Chapter 20: Spiritual Temple
As an important city guarding the northwest, Beiting naturally had a station in Anxi, which was close to the Kucha Palace and not far from the Anxi Protectorate, making it convenient for military handover and communication.
After a short rest, Qiandeng first went to the Anxi Protectorate to contact Cui Fufeng and asked the guard to inform him that someone he was traveling with was coming to see him.
Not long after, Cui Fufeng hurried out. Seeing her in her Shuofang Army uniform, he breathed a sigh of relief. But when he saw Li Yingshang accompanying her, he looked a little surprised: "You...?"
Qiandeng smiled at him and said, "Yes, I already know who he is. Cui Shaoqing has been keeping it a secret from me."
The three of them naturally wouldn't dwell on this unspoken secret in front of others, and they revealed it in unison.
After leading them inside, Cui Fufeng asked, "How did the county lady escape? And how did you meet him again?"
"Yes, the prince and I have cleared up our misunderstanding. Now, thanks to his help, I was able to escape and return to the city." Qian Deng said briefly, indicating that he already knew the identity of the King of Linhuai, and then asked, "What is the current situation in Kucha?"
Cui Fufeng calmly surveyed them. Seeing that Qiandeng had no external injuries and appeared calm, he felt relieved. He said, "I've already visited the shrine and have some leads. I wanted to discuss this with you, but you were no longer in the room when I arrived. Following the clues you left, Ji Linyou and I rushed to the west city gate to search for the fake Green Belt Assassin, only to learn that something had happened to the county lord there. Ji Linyou is currently searching there, and I was just about to return to borrow the court's manpower for further investigation. Fortunately, the county lord has escaped danger, so I no longer need to consult with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
He immediately sent someone to find Ji Linyou and brought him back. He then recounted the situation in the spirit hall to Qian Deng in detail and went over the details with her again.
Ji Linyou hurried back and rushed in. When he saw Qian Deng, he was stunned at first. Fortunately, she had only made a hasty modification and the basic outline was still there. The two were very familiar with each other, so he recognized her at once and asked her anxiously if anything happened to her.
"It's okay. Although I encountered danger on this trip and almost fell into the hands of an assassin, I also found some clues."
"That's great! I knew the county lady was blessed with good fortune and was incredibly intelligent. She would definitely be able to overcome this danger!" As he spoke, he looked up and saw Li Yingshang, and was stunned again. "You...you are..."
Although his current modification was different from before, Ji Linyou almost blurted out "cousin".
But when he thought of the vortex he had innocently been drawn into before, he couldn't help but snort and turned his head to ask Qian Deng: "Who is this person, and how did the county lady come back with him?"
Seeing his expression, Qian Deng couldn't help but smile and said, "This is an old acquaintance of mine. He once did something wrong due to a misunderstanding, but he has realized his mistakes. What do you think?"
She turned to Li Yingshang and said the last sentence.
He was straightforward and straightforward, bowing to Ji Linyou and apologizing: "I made a mistake in my investigation of the case before, mistakenly thinking that Brother Ji was suspected. So, in order to protect Meng Lanxi, I plotted against you, causing you to suffer injustice. This is a serious mistake on my part. Now that the truth is out, I deeply regret everything I have done. I hope Brother Ji will forgive me. If there is a chance to make amends in the future, I will definitely repay you."
"Alright, alright. Anyway, the county lady has cleared my name, and I'll be fine in the end." Ji Linyou said cheerfully, "I can't beat you anyway, and besides, the county lady was saved by you this time. I'll take this as your compensation, and let's write it off!"
After the matter was opened, he no longer minded and only asked Qian Deng: "County Master, Qiuci is searching for you with all their might. What should we do next?"
"Instead of just waiting for things to develop, I'd rather take the initiative." Qian Deng stood up and said, "Let's go. I'll go to the Spirit Hall and see if I can find anything to verify my guess."
