Mo Xi let her cry. When the crying subsided, he said, "Good girl, you've remembered the time carefully."
"Miss is always particular, and the timing of the cooking cannot be off by even a fraction. So I have been listening to the temple bells." The temple bells are rung every half hour, and midnight is the last time the bells are rung each day, so I shouldn't have misremembered.
"Does Miss Eight like coiled incense?"
"Yes. When our young lady instructed me to cook lotus seed soup, the incense had just run out, and she asked me to light it again. Several times before, when the young lady needed to kneel and chant sutras, she would make me fetch new incense before letting me leave, even if it wasn't completely burned. Today, I fetched the last plate of incense. The incense at the temple isn't like ours, which is scented with osmanthus, and the young lady doesn't like it, so she asked me to remember to send someone from home tomorrow." After experiencing terror, people generally exhibit two behaviors: some become like zombies, shutting down their thoughts and remaining silent; while others, like Mo Fu, chatter on and on. Mo Xi was glad she was the latter.
This incense costs two taels of silver per coil, and ordinary worshippers wouldn't use it. It's made of Dalbergia cochinchinensis, commonly known as old rosewood, which grows slowly in high mountains at an altitude of 100 meters, requiring 200-300 years to mature. The fragrance is delicate and refreshing, promoting the flow of qi. However, due to the manufacturing process, the outer rings are more delicate, while the innermost rings become somewhat pungent. The incense used by the Ling family is identical in material and appearance to the incense sold to worshippers at the temple, except that they have specially scented it with osmanthus. This incense is made of wood pulp in a coiled shape, with twelve coils in total. Because of its length, it burns slowly, and one coil can burn for at least three hours. However, only two hours have passed since Mo Fu lit the incense. Judging from the combined length of the two coils, it should have burned for no more than thirty minutes. If calculated by the incense sticks, Miss Ba should have passed away shortly after 9 PM. This was right after she went to Ru Wu's place for drinks, barely settling in.
Mo Xi nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
"Your young lady is quiet and reserved during the day. It's clear she hasn't come to terms with things yet."
"I thought Miss would find peace and tranquility here at the temple, but it seems she's become even more troubled since arriving. Yesterday she even said that life held no joy. And today…" She paused, then suddenly continued, "She was smiling when she asked me to make lotus seed soup. I thought she had come to terms with it. But who knew that in the blink of an eye…"
"Good girl, you have done your duty. You spend all day with your young lady; she can't bear to be without you for even a moment."
Mo Fu nodded and said, "That's only right. Our young lady treats me like a sister. To put it bluntly, she's even closer to me than the Seventh Young Lady."
"Has your young lady ever visited the temple to worship Buddha before?"
"Yes, she has been coming to the temple to donate grain since last year's Laba Festival and has been coming to offer incense once or twice a month, but this is the first time she has stayed at the temple. Miss is the most devout. In the past, when she was chanting sutras and worshipping Buddha in the meditation room, she would ask me to pick up Buddha beans as well."
“Your young lady is kind-hearted; she must have donated a great deal of money.”
“Every time the young lady comes, she first pays respects at the Huayan Hall and then donates money. Each time it is one hundred taels.”
"Have you ever seen Miss Eight's fan?"
“I have seen it. All the other items are kept by me. But this fan is something Miss really likes. She has been carrying it with her ever since she got it. So I haven’t had a chance to look at it closely. But Miss often stares at the fan in a daze, and I’ve seen it once or twice. It’s painted with a broken bridge. But I can’t read, so I don’t know what it’s inscribed with.”
Mo Fu paused, then said sadly, "Miss has suffered greatly. I know she has someone in her heart, but she hasn't told anyone, only suffering in silence. Who would have thought that today she would deliberately send me away and hang herself?"
Mo Xi instructed, "This concerns your young lady's reputation. She's already gone; we can't let her name be tarnished any further. Don't tell anyone this. Don't even mention it to the authorities."
Mo Fu nodded and said, "Don't worry, Miss Mu, I know what's important and won't say anything."
The Death of Zhiqing
The next day, the Ling family learned of the death early in the morning. Ling Qi, grieving, instructed his steward to report the incident to the authorities. The yamen sent people to the temple to investigate. Coincidentally, Tang Ren, a constable from the Six Doors of the capital, was in Hangzhou pursuing a fugitive and came along as well.
Although they were of equal rank, the government offices in the capital were naturally different from those in the local areas, and the people in the Hangzhou government office clearly followed Tang Ren's lead.
Tang Ren summoned Mo Xi and Mo Fu for separate questioning.
He was dressed in plain clothes, wearing a prefectural government badge, and carrying an iron ruler and rope—standard equipment. Mo Xi knew that the investigative tasks undertaken by constables had time limits, called "bi-xian," generally five days per "bi," and three days for major murder cases. If a case couldn't be solved by the end of a "bi-xian," the constable would be punished with a beating. So, as she sized up Tang Ren, she thought that if this man went back and got a good beating, that would be quite a sight.
Being a constable was considered a "lowly profession" here, nothing like the glamorous image portrayed in "The Four Great Constables." Imperial law strictly prohibited their descendants from participating in the imperial examinations, lest they bring shame upon scholars. Even if they left the constable profession, their descendants for three generations would suffer the same fate, barred from holding official positions for three generations. It truly was a profession that brought misfortune to one's descendants; once misfortune struck, it could affect four generations—a dead-end job.
Even among ordinary people, constables were not the positive figures depicted in martial arts novels. They received no salary, their annual food allowance, or "work food silver," amounting to only about ten taels of silver, barely enough to support their families. Consequently, extortion and blackmail became rampant. They fabricated pretexts to collect bribes, colluded with local officials, fabricated false cases, levied exorbitant taxes on the people, and arbitrarily arrested people. They were notorious for their numerous misdeeds.
