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墨書 Inktalez
Hongli Temple is a place where the young disciples serve the Holy Monk in seclusion. Snowfall Villa has determined that at least one of the two youths sent from Luoyang is a spy, so they followed these two boys to Hongli Temple.
After observation, the youths at Hongli Temple were engaged in quiet meditation and prayer, showing no signs of unusual activity. Therefore, Snowfall Villa would inevitably use the subsequent movements of these youths as a breakthrough to uncover their intentions. Thus, Snowfall Villa launched a Great Search on Hongli Temple, seizing all items with writing on them to ascertain the youths' responsibilities and schedules.
Nothing from Hongli Temple was lost; everything was eventually returned, further proving that Snowfall Villa sought information rather than specific items.
It was believed that the other party would provide Snowfall Villa with enough information for them to deduce their purpose: to use a fake Holy Monk during the Ritual Ceremony to harm the Emperor.
Unlike us, Snowfall Villa does not have control over several other cases and therefore cannot detect the contradictions among them. They must be feeling quite troubled and will likely begin formulating plans to prevent this from happening.
I was shocked. "Could it be that their goal is not to assassinate the Emperor but rather to provoke Snowfall Villa into taking action against this?"
Luo Dachun nodded. "If it weren't so, then these events would be too coincidental. There cannot be coincidences of such magnitude in this world; such coincidences must stem from human design."
"Then what consequences could arise from Snowfall Villa's intervention?"
"The crux lies here; this is precisely the other party's objective," Luo Dachun said solemnly. "You must understand that Snowfall Villa is known for being ruthless in achieving their goals."
The identities of the Eight Holy Monks will only be revealed on the day of the Ritual Ceremony. Once selected, they will immediately be heavily guarded by soldiers from the Left and Right Garrison, making it impossible to approach them. Thus, it would also be impossible to determine which one is the enemy's assassin. I believe that Snowfall Villa will ultimately make a decision: to eliminate all eight chosen Holy Monks.
"Ah!" I couldn't help but exclaim, and nearby, Nie Qiuyuan and Guilin also displayed expressions of shock. These are eight revered divine envoys; killing them would surely condemn one to the Eighteen Layers of Hell!
Luo Dachun replied, "Snowfall Villa is already a group of ruthless devils; they do not care about going to hell. Every person in Snowfall Villa will ultimately face judgment after death."
Seeing that we were all silent, Luo Dachun seized the moment and continued, "The Emperor's Left and Right Garrison is not to be underestimated. Once the Holy Monk is selected, there will be Soldiers providing tight protection until the Holy Monk is delivered to the altar. Snowfall Villa would never be foolish enough to confront them directly. Since that would not guarantee mission success, they will definitely choose a weak link in the entire process."
"A weak link? What is it?"
"It is after the Ritual Cleansing and Changing of Garments when the Eight Holy Monks must go to the main hall to complete a Thanksgiving Ceremony. According to Buddhist Law, weapons and deadly instruments cannot approach the main hall; otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the deities. Therefore, during this phase, the Garrison Soldiers will withdraw and guard Buddha Hall from a distance. This is Snowfall Villa's best opportunity to strike at the Eight Holy Monks."
I felt confused. "Must they resort to such extreme measures? Can't they find a way to inform the Official Authorities?"
Luo Dachun shook his head. "First, Snowfall Villa has suffered greatly at the hands of the Official Authorities; how could they trust them? Second, Snowfall Villa cannot expose its own information and whereabouts. Third, Snowfall Villa never places its bets on others; only by relying on themselves can they ensure mission success without fail."
At that moment, Nie Qiuyuan suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up in shock. "So that's it! What they want is this!"
I couldn't take it anymore; I was truly at my limit! Tonight, I would definitely take the initiative to propose an Appointment with him. I would lure him to a secluded place, trick him into drinking tea laced with a sedative, rendering him defenseless, and then I would give him a good beating!
I was startled by my own thoughts. Ever since Qiu had truly stood by my side, I had felt an unsettling change within me. It was as if some beast that had been sleeping inside me had awakened at some unknown time and was beginning to stir.
Nie Qiuyuan seemed to see right through my thoughts; he gave me a slight smile. But his expression quickly turned serious as he took over Luo Dachun's role and continued analyzing the case.
"Everything you said has connected all my thoughts together. In fact, what I've noticed are precisely the three cases you just didn't mention. So what you have shared confirms my suspicions; otherwise, such coincidences wouldn't exist in this world."
We all listened intently.
"However, there are some things you may not understand." Nie Qiuyuan laid out materials regarding the Ministry of Revenue Deputy Case, Emerald Mountain Case, and Military Camp General Case. "You are all from the Jade Balance Bureau and understand the stakes involved. Therefore, what I share today should remain confidential; keep it to yourselves."
They both nodded, and I followed suit. I am not the type to gossip; as a trained Police Flower, my sense of confidentiality is naturally quite strong.
Nie Qiuyuan shared two background events with us.
The first was about Lord Fang Xuanling. Lord Fang is currently the Chancellor, the overall commander of the decision-making body. While everyone knows he is the Chancellor, only the high-ranking officials in court are aware that he actually holds another significant position, that of the Treasurer in the Ministry of Revenue's Department of Expenditures.
This is quite an unusual situation. The Zhongshu Province, where Fang Xuanling serves as Chancellor, is on the same administrative level as the Ministry of Revenue, which oversees the six ministries. Thus, this Treasurer position is a subordinate role beneath the Chancellor, making it difficult for those officials in the Ministry of Revenue who outrank the Treasurer to accept.
However, there is a reason for his actions. Fang Xuanling's character is not only extremely progressive in thought but also meticulous and hands-on. The work of the Department of Expenditures is very detailed and tedious, but it is responsible for financial budgeting and accounts, which are crucial for the newly established Tang Dynasty. By taking on the role of Treasurer himself, Fang Xuanling signifies his commitment to safeguarding the national treasury.
If the first matter isn't exactly a secret, then the second one certainly qualifies as a major secret. When Li Shimin ascended to the throne, his position was unstable, with both open and covert opposition forces present in court. Therefore, with Fang Xuanling's assistance, Li Shimin carefully calculated and planned to discreetly siphon a considerable sum from the national treasury and hide it away for emergencies. Very few people are aware of this private treasury's existence, which was established at Cuihua Mountain. However, no one knows its exact location.
"Ah, now that you've told us about this matter, I'm afraid..." I couldn't help but feel anxious for Nie Qiuyuan; leaking such information is a serious crime.
He smiled lightly: "I didn't learn about this through normal channels, so it's not an issue. Moreover, it seems this matter is no longer a secret; since they have set up a trap based on this information, they must have known all about it long ago." (To be continued...)
PS: Author: The pink double update at the beginning of the month was so intense! I opened my eyes and saw zero votes—I've fallen behind on two updates. Well, I will definitely work hard to catch up; it just needs a bit of time (sitting in a corner drawing circles~)! Special thanks to: Difficult to Educate, Love Technique, Pistachio, Frontier Traveler, Black Sister, Hua Ying, Bridge Ghost Shadow, Pickled Vegetable Rice, Bug Ding, Bamboo Shoot Mushroom Soup~! Thank you all!
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