CH 40

Míng Guī Lán and Fu gonggong were used to Huò Qīng Hóng messing around, but they did not expect that he would fold in Bó Ruò Yōu’s hands. They burst into laughter without giving him any face, which made Huò Qīng Hóng feel even more awkward, “You… You know? You’ve known about it since you were seven?”

Bó Ruò Yōu glanced at the extinguished candle in the room, “When Shizi ignited the candle just now, he first used the wax to write the character in his palms, and when he held the paper ash later, there was still lingering warmth in the ash, which allowed the ash to stick to wax, hence why the characters appeared on his hands. Is min’nü correct in saying that?”

Huò Qīng Hóng’s mouth corners twitched, “You… Why do you know about such things?”

Similarly, Bó Ruò Yōu found it slightly hilarious as well, and her lips curved up subconsciously, “Shizi makes use of wax, but if it was a travelling, sideshow theatrical troupe, most of them would use honey to write the words on their palm, so they won’t have to worry about the wax being unable to pick up the ash after it cools.”

Huò Qīng Hóng clicked his tongue, “How did you know about this as well?”

Bó Ruò Yōu smiled wordlessly. At the side, Wú Yú suppressed his laughter as he asked: “In addition to post-mortem autopsies, Bó guniang understands magic tricks as well?”

Bó Ruò Yōu shook her head, “It’s merely superficial knowledge.”

Huò Qīng Hóng harrumphed softly, as if he thought of another amusing trick, and he asked Wú Yú: “In the past, the palace would frequently perform that, was it called ‘Burning Clothes and Sending Off the Guests’?”

Wú Yú smiled and nodded, “Shizi remembers correctly, it is indeed Burning Clothes and Sending Off the Guests.”

Huò Qīng Hóng turned to look at Bó Ruò Yōu, “Do you know how that works?”

At a slight loss, Bó Ruò Yōu shook her head, which made Huò Qīng Hóng raise his eyebrows, “Like I was saying, it’s not possible for you to know everything!”

Bó Ruò Yōu said hesitantly, “Does Shizi know?”

Huò Qīng Hóng’s complexion became a little awkward, “I… I don’t know either.”

Then, Huò Qīng Hóng turned his head towards Wú Yú, as if he wanted him to save the show. Wú Yú smiled apologetically, “Shizi, zaixia doesn’t know either. Although the Ministry of Rites invites these sideshow performing artists every year to provide some entertainment for His Majesty and the Niangniang of the back palace, he remains ignorant of its inner workings.”

Having said that, Wú Yú seemed to think of something as he abruptly shifted his gaze towards Wáng Qīng Fǔ, “Wáng-xiong, you know how it works, don’t you?”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ smiled in response, “In fact, it’s just placing a piece of camphor inside their clothes, and then lighting it on fire through the clothes. Although the fire is burning, it is only for an instant, and it won’t burn off the clothing. However, the camphor shouldn’t be allowed to burn for too long, and the quantity used must be controlled, otherwise, it will reveal the broken seam of the burning clothes.”

Huò Qīng Hóng was surprised, “Wáng daren is actually aware of how it works.”

Wú Yú remarked, “Wáng daren comes from Qiangzhou, which is the hometown of magic tricks. It is rumoured that all the natives of Qiangzhou know how to perform magic tricks.”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ replied, “It’s not that exaggerated. It’s just that there are a lot of sideshow performing artists in Qiangzhou, and what they call sideshow magic tricks are mostly diversionary tactics. Once [you] understand its inner workings, [you] won’t find it mystical anymore.”

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Huò Qīng Hóng nodded slightly after hearing that, and it was unknown what he thought of because he wanted to continue asking more questions, though he was cut off when Lù Kē walked out of the right wing-room. “General Yuè’s questioning has ended, Wáng daren, please step inside—”

Sure enough, Yuè Míng Quán came out after him. No one knew what questions he had to field, but his expression was not the best.

