Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 233: A Surprise and a Trick

Getting up as soon as you hear the bell is a good habit for people living in a monastery.

In Xiaocai's words, he was actually woken up by hunger.

He also added that after a few days, his face had turned pale.

Then Xiaocai started to think: "They both eat vegetarian food, why is Monk Guangliang so fat? Did he eat something he shouldn't? I think Guangliang is a major suspect. Did Guangliang commit bribery? Wuming once said that Third Brother Guangheng has the highest prestige. Maybe Guangheng is a more upright and fair person. Maybe Guangliang's behavior of not following the rules was discovered by Guangheng, so he was killed by Guangliang to silence him."

Wang Heng laughed and said, "You are too arbitrary. Guangheng knows more than just the monks in Jubao Temple. Guangheng was a scholar before he became a monk, so he must have made friends with many people. Let's go to the temple to investigate Guangheng's situation first, and we should also understand his family relationships before he became a monk."

After everyone from the Liu Mansion went down the mountain, the breakfast supply in the dining hall of the Vimalakirti Villa became simpler, and the white steamed buns disappeared.

The two of them drank some porridge with sad faces and walked towards the gate of Jubao Temple.

It was morning prayer time, and Zhang Xiru had already left the Foguang Pavilion. As the abbot, he was chanting scriptures with the monks in the main hall.

Mr. Zhang asked the young monk Wuming to wait at the mountain gate to lead the way for Wang Heng and Xiaocai.

Guangheng's cicada shell rests in the Arhat Hall.

The dawn light was approaching the curtain shadows. It was said that the Arhat statues in Jubao Temple were sculpted by Yang Huizhi, a master of colored sculpture in the Tang Dynasty. Mr. Zhang once said that the Arhat statues were lifelike and full of vigor. When Wang Heng walked into the Arhat Hall, he felt it was eerie and terrifying.

It's not the psychological effect caused by the fact that Guangheng's body was placed here, but the statues in the entire Arhat Hall give people an extremely depressing feeling, and the ochre-red color tone is eerie and terrifying.

"Has the temple reported to the authorities?" Wang Heng asked.

Wu Ming said: "According to the rules of the temple, Buddhism is a pure place and we will not disturb the government. If nothing unexpected happens, we will hold a cremation ceremony for our third brother in three days."

Life is as fragile as a blade of grass.

Yesterday, Mr. Zhang designated two monks, Wufa and Wuding, to guard here. When they saw people coming from the temple, they came forward to greet them. They were two young monks with ordinary looks.

Wufa was a little older and looked more mature. He knew that the abbot had asked his two servants to solve the case, and these two servants were children of the abbot's hometown, so he did not dare to neglect them and said, "My two donors, because the weather is hot, there is ice stored in the cellar of the temple. When we covered Brother Guangheng with ice, we found a note dropped from his sleeve."

"Meet in the bamboo forest behind the mountain in the early afternoon."

The note was not signed, so it must be someone unknown, and it must be someone Guangheng was familiar with.

The bamboo forest at the back mountain, could it be that the bamboo forest was the murder scene? Was Guangheng murdered and his body thrown into the waterfall viewing pavilion?

Wang Heng showed the note to Wuming, staring at the facial expressions of the three monks, and asked, "Can you recognize whose handwriting it is?"

Wu Ming shook his head and said, "I can't recognize you. I'm just a novice monk who has just received the ten precepts. I can read a few words and have always been an assistant."

The situation is roughly the same when it comes to realizing the Dharma and realizing concentration.

Wang Heng put away the letter.

"Does Guangheng have any enemies in the temple? Who does he have the best relationship with?" Xiaocai asked.

Wuming scratched his head and thought for a long time, then said, "Brother Guangheng is the kindest to others. He is very kind to the janitors and the firemen. No one in the temple doesn't respect him. But if you ask who he has the best relationship with, I really can't think of one."

Wufa provided a piece of information: "The abbot admired Brother Guangheng the most. He praised him as a diligent and learned monk many times during the morning and evening classes."

Wu Ding said, "No, no, it is Brother Guangwen that Abbot Zhihai admires and likes the most. He has said many times that Brother Guangwen will take over the mantle of the abbot in the future."

