Top Scholar

Chapter 526 The truth comes out
Back home, Su Lu was just about to take a shower and go to bed when Su Youxi announced that Qian Ning had arrived.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Su Lu put her shoes back on and said to Huang E, who was biting her lips, "Qian Ning went to Hejian to look for someone. He must have something important to do if he comes over in the middle of the night."

"Go quickly." Huang E helped him straighten his clothes and tie the silk sash around his waist.

Su Lu kissed her on the cheek and then went to the front to see Qian Ning.

"Greetings, godfather. I apologize for disturbing your rest." Qian Ning, looking travel-worn, rose to greet him.

"It's alright, business is more important." Su Lu waved his hand, inviting him to sit down, and said, "You're back so soon, did you see anyone?"

“I saw them all.” Qian Ning hurriedly presented the confessions he had obtained to Su Lu.

“Zhang Gui’s widow is already a mother, and her child is two years old. She recalled that when she entered the purification room that night, a monk burned incense for her and then went out to lock the door, giving the key to her husband. Then her husband was asked to leave and spend the night in a guest room outside the courtyard.”

At this moment, the maid served tea. Qian Ning paused for a moment, and after she left, he continued in a low voice: "Wang recalled that she felt very uneasy at first because she was in an unfamiliar place. It was also quite cold that night, so she had to get into bed fully clothed. She thought she would not be able to sleep all night, but she fell asleep very quickly and slept until she was woken up the next morning, when she heard that her husband had died suddenly."

Su Lu nodded slightly, looking at the statement that Wang still believed in the Zisuntang (a shrine for offspring)... According to her, she dreamed that night that the Arhat who grants children appeared, and two months later she was indeed pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy whose eyebrows, eyes and face resembled her deceased husband, which showed that the Zisuntang was indeed effective.

"And what about Zhang San?" he asked again.

"At first, Zhang San tried to dodge the question, saying it had been too long and he couldn't remember. Then we restored his memory, and he remembered everything," Qian Ning said with a sneer.
"He said that the previous owner, Zhang Gui, was a very suspicious man. He was always paranoid and worried that his wife was cheating on him. That night, he was even more uneasy and didn't sleep a wink. Before dawn, he dressed up and said he was going to check the clean room."

"Zhang San advised him not to move around too much in the temple, but he insisted on going to take a look. Zhang San had no choice but to accompany him out of the guest room and to the courtyard outside the women's quarters, only to find the gate locked. Zhang Gui then climbed over the wall by stepping on Zhang San's shoulders..."

“Zhang San was keeping watch outside when he heard the master's angry shout, ‘You!’ followed by a muffled thud and then silence.” Qian Ning continued, “Zhang San was terrified, fearing he would also be harmed, so he hid back in his room, drank half a jin of liquor, and pretended to be asleep. Later, the monks did indeed come to his room and saw him sleeping like a dead pig, with the room reeking of alcohol, so they didn't harm him.”

"Such an important situation wasn't even reported to Shuntian Prefecture?" Su Lu asked.

“When Wanping County questioned him before, he said that the master had been to the clean room. But the official handling the case gave him a subtle warning, and when the case came to Shuntian Prefecture, he changed his story and said that he was drunk at the time and did not see clearly…” Qian Ning replied.

"This man is clever enough to have saved his life. If he dares to say another word, he'll be serving Zhang Gui in the underworld."

Qian Ning then said, as if to take credit, "I brought both of them back. Godfather can interrogate them at any time."

After reading the file, Su Lu asked, "Is there anything else you need to do?"

"How did Godfather know?" Qian Ning asked, looking surprised.

"You came at this hour just for something like this? You're not that inconsiderate," Su Lu said with a smile.

"Oh my, no one knows a son better than his father!" Qian Ning almost shed tears of emotion.

"Speak, stop keeping me in suspense," Su Lu said calmly.

"Huineng is still alive," Qian Ning said, making a startling statement.

"What do you mean?" Su Lu's eyes narrowed as he pressed, "How can you be so sure he's still alive?"

"Didn't my son send people to investigate Huineng's whereabouts? They found something strange." Qian Ning then reported, "His old mother is in her seventies or eighties, deaf and blind, all alone in a dilapidated courtyard. But guess what? The courtyard and the house are kept clean and tidy, and someone brings her food and does her laundry every night!"

"Good heavens, has the Snail Fairy arrived?" Su Lu couldn't help but laugh.

"The Snail Maiden is after a strong, healthy young man. Who would bother serving a deaf, blind, and dead old woman?" Qian Ning scoffed, then answered his own question, "She must be a close relative. But why does she only come at night and never show her face during the day?"

"I understand." Su Lu nodded, instantly understanding. "You mean, Huineng is still alive and secretly taking care of his elderly mother?"

“Exactly.” Qian Ning nodded emphatically. “My son’s men were secretly keeping an eye on things and discovered that someone would go into the old lady’s house at the same time every night to do chores, and then quietly leave before dawn.”

“If Godfather wants to see some excitement,” he said with a laugh, “we can go over there now and see it.”

“Let’s go take a look.” Su Lu immediately got up.

~~
Surrounded by a retinue, the two rode to Wei Ran Hutong in the south of the city.

"Godfather, he's inside." Qian Ning helped Su Lu down from his horse. The alley was narrow and deep, with dilapidated houses on both sides. Dark brown dye wastewater flowed in the open ditch at the base of the wall, and the stench hit the nose.

