Chapter 84 The Immortal in the Hermitage (Twenty-Seven) The uncle and nephew had always been excessively close…
Two constables hurriedly carried Chen Jia out. Xu Bai entered the room and saw a dagger under the screen, stained with blood. Jiu Li was huddled on the bed, sobbing, her clothes slightly disheveled. Anyone who saw her could guess what had happened.
"Master Chen tried to do something indecent to Yu'er. I tried to persuade him with kind words, but he wouldn't listen. Instead, he used his power to intimidate me. In desperation, I had no choice but to—" Yu Qi sighed in front of everyone and looked at Jingyue, "Little Master Jingyue can probably testify."
Jingyue paused for a moment, nodded, stepped across the threshold, and glanced at everyone. "I knew I hadn't misheard. It really was Miss Yu calling for help! Didn't anyone hear it?"
The nuns looked at each other, some not having heard, others pretending not to, none daring to speak. Jingyue was puzzled, suddenly remembering that before dinner, Jingzhen had sternly addressed everyone in the lecture hall, saying that the temple had recently suffered many disasters, and for everyone's safety, everyone should not cause trouble, rest at night, and not go out and wander around at will.
Thinking back to when Jueming and Jueguang had tried to pull her away so stealthily, and when Jueming had been in the kitchen making dinner, standing in front of the pot of loofah and tofu stew for a long time while chatting about this and that, she realized that Jueming had been acting rather suspiciously at the time.
She just happened to haven't eaten that dish today! She put on a stern face and asked the group of young nuns, "Who ate that loofah and tofu stew for dinner?"
Most of the women mumbled that they had eaten, and she immediately pressed, "What were you all doing in the house just now?"
The nuns all said, "They're sleeping. For some reason, they're very sleepy tonight."
That's quite something; they probably drugged Jueming's food. Jingyue stared incredulously at Jueming and Jueguang. Knowing they were doomed, Jueming and Jueguang instinctively took a few steps back.
"Lock up the abbot and the supervisor!"
At Xu Bai's command, several yamen runners swiftly and forcefully restrained Jingzhen and the others with shackles. Jingzhen and the others were already stunned, and they woodenly allowed themselves to be pushed through the door and kneel down. Xu Bai sat down next to Yu Qi, and before he could speak, Jueming and Jueguang had already kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Chen San's two maids also came to the door to watch the commotion. Xu Bai winked at the two constables, who then pulled them into the house. Yu Qi looked at the two maids, then glanced at the crowd behind them, and laughed, "Aren't you wondering how I've 'come back to life' again?"
The crowd, who had been whispering amongst themselves, fell silent upon hearing this. Yu Qi continued, "If I don't die, I'm afraid I won't be able to catch your abbot guilty of running a brothel and forcing women into prostitution."
Some of these people were ignorant and doubtful, some were confused and bewildered, some were incredulous, and some were just beginning to understand; all of these feelings were written on their faces.
Amidst the uproar, Jiuli slowly emerged from behind the screen, solemnly gazing at the crowd. She spoke softly yet forcefully: "You may not know, but your abbess, under the guise of saving all sentient beings, is openly engaged in the buying and selling of flesh within Qinglian Temple! Her backer is none other than that Master Chen from earlier! Tonight, Chen Jia broke into my room intending to assault me; this was a plan conspired with these nuns. They use various methods—enticements, threats, and deception—to lure beautiful women to the temple to become nuns, secretly forcing them into prostitution! Those of average appearance may escape this fate, but they too will become their servants!"
The nuns were skeptical of this explanation, but some of the earlier ones, upon reflection, felt something was amiss and eagerly questioned Jingzhen and the others, their questions already tinged with resentment.
Others might be okay, but when Jingyue thought about it carefully, a chill ran down her spine. No wonder Jingzhen and the others had treated her more considerately than others since she entered the temple. She had thought it was because they were kind and benevolent, but it turned out that it was because of her outstanding appearance that they had designs on her!
She rushed to Jingzhen in a fit of rage, grabbing her collar. "Miss Yu, is what you said true?! Tell me, are you involved in the deaths of our senior sisters? Did you kill them?!"
Jingzhen's monk's hat was shaken off, revealing a pointed, flat bald head, which, against her narrow eyes and thin cheeks, made her look particularly rat-like.
She didn't answer a word, only kept her eyes closed and frantically chanting Amitabha Buddha, as if she truly wanted all the gods and Buddhas in the temple to save her.
