Upon hearing that Old Lady Cai had passed away, Yao Bishui jumped in shock, while Lin Dan drank his tea calmly, apparently having anticipated the current situation.
"Go and open the door, otherwise it will be kicked in later." She whispered.
"Why was it kicked in pieces?" Yao Bishui went to open the door obediently, but her face was full of confusion.
"There will be an evil guest coming today." Just as Lin Dan finished speaking, a group of yamen runners rushed into Xuanqing Temple with iron chains and wooden shackles, smashing everything they saw as if they wanted to raze the place to the ground.
"Are you the abbot of Xuanqing Temple?" The leading bailiff pointed at Lin Dan and shouted, "Come on, lock her up for me!"
"Sir, what have we done wrong? You have to give us a reason if you want to arrest us! We are all good citizens and have never done anything bad in our lives. Please understand, Sir! Miaomiao, come to your aunt quickly!" Yao Bishui comforted Xu Miaomiao while asking for the reason.
"You have cursed Old Lady Cai to death, and you are still good citizens! In order to show off your profound magical powers, you are really capable of doing anything crazy! Don't waste your time talking to me, go to the jail and explain to the Duke! Come on, lock her up! Take these two away too!" The leading yamen runner felt more and more unhappy when he saw Lin Dan just sitting cross-legged on the cushion and chanting scriptures without even frowning, let alone showing any fear.
When they arrest someone, it is their chance to show off their power, but the arrested person does not react at all. How frustrating is that?
A group of yamen runners rushed over ferociously, but were forced back several feet by Lin Dan's light wave of the Buddhist whisk.
“If I really had such a high level of Taoism, those of you who came to arrest people today would probably not be able to escape the fate of sudden death.” Lin Dan said calmly.
The yamen runners were stunned at first, then showed expressions of horror, then looked at each other, and dared not step forward anymore. If this evil Taoist really has such ability, who in this world can do anything to her?
After hesitating, Lin Dan said, "Please wait for a moment. I have a distinguished guest coming to my Xuanqing Temple. I know you are all eager to curry favor with Duke Cai, but this distinguished guest is someone that even the Duke's Mansion cannot afford to offend. I advise you to be cautious and not rush to take sides."
Who is the person that even the Duke's Mansion cannot afford to offend? Although the yamen runners scoffed at these words, they did not dare to act rashly. The capital city is full of nobles. God knows who else is involved in Xuanqing Temple besides Marquis Yongxin. Just wait and see. Anyway, their superiors only asked them to arrest people and didn't set a time limit.
Thinking of this, the yamen runners stood still and did not even dare to touch Lin Dan.
Sure enough, two quarters of an hour later, the sound of a galloping horse was heard outside the door. After a while, a handsome young man ran in under the protection of a large number of guards. Without even looking at what was happening inside the hall, he shouted, "Master Lin, Master Lin, please tell me why you knew that Old Lady Cai would die!"
A young boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a bright yellow brocade robe, calling himself "I", accompanied by the imperial guards, and wearing a sword and a token on his waist... So the distinguished guest mentioned by the temple master is actually the emperor? Thinking of this, the yamen runners' knees went weak and they fell to their knees, banging their heads against their heads loudly.
In addition to being in awe, they thought with fear: Fortunately, we didn't use force against Lin Guan just now, otherwise how would we explain to the emperor now! If you look around the imperial city, aren't there only members of the royal family who even the Duke's Mansion doesn't dare to offend? Why didn’t they think of it earlier?
Yao Bishui and Xu Miaomiao were so frightened that they fell to the ground and kowtowed along with the yamen runners. They had met this young man several times, but they had never expected that his identity was so noble.
Only Lin Dan was still sitting cross-legged on the cushion, turning a deaf ear to the kowtows from all over the hall, and did not even stand up to welcome the emperor. Firstly, she had already seen through the identities of the young man and the middle-aged man, so she was not frightened; secondly, she was now a person who lived outside the world and was naturally not bound by worldly rules; thirdly, over the years, the emperor had been seeking famous doctors for Prince Jin, and had even gone to visit the medical sage in person and kowtowed outside his thatched cottage, which showed how much he wanted to cure Prince Jin's illness.