Qian Ning explained in a low voice, "This alley is named after the Wei family's dye house. The dye house also caused sewage to flow everywhere and smelled terrible. Good families moved away long ago, leaving only poor craftsmen to live there."

As he spoke, he led Su Lu to a dilapidated courtyard and imitated a few strange bird calls with pursed lips.

The courtyard gate creaked open, and the person who opened it was the bearded man who had gone to Luzhou with Qian Ning.

Upon seeing the two, the bearded man called out in a low voice, "Godfather, Godfather."

The two 'elders' nodded and entered the courtyard surrounded by the crowd.

“His house is right next door.” The bearded man led the two to the low courtyard wall, looked at the dark courtyard next door, and said in a low voice, “He hasn’t come yet. He won’t show up until the second watch of the night.”

"It'll be soon." Qian Ning looked up at the sky.

So everyone stood quietly by the wall, and as time passed, they finally heard the sound of a wooden clapper coming from the street, growing louder as it approached.
'Bang, bang...' "The weather is dry, be careful with fire..." This was followed by the watchman's drawn-out voice.

"They're here," the bearded man said in a low voice. "Don't make a sound."

Everyone held their breath and, sure enough, heard someone walk to the next room, then gently push open the half-closed courtyard gate and slip inside.

The man was carrying a lantern with the word 'watch' written on it and had a bamboo clapper tucked into his waistband; he was the same night watchman from earlier!

He first casually stuck the lantern on the lintel of the kitchen door, then went to the bedroom and looked through the window at the old woman sleeping soundly on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Seeing that she was sleeping relatively soundly, the night watchman returned to the kitchen, started a fire, and began preparing meals for the old lady for the next day.
Soon, a warm red light shone into the kitchen...

Qian Ning glanced at Su Lu, who nodded. He then waved his hand, and two men dressed in black nimbly leaped over the wall.

Although the sound of the fall was very soft, the night watchman was very alert and immediately came out of the kitchen, only to see two men in black rushing towards him.

Seeing that things were not going well, he turned around and rushed towards the courtyard gate, trying to run into the alley, but the gate was kicked open again, and two more men in black blocked his way.

The night watchman changed direction abruptly, intending to escape by climbing over the wall, but then heard the bearded man shout coldly:
"If you run again, I'll arrest your deaf and blind old mother!"

At this moment, the old lady in the bedroom seemed to be startled as well; she was hard of hearing but not completely deaf.

"Jian'er, is that you who's back?" she asked in a trembling voice.

The night watchman was immediately rooted to the spot.

“Go back to your mother’s words,” Su Lu said through the wall. “We are here by the imperial court to question you, not to kill you to silence you.”

"Mother, it's me." The night watchman said, his lips trembling and tears streaming down his face, "I'm back..."

A clattering sound came from inside, and the night watchman rushed in to help the old woman.

The guards were about to rush in, but Su Lu stopped them. "It's not like we're arresting a suspect, give them some time."

He didn't have to wait long; in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the night watchman came with the West Depot agents to see him and Qian Ning.

"Kneel down and answer!" the bearded man shouted, and the night watchman obediently knelt down.

Qian Ning's gaze was like a knife, piercing straight at the other party: "Are you Huineng, or should I call you Yuanjian?"

The night watchman was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head, his voice hoarse: "That's right, I am Yuan Jian, also known as Huineng."

"Why are you running?" Qian Ning asked.

“I thought Baolian Temple had discovered I wasn’t dead and came to silence me,” Yuan Jian replied.

"What are they trying to silence?" Qian Ning pressed.

Yuan Jian didn't respond immediately, but stared intently at Qian Ning.

Qian Ning understood his meaning and said in a deep voice, "We are spies from the Western Depot, ordered to investigate the Baolian Temple case! The court has already taken notice of the Zisuntang's dealings. If you want to avenge your wife, tell us everything you know!"

"You really weren't sent by Baolian Temple?" Yuan Jian was already on edge.

"Nonsense, Baolian Temple would have killed you long ago!" the bearded man said sarcastically.

“That’s true…” Yuan Jian nodded, pondered for a moment, and realizing he had no other choice, readily agreed:
"Because I infiltrated Baolian Temple for half a year and figured out all their secrets."

After a pause, Yuan Jian emphasized, "Furthermore, not only am I not dead, but my wife is not dead either—she has been imprisoned by them!"

"Where are you being held captive?" Qian Ning asked.

"Besides the Hall of Descendants, there's another paradise cave!" Yuan Jian gritted his teeth and cursed, "It's where those bald thieves vent their lust!"

"Isn't having the pleasures of the 'Descendants' Hall enough?" Qian Ning exclaimed in astonishment.

“Don’t underestimate Baolian Temple. That group is very well organized!” Yuan Jian took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. “The Descendants Hall is their signature brand. They’ve managed to stay hidden for so many years. They must have some tricks up their sleeves.”

"What's the trick?" Qian Ning asked.

“Firstly, we’ve figured out that even if those worshippers discover the truth, they’ll have to suffer in silence. Not only will they not report us, they’ll actually help us cover it up,” Yuan Jiandao said.

“Indeed, nobody wants to publicize such a shameful thing,” Qian Ning agreed.

"Secondly, they are constantly 'improving'. Do you know why they keep more than 500 monks? Tall or short, fat or thin, beautiful or ugly, all kinds of people are included, just to match the appearance of those pilgrims!" Yuan Jian said again, making a startling statement.

P.S. I have a lot of things to do at home today, so the next chapter will be a little late...

(End of this chapter)