Chapter 96 Hated by Gods and Ghosts, Acting on Behalf of Heaven
The Jade Buddha Temple has a typical three-tiered layout. Entering from the mountain gate, along the central axis are the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Great Buddha Hall (main hall), and the Medicine Buddha Hall.
The Hall of Heavenly Kings enshrines Maitreya Buddha at the front, flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings, who hold ritual implements and guard the four directions.
The back is enshrined as Weituo Bodhisattva, facing the main hall, signifying his role as a protector of the Dharma.
Gao Yu's body was found in the open space between the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Great Buddha Hall, directly facing the direction of the Bodhisattva Weituo.
Pei Jinghuai strode into the Heavenly King Hall to investigate, and quickly returned, saying to Pei Jingyi, "The Vajra Pestle in the hands of Bodhisattva Weituo is missing."
He raised his hand to indicate the approximate length and nodded affirmatively: "This should be it."
Pei Jingyi looked down at the golden bronze weapon stuck in Gao Yu's chest. The top was a three-faced Buddha head, with one face smiling, one face angry, and one face cursing. The bottom was a three-edged weapon with sharp spikes, which had deeply pierced Gao Yu's heart, but not a drop of blood was flowing out.
It must have been washed away by last night's heavy rain, and there was no trace left around the body.
Gao Yu's clothes were charred, and the gold ornaments he wore at his waist were melted, twisted, and branded tightly onto his body. His exposed skin was blackened, his mouth and eyes were bulging, and his expression was distorted, as if he had suffered great fright before his death.
Pei Jingyi followed his gaze and his eyes met the solemn and majestic image of the Bodhisattva Weituo in the Heavenly King Hall.
The fierce winds and torrential rains of last night have subsided, but today remains a foggy and overcast day. A gloomy atmosphere seems to hang over the Jade Buddha Temple as well. A sense of unease pervades the air, and a silent fear quietly spreads.
The dim, gloomy light slanted into the hall, casting the Buddha statue's face in half-light and half-shadow. The light distorted the face, making one half appear compassionate and benevolent, while the other half glared fiercely.
Is this truly divine punishment?
Pei Jingyi lowered his eyes and remained silent, a playful smile curving his lips.
...
As the highest-ranking person currently stranded at the Jade Buddha Temple, Pei Jingyi accepted Master Kong's request and entrustment to temporarily take charge of the situation.
"Continue to arrange for the monks in the temple to clear the mountain path and open up a road connecting it to the outside world as soon as possible."
"Reassure the other stranded pilgrims and ask them to stay in their rooms as much as possible and not to wander around."
"Have the monks in charge of the dining hall take inventory of the temple's food reserves, and take precautions against water and moisture to prevent mold growth."
"As for Gao Yu's body..."
Pei Jingyi pondered for a moment, glanced at the Gao family followers standing beside him with expressions of grief and resentment, and said to Master Kong, "Let's find an empty room to settle down first."
Master Liaokong gave a few instructions to his disciples behind him. Soon, two monks carried a bamboo stretcher from behind and carefully lifted Gao Yu's body onto it, taking it to an empty room in the Arhat Hall on the west side.
"Huaizhou, go find some clean face towels and cotton gloves. Come with me to examine Gao Yu's body in a bit."
Pei Jinghuai frowned and muttered unhappily, "This is a coroner's job, why are you asking me to do it?"
"Are there any coroners available to come up the mountain now?"
Pei Jingyi's voice was slightly deep, carrying a hint of elder brother's authority, "The younger brother of Consort Gao is dead, and we happened to be staying at the temple at the time of the incident. If we cannot examine the body and preserve the evidence as soon as possible, by the time the mountain road is cleared, the body may have already decomposed and we will not be able to find anything."
Pei Jinghuai had to admit this truth no matter how unwilling he was; after all, they were just unlucky to have been caught up in this situation.
At the very least, the Gao family should be given a reasonable explanation.