Wáng Qīng Fǔ complied and stepped across the threshold, whereas Yuè Míng Quán sighed with palpable unhappiness after he came to a stop outside the door. “We are all being suspected right now. Hou’ye even said that the person who harmed Jìng Kōng and Féng daren are the same person, that’s too frightening.”

Yuè Míng Quán was a coarse person with a heroic temperament. He might not dare to say it in front of Huò Wēi Lóu, but he couldn’t hold himself back fully after he stepped out of the room. Wú Yú said: “Don’t be distrustful, General Yuè, this was discovered by Coroner Bó.”

Yuè Míng Quán eyed Bó Ruò Yōu, then glanced at Jìng Kōng’s skeletal remains, “Coroner Bó is most certainly skilled with regards to examining human remains. One only hopes that Hou’ye can unravel the truth as soon as possible and allow us to have a peace of mind.”

Inside the right wing-room, Huò Wēi Lóu questioned Wáng Qīng Fǔ, “On the night of Féng Lún’s demise, you and Wú Yú returned to the meditation hall, what happened afterwards?”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ answered, “Xiaguan watched Wú-xiong enter his meditation hall, and the lights were extinguished shortly after, and it can be assumed that he went to bed. Xiaguan has the habit of sleeping late and continued to read until it was around the second night watch (9PM-11PM) before xiaguan went to bed.”

“Were there any irregularities during that span of time?”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s brows furrowed slightly, “It can’t really be considered as irregular, but an hour after Wú-xiong went to sleep, and when xiaguan was about to retire for the night, [I] vaguely saw that his meditation hall being lit up again. Xiaguan only assumed that he was relieving himself in the middle of night, and didn’t think too much about it.”

The rain occurred during the first night watch, and Féng Lún had met his demise between the first and second night watch. It was certainly possible that what Wáng Qīng Fǔ witnessed happened to be Wú Yú returning after killing Féng Lún. Moreover, the night was already deep, and his body was probably stained with blood which he could only get rid of after lighting up the lamp. Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows scrunched slightly, “You mentioned that Wú Yú washes his clothes rather diligently?”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ smiled wryly, “Yes. [I] didn’t feel that way previously, but this trip really has xiaguan blushing with shame.”

“On the second day after Féng Lún was murdered, did he wash his clothes?”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s question cut straight to the point. Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s complexion changed slightly, and he hesitated briefly before he stated: “Yes… He did wash it… However, Wú-xiong is a person who is fond of cleanliness, this doesn’t really count for anything.”

Since Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú were on friendly terms, it was natural for him to want to absolve him, but Huò Wēi Lóu had his own judgement as he continued to ask: “Among the few of you that year, who was Jìng Kōng closest to?”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ replied: “It has to be Old Féng. Old Féng was an official in Luozhou, personally worshipped the Buddha, and it’s been said that he frequently visits the temple to ask Great Master Jìng Kōng to lecture about the teachings of the Dharma. In contrast, while General Yuè was also stationed in Luozhou, he’s a military leader with a heavy aura of death, so he’s more estranged from Great Master Jìng Kōng.”

“Is he familiar with Wú Yú?”

Wáng Qīng Fǔ recalled carefully, “When xiaguan arrived back then, Wú-xiong had already stayed here for a few days. Great Master Jìng Kōng treats everyone kindly, and he technically has an affinity with him.” After a pause, Wáng Qīng Fǔ added, “They can be considered kindred spirits, because when Wú-xiong was in the Capital, he would frequently offer incense at Xiangguo Temple, and is rather knowledgeable about Buddhism. Therefore, he couldn’t possibly harm Great Master Jìng Kōng.”

If the matter of Great Master Jìng Kōng remembering the Buddhist scripture did not exist, then they could be as kindred of spirits as they wanted to be, but with the grave crime of stealing the Śarīra in front of them, what did that bit of affinity and connection count for?

