Chapter 110 Buddha's Resentment
When Ming Huazhang learned from an old servant that the Lu couple had died unexpectedly four years ago, he felt something was wrong. His intuition told him that it was definitely not a fire, but murder.
The couple who had been separated for many years slept in the same room again. They did not move or run when the fire broke out, and did not shout or scream. There is indeed a possibility of coal poisoning, but it is not high.
According to Aunt Xu, Master Lu never needed anyone to watch over him at night, and he had been safe for so many years. He could not have known that the doors and windows should not be closed when sleeping with charcoal burning. Moreover, Lu Du happened to be in the mansion during that time, and was almost burned to death. He was awakened by the servants and escaped safely. This intensified Ming Huazhang's suspicion of Lu Du.
He had met Lu Du, who was a very smart and cautious person, and would never make the mistake of not noticing a fire while asleep at night. Combined with Ming Huachang's statement that the murderer had undergone a major change four years ago, which greatly reduced his psychological pressure, causing him to stop killing and show signs of retiring, Ming Huazhang was almost certain that Lu Du was not unrelated to the death of his parents.
This doubt is easy to check. All you need to do is open the coffins of Lu's parents and let the coroner check whether the two were burned to death before or after death. When Ming Huazhang learned that the courtyard where Lu Du's father lived before his death was Lengjiayuan, he immediately stood up and said goodbye to Aunt Xu, mounted his horse and rode towards Chang'an.
He had a hunch that this place was most likely the scene of the crime. It belonged to both Lu Du's father and Lu Du.
He had left Jingzhao Prefecture secretly, and he was wearing casual clothes, so he did not attract attention. As soon as he entered the city, he immediately rushed to Qingchan Temple. The monks thought he was just an ordinary pilgrim and did not pay much attention to him. Ming Huazhang took advantage of the fact that there was no one on the road and slipped into the Lanka Courtyard. Just when he was wondering if everything was going too smoothly, he unexpectedly bumped into two people.
Still an acquaintance.
Ming Huazhang looked at Ren Yao and Jiang Ling and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Jiang Ling shook his head and asked in surprise, "Didn't Ming Huashang tell you?"
Ming Huazhang stared at the expressions of Jiang Ling and Ren Yao, and the string in his heart snapped. His face was as cold as ice, and the angrier he got, the calmer his voice became: "What's wrong with her?"
No matter how thick-skinned Jiang Ling was, he realized something was wrong. He thought this action was planned by Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang, but Ming Huazhang didn't know about it?
Well, given Ming Huazhang's personality, if he had known in advance, how could he allow her to take such a big risk.
Jiang Ling hesitated and didn't dare to face Ming Huazhang. Ren Yao interrupted them angrily: "That's enough. Now is not the time to talk about this. She has been taken away by Lu Du. The best thing to do now is to find the switch of the secret room as soon as possible, otherwise, it will be too late to say anything!"
Only then did Ming Huazhang realize that Ming Huashang had come up with an idea to lure the snake out of its hole. She was responsible for following Lu Du, looking for opportunities to talk to Lu Du, and inducing Lu Du to attack her. After the "snake" was hooked, she blew a secret signal to inform Ren Yao and Jiang Ling, and Ren Yao and Jiang Ling came in to take care of it and catch Lu Du red-handed.
The plan seemed fine at first glance, but when it was implemented, a huge omission occurred.
Ming Huashang had been captured by Lu Du, but after Jiang Ling and Ren Yao came in, they couldn't find the entrance to the secret room.
Jiang Ling saw Ming Huazhang's bad face, and he knew he was wrong, so he said with a guilty conscience: "Don't worry, she has many hidden weapons on her, even if something goes wrong, she can protect herself. She just doesn't want to kill Lu Du, and wants to keep him alive as much as possible, so she asked us to catch him in the act."
Ming Huazhang still didn't smile, but he didn't blame Jiang Ling and Ren Yao. He was calm and said, "Let's find the switch first."
At this point, yelling and blaming others will not solve the problem. The most urgent task is to find Ming Huashang.
Ming Huazhang took a deep breath, tried to calm his mind, and thought rationally about where the switch of the secret room would be located.