"That's as it should be." Cui Fufeng also said, "The Crown Prince is also very concerned about this matter. I have the documents in hand and can take the county lady there."
Ji Linyou quickly said, "You are important figures from the Tang Dynasty. It is only natural for me to protect you and go with you!"
Li Yingshang looked at Qiandeng thoughtfully. "I've been keeping an eye on you since the incident, but I haven't found any clues. When did you notice?"
Qian Deng smiled at him and said, "I don't know if this is a useful clue yet. I have to wait until I get to the scene and examine the details to confirm my guess."
Although the soldiers and monks were busy dealing with it, the fire completely destroyed the temple and it was impossible to clean it up thoroughly in a hurry.
When a few people passed by, the monks were discussing whether they should clean up the mess on the platform as soon as possible.
Qiandeng looked up and saw that the ancestral tablets of the great rulers of Kucha throughout the dynasties displayed on the high platform had all been charred and broken, mixed with carbon ash, and almost none of them were intact.
It is said that beautiful jade is not afraid of water or fire, but with such a fierce fire smoldering in the palace, how could it be saved?
The monks chanted Buddhist mantras silently, picked up the broken jade tablets on the ground, and pieced them back together.
Qiandeng leaned over and saw a piece of debris with the word "Chang" engraved on it in the ashes. Regardless of the fact that it was buried in the ashes, he picked it up and held it tightly in his hand.
She looked around, searching for other fragments of her grandfather's tablet. As her eyes moved up the stairs, they subconsciously stopped on a certain step.
There was a jade tablet, face down on the step. Although it had some signs of burning and cracking, it was the only one that remained intact because it was fixed squarely on the edge of the step.
Qiandeng stepped forward and grasped it, turning it over. The front side protected by the steps was as smooth as new, and the name engraved on it was Lun Qinling.
Cui Fufeng saw her from behind, raised his eyebrows in surprise, looked at her and asked in a low voice: "Xifan?"
Qiandeng nodded slightly, and Li Yingshang recalled what the assassins had said when they were about to capture her - "What's the point of competing with a woman? Beiga...comparing fighting?"
At that time, the other party hurriedly swallowed back the word, trying to hide their true identity - the Western Barbarians called it "Beiga", and the Tang Dynasty called it "wrestling".
This group of assassins, who disguised their speaking of Western language, set fire to the shrine, but also allowed the spirit tablet of the famous Western general Lun Qinling to remain miraculously intact in the fire.
Ji Linyou was the only one unfamiliar with the situation in the northwest. He only knew that Lun Qinling was a renowned general. Confused, he asked, "Isn't this Lun Qinling, known as the Western War God? Why is his spirit tablet enshrined in a temple in Kucha?"
Cui Fufeng explained, "Lun Qinling once conquered Kucha and inherited the Tang Dynasty's strategy for governing the Western Regions, ensuring that the four Anxi towns remained stable even after their fall, and the people suffered little harm. He later surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and was granted the title of Prince of Guide. Kucha, therefore, was grateful for him and enshrined him in a mausoleum, where he receives incense and offerings like other heroic rulers."
Ji Linyou suddenly realized, "That's true. Speaking of which, he defeated many famous generals like Xue Rengui, Wang Xiaojie, and Lou Shide. He is indeed worthy of being called a God of War. Even if he is enshrined in the shrine, it is only natural!"
Cui Fufeng asked, "Now that the county lady has a clue, what is her next move?"
"Although I have a clue, it's still not strong enough." Qiandeng pondered, recalling the details of the fire in the hall that he had relayed to him, and checking and comparing them one by one in the spirit hall.
Li Yingshang saw that the bodies that had been cleared out were covered with white cloth and placed in the mourning hall, so he went over to check the condition of each body.
Qiandeng briefly asked the monks who were cleaning the scene about the location of each body and confirmed the distribution of each member of the Kucha royal family in the hall.
