A bull’s head matches a horse’s mouth
“If the Imperial Seal you all obtained at the Qi Dynasty’s court is fake, why are you so sure that it was my father who switched it? Why not suspect that someone from the Chu Dynasty’s royal family did something?”
Upon hearing this, Gong Jun’s lips curled into a smile that was not quite a smile and said, “You’ve asked a very interesting question.”
The old monk, who took the Dharma name Tian Yuan when he became a monk, looked stunned. Although he was old, his mind was still sharp, and years of chanting scriptures hadn’t dulled his intellect.
“So, you never managed to get the Imperial Seal? Not even a fake one?” he asked in shock.
The Imperial Seal is just a symbol. If one has firmly established their rule, they wouldn’t care whether the Imperial Seal in their hands is real or fake. Because even a fake can become real.
For a dynasty like Qi, which has yet to stabilize their rule, they cannot tolerate the Imperial Seal being lost.
Lu Zhang conquered Taijing, nearly annihilating the royal family of the Chu Dynasty. The descendants of the Chu Dynasty had a much harder time than the descendants of the Chen Dynasty in the past. It was practically impossible for them to smuggle out the Imperial Seal; even if there was a slim chance, it would have been thoroughly investigated over the past decade or so.
And yet, it was still not found?
If the three kings in the southern Chu Dynasty had the Imperial Seal, they would have eagerly come forward by now, and wouldn’t have kept fighting over who is the legitimate successor of the Chu Dynasty.
This naturally lead to the suspicion that the Chu Dynasty’s Imperial Seal might not even exist.
The Imperial Seal is not usually shown to the public, only pressed onto important imperial edicts and sacrificial documents. As long as the characters pressed by the seal are correct, how can others know what it actually looks like?
Perhaps this “fake seal” was destroyed during a palace coup, and the Qi Dynasty’s search for the real Imperial Seal is actually directed towards the earlier Chen Dynasty — the old monk thought he had figured it out and his face turned pale.
Gong Jun intentionally misled the old monk. He grabbed him and said half-threateningly, “The Jinyiwei was established by your Chen Dynasty. Even though you have become a monk, as a descendant of the Chen royal family, you should know something about the imperial prison. Everyone locked up there only wishes for a swift death! Better speak up about what you know, or don’t blame me for not warning you…”
The old monk trembled, his expression filled with fear.
In reality, the Jinyiwei of the Qi Dynasty was not as terrifying as in the Chen Dynasty, not because the Qi’s Jinyiwei was fair and enlightened, but because Lu Zhang maintained a façade of harmony between the emperor and his subjects. Unlike in the Chen Dynasty, where officials who displeased the emperor were directly thrown into the imperial prison, suffering for years without seeing the sun, looking like ghosts.
However, the old monk didn’t know this. With the Jinyiwei’s notorious reputation among the people, and the Qi Emperor’s penchant for killing, the more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. He forced himself to say, “I really wanted to exchange the Imperial Seal for my life, but I don’t have it, my life is over!”
Saying this, he closed his eyes and tears rolled down, looking very pitiable.
But Gong Jun was not convinced.
Of course, he didn’t just suspect the old monk’s identity and then whimsically believe that this person must know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal. There were sufficient reasons to suspect this descendant of the Chen Dynasty.
“You really won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin, and won’t give up until you reach the Yellow River! I have spoken kindly to you, but you take it lightly.”
Gong Jun’s hand rested on his sword, and the Jinyiwei guards stationed outside the door and by the windows were all loyal to him. Even if the old monk knew martial arts, he wouldn’t be able to escape from the Liuhe Temple today.
“Three years ago, Liuhe Temple had some repair work done on its buildings, didn’t it?”
“The temple was in disrepair, the roof leaked, how could we not repair it?” the old monk reflexively argued, but his eyes were blank; he obviously didn’t expect Gong Jun to bring up this matter directly.
“What a way to dodge the important and dwell on the trivial.” Gong Jun said each word deliberately, staring at the old monk with a cold smile. “Fixing the roof is indeed a common affair, something even ordinary households do every year. But the repair work Liuhe Temple did three years ago wasn’t just about fixing the roof, was it!”
The old monk was speechless, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Just as Gong Jun was about to speak again, he suddenly felt a chill on his back and listened intently.
The heavy breathing of the old monk, the movement of the Jinyiwei guards outside, the clinking of the sword against the armor under his robe, the sound of the wind blowing through the trees…
Gong Jun waited suspiciously for a moment, but noticed nothing unusual.
