Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 406 Found
Yunqi Temple.

The nun's robes were soaked with cold sweat, and her hand, which was twirling the prayer beads, stopped. But almost at the same moment, the master of ceremonies opposite her raised his eyes and asked, "Why did the abbess stop speaking?"

Master Miaojing was at a loss for words.

The master of ceremonies from the Empress Dowager's palace was about to leave when he suddenly turned back to the Sutra Repository, ordered the doors to be closed tightly, and forbade anyone from leaving.

She also ordered the female historian to keep an eye on the eccentric Jingxuan, and no one else was allowed to approach him.

Master Miaojing stepped forward to ask why this was the case, but was forced by the master of ceremonies to continue her sermon.

The master of ceremonies picked up his brush and dipped it in ink: "I haven't finished copying the scriptures yet. This is a return gift to the Empress Dowager of Western Xia. If the nun doesn't continue speaking, I won't be able to concentrate on copying. What if I make a mistake? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Great Liang if it were sent to Western Xia?"

Master Miaojing could not bear such a crime, but they had been imprisoned here for too long and did not know why the female official was like this. She felt as if she were on fire.

"This humble nun has been away for too long; I fear there are matters at the temple that need to be attended to. Perhaps it would be better to..."

Before Abbess Miaojing could finish speaking, the emcee decisively said, "No."

Master Miaojing wanted to say something more.

The master of ceremonies looked over and said, "Now you and I are a nun and a pilgrim. If the nun does not want to continue, then I can only become a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager."

"The nuns and the worshippers can still get along harmoniously, but the latter are not so dignified. The abbess should also think about the future. What will happen when Yunqi Temple and Cining Palace clash?"

Face is something given to each other; once it's torn apart, one must bear the consequences. Master Miaojing couldn't help but tremble slightly.

“The Cining Palace is only interested in what Abbess Jingxuan said,” the master of ceremonies said, looking at Miaojing. “The rest can be ignored.”

This means that Cining Palace was not targeting Miaojing, which was a reassurance to her. As long as Miaojing's words were unrelated to Jingxuan's, she could relax for the time being.

On the contrary, if there is any obstruction, the Cining Palace will definitely investigate Yunqi Temple thoroughly.

Whether these words were true or false, they intimidated Abbess Miaojing.

Master Miaojing pursed her lips, then began to recite the sutra again, turning her prayer beads.

After an unknown amount of time, a knock came at the door: "Abbot, the Empress Dowager has arrived."

Master Miaojing froze, then hurriedly got up from the prayer mat and ran straight to the door.

"Did I let the nun leave?" the master of ceremonies called out.

Abbess Miaojing extended her hand: "The Empress Dowager has arrived, how dare we not go to greet her?"

The master of ceremonies put down his brush, his gaze sharp: "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager doesn't care about these formalities."

What did the Empress Dowager truly care about?
Master Miaojing subconsciously looked at Jingxuan. The Empress Dowager's sudden arrival was because of what Jingxuan had said.

……

When the Empress Dowager's entourage entered Yunqi Temple, the nuns gathered at the entrance to greet her. Compared to when the Empress Dowager came to the temple to offer incense before, the entire Yunqi Temple seemed particularly chaotic, simply because they had not made any preparations in advance, and even the abbess was nowhere to be found.

The nuns stood trembling to the side, waiting for the Empress Dowager to punish them, but to their surprise, the Empress Dowager ignored them completely and went straight to the back of the palanquin.

The head servant standing beside the Empress Dowager said, "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is going to offer incense. The abbot has made arrangements in the back hall, so you don't need to follow."

The nuns responded.

The next moment, the gates of Yunqi Temple were closed.

A troop of imperial guards stood imposingly in front of the gate, vigilantly surveying their surroundings.

When the Empress Dowager's palanquin arrived at the entrance of the Sutra Repository, the main gate was opened, and the master of ceremonies walked at the front.

After years of being master and servant, they knew each other's temperaments and didn't need to deal with complicated formalities.

