Catching Monsters

Chapter 318 This thief is a habitual criminal
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun's heart stirred slightly; he hadn't expected Li Wangxin to be so righteous.

He took a deep breath, and his gaze toward Li Wangxin changed somewhat. He said in a deep voice, "If we can completely eradicate this group of human traffickers, Lord Li will have truly benefited the people of the capital."

"Stop flattering me." Li Wangxin kicked Jiang Yun in the butt, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then slowly said, "This bald monk, over the years, my wife has spent nearly ten thousand taels of silver at their White Dragon Temple."

"If you find any 'evidence' during the search, remember to send it to me first. I will examine it carefully before taking it into custody."

Jiang Yun understood immediately, nodded repeatedly, and quickly turned to leave.

Watching Jiang Yun's retreating figure, Li Wangxin turned back, shook the caged bird, and said with some dissatisfaction, "Fakong is really senile. He just gave me a little money and I took care of his subordinates. Who will help me in the future?"

"I confiscated more than just three golden Buddha statues from your White Dragon Temple."

Most importantly, Li Wangxin knew Jiang Yun's background well, as he was the future son-in-law of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and was highly regarded by Feng Yu.

He was originally at the level of a third-grade Celestial Master.

Such a person is still loyal to me.

Did he take the wrong medicine? He messed up Jiang Yun just for the sake of the Golden Buddha?
Abbot Fakong was quite efficient; soon two more golden Buddha statues were delivered.

Upon receiving the letter, Li Wangxin said, "Go and inform Jiang Yun that things can proceed."

Li Wangxin knew very well that the background of Bailong Temple was far more complex than it seemed. After teasing the caged bird, he changed into his official robes and said in a deep voice, "Prepare the sedan chair; I am going to the palace."

Soon, a sedan chair was arranged, and Li Wangxin was carried towards the palace.

……

Outside Bailong Temple, many worshippers were preparing to go in to offer incense and make offerings to the Buddha. Unexpectedly, a large number of fierce-looking Imperial Guards suddenly appeared and surrounded Bailong Temple.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is on official business; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter."

With a sullen face and his hands behind his back, Jiang Yun led more than four hundred Imperial Guards from the Eastern Garrison into the White Dragon Temple in a grand procession.

"What do you want to do!"

Upon seeing this, the monk at the door was about to speak when he was forcibly pressed down by the Imperial Guards, pinned to the ground, and bound with ropes.

"Let me go, let me go! This is Hakuryu-ji Temple."

"Search everything you can find and take it back. If any monks dare to obstruct you, arrest them and take them back to the imperial prison," Jiang Yun ordered, looking at the vast Buddhist temple.

Soon, the Imperial Guards acted swiftly. Inside Bailong Temple, there were still many worshippers offering incense, and Jiang Yun, of course, did not make things difficult for them, so he drove them away.

The commotion was so great that it quickly alerted Master Huiyi inside the temple.

Master Huiyi rushed to the front courtyard of the temple to see Jiang Yun. He had his Imperial Guards ready to stop him.

Jiang Yun waved his hand: "Let him come over."

Soon, Master Huiyi arrived in front of Jiang Yun. He glanced around and saw the Imperial Guards ransacking the rooms. He said in a deep voice, "Benefactor Jiang, for so many years, no one in Bailong Temple has ever led a forceful search like you."

"Does Benefactor Jiang know what he is doing?"

"Of course I know." Jiang Yun nodded.

Master Huiyi clasped his hands together and said in a deep voice, "Alright, search. If you can't find any evidence of wrongdoing, I'll make Benefactor Jiang give me an explanation!"

"Whether he speaks or not is another matter. Men, seize him." Jiang Yun pointed at Master Huiyi in front of him.

Master Huiyi was so angry that his face turned red. Ever since he started studying Buddhism at Bailong Temple, even high-ranking officials and nobles treated him with great respect.

Especially after he reached the third rank, even royal relatives treated him with great respect, addressing him as "Master" in every sentence.

To bind and subdue oneself?
This was something Master Huiyi had never even imagined.

Even though Master Huiyi had studied Buddhism for many years and had a stable mind, he was so angry that he clenched his fists, as if he was about to explode at any moment: "Benefactor Jiang, do you know the consequences of capturing a third-grade expert?"

Jiang Yun smiled and asked in return, "Judging from Master Huiyi's expression, he seems a little unconvinced?"

“If Master Huiyi is not satisfied, he can take action to resist at any time.” After saying this, Jiang Yun said in a deep voice, “However, Master must consider the price of resistance.”

Soon, the Imperial Guards stepped forward and tied up Master Huiyi.

Master Huiyi kept a calm face, closed his eyes, and silently recited Buddhist scriptures to keep himself from acting impulsively.

Soon, the entire White Dragon Temple was thoroughly searched, and unsurprisingly, a large amount of gold and silver treasures were found inside.

