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墨書 Inktalez
Xiao Zhao Temple is known as Remojia Temple in Tuguhun. Although its scale and reputation cannot compare to Dazhao Temple, it houses a statue of Sakyamuni at the age of twelve. Every day, devotees flock here, incense wafts through the air, and the sound of chanting fills the surroundings, with a steady stream of people on the prayer wheel path.
Initially, Li Shimin married Li Wushuang to Tuguhun, providing her with treasures and a golden jade cabinet, along with three hundred sixty volumes of classics, various gold and jade ornaments, over three hundred types of divination and moral discernment texts, and more than sixty works on construction and craftsmanship as her dowry.
It is said that when entering Tuguhun, the wedding procession used a wooden cart to transport the statue of Sakyamuni. Upon reaching what is now Xiao Zhao Temple, the cart sank into the sand and could not move forward. They had no choice but to erect tall pillars around it and cover them with white silk. The divine masters from the Tang Dynasty calculated that this was the location of a dragon palace, so they decided to place the statue of Sakyamuni here and build a temple for worship, believing this would suppress the dragon demons and ensure national prosperity. This is how Xiao Zhao Temple came to be.
Before this, Princess Chizun of Nibola had already brought an eight-year-old statue of Sakyamuni while constructing Dazhao Temple. When Wencheng arrived in Tuguhun, she ordered craftsmen to assist in building Dazhao Temple. At the same time, she began summoning more skilled artisans from the Central Plains to construct Remojia Shen Bian Temple, which is now known as Xiao Zhao Temple.
A year later, Xiao Zhao Temple was completed. Qizong Nongsan held a grand banquet for its consecration, making it a spectacular event. However, Dazhao Temple now overshadows Xiao Zhao Temple in terms of prominence.
Xu Zhen and Li Mingda did not take time to appreciate the grandeur of Xiao Zhao Temple. Under the guidance of Zuo An and Gem, they quickly apprehended the Zoroastrian Temple Master who had falsely accused Xu Zhen.
This individual was hiding within Xiao Zhao Temple. If not for Zuo An and Gem possessing proof of their movements within the Inner Palace, they would have been unable to deal with him. The Temple Master was a devout Zoroastrian who knelt before Xu Zhen and cried out for retribution.
Xu Zhen did not make things difficult for him. After listening to his explanation, she learned that he was also being coerced; the lives of his family depended on others. To protect them, he had dismissed those from the Zoroastrian temple early on but did not expect that person would set fire to Kuzha Temple, resulting in over sixty casualties.
As a devout believer, he felt uneasy and was tormented by his conscience. After sending his family out of Lhasa City, he entered Xiao Zhao Temple to hide in seclusion—hoping that through rigorous practice he could eliminate his own karmic obstacles.
In just a few days, he had become emaciated. Seeing this, Xu Zhen could not bear to blame him. When she inquired about the mastermind behind it all, the Temple Master admitted he did not know much; the person came and went without revealing their identity.
Even so, having this Temple Master at hand was enough to clear Xu Zhen's name. As night fell, everyone decided to stay overnight at Xiao Zhao Temple and take the Temple Master back the next day.
The Temple Master's family had already been safely sent away; he no longer needed to worry. If he could expose this tragedy, it would serve as a form of compensation and redemption. The Temple Master readily agreed for now.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhen settled down while Lu Dongzan and Qiang Bang Se continued their covert struggle against each other. Their target was naturally those who were secretly instigating trouble; capturing them would clarify everything.
However, these individuals were secretly recruited by Anqiao and had long been controlled by Qiang Bang Se's men. They initially planned to disperse them elsewhere but feared being intercepted by Lu Dongzan; thus they could only hide temporarily.
Qiang Bang Se was discussing how to deal with these individuals with his subordinates—trusted veterans who had fought alongside him for years—who suggested eliminating them to silence them.
While these individuals could vanish without a trace unnoticed, Qiang Bang Se still needed them to incriminate Lu Dongzan's Pro-War Faction. He immediately rejected this suggestion and ordered them to be closely guarded without letting Lu Dongzan's people catch wind of anything.