"Hmph, so you suddenly remember to sincerely chant Buddhist scriptures now?" Jiuli walked up to her and sneered, then said, "Your deceased senior sisters were probably all cash cows cultivated by them. Even that Third Grandmother Chen, in terms of seniority, was actually your senior sister before. However, she was a little luckier. Second Master Chen's family needed to win over officials from all over the country, so they chose her to give to Third Master Chen of Huai'an Prefecture. From then on, she left Qinglian Temple and became someone's concubine. Later, she became a grandmother. So she came back to reminisce about the bitter past and appreciate the sweet present."
The two girls from the Chen family immediately changed their expressions. It turned out that their grandmother had a past connection with Qinglian Temple!
Just then, some constables dragged Granny Chen, who was hiding in the room, over and slammed her to the ground. Granny Chen trembled like a leaf, her expression terrified. When she saw Yu Qi, she looked as if she had seen the King of Hell, and quickly lowered her eyes to the ground.
Xu Bai slammed his hand on the table with an air of authority, “Third Madam Chen, quickly tell us everything about how you poisoned Mr. Yu. If you were coerced, you don’t deserve to die. But if you don’t tell the truth, you will have to bear the blame for poisoning Mr. Yu alone!”
Grandma Chen, propped up on the ground, looked at Jingzhen and the others. She was still somewhat hesitant, but Xu Bai continued, "You think everything is fine just because no one saw you poisoning the plants that day? You were too careless. It was raining that day, and you slipped out from behind the artificial hill, your feet covered in mud. There were your footprints on the corridor. Moreover, I sent people to investigate the nearby pharmacies, and some people clearly remembered that you went to buy arsenic the day before the incident. Your two maids can also testify that you got dressed and left the house before they woke up that morning. And these past two days, you've been absent-minded and restless. What else could it be but a guilty conscience?!"
Now that things had come to this, Granny Chen knew she couldn't escape. She could only point her arm at Jingzhen and the others, crying, "It's them! They forced me to do this! They wanted me to buy poison, and if I didn't comply, they threatened to tell my maid everything that happened to me at Qinglian Temple. When I was sent to Huai'an by the eldest son of the Chen family, I told my husband I was an innocent woman, and I didn't dare tell him the truth. I've kept it from him all these years—"
"It's all their fault! It's all the fault of those old hags! The women who could make money at Qinglian Temple have died one after another, and they desperately need talent. They set their sights on Miss Yu, and seeing that Mr. Yu was in their way, they came up with this vicious plan! They coaxed me by saying that even if Mr. Yu really died, the blame would be placed on the murderers who had been killing people for days. I had no choice but to reluctantly agree."
"But I've been terrified these past two days. I can't eat or sleep well, and I have nightmares every night—the poisoning wasn't my intention. Please forgive me, sir. Please don't tell my family, please don't tell my husband—"
She knelt down in front of Xu Bai while crying. Xu Bai didn't even look at her. He just beckoned, and two constables came forward and pulled her out.
He shifted his gaze, staring coldly at Jingzhen and the others. "For the past ten years or so, Qinglian Temple has been ostensibly a nunnery, but in reality, it has been a den of brothels. You have been making money while simultaneously entertaining powerful figures from all over the country for the Chen brothers, accumulating wealth, and currying favor with officials. These are all undeniable facts. What else do you have to say?!"
The others were startled by the sound, but Yu Qi glanced at him indifferently.
When Jingzhen and the others saw that the situation was hopeless, even Chen Jia grabbed them and stabbed them on the spot, which showed that they were not afraid of the Chen family's power at all. At this moment, they stopped chanting Buddhist prayers and just cried and begged. Several yamen runners came to drag them away, but they knelt on the ground and refused to get up. In the end, they were still taken to the yamen by the yamen runners overnight.
The next day, when Zhang arrived at the yamen, he still felt heavy-headed and complained repeatedly, "I don't know why, but I felt sleepy on the way back from Qinglian Temple yesterday. I had important business to attend to at the yamen, but I was so sleepy that I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I had to go home and sleep first."
He summoned a group of yamen runners and ordered them to search for Miaohua's whereabouts at various checkpoints.
A minor official in charge of issuing travel permits, while checking the permit stubs, said to him with a smile, "It's not your fault. Did you have dinner at Qinglian Temple? I heard they put drugs in the food there."
He then recounted to him the whole story of how he had imprisoned Granny Chen and several senior nuns the previous night, and shook his head with a sigh, “Mr. Yu is truly remarkable. He even caught Second Master Chen on the spot. Although Second Master Chen is seriously injured, he was acting in self-defense, as witnessed by everyone at Qinglian Temple. He can’t rely on the temple manager to pursue the matter, but he still has to explain to our Lord Yan the past collusion between him and his brother with Qinglian Temple.”
Zhang Da leaned closer and asked, "What is Lord Yan's attitude?"