Mo Li on the roof: “…”
He now believed what Meng Qi had said; this Deputy Commander Gong was indeed like a rabbit.
Not because he was as timid as a rabbit, but because he was extremely sensitive to the slightest movements.
Mo Li had been careful enough, delaying for quite a while to avoid the sight of the Jinyiwei guards, and even deliberately moving from the main hall’s roof to this side room.
His light-footed skills left no trace in the snow, and yet Gong Jun still sensed something was amiss?
Mo Li suddenly realized something and signaled Meng Qi, who quietly left the rooftop. After about half an incense stick’s time, voices started speaking again in the room.
“…”
Mo Li thought to himself that this level of alertness was truly rare in his experience.
Although Gong Jun had been fooled for now, such warnings should not happen too often. There had already been two instances, and if it happened a third time, this Deputy Commander Gong might decide to flee for his life.
To avoid being discovered by those below, Mo Li pressed his body low, almost sticking to the rooftop tiles.
Meng Qi simply lay on the roof of the main hall of the temple, looking at Mo Li.
Mo Li, feeling helpless, gestured slightly to Meng Qi, signaling him not to move recklessly.
Unaware of the eavesdropper above him, Gong Jun collected his thoughts and looked at the pale-faced old monk, suddenly asking, “During the day when Liuhe Temple was undergoing repairs, the monks went to another temple, a record that can be checked, spanning a total of eleven days. What kind of roof requires such difficult repairs, consuming so much effort, yet no obvious changes were seen in the temple? The pilgrims saw everything clearly. Not long after the monks returned from the temple, they complained about the roof leaking, how strange!”
The old monk moved his lips, muttering a few words.
Even with Mo Li’s profound internal strength, he could barely make out words like “main hall” and “beams.”
“What, still trying to make excuses? Using the replacement of beams as an excuse?” Gong Jun pulled out a booklet and threw it in front of the old monk, saying in an unfriendly tone, “I have thoroughly investigated the repairs made to Liuhe Temple over the past ten years, including where you purchased the wood and tiles, who the merchants were, and who the craftsmen who received the wages were. The only suspicious point is that three times in these ten years, the craftsmen hired had unknown origins and couldn’t be traced, including the major repairs three years ago.”
In this world, household registrations were strictly managed. Craftsmen belonged to a specific registry, which should be trackable.
However, even after searching through the entire capital and the villages near Shangyun Mountain, no craftsmen who repaired Liuhe Temple three years ago could be found. Gong Jun expanded the search to the towns near the capital, still with no results.
Craftsmen usually don’t work alone.
Those who go out to work have witnesses, and those who stay at home have neighbors as proof.
After a thorough investigation, those mysterious craftsmen could not be found.
Therefore, a group of suspicious people came to Liuhe Temple three years ago, colluded with the abbot, and under the pretext of repairing the building, dug or hid something in the temple.
And this might not have been their first time.
“Ten years ago in winter, before you became the abbot, a wall in the temple suddenly collapsed, and people were called to repair it. Although it was a long time ago, the details could still be traced. It was said that when the monks went down the mountain to find craftsmen, they encountered Taoists from Xianyue Temple, who were also repairing their temple. They became lazy and did not go down the mountain, instead inviting the craftsmen to the temple.
“The second time was five years ago, when you were already the abbot of Liuhe Temple. You claimed the pagoda was in need of repair and hired craftsmen of unknown origin. That’s fine, but during the repairs, you accidentally fell and got injured. Here is the prescription for the medicine you received at that time. In addition to medicine for bruises, why was there also medicine for calming shock and stabilizing qi?
“And about three years ago, you ordered the monks to leave Liuhe Temple for more than ten days. You pretended to repair the building during the day, but who knows what you were doing secretly! Let me ask you, why did you order the craftsmen to bury the well in the courtyard with stones?”
Mo Li was very surprised.
Wasn’t the well in the backyard still in use? Could there be another well?
“Yes, it was because the soil fell into the well during the repairs, contaminating the well water,” the old monk said in great confusion.
“Come here!” Gong Jun called his subordinates into the room with a cold face and instructed, “Take the monks in the temple for separate questioning! I suspect Liuhe Temple of harboring criminals and plotting rebellion!”
The Jinyiwei immediately complied and left, and the old monk’s figure swayed.
“The nearest stream to Liuhe Temple is three miles away, where there is another temple. I have already inquired there. Back then, the monks of Liuhe Temple complained loudly, demanding to dig another well, but you brushed them off,” Gong Jun said without waiting for the old monk to recover, shouting angrily, “Did you dig up something, causing the well water to become turbid, and then you were afraid of being discovered, so you simply filled the well? Where exactly is the Imperial Seal, along with the origins of those unidentified craftsmen? Tell me clearly, and I might spare your life!”