Huò Wēi Lóu did not go into the details as he posed another question: “In the years that Féng Lún was residing in the Capital, was he close to Wú Yú?”

With that question, Wáng Qīng Fǔ frowned and said: “For the past few years, Wú Yú did not have a lot of people that he considered friends. Xiaguan counts as one, whereas Old Féng… they don’t seem to have any coming and going.”

Féng Lún was promoted to the Capital from Luozhou. Logically speaking, since he believed in Buddhism, he should be close to Wú Yú who shared the same religious practices, and they had worked together. However, against all reason, the pair did not have associations. Could it be on purpose, owing to their unwillingness to attract eyes and ears?

Huò Wēi Lóu asked a few more questions before telling Wáng Qīng Fǔ to withdraw. Very quickly, Wú Yú walked in.

Similarly, Huò Wēi Lóu asked him about who Jìng Kōng was on friendly terms with. Wú Yú promptly said: “He’s most familiar with Féng daren. Féng daren worships the Buddha, was the parental official of Luozhou, and frequently visits the temple to listen to Great Master Jìng Kōng’s lectures. Beside this, he got along more with xiaguan (me) among the three of us, since xiaguan worships the Buddha as well. Hence, [I] was quite elated about attending the Grand Śarīra Ceremony, and even consulted Great Master Jìng Kōng about a few questions.”

His words matched Wáng Qīng Fǔ’s answer. Huò Wēi Lóu inquired again. “Before Jìng Kōng met his demise, did you see him?”

Wú Yú sighed before shaking his head, “Not once. Xiaguan still remembers that the day before, we went separate ways to search different areas of the temple. General Yuè and Féng daren were responsible for questioning the monks, xiaguan and Wáng-xiong were responsible for searching the meditation halls and buildings. After an entire day of searching, [I] was overwrought so all of us went back to our meditation halls to rest and couldn’t care for anything else. The problem was huge back then; His Majesty left a step earlier, as we were trailing behind, we felt like we were going to lose our black muslin, and we really didn’t dare to be negligent in the least.”

焦头烂额 (pinyin: jiao tou lan e) – lit. beaten head and scorched brow; fig. in trouble, in terrible shape, hard pressed.

This question was posed to the three of them by Huò Wēi Lóu, and the answers that they gave were basically the same. No matter who the murderer was, he had already heightened his vigilance. Saying more was making more mistakes, everyone was aware of this principle.

“After Féng Lún was promoted to the Capital, who interacted with him more among the three of you?”

Wú Yú pondered, “All of us hardly interacted. We were in different government offices, Old Féng was slightly older too. Xiaguan and Wáng-xiong became acquainted ten years ago. For all these years, he’s the only one [I] had more coming and going with.”

Wú Yú looked like he had nothing to conceal, but there wasn’t a single broken seam. Huò Wēi Lóu muttered irresolutely for a moment, “If the murderer that harmed Féng Lún is among the three of you, who do you think bears the highest possibility?”

Wú Yú’s complexion distorted slightly, “This… Xiaguan couldn’t fathom it.”

His visage was coloured with distress, as if he could not guess it out. Huò Wēi Lóu did not make it difficult for him, simply waving his hand to command him to withdraw. Lù Kē and Lín Huái were inside the room, and after he was done interrogating the three, he asked: “What do you think?”

Lín Huái said: “The first person that Jìng Kōng looked for that year will inevitably bear the greatest suspicion. From what can be perceived right now, he was the closest to Wú daren and Féng daren, and probably went to find the two of them. It just happened that one of them was more martially skilled between the two, while the other person used a sharp weapon. Presently they met again, but Wú daren was distrustful of Féng daren, or perhaps owing to other reasons, he killed him painfully.”

Lù Kē also said: “On the night that Féng daren was harmed, while it is said that Wáng daren can testify for Wú daren, the lights in the meditation hall were extinguished, and for Wú daren, who has some martial skills, wanting to sneak out of the meditation hall soundlessly is not difficult. Furthermore, he is rather diligent when it comes to washing his clothes, and it wouldn’t be difficult for him to destroy any evidence of guilt.”

