Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 238 The Future Celestial Master is Hanged Up and Beaten by the Embroidered Uniform Guard

"Mingwei, why did you bring me to Chaotian Palace?"

Yan Shifan looked at the palace in the distance, then at the Imperial Guards patrolling the gate, and immediately realized: "Oh right, what's with that Master Zhiyi getting involved? Is it because they also want to gain merit and improve their image in His Majesty's eyes?"

As one of the pursuers of the Liyuan Society, Yan Shifan knew very well that the emperor originally loved cultivating Taoism and taking elixirs, but his attitude changed drastically overnight because he discovered that the Liyuan Society was secretly refining the White Tiger Star Pill, preparing to use it to control the powerful and noble people in the capital.

Even though the other party did not give the emperor this highly addictive elixir, it still instilled great fear in His Majesty, and he distanced himself from Taoism from then on.

At that time, the number of Taoists in the palace was already quite large. Suddenly being abandoned caused panic, and they naturally sought a way to reverse the emperor's negative impression of Taoism.

Hai Yue remained noncommittal, stepped forward, and identified himself. Soon, Commander Tan Jing hurriedly came out to greet him: "Is it really Hai Hanlin? Vice Commissioner Sun is currently interrogating someone and cannot leave for the time being, so he specially ordered me to come and greet you!"

"Commander Tan, you're too kind."

The three entered Chaotian Palace and found that there were no Taoist priests walking around freely in the temple. Instead, the Imperial Guards were coming and going solemnly, and faint screams could be heard.

Yan Shifan was quite curious when he saw this. Counting the days, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been investigating the Taoist temple for quite some time. Had they not yet gotten any results? Surely they couldn't be worse than the Five City Garrison and the Patrol Battalion?
His eyes darted around, and he simply asked, "Who exactly is the Taoist priest who instructed Shen Mo to commit the crime?"

Tan Jing said in a low voice, "Many of the Taoist priests currently being apprehended are skilled in martial arts, which is unusual. They are all keeping their mouths shut, insisting that Shao Yuanjie is devoted to cultivation and single-mindedly pursues the Tao, and knows nothing about what his subordinates are doing..."

Yan Shifan sneered: "This Master Zhiyi is quite skilled at managing his subordinates; how could he possibly keep such a group of monks so loyal?"

Haiyue then asked, "Then, according to these Taoist priests, who orchestrated all of this?"

"According to the suspect's confession, a Taoist priest named Tao Dianzhen was implicated."

Tan Jingdao said, "This man was originally a disciple of Longhu Mountain, a lay disciple. He has a long-standing relationship with Shao Yuanjie and seems to have ulterior motives—rumor has it that he intends to abandon Taoism and enter officialdom!"

Yan Shifan thought for a moment: "Tao Dianzhen... I've never heard of him! Is he just a scapegoat pushed out?"

Haiyue's heart skipped a beat, and she asked in a calm tone, "Could you show us to this person?"

Tan Jing said, "This is the man that Vice Commissioner Sun interrogated. Please come this way, both of you!"

After passing the Sanqing Hall and Tongming Hall, they arrived at a not-so-secluded side hall. From afar, they saw a man tied to a pillar. Sun Weixian sat imposingly in front of him. Hearing footsteps approaching, he rose to greet him: "Hanlin Hai! Young Master Yan! What brings you two here?"

With outsiders present, he couldn't be too affectionate; he only needed to show a certain level of closeness. After all, Haiyue had helped him a lot before, so appropriate enthusiasm wasn't surprising.

"Commissioner Sun!"

Haiyue and Yan Shifan exchanged greetings, then turned to the prisoner.

This man was in his early fifties, with a refined and handsome face, and his brows bore a resemblance to Xia Yan's elegant demeanor. However, at this moment, his hair was disheveled, and his plain Taoist robe was stained with blood. He was in so much pain that he was frequently gasping for breath.

