Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 184 Nervous
The rain at Puji Temple intensified, the ancient prayer flags fluttered rapidly in the wind, and the mountain wind sounded like the low weeping of ghosts, causing the grass and trees in the temple to tremble, creating a somber atmosphere.

Princess Ruihe gripped her skirt and hurried through the corridor. Her plain white dress was mostly soaked by the rain, and the white jade hairpin at her temple was about to fall off.

Several maids and servants followed behind her, trembling with fear.

News of the spies from the temple having infiltrated it had already spread far and wide...

The servants stopped what they were doing and whispered among themselves in the corridor, while the pilgrims who were taking shelter from the rain also looked alarmed and discussed the matter incessantly...

Ruihe hurried past, stopping outside the meditation room on the east side, his gaze piercing the tightly closed wooden door like a knife.

"Is Madam Ping An inside?"

Xiao Zhao stood with her arms crossed, dressed in plain clothes, her expression aloof and cold.

"exist."

Ruihe pushed the door open before she could finish speaking.

"Princess, please wait." Xiao Zhao blocked her way. "The Protector of the Nation and Lady Ping'an are copying scriptures to pray for the Empress Dowager. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to trespass!"

"Unauthorized persons?" Ruihe let out a cold laugh, pointing a handkerchief at Xiao Zhao with her fingertips. "You dog who relies on its master's power, do you even know who I am? How dare you stop me?"

Xiao Zhao rolled her eyes.

Originally, he wanted to let her taste the "Returning Wind Palm," but in the end, for the sake of the girl, he swallowed his anger and curtsied.

"This servant wouldn't dare. Please, Your Highness, have a seat. Once the Princess and her wife have finished copying the scriptures, they will inform you... otherwise..."

She paused, then raised an eyebrow and smiled in a way that was neither a smile nor a frown.

"If the princess misses the Empress Dowager's mission, she'll probably be in deep trouble."

Ruihe has always considered herself the Empress Dowager's most beloved daughter. Recently, the Empress Dowager's favor towards Wenjia has already made her jealous. Hearing Xiao Zhao's disdainful tone, she became even more furious.

"I think you're deliberately making things difficult for me..."

As she spoke, she let out a cold snort, lowered her eyes and stroked the jade bracelet on her wrist, her voice so soft it seemed to be drowned out by the sound of rain.

"Fu Ling, slap your mouth."

The lead maid rushed forward, her arm just raised...

With a loud "smack," the girl's cheek instantly swelled up, and a clear handprint could be seen imprinted on her face.

After a moment of stunned silence, she lowered her head and spat out a bloody, broken tooth, then burst into tears.

"The county master..."

Ruihe hadn't expected Xiao Zhao to act so quickly and ruthlessly...

After a long while, she gasped and shouted incredulously.

"You...you lowly servant, how dare you lay a hand on me?"

Xiao Zhao stood in the middle of the doorway without saying a word.

"I think you've rebelled!" Ruihe said, and was about to rush inside.

"Ruihe, are you trying to cause trouble at the Buddhist temple?" Wen Jia's cold voice drifted in through the window.

Upon hearing this, Ruihe felt suffocated, his eyes filled with anger, but he did not immediately lash out. Instead, he stopped and looked at the half-open window.

"Greetings, Princess Wenjia..." She curtsied. "I came to Puji Temple to offer incense today, but I was caught in a sudden downpour, so I found a side hall to take shelter. I heard that there were spies from the West causing trouble, and since you and Lady Ping'an were copying scriptures in the temple, I came to visit you."

Wen Jia said, "I have no spies here. Princess, please don't believe the rumors. Please go back..."

Ruihe raised an eyebrow, noticed Wenjia's pale face, and lifted her damp skirt.

"Look at me, I'm soaked to the bone by this downpour. Could I come inside to rest for a while, find a place to dry my clothes, and also avoid the cold..."

"The meditation room is too small and inconvenient for entertaining guests. Please, Princess, move to another room." Wen Jia reached out to close the window, her face expressionless.

"Princess Wenjia!"

Ruihe frowned, his tone aggressive.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me? Could it be that a spy from Siz is hiding in the inner room?"

Wen Jia paused, straightened her back, and looked at her.

"If the princess has any doubts, she should have asked the imperial guards or government officials to search the area, instead of making baseless accusations..."

Her voice was gentle yet unyielding, sharp as if she were a completely different person, which greatly displeased Ruihe.

In the past, Wen Jia, despite being a princess, was merely a timid and pitiful girl. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager, pampered by the Empress Dowager, considered herself superior and never bothered to give Wen Jia any face.

"If you won't let me in, you must have something to hide. Humph, today I'm going to see what kind of shady business is going on inside..."

Rui and the maid who had come with them exchanged a glance, and Rui reached out to push the door...

Before her hand could even touch him, her body was suddenly grabbed like a kite with a broken string, and before she could react, she was sent flying.

Ah!
With a cry of pain, she crashed onto the stone steps and fell heavily to the ground.

Her skirt was soaked and stained with mud, making her look utterly disheveled. The dense rain lashed relentlessly against her body, leaving her looking like a defeated, drenched chicken...

"Who? Who did it?"

After a moment of stunned silence, she realized that there were no men present.

The only one who made a move was Xiao Zhao.