Boxes upon boxes of gold and silver jewelry, as well as house deeds, were laid out in front of him.

Jiang Yun glanced at it and realized that the amount of gold and silver jewelry was far more extravagant than when they raided Baiyun Temple.

Compared to Bailong Temple, Baiyun Temple is practically a beggar's den.

At this moment, Qi Da, who was in charge of the search, came to Jiang Yun's side and said in a low voice, "Sir, apart from these gold and silver treasures, we did not find anything related to human trafficking." Jiang Yun raised his eyebrows slightly, not particularly surprised.

Hakuryu-ji Temple wouldn't be foolish enough to keep evidence of crimes inside the temple.

“If it’s human trafficking, then there must be a place where they are hiding.” Jiang Yun said slowly, “Take all the monks in the temple back, torture them severely, and force them to tell us where the hiding place is.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Da's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice and said, "Sir, if torture is used, there will be no turning back. I am fine, but these monks will probably fight you to the death."

"Do as instructed," Jiang Yun said with a stern face.

Even so, the monks of Bailong Temple had no intention of letting Jiang Yun go.

The two sides were already locked in a life-or-death struggle, so Jiang Yun had no reservations.

……

Inside the Imperial Study, Xiao Yuzheng sat on the dragon throne, listening attentively to Li Wangxin's report.

After listening, Xiao Yuzheng sat on the dragon throne and chuckled, saying, "Li Wangxin, do you mean that Jiang Yun claims that Bailong Temple is involved in human trafficking and disregards human life?"

Li Wangxin nodded solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, in recent years, there have been many cases of missing persons in the capital. I also believe that there may be something strange about it, so I ordered a thorough investigation of Bailong Temple."

"You've already ordered a thorough investigation, so what are you doing here?" Xiao Yuzheng's gaze fell on the memorial in his hand: "Just inform me of the results once you've found them, won't that be enough?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wangxin's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I was afraid that Bailong Temple would destroy the evidence. In order to seize the opportunity, I gave the order before I could report to Your Majesty."

After speaking, Li Wangxin glanced at Feng Yu, who was standing behind Xiao Yuzheng.

Those eyes clearly said, "Father-in-law, please help!"

Feng Yu stepped forward with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, this servant believes that this matter should indeed be investigated. People are frequently abducted and disappear in the capital, a very important place. If this gets out, it will not be a good thing."

Feng Yutai understood Xiao Yuzheng's thoughts. He then looked at Li Wangxin and said, "Lord Li is indeed anxious. This matter is of great importance. You should at least discuss it with His Majesty first."

“These Buddhist temples are quite united with each other, and there are countless Buddhist believers in the capital.”

"If we conduct such a thorough investigation of Bailong Temple so rashly and find out the evidence, it will naturally be a win-win situation for everyone."

"But if we can't find out, wouldn't that put His Majesty in a difficult position?"

Sometimes, Feng Yu's role is to say things that Xiao Yuzheng is unable to say.

"This humble servant is guilty." Li Wangxin hurriedly knelt on the ground.

"Alright, you've been with me for so many years, this won't work." Xiao Yuzheng frowned, waved his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Just as Feng Yu said, there are many Buddhist believers in and around the capital."

"What should be done if these believers gather and cause trouble?"

Li Wangxin slightly opened his mouth, while Feng Yu beside him coughed and whispered, "Your Majesty, the imperial treasury has been tight these days, and there's probably a lot of money in Bailong Temple..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Li Wangxin."

"The humble position is here."

"You must provide me with irrefutable evidence in this case."

"If you can't produce it, you'd better think about the consequences."

"Yes."

……

At this moment, Abbot Fakong was sitting in a meditation room inside Lingyin Temple.

Abbot Hongzhen of Lingyin Temple sat beside him, his hands clasped together, and slowly said, "Amitabha, Abbot Fakong, you said that the Embroidered Uniform Guard slandered Bailong Temple for human trafficking and led people to investigate?"

Abbot Fakong's face was grim. He sighed and said, "Abbot Hongzhen, how could I lie about this? For so many years, my Bailong Temple has been propagating Buddhism, but I never expected to be falsely accused of human trafficking."

"I've heard of Jiang Yun, the leader of this team, before. He once led the Imperial Guards to ransack Baiyun Temple on trumped-up charges."

"This thief is a habitual offender who fabricates charges and engages in banditry."

"Now they're bullying our Buddhist community."

Abbot Fakong's face was extremely grim. After realizing that many Imperial Guards were surrounding him, he quickly slipped away and fled to Lingyin Temple for help.

Upon hearing this, Abbot Hongzhen of Lingyin Temple pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Someone come here."

Soon, a young monk pushed open the door and entered.

Abbot Hongzhen said, "Immediately invite the three abbots of Puji Temple, Lingshi Temple, and Jinsha Temple to come. This Jiang Yun is blind and dares to bully our Buddhist sect."

(End of this chapter)