Mountains and rivers pray for peace

Chapter 108
It was Jiang who stood up and spoke.

Jiang was already so angry that he didn't even notice that the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin on his head was crooked.

How much effort and money did the Yuan family invest in this Hetian Jade Guanyin?Now the bamboo basket is in vain. Not only has it failed to please the Queen Mother and Her Majesty, but it has also caused a lot of bad luck.

Today, Huo Qi first saw the abbot and the second concubine conversing in private, then the beam suddenly collapsed and hit the jade statue, which almost made the Empress Dowager Pei unlucky, and then the maid next to the second concubine was burned to death.

Who would believe that all this is a coincidence?
Maybe the second prince and the abbot of Baotan Temple colluded to destroy Jade Guanyin on purpose, and then took a maid to sacrifice to heaven.This maid's death is so ugly, can Emperor Xiaowen feel unlucky?At that time, maybe Emperor Xiaowen would still feel that the Yuan family was causing trouble, so he would force Chen Dongrong to present some jade statues?
Sometimes, success and failure are just a matter of a thought.

Huo Qi, who was invisible in the crowd, looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but curl his lips.

From the beginning, she deliberately said those specious words to Jiang.She and Mrs. Jiang have been mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for a lifetime, and she thinks she has a clear grasp of this mother-in-law's character.She knew that Jiang would not completely trust her words, but once the seeds of doubt were planted, it was only a matter of time before they took root and sprouted.Doesn't this come true right away?

Emperor Xiaowen at the other end pondered for a while, then winked at Xiao Xuan, the commander of the inner guard next to him: "Go up and see what's wrong with the beams of the hall."

Xiao Xuan saluted, and immediately jumped up and climbed up to the beam. He checked it for a long time before coming down and reporting: "Your Majesty, this beam has no traces of being gnawed by ants. It is just made of low-quality pine wood. This kind of wood It is extremely easy to break, and even ordinary people’s homes use this kind of pine wood very rarely.”

Emperor Xiaowen snorted, and his sharp eyes immediately flew out two sharp knives, stabbing the abbot impartially: "Huixuan, all the money allocated by the Ministry of Rites for support last month has been used? These inferior pine wood, Is it 100 taels per car, or 1000 taels per car!”

These words were very serious, even Princess De'an, who was always bluffing, knew that Emperor Xiaowen was angry after hearing this.

The muscles on Huixuan's face trembled slightly, and he kowtowed in horror, "Your Majesty, how dare I embezzle money at will? Vice-temple Huineng is responsible for the two expenditures of the temple's silver, so it's better to let him answer your majesty's words."

Huixuan cast his eyes on Huineng, who was kneeling on the back right, as if asking for help. However, Huineng looked much calmer. With his calm and relaxed appearance, he was even more enlightened than Huixuan. appearance.

He took a few steps forward and kneeled in front of Emperor Xiaowen: "In response to your majesty, there were several heavy snowfalls in the capital this year, and Mount Moutuo was forced to seal the mountain for several months. The hunters and carpenters in the mountain relied on the mountain to make a living. After sealing the mountain, they How can they make a living? So the temple allocates a lot of money to donate to the porridge factory. Furthermore, Baotan Temple spends a large amount of money every year to purchase wood to repair the temple. The poor monk saw that the carpenters were pitiful, so he bought them at a high price. The wood on hand. It’s just that these carpenters swore to the poor monk that they were all the best sandalwood. Who would have thought that such a big disaster would happen today. The poor monk is ignorant and begs your Majesty to punish you..."

Emperor Xiaowen's gloomy face looked a little better.

If it is true as Huineng said, Huixuan and Huineng not only did not commit crimes that led to death, but also had the virtue of living a good life. It was just because their ears were softer.But isn't what the monks pay attention to is compassion?
What is really shameful are those greedy carpenters.

The second prince finally stopped Qin's crying. When he saw Emperor Xiaowen's expression, he knew that his attitude towards Huixuan had softened. He also knelt in front of Emperor Xiaowen: "Father, I will die today." This maid, Lian'er, is Huiyun's dowry maid. Although her death was just an accident, God is kind and kind, so please allow Huiyun to light a longevity lamp for Lian'er later."

Hearing these words in Qin's ears, she naturally felt that her husband was so considerate, and the grief of the dowry maid who had just died was relieved a lot.Hearing it from Emperor Xiaowen's ears, he naturally felt that his son was benevolent.

But when he heard Huo Qi's ears, he couldn't help but laugh.

The second prince did not care at all about the death of someone in his house, and couldn't wait to characterize the matter as an accident.If it was really for Lian'er's good, shouldn't he be relentless in finding the murderer?