Anxi was located at the strategic northwest corner of the country. Years of incessant warfare had left the Kucha royal family in decline, and their numbers were few. Aside from the king, who escaped with his lifelong protection, only the neglected and marginalized princess Bai Zhaosu managed to escape with her life. The rest perished in the shrine.
Li Yingshang didn't bring any tools with him, so he could only conduct a simple investigation and analyze the cause of death of each body with her.
Prince Bai Zhaojue was hit on the back of the head by the golden glazed Dharma wheel and died on the steps; the remaining uncles were all old and suffocated to death by the thick smoke; the Princess of the West and the Princess of the North both had vital scars on their bodies, and it was obvious that they were killed by assassins before the fire broke out.
"As for this child, his death seems somewhat unusual." Li Yingshang pointed to the body of a child that was still curled up after death. The monk nearby explained, "This is the youngest son of the Western King, named Bai Zhaotong."
Qiandeng remembered that this must be one of the children who came to ridicule Bai Zhaosu and was beaten away when he was confined to the Kucha Palace.
"His vulnerable spot was at the back of his neck. He must have curled up in fear, and was stabbed from top to bottom by the assassin. The blade penetrated his spine and penetrated deep into his internal organs, killing him." Li Yingshang examined the charred corpse, frowning slightly. "But once his life force was lost, his limbs would have naturally spread apart, and his tightly clasped body would have collapsed. It would have been impossible for him to maintain such a tightly clasped position in the fire."
Qiandeng's eyes swept around the hall and looked at the niche where scriptures and books were kept.
All the scriptures inside had been burned to ashes, leaving only a two-foot square hole blackened by flames.
The monks clasped their hands together and lamented, "Amitābha! The young master had indeed hidden himself in a niche, attempting to escape pursuit. Unexpectedly, the niche was so well-hidden, and with scriptures covering the outside, he was still discovered. Not only did he die inside, but his body remains in this miserable state, charred black by the fire..."
Hearing such a tragic scene, everyone sighed in indignation. Ji Linyou looked at the black embers filling the hall and punched the wall: "Such vicious villains, once I catch them, I will grind them to dust!"
A young monk muttered in a low voice: "It was your Tang Dynasty County Lady who committed the crime..."
Before he could finish his words, Ji Linyou glared at him fiercely and he dared not say anything else.
Cui Fufeng looked at the alcove thoughtfully and did not speak for a long time.
Li Ying came over and looked at it with him, then asked, "What do you think is wrong, Mr. Cui?"
He nodded and whispered to Qian Deng, "Do you think that on the night of the prayer, someone might have hidden in this niche and taken the opportunity to steal the three sacred artifacts?"
Qiandeng looked at the niche. It was carved out of the thick wall according to the size of the scriptures. Although a child could hide there, an adult would probably have difficulty.
Li Yingshang said, "That's not impossible. What if they find a dwarf?"
"But it wouldn't be easy for a dwarf to steal the three sacred artifacts—especially a Dharma wheel of such a size," Qiandeng pondered. "Furthermore, that night, I was chanting sutras and praying, so Daimao helped me move most of the scriptures out of the hall. It's impossible that they didn't notice someone hiding in the niche. Later, you, Cui Shaoqing, helped put those scriptures back in their original places. Did you notice anything unusual at the time?"
Cui Fufeng thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps I'm mistaken. Even if someone was hiding in the palace that night, there's no way he could have taken the items out without being noticed by the guards. The truth of this case isn't that simple."
"No matter how they stole the sacred artifact and framed the county lady, at least the true culprit behind the scenes has been vaguely revealed." Li Yingshang said, "Perhaps we can spread this news first and force the real culprit to move. As long as they make the next move, we will have a chance to seize the initiative."
"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. I wanted to go to the palace and ask to see the king." Qian Deng stood up, straightening his clothes, and said, "The Kucha royal family suffered such a great disaster, and even the king almost met with an accident. We, the Beiting Protectorate and Anxi, are helping each other. How can we not go to the palace to visit and offer our condolences?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com