"In this case, won't it be impossible to find the murderer?"
At night, the couple lay in bed. Jiang Miao was shocked after hearing the result of Pei Che's questioning. It was obvious that someone had murdered Pei Che's parents, but why did he become more confused the more he investigated? He originally wanted to convict them, but now he let them all get away with it.
"No matter what, I will investigate it to the end." Pei Che sighed. He had no clue about anything. How should he investigate
Jiang Miao patted his arm and said soothingly, "Don't worry, the truth will come out sooner or later. Now we know much more than before. By the way, the driver Zhao Wei mentioned is Xing'er's father, right?"
When Pei Che heard these two people, his face instantly darkened and he snorted, "It's her father. Her father was bribed to harm my parents. She used vicious means to harm Mu'er. The whole family is full of vicious people!"
"… If he could be bribed, what about the others? Weren't there many guards with them at the time?"
Pei Che thought about it carefully, shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be possible. Those guards have always been by my parents' side, and they have no chance to come into contact with outsiders. Only the driver had to drive down the mountain to buy things from time to time, so he was taken advantage of. I asked Zhao Wei, and apart from them, there were only the monks in the temple on the mountain at that time."
"Is the monk going down the mountain to buy something?" Jiang Miao suddenly asked.
"That's right," Pei Che nodded, and suddenly came to his senses, "You mean, the monks in the temple could also be bribed? But they are monks..."
"What's wrong with being a monk?" Jiang Miao said, "As long as one is a human being, one has seven emotions and six desires, and there are things that one cares about and is concerned about. When the benefits are enough to move people's hearts, even saints can hardly resist the temptation."
Pei Che listened and nodded in agreement.
"Moreover," Jiang Miao continued, "I have always been curious about why the driver knew there was another road. We took that road as well. The entrance was very hidden and it was quite a distance away from the back mountain of the temple. So how did he know this road and where exactly it would lead to?"
"Someone who has lived nearby for a long time must have told him about this route. The person who told him this route must have a plan." Pei Che continued speaking.
"Yes, they must have wanted to lead your parents there, so they deliberately lured the driver."
"But if the weather hadn't been so gloomy that day, and they had to take the official road, wouldn't this plan they had set up be completely useless?"
"The weather can be predicted. People who have lived in the mountains for a long time know that before the weather changes, the house will be damp and full of water vapor. It is not difficult to judge the weather based on this." Jiang Miao said that although ancient times did not have the convenience of weather forecasts like modern times, people could also infer whether the weather would change based on various phenomena. Just like the proverbs passed down by word of mouth such as "When ants move and snakes cross the road, it will soon rain heavily", it proves that it is not difficult for them to predict weather changes.
"You're right. Some of the monks in the temple are also suspicious. It seems that we have to go to Ciji Temple again." Pei Che was determined to find out.
“… How about I go alone? You still have work to do in the Ministry of Revenue, and your rest time is too short, so you can’t go at all.” Jiang Miao said.
Pei Che shook his head: "If they are really suspicious, then this trip will be full of dangers. I can't let you take risks. As for the job at the Ministry of Revenue, the worst that can happen is that you can just quit. Nothing is more important than getting to the bottom of the truth."
"Are you stupid?" Jiang Miao patted him. "What if the monks in the temple betray someone again? How can you investigate without this job? Can you ask for leave from the government? If you travel quickly, five or six days will be enough, right?"
Ask for leave? Ask for leave. Pei Che pondered for a while, and gradually an idea came to his mind.
The next day, people at the Ministry of Revenue were surprised to find that Prince Pei had kept his head down when he came in today, hiding his face for some unknown reason, as if he was too embarrassed to face anyone.
Some people who like to gossip guessed that Pei Che had a Hedong Lion in his family, and that he must have done something sneaky and was scratched by the Hedong Lion.
Someone laughed, "You are probably talking about yourself, right? Everyone knows that Master Pei loves men with handsome faces. The male lion in his family was married to a man granted by the emperor. The two of them have a deep affection for each other. How could he have been tickled for stealing his mouth?"
The others wanted to laugh at him, so they made a bet with him, asking him to find out the truth. If it was true as he said, each of them would lose two taels of silver to him.
The man did some calculations in his mind and felt that it was a good deal. He only needed to ask around and he could get a month's salary. So he happily went there and tried various ways to strike up a conversation with Pei Che.
Pei Che still remembered to cover up at first, either lowering his head or turning his head to the side, not looking directly at him. After a long time, he seemed to have forgotten about it and just looked up and faced him.
This also allowed the man to see the look on Pei Che's face clearly. He was a little disappointed, because Pei Che's face was not scratched to pieces and he didn't dare to raise his head, but because it was covered with red rashes.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, which made Pei Che realize that he was exposed. He immediately lowered his head in panic, saying something like "This disease will not be cured by humans, it will definitely not be cured by humans", and even wanted to reach out to pull this man.
The man forced a polite smile on his face, but his body seemed to move of its own. He quickly took a few steps back, mumbled something nonsense, and then hurried away.
After he left, within a moment, almost everyone in the government office knew what had happened. The adults who had been in the same room with Pei Che hurriedly chose a way to escape and dared not come in again.
Not long after, the Minister of Revenue was also alarmed. After learning that someone in the government office was suspected of having measles, he almost asked someone to carry Pei Che out. At least he still took Pei Che's other identity into consideration, so he only sent someone to tell Pei Che from a distance that since he was ill, he would be allowed to go home to recuperate, and come to the government office to handle official business after his health improved.
Pei Che pretended to be sad and disdained, and moved out of the Ministry of Revenue step by step.
After returning home, Jiang Miao heard about the whole process and almost couldn't stand up straight with laughter: "Hahaha, you are so mean! I was wondering why you didn't make up an excuse like you had a cold or something, it turns out you wanted them to take the initiative to invite you back."
Pei Che also smiled: "In addition to this intention, there is another reason."
"what reason?"
"If I take leave because of an ordinary illness, the people in the government will come to visit me in person to show their friendship. As the host, should I come out to entertain them or not? But this illness is different. They will definitely not dare to come to disturb me until I get better." Pei Che's considerations were very thoughtful.
Considering the tight schedule, Pei Che and Jiang Miao entrusted their two children to the care of Grandmother Pei. After learning the whole story, Grandmother Pei was shocked and angry, but more of it was grief.
She told Pei Che to be careful along the way and not to put himself in danger in order to investigate the truth. If he really couldn't find out anything, forget it. It had been so many years since the incident, and it would be difficult to find out the truth. As for everything in the mansion, she would take care of it and told them not to worry.
After Pei Che said goodbye to his grandmother, he got on the carriage with Jiang Miao. After leaving the city in a low-key manner, the two of them rode on the prepared horses with a few guards and quickly headed towards the direction of Ciji Temple.
During this journey, they heard almost nothing. Every time they arrived at a post station, they paid to change horses and galloped. They did not stop except to eat, drink, defecate and urinate. When they rested, they only lit a fire and took a nap by the tree. At daybreak, they continued on their journey.
At this speed, it only took them two and a half days to reach the foot of Tzu Chi Temple.
After not seeing it for a few months, Ciji Temple still looked as solemn and ancient as before, but neither Pei Che nor Jiang Miao had any interest in admiring the scenery anymore. They just wanted to find Master Wuchen as soon as possible and ask him what happened that year.
(End of this chapter)