Also found it funny, and the Fifth Prince Shen Yuxian.

Seeing the second prince's hypocritical appearance, he couldn't help but feel nauseous.He, the second emperor brother, has always been known for his fame.Normally, it's just a matter of pretending to those court ladies and eunuchs in the palace, but now he has to ask for a longevity lamp for a dowry maid in Baotan Temple, it's too much for a show.

He was always happy to see the second prince in misfortune, especially when he himself was already unlucky.Now that Jiang's aunt has raised questions and the second emperor brother seems to be exonerating the abbot and monk, he might as well add fuel to the fire.

The fifth prince sneered at Huineng: "The monk really recited too many scriptures, and his words are also sharp. You said that the carpenter on the mountain lied to you. What evidence do you have? You can't touch your teeth. What Master Huineng said is right." what?"

The second prince now really wanted to bite the fifth emperor's brother to death for adding insult to injury, but he couldn't say any more, otherwise he would really be beaten for shielding Huixuan.

Empress Dowager Pei's eyebrows did not move, and she took turns to look at the second prince and the fifth prince for a moment before saying: "Emperor, why don't you send someone to find some carpenters on the mountain to ask questions."

Emperor Xiaowen never dared to say much about what Empress Dowager Pei said, so he quickly and respectfully acknowledged it.His eyes moved around the crowd, and finally fell on Huo Xian: "Huo Aiqing, since you escorted the jade statue and guarded the Baotan Temple for several days, you are naturally the most familiar with the situation here. It's better for you to run."

Huo Xian was suddenly called upon, and he hurriedly went out to salute, and according to Emperor Xiaowen's instructions, he ordered a few internal guards to accompany him to find the carpenter in the mountain.Fortunately, he had quick legs and was really familiar with the surroundings of Baotan Temple, so he quickly led a few carpenters back to deliver the work.

When Huo Xian came back, Emperor Xiaowen had already led everyone to the Zen courtyard where they rested in the back mountain.

The biggest "officials" those carpenters had seen on weekdays were Huineng, the deputy temple of Baotan Temple, and Huo Xian just now. Now when they first saw the emperor, their legs were shaking with fear, and they couldn't help but kneel on the ground. Kowtow: "Common people see you, your majesty, you see your majesty."

When Emperor Xiaowen saw the carpenter's attitude, he felt a little uncomfortable.

Speaking of which, he claims to be a good emperor who is diligent in government and loves the people. When he was young, he would often pay private visits in disguise to understand the people's sentiments. The folks are naturally indifferent to the suffering of these people.

These carpenters were in ragged clothes, with sallow complexion and thin skin, which made one wonder whether they could have enough to eat.Perhaps it was because he often encountered sharp rocks when walking in the mountains, and even the straw sandals on his feet had a few holes. The black mud and blood on his big toes were mixed together, which was really unbearable.

He winked at Eunuch Li, and Eunuch Li helped the carpenters up with great insight.Emperor Xiaowen deliberately showed an approachable attitude: "You don't have to be nervous, I just called you here to ask, did you sell a batch of wood to Baotan Temple before?"

When Qian Wu, the head carpenter, heard this, a trace of resentment quickly flashed in his eyes, but he accidentally caught a glimpse of the face that he feared the most - Hui Neng.Huineng was staring at him motionlessly with warning eyes, and the threat in his eyes was self-evident.

He had no choice but to grimace and say yes.

When Emperor Xiaowen saw what Qian Wu said, his pity just now was diluted a bit, and his expression became serious immediately: "Then you sold some low-quality pine wood at the high price of sandalwood?"

After hearing this, Qian Wu seemed to be in disbelief, and also seemed to be too frightened and angry. He couldn't help but breathe loudly.But he quickly clenched his fists as if resigned to his fate, knelt down and kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, it was the lard that fooled the common people... Seeing that Master Huineng didn't understand wood, he traded fish eyes for pearls and sold inferior pine wood. , please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Shen Yuning had been watching from the sidelines, looking like he didn't want to meddle in other people's business. At this moment, he lazily leaned against the pillar with his arms folded and sneered: "The price of sandalwood is not cheap. Since you are greedy for so much money, why? Are you reluctant to exchange for a pair of good shoes? Besides, how can anyone admit something wrong immediately without denying it? I advise you to tell the truth. If you lie again, it will be the crime of deceiving the emperor. This will be punished by Zhu Jiu Clan .”

　Five princes have professionally poured oil for 100 years ()
　　
　
(End of this chapter)