The young maidservant trembled as Xu Qing approached, retreating a few steps as if to flee.
Seeing this, Xu Qing stepped forward and gripped the maidservant’s hand.
The maidservant, terrified, almost fainted and knelt on the ground.
“What are you afraid of?” Xu Qing sneered, his eyes full of amusement as he looked at her.
The maidservant swallowed a few times and shook her head. “This servant is naturally timid, sir.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and asked.
The maidservant lowered her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
Xu Qing turned to look at the guards who were preparing to pocket the bribe.
The guard, knowing he had done wrong, also lowered his head in silence.
Xu Qing released the maidservant’s hand and snatched the bracelet the guard had tucked into his embrace.
He examined it in the sunlight. “The transparency is excellent, and the floating flowers are beautiful. It’s a fine piece.”
The maidservant dared not utter a sound, her head bowed even lower.
Having served in Dali Temple, Xu Qing was keenly observant of such details. He crouched down, lifted the maidservant’s chin, forcing her to look up, and asked, “Where did a mere servant like you get such a fine bracelet?”
The maidservant bit her lip, remaining silent.
Xu Qing scoffed and asked, “Did you steal it?”
“No.” This time, the maidservant answered crisply. “Although this servant’s origins are humble, I have never engaged in any petty thievery.”
“Oh!” Xu Qing nodded, a look of sudden realization on his face. He then snatched the paper packet the maidservant was still clutching, opened it, and scattered all the oil-fried pastries onto the ground.
“My oil-fried pastries!” the maidservant cried out in alarm. As she was about to scramble to pick them up, a long saber was already held before her.
“You…” The maidservant was completely stunned, unable to complete her sentence.
Xu Qing made no move to retract his saber. He tucked the bracelet he held into his embrace, then reached down to pick up the oil-fried pastries from the ground and sniffed them.
Seeing this, the maidservant trembled like a sieve.
Xu Qing’s expression gradually turned grim.
He stood up and glared at the maidservant, then tossed the oil-fried pastries in his hand onto her. “You put something in here! Are you trying to break the rules?”
The maidservant shook her head. “No, no, miss was just afraid of… of what would happen, and didn’t want to suffer, so… ah…”
Before the maidservant could finish speaking, Xu Qing, impatient, swung his saber towards her face.
“Stop!” Zhong Li, unable to watch any longer, rushed out from the pavilion.
Xu Qing looked up, his gaze lingering on Zhong Li for a long moment. “Hua Yao?”
Zhong Li replied, “Greetings, Magistrate Xu.”
Xu Qing rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Hmph, greetings? Is this how you wanted to see me? I’ve been demoted to the position of head guard here at Baolin Temple. Are you satisfied?”
Zhong Li knew Xu Qing’s nature and paid no mind to his sarcastic remarks.
Her priority was to save the young maidservant.
“Magistrate Xu, your misfortune is your own doing; you have no one else to blame. I am here to stop you from making another mistake. This is a sacred Buddhist ground; bloodshed is not permitted. You would do well to perform acts of kindness and virtue, lest you be unable to even look at the temple gates!”
“You!” Xu Qing was rendered speechless by her retort. He sized up the woman before him, wondering when Hua Yao had become so sharp-tongued and incisive with her words.
Zhong Li ignored him, walked over to the maidservant, pulled her up, and led her away.
“My lord!” The guard standing beside Xu Qing wanted to step forward and retrieve the maidservant.
Xu Qing raised his hand to stop him. “Don’t. Doing so will only cause us more trouble. She is from Dali Temple, and her father is General Hua. We cannot afford to provoke her.”
“Yes!” The guard bowed his head in acknowledgment.
Xu Qing put away his saber, gathered the remaining oil-fried pastries from the ground, and as he walked back, he glanced at the two figures rapidly disappearing from view, a flicker of an unreadable thought in his eyes.
