Volume 3: Evil Ghosts Eat People Chapter 157: Nowhere to escape?
"The inner guards did n't come with us..." Who would have thought that after hearing Xu Zun's question, Chen Taiji actually said, "So... we don't know the specific news in the palace!"
"Ah?" Xu Zun frowned and asked hurriedly, "Has the news we reported reached the palace?"
"Of course, of course," Chen Taiji said, "Otherwise, Lord Li and I would not have been sent here by the emperor.
"Now, whether it's the Queen Mother, the Emperor, the Cabinet, or the Three Courts, they all know that such a major incident has occurred in Shangyuan City!"
"Master Chen, you still don't understand what I mean," Xu Zun said anxiously, "Master Qinglan and Marquis Changping have trained a group of young female killers. These killers may have already infiltrated the palace and are planning something, so..."
"I understand, I understand," Chen Taiji nodded and said, "This case is of great importance and concerns the safety of the Queen Mother and the Emperor, but the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple really have no idea of the specific situation in the palace!
"Jiying," Chen Taiji motioned Xu Zun to sit down and talk, and then said, "After receiving your report, our Sanfasi investigated overnight the talented women and beautiful women recommended to the palace by Qinglan Temple and Changping Marquis' Mansion in recent years.
“But…” Chen Taiji said helplessly , “It’s strange that apart from a few talented women who applied for the examination of female officials in the name of Qinglan Academy, there are no other recommendations.
"Besides, none of these talented women made the list."
"Ah?" Xu Zun was surprised, "No?"
"It's the same with Marquis Changping," Chen Taiji said, "Although he has the quota to recommend concubines, he has never recommended a concubine to the palace!
"So... judging from the surface intelligence, Taoist Qinglan and Marquis Changping seem to have nothing to do with the palace!"
"Is it really like this?!" Xu Zun frowned, puzzled.
According to common sense, if Taoist Qinglan and Marquis Changping are targeting the imperial power, then these young killer girls must be trained and sent to the palace in order to pose a threat to the imperial power.
But now there is nothing there, so where did they send those girl killers?
They go to so much trouble and spend so much energy, it is impossible that they do this just to train killers, they must have some ulterior motive!
"Of course, no matter what," Chen Taiji said, "Ji Ying, you have done a great deed. I believe you will be rewarded handsomely by the Queen Mother and His Majesty in the near future!"
"Sir," Xu Zun first looked at Li Jinlou, then whispered, "This matter is definitely not that simple. I have already found out that this case is related to the Xuanmen cult that disappeared for more than a hundred years!"
"This..." Chen Taiji also looked at Li Jinlou unnaturally.
However, Li Jinlou acted as if he didn't hear anything and sat in the seat in the middle, sipping tea leisurely.
"Jiying," Chen Taiji said, "Although Xuanmen has disappeared for more than a hundred years, it is still a taboo word in the palace. It's okay for you and I to talk like this, but in the future, when you meet princes and nobles, you must be careful with your words!"
"Oh?" Xu Zun was surprised. He didn't expect that this Xuanmen was actually a taboo.
But being taboo doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, right?
"Sir," Xu Zun said solemnly, "According to my humble opinion, the Xuan Sect is definitely not just a resurgence . I'm worried that they have even become powerful!"
"How dare you!" Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Li Jinlou slammed the teacup heavily on the table and scolded Xu Zun, "You are alarmist! It's just a small evil cult, what can it achieve?"
"You?" Xu Zun said, "Marquis Changping is the Great Xuan Marquis, and Taoist Qinglan was personally appointed by the Queen Mother. They built a secret base, trained a group of assassins such as Chongtian Temple, and secretly trained a group of mysterious girl killers! You still call this a small cult?
"Moreover, I suspect that they are also being instructed by someone else, and there is a more powerful mastermind behind them. The threat posed by Xuanmen is definitely not limited to Shangyuan City!"
"How dare you! You are talking nonsense!" Li Jinlou glared at him fiercely again and said in a commanding tone, "I think you can't catch the culprit, so you deliberately exaggerate to cover up your dereliction of duty!
"You also said that they are already so rampant, but are you, the prefect of Tangzhou and the prefect of Shangyuan County, blind?
"In my opinion, you are all responsible for negligence! Humph..."
"Master Li, Master Li, this is unfair!" Li Yan quickly stood up to explain, "The Qinglan Monastery Master and the Marquis of Changping are of noble status. How can our prefectures, counties, or districts dare to interfere in what they want to do?"
"Yes, Your Excellency is wise," Dong Wanxing echoed, "Who in the entire Tangzhou dares to search Qinglan Temple and Changping Marquis Mansion?"
"Alright, alright!" Chen Taiji saw that the situation was about to get out of control, and hurriedly stopped Li Jinlou from talking, saying, "Xu Zun, we only saw the report before, and we don't know the details yet. Now, tell us the whole story!"
Seeing Chen Taiji trying to smooth things over, Li Jinlou finally shut up, but he still had an arrogant and conceited look on his face.
Xu Zun also knew that it was difficult to communicate with an official like Li Jinlou, so he pulled his chair in front of Chen Taiji and told him about the entire incident of the girl's disappearance.
This was not the first time Xu Zun recounted the case, and he told it with great emotion and vividness, especially the fierce battle in Shangyuan County Court, which made Chen Taiji's palms sweat.
Li Jinlou also frowned as he listened. He did not expect the case to be so tortuous.
After he finished speaking, Chen Taiji was so fascinated that he praised:
"Ah, when the Iron Coffin Case happened, I was struck by how stunning Jiying was!
"I didn't expect that this time you would continue your legend. Tangzhou Judicial Officer, this position is really the best fit for you!"
"Thank you for the compliment, sir!" Xu Zun said modestly.
"If it weren't for your keen observation," Chen Taiji praised, "then I'm afraid no one would know about the thieves' conspiracy!"
"Sir," Xu Zun said, "I have explained the case to you clearly. From now on, I will rely on you to preside over the follow-up work!"
"Hmm..." Chen Taiji stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "This time, the two of us came in a hurry, and the emperor only ordered us to learn the details as soon as possible.
"So, the two of us are just monitoring. To truly deal with the aftermath, we have to wait for the emperor's order!"
"Master Chen," Li Yan asked, "everything else is easy to deal with, but the Marquis of Changping is a marquis after all. Do you think His Majesty has mentioned how to deal with it?"
"Lord Li, you asked a good question," Chen Taiji continued stroking his beard, "The incident happened suddenly, and it is impossible for the emperor to issue an order to reduce the title in such a short time, so the higher-ups' intention is to temporarily seal off the mansion and detain the relevant personnel until the case is fully understood before taking further action!
"However, don't worry, the Ministry of Justice has joined forces with the three judicial departments and the Ministry of War to issue a nationwide arrest warrant for Changping Hou Lu Jinlong and Taoist Qinglan and others.
"I believe they have nowhere to escape..."