"Our Lord Yan was originally unaffiliated with any party or faction, but who knew that Master Chen would fall into his hands? Now he has this hot potato in his hands, and he wants to tell the Imperial Uncle that it has nothing to do with him, but how could the Imperial Uncle believe him? He might as well take the opportunity to surrender to Prince Zhao. So last night, he wrote a letter to report this case to Prince Zhao."
I never imagined so many things would happen after just one night's sleep. Zhang Da pondered for a moment and then laughed, "Adults really do have sharper minds. Has Second Master Chen woken up yet?"
The clerk chuckled softly, "I heard he woke up early this morning. Although he survived, he'll probably never be a man again. He's resting in our inn now, being looked after by his servants. Lord Yan has also sent two constables to keep an eye on him. This case will definitely reach the ears of the emperor, so Lord Yan has to take it seriously. This morning he even sent someone to Qinglian Temple to tell Lord Qi and Mr. Yu that they must solve this case within five days."
Within five days? That's too much pressure. Zhang Da couldn't help but get impatient. He asked the old nuns if they had revealed any clues. Unexpectedly, Yan Shu interrogated them all night and didn't get a single useful word. When talking about the secret "pilgrims," there wasn't a single thin man in his twenties among them.
This is strange. Apart from Qinglian Temple, the nun Miaohua has nowhere to associate with men, especially since that man is on good terms with Yi Cilian and others.
Putting all that aside for now, Zhang Da, in his haste, urged the clerk, "Any suspicious travel permits?"
The clerk spent half a day searching through the documents, then shook his head with a bitter face. "The travel permits I've seen recently are all written very clearly. They state the names and addresses of the people who live there. They are all verifiable. There isn't a single one that is vague or ambiguous."
They could only wait and see if the people they sent out could find anyone suspicious. But they couldn't just wait idly. Zhang Da drank a bowl of tea and then went to the house next to Lion Bridge to investigate.
Coincidentally, Yu Qixu and Bai Jiuli got up early in the morning and read the statement that Yan Shu had sent over. They then learned that Jingzhen and the others had no impression of the mysterious young man at all, and none of the "hidden guests" they mentioned were well-dressed, thin, or in their twenties.
Jiuli flipped through the testimonies with suspicion, "Could it be that a few old thieves are hiding something and refusing to tell us?"
Xu Bai glanced at Yu Qi and laughed, "Even someone as powerful as Master Chen was stabbed by Mr. Yu and is now being held in the mansion. What else can't they say?"
That's true. Jiuli placed the offering table on the table, glanced at Yu Qi, then turned back to the person opposite her, propping her chin on her hand, and asked, "Do you think the court will severely punish someone with Chen Jia's power?"
Xu Bai smiled and remained silent for a moment before speaking in a calm tone, "Chen Jia is not the murderer in this case after all. He has never killed anyone. In the eyes of those high-ranking officials in the court, this matter can be turned into a minor one and then forgotten. It all depends on the Emperor's attitude towards the Chen family right now."
"What was the Emperor's attitude?"
Xu Bai shook his head with a smile, "Judging from what happened with Wang Shanfeng last time, the Emperor intends to give the Chen family a warning, but he has no intention of dismissing them. After all, Consort Chen has been favored for many years and has given birth to a prince for the Emperor. Right now, the Emperor only has this one biological prince."
Therefore, it's highly likely that the imperial court will issue an order to prevent Chen Jia from being sent back to the capital once his injuries have healed. As for how to deal with the Chen brothers, that's a matter for the imperial court and has nothing to do with the local government. Jiu Li fears that Chen Jia's collusion with Qinglian Temple will only result in a minor punishment, and that he will turn around and seek revenge against the Yu family in the future.
She was still shaken by the memory and muttered, "That knife you used was too cruel."
Yu Qi disagreed, thinking to himself that sparing his life was already a favor. Knowing her worries, he calmly comforted her, "I think his injuries will take at least half a year to heal. Even if he wants to settle scores with me, it will be later. Besides, once this case reaches the Emperor's ears, Lord Yan, fearing he might offend the Chen family too much, will certainly not take all the credit. He will definitely include my name in the case file. Once the Emperor has seen it and knows our names, the Chen family will have some reservations, and at least for a year, they won't dare to seek revenge privately."
As he spoke, he put down his teacup, glanced at Xu Bai, and said, “I believe that the two imperial brothers-in-law have been in power for many years, and there are already many complaints in the court. There must be many upright officials like Lord Qi who are waiting to find fault with the Chen family. If I were the two Chens, I would still think it would be best to let things go.”