“Are you alright?” Zhong Li asked as she led the maidservant to the corridor. Once she confirmed they were in a safe area, she stopped to inquire.
The maidservant nodded and curtsied to Zhong Li. “Thank you, young lady, for saving me. If there is ever an opportunity, this servant will surely repay your kindness.”
With that, the maidservant glanced around nervously. Before Zhong Li could speak again, she darted away.
Zhong Li had long seen through her small intentions and did not pursue her, letting her go.
“Miss Zhong!” Zhong Li stood in the corridor, waiting for Lin Jin, who had been hiding nearby, to catch up.
“Is everything settled?” Zhong Li asked.
Lin Jin replied, “Yes, all three of them have gone to investigate. If all goes quickly, we might have clues tonight. If the master had not given Fei Yuan to the Emperor, it could have been even faster.”
“It’s alright; we still have two days. This case is not complicated. I also know who is behind it; all that remains is to find the evidence.” As Zhong Li spoke, she led Lin Jin towards the back of Baolin Temple.
That area housed the monks’ dormitories, and the young monk Ji Kong had mentioned that her living quarters were arranged there.
“When I returned earlier, I noticed you were not in your designated spot, Miss Zhong. You merely went out for a stroll. Why has your confidence in this case suddenly grown?” Lin Jin followed Zhong Li, noticing her light step and cheerful mood, certain it was due to a breakthrough in the case. She couldn’t help but ask.
After walking a few steps, Zhong Li saw that they were alone and whispered, “Lin Jin, guess who I just saw?”
Lin Jin shook her head.
“Xu Qing.”
“What?” Lin Jin exclaimed in surprise, her expression becoming excited the moment she heard Zhong Li’s words. After all, Fan Ren had always been Xu Qing’s sycophant. If encountering Fan Ren in relation to this case was a coincidence, then running into Xu Qing here could only mean one thing: they had found the right place. The key to the case lay within Baolin Temple, and now all that was needed was to find the thread to unravel everything.
“That’s why I believe this case will be solved within three days,” Zhong Li said.
“Then will the master be able to come out?” Lin Jin grew even happier.
Zhong Li nodded, smiling genuinely, and quickened her pace.
As Ji Kong had said.
As soon as Zhong Li and Lin Jin reached their accommodation, Ji Kong was already waiting for them near the dormitories.
Due to the earlier incident with the maidservant, she had arrived last at the dormitories.
Ji Kong looked at Zhong Li with an apologetic expression. “My apologies, Miss Hua. The room previously reserved for you has been occupied. Now, there is only a shared dormitory left.”
“Occupied? Who?” Lin Jin’s brow furrowed upon hearing that Zhong Li would be inconvenienced, and she questioned him coldly.
Ji Kong had been at the temple for a short time and had met few people. Furthermore, Lin Jin, despite her male physique, was dressed as a woman. He had never seen such a rough-mannered person and recoiled in shock, taking several steps back. “Amitabha, please conduct yourself with propriety!”
Lin Jin looked at Ji Kong, bewildered. Seeing his pitiable expression, like a little white rabbit about to be devoured by a great gray wolf, she snorted, “What are you thinking? I’m asking you, who took my lady’s room?”
Only then did Ji Kong’s expression soften. “This… I cannot say.”
“What is there to not say? You can give away the room reserved for my lady, but I cannot ask about it? Is this how your Buddha teaches you?” Lin Jin retorted at Ji Kong again.
Ji Kong sighed and whispered, “It is Empress Dowager’s relative, Shen Ying. She received the Empress’s decree to come to Baolin Temple to pray for the Shen family.”
“It’s her?” Lin Jin was surprised.
Zhong Li also found it to be quite a coincidence.
Lin Jin blinked a few times, wanting to say something, but then looked at Zhong Li and swallowed all her words.
“Fine, a shared dormitory it is. Where is it?” Zhong Li asked.
Ji Kong let out a sigh of relief and led Zhong Li towards the innermost large dormitory.