Catching Monsters

Chapter 322 Commander Jiang has another suggestion
"Zhiming, Lingxin, Yunsha, Hongzhen!" Fakong said with a hint of pleading, "Our Buddhist sect is one; we share the same glory and the same loss!"

Fa Kong still harbored a sliver of hope, wishing that the four would help him out of consideration for their shared Buddhist faith.

If these people were to unite as one and resolutely defend Bailong Temple, it would surely alarm His Majesty the Emperor.

How many Buddhist believers are there in and around the capital?

His Majesty will certainly have to consider the attitude of the Buddhist community, and perhaps he will resolve the matter by turning a major issue into a minor one and a minor one into nothing.

Zhiming did not answer Fakong's question. Jiang Yun took a deep breath and slowly said, "Masters, you wanted to see evidence, and I showed it to you. Even so, do you still want to help these guys from Baiyun Temple?"

Abbot Zhiming slowly walked forward and came to a girl who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.

Abbot Zhiming reached out and placed his hand on her forehead, and soon a ray of Buddhist light slowly shone forth.

The girl's confused eyes gradually cleared, followed by a terrified scream.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!" The girl was so frightened when she saw the monk in front of her that she tried to back away and run away, but she was tightly bound by iron chains.

"Who captured you?" Zhiming asked gently. "Don't be afraid, we're here to rescue you. You're alright now."

Seeing the official robes on Jiang Yun and Li Wangxin, the girl's expression gradually calmed down. She took a deep breath and slowly said, "I went to Bailong Temple to offer incense. The monks there were very hospitable. I drank a cup of tea they offered and then fainted."

"After waking up, I was imprisoned here."

Hearing the girl's words, Zhiming slowly stood up, turned to look at Abbot Fakong, and sighed: "Amitabha, Fakong, the sins you have committed are as numerous as bones. How many people have died at your hands."

The hot-tempered Abbot Lingxin punched Fakong hard in the face, knocking him to the ground: "Well, you beast, your White Dragon Temple really did such a heinous thing?"

"It's a waste that I trusted you so much, and even followed you to the Eastern Garrison Command to support you."

"Son of a bitch!"

As Abbot Lingxin spoke, he rushed forward and kicked the monk several times to vent his anger.

"Foolish!" Abbot Zhiming looked at Fakong and said in a deep voice, "We are Buddhists, money is just an external thing, how could you be so blind to this..."

"What worldly possessions?" Fakong, who was lying on the ground, slowly stood up, trembling. He pointed at himself in a hoarse voice and said, "Don't all come here with such righteous indignation to criticize me!"

"When your four families were short of money and food, you came to my Bailong Temple to borrow money. Did my Bailong Temple ever say that we would not lend to you?"

Why didn't you say back then that money was just an external thing?

“Every year, the Buddhist Dharma Assembly is funded by our Bailong Temple, and it gets better every year!”

"The gilding of Buddha gets thicker every year!"

Fakong roared madly, "I, Fakong, have never secretly withheld a single penny of this money. It has all been dedicated to the Buddhist cause. I have a clear conscience!"

"On the contrary, when you need money, you keep asking for friends."

"Now you're all acting all righteous and awe-inspiring, aren't you?"

"Pah! You're all the same. I, Fakong, am a human trafficker, and what about you? You swindle money from high-ranking officials and devout believers. How much better are you?"

“Many devout believers, who can’t even afford to eat, still donate all their possessions to the temple.”

"Aren't you also scamming people out of money and committing crimes?"

"answer me!"

"say something!"

Perhaps due to the great shock, after laughing loudly a few times, Fakong's eyes rolled back and he completely fainted.

Abbot Hongzhen stared at Fakong with a gloomy look in his eyes, then looked at Li Wangxin and said, "Commander Li, let's go out first and let the Embroidered Uniform Guard rescue these women."

"The injuries of these women will be treated with the help of our four Buddhist temples."

"However, could this matter be temporarily suppressed and not spread?"

"If such a scandal were to spread, it would have a significant impact on our Buddhist community..."

Li Wangxin said in a deep voice, "Abbot Hongzhen, what needs to be explained now is not just the four of you abbots."

"And there are countless monks and Buddhist believers outside."

"You've come to the wrong person for this. You should think about how to explain things to those people outside."

After saying that, Li Wangxin led Jiang Yun out.

Of course, before leaving, Jiang Yun didn't forget to drag Abbot Fakong out with him as well.

Back up, many Imperial Guards began to go in to rescue people.

