch were crowded and bustling, and the atmosphere was like New Year's Day. Qu Zhoubai, who was sitting in the hall, shouted for silence and banged the gavel at least ten times. Finally, he blessed and said, "If you are not quiet, this case cannot be tried publicly." Only then did the people quiet down.
Qu Zhoubai looked at the man kneeling in the hall, slammed the gavel, and asked loudly: "Who is this man? Why are you playing tricks on me? Tell the truth immediately."
The man calmly replied, "Your Excellency, my name is Lin Feng, and I am a survivor of the Lin family massacre at Shuyun Villa. The fire thirteen years ago wasn't an accident; it was thieves who first murdered the Lin family and then set a fire to cover up the traces. I have been hiding my identity for thirteen years, and finally I have waited for you, Your Excellency. Please, sir, take care of the thirty-one lives of my family!"
The man fell to the ground, knocking his head against the ground, sobbing and crying, "Please, sir, do this for me!" "Please, sir, do this for me!" "Please, sir, do this for me!"
The man knocked harder and harder, and soon blood appeared, but he showed no intention of stopping. Zhu Song winked at the yamen runner, who stepped forward and grabbed him, stopping him from knocking any more.
At this time, the people who had just quieted down began to whisper again.
"Is it the Lin family from Yeguipo?"
"He wasn't burned to death?"
"Oh, I'm telling you, I know. Back then, I didn't believe the Lin family would be so unlucky. A fire burned everyone to death, and no one escaped. There must be a hidden story."
"You are so amazing, why didn't you say it back then? Now that everyone has said it, you say it."
"I'm not an official, and no one will listen to me."
"Did you report this matter to the police?"
"Everyone is dead, who will report it to the authorities?"
"It's such a big deal, but the government didn't even take a look."
The noise grew louder and louder, even noisier than a vegetable market. Qu Zhoubai couldn't even slam his gavel. Zhu Song winked at him, and Qu Zhoubai said, "Adjourn the court and continue the trial later."
"Sir," Lin Feng shouted, pulling out a petition from his arms. "I want to seek justice. Please, sir, help me."
The bailiff took the complaint and presented it to Qu Zhoubai, who opened it and said to Lin Feng, "This matter happened a long time ago. If there is indeed an injustice as you claim, I will definitely give you justice. The truth of the Lin family's matter is still unknown, but there is irrefutable evidence that you pretended to be a ghost and intentionally injured others. Will you plead guilty?"
Lin Feng replied calmly: "I plead guilty. I am eager to seek justice. I used the wrong method, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
The noise grew louder and louder, and Qu Zhoubai could no longer hear what he was saying. He could only say, "Take him into custody temporarily. This case involves many people, and we will hear it later. Court is adjourned."
The yamen runners took Lin Feng to the jail. There were so many people watching that Zhu Song was worried about a stampede, so he asked the yamen runners to maintain order and slowly disperse the crowd.
This matter will not be resolved in a short time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