"If you ask me, it's because he's done too many evil deeds in his life that he deserves to be struck by lightning..."
Pei Jinghuai, grumbling and cursing, went to the monk to ask for tools.
Pei Jingyi then walked over to Yan Yi and Shen Lingyue, and said gently to them, "Your aunt is still resting in her room. You should go back and keep her company. Remember to have the maid brew some calming tea so she won't be frightened by the corpse."
Gao Yu's death was too gruesome. Even though Shen Lingyue was usually brave and loved watching horror movies, she couldn't accept the huge shock of facing a corpse. Upon hearing this, she quickly nodded and said, "Big brother, you can go ahead and do your work. I will take good care of sister-in-law!"
Pei Jingyi watched the two leave hand in hand before turning around and waiting outside the room where Gao Yu was parked.
Pei Jinghuai moved quickly, bringing not only a face towel and gloves, but also a small jar of strong liquor, a few pieces of ginger, and a small box of incense.
Pei Jingyi raised an eyebrow. "Where did this wine come from?"
“It was given to me by the Gao family,” Pei Jinghuai said truthfully. “It was what they had left over from drinking on the mountain yesterday. I just went into Gao Yu’s room, and there was still half a roast chicken left over.”
Pei Jingyi scoffed lightly, "Eating meat and drinking wine in a Buddhist temple, he really... died a worthy death."
The two men, each with a slice of ginger in their mouth, a towel tied around their face, and gloves on, fully armed, entered the room to conduct the inspection.
With a ripping sound, Pei Jinghuai forcefully ripped off Gao Yu's clothes, frowning with disgust, and said in a gruff voice, "I, the dignified second young master of the Marquis's mansion, am actually messing with dead people with you here..."
"Stop howling, the young master is here too." Pei Jingyi's eyes were indifferent, and his hands moved quickly. Soon, the two of them stripped Gao Yu naked, leaving only the demon-subduing pestle stuck in his chest.
Pei Jingyi grasped the Buddha head at the top with both hands, and with a little force, pulled out the vajra and placed it aside.
A bloody hole in his chest, the skin and flesh rolled up, charred on the outside and tender on the inside, and you could almost smell the aroma of meat.
Pei Jinghuai couldn't help but gag twice.
Oh no, how is he supposed to eat barbecue now!
“I remember that in the book ‘Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified,’ it was written that people who were struck by lightning had ‘yellowish flesh, soft black skin, and marks resembling seal script on their chest, neck, back, and shoulders.’”
Pei Jingyi carefully examined Gao Yu's bare upper body, but found no marks.
Pei Jinghuai, suppressing his nausea, leaned closer to look. "So he was struck by lightning after he died? Oh, I see! Gao Yu was first stabbed to death with this demon-subduing pestle, then thrown into the heavy rain, and turned into a human-shaped 'thunder god pillar'?"
Large households often have similar devices on their roofs, such as roof-swallowing beasts on the beams or thunder pillars made of metal, which work together with the finial to channel the power of lightning into the earth.
"Hmm, not too stupid." Pei Jingyi praised her lightly.
Pei Jinghuai immediately became smug, "Of course, my mother taught me from a young age that I shouldn't hide under trees during thunderstorms, or I'll get struck by lightning."
After saying that, he suddenly realized, "If it's not divine punishment, then someone deliberately killed Gao Yu and is playing tricks, and the murderer is now trapped in the Jade Buddha Temple with us?"
"Congratulations, you got it right again."
"This is too dangerous!" Pei Jinghuai spun around on the ground twice, then realized, "No, Gao Yu deserved to be killed. We didn't do anything wrong, so what's there to be afraid of?"
He suddenly relaxed and urged Pei Jingyi to leave quickly.
"Let's go, let's go, if we smell this any longer I feel like throwing up my lunch from yesterday..."
Pei Jingyi didn't move. He carefully examined Gao Yu's body again and finally found a wound on the back of Gao Yu's head, covered with a thick layer of scab, leaving a dark brown scorch mark on his white glove.