Jiang Ling and Ren Yao had been groping for common places such as bookshelves and floor tiles. Jiang Ling even lay on the ground and knocked on the bricks one by one. Ming Huazhang stood in the back and watched quietly, then suddenly stepped forward and walked towards the Buddha statue.
Jiang Ling saw his action and put his ear to the ground with great effort, saying, "We checked the Buddha statue and found no organization."
The Buddha statue was fixed to the wall and could not turn left or right. He looked forward with a look of pity. Ming Huazhang stopped in front of the Buddha, looked at him, put his hands over his eyes, and closed the Buddha's eyes.
There was a faint sound of chains turning in the room. Jiang Ling's hand slipped and he quickly moved away. He saw with his own eyes that the bricks in front of him bounced open, revealing a dark hole. He was still in a daze, and a cold wind passed by his eyes. Ming Huazhang had already jumped down.
Jiang Ling was startled and was about to warn him, but then he lowered his voice and said, "Be careful, there's a trap inside!"
At this time, someone grabbed his collar, lifted him up, and threw him to the side mercilessly: "Stop talking nonsense, get out of the way, don't block the road."
Jiang Ling was strangled so hard that he saw stars and stumbled for two steps before he could stand up. He pulled his collar and walked down while cursing: "You don't want to go on such a wide road, but you have to compete with me. You are sick."
Jiang Ling entered the secret room and vaguely heard someone talking. Jiang Ling leaned against the wall, listened carefully for a while, and asked with his mouth: "What is he saying?"
Ren Yao shook his head, signaling him to shut up. At this time, a woman answered, and Jiang Ling recognized it as Ming Huashang's voice. He was still trying to figure out what Ming Huashang said, when Ming Huazhang's eyes suddenly turned cold and he turned around and rushed out.
Ren Yao didn't know why Ming Huazhang suddenly acted, but she believed in Ming Huazhang's judgment and also took action with her gun. Fortunately, they predicted it in advance and stopped Lu Du before he stabbed Ming Huashang.
Ren Yao had suffered so much injustice during his patrols these past few days, and now that he had finally seen the culprit, he was not polite to him at all. Ren Yao swept his silver gun across and hit Lu Du hard in the body. Lu Du bent down in pain, and Ren Yao kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Ren Yao felt that killing such a person with a gun was an insult to their Ren family gun. She threw the silver gun to Jiang Ling and beat Lu Du with her bare hands.
Thanks to Jiang Ling knowing her habit and taking a step back in time, she was not stabbed to death by the silver spear. He was a little helpless: "Can you say hello to me before you throw it?"
Ren Yao was busy swinging his fists, so he didn't care about Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling took Ren Yao's gun and planned to go to comfort Ming Huashang, but when he turned around, he found that Ming Huazhang was holding Ming Huashang, with a stern face and dark eyes, and he was carefully checking Ming Huashang's body and limbs, as if there was no room for another person.
Jiang Ling paused, held his chin, and felt an indescribable weirdness.
It seems normal for a brother to care about his sister when she is in danger. But when he sees their actions, why does Jiang Ling always feel guilty?
Ming Huazhang was the first to rush out, but he didn't go to see Lu Du, but went straight to Ming Huashang. He untied the ropes on Ming Huashang, and without saying a word, he examined her wrists and ankles with a sullen face. Ming Huashang felt a little guilty, and explained weakly: "I brought a hidden weapon. If Sister Ren and the others hadn't come, I would have shot him to death with my hidden arrow."
As she said this, she quickly showed Ming Huazhang the hidden arrow. The arrow head was glowing with a faint green light, and it was obviously coated with medicine. This was a special hidden weapon made by the Xuanxiao Guards. It was small and light, and looked like jewelry, so Lu Du didn't notice it.
However, Ming Huazhang was not comforted. The reason why he was in a difficult situation now was because Cen Hu was dead. They had no evidence and could only let Jingzhao Yin change the murderer. If Lu Du was also dead, how could Ming Huazhang overturn the case?
Ming Huazhang knew very well that she would never trigger the arrow unless it was absolutely necessary. That was why he felt even more guilty.
