You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Soon, the nunnery was completely under control. Abbot Jingchen's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but under Pei Xuan's expressionless gaze and the gleaming swords and spears around her, she ultimately dared not utter a sound.

"search!"

"Search every room, every corner, including cellars, hidden walls, and the inside of Buddha statues, thoroughly!"

"Focus on searching for tokens, scriptures, and artifacts exchanged with monks from the Western Regions, as well as any suspicious hidden compartments or secret rooms!"

The Imperial City Guard's inspectors are all seasoned veterans with extensive experience in investigations.

They split up in pairs and quickly began a thorough search.

Meditation room, Buddhist hall, dining hall, monks' quarters, kitchen...

The Buddha statues were carefully tapped and inspected, the prayer cushions were disassembled, the scriptures were quickly flipped through, and even the well and rockery in the courtyard were not spared.

Abbot Jingchen sat restlessly in his meditation room, listening to the sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets outside, his palms sweating profusely.

She tried to ask several times, but was forced back by the cold gaze of the soldiers outside the door.

......

Time passed slowly, and the search agents returned one after another to report.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, there is nothing unusual about the meditation room in the east wing."

"There is nothing unusual about the west side dining hall."

"There is nothing unusual about the vegetable garden on the back hill."

"The well and artificial hill have been inspected and no abnormalities were found."

Pei Xuan frowned slightly. Could it be that Shuiyue Nunnery is really clean?

Or is the other party hiding something too well?

Just then, Chako, who was in charge of searching the abbot's quarters and a small courtyard next to it used as a storeroom, returned with a strange expression on his face, carrying several heavy cloth bags in his hands.

"My lord, the abbot's meditation room is simply furnished and nothing unusual has been found. However, in the storeroom next door, behind the third row of scripture cabinets against the wall, we found a hidden compartment." Cha Zi said, placing the cloth bag on the ground and opening it.

In an instant, the jewels glittered and dazzled the eyes!

Instead of the expected Tantric ritual implements and strange scriptures, there were neatly stacked, gleaming gold ingots!

Another cloth bag next to it opened, and dozens of ingots of snow-white official silver rolled out.

There were also several brocade boxes containing items such as a white jade Guanyin statue, a jade bracelet, a gilded Buddha statue, and calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, all of which were clearly very valuable.

A rough estimate suggests that the gold and silver alone are worth no less than tens of thousands of taels!

Pei Xuan looked at the dazzling, gleaming gold and white valuables on the ground and muttered a curse under his breath:

"Damn it, Buddhism... it really makes money."

Buddhist temples have been collecting money since ancient times. Whether it's under various pretexts or the donations are made voluntarily by believers, now is not the time to investigate.

His Majesty's decree was to investigate Tantric Buddhism; these ill-gotten gains were merely byproducts that were discovered incidentally.

"The assets are sealed and registered."

"The rest of you, continue to keep watch."

"Let's go, to the next place."

……

After several autumn rains, the sky over Yingtian Prefecture finally cleared up.

Inside the imperial study, Pei Xuan knelt before the imperial desk, his back ramrod straight, with several blue ledgers of varying thickness spread out on the floor in front of him.

"Your Majesty, I have been ordered to thoroughly investigate seventy-three Buddhist temples and twenty-one nunneries, both large and small, inside and outside the capital."

"Apart from Ciyun Temple, which is confirmed to have colluded with esoteric Buddhist monks and committed atrocities such as kidnapping and imprisonment, no other temples have been found to have directly colluded with the enemy or practiced evil rituals."

Lu Zuo leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping absently on the rosewood armrest. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Not yet?"

"Yes."

Pei Xuan: "The esoteric sects act in secrecy; they may have already fled upon hearing the news, or they may be hiding even deeper."

"I have ordered people to continue the covert investigation and to intensify monitoring of the movements of suspicious persons in various temples."

"However, although this search did not yield all the clues about Tantric Buddhism, it did yield some unexpected results."

His gaze fell on the account books on the ground, and he reached out to pick up the top one, presenting it with both hands:

"This is a private account hidden in a secret compartment of Shuiyue Nunnery, not a public account recording incense offerings and land ownership."

"Your Majesty, please see that in March, the Qin family donated five thousand taels of silver as a merit donation."

"In May, we acquired a batch of antiques and paintings deposited at the Qin residence, valued at 20,000 taels."

"In June, we received a golden Buddha statue donated by Vice Minister Zhang, worth three hundred taels of pure gold..."

He then picked up another slightly older booklet: "This is a private record of the depository accounts kept by Pudu Temple in the east of the city."

"We successively received deposits of silver, land deeds, and jewelry worth a total of..." from six individuals, including Li Yong, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the late Sun, a Privy Councilor.

"More than 114,000 taels."

One after another, Pei Xuan briefly reported the contents of several key account books.