"You two have arrived just in time! The magistrate Shen Mo has already confessed to committing the heinous crime of patricide in collusion with the Qin family, and that he was instructed by the Chaotian Palace. However, all the Taoist priests in the temple are saying that Master Shao knew nothing about it, and instead they are pushing all the blame onto Tao Dianzhen, who is just a commoner with no official position in the palace..."

Sun Weixian's voice suddenly turned cold: "So you really want to deny everything? Do you think the Embroidered Uniform Guard is so easily fooled?"

Haiyue nodded slightly, looked at the Taoist priest who had been severely punished, and asked in a calm tone, "Do you have anything to say?"

Tao Dianzhen groaned in pain, but he listened intently to their conversation. Upon hearing this, he cried out, "Hai Hanlin is extremely discerning! I am innocent! They... they tortured me into confessing!"

Haiyue said, "So you deny that you instructed Shen Mo and that you know nothing about the Sheng Niangzi case?"

Tao Dianzhen hurriedly said, "This humble Taoist does indeed know Magistrate Shen and has had dealings with him, but I would never dare to instruct him to commit murder for money. Magistrate Shen is a high-ranking official of the imperial court, and he would not listen to a mere Taoist priest like myself!"

Haiyue repeated herself: "Were you involved in the case of Madam Sheng?"

Tao Dianzhen paused almost imperceptibly: "This humble Taoist has only ever served His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty, and has never done anything that is against heaven or reason!"

Yan Shifan sneered, "Answer whatever you're asked. You're about to die, and you still dare to try to be clever?"

Sun Weixian watched from the sidelines, unable to discern Haiyue's thoughts from her expression. However, upon seeing Yan Shifan's reprimand, he immediately burst into laughter: "Young Master Yan is truly impressive. No wonder you were able to capture the White Lotus Cult members and achieve such great merit!"

Yan Shifan's lips curled up, and he waved his hand: "It's been thirty-seven days since I arrested thirty-one White Lotus Cult members. I've almost forgotten about it, so don't keep bringing it up!"

Sun Weixian: "..." I was just casually flattering you, but you're really getting cocky, acting like everyone's caught dozens of White Lotus Sect members!
Hmm, it seems there really isn't...

It's a pity that such merit was so easily obtained by the other side, while the questioner on this side is having many setbacks.

Not to mention Sun Weixian's furrowed brows, Tao Dianzhen's body trembled slightly upon hearing that thirty-one White Lotus sect members had been arrested, and a look of annoyance flashed between his brows.

'This is definitely the person!'

Haiyue took in this reaction and understood the situation completely.

No one knows the name Tao Dianzhen, but if you change it to another name, you will be much more well-known.

Tao Zhongwen!
The most favored Taoist priest during the Jiajing reign held the positions of Minister, Marquis, and one of the Three Dukes, a position of unparalleled prestige.

Even throughout history, it is extremely rare for someone to hold such a pivotal position in the imperial court as a Buddhist or Taoist.

Not to mention that this person also died a peaceful death, and was posthumously honored with the title "Rongkang Huisu," and his descendants also received imperial favors.

However, in this era, Shao Yuanjie has not yet fully risen to prominence, and Tao Zhongwen, who succeeded Shao Yuanjie, is a completely unknown figure with no reputation in the court.

But precisely because of this, Haiyue's previous doubts were explained.

Shao Yuanjie had a good reputation. He promoted the ideas of the founder of the sect, Jing, and was conscientious in his duties. He was not obsessed with alchemy. Therefore, it was unlikely that a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain would dare to instruct the magistrate of the prefecture to commit crimes behind the scenes, even if he had fallen out of favor.

In comparison, Tao Zhongwen took a much more unconventional approach. Both his "two dragons never meet" and "innate red lead pills" have been heavily criticized by later generations.

Such people are the ones who dare to take risks when they are not yet successful.