Mo Li, listening to all this, was certain that the abbot knew about the treasure of Emperor Li’s tomb.
But, the Imperial Seal?
Gong Jun believed that the Crown Prince of the Chen Dynasty had ordered people to bury the Imperial Seal under this ancient temple, but the specific location was not passed on to the Crown Prince’s son, only the name Liuhe Temple. Thus, this old monk hid his identity, impersonated someone else, and entered Liuhe Temple, becoming the abbot over a decade, paying close attention to every detail, until he was certain three years ago, and then began to dig and search extensively.
Those craftsmen might have known the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal from elsewhere. They were not working for the descendants of the Chen Dynasty, but thought the Imperial Seal was valuable and could be taken to the south or to the Heavenly Granted King to seek wealth and honor. Therefore, they came to Dragon Claw Peak three times in ten years to find the Imperial Seal.
The first time they might not have been sure of the location, the second time they focused on Liuhe Temple, threatened the abbot to comply, or promised some benefits, leading to the third time.
Gong Jun’s speculation was logical, but by a twist of fate, it was a case of Zhang San running into Li Si, a bull’s head meeting a horse’s mouth by chance.
The old monk’s eyes glazed over, and he trembled all over.
Trembling, he suddenly spat out white foam and fainted.
“Someone come in!”
Gong Jun called out, and the Jinyiwei outside the room entered in response.
“Help him up and find a doctor!” Gong Jun’s brows were tightly furrowed.
He didn’t know if the old monk was feigning illness or really sick. Regardless, he had made up his mind to stay in this room of Liuhe Temple and not leave.
“Carry him to that wooden couch over there! Immediately send someone to guard this room, and also dispatch people to guard the mountain gate and the pagoda. Keep an eye on all the monks in the temple.”
“…Lord Gong, we don’t have enough men!”
The Jinyiwei hesitated, unaware of the old monk’s identity.
Gong Jun tapped his fingers impatiently and said, “Then call some men back!”
Two of the Jinyiwei hurried out the door, unsure where to find a doctor quickly. Going to the capital city would probably take too long, so they could only try their luck in the villages at the foot of the mountain.
A bull’s head matches a horse’s mouth
“If the Imperial Seal you all obtained at the Qi Dynasty’s court is fake, why are you so sure that it was my father who switched it? Why not suspect that someone from the Chu Dynasty’s royal family did something?”
Upon hearing this, Gong Jun’s lips curled into a smile that was not quite a smile and said, “You’ve asked a very interesting question.”
The old monk, who took the Dharma name Tian Yuan when he became a monk, looked stunned. Although he was old, his mind was still sharp, and years of chanting scriptures hadn’t dulled his intellect.
“So, you never managed to get the Imperial Seal? Not even a fake one?” he asked in shock.
The Imperial Seal is just a symbol. If one has firmly established their rule, they wouldn’t care whether the Imperial Seal in their hands is real or fake. Because even a fake can become real.
For a dynasty like Qi, which has yet to stabilize their rule, they cannot tolerate the Imperial Seal being lost.
Lu Zhang conquered Taijing, nearly annihilating the royal family of the Chu Dynasty. The descendants of the Chu Dynasty had a much harder time than the descendants of the Chen Dynasty in the past. It was practically impossible for them to smuggle out the Imperial Seal; even if there was a slim chance, it would have been thoroughly investigated over the past decade or so.
And yet, it was still not found?
If the three kings in the southern Chu Dynasty had the Imperial Seal, they would have eagerly come forward by now, and wouldn’t have kept fighting over who is the legitimate successor of the Chu Dynasty.
This naturally lead to the suspicion that the Chu Dynasty’s Imperial Seal might not even exist.
The Imperial Seal is not usually shown to the public, only pressed onto important imperial edicts and sacrificial documents. As long as the characters pressed by the seal are correct, how can others know what it actually looks like?
Perhaps this “fake seal” was destroyed during a palace coup, and the Qi Dynasty’s search for the real Imperial Seal is actually directed towards the earlier Chen Dynasty — the old monk thought he had figured it out and his face turned pale.
Gong Jun intentionally misled the old monk. He grabbed him and said half-threateningly, “The Jinyiwei was established by your Chen Dynasty. Even though you have become a monk, as a descendant of the Chen royal family, you should know something about the imperial prison. Everyone locked up there only wishes for a swift death! Better speak up about what you know, or don’t blame me for not warning you…”
The old monk trembled, his expression filled with fear.