...
On the way back to the Zen temple, Yan Yi and Shen Lingyue were also analyzing Gao Yu's death.
“It’s definitely not some divine punishment,” Shen Lingyue argued confidently. “Look at that vajra, it’s made of either bronze or iron, it’s clearly a large lightning rod.”
Yan Yi said softly, "The murderer deliberately used the Dharma weapon of Bodhisattva Weituo as the murder weapon in order to attribute Gao Yu's death to supernatural phenomena and clear his name."
Shen Lingyue suddenly felt a chill run down her spine from the wind and quickly hugged her arms. "The thought that there's a murderer among us right now is really creepy..."
As they were talking, they passed by Princess Lekang's courtyard. Just then, she opened the door and came out. She was quite surprised to see the two of them: "Sister Chen, Sister Zhou, you're up so early!"
Princess Lekang yawned, still a little drowsy.
Shen Lingyue stopped and looked at her with some surprise: "Your Highness, did you just get up? Didn't you hear anything just now?"
"What's all this noise?" Princess Lekang asked, puzzled. "I had a nightmare last night, and then I couldn't fall back asleep, so I dissolved a calming pill in warm water, and sure enough, I slept soundly until dawn."
She glanced towards the main hall. "Has something happened at the temple?"
...Princess Lekang was unaware of Gao Yu's death?
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi exchanged a glance, hesitating whether or not to tell her.
Princess Lekang is so timid, don't frighten her anymore.
While the two were still struggling with how to start the conversation, the palace maid Qiushan rushed back from the dining hall carrying a food box.
"Your Highness, it's terrible! The Imperial Uncle... he's dead!"
Shen Lingyue: ...Alright, there's no need to hide it anymore.
Princess Lekang's expression changed, and she quickly grabbed the door frame to steady herself, repeatedly asking, "Qiushan, what nonsense are you talking about? Who died?"
Akiyama's face showed a complex expression, unsure whether to feel schadenfreude or fear.
“This servant dares not speak nonsense. It really is the young imperial brother-in-law, Gao Yu. He was found dead in front of the main hall this morning. When I went to the dining hall to get food, the monks were all talking about him, saying that his behavior was improper and that he had angered Bodhisattva Weituo, so the Bodhisattva appeared in the middle of the night and sent down heavenly punishment.”
Princess Lekang only brought her trusted maid Qiushan with her when she went out of the palace to pray for blessings this time.
Gao Yu repeatedly harassed the princess, and Qiu Shan saw it all but could do nothing about it.
Yesterday, she even bumped her head while protecting the princess, and a huge bump swelled up. It hasn't gone down yet, and then came the news of Gao Yu's death.
Akiyama tried to hold back, but couldn't help but smile. "Your Highness, you no longer have to worry about being married off to that bastard."
Princess Lekang was stunned for a long time before she murmured, "Yes, the Bodhisattva really did appear."
...
Princess Lekang took Qiushan to the Medicine Master Hall to transcribe scriptures and pray for the Virtuous Consort.
As Yan Yi watched the two figures slowly disappear into the distance, she said softly, "With Gao Yu dead, the biggest beneficiary will be Princess Lekang."
Even if Consort Lin wanted to win Consort Gao's support for Prince Heng, she couldn't possibly marry her daughter to a dead man.
Shen Lingyue stretched and said, "Such scum deserved to die, he died a wonderful death, he died a splendid death!"
This clever murderer has truly done a great deed, acting on behalf of Heaven.
The two returned to the courtyard. Upon hearing the commotion, Pei Yuzhen immediately came out of her room, unable to contain her gossip: "So, who died? Have they caught the murderer yet?"
"Aunt, are you no longer dizzy?" Shen Lingyue deliberately kept everyone in suspense, and said in a deep voice, "Bad news: the murderer has not been found."
