Zhong Li heard Wusheng's words and glanced towards Lu Wuxie, who was not far away.
Indeed, his previously calm expression was now as cold and terrifying as the frost of the twelfth lunar month.
Wusheng, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere in the room, clasped his hands together towards Lu Wuxie and said, "Young Lord, I hope you will investigate the matter of my master thoroughly and bring the truth to us disciples."
With that, Wusheng bowed to Zhong Li and turned to leave the room.
Zhong Li watched Wusheng's retreating figure, her expression thoughtful. She now understood why the monks of Ling Shan Temple carried a certain arrogance in their bones – it was because they were spoiled by the imperial court.
"Young Lord," Zhong Li walked to Lu Wuxie's side and found him gazing intently at the sparrows flying outside the window.
She knew he was contemplating Wusheng's earlier words.
"Is the Young Lord thinking about your mother's affairs?" Zhong Li asked.
Finally, Lu Wuxie withdrew his gaze and fixed it upon the woman before him. "After my mother died, I observed a three-year mourning period and never set foot in Ling Shan. I was unaware of such an incident occurring.
Before, I merely suspected that my mother's death was not simple. Now, it seems, it was indeed premeditated. I remember when my mother was sent back to the royal manor, she was already on her last breath, with two gaping wounds on her body. The weapons had not been removed from the wounds."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li lowered her eyes and remained silent.
From Suqing County to Jincheng, the fastest carriage journey would take at least a day. This meant that Xie Yunxia had been rushed back to the royal manor overnight while severely injured. Not only was the best time for rescue missed, but the arduous journey alone would have taken half her life.
"May I ask the Young Lord a question?" Zhong Li pondered for a while before deciding to voice her doubts.
Lu Wuxie did not respond.
Zhong Li said, "When the Consort was gravely injured, who was it that rushed her back to the manor?"
Lu Wuxie thought for a long time before replying, "When my mother went to Ling Shan, she was accompanied by ten attendants, two of whom were considered top experts in Jincheng. However, they all perished near Ling Shan. The one who brought my mother back seemed to be..." He narrowed his eyes and said, "The Consort's head maid, Zhilan."
"Then where is she?"
"She's dead. After my mother died, she poisoned herself," Lu Wuxie said, as if a realization dawned on him. He clenched the dried grass stalk in his hand tightly and exclaimed, "Damn it, how could I only realize this now."
Zhong Li looked at the man trembling with anger and, after some hesitation, gently placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Young Lord, the dead cannot be brought back to life, and the past cannot be changed. However, a good thing is that the truth about the Consort's death is finally coming to light, making this trip worthwhile."
Lu Wuxie startled and turned to look at Zhong Li.
Zhong Li quickly withdrew her hand, her gaze avoiding his, and said, pursing her lips, "The priority now is the case at Ling Shan Temple. Let's go."
With that, Zhong Li picked up the remaining breakfast from the table and walked out.
Due to Liao Chen's death, most of the pilgrims who had come for him had already driven home. The Grand Hall was no longer as bustling and filled with incense as it usually was.
As Zhong Li followed Lu Wuxie past the Grand Hall, they saw a woman kneeling on the ground, shaking a divination stick. It was none other than Tian Lianxue.
After a moment, a lot fell from the bucket. Tian Lianxue, overjoyed, picked up the lot and ran to the entrance to have it interpreted.
"Master Wu Hui, please take a look at this lot."
Wu Hui took the lot and glanced at it. "What does the donor wish to seek?"
Tian Lianxue thought for a moment and said, "Love, I wish for love!"
Zhong Li, standing not far away, glanced at Lu Wuxie, only to see him squint his eyes with a blank expression.
"Love, very well!" Wu Hui said. Following the strips of paper behind him, he took out a piece from the bottom and read it aloud: "Not prosperity that fades, but at the height of prosperity; not a partner from ancient times, but a replacement for another; ultimately, all efforts are in vain, leaving only dust and no release."
"What does that mean?" Tian Lianxue was stunned.
Wu Hui clasped his hands together and said to her, "It is best for the donor to let fate take its course. Some things cannot be forced. If the donor can consider carefully, there might be a different outcome."
"Does that mean mine is a bad omen?" Tian Lianxue asked.
"Amitabha," Wu Hui said no more.
"Nonsense!" Tian Lianxue angrily threw the lot onto the table and turned to leave the Grand Hall. Coincidentally, she bumped into a monk sweeping the floor at the entrance.
"Amitabha, donor, please be careful," the sweeping monk bowed to Tian Lianxue.
Tian Lianxue, already in a bad mood, was now stumbled and almost fell, risking public ridicule. She stomped her foot in anger and exclaimed, "What is happening today? Which deity have I offended to be treated like this!"
The sweeping monk paused his work, looked up at Tian Lianxue, and then at the lot she had thrown on the table. He said, "This poor monk will give the lady a word."
Tian Lianxue raised an eyebrow. Before she could reply, the sweeping monk stroked his goatee, dipped a mop in water from a nearby bucket, and wrote a character on the ground: '克' (kè, meaning overcome/control).
"What does that mean?" Tian Lianxue asked, confused.
"The Buddha teaches to cultivate the mind and spirit. I hope the lady will always remember this word I give you; perhaps it will lead to a better future."
"Do you also think my fate is bad?" Tian Lianxue put her hands on her hips, looking furious.
The sweeping monk lowered his head and continued his work, not paying attention to her arrogance.
Tian Lianxue, realizing she was hitting a wall of indifference, stomped her foot angrily and walked out of Ling Shan Temple without looking back.
"I didn't realize this sweeping monk was such a wise and virtuous person." Lu Wuxie said slowly, leading Zhong Li out from the side after Tian Lianxue had disappeared from view. He glanced at the sweeping monk and commented.
Zhong Li remained silent, only looking at the sweeping monk with a slight frown.
When they arrived at the yamen, it was just past noon. Normally, the Suqing County yamen would be bustling with activity by this time. Today, the main hall was empty, with only a few yamen runners standing solemnly on either side with wooden sticks. The county magistrate, Lord Zhao, had yet to appear.
"Where is your magistrate?" Lin Jin walked up to a yamen runner and asked.
The yamen runner cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "Reporting to Guard Lin, according to the usual practice, my lord should have reported for duty early this morning. Today, for some reason, he is so late in arriving."
Lu Wuxie sat on his official chair and glanced at the commoners waiting by the entrance for trivial lawsuits. Lin Jin understood and asked the yamen runner again, "How long have they been waiting?"
"Reporting to Guard Lin, they arrived just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM)," the yamen runner replied.
"Then did you not send someone to Lord Li's home to look for him?" Lin Jin asked again.
The yamen runner nodded, then scratched the back of his head, looking perplexed. "This is strange. Er Gouzi went to look for Lord Li early this morning. By this time, he should have returned. Yet, he has been gone for so long..."
"It's not good, it's not good... it's not good..." Before the yamen runner could finish speaking, another yamen runner, dressed in official attire, pushed through the crowd, panting heavily, and rushed into the hall. Before he could speak, he saw Lu Wuxie sitting in the hall, his face filled with surprise. His legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, stammering, "Young... Young Lord..."
Hearing this, Lin Jin's brows furrowed. "What's not good? What does it have to do with our Young Lord?"