In reality, the Jinyiwei of the Qi Dynasty was not as terrifying as in the Chen Dynasty, not because the Qi’s Jinyiwei was fair and enlightened, but because Lu Zhang maintained a façade of harmony between the emperor and his subjects. Unlike in the Chen Dynasty, where officials who displeased the emperor were directly thrown into the imperial prison, suffering for years without seeing the sun, looking like ghosts.
However, the old monk didn’t know this. With the Jinyiwei’s notorious reputation among the people, and the Qi Emperor’s penchant for killing, the more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. He forced himself to say, “I really wanted to exchange the Imperial Seal for my life, but I don’t have it, my life is over!”
Saying this, he closed his eyes and tears rolled down, looking very pitiable.
But Gong Jun was not convinced.
Of course, he didn’t just suspect the old monk’s identity and then whimsically believe that this person must know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal. There were sufficient reasons to suspect this descendant of the Chen Dynasty.
“You really won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin, and won’t give up until you reach the Yellow River! I have spoken kindly to you, but you take it lightly.”
Gong Jun’s hand rested on his sword, and the Jinyiwei guards stationed outside the door and by the windows were all loyal to him. Even if the old monk knew martial arts, he wouldn’t be able to escape from the Liuhe Temple today.
“Three years ago, Liuhe Temple had some repair work done on its buildings, didn’t it?”
“The temple was in disrepair, the roof leaked, how could we not repair it?” the old monk reflexively argued, but his eyes were blank; he obviously didn’t expect Gong Jun to bring up this matter directly.
“What a way to dodge the important and dwell on the trivial.” Gong Jun said each word deliberately, staring at the old monk with a cold smile. “Fixing the roof is indeed a common affair, something even ordinary households do every year. But the repair work Liuhe Temple did three years ago wasn’t just about fixing the roof, was it!”
The old monk was speechless, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Just as Gong Jun was about to speak again, he suddenly felt a chill on his back and listened intently.
The heavy breathing of the old monk, the movement of the Jinyiwei guards outside, the clinking of the sword against the armor under his robe, the sound of the wind blowing through the trees…
Gong Jun waited suspiciously for a moment, but noticed nothing unusual.
Mo Li on the roof: “…”
He now believed what Meng Qi had said; this Deputy Commander Gong was indeed like a rabbit.
Not because he was as timid as a rabbit, but because he was extremely sensitive to the slightest movements.
Mo Li had been careful enough, delaying for quite a while to avoid the sight of the Jinyiwei guards, and even deliberately moving from the main hall’s roof to this side room.
His light-footed skills left no trace in the snow, and yet Gong Jun still sensed something was amiss?
Mo Li suddenly realized something and signaled Meng Qi, who quietly left the rooftop. After about half an incense stick’s time, voices started speaking again in the room.
“…”
Mo Li thought to himself that this level of alertness was truly rare in his experience.
Although Gong Jun had been fooled for now, such warnings should not happen too often. There had already been two instances, and if it happened a third time, this Deputy Commander Gong might decide to flee for his life.
To avoid being discovered by those below, Mo Li pressed his body low, almost sticking to the rooftop tiles.
Meng Qi simply lay on the roof of the main hall of the temple, looking at Mo Li.
Mo Li, feeling helpless, gestured slightly to Meng Qi, signaling him not to move recklessly.
Unaware of the eavesdropper above him, Gong Jun collected his thoughts and looked at the pale-faced old monk, suddenly asking, “During the day when Liuhe Temple was undergoing repairs, the monks went to another temple, a record that can be checked, spanning a total of eleven days. What kind of roof requires such difficult repairs, consuming so much effort, yet no obvious changes were seen in the temple? The pilgrims saw everything clearly. Not long after the monks returned from the temple, they complained about the roof leaking, how strange!”
The old monk moved his lips, muttering a few words.
Even with Mo Li’s profound internal strength, he could barely make out words like “main hall” and “beams.”
“What, still trying to make excuses? Using the replacement of beams as an excuse?” Gong Jun pulled out a booklet and threw it in front of the old monk, saying in an unfriendly tone, “I have thoroughly investigated the repairs made to Liuhe Temple over the past ten years, including where you purchased the wood and tiles, who the merchants were, and who the craftsmen who received the wages were. The only suspicious point is that three times in these ten years, the craftsmen hired had unknown origins and couldn’t be traced, including the major repairs three years ago.”
In this world, household registrations were strictly managed. Craftsmen belonged to a specific registry, which should be trackable.