At that moment, a servant reported that Anqiao had not returned home and could not be found despite searching everywhere; they requested Qiang Bang Se's decision on what to do next.
Although Anqiao was known for his reckless behavior and mistreatment of female slaves and maids alike, he bore the title of Zanpu Incarnation and did not dare roam outside too freely; it was rare for him not to return home at night.
Under normal circumstances, Qiang Bang Se would not have been so anxious; however, given that they were at war with the Pro-War Faction now, he had to be extra cautious. Upon receiving this news, he immediately dispatched all his men to search for Anqiao.
These individuals were very familiar with the terrain of Lhasa City, fearing that the young master might be in danger. They specifically searched in secluded areas with few people. By the next day, they indeed found the corpse of Anqiao!
Qiang Bang Se's only son was completely obedient to Anqiao; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent such a great cost to elevate Anqiao to the position of Zanpu Incarnation. Now, his beloved son had been murdered and left to rot in the wilderness. The people under him were all terrified and hesitated for a long time before reluctantly reporting this news.
Qiang Bang Se, being older, was struck by this sudden blow like a bolt from the blue. He actually howled twice before fainting. The servants in the residence hurried to revive him, calling for a divine doctor and sealing off the news, becoming overwhelmed with anxiety.
While chaos ensued here, Xiao Zhao Temple and Xu Zhen were not easy to deal with either. Qinsuo Luo, being a local authority, quickly learned that Xu Zhen was hiding in Xiao Zhao Temple. It was inconvenient to hold her accountable at night, so he blocked the temple entrance early the next morning.
"Xu Envoy, the King ordered me to accompany you, yet you abandon me. Is this not putting me in a position of negligence? If the King holds me accountable, I will bear the blame. Moreover, I am also overseeing this case. You acted without informing me; are you trying to deliberately cover up and destroy evidence?"
Qinsuo Luo usually wore a humble smile, but these words were both courteous and threatening, filled with resentment towards Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen could hardly be surprised by his reaction. However, since Qinsuo Luo was one of Qiang Bang Se's people, she would not allow him to hinder her. Now that she had control over the crucial witness, Zoroastrian Temple Master, she no longer feared Qinsuo Luo. He had no foundation in Tuguhun and had been falsely accused as the culprit behind this tragic incident; thus, there was no need for her to be concerned.
"I have been wrongfully accused and unable to express my grievances; I must uncover the truth. Although I have obtained the most important witness, it is indeed Xu Zhen who acted recklessly in this matter. I hope the judge will not blame me," Xu Zhen said apologetically with a smile. As they say, one does not strike a smiling face; Qinsuo Luo had no choice but to endure it. Seeing Xu Zhen gesture towards Zoroastrian Temple Master, he did not want to continue watching her gloat and angrily left.
Before departing, he did not forget to threaten her: "Xu Envoy has been out of my supervision for an entire night; we do not know what unspeakable deeds you have committed. I will definitely report this to the King!"
Though he spoke thusly, Qinsuo Luo was anxious inside. As one of Qiang Bang Se's people, even though he had not entered the core circle, his years of managing laws and criminal cases gave him keen political instincts. How could he not know who was behind this?
Seeing Xu Zhen bring out Zoroastrian Temple Master, he dared not follow her any longer and pretended to threaten her as an excuse to leave. He hurriedly went to report back at Qiang Bang Se's residence.
Qiang Bang Se had just recovered when he remembered that his only son had been murdered. Being older now and looking at his beautiful young wives and concubines in Surroundings while weighing his own ability to father another child made him realize that it was unlikely he could successfully conceive again. Even if he could manage it, by the time his son grew up, he might already be dead. Just thinking about this made his head throb and his heart ache; he was utterly devastated!
At a loss for an outlet for his grief, he saw Qinsuo Luo come to deliver news. In a fit of rage, he turned Qinsuo Luo away at first. However, Qinsuo Luo was unwilling to leave empty-handed and subtly probed into matters with the household manager until he learned about Anqiao's death.
