"I don't know, they just seem to be after winning this race. Whatever, I've sold them my boat and helped them win the race, so I don't care about anything else," said Erganzi. It turned out that besides the money from selling the boat, they had also promised Erganzi an extra layer of silver for helping him win the race.
"It seems these people are after the abbot of the mountain temple," Xiniu said.
Fourteenth Master frowned and asked, "Aren't you coming along?" He was worried that if Erganzi and the others didn't come, he wouldn't be able to go either.
“Everyone goes. After the dragon boat race, everyone here goes to the mountain temple to offer incense to the Bodhisattva. Even the losers go. They just don’t have the right to meet the abbot,” Erganzi said.
Fourteen nodded and said no more. Sure enough, many people went up Mount Wutai to burn incense. Erganzi and his boat-riding brothers also mingled in the crowd and followed. Fourteen noticed that those people were also mingling in the crowd, heading towards the mountain temple.
Meanwhile, Fourth Master had already arranged for guards at all the entrances and exits of the temple. Fourteenth Master sent a message back by carrier pigeon, saying that the group of people would likely sneak into the temple along with the villagers who were going up the mountain.
At this moment, the Fourth Master and the abbot were in the left side room behind the main hall, working on the layout of the entire mountain temple.
"Fourth Prince, the entire entrance and exit of the mountain temple are now guarded, but we don't know what those people look like. There will be tens of thousands of pilgrims coming up. It will be very difficult to identify the assassins among them. They may split up and enter from different entrances," the abbot said, frowning.
Fourth Master had already considered this problem. If he could give Fourteenth Master more time, he could find a way to draw portraits of all those people, which would make things much easier for them. However, five days was far too short, and Fourteenth Master didn't have a chance to get a clear look at all of them. But through the daily meal deliveries by the innkeeper, Fourteenth Master managed to get a clear look at the faces of one or two people and secretly drew them in his room. Now, the portraits of those two people were in Fourth Master's hands.
"There are only two portraits. Let's capture those two first. I, Your Highness, have a way to force them to reveal their other accomplices," Fourth Master said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, we've already drawn several portraits of these two people and distributed them to the people guarding various locations," Qin Gang said.
"Amitabha, this humble monk must go ahead and take a look!" The abbot said, raising a hand to the Fourth Master.
"Master, thank you for your trouble." Fourth Master returned the bow.
"Fourth Prince, we don't have many men with us, so we have to rely on these monks. Is the Emperor reliable there? I think it would be safer for us to escort him away first," Qin Gang said after the abbot left.
The Fourth Prince glanced at Qin Gang. He had considered Qin Gang's words and had even hinted at them to Emperor Kangxi, but Qin Gang refused to leave. The Fourth Prince naturally knew why, but Qin Gang did not, so he asked now.
"Father doesn't want to leave like this. As long as we do our best to capture those thieves, Father will be fine. Guard Qin, do you have any poison on you?" Fourth Prince asked.
"Poison?" Qin Gang looked at Fourth Master in surprise, not understanding what he meant by those words.
"Yes, if we capture those two and want them to confess in the shortest time, we'll have to threaten them with death, and even that might not work," the Fourth Prince said, frowning. Actually, he wasn't entirely confident either, as he wasn't sure how many people the enemy had. The accuracy of the information from the Fourteenth Bureau was also uncertain. Kangxi and Shunzhi were in this mountain temple; if the enemy's numbers were too great, completely exceeding their strength, then Kangxi would be in danger.
"Fourth Prince, I still believe that we should escort His Majesty away from here as soon as possible. Knowing there are assassins, why put His Majesty in danger?" Qin Gang was a member of the Imperial Guards, and Kangxi's safety was his top priority.
"Guard Qin, this is Father Emperor's will. You don't need to say anything more!" Fourth Prince glared at Qin Gang, knowing he couldn't reveal Xingchi's identity. Kangxi had gone to great lengths to find them on Mount Wutai; how could he possibly leave his father in danger and depart alone?
"Could it be related to that Master Xingchi?" Qin Gang asked. He had personally witnessed Fourth Master bowing so deeply to Master Xingchi, and had long harbored suspicions.
"Qin Gang, you'd better not ask any more questions. The more you know, the faster you die!" Fourth Master warned.
Before Qin Gang could say anything more, Fourth Master waved his hand at him and said, "Look at the time, the pilgrims will be arriving soon. Let's get started."
Qin Gang could only nod and leave with a puzzled look on his face. Then, Fourth Master's attendants, Cui Da and Cui Er, and Li Wei, came in.
"Master, we have arranged everything as you instructed," Cui Da said to the Fourth Master. Since entering the temple, they had been resting in their meditation rooms every day, practically growing mold from boredom. Because the Fourth Master, along with the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes, served Emperor Kangxi, they hadn't had the opportunity to serve him. And because they were with Emperor Kangxi, they didn't dare to cause trouble in front of the Fourth Master, so they all stayed quietly in their rooms.
"Alright, whether things go well today depends entirely on your trap, Master Cui!" Fourth Master was unsure of himself, but when he saw Master Cui walk in with a smile, he felt reassured.
"Don't worry! These measures of mine have never failed me, and I guarantee that I'll catch all those bastards," Cui Da said confidently.
"I have great confidence in you. I've searched the mountains surrounding this temple, and there aren't many people there regularly. There aren't many prey hunting in Wutai Mountain either. If they want to escape safely, they'll definitely head into the mountains. In that case, we should set up traps and mechanisms along all the accessible routes so that once they're inside, they can't get out!" Fourth Master said. He was inspired by Fourteenth Master falling into the porcupine trap, and after discussing it with Li Wei, Cui Da, Cui Er, and Su Peisheng, they came up with this idea.
"Master, don't worry. This time, we brothers will show off!" Cui Da said confidently. Because they were serving the Emperor, they had been holding back, staying in their rooms. The Fourth Prince had given them this opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, and the two were overjoyed. As soon as the Fourth Prince returned from the county town, he ordered them to set up the traps. It was only five days, which was very tight. Cui Da, Cui Er, Li Wei, and even Su Peisheng helped set up the traps.
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