Wu Chengsi first went to the Jinwu Guards Office and issued a military order, asking the Jinwu Guards to keep an eye on the three families to prevent them from transferring their property out of the city.
Then, he came to Princess Taiping's Mansion and went directly to the lobby without any notification.
Suddenly, there was a "clang" and the sound of porcelain being smashed to the ground.
Princess Taiping's majestic voice followed.
"A bunch of trash, you can't even keep track of anyone!"
Wu Chengsi was slightly startled, and when he crossed the threshold, he saw two guards kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Princess Taiping wanted to continue to scold her, but Zhili beside her pulled her and whispered: "Your Highness, the prince is here."
Princess Taiping looked up, stood up suddenly, a touch of red clouds flew over her face, and said: "Second, second cousin, why are you here?"
Wu Chengsi said in a deep voice: "Taiping, did something happen?"
Princess Taiping lowered her head and said with a flat mouth:
"All the imperial merchants you asked me to keep an eye on were lost. I sent people to search for them, but they couldn't find any trace of them. They probably all left Chang'an City."
Wu Chengsi was stunned and silent, but the opponent's movements were actually one step faster than him.
He stood there without saying a word, while Princess Taiping wrung her fingers, feeling quite uneasy.
Suddenly, Wu Chengsi turned around and walked out the door. Princess Taiping hurriedly chased him out and shouted: "Second cousin, I will send people out of the city to capture those imperial merchants as soon as possible. Don't be angry, okay?"
Wu Chengsi turned around and said, "There's no need to look for them. Since those three families sent them out of Chang'an, they won't be easily found by us."
"What three families?" Princess Taiping was stunned.
Wu Chengsi said: "I'll talk to you later on the way."
Princess Taiping looked at his expression carefully and saw that he was not angry. She smiled, trotted next to him, and asked: "Second cousin, where are we going?"
"Xingbu!"
On the way to the Ministry of Justice, Wu Chengsi told Princess Taiping the information provided by Zhang Jianzhi.
"So, it's the Wei family, the Xue family and the Xiao family who stole the treasury?" Princess Taiping's eyes were full of surprise.
"Nine times out of ten, there is a lack of evidence right now."
Princess Taiping was silent for a long time and sighed: "It seems that Aunt Chengyang is also involved in this matter."
Wu Chengsi did not deny it. Judging from Zhang Jianzhi's words, it was impossible for Princess Chengyang to stay out of the matter.
After a long while, Princess Taiping spoke again: "Then what are we going to do in the Ministry of Punishment?"
Wu Chengsi said slowly: "Ten years ago, the three of them formed an alliance to steal the treasury without leaving any clues or traces. There must be a complicated conspiracy involved."
"Well, what then?"
"To execute this conspiracy, some special cases are likely to appear. Based on these cases, we may know how they stole the treasury!"
Princess Taiping was surprised and said: "But it has been ten years. Even if a suspicious case is discovered, it will be difficult to investigate, right?"
Wu Chengsi said in a deep voice: "Yes, although the investigation is difficult, it is worth a try. In addition, in addition to the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel also needs to investigate."
"Ministry of Staff?"
"Yes, as long as it is a special incident that happened in Chang'an City ten years ago, we cannot let it go!"
Princess Taiping nodded and volunteered to go to the Ministry of Personnel to investigate, while Wu Chengsi went to the Ministry of Punishment.
In the next two days, Wu Chengsi kept looking through the files in the Ministry of Punishment. At the same time, the sitting meditation competition at Daci'en Temple also came to an end.
At noon that day, when Wu Chengsi was checking the files in the Ministry of Personnel, Nie Ziyun suddenly came over and said: "Your Highness, the winner has been decided in the sitting meditation competition."
Wu Chengsi stood in front of a row of wooden shelves, flipping through a file in his hand, and said without raising his head: "Who won?"
Nie Ziyun said: "Master Xuanzang wins."
"Did anything special happen in the temple later?"
"Nothing special happened."
"Has Lord Song Guo been there all along?"
"Yes, I heard that he rests in the temple at night."
Wu Chengsi frowned, raised his head and asked again: "If you think about it again, is there really nothing special happening in the temple? Especially things related to sitting meditation!"
Seeing Wu Chengsi's serious expression, Nie Ziyun thought for a moment and replied, "It's a small matter."
"What's the matter?"
"When the Tubo Lama took the Buddha statue out, there was a hole the size of a fist on the top of the statue's head. The monks at Daci'en Temple didn't pursue it further because they had won."
Wu Chengsi was stunned. How could there suddenly be multiple holes on the top of the head of the Buddha statue?