Lin Dan possessed extraordinary medical skills, so he was naturally not afraid that the young emperor would not treat him with courtesy. In fact, she had already discovered that there were three groups of people monitoring her these days. One group had poor skills and must be Xu Zuguang's men, and the other two groups had superb hiding skills and should have some relationship with the royal secret guards.
Now, Duke Cai wanted to kill her, which was completely in conflict with the interests of the young emperor and Prince Jin. Naturally, she was not afraid that they would not come out to stop her.
"Your Majesty wants to know the truth?" Lin Dan waved his Buddhist whisk and said, "Then let's go to Duke Cai's mansion and take a look."
"Master Lin has indeed known the identities of me and my uncle for a long time." The little emperor smiled comfortably. Since Lin Dan had already seen through the identities of the two of them, she was able to treat them calmly and calmly when facing them, which shows how broad-minded she is. The more she did this, the more the little emperor liked her.
"I know how, but what if I don't know?" Lin Dan asked back in a gentle tone.
Unexpectedly, the little emperor laughed even more heartily, repeating this sentence while jokingly saying: "Master Lin, you and my uncle will definitely be able to chat together. You know, this sentence is my uncle's catchphrase. Let's go, let's set off now!"
Lin Dan was about to stand up when the little emperor stepped forward and helped her up, his attitude very respectful and polite.
Seeing this scene, the yamen runners kneeling in the hall were covered in cold sweat. They were ordered to arrest someone today. The Duke also instructed them to find a secret place on the way back and pull out the tongue of the temple master, so as not to give her the chance to curse anyone again. Now that the temple master has become the emperor's guest of honor, won't these people be in trouble?
In the midst of everyone's fear, Lin Dan and the little emperor walked outside Xuanqing Temple, only to see a carriage approaching quickly. As soon as it stopped, Prince Jin got out of the carriage with the help of his attendants, frowning and saying, "I heard that the yamen runners wanted to arrest Taoist Lin, and I happened to be away from the farmhouse, so I rode here at full speed. Taoist, you were not disturbed, right?"
"Nothing, thank you for your concern." Lin Dan nodded.
When they saw Prince Jin, all the yamen runners broke out in a sweat and regretted taking this mission. If these two had arrived a moment later, or if they had not waited long enough, but had directly arrested the man and pulled out his tongue, what would have been the outcome... No one dared to think too deeply about it, as their legs would tremble with fear at the thought. As a result, they silently classified Xuanqing Temple as a place that must not be offended, a rank even higher than that of the nobles and royal family members.
"Are you going to Duke Cai's mansion?" Prince Jin looked at Lin Dan and asked with a smile, "Can I go with you?"
"Of course."
"Then please get in the carriage." Prince Jin lifted the curtain of the carriage with a very gentle and polite attitude. If Lin Dan had not revealed his identity, Yao Bishui would never have known that he was a powerful prince with great military achievements, and would have thought he was just a gentle and elegant scholar.
The group got on the carriage, and Yao Bishui and Xu Miaomiao huddled in a corner very nervously. Lin Danze sat opposite Prince Jin, drinking tea leisurely. Prince Jin asked about the affairs of Duke Cai's mansion several times, but was always dismissed by Lin Dan with a light-hearted reply, "You'll know when you get there," so he could only shut up.
The little emperor was riding a horse nearby. When he heard his uncle being humiliated several times, he could not help but think of all the times when his uncle had made him humiliated in the past. He immediately covered his mouth and laughed secretly. They say that brine can make tofu stronger, and one thing can conquer another. It is obvious that the emperor's uncle has been conquered by Madam Lin.
…………
The Cai Guogong Mansion held a memorial service today. The main door and the side doors were wide open. People coming and going were all filled with sad faces, and each of them was of a noble origin. Wan Yushi also came. When he arrived at the palace gate, he did not rush to get off the car. Instead, he said to Wan Xiuer who was sitting next to him: "I will help Xu Zuguang deal with his problem. You just keep him honest and don't make any more trouble! I married you to him because I valued his honesty, but I didn't expect that I would be wrong sometimes. In the end, I have to help him clean up this mess!"