The document clearly records that a group of corrupt officials, led by Qin Hui, who have been purged or whose corruption has not yet been exposed, possessed a large amount of ill-gotten gains, treasures, and even land deeds that could not be openly displayed.

They secretly stored the money in temples they considered "pure" and "safe" under the guise of "donating merits," "depositing," and "offering."

Among them, five or six temples, such as Shuiyue Temple, Pudu Temple, and Jingge Temple, which are either "prosperous" incense offerings or located in secluded places, are the most prominent.

Lu Zuo's face remained expressionless, but his eyes gradually grew colder.

Qin Hui... and these parasites.

They were insatiable when they were alive, but after they died, the filth they left behind only fattened up these bald monks who claimed to be "pure of the six senses."

What a "pure Buddhist sanctuary" it was! It turns out that it was not only a place to hide filth and evil, but also a perfect place to sell stolen goods and hide money.

"Besides these places, are there any other temples that specialize in this kind of 'business'?"

Pei Xuan shook his head: "Your Majesty, based on the account books we have seized and the confessions of the relevant officials and monks we have interrogated, the main entities that have been hiding embezzled funds for officials on a large scale and in an organized manner are these few."

"Other temples may occasionally accept 'deposits' from wealthy households, but the amounts are small and mostly consist of gold, silver and valuables. Unlike these few, they dare to accept even land deeds, salt permits, and rare treasures from overseas."

He thought for a moment and added, "However, Your Majesty, even setting aside these hidden embezzled funds, the amount of wealth confiscated from various temples alone is truly astonishing."

"On average, the gold, silver, copper coins, and valuables confiscated from each temple were worth no less than tens of thousands of taels of silver."

"Larger temples with more thriving incense offerings can cost more than 100,000 or even hundreds of thousands of taels of silver."

"This Buddhist sect... truly has a knack for making money."

Is there a way to make money?

They must be skilled at making money.

Taking advantage of the people's awe and the greed of the powerful, they turned temples into bottomless pits for making money.

"All confiscated property, whether overt or covert, shall be registered and deposited into the national treasury."

Lu Zuoxia: "As for Shuiyue Nunnery, Pudu Temple, Jinge Temple, etc., the evidence is conclusive. They were used by corrupt officials to hide their ill-gotten gains, aided and abetted evil, and tarnished the reputation of Buddhism."

"Order to seize the temple property and severely punish all those involved according to the law."

"Your Majesty, I obey." Pei Xuan accepted the order, then hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, what about the abbots and receptionists of those temples...?"

"The principal offender will be severely interrogated, while the accomplices will be dealt with according to the circumstances."

"If it is found that they did not directly participate in hiding the stolen goods, but only knew about them or acted under orders, they may be treated more leniently."

"Yes!" Pei Xuan kowtowed and bowed as he withdrew.

The Imperial Study returned to silence.

Lu Zuo gazed at the gray sky outside the window, his fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table.

The money from the Buddhist temple... did solve their immediate problem.

The Northern Expedition, the New Policies, and the resettlement of displaced people all required money.

The money came at just the right time. However, it seems there are always parasites in the world that can never be completely eradicated.

Whether in the imperial court, in the martial arts world, or even in this place of ancient temples and Buddhist monasteries, it has not escaped the common practice.

.....

Shuiyue Nunnery, meditation room.

The doors and windows were tightly closed, and the light was dim.

The once serene meditation room is now filled with a sense of oppressive panic.

Jingchen sat alone on the cold futon, her moon-white black robe looking somewhat disheveled, her handkerchief nowhere to be found, revealing a head of short, jet-black hair that was slightly frizzy.

Her once beautiful face had lost its color and looked somewhat haggard due to anxiety, with faint dark circles under her eyes.

The footsteps of the soldiers guarding the door were rhythmic and heavy, and each time they sounded, her heart clenched.

How many days has it been?

She was confined here, like a caged bird, completely isolated from the outside world.

Only the soldiers who brought her food would appear on time, put down the coarse food, and leave expressionlessly. No matter how much she pleaded or asked, she would not receive a single word in response.

Fear, like a cold vine, entwined around her day and night, tightening ever more.

Those ledgers...

It must have been searched.

Concealing embezzled funds, assisting corrupt officials... any of these are serious crimes!

At best, it could lead to imprisonment; at worst...

With Shuiyue Nunnery destroyed, she, as the abbess, was the first to be affected.

What to do? What to do?

She did consider excuses, such as claiming ignorance or that it was done by subordinates on their own.

Or they claimed they had no choice but to accept it due to the power of Qin Hui and others.

But these explanations seem so pale and powerless in the face of those irrefutable account books and the methods of the Imperial City Guard.

Would the emperor care about the explanation of a mere nun's abbess?

She paced back and forth in the small meditation room, her fingernails digging deep into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped white marks.

We can't just sit here and wait to die! We have to find a way!

There must be a way...

Suddenly, she stopped.

A thought, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, suddenly illuminated her despairing heart.

Beauty...