Xiaocai was very curious and showed a very interesting expression: "It is the same Jubao Temple, but what Wufa saw is irrelevant to what Wuding saw. For example, this Luohan Hall is so gloomy and creepy, but Mr. Zhang said it is free and unrestrained." Wang Heng thought for a moment and said to Wuming: "Little Master, you must report to the abbot loudly in public. The two of us have found the key evidence on Monk Guangheng. If the abbot asks what it is, just say that I am being mysterious and refuse to tell you. Please come to the Luohan Hall after the morning service and you will know."

Wuming agreed, turned around and walked out of the Arhat Hall.

Monk Guangheng's cicada shell has been replaced with a clean monk's robe, and there is ice under his body. It seems that Wufa and Wuding are taking good care of him.

Guangheng had only one external injury on his left abdomen. Apart from that, there were no obvious signs of poisoning in his eyes, ears, nose, throat, and limbs. Wang Heng and Xiaocai didn't know how to be a coroner, so they just took a rough look at the injuries on his body.

Wufa presented Guangheng's changed clothes and the dagger that Xiaocai found among the grass insects last night to Wang Heng on a wooden tray. Tears appeared in his eyes and he said sadly, "Third Senior Brother is a good person."

Wu Ding was probably used to arguing with him, so he said, "That's not right, that's why you can't be a good person. Good people don't live long."

The dagger was of simple style, and the blood on it had already dried up. It seemed to be an old item.

Wang Heng asked: "Have you ever seen this dagger before?"

The two young monks firmly said that they had never seen it.

Wang Heng wrapped the dagger with a handkerchief and played with it for a long time, but he did not find any secrets. There was no mystery hidden inside the dagger, nor was there any inscription by the collector. It was just an ordinary, relatively sharp dagger.

Wang Heng thought about it and asked Wufa to bring a set of writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone to the Arhat Hall.

After waiting for a long time, hurried footsteps were heard outside the Arhat Hall.

With a bang, the door was pushed open.

The visitors were Zhang Xiru and Wuming, followed by Guangwen, the director of the Sutra Repository.

"Brother Xiru."

"Mr. Zhang."

Wang Heng and Xiaocai saluted Zhang Xiru, but Zhang Xiru waved his hand to interrupt them.

The old abbot Zhihai asked him to be the supervisor of the temple, but a murder happened on the first day. The victim was the abbot Zhihai's third disciple. The sudden accident made Zhang Xiru very anxious.

"Tell us quickly, what clues have you found?" Zhang Xiru walked hurriedly, sweating profusely and waving a palm-leaf fan.

Wang Heng did not keep the secret and took out a handkerchief from his bag and showed it to Zhang Xiru.

"This handkerchief was taken from Monk Guangheng's arms. It is made of the finest Songjiang jade gauze and has a snowflake embroidered on it. It looks more like something that someone in the boudoir would use. I asked the people in the temple, and they said it's probably not something Guangheng would use on a daily basis."

After listening to Wang Heng's words, Zhang Xiru frowned and looked at him. Monk Guangwen had a blank expression on his face. He was completely confused about Wuming, Wufa, and Wuding.

Xiaocai suppressed his surprise, he had several such handkerchiefs. When Brother Yueting got married, he customized many high-quality handkerchiefs for Miss Ye San. Later, the marriage was not harmonious, Brother Yueting was upset when he saw these things, so he gave some handkerchiefs and scarves to them. Now, I wonder what the seventh brother is talking about?

"Brother Xiru, since this handkerchief is not Guangheng's, it is very likely to be the murderer's, or related to the murderer. You should ask someone to write a notice immediately and ask all the monks in the temple to come and identify it to see if anyone has seen this handkerchief and knows its origin." Wang Heng said slowly, looked at Zhang Xiru, then looked behind Zhang Xiru, and said, "Oh, Master Guangwen is here too. Why don't you let Master Guangwen write a notice for us and have Wuming post it in the dining hall."

Zhang Xiru nodded, turned his head and said to Guangwen behind him: "Nephew, thank you for your help."

Monk Guangwen was stunned for a moment, glanced at the people in the Arhat Hall, and then said, "Okay, I will write it."

Wufa had already prepared writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone. Guangwen, as expected of the head of the Sutra Repository, wrote down the whole story in a few concise and concise words.

Wang Heng looked at it and nodded repeatedly, then turned around and suddenly asked, "Master Guangwen, what did you discuss with Guangheng in the bamboo forest at the back mountain yesterday afternoon?"