"Dad, my daughter is pregnant now. What can I do if I can't protect him?" Wan Xiu'er said with a sad face.
Wan Yushi closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "His first wife must be dealt with, otherwise I will be implicated in this matter! Fortunately, that woman is not an honest person either, and has already offended Duke Cai. I heard that Duke Cai has sued her for cursing the old lady to death and has sent people to arrest her. I will also do something to make her die quietly in prison. From now on, you let Xu Zuguang take care of himself, and I will not take care of anything for him anymore!"
Wan Xiuer nodded reluctantly and asked, "What about the pair of children she gave birth to?"
"What? You still want to keep them here?" Censor Wan glared at his daughter with disappointment.
"No, no, no, I will handle those two myself, don't worry about it, Daddy." Wan Xiu'er waved her hands repeatedly, then lifted the curtain and said flatteringly, "Dad, please get out of the car carefully. I'm pregnant, so I won't go in."
"Well, go back and have a good rest." Censor Wan has always loved his daughter the most, and that bit of anger had long since disappeared. For him, killing Lin Dan was as easy as stepping on an ant.
Speak of the devil and he will appear. Many guards suddenly came to the already bustling Mansion of Duke Cai, and squeezed the guests who were supposed to enter to the sides. A young man came on horseback, followed by a luxurious carriage. After the carriage stopped, a woman floated down and stretched out a porcelain-white hand to lead a man who was coughing frequently down. The man appeared calm on the surface, but his ears were actually red. The woman did not even look at him. Instead, she stretched out both hands and picked up another chubby girl from the car.
The onlookers were stunned at first, then they knelt down in fear and trepidation, shouting "Long live the emperor!" and kowtowed to the man, calling him "a thousand years old."
Censor Wan also knelt in the crowd and kowtowed, with no unusual expression on his face.
Wan Xiu'er hurriedly jumped out of the carriage to pay her respects, but her face was pale and she was shaking like a sieve. After bowing three times, she staggered and almost fell to the ground. Wan Yushi quickly helped her up, and waited until the emperor and his entourage entered the Duke's Mansion before he sternly scolded her, "Why are you so unpresentable? We are just here to welcome the emperor, is there any need to be so scared?"
"No, Daddy!" Wan Xiu'er's voice trembled: "Just now, the Taoist nun who entered with the emperor and the prince was Xu Zuguang's original wife!"
"What did you say?!" Censor Wan showed a look of extreme horror. Out of curiosity, he saw clearly that when the woman stepped over the threshold, Prince Jin was afraid that she would not be able to see the road under her feet while holding the child, so he reached out his hand to take the child. After being rejected, he helped her up again and whispered something in her ear, then smiled gently. He didn't look like a stranger, but more like a close friend.
The little emperor also kept an eye on the woman the whole time, and when she entered the room he gave her extra careful instructions, saying that the threshold was very high.
The two men treated the woman gently and courteously, even with a little intimacy, but the eunuchs sent by Duke Cai were nowhere to be seen. What does this indicate? This means that the woman has hooked up with Prince Jin and the little emperor. Now looking around the whole city, not only Duke Cai can't deal with her, even the royal family can't do anything to her!
"Okay, okay, look at what a good husband you married, but you made such a big mess with just one move! I don't care about Xu Zuguang's affairs, you figure it out yourselves!" Wan Yushi, who had just responded to the concubine's every request, immediately changed his attitude and added, "I have raised you to this age, you should just consider it as a repayment of my kindness, and don't come to my house again in the future. You should bear any problems on yourselves, and please consider the overall situation!" After he finished speaking, he hunched over and hurried into the Duke's Mansion.
Wan Xiuer was so scared that she fell to the ground. She struggled for a long time before she stood up with her big belly. She wanted to go in to see what was going on, but she didn't dare. She could only hide in the carriage and pray that things would turn out well.