Could it be that the lamas hid food in the Buddha statues? But if that's the case, how come they still lost?"
Wu Chengsi was puzzled, but his focus was no longer on Daci'en Temple, so he didn't think much about it and asked again: "How is the investigation of Cai Yang's case going?"
"We have found Cai Yang's residence, a wooden house near the mountain behind the temple. That wooden house is where he was killed. There is a secret room under the house, which contains a large amount of drinking water and food."
"Is there anything else?"
Nie Ziyun lowered his head and said: "The murderer did it very cleanly. He even processed the scene and left no clues."
Wu Chengsi was a little disappointed, waved his hand and said: "Okay, I understand, please step back."
When Wu Chengsi came out of the archives room, it was already dark. He walked all the way out of the imperial city and waited at the city gate for a while. Princess Taiping also came out.
Like Wu Chengsi, she spent a whole day checking things out in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and her eyes were as bloodshot as if she had stayed up all night.
The two got on Princess Taiping's carriage. Princess Taiping lay lazily on the couch and asked, "Second cousin, have you found any clues?"
Wu Chengsi shook his head and said: "Not yet."
"Me too."
Princess Taiping sat up, rubbed her shoulders, and said angrily: "Second cousin, if we can't get clues from the file, is there nothing we can do against them?"
Wu Chengsi was silent for a while and said with a smile: "Of course not. Now that we have locked them in, we only need to try one method after another. Sooner or later we will be able to find evidence of their crimes."
Princess Taiping said bitterly:
"It's really strange. They have done such a big thing, but there are no clues at all. I have been sending people to keep an eye on the three of them these past few days, and also sent people to keep an eye on the palace province, but I haven't found anything at all."
Wu Chengsi lay on the couch and sighed:
"According to my guess, they started stealing the treasury ten years ago and have stopped now, so it is difficult to investigate."
Princess Taiping said: "If this is true, they would have disposed of all the clues several years after the incident. How can we investigate this kind of case?"
Wu Chengsi remained silent.
Princess Taiping suddenly took off her shoes and socks, put her feet on Wu Chengsi's legs, and said with a smile: "Second cousin, my feet are a little sore after standing all day. Please help me rub them."
Wu Chengsi sat up straight, looked down, and saw Princess Taiping's snowy feet as white as gelatin, and her ten toes were as round and translucent as pearls, like a piece of suet-fat jade.
Princess Taiping saw that Wu Chengsi kept staring at her feet but didn't respond. Her toes curled up slightly and she said shyly: "Hurry up!"
Wu Chengsi hurriedly looked away, calmed down, stretched out his hand to hold the instep of her foot, it was indescribably delicate and smooth, and kneaded it gently.
Princess Taiping bowed her head and said softly: "Second cousin, I have been thinking about a question these days."
Wu Chengsi raised his head and said, "Ah! What's the problem?"
"You said that the people in that organization are either the Xiao family or the Xue family, and are in the same group as the Wei family, right?"
"Um."
"Then it shouldn't be them who killed Yan Yaosheng, right?"
Wu Chengsi's eyes narrowed and he said, "You want to ask, who killed Yan Yaosheng?"
"Yes."
Wu Chengsi was silent for a while and said: "I have also thought about this issue. Looking at it now, the murderer of Yan Yaosheng is not from the same family as those three families, and may even be their enemy."
Princess Taiping was surprised and said: "Enemy?"
"Think about it, the place where he killed Yan Yaosheng was right next to the secret vault. It was obviously to let others discover the secret vault and thus the Wei family's property!"
Princess Taiping couldn't help but nod: "Yes, I felt strange at the time."
Wu Chengsi was about to continue talking when suddenly, a light flashed in his mind, he slapped his thigh and said, "Ah, that's right! The Tibetan Embassy in Beijing!"
Princess Taiping's feet were on his legs, and this shot hit Princess Taiping's calf exactly.
Just hearing a crisp sound, Princess Taiping said "ouch" and said angrily: "Second cousin, why did you hit me suddenly?"
Wu Chengsi smiled and rubbed it for her, his eyes sparkling, and he said, "Do you still remember how I found the Tibetan Embassy in Beijing?"
"Remember, you said that the black cat suddenly ran to the Tibetan Embassy in Beijing, and you didn't know that the Tibetan people were also involved in this matter."
Wu Chengsi narrowed his eyes and said: "At that time, I thought the murderer of Yan Yaosheng was from those three families, so I thought those three families had colluded with the Tubo people."
Princess Taiping was stunned and said: "Ah! So, it is the murderer who colluded with the Tubo people?"
