While Lin Qingge's heart was churning like a stormy sea, Abbot Xuan Jing continued without missing a beat:
"My lord, your last visit to Putuo Temple was a year ago when you were on an outing with your classmates.
At that time, my lord deliberately recited an acrostic poem in front of the Guanyin Hall, asking this humble monk to meet you here at the third watch of the night.
You said you were leaving the capital and asked this humble monk to take good care of Master Xuankong on the mountainside.
Furthermore, you instructed me not to make any moves after Emperor Xia Xuan's demise.
Although this humble monk received news a while ago that my lord had taken up the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, I did not expect my lord to appear before me so soon."
Lin Qingge felt a surge of adrenaline, wishing she could vanish on the spot, but she maintained a composed demeanor and nodded:
"Indeed, you have done well."
Although she regretted agreeing to this meeting tonight, she had to admit she was a tiny bit curious about her elder brother.
Getting married, saving people, adopting the child of a deceased friend, going on outings with classmates...
She didn't know if he read books, but her elder brother certainly did plenty of things unrelated to studying!
"Oh, right, I almost forgot the main matter."
Lin Qingge snapped back to attention, her voice stern as she questioned:
"Where is Prince Andre?"
"This..."
Abbot Xuan Jing paused, looking at Lin Qingge with a peculiar gaze.
"You used Huiming and Huixing, instructing one of them to guide Prince Andre as a pretext, and to hide within this Guanyin Hall.
Then, you ordered them to drug Prince Andre with sleeping smoke and conceal him."
"Amitabha, if it were as my lord described, wouldn't anyone who opened the door discover an extra person in the Guanyin Hall?
After all, the Guanyin Hall is not large, and everything is visible at a glance."
"Precisely because it is visible at a glance, it is easier to create a blind spot, a dead corner of vision."
Lin Qingge explained, a smile playing on her lips:
"Just like this Guanyin Hall now, it appears to be just the two of us, but in reality, there are three people."
Upon hearing Lin Qingge's words, a flicker of surprise crossed Abbot Xuan Jing's eyes, and he suddenly turned his head.
He saw the now-closed side door of the Guanyin Hall slowly being shut, revealing a figure in sky blue.
As if surprised to find someone there, Abbot Xuan Jing's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Amitabha, this benefactor is...?"
Ignoring Abbot Xuan Jing's question, Lin Qingge hurried forward, a cheerful grin on her face:
"Madam, I knew you would come."
Leng Ningyue, who appeared in the Guanyin Hall, let out a sigh of helplessness, "You deliberately sent Scholar Hua away, you must be up to something that puts you in danger again.
Constables Yan and the others are unreliable, so it's safer for me to come personally."
Lin Qingge, who had largely accepted that her current body was a weakling, retorted in a low voice:
"This official is merely catching up with an old acquaintance, how can you call it 'danger'?"
"Meeting a monk who looks like he's up to no good in a secluded part of the temple in the dead of night, if this isn't danger, then what is?"
Sensing the anger in the other person's voice, Lin Qingge instinctively shrank her neck, not daring to utter another word.
Abbot Xuan Jing, having been described as "up to no good," showed neither annoyance nor anger. After his surprise, he smiled and greeted Leng Ningyue:
"Amitabha, I presume this is the Madam?
After many years, your words are still so witty and humorous."
...
Lin Qingge, thinking that Abbot Xuan Jing might have a misunderstanding of the term "witty and humorous," recalled Bai Yichen's earlier words.
Back then, to save that child, another person had accompanied her elder brother to Putuo Temple.
However, according to Bai Yichen, that person did not resemble the child's relatives.
So, Abbot Xuan Jing mistook Leng Ningyue for her sister-in-law?
That's right.
It was precisely because Leng Ningyue resembled her sister-in-law's figure that she had unhesitatingly taken the former in to fill the gap.
Meanwhile, Leng Ningyue, her face veiled, shot Abbot Xuan Jing a cold glance and remained silent.
Seeing this, Lin Qingge continued their previous topic:
"General Lian was the first to rush into the hall to investigate. After he found Prince Andre missing, he hurried out to search for him. Constable Yan and the others heard the news and rushed in to check.
The culprit hiding behind the door could then pretend to be one of those looking for someone, and seize the opportunity to blend into the crowd.
After all, the situation was chaotic at the time, and it would be difficult to notice an extra person or two.
Moreover, the monks in the temple all wore the same robes and had shaved heads. Even if someone with a similar build stood outside for Huiming and Huixing, it would be difficult for a first-time observer to distinguish them.
What's more, Huiming and Huixing mostly stood behind you, Abbot Xuan Jing, to the point where they could be considered mere background figures.
One might ask: who would pay attention to how many trees were in the courtyard or how many birds were perched on them?"
"Amitabha."
Hearing the oft-repeated Buddhist chant, Lin Qingge impatiently interrupted:
"This official knows you will ask, the Guanyin Hall is so small, with no hiding places or secret passages. How could Prince Andre, a living person, just disappear?
In fact, this is similar to hiding someone behind the door; it's all a matter of using the 'light under the lamp' tactic."
Before Abbot Xuan Jing could speak, Leng Ningyue, standing nearby, furrowed her brow and said:
"Isn't Prince Andre enjoying his stay at Putuo Temple?"
Uh—
Lin Qingge, who had accidentally let slip, rolled her eyes and said with a plastered smile:
"Madam, please allow this official to explain.
Prince Andre was indeed captivated by this historic Putuo Temple and wished to stay by the Buddha's side to pray and seek blessings, to the point where he would forget to eat and sleep.
If Madam does not believe me, this official can summon Prince Andre to confront him face-to-face!"
Lin Qingge finished speaking, strode to the back of the Guanyin statue, tapped it first, then gripped the recessed groove at the base of the statue. With a 'click,' she actually detached the rear half of the Guanyin statue.
Although the rear half of the Guanyin statue was made quite thinly, it was still very heavy. Just as Lin Qingge was about to falter, she felt her hands lighten.
Turning her head, she met a pair of eyes filled with helplessness.
"Don't you understand the concept of knowing your own limits?"
Leng Ningyue chided verbally, but her actions did not stop as she directly placed the rear half of the Guanyin statue on the ground beside them.
Free of the burden, Lin Qingge grinned, then peered into the Guanyin statue.
And just as she had anticipated, Prince Andre, who had been dosed with who knows how much sleeping powder, was fast asleep inside the Guanyin statue.