At the same time, Lin Dan also walked to the mourning hall and stood in front of the coffin of Old Lady Cai. The family members of Duke Cai's mansion knelt on both sides, some were burning paper, some were weeping, and some were silently shedding tears. Young Master Cai was also kneeling in the crowd, his hands wrapped in a thick layer of gauze and a mourning scarf on his head. His eyes were blank, but his pupils were strangely bright. Mrs. Cai stood by his side, her forehead covered with beads of sweat mixed with tears, and she looked extremely miserable.
When Duke Cai saw Lin Dan, his expression changed drastically. He was about to scold her, but then he realized that the Emperor and Prince Jin were standing beside her. He felt as if his throat was choked by an invisible hand and he couldn't utter a word. The rest of the people quickly came to their senses and kowtowed to the little emperor and Prince Jin.
"Your Majesty, Prince, why did you come here with her?" Duke Cai asked tentatively after standing up.
"I want to find out the truth. Lord Cai, tell me honestly, how did the old lady die?"
"My mother died suddenly in her sleep, on the seventh day after this evil Taoist cast the curse." Duke Cai looked furious.
However, Lin Dan didn't even look at him. She handed Xu Miaomiao in her arms to Yao Bishui, asked the two of them to stay away, and turned to look at the eldest lady and Young Master Cai. The eldest lady was stiff all over, but Young Master Cai raised his chin and looked back with bright eyes.
"Duke, you really don't know how the old lady died?" Lin Dan walked towards the coffin step by step.
Duke Cai asked her sternly what she wanted to do, then waved his hand and asked the servants to stop her, without wanting to answer her question.
"What's wrong with letting her take a look?" Prince Jin, who usually doesn't like to meddle in other people's affairs, spoke up at this moment.
Now that the prince has spoken, the servants in Duke Cai's mansion dare not move. Lin Dan walked to the coffin without any obstruction, stared at the old lady's peaceful face, and said slowly: "The old lady did not die of natural causes, but was murdered."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the room. Family members and guests jumped up in fright, losing their composure.
"You, this evil Taoist priest, are misleading the people again!" Duke Cai was so angry that he gnashed his teeth. If he had a knife in his hand, he would have wanted to cut Lin Dan into pieces.
Lin Dan ignored him, burned incense, knelt down, and apologized. Then he lifted the old lady's eyelids to check her pupils, and held her hands to examine them repeatedly. He said firmly: "Duke Cai, the old lady was suffocated to death. I suggest you ask a coroner to examine it carefully, so that the old lady will not die with regrets."
Duke Cai naturally ignored it and even got furious, but there were two other people in the mourning hall who were more powerful than him. They asked the imperial guards to invite an experienced coroner, so Duke Cai dared not stop them. He held his breath, stared at Lin Dan with a vicious look, and said word by word: "My mother looked very peaceful when she died, and there was even a smile on her lips. She clearly died in her sleep. How could she be suffocated to death? If the coroner can't find anything, Taoist priest, how will you explain to me?"
Lin Dan picked up a cushion, sat cross-legged, and just recited scriptures, not wanting to pay any attention to Duke Cai. What she asserted was the truth and could never be wrong, so she didn't have to account to anyone.
Duke Cai was almost driven mad by her, but he could not lose his temper in front of the emperor and the princes, so he had to bring a few cushions, ask these uninvited guests to sit down, and then wait quietly. In a corner that they couldn't see, the eldest lady's clothes were already soaked with cold sweat, while Young Master Cai was still kneeling there calmly, without showing any sign of abnormality.
The other guests were filled with horror, not knowing why the emperor and the prince would follow this evil Taoist priest to cause trouble. How could it be possible that Old Lady Cai was suffocated to death? She is the most respected person in the Duke's Mansion. Who would have the courage to kill her without leaving any trace? This is impossible, this is absolutely impossible!
Everyone sat quietly in their seats, but their hearts were actually bursting with excitement. Prince Jin sat for a while and then stood up. He first lit three incense sticks for the old lady and bowed a few times. Then he walked to the coffin, imitated Lin Dan's way, opened his eyelids to check his pupils, and then checked his hands. He seemed to have discovered something and let out a soft "hmm".
The little emperor was so curious that he was itching to death, but he had to sit still and maintain the dignity of a man worth millions.