Pei Yuzhen nervously bit her handkerchief. "What should we do? Are we going to have to stay on the mountain with the murderer?"
"Good news: it was Gao Yu who died." Shen Lingyue added with a smile.
“…It’s him.” Pei Yuzhen instantly relaxed and waved her hand. “Then it’s alright.”
She glanced behind the two of them again. "Where are Jingyi and Jinghuai? Why didn't they come back with you?"
Yan Yi explained, "They went to examine Gao Yu's body. Now that the mountain roads are blocked, they can't collect the body in time. They need to give the Gao family an explanation."
Pei Yuzhen gave a look as if she had swallowed a fly. "Quickly send someone outside to find some pomelo leaves. When they come back, we'll use them to get rid of the bad luck."
Looking at Pei Yuzhen's impetuous manner, Shen Lingyue shook her head and sighed, "To be a person like Gao Yu, one must be hated by both gods and ghosts."
...
Although they said that Gao Yu deserved to die and that the murderer was acting on behalf of God, everyone still wisely stayed in their rooms all morning and did not go out to wander around.
Shen Lingyue echoed Pei Yuzhen's sentiment: "I should have brought a mahjong set with me."
Who would have thought that just going out to pray to Buddha would lead them to a murder case and get them trapped on the mountain?
Pei Yuzhen was even more listless, unable to muster any enthusiasm for the vegetarian dishes on the table.
Even if the vegetarian food at the Jade Buddha Temple is delicious, you can't eat it three times a day.
Her eyes darted around, glancing at Pei Jinghuai across from her, and she smiled excessively, "Jinghuai, your aunt really has no appetite. Why don't you go to the back mountain and hunt a rabbit? We can secretly roast it and eat it in the yard, okay?"
Roasted rabbit...
Pei Jinghuai suddenly turned his head and gagged, waving his hands frantically, "Don't mention meat to me, I don't want to touch any meat lately!"
Pei Yuzhen glared at him unhappily, "You brat, can't you be filial to me for once? It's just vegetables every meal, I'm getting green with envy."
Shen Lingyue lowered her voice mysteriously: "Aunt, I heard that Gao Yu was struck by lightning by the Bodhisattva because he ate meat and drank alcohol in the temple."
Pei Yuzhen: ...This meat isn't something we absolutely have to eat.
She put on a stern face and pretended to lecture them, "You better behave yourselves these next few days. This is a Buddhist sanctuary; you can't break the rules. Be careful not to get targeted by that so-called 'divine punishment.'"
Shen Lingyue said nonchalantly, "I know, little aunt. My husband and I are together all the time, so a few more days won't make a difference."
She thought she was giving herself a vacation; wouldn't it be nice to just chat under the covers?
Yan Yi subtly glared at Pei Jingyi while picking up food, sending a veiled warning.
Pei Jingyi remained calm and unhurriedly served her a bowl of soup. "I heard that these mushrooms were picked up by the young monk from the back mountain. They are very fresh. Please drink more, Madam."
Inspired, Shen Lingyue suggested, "Why don't we go mushroom picking in the back hill this afternoon?"
With such a heavy rain yesterday, there must be lots of mushrooms in the mountains now.
She got excited just thinking about it. "I remember there's a big bamboo forest on the back hill. Maybe we can dig up some bamboo shoots. Auntie, do you want to go?"
Pei Yuzhen was somewhat tempted, but she was also concerned about her pride, so she snorted and said, "That's the kind of work that only rural women do. I don't want to step in the mud."
“…Aunt, think about it. If you personally pick a basket of mushrooms and bamboo shoots and send them to Songhe Hall, saying it's a token of your filial piety to your grandmother, she will definitely be happy.”
This reason finally convinced Pei Yuzhen, who reluctantly agreed: "Alright, I'll go with you. After all, I'm the elder, so I have to take good care of you when we're out and about."
After lunch and a short rest, the family changed into clothes that were easy to move in and went into the mountains with small bamboo baskets.
