Chapter 357 Human Nature
This time, Luo Qinghan did not mobilize the Yulin Guards to clear the area. He pretended to be an ordinary young master of a noble family and got out of the car with Xiao Xixi.
Zhao Xian and the two hundred Yulin Guards were left behind on standby, and only Eunuch Chang followed the prince and Xiao Xixi into the Bodhisattva Temple.
The Bodhisattva statue in the temple bowed its head slightly, with the corners of its mouth raised, and looked at the people who came to kneel and worship with a face full of compassion.
Luo Qinghan did not worship the Buddha. He called the monk in charge of receiving guests and expressed his intention to donate money for incense.
The monk in charge of reception saw that he was dressed elegantly and had an extraordinary demeanor, and guessed that his identity must be no simple one.
The monk in charge of reception immediately perked up, smiled, put his hands together, greeted them, and then led them to the meditation room in the backyard to meet the abbot of the Bodhisattva temple.
The abbot looked to be about forty years old. When he learned the purpose of Luo Qinghan's visit, the smile on his face became even more amiable.
Luo Qinghan was not vague either. He directly asked Eunuch Chang to take out a silver note of 1,000 taels and donate it to the temple as incense money.
The abbot took the banknote with both hands and said with a smile, "Thank you for your generosity. The Buddha is merciful and will surely bless you, your family and friends with happiness, health and longevity."
He specially took out his treasured tea and personally brewed tea to entertain Luo Qinghan and others.
The abbot originally wanted to talk to them about Buddhist scriptures, but Luo Qinghan was not interested in listening to it, so he asked about other things.
“When was this temple built?”
The abbot answered truthfully, "It was ten years ago. At that time, I was just an ordinary monk. The original abbot was my master. He passed away five years ago, and I have taken over the position of abbot since then."
Luo Qinghan: "Then do you know what happened in this place in the past?"
"What do you mean by donor?"
Luo Qinghan: "Shen family."
The abbot suddenly realized: "So the donor is an old acquaintance of the Shen family. No wonder you are so generous. This place used to be the old house of the Shen family. Unfortunately, the Shen family suffered a great disaster sixteen years ago and was attacked by a group of nearby bandits.
None of the more than 200 people in the Shen family were spared and were all killed, even the infants who were still in their infancy were not spared.
What’s even more infuriating is that after killing people and robbing things, the bandits also set fire to the entire Shen family’s old house.
Although I did not witness the fire with my own eyes, I have heard others talk about it. They said that the fire burned for three days and three nights. In the end, there was nothing left to burn, so it gradually died out. It was at that time that the Shen family's old house was burned to ruins. "
Speaking of this, the abbot couldn't help but sigh.
"I heard that the head of the Shen family was very generous and had donated money many times to help the poor people. He was a real good man. I didn't expect that such a good man would end up with such a tragic ending."
Luo Qinghan: "What happened to the bandits who committed murder and arson? Have they been caught?"
Abbot: "Prince Chenliu personally led the troops to suppress the bandits. The entire bandit house was wiped out. All the bandits were killed, not a single one was left alive. They deserved it."
Having said this, he clasped his hands together and chanted "Amitabha".
Luo Qinghan asked again: "Since we are going to suppress bandits, did you seize anything?"
The abbot shook his head and said, "I don't know about this."
Luo Qinghan remained silent.
The abbot guessed that he might be interested in the Shen family's affairs, so he continued.
“After the Shen family’s old house burned down, this place became a ruin. People living nearby often said they heard crying sounds at night. Some said it was the souls of the Shen family members who remained here crying for help.
Everyone was very scared, so they specially asked my master to come and chant sutras to help the dead souls to be liberated.
Later, with the support of kind-hearted people, the master built a temple here. With the Bodhisattva sitting in the temple, those evildoers finally found peace.
Gradually, everyone forgot about the Shen family. If the donor hadn't mentioned it, I probably wouldn't have remembered those things."
Noticing that the tea on the table had gotten cold, the abbot wanted to refill the other person's cup.
Luo Qinghan: "No, it's getting late, we should go back. Thank you for your hospitality, Abbot."
The abbot put down the teapot and personally escorted them out the door.
The Yulin Guards escorted the prince's carriage back to the city.
In the carriage, Luo Qinghan was resting with his eyes closed.
Xiao Xixi was looking down at the Diamond Sutra. After a while, she couldn't bear it any longer and simply looked up at the prince in front of her.
She wanted to say something but stopped herself, and yet she wanted to say something again.
Finally, he couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.
"Your Highness, are you investigating the Shen family's extermination?"
Luo Qinghan slowly raised his eyelids, revealing his deep black eyes. He replied indifferently, "Yeah."
Xiao Xixi: "Are you suspecting that there is something else going on in the Shen family's massacre?"
Luo Qinghan answered irrelevantly: "Actually, this time, I took the initiative to ask to send my mother's ashes to Chenliu County, as a test for my father."
Xiao Xixi was puzzled: "What do you want to test?"
"I once tried to find out about the Shen family, but no one in the palace knew about it. My father and mother must have known about it, but they never said anything.
I have repeatedly suspected that my mother's death and the extermination of the Shen family were related to them, so I deliberately proposed to return to Chenliu County, wanting to see what my father's attitude was.
If he refuses sternly, it means he has something to hide and doesn't dare to let me return to Chenliu County."
Xiao Xixi: "But the emperor agreed to your request."
Luo Qinghan sighed softly: "Yes, my father agreed. This makes me look too suspicious."
Xiao Xixi thought about it seriously and said, "Maybe the emperor is not afraid of you investigating. After all, so many years have passed, and things and people have long since changed. It is impossible for any evidence to remain. Even if you want to investigate, it will be difficult to find out the truth."
"Maybe."
The car was quiet for a moment.
Luo Qinghan suddenly asked: "Don't you think it's a despicable behavior for me to use such malicious thoughts to speculate about my father and mother?"
Xiao Xixi blinked: "I think your thoughts are human nature."
"Is it human nature to make malicious assumptions about your own father?"
Xiao Xixi: "This depends on the specific situation. If you and the emperor have been getting along well since childhood, and the emperor has shown a lot of love and care for you, then you really shouldn't doubt him.
But in fact, he didn't give you much care, and because of this, you lost the most basic trust in him.
On this basis, it is human nature for you to have reasonable doubts about him.
What's more, you are just suspicious and have not directly convicted him. Aren't you carefully verifying it?
Since the relationship between you is so weak that it can no longer support trust, then use objective evidence to speak. I think this is reasonable and you don't need to bear the guilt for it. "
Luo Qinghan looked at her steadily for a long time before he spoke.
"You're right, I was overthinking it."
He had long known that the trust between him and his father was in name only.
The reason why he asked Xiao Xixi was to know what she thought.
Would she think he was too cold-blooded?
Fortunately, her answer did not disappoint him.
She was always on his side.
(End of this chapter)
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