Duke Cai felt a tightness in his heart, but then he thought of his mother's peaceful face and quickly regained his composure. No way, if my mother was really suffocated to death, how could the maid guarding the door not have discovered it? Even if she couldn't find it, why didn't the mother struggle and scream? Who has the ability to come and go freely in the Duke's Mansion? No way!
In the deathly silence, the Imperial Guards brought in three coroners, one in his early thirties, one in his early forties, and one who seemed to be in his sixties. All of them had solved more than twenty criminal cases in their lifetime, as documented by the Dali Temple, and were considered the best coroners of the time.
The three men already knew their mission, and after paying their respects to the distinguished guests, they surrounded the coffin and began to examine it. The oldest man was the first to notice something unusual and he exclaimed "Huh!" Soon after, the other two coroners also frowned and sped up their inspection.
The little emperor felt as if the cushion under his buttocks was covered with sharp thorns, which made him unable to sit still. So he urged, "Have you finished the inspection?"
The three of them did not dare to neglect the matter. They checked again and again, gathered together to exchange opinions, and then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, we have completed the investigation and found that the old lady was indeed suffocated to death, not a natural death. The old lady's face was cyanotic and swollen; there were punctate hemorrhages on the facial skin and pupils; the lips and nails were cyanotic, and there were several bloody pieces of meat left in the nail crevices, which should have been grabbed from the murderer. Therefore, we believe that the old lady was murdered."
"Was he really murdered?" The little emperor stood up suddenly, looking surprised. It’s so weird, this matter is really so weird! How did Lin Dan guess in advance that the old lady would die? How do we know that she was murdered? Could she really know magic? !
The three coroners looked at each other with confusion in their eyes, but nodded anyway.
Duke Cai was shaking, and was completely unable to bear such bad news. The guests around him had already started talking, and the entire mourning hall was noisy and the scene was extremely chaotic.
"You are lying! Your eyes tell me that you have concealed some truth! Tell me, who bribed you to attack my mansion!" Duke Cai stood up suddenly, his eyes blazing with anger.
The three coroners were forced to retreat one after another, but Lin Dan spoke slowly: "May I ask, Duke, who was the first person to discover that the old lady had passed away? What did the old lady look like at that time?"
"What qualifications do you have to interrogate me?" Duke Cai wished he could kill this evil Taoist on the spot.
"You answer whatever she asks you. With the emperor and I here, you have no right to make the decision." Prince Jin said coldly.
When he calmed his face and showed his majesty, even the little emperor became obedient, let alone the Duke of Cai? Duke Cai had to suppress his ferocious expression and waved to call a maid. The maid replied tremblingly, "I was the first to discover the old lady. She was lying on the bed, her face was sleeping peacefully, and there was a smile on the corner of her mouth. She didn't look like she was dead at all, so I didn't suspect anything at the time. I lowered the curtains and let her sleep a little longer. I waited for another half an hour, and when I saw that all the masters had come to pay their respects, I went into the inner room and finally found that the old lady was gone. Woo woo woo woo..."
The maid cried very sadly, and Duke Cai's eyes were red, but Lin Dan continued to ask expressionlessly: "The clothes she was wearing when she died, were they the ones she wore when she went to sleep the night before? Where are the quilt and mattress?"
The maid was stunned, and after thinking for a long time, she trembled and said, "That should be it. The old lady's underwear is all white, and they look the same. I didn't pay attention to the quilt and mattress, and now I can't remember. It should be the same set as before."
Lin Dan nodded and said, "So, are her clothes clean? Does the mattress have any peculiar smell?"
"Clean, very clean! The old lady loves cleanliness very much. She changes three or four sets of clothes every day. How could she wear unclean underwear to sleep? I really can't remember whether the bed had any peculiar smell. I was too flustered at the time. Who would have smelled it?"
"In that case, Duke Cai, the person who suffocated the old lady to death must be your family member without a doubt." Lin Dan's words caused an uproar in the mourning hall.
The little emperor's hands were shaking with excitement, but Prince Jin seemed to have expected this and just looked at Lin Dan with a gentle yet appreciative gaze.