Wu Chengsi smiled and shook his head, saying: "No. It is indeed those three families who colluded with the Tibetan people, but it was the murderer who deliberately led us to the Tibetan Embassy in Beijing."
Princess Taiping was surprised and said: "You are saying that the murderer discovered that they were colluding with the Tubo people, and then deliberately asked the black cat to take you there so that you could discover their relationship?"
"That's it. If my prediction is correct, the murderer of Yan Yaosheng probably has a deep grudge against those three families, so he is secretly helping us!"
Princess Taiping wrinkled her nose and thought for a while, then said: "Even if we know this, it will be of little use to us."
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "No, it's very useful! Do you still remember that at the Wei family's birthday party, there was a person who saw Yan Yaosheng's body and had a greater reaction than anyone else!"
"You mean the son-in-law of the Xiao family?"
"Yes, this person's reaction is unusual. I suspect he knew who killed Yan Yaosheng from the beginning!"
Princess Taiping was surprised and said: "Are you saying that the son-in-law knows the murderer?"
Wu Chengsi nodded and said with a smile: "They must know each other! From the relationship between the two, do you think of anything?"
Princess Taiping frowned tightly, clenched her fists and thought for a long time, her face turned red, but she still couldn't think of anything, so she had to shake her head.
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "Do you think it is possible that the Xiao family's uncle deliberately married into the Xiao family?"
Princess Taiping looked at Wu Chengsi for a moment, then said "Ah" and shouted, "Do you suspect that he and the murderer are together?"
Wu Chengsi's eyes were glaring and he said: "It's not just him. I suspect that Yan Yaosheng also deliberately married into the Wei family. The three of them are all in the same group!"
Princess Taiping exclaimed: "Why did the murderer want to kill Yan Yaosheng?"
Wu Chengsi narrowed his eyes and said, "Do you still remember Yan Yaosheng's expression before he died?"
"He seems very sad. Ah, I understand. He is with the murderer. He is sad because he did not expect the murderer to kill him! Second cousin, how did you think of it!"
Wu Chengsi said leisurely: "If my deduction is correct, these three people were originally a gang. Two of them married into the Xiao family and the Wei family respectively, and the other one infiltrated into the Xue family, just to deal with these three families."
"I don't know why, but the murderer actually killed Yan Yaosheng. That's why Yan Yaosheng is so sad and the Xiao family's son-in-law looks like he's lost his mind."
Princess Taiping clapped her hands and said with a smile: "There is no flaw! Second cousin, let's go find Sun Lang immediately. He must have evidence of the Xiao family's crimes."
"Who is Sun Lang?"
"He is the Xiao family's adopted son-in-law."
Wu Chengsi shook his head and said: "He probably sneaked into the Xiao family to get evidence of crime. Since he did not go to the Yamen to report the Xiao family, it means that the evidence of crime was not obtained."
Princess Taiping was immediately disappointed and said: "Then don't we know that these are completely useless?"
Wu Chengsi thought for a while and said: "In this case, you invite Sun Lang to your house in the name of holding a banquet. Although he has no evidence of the Xiao family's crimes, he may know how the Xiao, Wei, and Xue families stole the treasury.
of!"
Princess Taiping nodded in agreement.
When the two arrived at the princess's mansion, Princess Taiping immediately sent out invitations, inviting young talents in the city to come to the mansion for a literary and wine party.
She often does this kind of thing, and it doesn't arouse anyone's suspicion.
While the two were waiting for Sun Lang in the lobby of the princess mansion, a maid suddenly walked up to Zhili and said something to her.
After Zhili listened, he came to Princess Taiping and Wu Chengsi.
"Your Highness the Princess, Your Majesty, there is news from the palace just now that the Queen has gone to the Daci'en Temple."
Wu Chengsi was stunned for a moment, and for a moment, a thought flashed through his mind.
Princess Taiping asked curiously: "What is the queen doing there?"
Zhili shook his head and said, "The reason is still unclear."
Wu Chengsi stood up abruptly and said, "Taiping, I leave Sun Lang's affairs to you. I must go to the Great Ci'en Temple."
Seeing his solemn expression, Princess Taiping nodded in agreement.
After leaving the princess residence, Wu Chengsi and his bodyguards galloped towards the Great Ci'en Temple.
When we arrived at Daci'en Temple, the sky was completely dark.
The perimeter of the temple was filled with Qianniu Guards. Wu Chengsi came forward and all the Qianniu Guards bowed their hands in greeting.
Wu Chengsi asked: "Is Her Royal Highness the Queen here?"
Qian Niuwei, who had the highest official position, took a step forward and said: "Back to Your Highness, yes, Your Highness the Queen has just arrived."