Therefore, the interrogation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard was actually very effective, but the answer was not as expected. They concluded that Shao Yuanjie was the instigator, and as a result, they implicated Tao Dianzhen.

How to do?
Keep fighting!

Seeing this future "Divine Firmament Purple Mansion Expounding the Model, Protecting the Country, Spreading the Eminence, Promoting the Teachings, Revitalizing the Law, Connecting with Truth, Loyalty and Filial Piety, and Upholding the One" beaten and covered in blood, Haiyue felt no sympathy. However, the truth of the case needed to be revealed, so she got to the point: "Donglou just made a conjecture about the role of Madam Sheng's residence, which I think makes a lot of sense. You all might as well listen to it."

Yan Shifan coughed lightly and explained the situation regarding the White Lotus Sect's attempt to collude with the Mongols beyond the Great Wall. He then analyzed that this group's gathering in the capital might be to await another group of bandits, and that Madam Sheng would act as an intermediary to facilitate contact between the two sides...

Sun Weixian was initially skeptical, but when he turned to Tao Dianzhen, he suddenly realized something: "If that's really the case, these Taoist priests instructed Shen Mo to harm Madam Sheng and seize the house in order to ambush and wipe out both groups of thieves in one fell swoop?"

Tao Dianzhen's expression changed several times, but he did not speak. Instead, he lowered his head.

Haiyue then said, "This raises several questions!"

"First, how did the Taoists know that the White Lotus Sect and other scoundrels were planning a secret meeting at Madam Sheng's residence?"

"Secondly, if the purpose of the Sheng residence is truly this—to kill Madam Sheng and seize the residence for oneself—wouldn't that arouse the suspicion of thieves?"

Sun Weixian narrowed his eyes, looked at the dejected Tao Dianzhen, and said coldly, "The first problem is easy to solve. This is Chaotian Palace, so some of our methods are useless here. Once we get to the Imperial Prison, we'll use all kinds of torture instruments. We won't be afraid of this scoundrel!"

Tao Dianzhen closed his eyes and sighed deeply: "I will speak! I will speak! My Longhu Mountain lineage has always been loyal to His Majesty and served him wholeheartedly. Who would have thought that His Majesty's heart would suddenly change and he would abandon cultivation... After a thorough investigation, we found out that it was the traitors from the Liyuan Society who, under the guise of alchemy, committed heinous acts and ruined the reputation of our Daoist sect! This is an irreconcilable enmity. We swear to capture these treacherous officials and prove the unwavering loyalty of our Daoist sect!"

Since the establishment of the Yixin Society, the Liyuan Society has gradually come to the surface. At least among the higher-ups, it is no longer a secret, and many officials know that there is such a group of thieves.

Originally, the imperial court had no need to hide it; it was the other party who wanted to conceal their existence. Now, it was perfectly normal for the Taoists to investigate the other party for their own future. But the implication shocked Sun Weixian: "The one who met with the White Lotus Sect at the Sheng residence was the Li Yuan Society?"

"It's them! They want to collude with the White Lotus Sect to supply goods for their members to cross the border!"

Tao Dianzhen said, "Judge Shen did not instigate the murder. Rather, the Qin woman had harbored evil intentions all along. That's why we devised a plan to seize the Sheng residence, lure the snake out of its hole, and prepare to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. As a result, these misunderstandings occurred..."

'Misunderstanding? They're gritting their teeth and stubbornly refusing to speak, clearly afraid that the credit will be stolen by our Imperial Guards!'

Sun Weixian sneered inwardly, but immediately rebuked him: "Still dare to lie? How did you get these things? Just tell the truth!"

Tao Dianzhen refused to answer and turned to Hai Yue, saying earnestly, "What I have said is full of blood and tears, and every word is true. Although the White Lotus demons have been killed, the remnants of Li Yuan are still lurking in the capital. I am willing to atone for my sins with my broken body and offer a strategy to defeat the enemy for Hanlin Hai!"

(End of this chapter)