"Oh, so you had planned all this all along." Jiuli puffed out her cheeks and turned to him, seemingly not hiding anything. "I thought you were just impatient and angry because you saw me being bullied, and you couldn't care less about anything. But it turns out you were still very calm and able to think things through."
Yu Qi smiled helplessly, "You're unhappy if I take action, and you're also unhappy if I think things through a little before taking action. What exactly do you want from me?"
She was just taking the opportunity to act coquettishly, hoping he would come up with a thorough plan. So she remained silent, only letting out a hum, and turned her head away.
Seeing her arrogant expression and the smug satisfaction in her eyes, Xu Bai suddenly felt something subtle.
However, he couldn't figure it out even after thinking about it carefully. Feelings are never verifiable, so he preferred to believe his current feelings. He felt a pang of jealousy and bitterness, and he knew that this feeling wouldn't be without reason—in fact, the relationship between uncle and nephew had always been a little too close.
He didn't speak, but secretly glanced at the uncle and nephew.
"I need to go home." Yu Qi slowly stood up.
"Why are you going home now? Lord Yan wants us to solve the case within five days. Wouldn't it be better to hurry up and solve the case before going back?"
"I haven't heard anything from home yet. To cover up my faked death, the shop has been closed for two days. The case needs to be solved, but should the family business be shut down? I have to go and tell Fengqiao. Besides, the confession says that Huixin knew about Miaohua's abortion after leaving the temple and that she rented a house in Shiziqiao to recuperate. It seems that Huixin didn't actually go to Dajue Temple on the day she left Qinglian Temple, but went to Shiziqiao to visit Miaohua first. I think she may have been murdered in that house. I need to go to Shiziqiao again to check."
Jiuli nodded quickly, "Yes, yes! Then I'll go back with you."
Strangely enough, once the sordid dealings of Qinglian Temple were exposed, the sun became even stronger today. Yu Qi couldn't bear to see her running around, so he looked at her and said softly with a smile, "Don't bother yourself. Stay at Qinglian Temple with Lord Qi and continue the investigation. I think all the dead were people from within the temple, and the murderer went to great lengths and risked everything to move Huixin's body back. I still feel that the murderer has a great connection with Qinglian Temple."
Jiuli didn't know if it was because of yesterday, but she felt even more attached to him and reluctantly saw him off to his room. "Then you must come back soon."
"I understand." Seeing her reluctant to part, he wondered how to treat her more tenderly than before, so he took out a silver ingot and gave it to her. "Let's have a good lunch at a restaurant. It's been two days since you've had any meat."
Isn't he worried that she'll take his money and then treat Xu Bai to a meal? Hmph, after yesterday, she's even more certain that he's the only one in her heart.
Thinking of this, she was still unconvinced. She turned around and came in, tossing the silver ingot at Xu Bai and raising her chin, "Did you hear that? Uncle is telling us to go out for a good meal."
Meanwhile, when Zhang Da arrived at Lion Bridge at noon, he happened to see Yu Qi standing outside the house on the street. Du Zhong was borrowing the key from the old woman next door to open the door. He hurriedly went up to him and said with a smile, "I didn't expect Mr. Yu to be faster than me."
Du Zhongye smiled and said, "Master came from Qinglian Temple early this morning. You were probably still dreaming at home at that time. How was it? Was the dinner at Qinglian Temple especially delicious yesterday?"
Zhang Da knew he was being sarcastic, implying that the tranquilizer had delayed his business. He quickly smiled and made a few words of explanation. The three of them then opened the door and went inside. The old woman next door, feeling a little uneasy, also came into the house and watched the three of them search. She sniffed around as she did so.
Du Zhong turned to look at her, "Old lady, is something wrong?"
The old woman asked suspiciously, "After you left that day, I closed the window. When I came in today, I smelled a foul odor. Didn't you smell it?"
Du Zhong sniffed, and sure enough, there was a faint stench.
Zhang Da seemed to have smelled it too. Based on his years of experience in handling cases, he immediately identified it as the stench of a corpse. He clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "I knew it! When we opened the door that day, we smelled a strong fragrance. The windows upstairs and downstairs were still open. Needless to say, this must be where Huixin was murdered! Miaohua did this to cover up the smell of the decomposing body!"
Then he turned to look at the bathtub standing against the wall behind the stove. “Huixin was drowned. Her body had been soaking in water for a long time. I think it was probably this bathtub.”
Du Zhong nodded repeatedly, finding the words reasonable. Yu Qi, however, remained silent, unable to fathom the murderer's motives.
The old woman, hearing their discussion, turned pale. "You're saying someone died in this house?!"
Du Zhong straightened up and nodded casually. "That's right, we're here to investigate a murder case."
The old woman was nearly scared to death.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading. I will be updating at 11 PM from now on.
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