xymnovel 068: The Lianhua Case in Qingzhou
068: The Lianhua Case in Qingzhou
After Su Wen and Cheng Nianci walked out of the cell together, Su Wen asked, "Now can you tell me what the clue is?"
Cheng Nianci stretched and loosened her limbs, saying, "No rush, I'll take a shower and change into some clean clothes first, then I'll tell you!"
Upon hearing this, Su Wen was somewhat angry, but helpless, and could only reply, "Okay, I hope you can hurry. This case involves more than a dozen lives, I hope you're not lying to me!"
Cheng Nianci rolled her eyes at Su Wen, then headed straight for the county government building. After a few steps, she said, "I, Cheng Nianci, am not that kind of person!"
This wait lasted for more than an hour, until Su Wen was about to curse.
Cheng Nianci changed into a light blue men's outfit, still a brocade robe, with her hair tied in a high ponytail and a sword in her hand, looking much more capable.
Cheng Nianci glanced at Su Wen, who was sitting on the steps, and said, "Let's go, Su Shaoqing!"
Su Wen hurriedly stood up and walked behind Cheng Nianci, asking, "Where are we going?"
Cheng Nianci said, "A ghost market!"
Upon hearing this, Su Wen frowned and said, "Isn't the Ghost Market held on the nights of the 15th and 16th of each month?"
Cheng Nianci said, "Young Master Su really has little knowledge. The ghost market is different in every place. The ghost market in Qingzhou is in the afternoon, around Shen Shi (3-5 PM), and it's there every day!"
Following behind Cheng Nianci, Su Wen couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to the ghost market for?"
Cheng Nianci said, "I have a friend who deals in information at the ghost market. He told me some things before, but I don't remember them very clearly. It would be better to ask him in person to clarify!"
Su Wen responded with an "oh" and followed behind Cheng Nianci.
Before long, the two arrived at a secluded mountain village a few miles outside Qingzhou City.
In this small mountain village, people came and went, creating a lively atmosphere. Although many shops in Qingzhou City had opened and many people had come out after Su Wen's actions today, it was still not as bustling as it used to be.
In contrast, the ghost market was bustling with activity, prompting Su Wen to ask with some confusion, "Why aren't the people in the ghost market afraid of being targeted by the murderer?"
Cheng Nianci smiled, rolled her eyes at Su Wen, and walked away without explaining.
A short while later, Cheng Nianci led Su Wen into a tavern.
Cheng Nianci shouted loudly, "Bring two jugs of good wine, a cold dish, a hot dish, a dish that's neither too hot nor too cold, a bowl of soup, and a bowl of vinegar with sugar!"
As Cheng Nianci finished speaking, a masked boy, no more than five feet tall, stepped out from inside the room and said, "Too much trouble, the shopkeeper won't sell!"
Cheng Nianci said, "You can't refuse to sell! If you don't sell, I'll smash up your shop!"
After saying that, the boy walked over and said, "Sister Nianci!"
Cheng Nianci smiled and reached out to remove half of the mask from the boy's face, saying, "Young master, why are you wearing this mask?"
The boy smiled, noticed Su Wen, and gave Cheng Nianci a look. Cheng Nianci rolled her eyes at Su Wen, shook her head, and said, "No, he came to ask you something. I remember you told me last time that something appeared here. Tell him about it!"
Upon hearing this, the young man seemed to understand and looked at Su Wen, asking, "Is this young man a government official?"
Su Wen nodded, and the boy nodded in return, saying, "Five hundred coins, I'll tell you!"
Upon hearing this, Su Wen's eyes widened immediately. He looked at the young man and Cheng Nianci and said, "Who did you introduce? You're asking for too much money! I don't have that kind of money. I'll give you a hundred coins at most. Take it or leave it. If you don't want to talk, I'm leaving. Go find someone else to help you with!"
As he spoke, Su Wen got up to leave. Cheng Nianci looked at the boy, and the boy looked at Cheng Nianci. Neither of them spoke, but they seemed to understand what the other meant.
So the boy said, "Alright, one hundred coins, I'll tell you!"
Su Wen responded.
After looking around, the boy deliberately lowered his voice and said, "During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, there was a man named Shi Shandao who founded a sect called the Pure Land School, also known as the Lotus School!"
The moment Su Wen heard the name, he felt a chill run down his spine.
"He had a disciple named Shiyi, who gave himself the Dharma name Yitian!"
Upon hearing this name, Su Wen felt a chill run down his spine. In a feudal dynasty, daring to name oneself "Tian" (Heaven) was already considered treasonous, but to dare to call oneself "Yi Tian" (Emperor Yi Tian) was outrageous!
Su Wen's expression was extremely solemn, but the young man seemed unfazed and continued, "I have news that he led men from Tibet to Shazhou, as if they were plotting something big!"
Upon hearing this, Su Wen swallowed nervously and continued to look at the boy.
The boy continued, "There's a rumor that someone secretly transported a pair of Buddha statues to Qingzhou, apparently to plot something there. The specifics are unknown, but there's also a rumor that a man named Wen Ci is connected to this statue; he's the abbot of An Temple. You could investigate him!"
Upon hearing this, Su Wen bowed to the boy with both hands, then counted out one hundred coins from his pocket and threw them on the table. He then turned around and hurried towards Qingzhou City.
Seeing this, Cheng Nianci glanced at the young man and said, "I'll be going now. Take good care of yourself, young man!"
The boy chuckled as he put the money in his pocket and said, "Sister Nianci, do you think he can do it? I think he was almost scared to death just now!"
Cheng Nianci said, "We'll just have to take it one step at a time. What else can we do? If we don't take a gamble, I'm afraid we'll never have the chance in our lives!"
After saying that, Cheng Nianci got up and hurriedly ran towards Su Wen.
Not long after, Su Wen returned to Qingzhou Prefecture and immediately wrote a letter. Su Wen had been practicing calligraphy for a year, and although his writing was not very good, it was at least legible.
After writing the letter, Su Wen immediately sent it to Chang'an by express courier to report to the emperor.
Su Wen finally understood why Cheng Nianci had said she might not dare to investigate!
Shi Shandao once had a conversation with Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian. After Shi Shandao passed away, the two saints built a thirteen-story Chongling Pagoda next to Xiangji Temple and made great offerings to it!
After Empress Wu Zetian ascended the throne, she often went there to offer sacrifices. In other words, Empress Wu Zetian must have had some relationship with the man named Yi Tian, and may even have been one of his male favorites.
Thinking of this, Su Wen couldn't help but recall the Twelve Zodiac Formation in Youzhou. How could Xue Huaiyi know about such a thing?
Thinking about it now, it's highly likely that it's related to this person named Yitian, Lotus, Lotus Sect!
Yitian returned to Shazhou from Tibet. The emperor had to order the emperor to send people to Shazhou to investigate immediately. The matter concerned Tibet, and it was impossible for the Tibetans not to know. It was highly likely that Yitian and Tibet had reached some kind of agreement!
Upon closer examination, this matter is indeed beyond Su Wen's complete control. He must inform the Emperor, otherwise, the consequences will be dire!
Seeing Su Wen's hurried appearance, Cheng Nianci couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Are you scared?"
Su Wen ignored Cheng Nianci and instead turned to a constable, saying, "Call the brothers, grab your weapons, and come with me to An Temple to apprehend the criminals!"