After Ming Huashang finished speaking, she was expecting her second brother to scold her. She had already thought of a tricky excuse, but she didn't see Ming Huazhang questioning her. Ming Huashang asked cautiously, "Second brother, don't you blame me?"
After Ming Huazhang confirmed that Ming Huachang was not injured, he found that his fingers were cold, his heart was beating very fast, and the blood in his body seemed to be flowing backwards. Of course he was worried about her, but she risked her life for him, so how could he have the face to be fierce to her?
Ming Huazhang looked at the bruises on her wrists, feeling distressed and blaming himself: "I am incompetent. This case has nothing to do with you. If I could find evidence, you wouldn't have to get involved in this."
Ming Huashang heard this and said hurriedly, "Second brother, don't say that. This is a mission for Shuangbi. I am not only helping you, but also fulfilling my duty. If I were a weak woman with no power, it would be fine, but I can obviously find the murderer. Am I going to stand by and watch him kill innocent girls one after another while I stay in the mansion and enjoy my life?"
Ming Huazhang also knew that this was what Ming Huashang wanted to do, but he couldn't get over himself: "I am too useless. If I could have found this place earlier, if I could have solved the rotten stalls in Jingzhao Prefecture, you wouldn't have had to get involved."
"Brother, no one in the world can know it in advance." Ming Huashang held his fingers tightly and said, "Investigating the case is not only your business, but also mine. I want to be a useful person. A person who doesn't want to take risks will not be useful."
Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang were talking when suddenly they heard a deliberate cough. Jiang Ling interrupted them and said, "How about you go and see that man first, and then talk about brotherly love when you get back? It seems like he was almost beaten to death by Ren Yao."
Ming Huashang was startled and turned around to look. Lu Du was a gentle, fair-skinned man with a graceful demeanor. Wherever he went, he was a respectable young man from a famous family and was very popular with women. But now he was bruised and begging for mercy. How could he still have any demeanor?
Ming Huashang felt relieved when she saw this, so she jumped down from the stone platform, ran over and said, "Sister Ren, please move aside and let me beat him up."
Jiang Ling heard this from behind, his face twitched, and he looked at Ming Huazhang. Ming Huazhang, who was the most upright and upright, did not react at all to this behavior, but instead looked at her calmly, as if no matter what Ming Huachang did, he would follow behind to help her clean up the mess.
Ren Yao was sweating from the fight. She loosened her wrists and said sideways, "You are really weak. It's boring. Be careful not to dirty your hands."
"I understand." Ming Huashang said, then she lifted her skirt and kicked him hard in a very ungraceful manner.
Lu Du did not expect that the well-behaved Ming Huashang would do such a vulgar thing, and he was kicked by her without any preparation. And because Ming Huashang's aim was not good enough, the tip of her shoe kicked Lu Du in the face.
Lu Du fell to the ground, covered his chin with his hands, and stared at Ming Huashang with hatred. Ming Huashang stretched his arms and said, "Why, do you feel humiliated by being beaten by me? But you are such a weak and incompetent person. Although your body has grown up, your heart is still at the age of thirteen. You will always be the child who dares not resist evil and can only avoid it passively. You can only get satisfaction by bullying those weaker than you. Lu Du, I really pity you."
Lu Du had managed to maintain his composure when being punched and kicked by Ren Yao before, but after hearing Ming Huashang's words, he was like a jellyfish that had been poked in a sore spot. His whole body twisted and he rushed over like a madman, but was kicked back by Ren Yao.
His back hit the damp and cold floor hard, causing severe pain in his heart and lungs. Lu Du looked up and saw Ren Yao looking down at him, his narrow eyes full of contempt: "Be quiet and don't move. If you move again, don't blame me for being rude."
The Northern Courtyard Imperial Guards were responsible for patrolling and maintaining public order. During this period, Ren Yao had arrested many night troublemakers and thieves, and was familiar with dealing with criminals. After Ren Yao had tied up Lu Du, Ming Huazhang asked, "Did you kill the female beggar five years ago, Huang Caiwei and Yuyan four years ago, and Cheng Siyue in October this year?"
