frightfiction Chapter 1653 Liu Shixiu is arrested (Bonus chapter for 267 million reward points)
Chapter 1653 Liu Shixiu is arrested (Bonus chapter for 267 million reward points)
"Then how did you answer?"
Consort Zhuang's voice remained gentle, but a hint of nervousness could be detected in it.
The eldest princess truthfully replied, "Yun'er said it was her own idea. Yun'er saw that Father Emperor was unhappy, so she wanted to comfort him."
"Yun'er also told Father that Mother Consort performed a Buddhist service for Consort Feng and the baby in the small Buddhist hall to cheer Father up."
Consort Zhuang asked tentatively, "Did your father say anything?"
The eldest princess blinked, then suddenly remembered something, and a smile returned to her face: "Father said that Mother is truly remarkable!"
Consort Zhuang was stunned.
Well done!
Is that a compliment?
She pondered those three words carefully, then pressed for more information: "Did His Majesty really say that?"
"Ok!"
The eldest princess nodded vigorously: "Father Emperor said it himself, Yun'er heard it clearly!"
Consort Zhuang's heart slowly settled back into a sense of peace.
His Majesty praised her, which shows that he approves of and approves of her compassionate act.
"That's good."
Consort Zhuang said with relief, "I am relieved that your father understands my heart."
It's alright if Your Majesty doesn't enter the inner palace for the time being, as long as you still remember Changchun Palace.
……
Fatou Temple.
The ascetic cave on the back mountain.
This is where monks who have broken the precepts in the temple face the wall to reflect on their mistakes. The entrance is narrow, but inside there is a hidden world.
A shallow niche was carved into the stone wall, housing a statue of a Bodhisattva.
Liu Shixiu has been imprisoned here for a long time.
He was originally the illegitimate son of the Duke of Dingguo's family, and should have been young and dashing, dressed in fine clothes and riding spirited horses.
Since the downfall of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, he has been imprisoned in this dark and hopeless place.
At first, Liu Shixiu counted the days as he carved marks on the stone wall, each mark taking a whole day.
Then he suddenly felt tired.
What's the point of counting the days?
Does counting to a thousand or ten thousand mean he can get out?
It was Xingchen who pretended to be a highly virtuous monk and went to the emperor to say a lot of things, thus saving Liu Shixiu's life.
Now that Xingchen has suffered, Liu Shixiu is naturally doomed as well.
That day, chaotic footsteps echoed from the cave entrance. Liu Shixiu was dragged away and locked in a secret room next to Xingchen's.
Hearing faint footsteps outside, Huichen pricked up her ears, but couldn't make it out clearly: "What's going on outside?"
Li Changde walked in, looked at him, and shook his head.
Huichen quickly said, "Eunuch Li, you've finally come! This humble monk is truly innocent!"
"We know."
Li Changde said, "The matter has been investigated and clarified. The scandals in the harem are indeed unrelated to you."
Huichen was taken aback, then overjoyed: "You've found out? Does that mean you can let this humble monk out?!"
"I've said it before, I'm just greedy for money. I only accepted some incense money. How could I possibly have the guts to defile the harem? That would send me to the eighteenth level of hell!"
Li Changde looked at him calmly: "Let you out?"
"Don't you know what you've done?"
"Last year alone, you received five hundred taels from the wealthy Wang of Chengnan to 'exorcise' a contracted maid whom he accidentally killed."
“That maid was only eleven years old. Her body was thrown into a mass grave, without even a coffin. You recited the sutra for her twice, took the money, and told her that she had already gone to the Pure Land.”
Huichen's face turned pale instantly.
Li Changde continued, "Also, the concubine of Master Liu in the west of the city died in childbirth, a double tragedy. Master Liu's wife was afraid that the concubine's vengeful spirit would haunt her, so she gave you one hundred taels of silver. You performed a Buddhist ritual at Fatu Temple, saying that the concubine was destined to suffer this calamity."
"But as far as I know, that concubine was poisoned, which is why she died in childbirth."
"Also, the young master of the Zhao family in the north of the city killed someone, and the Zhao family gave you six hundred taels of silver..."
Li Changde recounted each and every one of the incidents.
Huichen trembled like a leaf, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
He wanted to explain, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Li Changde asked, "Aren't these all heinous acts?"
"This humble monk...this humble monk is merely..."
Huichen stammered, "It's just a matter of taking money to do things... I want to help them be reincarnated..."
Li Changde smiled and said, "You are a monk, you should know about cause and effect and retribution. Taking money to help evildoers cover up their crimes and let them get away with it, isn't that aiding and abetting evil?"
Huichen couldn't answer.
He knew he was finished...
Li Changde has investigated even those trivial and obscure matters so thoroughly; His Majesty will certainly not let him off the hook…
"Your Majesty has a decree——"
Li Changde coldly said, "Huichen, as a monk, has disregarded the rules of monastic life, greedily amassed wealth, and aided and abetted evil deeds. His crimes are heinous! He shall be beheaded in the West Market at noon three days from now as a warning to others!"
Huichen suddenly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot: "No...don't!"
"Eunuch Li! This humble monk...this humble monk is innocent! Those things...those things were all done by the abbot at my behest! He took the lion's share of the silver, why should only I be killed?!"
Li Changde had already uncovered the truth during his investigation of Fatu Temple, and he was too lazy to waste words with Huichen: "Those who deserve punishment will not escape, so you can rest in peace and go on your way!"
"Once we get to the underworld, I'll ask King Yama properly whether any of the wronged souls you've 'saved' over the years have actually reached paradise."
After saying this, Li Changde ignored Huichen's wailing and turned to leave.
He knew that dealing with Huichen was just the beginning.
Those monks are greedy and avaricious; their despicable deeds are always uncovered when investigated.
Killing them would be easy, but Xingchen is different.
That lecherous monk was good at putting on a show and had a high reputation among the people. If we wanted to get rid of him, we had to expose the dirty deeds of Fatu Temple first and let the world know that it was a place that harbored filth and corruption.
Until all the filth accumulated by Fatu Temple over the years is laid bare under the sunlight.
At that point, even if Xingchen were truly an enlightened monk, he wouldn't be able to save himself.
Li Changde went to the secret room where Xingchen was imprisoned.
His monk's robe was no longer recognizable as its original color; it was patchy with dark and light colors, covered in dried blood and stains.
His hands were chained behind his back, and there were fresh whip marks on his face, running from the corner of his eye to his jaw, with the skin rolled up and covered with dark red scabs.
Xingchen's eyes, which were once filled with compassion, now resembled two ancient wells, so dark that their bottoms could not be seen.
Even in such a situation, his pride remained unbroken.
"Master Xingchen".
Li Changde looked at him and said with a half-smile, "You've suffered."
Xingchen remained silent, his expression still perfectly calm.
Li Changde didn't care and continued, "Oh right, there's something I forgot to tell you. Liu Shixiu, whom you went to great lengths to protect, is now locked up in the secret room next to yours."
Xingchen finally spoke: "You arrested him?"
Li Changde said, "The Ascetic Cave is a cold and damp place. Staying there for a long time will harm your health. We are just asking him to move to another place."