Her eyes widened in anger. "It's you?"

Xiao Zhao spread her hands, innocently asking, "Your Highness is such a grown woman, how come you can't even walk properly?"

Ruihe screamed, "Did you throw me?"

Xiao Zhao: "I didn't! How could a weak woman like me possibly fall down like that?"

"You!" Ruihe was furious and embarrassed, wanting to lash out but also somewhat afraid. Xiao Zhao had moved too fast just now, and no one had seen her clearly.

The fierce and domineering strength made her apprehensive, and she dared not rush forward again.

"You wait! The Right Guard is on his way and will arrive soon. Let's see how you try to deny it then..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a deep shout.

"Guards, escort the princess back to the capital."

Li Huan slowly emerged from the shadows of the corridor. His princely robe accentuated his tall and imposing figure, exuding nobility and extraordinary bearing. His sharply defined face gleamed with a chilling light in the rain.

"Second brother!" Ruihe's eyes lit up, and he quickly went to greet him, his face showing a hint of surprise.

"You've finally arrived! Wenjia is so rude. Not only did she not let me in, she also allowed the servants to throw me to the ground..."

She couldn't wait to complain.

However, Li Huan's gaze swept across her face, then fell indifferently on the tightly closed door, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Step aside."

Ruihe turned around and pointed at Xiao Zhao, "Didn't you hear me? I told you to get out of the way!"

Li Huan: "I'm calling you! Someone, escort the princess out of the temple."

Two guards approached. "Princess, please."

Ruihe stared wide-eyed at Li Huan in disbelief, her eyes brimming with tears of grievance. She called out "Second Brother" twice, but when he remained unmoved, she bit her lip and turned away angrily.

Li Huan continued walking forward, exuding a gentle and refined air.

"Open the door."

This was said to Xiao Zhao...

Xiao Zhao remained motionless and bowed without changing her expression.

"Your Highness, the Madam has instructed that we must not disturb you during the copying of the scriptures. Your Highness is of noble status, but Xiao Zhao is the Madam's maid and must obey her orders."

Seeing his unyielding stance, Li Huan snorted coldly.

"Good slave!"

Just as he was about to reach out, Wen Jia's urgent voice came from the window.

“Your Majesty, copying scriptures and praying for blessings requires complete focus. Men and women are separate; you must not trespass.”

“I am Ping’an’s husband and your elder brother. What reason is there for you to avoid suspicion?”

Li Huan frowned as he looked her over, then slowly raised his hand, signaling two guards to step forward and pull Xiao Zhao away.

Xiao Zhao clenched her fist secretly, but then saw a gray-robed monk rushing over, panting heavily.

"It's terrible, Your Highness... A body has been found in the Sutra Pavilion. It's said to be the head of the Imperial Medical Academy... Physician Fu. He's covered in blood, seemingly injured by a sharp weapon. Rumors are circulating that spies from Xiz have infiltrated the temple, and the entire monastery is in a state of panic... The abbot requests Your Highness's presence to take charge."

Li Huan's pupils contracted, and his knuckles turned white.

He glanced at the quiet meditation room in the rain and mist, signaled the guards to keep a close watch, and then turned and strode away.

A prince with a reputation for virtue, who is in charge of affairs in the capital, cannot simply ignore such a bizarre murder case.
-
Fu Qingsong lay dead inside the Sutra Repository, his fatal wound on his chest.

Blood stained a large area of ​​the ground, a shocking sight.

As Li Huan approached, the crowd dispersed from both sides...

He approached with a cold expression, slowly squatted down, and examined the corpse.

Beside him, a servant was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Doctor Fu sent me to fetch incense and candles, but when I returned, he was gone. I searched for him for a long time, but I never imagined he had fallen victim to such a wicked person..."

Li Huan did not answer, his gaze fixed on the dagger that was half-buried in Fu Qingsong's chest.

Slowly, wiggle it a little, and then pull it out, bloody and raw.

Blood dripped from the blade, running down the tip.

Li Huan narrowed his eyes solemnly and murmured something.

"The Siz assassins?"

Fu Qingsong is usually very low-key and rarely makes enemies.

Why did the Xiz assassins want to kill Fu Qingsong?
In this sacred Buddhist sanctuary, a murder has occurred. The monks chanted their mantras, their faces filled with grief.

The air in the entire library seemed to freeze.

Li Huan frowned and said in a deep voice, "Search carefully, don't miss a single corner!"

The Right Guards immediately obeyed the order and dispersed.

Li Huan pondered for a moment with a somber expression, then looked toward the meditation room where Wen Jia and Xue Sui were.

He took a deep breath and walked over with heavy steps.
-
"Peace, peace..."

Li Huan's voice grew closer and closer.

With a hint of anxiety, it struck people's hearts like a heavy hammer.

At the end of the corridor—

Behind the dilapidated wooden door piled with junk, there is a narrow space.

Xue Sui and Li Zhao hurriedly hid behind him, squeezing their bodies together in a dark, damp corner, listening to the sound of the rain and Li Huan's footsteps as he slowly approached...

I was out and about when my computer touchpad broke. Apple told me to update the system, but I still haven't gotten it working after downloading it... So I typed this on my phone, so it's a bit short. Please forgive me.

Ugh, Mercury retrograde is over, isn't it... *facepalm*