Lu Du had been acting like a decent person before, but now he was completely defeated. He said dejectedly, "It was me."
"How did you commit the crime on October 22nd?"
"I had discovered before that the curtains of Qingchan Temple would affect the color, so that day I deliberately talked to the abbot, novices and others to let others remember that I had been there. When the ceremony began, I asked the followers in blue to pretend to be me and kneel in the single room. I took advantage of the chaos to go outside, took Cheng Siyue to my meditation room, tricked her into drinking tea spiked with drugs, and then brought her here."
Ming Huazhang asked: "How did you throw the body away?"
"My carriage was parked in the yard. When the fight was over, I moved her body onto the carriage. I changed my clothes and asked my attendants to go home first. I drove to the south of the city alone and found a place to abandon her."
Ming Huashang remembered that the young nun of Qingchan Temple said that when Lu Du left on the 22nd, he helped pull the cart. It turned out that at that time, there was a corpse behind a curtain.
On the ground there is a solemn and dignified ritual, and underground there is a bloodstained scene of crime. The Buddha's eyes are half open and half closed. Does he also not want to see the absurdity of the world?
Ming Huashang asked: "Do the abbot and monks of Qingchan Temple know about this?"
Lu Du shook his head: "They don't know."
"What about the abbot of Pudu Temple?"
"He thought I just wanted to frame Cen Hu. That man is a big-name bandit who has been lurking in Pudu Temple for a long time. He has long been worried about him."
Ming Huazhang took over the conversation and asked, "Four years ago, your parents died in a fire. Did you commit murder on purpose?"
Lu Du was silent for a long time, and he actually laughed. His hands were tied, and he couldn't put them together, so he just chanted a Buddhist mantra: "It's me. This is the best thing I have ever done."
"How did they die?"
"Poison." Lu Du said everything without reservation, "It was arsenic."
Ming Huazhang wrote it down and said coldly, "I advise you not to be complacent. I will go to the Lu family's ancestral tomb to open the coffin and examine the body. Any lie you told will be found out by me."
Lu Du just closed his eyes and silently chanted Buddhist scriptures, as if he had entered another world. Ming Huazhang was collecting evidence underground, while Ming Huashang, Ren Yao and Jiang Ling walked out of the secret room. The sunlight poured in from the long windows, dazzling like paradise.
Jiang Ling asked: "Were you really tied up just now?"
"That's right." Ming Huashang said, "If not, how could he tell me the process of committing the crime? Don't worry, I know what I am doing. When he tied me up, I was conscious and adjusted the position of the hidden arrow on purpose to ensure that I would hit the target with one shot."
Ren Yao felt his heart pounding when he heard this, and asked, "Aren't you afraid of something unexpected happening and you losing your ability to move and getting into danger?"
Ming Huashang was very confident about this point, and said calmly: "No. He is such a self-deprecating and arrogant person who loves to show off. He will surely torture his prey slowly when they are awake, and enjoy their expressions of hope and disappointment. So he won't do anything to me before I wake up. Besides, you can't get the tiger cub without risking it."
Ren Yao wanted to say that what you did was crazy, but she opened and closed her mouth several times, and finally only sighed: "You two do things in the same way, and you will never stop until you achieve your goal. No wonder you are brother and sister."
Ming Huashang just smiled softly and said in a low voice: "Maybe, this is fate."
Fate is a mighty torrent that never stops flowing. Many people get lost in the torrent, while others, after going around in circles, are always sent to the same place by fate.
·
On December 16, the New Year's Eve holiday was approaching, and everyone was absent-minded. Even with Yu Shixian staring at them, the ministers in the Xuanzheng Hall were still drowsy and listless.
It was a long and boring morning court as usual, but today, a small episode occurred.
Halfway through the morning court session, after the Shangshu had finished reading the routine documents and the Jiedushi's greetings, the eunuch asked, "My dear ministers, do you have anything else to report?"
Normally, this would mean the end of the meeting. If nothing unexpected happened, the eunuch would say "Nothing else, I'm leaving the court." However, today, a young official wearing a dark purple robe with a Xiezhi pattern stood up, raised his hand and said, "Your Highness Ming Huazhang, the Junior Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, has something to report."