Rumor has it that the current emperor, though ruthless and a peerless martial artist, seems to be... quite fond of women.

Although no grand selection has been held in the harem, several women of outstanding beauty already serve as constant companions to the emperor.

Even the married Lady Yong'an, the wife of the Marquis, was...

Jingchen walked to the blurry bronze mirror in the room and looked at her reflection.

Despite days of anxiety, her delicate features, fair skin, and graceful figure remained largely unaffected.

Especially her eyes, which were now glistening with tears of fear and anxiety, added to her captivating charm.

She was a natural beauty. If her family hadn't fallen on hard times and she hadn't been forced to become a nun to avoid disaster, she might have already been a noblewoman of a powerful family.

Even in this place of ancient temples and Buddhist monasteries, she never truly severed her ties to the mortal world; the exquisite clothes, jewelry, pearls, and antiques hidden in the secret compartment were proof of this.

Buddhist disciple?

Rules and regulations?

Jingchen's lips curled into an almost self-deprecating smile.

What rules and regulations!

It's just a trick to fool those foolish men and women!

Of all the temples in the capital, which one, Shuiyue Nunnery, is truly clean?

Aren't there plenty of cases of those seemingly respectable monks secretly stealing chickens, dogs, accumulating wealth, and engaging in illicit sexual activities?

Even she herself, using her position as abbot, was mingling with the women of high-ranking officials and nobles to seek personal gain; wasn't that an open secret?

Appearance and physical appearance are nothing more than tools.

Throughout history, how many have used the guise of Buddhism to engage in seductive activities and curry favor with the powerful?

Since this physical body still has value, why not use it?

If only I could climb to the highest branch in this world...

The disaster before our eyes may just become a ladder to heaven!

If only I could climb to the highest branch in this world...

The disaster before our eyes may just become a ladder to heaven!

Even better than being a nun's abbess who can only hide in the shadows counting her ill-gotten gains and live in constant fear!

Once the thought took hold, it spread like wildfire through her heart, overpowering her fear and bringing with it a morbid excitement and a desperate courage.

She carefully combed her slightly messy short hair and straightened her black robe. Although it was simple, she deliberately loosened the collar to reveal a section of her delicate neck.

She dipped her lips in cold tea to moisten them and restore some of their rosy color.

She walked to the door, took a deep breath, raised her hand, and gently knocked on the door.

The guard outside asked impatiently, "What is it?"

Jingchen tried her best to make her voice sound calm, yet with just the right amount of gentleness and mystery:

"I trouble you, sir, to inform His Majesty... I have... something of utmost importance that I must present to His Majesty in person!"

"This matter concerns the fate of the court and the nation, and... His Majesty's safety! If we delay, catastrophic consequences may ensue!"

The guards seemed taken aback by the "matter of utmost importance" and "His Majesty's safety," remaining silent for a moment before their footsteps faded into the distance, as if they were going to report.

Jingchen retreated into the room, her heart pounding in her chest.

Success or failure hinges on this one move.

.....

An hour later, a series of more orderly and powerful footsteps, different from those of the guards, came from outside the door, along with hushed conversations and commands.

squeak...

The door to the meditation room was opened from the outside, and the somewhat bleak afternoon light of autumn flooded in, making Jingchen squint slightly.

She saw a young man dressed in ordinary clothes but with an extraordinary air standing at the door, followed by Pei Xuan with his head bowed and several guards with restrained demeanor. This was none other than the current emperor.

Jingchen immediately knelt down, bowing her head in the most devout manner: "This humble nun, Jingchen, pays her respects to Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years!"

Lu Zuo walked into the meditation room, his gaze sweeping over the simple, even somewhat shabby, room indifferently before finally landing on Jing Chen, who was kneeling on the ground.

She was indeed a beauty; even dressed in black without makeup, her beauty was undeniable.

Especially in this pose, it's easier to arouse certain thoughts in men.

"What matter is so important that you must see me in person?"

Jingchen raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, and looked at Pei Xuan and the guards behind Lu Zuo, hesitant to speak.

Pei Xuan immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, we take our leave."

He then retreated with his guards to the courtyard outside the meditation room, signaling the others to stay away, but he himself did not go far, maintaining a distance from which he could rush in at any time.

The door to the meditation room was gently closed, leaving only Lu Zuo and Jing Chen inside, and the light dimmed again.

"You can tell me now."

Jingchen knelt and crawled a few steps closer, raising her face: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"This humble nun... I did indeed act foolishly for a time, and was coerced by powerful figures to conceal some ill-gotten gains for them..."

"But, I am willing to atone for my sins through good deeds!"

"The nun also knows that, besides Shuiyue Nunnery, there are Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, Daming Temple in Yangzhou..."

"There are similar cases of hiding embezzled funds for certain deceased or fugitive officials!"

"The amount is even larger!"

"This humble nun wishes to report everything to Your Majesty, but only begs... only begs Your Majesty to have mercy and spare this humble nun's life!"