There were two culprits that killed Jìng Kōng: one had decent martial skill, a quick work of fists and legs, while the latter attacked with a sharp weapon from the side. If the first pair that Jìng Kōng found was really Wú Yú and Féng Lún, then it is easily justified.

However, Huò Wēi Lóu stared into the distance, “And if Jìng Kōng looked for Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Yuè Míng Quán first?”

Lín Huái creased his brows, “Wáng daren… Wáng daren isn’t familiar with Great Master Jìng Kōng, and he was not the parental official of Luozhou at the time, and General Yuè is from the military, and has the aura of death hanging over him. If Great Master Jìng Kōng was looking for someone he trusted, he probably wouldn’t look for them first.”

All of these suspicions have been brought up before. As their understanding of the details of that year increased, it did feel like their previous deduction was proving to be correct, but Huò Wēi Lóu felt that inferring in such a manner was like reaching a foregone conclusion. It was as though he had missed out on something, but he could not remember what he had missed out on.

“Let the three of them go back first and rest. From now onwards, they will all be confined in their meditation halls.”

After Huò Wēi Lóu issued the order, Lù Kē went outside to tell the three officials to go back and rest. By the time Huò Wēi Lóu came out again, the sun was already slanting towards the west.

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Míng Guī Lán and Huò Qīng Hóng were nowhere to be seen, while Bó Ruò Yōu was crouching beside the Buddha statue as she carefully inspected the neck of the Buddha statue.

“What are you looking at?” Huò Wēi Lóu walked up to Bó Ruò Yōu’s back and asked.

The Buddha statue of the honoured monk was still placed horizontally, and Bó Ruò Yōu’s hand was currently grazing the Buddha statue’s neck area with her hand, “Min’nü realised that while it’s hard to discern anything about this Buddha statue from afar, using one’s hands to graze the statue would lead to the discovery that its neck area is slightly bumpy, and that it differs from the other areas.”

Frowning, Huò Wēi Lóu stepped forward and brushed his hand across it. It was indeed the case.

Bó Ruò Yōu then stated, “When this area was being welded, it seems to have suffered a setback, and then it had been grinded down. If it were not for the exceeding thick gold gilding, it’s highly likely that the Buddha statue would have been in ruins.”

“The fact that a corpse was hidden inside the Buddha statue hadn’t been discovered is strange to begin with, the artisans that crafted the statues must have known something.”

Unfortunately, the artisans were far away in Jizhou, and it was unknown when they could be found.

The murderer was not confirmed, the Śarīra’s disappearance remained unsolved. Huò Wēi Lóu’s thoughts paced back and forth, unable to shake off the feeling that the theft of the Śarīra was rather queer. Without missing a beat, Huò Wēi Lóu ordered someone to call for Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Jué.

The pair arrived extremely quickly. Once they entered the courtyard, they promptly noticed that Jìng Kōng’s skeleton had changed colour, which shocked them. Thus, Bó Ruò Yōu could only explain that she had used the maceration method to examine the remains, and gained some clues from it.

Seeing that the pair had arrived, Huò Wēi Lóu brought the group towards the meditation hall, before unfurling the sketched blueprint of the Grand Ceremony’s ceremonial stage. Fu gonggong started talking about the details of that day again, “If there’s anything strange about it, it would naturally be the instance where it rained. But everyone was taking shelter inside the Hall of Great Strength, which was a mere thirty metres away, give or take a few. Moreover, the whole area was rigorously guarded, there’s no valid explanation as to why the Śarīra would disappear.”

Fu gonggong pointed at the design plan, “It was this far. The imperial guards were all here back then, and around the two sides of the corridor……’

Bó Ruò Yōu listened to Fu gonggong’s narration attentively, a spark of inspiration flashing past her mind suddenly, “Gonggong mentioned that the Temple Head looked for a big umbrella to cover the copper coffer back then. Can gonggong describe what kind of umbrella it was?”