The prime minister standing in the front stood still, and the ministers with less concentration turned their heads to look. Su Xingzhi also raised his eyes and looked at the beautiful silhouette.
Ming Huazhang was calm and forthright in the midst of all the scrutiny, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "The Imperial College Doctor
Shi Ludu is suspected to be related to the Chang'an serial bone digging case. I suggest that the case be re-investigated. Now that I have arrested the suspect, to ensure justice, I hope Your Majesty will send the Dali Temple and the Yushitai to supervise and listen to the trial in Jingzhao Prefecture. "
As soon as these words came out, the whole court was in an uproar. Everyone ignored the historians and whispered to each other, and even the six prime ministers standing in the first row opened their eyes and glanced at Ming Huazhang.
Jingzhao Yin stood in front of Ming Huazhang, his face looking visibly unhappy.
He was the one who decided the case, and now it has been sent to Yu Shitai, but I don't know what went wrong in the Procuratorate that has been delayed. When it seemed that the matter was about to be concluded, Ming Huazhang said in the morning court in front of all the civil and military officials that the case would be reopened, and he also asked Yu Shitai to come and listen to the interrogation process. What did he mean by this?
The King of Wei had little interest in these things. It was just a struggle for power. Every year, some ignorant officials would try to challenge their superiors and take over the position. It was boring. The King of Wei was lost in thought when he suddenly felt a chill on his back, as if he was being pointed at by a sharp sword.
King Wei followed his intuition and found that Ming Huazhang was looking at him. His eyes were calm and composed, with a calmness that seemed to know everything, which made King Wei feel as if he was in a trance.
It was as if the person standing in front of him at this moment was not a young and ignorant boy, but an old friend from many years ago.
Ming Huazhang stared at Wu Chengsi, the prince whose surname was not Li, and said, "I have another matter concerning the King of Wei. I dare not decide. I hope Your Majesty will make the decision."
The King of Wei was stunned for a moment, his face darkened. The figure on the high platform swayed, and the woman sat high on the golden throne, the imperial crown tassels swaying in front of her, and her expression could not be seen clearly.
The eunuch strained his voice and sang in a long voice: "Play."
"Since the death of the female beggar five years ago, four similar cases have occurred in Chang'an. Among them, Lu Du has admitted that he was responsible for the first, second, and fourth cases, but not the third case, the case of the brothel woman Chu Jun. I sent people to stake out Pingkangfang. A few days ago, the murderer was deceived by the false news that the case had been solved and went to the brothel to have fun. He was caught by me. After interrogation, this person has admitted that he imitated the murderer four years ago, and this person is a retainer of the King of Wei."
Outside Chang'an, smoke was rising and Buddhist chants were heard. Ming Huashang stood at the doorstep, gazing at the Vairocana Tathagata in front of her. Jiang Ling came in from outside and asked, "Aren't you going to burn some incense?"
Ming Huashang shook her head slowly: "Buddha cannot save us from the sufferings of this world, only we can. Since I don't believe in it, why should I burn incense?"
"Just think of it as a good omen."
Ming Huashang looked up at the incense floating up, covering the Buddha's eyebrows and eyes, and his expression became blurred. She said slowly: "There are many people who worship Buddha, but they all ask for fame, wealth, longevity, and filial children and grandchildren. I don't have any obsession with these, and I'm afraid that what I want, Buddha can't do."
"What do you want?"
"It's nothing but fairness," Ming Huashang said, "It's fairness that women and men can live and walk equally, that the poor and the rich are equally respected, and that people from prominent families and the poor can both change their fate by themselves."
Xie Jichuan was approaching from outside and stopped when he heard this. Jiang Ling shrugged and said, "Okay, then you can beg me. I'm going to find the secret passage. Ren Yao is too aggressive. Without anyone watching her, she will definitely turn the land over."
Jiang Ling turned around and saw Xie Jichuan, and asked, "Why are you here? Have you counted the list?"
Xie Jichuan smiled and said, "It doesn't take me that long to do this."