After the four abbots arrived, they went to a corner and began to discuss things in hushed tones.

The matter has escalated, and it was they who led the people to cause it.

The monks of Bailong Temple were arrested by the Imperial Guards, and the four major Buddhist temples surrounded the Imperial Guards with their own forces...

Such a major news story is sure to cause a sensation in Beijing.

Including tonight's results.

"Can we keep this a secret?" Abbot Lingxin said through gritted teeth, "In my opinion, we should keep this quiet for now. We can't afford to lose face." "Those heartless bastards from Bailong Temple, and we even went to their rescue out of kindness."

"If this matter is not handled properly, it may damage the reputation of all four of our families."

Abbot Hongzhen took a deep breath and slowly said, "Buddhists must not speak falsely. This matter was not done by our four families."

"Now that the results are in, they should be announced."

"It's a pity that Bailong Temple, with its thousand-year reputation, is now going to be completely destroyed."

Outside the Huangyu granary, many monks and believers anxiously awaited the result.

The abbots have been inside for quite some time, and there has been no sign of them coming out.

Finally, the four abbots came out together, and the monks from various Buddhist temples quickly went to greet them.

"Abbot, what do you think? Did Jiang Yun slander Bailong Temple?"

The other three abbots were too embarrassed to say it aloud.

Abbot Hongzhen of Lingyin Temple clasped his hands together and slowly said, "The evidence of Bailong Temple's trafficking of women is conclusive. Commander Jiang is not wrong in this matter."

hiss!
Everyone present was shocked, their expressions changing drastically.

"How...how is this possible? How could Hakuryu-ji do such a thing?"

……

As evening fell, Xiao Yuzheng sat on the dragon throne, drinking ginseng soup, while Feng Yu stood behind him, massaging his shoulders.

Xiao Yuzheng asked, "Has there been any news from the Eastern Garrison Command yet?"

This afternoon, countless believers surrounded the Eastern Garrison Command at the four major Buddhist temples. Naturally, this news was delivered to Xiao Yuzheng immediately.

Xiao Yuzheng's first reaction upon learning the news was, of course, fury.

Are these bald monks crazy?

Even if my Imperial Guards arrested the wrong person, so what?

These bald monks actually dared to lead men to surround the Imperial Guards.

This matter had already crossed Xiao Yuzheng's bottom line, and it was Feng Yu who persuaded Xiao Yuzheng to stop.

After all, there are countless devout Buddhists in and around the capital.

It is really not appropriate for Your Majesty to show up.

Despite not showing his face, Xiao Yuzheng was very concerned about the news from that side.

Soon, a soft knock sounded outside the Imperial Study. Feng Yu quickly stepped forward and opened the door. After hearing the message from the eunuch outside, his eyes lit up slightly, and he turned around and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Li Wangxin requests an audience."

"They've finally arrived." Xiao Yuzheng took a deep breath. "Tell him to come in quickly."

"Yes."

Soon, Li Wangxin strode in, knelt heavily on the ground, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have not failed in my mission. The Bailong Temple case has been investigated and clarified. This is the dossier I personally wrote."

After he finished speaking, he presented the case file.

The women had already been rescued two hours earlier.

However, Li Wangxin was not in a hurry to return and report.

Instead, he took Fakong back to the Eastern Garrison Command. With Fakong confessing his crimes and accepting punishment, the many monks of Bailong Temple naturally revealed the situation one by one.

Bailong Temple has become the site of a human trafficking industry chain.

There are people specifically tasked with investigating the backgrounds of beautiful women outside the capital.

There are people who specialize in kidnapping.

Someone is responsible for transporting the goods.

There are also people responsible for contacting buyers.

It's impossible to let a woman who has been imprisoned for so long and can't be sold live.

In the spirit of not wasting anything, they would secretly contact people from the black market and the demonic sects to sell women to demonic cultivators as training materials.

Even the demonic cultivators would give these monks a thumbs up; as for demons, who do they think they are?

"The White Dragon Temple's hideouts are far more than just the Yellow Jade Granary; there are four more in the capital alone."

"I have already sent men to rescue them."

"But..." Li Wangxin paused, then looked at Xiao Yuzheng and asked, "What should we do with Bailong Temple?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng said in a deep voice, "Naturally, we should punish them severely according to the laws of the Great Zhou!"

"Your Majesty, these monks should naturally be severely punished. In addition, Commander Jiang has another suggestion..." Li Wangxin said in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)