Fu gonggong replied, “The umbrella was extremely big, it could even cover the lotus flower pedestal underneath.”

Fu gonggong used his hands to make a comparison as he said: “The umbrella handle wasn’t very long, and it was essentially covering the copper coffer, while the edges covered the circumference of the lotus pedestal, thus allowing the rainwater to flow down the umbrella, and prevent the lotus pedestal and treasure chest from getting wet.”

Liǎo Fán also said: “In fact, the umbrella was prepared early on. For the sake of the Grand Ceremony, the temple was fully prepared for any eventualities.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes focused, “Therefore, from varying points of view, everyone couldn’t see the copper coffer?”

Fu gonggong and Liǎo Fán nodded simultaneously. A smear of light flitted past the bottom of Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes. She looked towards Huò Wēi Lóu and said: “Hou’ye, is it possible that the person who stole the Śarīra used a diversionary tactic?”

Huò Wēi Lóu raised his eyebrows, to which Bó Ruò Yōu said: “When Shizi was playing a magic trick today, Wáng daren commented later that all magic tricks were just diversionary tactics. Hence, min’nü is thinking that when it was being covered by the umbrella, everyone saw that the umbrella wasn’t moving, so they assumed that the treasure chest underneath was still there, but could it be possible that the treasure chest had disappeared after it was covered by the umbrella. By the time the umbrella was taken away, the treasure chest was still present, but the Śarīra inside had already been stolen just… just like a magic trick…”

“There’s another magic trick?”

Just as Bó Ruò Yōu’s words landed, Huò Qīng Hóng’s voice rang out from outside. He sauntered inside with a large swoosh of red fabric, curiosity colouring his visage, “What magic trick?”

Fu gonggong chuckled, “Shizi, don’t be hasty, [we are] talking about the case of the disappearing Śarīra.”

The excitement on Huò Qīng Hóng’s face was reduced by half. At this moment, Huò Wēi Lóu questioned: “The lotus pedestal that the copper coffer was placed on, how tall was it?”

Although the lotus pedestal was drawn on the design plan, it was only a rough outline. Once that question was issued, Fu gonggong said: “Half a person tall, there was a lotus pillar underneath, and the top was a Buddha lotus in full bloom. The treasure chest was placed in the centre of the Buddha lotus. Alleged, the object was prepared by the temple early on, and quite a bit of effort went into its creation.”

”Huò Wēi Lóu asked another question: “How thick was the lotus pillar?”

Fu gonggong raised his hands to mime it, “Roughly, as thick as a person wrapping their arms around it.”

Seeing that Huò Wēi Lóu was asking about this object, Liǎo Fán quickly replied: “This object is made out of wood. Most of the props that needed to be carved or embroidered were made three months in advance, and everything used during the Grand Ceremony were all brand new.”

Lín Huái was listening at the side, and he promptly asked: “Is Hou’ye suspecting that there’s a mechanism inside that prop?”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded, “The umbrella placement only took a moment, but if there’s a mechanism, someone could be hiding inside the body, a moment’s work is more than enough to steal the Śarīra. Furthermore, since the thief bought the Buddha scripture, they already know the shape of the silver key, and they can immediately use it.”

Fu gonggong said hesitantly, “But the lotus pillar doesn’t look very big…”

Glancing left and right, Huò Qīng Hóng could not help but comment in a small voice: “Actually, someone can still hide inside even if it isn’t very big. Among the people who perform magic tricks, a lot of them are capable of softening their bones. There’s one magic trick in particular where a person slips inside a box and stays alive despite having numerous swords impale the box, like the performer is extremely capable at softening their bones and altering their figure.”