After Ming Huashang, Ren Yao and the other two captured Lu Du alive, Ming Huazhang immediately started to clean up the mess. Jingzhao Prefecture was completely under the control of Jingzhao Yin, and Ming Huazhang had no one to use, so he could only borrow the manpower of the imperial guards. Fortunately, Jiang Ling and Ren Yao were both lieutenants, and although they were not high-ranking officials, they still had several people under them.
Ming Huazhang worked all night last night and finally finished writing the file. He brought it to the morning court today to report.
Since the serial murder case is to be reexamined, the Pudu Temple, as the crime scene, must not be left alone. How to deal with the Pudu Temple has to wait for the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to discuss, but before that, the number of people and property in the Pudu Temple must be counted first to prevent someone from taking the money and running away.
Buddhism is a place outside the mundane world, but it cannot be a place outside the law.
Ming Huazhang went to court today.
Xie Jichuan nodded: "Yes."
"Where is the abbot of Pudu Temple? I want to go and see him."
Xie Jichuan glanced at her and said, "Let's go, they are here."
After the imperial guards brought people to seal the temple, the monks were restricted in their movements, and the abbot of Pudu Temple sat alone in a meditation room chanting. When Ming Huashang entered the room, Xie Jichuan stayed outside the corridor, waiting for them to finish talking.
Ming Huashang did not have the intention to charge the abbot with a vengeance, but politely bowed to the abbot, who calmly returned the greeting. Ming Huashang sat on the mat opposite him and asked, "Abbot, when you first heard from Lu Du about his father's bestiality, why didn't you report it to the authorities?"
The abbot was silent for a moment, and said, "Buddhism is a secular place, and it has nothing to do with the government. Donors come to Buddhist temples to meditate because they want to find a quiet place without being disturbed by the secular world. If the poor monk hears the donor's prayer and reports to the government, then is he a secular person who helps the poor and the needy, or is he an eye, eye, and claw of the government?"
"But if you had reported the case to the police at the beginning, Lu Du's sister would not have died, and Lu Du would not have slid into the abyss step by step in despair and finally become a murderer. If you had done something at the beginning instead of persuading Lu Du to accept the status quo afterwards, many people would not have had to die."
The abbot was silent again, and after a long while he said, "Everything is determined by fate, so we should do more good deeds and accumulate merit for the world."
"If it's fate, should we just accept it? If we haven't tried, fought for it, or resisted it, what right do you have to say that it's the fate of all living beings?"
This time the abbot was silent for a long time, bowed his head and chanted Amitabha to Ming Huashang, and did not answer. Ming Huashang knew that the conversation was over, so she stood up and walked towards the sunny sky.
She walked down the stairs, smiled at Xie Jichuan, and said, "I don't know what's going on with my second brother. Let's go. It's time to go back."
·
Autumn of the first year of Shengli.
I finally passed the military examination and became the court official I had always dreamed of. Not the kind of official who served the empress in the inner court, who was called a female official but was actually a palace maid, but an official who actually patrolled, guarded, and performed duties.
When I was training in the inner palace, I thought that as long as I passed the military officer exam, all my difficulties would be solved. But when I really got to this step, I found that, for a woman who wants to inherit the family business, standing at the starting line is only the simplest step.
When on duty, my superiors would intentionally let me do the easier tasks. When I was doing drills, other male soldiers would stare at me. When I was eating, sleeping, changing clothes... they reminded me all the time that I was a woman.
I could only get up earlier and do more to prove that I didn't need to be treated differently. The maid didn't understand and asked me why I was so stubborn. As the daughter of a marquis, I didn't need to be treated coldly.
Maybe it's because there's always a fool who will keep me company, swearing and yawning, no matter how early I get up. Everyone around me is questioning, but he's the only one who doesn't say a word, which makes me willing to believe that my persistence is meaningful.
I originally thought that this road would be long and arduous, but when I took the first step, I discovered that it was actually not that difficult.
The road is long and difficult, but we are still searching for it.
Ren Yao was on duty at night in the Yulin Army of the Northern Yamen.
——The fourth case, "The Buddha's Complaint of the Lost Soul," is finished.
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