“If Lord Xu can remember it, then it’s not necessary for now,” Gu Xin said.
"Your Highness, I have remembered. Please ask," said Lord Xu.
"How many people are alone in one place this night?" Gu Xin asked.
“There are seven. The rest of them are all accompanied by others, and there are martial monks patrolling the temple at night,” Lord Xu said.
"Who are these seven people? What were they doing at the time? Also, were there any other worshippers around the courtyard where the Wang family lived? Did they notice anything unusual at night?" Gu Xin asked.
"Besides the Wang family, two scholars stayed overnight at the temple yesterday. They were friends and played chess all night until the Wang family's affair was discovered. They hadn't gone to sleep yet. I've ordered someone to watch over them and have them sleep together during the day. I reckon they're awake by now. Apart from these two scholars and Lord Wang's family, there were no other pilgrims staying overnight at Hongyuan Temple last night." Lord Xu paused, then continued, "There were seven people alone in the temple: the abbot and six monks of the 'Jue' generation. Because they all had separate rooms, there was no one to corroborate each other's testimonies."
"Didn't the monks on night patrol notice anything? I just glanced at Uncle Wang's body; they didn't die peacefully. They must not have died in their sleep, but were killed while they were awake. It's impossible that there was absolutely no movement," Gu Xin said.
Lord Xu looked at the abbot.
"Amitabha!" the abbot chanted, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Your Highness, the martial monks patrolling the temple take turns, two at a time each night. One guards the front gate, and the other the back gate. The temple grounds are neither large nor small, and they patrol almost every hour each night. I have already inquired, and they have not noticed any disturbance. The Wang family's courtyard was unlit at night, so everyone assumed they were fast asleep, and no one expected such a thing to happen."
"Abbot, did you close Hongyuan Temple as soon as you sent someone down the mountain to inform Lord Xu? Before that, did anyone enter or leave the temple?" Gu Xin asked the Abbot.
“Apart from Yuanhe who came down the mountain, no one has ever entered or left. The temple only has two gates, a front gate and a back gate, and the rest of the area is surrounded by walls. The back gate is always closed, and it is rarely opened even during the day,” the abbot said with certainty.
“Alright, I understand. Lord Xu, could you please take me to see the scenes where all the victims were discovered? When you had them moved, did you remember their original positions?” Gu Xin asked.
"Your Highness, I remember. I had someone mark them with rope. Every single one was marked," Lord Xu replied.
Gu Xin nodded and called Lord Xu and the abbot to go and check on the various rooms.
Leaving the woodshed, the nearest room is where the servants and coachmen live. It's a shared room, and if you squeeze in, ten people can sleep there.
Upon entering, you can still smell the stench of blood.
Lord Xu said, "Your Highness, I did not allow anyone to touch anything in the room. Even the windows are exactly as they were when I entered. It was only during the process of carrying people that the table was bumped and moved slightly. Everything in this room is exactly as I saw when I entered, and no one has entered since."
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