Recently, rumors about Kong Shan and the wish for a child have been rampant in the capital.
There have been people in the court intervening, but rumors are like air; they will leak out at the slightest gap.
Because the matter caused such a stir, it aroused the public indignation of the powerful and influential.
Many people wanted to deal with them.
Thus, the tea house where the rumors first originated was sealed, and the storyteller was arrested.
However, the frequency of a new story every day did not change.
It was just that this time it shifted from the open to the covert.
As a result, although everyone in the capital was talking about it, when the government sent people to arrest them, they found that no one had said anything.
The Five City Patrols were almost at their wits' end.
They had been rushing around arresting people for several days.
They had made themselves exhausted, but the effect was not significant.
The garrisons were now full of complaints.
"Damn it all, if this continues, before we can catch those loose-lipped bastards, we'll be worn to death just running around the capital."
"Alas, who wouldn't say that? Those who spread rumors are truly annoying. Don't let me catch them."
"Hey, don't talk like that. I think this matter should be blamed on Kong Shan, that bastard, that bald donkey.
If he hadn't stirred up trouble, why would we be so tired..."
...
Everyone was discussing animatedly, talking at length.
Just then, Shen Yun and Wang Enze entered the South City Patrols one after the other.
"Hey, I wondered who it was." Liu Shusheng, the commander of the South City Patrols, looked askance at the two young men in official robes entering.
The one walking in front wore a crimson robe embroidered with flying geese.
The one behind wore a qingse robe of the fifth rank, embroidered with white pheasants.
He knew them both, as these two were currently newly favored officials of the Emperor.
One was the top scholar, and the other had climbed to the position of a fourth-rank Censor through his father, who was a minister.
He felt particularly indignant.
His Liu family, the direct lineage of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion, although appointed as the commander of the South City Patrols,
This position was merely an honorific title.
It was actually just a small yamen of the sixth rank, low in status and humble. In the capital filled with high officials, anyone could command him.
Moreover, this department had no proper duties. They roamed the streets and alleys of the capital every day, under the guise of maintaining the safety of the capital.
But in reality, besides catching petty thieves and handling some inexplicable minor disputes, they did nothing significant.
In any case, for matters involving large sums of money or resulting in death, they were all submitted to the Governor of Shuntian, or some cases were directly handed over to the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple.
Some serious cases even involved the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
In short, they had no great use.
Just like this time, they were asked to suppress gossip and rumors.
They could block others' mouths for a while, but not for a lifetime.
And blocking one would not stop another.
This was a thankless task.
Liu Shusheng was feeling troubled and had no pleasant expression towards anyone at this moment.
Therefore, he didn't care about his low rank.
Wang Enze saw his attitude. Although his official rank was higher than his, this was his territory, and they still needed his help.
Therefore, he naturally pretended not to see him and ignored his emotions, saying:
"By imperial oral decree, Commander Liu no longer needs to send people out to block rumors every day."
Liu Shusheng was about to retort sarcastically when he heard this.
Who knew that they would bring him such good news as soon as they arrived? He immediately perked up, no longer angry, and cupped his hands to the two of them: "Is that true?"
"The Emperor's person is of gold, and his words are as precious as gold. How can it be trifled with?" Wang Enze cupped his hands upwards as a sign of respect.
Liu Shusheng was pleased, but he thought that such an imperial decree did not require these two imperial favorites to come and announce it.
He immediately frowned subconsciously, his thick, long eyebrows like a brushstroke, leaving a heavy stroke of ink on the Xuan paper.
"Then, what is the matter that Your Excellencies have come for?"
"Raid the Huangjue Temple!"
"Ah, this, this might not be good." Liu Shusheng was startled.
The current emperor governed the country with filial piety but was a devout Buddhist.
Therefore, during the reign of Emperor Xingzhao, Buddhist temples flourished. In the capital alone, under the Son of Heaven, there were more than ten temples and nunneries.
Now they were asking him to lead troops to raid the Huangjue Temple.
That temple was not simple. In the previous dynasty, it was a royal temple.
But later, a master with divine divination abilities comparable to an immortal appeared in the Ganshuan Temple and happened to save the former emperor, so after the Dali Dynasty, the royal temple became the Ganshuan Temple.