Pei Yuzhen was initially reserved and unwilling to bend down, but when she saw the clumps of mushrooms growing under the tree in front of her, she could no longer suppress her instincts and quickly stepped forward to pick them up.
While doing so, she shouted behind her like a mother hen guarding her food, "This whole area is mine, you can go look elsewhere, don't try to take it from me!"
Shen Lingyue pulled Yan Yi aside and chuckled, "I knew it! No one can resist the joy of gathering, no one!"
Yan Yi didn't pick many mushrooms. She was still thinking about the ancient stele forest she hadn't finished looking at yesterday afternoon. There were several exquisite calligraphy works on it, and she wanted to find an opportunity to make rubbings and bring them back to the mansion to study at her leisure.
Upon hearing this, Shen Lingyue said, "That's easy. We can just pick them up slowly as we walk towards the Stele Forest."
Passing through the bamboo forest, you'll find the stone path leading to the Stele Forest.
Yan Yi suddenly stopped and looked up at a gray figure faintly visible in the dense bamboo forest. "There seems to be someone ahead."
Shen Lingyue immediately recognized the full and perfect back of the head, and in her excitement, she couldn't help but exclaim, "It's Master Yun Zhi!"
Hearing the sound from afar, Yun Zhi turned around. He was taken aback for a moment when he saw them, then walked over unhurriedly.
"Amitabha Buddha, what brings you gentlemen here..."
Yun Zhi looked down and saw the small bamboo basket that Shen Lingyue was carrying, which was full of mushrooms. He couldn't help but show a surprised and helpless expression.
"The temple is in a state of panic these days, but you seem to have a rather rustic charm."
"I've done nothing wrong, so naturally I have nothing to fear from heaven." Shen Lingyue chuckled, a hint of gossip in her voice: "Where's the master? Why did you come to the back mountain all by yourself?"
Yun Zhi nodded slightly: "Today, since no one is here to interpret the divination slips, this humble monk has come to this bamboo grove to meditate and contemplate Zen."
Shen Lingyue nodded as if she understood, "Then we won't disturb Master while he does his homework."
"No disturbance, please make yourself at home."
Yun Zhi bowed to the group and walked out calmly.
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi went straight into the Stele Forest, only to see Princess Lekang there.
"Didn't Your Highness go to the Medicine Buddha Hall to copy scriptures?"
Princess Lekang turned around and pointed to the palace not far away, "You're new here and don't know yet, but if you come out of the back door of the Medicine Buddha Hall, you can go straight to this stele forest. I've been living in the temple for a long time, and sometimes when I get bored copying scriptures, I come here for a stroll."
Shen Lingyue nodded and said, "What a coincidence! We just ran into Master Yunzhi outside. Did Your Highness see him?"
Princess Lekang smiled and shook her head: "No, perhaps he saw me here from afar and avoided me."
Yan Yi was examining a stone tablet beside her when her gaze inadvertently swept downwards and she saw that Princess Lekang's right palm, which was wrapped in bandages and had faint traces of blood showing through it.
She couldn't help but ask, "Is Your Highness injured?"
Princess Lekang panicked upon hearing this, and hurriedly put her hands behind her back to cover up her injury. She then stammered, "It's nothing, I just accidentally scratched myself."
“Once the road down the mountain is cleared, Your Highness should come back to the capital with us.”
Shen Lingyue advised her, "Anyway, Gao Yu is already dead, so you don't need to hide from Consort Xian anymore."
A princess of noble birth, living in a Buddhist temple in such a pitiful state, with only one maidservant by her side, was inconvenienced in every way.
Princess Lekang nodded absentmindedly, "Alright...you can take your time, I'll go back to the palace and finish copying today's scriptures."
The two watched Princess Lekang leave, and Shen Lingyue was still lamenting, "It's so inconvenient. The princess's shoes were all dirty, and I didn't see any palace maids rushing to change her into a new pair."