The Empress Dowager went straight to the point: "Where is he? Where is he?"

The master of ceremonies said, "You'll see it once you go inside the main hall."

The Empress Dowager looked surprised. She was referring to Lady Shen, not the mad nun. She believed the emcee hadn't misunderstood. Could it be...?

Without careful consideration, the Empress Dowager led her entourage into the hall and sat down on a chair.

The next moment, Jingxuan was brought over, and along with her was a skeleton wrapped in silk, which was presented to the Empress Dowager. "Open it," the Empress Dowager decisively ordered.

The master of ceremonies raised her eyes to meet the Empress Dowager's gaze. She knew the Empress Dowager would definitely look, and exchanging glances with her was to give the Empress Dowager a heads-up.

The silk was opened, revealing two pieces of bone inside.

"Where did this come from?" The Empress Dowager gripped her prayer beads tightly, her voice authoritative.

The emcee pointed to Jingxuan: "It was found on her body. She called these bones 'Shen Si Niangzi'."

Zhang She secretly gasped.

The Empress Dowager remained expressionless as she listened to the master of ceremonies continue.

“I noticed that the mud on her monk’s robes was very fresh, and there was also mud under her fingernails, which indicated that the place where the bones were dug was nearby.”

Before leaving Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager already knew about Jingxuan's madness, so she made special preparations. She looked at the head of the imperial physicians beside her, who then invited the imperial physicians waiting outside into the main hall.

The imperial physician stepped forward and bowed, but the Empress Dowager's words were simple: "I want her to tell the truth."

As long as you tell the truth, no matter what means you use.

The imperial physician responded.

Of course, the Empress Dowager would not place all her hopes on Jingxuan. She ordered, "Search from the temple outwards, leaving no place unsearched."

The master responded and led the female scribe out to relay the order.

The Empress Dowager instructed the master of ceremonies: "Bring all the nuns in the temple for questioning."

Having arranged everything, the Empress Dowager's gaze fell upon Abbess Miaojing: "I will allow you to speak within a moment."

In other words, after this period, the Empress Dowager would have the authority to dispose of the matter at will.

Master Miaojing's legs went weak. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke in a trembling voice: "I really don't know what Jingxuan said. There are indeed some dishonorable things in the temple. In order to earn some money, I sold some ordination certificates and lent some money. That's all."

Other temples have done the same things, and everyone knows it.

The Empress Dowager remained silent.

Just as Abbess Miaojing was at a loss, Jingxuan’s shrill scream suddenly came from inside the hall. Abbess Miaojing shuddered and dared not hide it any longer: “I…I also acquired a lot of land with the merchants, and sometimes I helped people hide some goods. That’s all. I really didn’t dare to take anyone’s life. I also don’t know where those bones in Jingxuan’s hands came from.”

As soon as Abbess Miaojing finished speaking, a dragging sound came, and Jingxuan was brought out by two female scribes.

In the short time since Jingxuan was last seen, there were many bloodstains on her head and face, and her monk's robe was soaked with sweat, showing how much torment she had suffered.

However, he has indeed lost his crazy appearance.

Where is Lady Shen?

Hearing the question from above, Jingxuan shakily raised her head. Her eyes were no longer unfocused; instead, they were filled with fear and pain.

Jingxuan said weakly, "It's outside Yunqi Temple, under that wasteland to the east."

Master Miaojing then said, "Isn't someone planning to open a shop over there in the east?"

Jingxuan nodded: "The remains are right next to that piece of land."

Upon receiving the news, without even needing the Empress Dowager's instructions, the head of the department immediately arranged for people to go out and search.

After waiting for another quarter of an hour, the Imperial Guards returned with news: "Found it. It has been half dug out of the ground, and some bones are scattered outside."

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes: "Summon the coroner."

After saying this, the Empress Dowager looked at Jingxuan and asked, "Who helped you kill Lady Shen?"

Jingxuan paused for a moment, then confessed: "And Mingzhen too."

I will let everyone know in advance whether there will be any further updates.

Sorry to keep you all waiting.

More to come today