But a starving camel is still bigger than a horse, and a broken boat still has three catties of nails.
Although the Huangjue Temple was no longer the national temple, due to its unique location in the western suburbs of the capital, it was convenient for people to go there to burn incense and worship without leaving the capital.
Therefore, the influence of the Huangjue Temple had not diminished over the years.
This could be seen from the prosperity of its incense burning on a daily basis.
Asking him to raid the Huangjue Temple felt like catching people was easier.
Wang Enze said with a serious expression: "That's right, raid the Huangjue Temple. The Emperor suspects that there are accomplices of Kong Shan and others in the Huangjue Temple."
Liu Shusheng hesitated: "Raiding temples is usually done by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, isn't it? This, this I'm afraid..."
"Do you dare to defy the imperial decree?" Shen Yun said lightly.
Liu Shusheng was startled. How did this escalate so quickly?
He was just trying to test the waters.
He immediately agreed, with no room for objection.
He was just a worker, obeying orders.
Soon, led by Wang Enze and Shen Yun, Liu Shusheng mustered the South City Patrols and rushed to the Huangjue Temple.
They broke in, arrested people, and a great chaos ensued.
The Huangjue Temple was vast, with many monks and novices. Only the young novices were taken away, leaving behind a group of so-called enlightened monks with long beards and kasayas.
After arresting people, they set up stools in front of the temple and forbade civilians from burning incense.
This was considered sealing the temple.
This matter was too shocking, and the Huangjue Temple was located in the Western Market, a bustling and prosperous area.
Without exception, before Shen Yun and the others even left the main gate of the Huangjue Temple,
The news of the South City Patrols raiding the Huangjue Temple had already spread and quickly became popular in various tea houses and taverns.
Thus, the rumors about Kong Shan seeking a child, which had recently circulated in the capital, were quickly replaced by the news of the Huangjue Temple being sealed.
Whenever relatives and friends met, they would discuss it.
After arresting people, without much interrogation, it was just a formality, a brief inquiry.
Wang Enze and Shen Yun went to the palace and returned with the conclusion that apart from the four people, Kong Shan, who had already been arrested, there were no others causing trouble in the Huangjue Temple.
Moreover, although the four of them lived in the Huangjue Temple, they were not actually monks of the Huangjue Temple, but merely lodged there.
They only spent less than half of the year at the temple, wandering outside for the rest of the time.
Thus, after a grand arrest and commotion, the people were quietly released.
For the Huangjue Temple, its reputation was initially damaged, but it was soon clarified by Emperor Xingzhao.
He stated that the eminent monks of the Huangjue Temple had nothing to do with Kong Shan, and everyone could rest assured and visit to pray.
This time, Kong Shan and the others were apprehended due to their actions, which was a blessing from Buddha in disguise.
This was the general situation, but only Shen Yun and Wang Enze, who were responsible for the case, knew whether any problems were truly uncovered.
However, Liu Shusheng received many rewards for his good performance in this matter.
From then on, when he saw Shen Yun and Wang Enze, he felt that these two handsome young colleagues suddenly became more pleasing to the eye.
Due to this commotion, Emperor Xingzhao directly handed over Kong Shan's case to Censor Wang Enze for investigation.
He was not part of the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple, but he was a Censor of the Censorate, whose duty was to "impeach all officials and clarify injustices..."
Therefore, it was considered his expertise to take charge of this matter.
Moreover, he had recently achieved outstanding merits and had considerable prestige in the imperial court.
Upon receiving this assignment, Wang Enze unhesitatingly pulled Shen Yun along.
He submitted a report stating that Secretary Shen was calm in the face of adversity and often had unique ideas. If he assisted, the case would surely be clarified quickly.
Emperor Xingzhao was already greatly annoyed by this matter.
He recalled that the idea of using the disturbance at the Huangjue Temple to divert public attention and quell the spread of gossip was proposed by Shen Yun.
Now that the rumors in the capital about Kong Shan and the imperial ladies wishing for children had gradually decreased, he no longer had to face the endless remonstrances of the court officials during the morning assembly.
His trust in Shen Yun grew with each passing day.
As Wang Enze and Shen Yun took office, some rejoiced, while others were so angry that they smashed four vases.