In his poem "The Officer at Shihao," Du Fu wrote: "At dusk I arrived at Shihao Village, where an officer was arresting people at night. An old man jumped over the wall and ran away, while an old woman came out to see what was happening. How vicious the officer's shouts were, how bitter the woman's cries were..." The "officer" who "arrested people" refers to people like Tang Renzhi.
Indeed, as soon as Ling Qi heard that Mo Xi and Mo Fu had been summoned, she immediately sent her servants to the government office to make arrangements. She had always been generous with bribes to the Hangzhou government officials, so it was a piece of cake. However, they said that Constable Tang was notoriously unyielding, coming from Beijing to Hangzhou, and Ling Qi was helpless. A constable who wouldn't accept bribes was even more hated than one who was greedy.
Mo Xi slowly explained that she was a guest invited by Miss Ling Qi. Since Miss Ling Qi was unable to come, she had asked Mo Xi to accompany Miss Ling Yin to Lingyin Temple to worship Buddha. She had gone to Master Ru Wu's place to discuss Zen the previous night, and after returning home and falling asleep, she heard Mo Fu's screams. The two of them ran around calling for help. She omitted the part about drinking, giving a rambling and incoherent account, sounding genuinely frightened. Mo Xi obediently answered, but inwardly cursed them as lackeys and traitors.
Tang Ren smiled gently, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "Miss Mu, didn't you know to untie him first? He might still be breathing." His eyes, however, were sharp as he stared at her. Mo Xi looked at Tang Ren; his wheat-colored skin and healthy, sunny smile made him an undeniably handsome man. What a foolish man to become a constable! That damned bastard, interrogating me like this! Serves your family three generations bad luck because of him!
She shook her head pitifully, "At that time, Miss Ba's face was purple, and her tongue was sticking out. It was really frightening to look at. I didn't dare to look at her a second time, and I didn't even dare to stay in the room anymore. Since she was in such a state, was there any hope? I didn't think too much at the time, I just wanted to call for help. But is that why it was too late? If so, I have committed a terrible crime." After saying that, she burst into tears.
Tang Ren was momentarily at a loss, instinctively wanting to wipe away her tears, yet he dared not make a move. He raised his hand towards Mo Xi, then lowered it again, treating her like a hedgehog he couldn't touch. The Hangzhou constable, known as Lao Liu, chuckled inwardly: "You're being far too suspicious, trying to get information out of a young girl. You even scared her to tears. What kind of hero are you? Not taking money? You think you're so honest? A mere constable, thinking you're some kind of righteous official? You'll regret it when you can't find a wife." He looked down on him and also wanted to watch the show, so he remained silent throughout, letting Tang Ren do as he pleased.
Ru Wu even acted as Mo Xi's alibi. The words of a highly virtuous monk carry high credibility. Mo Xi was immediately cleared of suspicion, as innocent as a white radish. As for Mo Fu, she had neither motive nor evidence, and with her master Ling Qi protecting her, she naturally escaped unscathed.
Tang Ren investigated for a long time without finding a single clue. After questioning Ling Qi and the Ling family servants, they all said that the Eighth Miss always looked worried and it was possible that she had a moment of despair. So he closed the case by stating that she had committed suicide.
Ling Qi personally handled her sister's belongings. Mo Xi went to the Huayan Hall, and this time she was quite generous, donating one hundred taels of silver. The young novice monk she had met that day was secretly pleased, but dared not smile on his face. The news of the incident involving the eighth young lady of the Ling family was spreading like wildfire throughout the temple.
Seeing Mo Xi's sorrowful appearance, the young novice monk earnestly offered words of comfort.
Mo Xi casually flipped through the merit book, chatting with the young novice monk.
Before long, Ling Qi finished packing and sent Mo Fu to pick her up and take her back to the Ling residence.
On the way, Mo Xi asked a servant from the Ling family to buy a rubbing of Dong Qichang's Diamond Sutra published by Mu Yanzhai.
That night, Abbot Zhiqing of Lingyin Temple was killed by thieves who broke into the Sutra Pavilion. The thieves were highly skilled in martial arts, and even Zhiqing and Tang Ren, working together, were no match for them. Zhiqing was ambushed and hit in the back by a dart. The dart was peculiar in shape, like a six-pointed snowflake, something even Tang Ren, a constable with seven years of experience, had never seen before.
A great master of martial arts has fallen, and people in the martial arts world are all deeply saddened.
After the two deaths were discussed for a while, Hangzhou returned to calm.
Unable to capture the thieves who had entered the Sutra Repository, Tang Ren had no choice but to return to the capital and be beaten.
The day after he set off, Mo Xi also bid farewell to Ling Qi.
This mission was completed very easily. Mo Xi was very satisfied.
I will not betray the Buddha, nor will I betray you.
( ) The osmanthus flowers have faded, and autumn is here.
After the passing of Master Zhiqing, the Emperor personally appointed the new Abbot of Lingyin Temple, Zen Master Ruwu. He also bestowed upon him a brocade kasaya, also known as the "Five-Finger-Like Golden Dragon Purple Robe," which features nine golden dragons woven from five fingernails, a gift that could not be obtained without the Emperor's personal approval.
Lingyin Temple. Sutra Repository.
As if shrouded in mist, dressed in a white robe and draped in purple and gold brocade, she wrote swiftly with a brush in hand. Her dignified and solemn demeanor concealed her alluring and unrestrained charm.
Suddenly, a fan was silently handed to him. On it, a black lotus bloomed quietly.
Ruwu put down her pen, sighed, and said, "Why did you come back?"