Steal my marriage? Turn around and marry the tyrant to take the throne

Chapter 1624 Most concubines only heard it out of curiosity

"I don't know?"

Manager Tao took out the Xuan paper he had obtained from the scriptures that day from his bosom and unfolded it in front of Master Huichen: "The characters on this, and your personal seal, are not even recognizable to Master Huichen?"

Under the lamplight, the scattered words and bright red seals on the paper were particularly glaring.

Master Huichen's eyes were full of doubt.

Immediately, he understood that what was written on the Xuan paper was related to the palace, and even the imperial heirs!

Fatu Temple is a royal temple, and Master Huichen understands even more clearly that if such secrets are involved, it will inevitably implicate many people and cause bloodshed!

His eyes widened, and he shook his head, saying, "This...this is not mine!"

"This seal was lost long ago, and the inscription was not written by me!"

"Someone has framed me! Someone must have framed this poor monk!"

Manager Tao put away the Xuan paper and looked at Master Huichen with a half-smile: "The evidence is right here. Master Huichen, you should think about how to explain yourself. Where are those valuables? And who else are the pilgrims you associate with?"

"Besides money, have you done anything else for people? Especially..."

He paused here, then said coldly, "It concerns matters related to the palace!"

Master Huichen understood. Tonight's commotion wasn't just about investigating his bribery. This piece of Xuan paper, which appeared out of nowhere, was the real death warrant!

"This humble monk demands to see the abbot! He demands to see his junior brother Xingchen! You are framing him!"

He screamed and tried to rush towards the door.

Two attendants stepped forward and blocked the doorway.

Manager Tao stopped looking at him, turned around and said, "Take him away!"

"Yes!"

The matter was of great importance, and Steward Tao dared not delay. Under the cover of night, he escorted Master Huichen down the mountain.

Listening to Master Huichen's constant cries of injustice, Steward Tao remained expressionless.

Greedy monks are easy to catch, but the mystery behind that piece of Xuan paper is the key.

Huichen's shock and anger at this moment seemed genuine. Could it be that the Xuan paper... was really planted by someone?

He beckoned to one of his men and whispered, "Go and check if Huichen's private seal is lost long ago, as he claims."

"Furthermore, the monks in the temple, especially those who have a grudge against Huichen, should report in detail on their recent movements."

The attendant immediately replied, "Yes!"

……

The following day, news spread throughout Fatu Temple that Master Huichen, the head of the Vinaya Academy, had been arrested and interrogated by officials sent by the palace for privately accepting money from pilgrims and violating the temple's rules and regulations.

During the morning service, monks from various monasteries gathered in the Mahavira Hall, but Master Huichen was nowhere to be seen.

When the abbot solemnly announced this, the hall erupted in uproar.

"How could Uncle-Master Huichen do such a thing?!"

"He was always the strictest in instructing us on how to obey the rules, but it turns out he himself..."

"You really know people, faces but not hearts!"

"..."

Inside the hall, murmurs of astonishment, disappointment, and disdain arose.

Some disciples who had been severely punished by Master Huichen felt a sense of relief.

News of this quickly spread outside the temple.

Fatu Temple held a prominent position in the capital, and its every move attracted attention. Within half a day, discussions were already taking place among the people.

"Have you heard? Master Huichen from the Disciplinary Hall of Fatu Temple has been arrested!"

"They said they received a lot of dirty money!"

"Oh dear, it's easy to draw the skin of a tiger but hard to draw its bones. He's so solemn when he preaches and expounds the Dharma, but behind the scenes he's this kind of person!"

"..."

Teahouses, taverns, and alleyways were buzzing with gossip about this.

Some officials and wealthy families who had secretly sought Master Huichen's help were alarmed upon hearing the rumors, fearing they would be implicated. They hurriedly erased all traces of their dealings with Master Huichen from their homes, hoping the turmoil would pass quickly.

Of course, some people who know the inside story are not surprised by this.

An old monk in charge of the vegetable garden in the temple shook his head and sighed to the handyman who was helping him: "...Master Huichen, your heart is not pure."

"Many years ago, I noticed that he associated too closely with some shady pilgrims and reminded him once, but he said that I was meddling in other people's business. Today's retribution is his own doing."

The old monk in the scripture pavilion who had spoken with Manager Tao closed his eyes and began to count his prayer beads, saying, "...The Buddhist path is vast, but it is difficult to save those who are not destined to be saved."

"Getting rid of this rotten apple will bring peace to the temple, which may not be a bad thing."

Chengxin Pavilion.

Master Xingchen is copying the Heart Sutra.

Outside the window, bamboo shadows sway gently, while inside, the fragrance of sandalwood wafts through the air.

His writing was steady and his characters were elegant and refined, as if all the disturbances of the outside world were irrelevant to him.

The young novice monk Jingxin, who was grinding ink nearby, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "...Uncle-Master, have you heard about what happened to Uncle-Master Huichen?"

Master Xingchen continued writing, saying calmly, "I've heard about it."

Jingxin, still young, looked astonished: "I never expected that Senior Uncle Huichen would actually..."

"Life is unpredictable, and people's hearts are hard to fathom."

Master Xingchen put down his pen, picked up the scripture he had written, and gently blew on the ink: "Precepts, concentration, and wisdom are the foundation of the three studies. Without upholding the precepts, it is like a building without a foundation; it is only a matter of time before it collapses."

He spoke in a calm tone, revealing little emotion.

Immediately, Master Xingchen carefully rolled up the scripture and handed it to Jingxin: "Send it to the scripture library for filing."

"Yes, uncle."

Jingxin, holding the scriptures, withdrew.

Master Xingchen walked slowly to the window, gazing in the direction of the Disciplinary Hall in the distance, a hint of relief flashing deep in his eyes.

Huichen's arrest proved his earlier guess was correct.

This action by the palace is definitely not intended to rectify temple rules.

Fortunately, he was prepared.

Greed for money is a minor matter, and even if it's exposed, it won't matter much; at most, the person will be expelled from the sect and disgraced.

If that piece of paper were truly investigated and uncovered palace secrets, that would be a real catastrophe.

That private seal was lost by Huichen many years ago, and he found it by chance and has kept it ever since.

I never imagined that it would actually come in handy one day.

Those money transactions were merely a convenient way to draw attention to Huichen's greedy nature.

It's only natural that a greedy monk would be implicated in a palace scandal by "evidence."

People will only think that Huichen is of despicable character and capable of anything.

Huichen is a scapegoat, temporarily shielding the investigation. But if the palace continues its investigative work, it's hard to guarantee they won't uncover other areas.

He must be more cautious.

The interior and exterior of Chengxin Pavilion need to be cleaned again.

Contact with those people in the capital should be temporarily severed, and we should wait and see how things develop.

Master Xingchen turned around and took out a blank scroll from a hidden compartment in the bookcase, slowly unrolling it.

The map above is a detailed topographical map of the capital region, with some locations marked in a way that only he could understand.

Master Xingchen's gaze remained fixed on the direction of the imperial city for a long time.

……

Fatu Temple was a royal temple, and Master Huichen was a famous master. News of his arrest quickly reached the palace.

At first, it was just a few eunuchs talking privately about a scandal at the royal temple, saying that the head of the monastic discipline had been caught embezzling money.

When these words reached the ears of the people, most of the concubines merely heard them out of curiosity, sighed a few times about how one can judge a person by their appearance but not their heart, and then forgot about them.