Huò Wēi Lóu turned his eyes to gaze at Huò Qīng Hóng, which made Huò Qīng Hóng feel like he had said something wrong, so he covered his mouth and took two steps back. On the contrary, Huò Wēi Lóu stated, “Your lack of learning and skill has finally seen a bit of use.”

Surprised, happiness spread across Huò Qīng Hóng’s face. Huò Wēi Lóu proceeded to ask Liǎo Fán: “All of the props for the Grand Ceremony, was it prepared by the temple?”

Liǎo Fán nodded, “That is indeed the case. However, similar to the Buddha statue sculpting, the managerial monks were in charge of these matters, and most of the craftsmen came from elsewhere.”

“Then do you remember how the lotus pedestal was made?”

Liǎo Fán shook his head helplessly, “This small monk is unaware.”

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Huò Wēi Lóu turned towards Liǎo Jué, who shook his head as well, “Back then, the temple started preparing these early on. Afterwards, personnel from the Ministry of Rites came over to check it, with Féng daren supervising from the side. Those craftsmen were mostly woodworkers from Luozhou itself, and the managerial monk in charge of this matter… seems to be Liǎo Huì shixiong.”

Liǎo Huì was the monk that led them to the Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff. Huò Wēi Lóu ordered someone to summon him, and shortly after the lotus pedestal question was brought up, Liǎo Huì uttered: “The lotus pedestal was made out of wood: the Buddha lotus was on top, its interior was hollow, and it was lacquered in vermillion. Later on, it was kept inside the storehouse together after the Ministry of Rites’ personnel checked it over for defects, and it was watched over by appointed persons.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s pupils dilated, “Who were the people watching over it?”

Liǎo Huì said: “For places like the storehouse, all of locations were looked after by Luozhou’s government office and Luozhou’s garrison concurrently, but this small monk no longer remembers who was specifically looking after that place.”

Liǎo Huì still had a self-composed appearance the day before, and it was apparent that he harboured some nervousness and fear when he was facing Huò Wēi Lóu today. Jìng Míng and Liǎo Qīng had been taken into custody, and as Jìng Míng’s disciple, he was in a rather dangerous position as well.

“How was the lotus pedestal dealt with afterwards?”

Liǎo Huì responded in a hurry: “It was first placed inside the storehouse, and then it was moved to the Buddha Palace to sanctify a religious treasure. Two years ago, the temple had changed out a batch of rotting implements, and the lotus pedestal was swapped out as well.”

Huò Wēi Lóu muttered to himself briefly before telling Liǎo Huì to withdraw, “It looks like it was normal afterwards, except if someone were to hide inside this prop, the people looking after it must have realised something, though it is still unknown if it was either Féng Lún or Yuè Míng Quán who was responsible for its security. Additionally, even if the thief conceived of this method early on, how did he manage to predict that it was going to rain that day? If it didn’t rain, the umbrella wouldn’t be used to cover the lotus pedestal, and if the lotus pedestal wasn’t covered, how could he have stolen the Śarīra even if he had a key?”

Lín Huái said: “The rain was an unknown variable, unless they had other plans in place. Even if it didn’t rain, something was bound to go wrong, and in the midst of the chaos, they could always find a chance to strike.”

Huò Wēi Lóu glanced at Lù Kē, “What has Jìng Míng and Liǎo Qīng been doing for the past two days? Were they forthcoming in anything else?”

Lù Kē shook his head, “Not at all. The teacher and disciple pair have been chanting scriptures for a day and night, and it does seem like they’re repenting.”

Standing at the side, Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Qīng were still somewhat indignant when they heard that. The depths of Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes glinted intermittently. After a short while, he suddenly asked Liǎo Fán: “What kind of personality does your Shifu have? Was his superintendence strict?”