However, even after searching through the entire capital and the villages near Shangyun Mountain, no craftsmen who repaired Liuhe Temple three years ago could be found. Gong Jun expanded the search to the towns near the capital, still with no results.
Craftsmen usually don’t work alone.
Those who go out to work have witnesses, and those who stay at home have neighbors as proof.
After a thorough investigation, those mysterious craftsmen could not be found.
Therefore, a group of suspicious people came to Liuhe Temple three years ago, colluded with the abbot, and under the pretext of repairing the building, dug or hid something in the temple.
And this might not have been their first time.
“Ten years ago in winter, before you became the abbot, a wall in the temple suddenly collapsed, and people were called to repair it. Although it was a long time ago, the details could still be traced. It was said that when the monks went down the mountain to find craftsmen, they encountered Taoists from Xianyue Temple, who were also repairing their temple. They became lazy and did not go down the mountain, instead inviting the craftsmen to the temple.
“The second time was five years ago, when you were already the abbot of Liuhe Temple. You claimed the pagoda was in need of repair and hired craftsmen of unknown origin. That’s fine, but during the repairs, you accidentally fell and got injured. Here is the prescription for the medicine you received at that time. In addition to medicine for bruises, why was there also medicine for calming shock and stabilizing qi?
“And about three years ago, you ordered the monks to leave Liuhe Temple for more than ten days. You pretended to repair the building during the day, but who knows what you were doing secretly! Let me ask you, why did you order the craftsmen to bury the well in the courtyard with stones?”
Mo Li was very surprised.
Wasn’t the well in the backyard still in use? Could there be another well?
“Yes, it was because the soil fell into the well during the repairs, contaminating the well water,” the old monk said in great confusion.
“Come here!” Gong Jun called his subordinates into the room with a cold face and instructed, “Take the monks in the temple for separate questioning! I suspect Liuhe Temple of harboring criminals and plotting rebellion!”
The Jinyiwei immediately complied and left, and the old monk’s figure swayed.
“The nearest stream to Liuhe Temple is three miles away, where there is another temple. I have already inquired there. Back then, the monks of Liuhe Temple complained loudly, demanding to dig another well, but you brushed them off,” Gong Jun said without waiting for the old monk to recover, shouting angrily, “Did you dig up something, causing the well water to become turbid, and then you were afraid of being discovered, so you simply filled the well? Where exactly is the Imperial Seal, along with the origins of those unidentified craftsmen? Tell me clearly, and I might spare your life!”
Mo Li, listening to all this, was certain that the abbot knew about the treasure of Emperor Li’s tomb.
But, the Imperial Seal?
Gong Jun believed that the Crown Prince of the Chen Dynasty had ordered people to bury the Imperial Seal under this ancient temple, but the specific location was not passed on to the Crown Prince’s son, only the name Liuhe Temple. Thus, this old monk hid his identity, impersonated someone else, and entered Liuhe Temple, becoming the abbot over a decade, paying close attention to every detail, until he was certain three years ago, and then began to dig and search extensively.
Those craftsmen might have known the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal from elsewhere. They were not working for the descendants of the Chen Dynasty, but thought the Imperial Seal was valuable and could be taken to the south or to the Heavenly Granted King to seek wealth and honor. Therefore, they came to Dragon Claw Peak three times in ten years to find the Imperial Seal.
The first time they might not have been sure of the location, the second time they focused on Liuhe Temple, threatened the abbot to comply, or promised some benefits, leading to the third time.
Gong Jun’s speculation was logical, but by a twist of fate, it was a case of Zhang San running into Li Si, a bull’s head meeting a horse’s mouth by chance.
The old monk’s eyes glazed over, and he trembled all over.
Trembling, he suddenly spat out white foam and fainted.
“Someone come in!”
Gong Jun called out, and the Jinyiwei outside the room entered in response.
“Help him up and find a doctor!” Gong Jun’s brows were tightly furrowed.
He didn’t know if the old monk was feigning illness or really sick. Regardless, he had made up his mind to stay in this room of Liuhe Temple and not leave.
“Carry him to that wooden couch over there! Immediately send someone to guard this room, and also dispatch people to guard the mountain gate and the pagoda. Keep an eye on all the monks in the temple.”
“…Lord Gong, we don’t have enough men!”
The Jinyiwei hesitated, unaware of the old monk’s identity.
Gong Jun tapped his fingers impatiently and said, “Then call some men back!”
Two of the Jinyiwei hurried out the door, unsure where to find a doctor quickly. Going to the capital city would probably take too long, so they could only try their luck in the villages at the foot of the mountain.