"What nonsense are you talking about..." Duke Cai was so angry that he had lost his mind. He turned around and was about to pull out the sword of the imperial guard closest to him.
Lin Dan did not dodge at all, and said slowly: "The three coroners did hide some truths. Now I will tell you clearly: people who are suffocated to death will have urinary incontinence, which means that the old lady could not be lying on the bed in clean clothes. In other words, the first person to discover her was not the maid just now, but someone else; or she lied, there is another hidden story, and she was covering up for someone. After killing the old lady, the real murderer not only wiped her body, changed her clothes and bedding, but also adjusted her facial expression so that she died with a smile. This series of actions takes a long time and requires assistance from others, and your mansion is heavily guarded, so it is impossible that no one discovered it. From this, I infer that the person who suffocated the old lady to death has a very special identity and is able to conceal the truth in the mansion."
Duke Cai's body kept shaking. He looked at the three coroners, hoping that they would deny Lin Dan's words, but he found that they closed their eyes and nodded, actually agreeing.
"Bring the maid here! It's her, it must be her! She is my mother's personal maid, and she can do those evil things quietly!" Duke Cai had a bad premonition and quickly charged the maid with a crime.
Lin Dan couldn't let him have his way: "I suggest that you don't waste your time on others, but ask your wife directly."
Duke Cai suddenly looked at his wife, only to see that she had rolled her eyes and fainted from fright. Her hair was wet with sweat and she looked extremely miserable. The wet nurse standing behind her was shaking so much that her bones were almost falling apart. Her face was pale and she looked like a ghost from a distance.
When the guests saw this, they immediately understood what was going on - the eldest lady and her wet nurse would not have been so frightened if they were not guilty.
The already noisy mourning hall became even more chaotic, and Lin Dan had already walked to the eldest lady's side and brushed her face with a Buddhist whisk to wake her up.
Seeing her husband, who was almost mad with a sullen face, and her son who didn't care, the eldest lady finally covered her face and wailed, then took off the golden hairpin on her head and prepared to commit suicide, but was knocked down by Lin Dan's Buddhist dust...
The young emperor ordered the imperial guards to take the eldest lady to the side courtyard for interrogation. An hour later, she finally confessed. It turned out that the old lady was killed by the young master Cai. When she found out about this, she took the wet nurse to the main courtyard that night to deal with her son's aftermath. It was she who changed the old lady's clothes and bedding, and it was she who closed her bulging eyes and wide-open mouth. She brought a drug-induced incense with her, so all the servants in the courtyard fell into a deep sleep and no one noticed.
After finding out what happened, Duke Cai picked up a knife and started slashing wildly, threatening to kill his son and wife. The others rushed to stop him, and the scene was extremely chaotic. Lin Dan turned a blind eye to this, and took the frightened Xu Miaomiao by the hand, slowly walking out of the mansion step by step, followed by Yao Bishui who was full of doubts.
Prince Jin was beside her, looking very silent.
A group of nobles followed the two from a distance, pointing at Lin Dan's back, and said in awe: "Marquis Yongxin is right, this Taoist priest is truly a god!"
"If the old lady had listened to her and sent Young Master Cai away that day, there wouldn't have been this tragedy today!"
"How do you think she knew that?"
"It must have been calculated!"
"She is indeed a very profound Taoist! No wonder the Emperor and the Prince treat her so courteously! She is not some demon Taoist, but a real immortal! No, I must go to Xuanqing Temple to pay my respects tomorrow!"
"Did you notice? She flicked the Buddhist whisk on the Madam's face and she woke up. She flicked it again and her golden hairpin fell off. She was casting a spell!"
"My heart skipped a beat at that moment. When these two hands were revealed, there was nothing to say! A living god, a living god for sure!"
The discussion of the crowd was interrupted by the little emperor running out of the mourning hall. The young man smiled flatteringly as he helped Lin Dan onto the carriage, and then personally carried the chubby Xu Miaomiao up, and then said with a smug look: "Master, you must help me solve my puzzles today, otherwise I can't sleep!"
After hearing this, Prince Jin, who had been reserved all the way, finally showed a look of desire.
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