When Liǎo Fán heard that, he only felt that Huò Wēi Lóu was thinking about the fact that Jìng Kōng chose not to immediately expose Liǎo Qīng that year, and he immediately said: “Although Shifu harbours mercy in his heart, he was extremely strict towards our fellow apprentices where lessons were concerned. However, he treated us with great amiability outside of lesson settings, and he was rather patient with the managerial and normal monks of the temple. He has never put on the airs of a Temple Head unless someone committed a wrongdoing; if it was an unintentional mistake, it would mostly be reprimands; if it was intentional, then in Shifu’s eyes, it would be considered as an evil thought even if it was a small mistake, and discipline must be mete out.”

“Back then, part of why Shifu chose not to immediately exposed Liǎo Qīng shixiong was not just because he harboured benevolence, Rather, it was also because the entire affair was gravely important, and he didn’t dare to be irreverent or careless. If… If nothing had happened to Shifu, Liǎo Qīng shixiong would have probably been severely punished, except he was murdered, and he no longer had the chance.”

As Liǎo Fán spoke, grief emerged on his countenance again. Huò Wēi Lóu muttered irresolutely to himself, first ordering Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Jué to withdraw before he scrunched his brows, “Our previous conjecture is wrong.”

Lín Huái and Fu gonggong looked over, seemingly confused, whereas Bó Ruò Yōu was immersed in deep contemplation as well.

Huò Wēi Lóu said: “Jìng Kōng might not necessarily have gone to look for Féng Lún and Wú Yú.

“It is apparent now that gathering of court officials all have high positions and heavy authority back then, and they are all considered outsiders to Famen Temple. Jìng Kōng’s first reaction was to find someone he was familiar with and trusts, but Jìng Kōng wasn’t close to or familiar with any of them and would look for someone based on their personality instead. In the major matters of principle, he is someone who is more than capable of distinguishing right from right. Furthermore, the Féng Lún and Wú Yú of that time, was not necessarily worthy of his trust.”

Lín Huái and Fu gonggong were even more flummoxed. Huò Wēi Lóu continued, “Among the four of them, only Féng Lún and Wú Yú believe in Buddhism. The person who illicitly purchased the Buddhist scripture, and the person who stole the Śarīra, are capable of scheming to that step, precisely because they are rather knowledgeable about Buddhism. Both of them had asked Jìng Kōng for scripture lectures and to expound on Buddhist teachings, and only someone who believes and worships the Buddha would steal the Śarīra by starting with the Buddha scriptures. Having said that, would he dare to go and look for Féng Lún and Wú Yú?”

Lín Huái said: “But did Jìng Kōng already start to suspect them then?”

“The person who illicitly purchased the Buddhist scripture was a wealthy and respectable person, and in the months of preparation following the Grand Ceremony, there were layers of guards inside and out, but the Śarīra was still stolen. No matter who it was, he would recognise that something must have gone wrong somewhere, but these main officials seem completely oblivious. Moreover, they have already been investigating for a few days. Perhaps Jìng Kōng did have his own suspicions, so choosing someone who seemed the least involved to ask is highly probable.”

After Huò Wēi Lóu finished speaking, Lín Huái felt like the murky darkness had suddenly opened up, though it made him sink into indecision instead, “Under that assumption, the suspicions among the tree are proportional. When Hou’ye was questioning the three just now, no broken seams could be picked out, and only Wáng daren’s subtext was rather protective of Wú daren, though he did seem to be at slight odds with General Yuè when he spoke of him.”

Fu gonggong said, “The two of them are on friendly terms. General Yuè has been in the army for all these years and it’s natural that he has no affiliations with them. When Wú daren invited General Yuè to view the pagoda that day, General Yuè directly rejected him as well.”

Bó Ruò Yōu abruptly raised her head, “Gonggong, Wú daren invited General Yuè to view the pagoda?”

Fu gonggong nodded, “Indeed. At that time, zajia was standing at the side, and saw General Yuè casually looking at the sky before he rejected Wú daren. It seems as though he didn’t want to interact with them.”

It was unknown what Bó Ruò Yōu thought of, since her eyes suddenly glimmered, “Hou’ye, min’nü might have a conjecture as to who the murderers were.”