Yan Yi followed her gaze and, as Princess Lekang walked, she could vaguely see that the soles and edges of her shoes were stained with dark brown marks, as if she had stepped in some kind of mud.
She frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Perhaps she was overthinking it.
...
Pei Yuzhen was the one who had the biggest harvest on this trip into the mountains. She picked two large baskets full of mushrooms, which Pei Jinghuai ended up carrying back.
She spread the mushrooms out to dry in the yard, but when the little monk who came to deliver her dinner that evening came in and saw them, he couldn't help but ask, "Benefactor, why are you picking so many poisonous mushrooms?"
Pei Yuzhen: ? ? ?
Shen Lingyue was also shocked. "Isn't it said that only brightly colored mushrooms are poisonous? These grayish-white ones can't be eaten either?"
The young monk picked up a large, white, round mushroom and explained, "We call this kind of mushroom 'White Ghost Coptis,' it's extremely poisonous. Just this small one can kill a grown stallion."
Shen Lingyue murmured, "I thought this was a very large mushroom..."
She asked the young monk to help her pick out all the poisonous mushrooms they had collected that day, leaving only a small pile that was edible.
Shen Lingyue stared intently at the mushrooms, remembering to only pick these when she went up the mountain tomorrow!
Pei Yuzhen clutched her aching lower back, "...I'll never pick them up again."
She might as well spend a few dozen coins to buy a basketful from the village at the foot of the mountain.
Pei Yuzhen muttered something unintentionally, and the little monk's eyes lit up. "Does the benefactor want to buy dried mushrooms? I... I picked a lot before, and they've all been dried."
He said shyly in a low voice, "If you want to buy them, I'll bring them all over in a bit."
"You little monk, you've started doing business now," Pei Yuzhen scoffed. "Aren't you monks supposed to be pure of the six senses?"
The little monk blushed and waved his hands repeatedly, "No, it's my mother... My mother is sick, and I want to save some money to send back to her so she can eat something good to help her recover."
Pei Yuzhen was taken aback for a moment, then a hint of pity appeared on her face. She waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, send me as many mushrooms as you want, I'll take them all."
The young monk smiled through his tears: "Thank you, benefactor! I'll pack it up and bring it to you as soon as I get back!"
He bowed gratefully to Pei Yuzhen, then turned and ran off happily.
Back in his room, he pulled a cloth bag from under the bed and went to the canteen to borrow a scale to weigh it.
Only three pounds... it won't sell for much money.
The young monk looked towards the back mountain and decided to go back into the mountain before it got dark. If he could pick more mushrooms, he would sell them to the kind female benefactor.
He shouldered his bamboo basket, told his fellow student in the same room what he was doing, and then quickly left.
After entering the mountains, he quickly found a large patch of edible mushrooms, picked them all up, and continued walking deeper into the mountains.
Until they faintly heard the sound of something heavy being dragged ahead.
The young monk suddenly stopped in his tracks, belatedly feeling a sense of fear.
His senior had warned him not to go too deep into the mountains, as there might be wild animals inside...
He gripped the rope of the bamboo basket tightly, not daring to turn around, and walked backward step by step.
The rustling sound grew closer, and suddenly a figure appeared behind the tree.
The little monk looked closely, breathed a long sigh of relief, and raised his innocent smile: "It's Senior Brother Yunzhi! You scared me to death!"
Yun Zhi walked towards him step by step, raised his hand and touched his head, and said gently, "Hui Tao, why did you come into the mountains alone?"
"I came to pick mushrooms," the little monk said innocently. "Senior brother, you just came out from inside. Are there many mushrooms over there?"
Yun Zhi shook her head. "I didn't see it. Try looking in another direction."
"Okay, thank you, senior brother." The little monk turned around and skipped away to the other side of the woods.
Yun Zhi looked at him quietly.
The other hand, hidden behind his back, was covered in blood, which dripped into the grass.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here you are! [Let me see] Everyone is so smart~
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