bigabreads Chapter 822: Night Raid on Da Xiangguo Temple!
Chapter 822: Night Raid on Da Xiangguo Temple!
For the next while, Long Yue stayed in the Prince Mansion and hardly went out. Even when she did go out, Li Qingmu had countless guards follow her, worried something might happen to her.
Being without any freedom like this, Long Yue might as well not go out at all.
She was a bit frustrated and even had a special quarrel with Li Qingmu over this. However, Li Qingmu’s eloquent tongue was too powerful, and in the end, Long Yue was persuaded and obediently stayed at home.
As for Li Qingmu, he was investigating the relationship between the Da Xiangguo Temple and the harem, and three days later, the results came back.
Kongming, the abbot of Da Xiangguo Temple, was actually a member of the Xue Family; moreover, he was the nephew of Empress Dowager Xue. With this new information, many issues fell into place.
The explosives previously sent could very likely have come from Da Xiangguo Temple and were likely issued under the Grand Empress Dowager’s command!
After Li Qingmu told Long Yue the result, Long Yue kept sneering, "A Mu, this Grand Empress Dowager surely knows how to cause trouble. Back then, she fought for power with Father Emperor, and after failing, went to make a pretense of renouncing the world to avoid retaliation. Years passed with Father Emperor not pursuing the issue, so she returned. Hmph, could she not handle the hardship of the nunnery?
Still, she returned, staying quietly, and we would just treat her like a rice weevil, not treating her poorly, lest people claim our Imperial Family doesn’t have a forgiving nature!
But she didn’t appreciate it and went against Father Emperor and us at every turn. This is truly letting a snake survive and being bitten in return. A Mu, this time I must kill her!"
Long Yue fumed, for this was the first time she had been this angry!
This Grand Empress Dowager was really here to disgust people!
She couldn’t settle down unless she was stirring up trouble every day, so this time she harbored murderous intent.
She couldn’t care less about following the Confucian virtues of women’s obedience or filial piety. If she truly adhered to these doctrines, she would’ve been harmed countless times!
Li Qingmu said, "Everything is as my wife commands!"
In addressing Long Yue, he had always called her "Yue’er" and "my wife," signifying that no matter what changed or how elevated his status became, he was still the Li Family’s Third Son from Qingshui Village.
Hearing his soft tone, Long Yue felt a bit warmed inside and said softly, "The abbot of Da Xiangguo Temple being a member of the Xue Family is very disadvantageous for us. I must find a way to remove this abbot!"
Li Qingmu slightly frowned, "Abbott positions are usually assigned by the previous abbot, and mundane authorities cannot interfere with the Buddhist Sect or Taoist orders, or it would bring unnecessary trouble. We must first avoid this issue."
"Naturally, it’s not about using court power, but rather... the common folk!"
The common folk?
Li Qingmu was momentarily stunned, referring to public opinion?
Indeed, sometimes public opinion can guide everything, but the issue is, how are they to stir up such a public opinion now?
Wait!
Li Qingmu suddenly looked up, gazing at the small woman across from him, seeing a sly glint in her eyes, and said, "You intend to create some bad rumors about him?"
Without public opinion, then artificially creating it is indeed one option, isn’t it?
Long Yue calmly replied, "That abbot being from the Xue Family is certainly no good. There might be shady dealings within Da Xiangguo Temple, don’t you think? What if we secretly investigate at night, what then?"
Li Qingmu’s eyes darted, and he uttered just one word, "Good!"
Long Yue smiled, and everything went unsaid.
That night, Long Yue and Li Qingmu disguised themselves and entered Da Xiangguo Temple.
This Da Xiangguo Temple was still the same as before, not much had changed. Long Yue, when she was in Shengjing City, used to frequently come to Da Xiangguo Temple to burn incense and pray, so it was very familiar. Li Qingmu rarely came here, but now his martial arts were so formidable that naturally, he could easily navigate it.
The night was starry and sparse, the two figures flickering within Da Xiangguo Temple, with patrolling monks and Taoists around, yet no one noticed.
Li Qingmu’s current martial arts were so advanced, reaching the level where the wind leaves no mark and silence prevails. Even with Long Yue by his side, he could still achieve this feat.
The two of them explored a circle around the front courtyard, where everything was normal with no issues, so they decided to venture further inside.
The middle part had no problems either; occasionally, there were places provided for tourists to stay. Rooms had flickering lights, and through translucent window paper, one could see people writing at desks, meditating cross-legged, or even lighting candles and sleeping—a real waste.
Long Yue and Li Qingmu checked room by room, finding no issues, so they continued to delve deeper.
This had reached the back courtyard.
The back courtyard was a vast stretch of lush forest, with rockeries and ponds flanked by streams, a patch of purple bamboo forest at the front, with extremely beautiful scenery.
Here, there was still no movement.
Li Qingmu and Long Yue exchanged glances, both feeling something was amiss.
There had to be something they were missing in Xiangguo Temple, for the place felt oppressive when they entered.
Especially Li Qingmu.
He had never felt this way before, but since going to Daliang Country, Li Qingmu found his perception growing stronger, his sensitivity to the surrounding Qi Element increasingly acute.
"Keep looking!"
He whispered, in a stand-off with the other side.
They wandered around the back garden, still finding nothing and growing frustrated, when suddenly Li Qingmu heard a faint noise.
It was as if someone was laughing.
But instead of hearing it outright, he inferred it from the ground’s vibrations; there was something amiss here indeed!
"Yue’er, look!"
Suddenly, Li Qingmu pointed ahead, and as Long Yue looked, she found it was a cave?
"Heh, Da Xiangguo Temple is large enough to accommodate these monks and Taoists, yet they’re digging secret rooms here. Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black?"
Li Qingmu let out a disdainful laugh, leading Long Yue closer.
"Hey, don’t move!"
The cave entrance was sprinkled with poison; approaching it would cause paralysis, dizziness, and getting caught, even if it wouldn’t kill.
Li Qingmu looked at the area around the cave entrance and said, "Then how do we enter?"
"Eat this!"
Long Yue handed Li Qingmu a pill she had refined recently. It was from the pile of medical books Duanmu Nan had given her, explaining how to make pills.
Li Qingmu took the pill and then led Long Yue into the cave.
The cave entrance was narrow, flanked by straw covering it. Luckily, no one was inside, so they could proceed safely.
The deeper they went, Li Qingmu strained his ears and found that the laughter grew louder, and it wasn’t just one person laughing but several!
What were they laughing about?
The two looked puzzled, taking a few more steps forward, when suddenly an unusual scent wafted by.
Long Yue’s expression slightly changed as she looked at her man and saw his face had turned ashen.
"Do... do we continue inside to see?"
Long Yue asked subconsciously.
Li Qingmu was silent for a while and then said, "Let’s go!"