Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chapter 319 Hibiscus Garden

The back window of Xingyun's room faces the wall outside, which is Furong Garden.

Seeing that he had been squatting there and refused to come down, Wang Mingqian had no choice but to jump onto the wall in a few steps. He first glanced at the footprints: "Did the murderer jump directly from that cypress tree to here? No, he must have just used that place as a leverage point..."

"I can get here with just one hand..." Although it was a bit embarrassing, Wang Mingqian had to admit that if he were to complete this set of movements, given that it was his first time in this place, and it was late at night, the possibility of failure would be very high.

"Cui Yi, if it were you, how confident are you that you can succeed?" He suddenly felt like competing and was prepared to be ridiculed, but the person next to him ignored him.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

Wang Mingqian looked up and saw Cui Bianxu staring at the front with his eyes narrowed, wondering what he was thinking about. He followed his gaze but saw nothing.

"What can you see here? If you want to go in and investigate, you must first have Liu Qing report to His Majesty."

Cui Bianxu nodded this time. Although he was proud, he was not mentally ill.

Furong Garden is a royal garden. Although there are not many people guarding it, most of them are palace maids and eunuchs who are responsible for managing flowers, trees, lakes, and cleaning. But he is an official after all. If he enters without permission, he will definitely be reported to the Censorate in a dozen documents.

He was about to get married, and he didn't really want to write a letter of defense at this time and bring bad luck upon himself.

(Hibiscus Garden: During the Qin Dynasty, due to its beautiful landscape, it was opened as the imperial garden, Yichun Garden. In the third year of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty moved to the new capital and transformed it into the Hibiscus Garden. During the reign of Emperor Taixuanzong, it was extensively expanded and renovated, forming the Phoenix Lake, which covers an area of ​​1,000 mu and became a place exclusively for the royal family.)

The two returned to the house. Wang Leisheng was in charge of taking Ding Yuan to take a half-footprint and a palm print. Cui Bianxu walked straight outside and asked, "Huaizhen, where are you staying? What were you doing when the crime happened last night?"

Huai Zhen, whose chanting was interrupted once again, remained unmoved, sympathizing with the world. "Originally, there was a Dharma Assembly to be held in the temple today, which started last night. I have been meditating in the main hall in front."

"Is there anyone with you?" Although Cui Bianxu's tone was very normal, anyone with normal ears could hear that he was doubting the host Huaizhen.

The young monk Kong Neng beside him was a little indignant: "What does Shangguan mean? Does he suspect that my master's death is related to the abbot?"

"That's what you said. When did I say that?"

Cui Bianxu was calm and composed, not feeling that there was anything wrong with bullying this young monk who was only thirteen or fourteen years old. "Could it be that you, little monk, are suspicious of this?"

"Nonsense! I didn't!"

Kong Neng became anxious and turned to look at Huai Zhen for help: "Abbot, that's not what I meant. He is distorting me..."

Huai Zhen's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head soothingly at him. He then turned to Cui Bian and said, "Master Cui, monks do not lie. Every year on the eve of the Ghost Festival, I sit alone in meditation in the main hall all night, and this year is no exception. I have no witnesses, but if Master Cui doubts me, I am willing to return to the Dali Temple with you."

"Abbot!" Kong Neng's face flushed with anxiety. What kind of place was the Dali Temple Prison? Even if the abbot went there alone, he would still suffer some physical pain. "Disciple will go. Disciple will go in your place!"

Huai Zhen disagreed, saying, "The court has its own laws and regulations. How can you and I have the final say?"

Then he apologized to Cui Bianxu: "Master Cui, I am still young and have not yet fully comprehended the Dharma. It is inevitable that I may be a little reckless. I hope Master Cui will forgive me."

It seems that this is a protective person.

Cui Bianxu had some good feelings towards people who protected their children, so he said generously, "He was going to go back with me to ask questions. Abbot, don't worry too much. I am actually quite curious."

"Amitabha, Mr. Cui, may I ask?"

"As far as I know, Buddhists believe in not eating after noon, but there are still a lot of food residues in the stomach of Xingyun..."

Xingyun probably died at midnight last night. According to the rule of not eating after noon, his stomach should have been empty. How come there were still food residues?

Unexpectedly, Huai Zhen, who had always been calm and composed, suddenly blushed because of these words, as if he was extremely embarrassed, while Kong Neng beside him also lowered his head with a blushing face.

Is there something wrong?

Cui Bianxu tilted his head slightly, as if jokingly saying, "Could it be that the rule of Xingjing Temple is that monks only eat three times a day? I'm truly ignorant."

This is blatant sarcasm.

Although Wang Mingqian was somewhat dissatisfied with the monks' disobedience to the rules, why was Cui Yi so harsh and vicious towards the monks?

Damn it, where's Aunt Jiang?! This guy's old problem has resurfaced, why don't you come and shut him up!

Fortunately, as the abbot of a temple, Huai Zhen had some self-control. After a brief blush, his complexion returned to normal, but he spoke with a hint of shame: "Xing Yun has been fatter than others since he was a child, and his appetite is also big. He was sent to the temple by his parents because he ate too much every day and his family couldn't afford to support him. Although the temple's rules do not allow eating after noon, Xing Yun would drink water non-stop when he was hungry, and several times he had unbearable abdominal pain because of this. So I allowed him to eat three times a day. The rest of the people in the temple, including me, do not eat after noon. I hope Cui Shaoqing will understand."

Wang Mingqian nodded and patted Cui Bianxu's shoulder gently, signaling him not to go too far. "I've also seen people who are born obese, and it's true."

"I see. It was I who misunderstood."

Despite saying this, Cui Bianxu's face showed no sign of apology. He casually said, "Please, Abbot, take me around the temple. By the way, please ask this... young monk to tell me in detail what happened last night."

"Amitabha, obedience is worse than respect." Huai Zhen had a good temper and was not angry.

Of course, I didn't dare to get angry.

The status of monks is relatively high, but how can it be compared with the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families?

Wang Mingqian is polite because he is well-educated and has a good temper. Cui Bianxu is impolite because he is of noble blood and is proud, which is also natural.

Seeing that they were about to leave, Wang Mingqian immediately followed them, fearing that Cui Yi would say something too offensive again, so at least he could help save the situation.

At this time, although the plan to make money from today's Dharma Assembly had failed, the monks were still chanting in the main hall. Therefore, apart from Huineng who was sleeping and talking in his sleep, there was no one else in the monk's room. The group went in and searched everyone one by one but found nothing special.

"The monks in your temple are very good at living." Cui Bianxu couldn't help but mock when he remembered that almost every monk had different amounts of silver and money hidden in their bags.