Although Qinsuo Luo was known as a smiling tiger, he had personal qualities worth noting; he was meticulous in thought and exceptionally gifted in criminal investigations. Many major cases had been solved under his watch.
Anqiao was one of the Zanpu Incarnations and held considerable prestige among the populace. The news of his assassination would undoubtedly cause panic and shake Zanpu's religious authority. If Zanpu became enraged over this incident, Qinsuo Luo as a minister responsible for law enforcement would be among those first held accountable!
"This cannot fall solely on my shoulders!" Qinsuo Luo's expression turned cold as he stroked his bald chin deep in thought for a long time before suddenly brightening up with an idea!
He knocked forcefully on the doorbell: "Bang! Bang! Bang!" After some time passed with curses from inside before someone finally opened the door, seeing Qinsuo Luo still there made their expression turn sour. The saying goes that even minor officials must bow before high-ranking ministers; now that Qiang Bang Se was furious and devastated throughout his household due to grief, how could anyone care about Qinsuo Luo's entanglements?
"I have something extremely urgent to discuss with Great Minister! Let me in! If Great Minister holds me accountable later on, I will bear it all myself!"
Having served as an official for many years and managed laws and punishments gave Qinsuo Luo an undeniable authority that made the household manager tense up. Before they could react further, Qinsuo Luo pushed past them and entered the residence.
Qiang Bang Se saw Qinsuo Luo approaching without permission and immediately became furious. He picked up the silver pot on the table and threw it at him. Although Qinsuo Luo was a civil official, the Tubo People were inherently fierce and rarely lacked fighting skills. Qiang Bang Se thought he would dodge, but to his surprise, Qinsuo Luo stood still, allowing the silver pot to strike him on the brow, causing blood to burst forth!
However, he remained expressionless, nodded slightly, took two steps forward, and politely said, “Great Minister, I believe I have figured out who killed the young master!”
Qinsuo Luo, being a minister, was in a different position than Qiang Bang Se, who held only a nominal title of Great Minister. If it weren't for his control over thousands of elite soldiers in the territory, he wouldn't dare to humiliate Qinsuo Luo like this. Seeing that Qinsuo Luo did not evade or resist and had taken a hit from the silver pot, much of his anger had already dissipated. Now hearing that Qinsuo Luo knew the identity of the murderer, he hurriedly stood up from the mat, grabbed Qinsuo Luo's hand, and urged with a trembling voice.
“Qinsuo Luo, you need to clarify this for me!”
A trace of a barely noticeable sinister smile crossed Qinsuo Luo's lips but vanished quickly as he feigned difficulty and then whispered, “King ordered me to monitor the Tang Envoy, but he left on his own early yesterday morning and has been missing for a day and night. It is indeed my failure to monitor him properly. However, as he is a prime suspect in this case, this day and night may have been enough for him to destroy any evidence!”
Qiang Bang Se initially thought that seeing Qinsuo Luo's serious expression meant he truly knew who the culprit was. But when he mentioned Xu Zhen, Qiang Bang Se was instantly filled with disappointment.
He understood very well that the arsonist was not Xu Zhen. Although his son Anqiao harbored resentment towards Xu Zhenxin, how could Xu Zhen dare to assassinate Anqiao?
However, being an old fox, he quickly grasped Qinsuo Luo's intentions. With his son assassinated at such a critical moment, regardless of who the real culprit was, this dirty water would inevitably be splashed onto the Pro-War Faction. Since Xu Zhen was closely allied with figures like Lu Dongzan from the Pro-War Faction, initially framing her for the arson was intended to pin the blame on them. Now that Anqiao was dead, his death must serve its maximum value; only then could they punish the true murderer while delivering a significant blow to their opponents!
With his head bowed, Qinsuo Luo quietly waited. Although Qiang Bang Se's expression was uncertain, he already knew that this ambitious Great Minister had understood his intentions!
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