Wu Chengsi asked again: "Why did Her Majesty the Queen come here?"
The Qianniu Guards officer said: "I don't know about this humble position."
Wu Chengsi didn't waste any more nonsense and strode into the temple.
Suddenly I met Qiuji in the corridor and immediately asked: "Master Qiuji, why did Her Royal Highness the Queen pay a sudden visit?"
Qiu Ji bowed and said with a wry smile: "Returning to His Royal Highness the King of Zhou, the Buddha statue that His Royal Highness the Queen ordered us to build was damaged. After we reported it, Her Royal Highness the Queen came to the temple."
In front of the Buddha statue in the back mountain, Wu Mei, who was dressed in bright yellow palace clothes, quietly looked at the giant Buddha she had built with "pink money", and her heart was filled with anger.
I saw that the Buddha statue that was still under construction had a huge crack from the chest down, almost splitting into two halves.
Her whole face seemed to be covered with a layer of ice, and she said coldly: "Master Xuanzang, I have repeatedly warned you to build this Buddha statue properly. Is this your answer to me?"
Xuanzang looked pale and could not speak a word.
Pu Guang on the side knelt down and hissed:
"Back to Your Highness the Queen, in order to build this Buddha statue, we hired the best masons in Chang'an City. The foreman of the masons died in the temple a few days ago. Those masons may have been negligent because of this reason. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Wu Mei said coldly: "Are you shirking your responsibility?"
When Pu Guang wanted to speak again, Xuanzang stretched out his hand to stop him, clasped his hands together and said: "The poor monk is responsible for the damage to the Buddha statue. Please ask the queen to punish him!"
Wu Mei's chest rose and fell violently several times, and she said solemnly: "Xuan Zang, Xuanzang, I have always regarded you as the most trustworthy person in Buddhism, but you have made me so disappointed!"
Xuanzang was shocked and frightened when he saw murderous intent on Wu Mei's face.
Little did he know that Wu Mei built this giant Buddha in order to elevate the status of Buddhism and suppress Li's Taoism, thereby taking the initiative in religion.
This was also her first attempt at worshiping Buddhism and suppressing Taoism.
As a result, the Buddha statue was damaged, as if God's will was silently warning her.
Wu Mei was angry and frightened at the same time, and she was so full of anger that she couldn't be more angry.
After a long while, she calmed down and said coldly: "I'm sending you an order to immediately investigate the cause of the damage to the Buddha statue. If the mason really neglects his duty and is disrespectful to the Buddha, he will be executed in front of the Buddha statue!"
All the masons were shocked and shouted injustice.
Xuanzang said hurriedly: "Your Highness the Queen, please spare their lives!"
Wu Meifeng raised her eyebrows and said in a serious tone: "Xuan Zang, you still dare to plead for them, do you really think that I don't dare to kill you?"
Facing Wu Mei's awe-inspiring power, even Xuanzang did not dare to speak again.
Her Royal Highness the Queen stepped on countless corpses to get to where she is today. Who in the world knows her ruthlessness and determination?
Zhugenan and Nie Ziyun looked at each other. Although they also wanted to plead for mercy, they saw that Xuanzang's plea was in vain, and they did not dare to offend the queen.
Among the stonemasons, Xue Ne was dumbfounded. He felt that bad luck had enveloped him. Even being an ordinary stonemason could lead to death.
"I am waiting at the temple for the results of the investigation."
Seeing Empress Wu turn and leave, Xue Ne's desire for survival surged, and she shouted heartbreakingly: "Your Highness, Xue Ne has something to report!"
His voice broke through the noisy begging for mercy from other masons and reached Wu Mei's ears.
However, Wu Mei did not look back and gradually went away.
Just when Xue Ne was despairing, he saw another group of people coming from a distance, and the leader was Wu Chengsi. Xue Ne felt relaxed and sat down on the ground, his heart beating fast.
Wu Mei stopped and said coldly: "Why are you here too?" She was in a bad mood, and she did not have the usual kind words when facing Wu Chengsi.
Wu Chengsi cupped his hands and said: "Two murder cases have recently occurred in Daci'en Temple, and my nephew has been investigating."
Wu Mei nodded her chin and led the people past Wu Chengsi.
Wu Chengsi came to the Buddha statue and looked at the cracked Buddha with a solemn expression.
Zhugenan and Nie Ziyun both came over. Zhugenan scratched his head and said, "Your Highness, this Buddha statue suddenly cracked. It's really strange."
Wu Chengsi remained silent.
As long as something strange happens in Daci'en Temple, the first thing he thinks of is the Xiao Wei and Xue families. They must have done it!