The Delicate Lady Coroner Chapter 35: Two-color Lotus 07

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Chapter 35 Two Color Lotus 07

When Master Jingming arrived, although he brought the key to the underground palace, he looked a little nervous, "Master Marquis, it is customary for the underground palace to be opened every thirty years to protect the country. Now it is opened for the purpose of investigating the case. If it affects The destiny of the country——"

Huo Weilou looked at Jingming with some surprise, "Master is an eminent monk. You should know that it is the Buddha's spiritual bones that protect the Great Zhou Kingdom, not this empty underground palace. Now the spiritual bones and relics have long been lost. How does the master think that opening an underground palace can affect the destiny of the country?"

Jingming's complexion changed slightly and he said hurriedly: "In that case, the poor monk will take the Marquis into the underground palace."

Huo Weilou nodded, Lin Huai and others naturally followed, and Bo Ruoyou followed behind. Eunuch Fu next to him said excitedly: "The underground palace is usually inaccessible. Ten years ago, our family had never entered the underground palace. It is said that only eminent monks can enter this holy place where the Buddha's relics are enshrined, while ordinary people will lose their life if they enter."

Bao Ruoyou listened without any expression. Eunuch Fu looked at her, "Youyou, you are not afraid..."

Bao Ruoyou was a little embarrassed, "To be honest with my father-in-law, when the girl was young, she was told that she would not live to be eighteen. Now she is only half a year away from turning eighteen. If she really loses her life, she won't lose much."

Eunuch Fu took a breath of cold air and said, "Bah, bah, bah, don't say that. Buddha and the gods in the sky are listening. It would be bad if you take it seriously..."

Bo Ruoyou chuckled, and Eunuch Fu said suspiciously, "How could someone make such an assertion? Are they just deceiving monks and Taoists? Did they tell you that as long as you give them a certain amount of money, they can help you solve the robbery?" ”

However, Bo Ruoyou said: "My father-in-law guessed wrong, and the Taoist priest said it would not work even if he gave me money."

Eunuch Fu said in surprise, "This is unreasonable..."

Bao Ruoyou curved her lips and smiled, seemingly not taking the matter seriously. She turned her eyes and looked at Master Jingming who was walking in front, "After my father-in-law attended the relic ceremony ten years ago, when did he leave? ”

Eunuch Fu sighed, "At that time, the relic was lost, and His Majesty was furious. The sacrificial ceremony was originally a good thing, but the loss of the relic would not only affect the country's fortunes, but also be a sign of great misfortune. His Majesty was already tired from going south that night. He felt a little unwell, and originally planned to leave on the third day. Later, early on the second day, His Majesty went down the mountain and took the waterway back to Beijing. At that time, the matter was handed over to the Luozhou magistrate, that is, Mr. Feng. General Yue was the commander-in-chief at that time. , were also there to assist, and Mr. Wu and Mr. Wang, who were already responsible for the ceremony and wanted to stay behind to deal with the aftermath, also investigated the matter with them."

Eunuch Fu said helplessly: "But after a month of investigation, nothing was found. Mr. Feng was reprimanded for this, and he was promoted to the capital five years later. Mr. Wu and Mr. Wang were also affected to some extent. ."

Bo Ruoyou stared, "What about General Yue?"

Eunuch Fu said: "General Yue naturally could not avoid it. However, General Yue later made great achievements in suppressing the bandits, so he joined the Zhenxi Army. For a military general, the position of the commander-in-chief of a party is not low, but without military merit, It’s still difficult to climb up just by suppressing bandits and maintaining peace.”

Bao Ruoyou didn't know much about official positions in the DPRK, and his eyes suddenly flashed after hearing Eunuch Fu's words.

The group left the morgue, walked north along the main road in the temple, and went up the steps, passing the abbot's room, the Dharma hall, the Sutra library and other places, and then arrived at a high platform. There are towering pines and cypresses above, and the main bluestone road is divided into two, leading all the way up to the Changming Pagoda on the top of the mountain, and all the way around to the east.

Jingming pointed to the east, "The entrance to the underground palace is to the east——"

While walking on the Jingming Avenue, he said: "In the previous dynasty, the underground palace was built based on a natural cave. The main body is located in the belly of Qixia Mountain. After entering the outer gate, there are four more doors. Ten years ago, a poor monk accompanied and presided over it. Senior brother and two other senior uncles went in, and those two senior uncles also looked up to him with high moral standards, and they passed away one after another in the past few years."

Huo Weilou was noncommittal, and soon the group saw a copper door embedded in the stone wall in the dense pine forest.

The stone wall is straight, with stone carvings of Buddhist verses on both sides, and in the middle is a thick and simple bronze door. Two monks were guarding the door, and they were a little surprised to see Jingming appear.

Jingming then said: "On behalf of Your Majesty, Marquis Wu Zhao, come and enter the underground palace to have a look."

The two monks looked at each other, retreated to both sides, and stood holding monk sticks. Jingming said again: "They are monks from Luohan Hall, and they are responsible for guarding the underground palace. They can guard this place for six hours. Rain or shine, it is difficult for a monk with good concentration to hold on."

After Jingming finished speaking, he took out a few palm-sized keys and opened the first lock.

It has not been opened for ten years, and the copper lock is difficult. Jingming spent a lot of effort to open the door. As soon as the door opened, a damp and noisy atmosphere rushed towards him. Jingming held the lamp and led everyone Entered the corridor.

Only after entering the last of the five gates did they really enter the underground palace. Everyone was silent all the way. When they arrived at the fifth gate, they all held their breath and concentrated. They only heard a "click" and the copper lock opened in response. The thick copper door opened, and the underground palace of Famen Temple hidden behind the mysterious veil came into view.

The first thing you see is the 7749 stone steps. Going up the steps is a stone lotus pond platform. At the end is a corridor. Going inside the corridor is the front room of the underground palace. Jingming pointed in the direction of the front room. , "There is a middle room, a back room and a secret niche ahead. The five-layered treasure box contains the relics and has been enshrined in the secret niche——"

As soon as he entered the front room, he saw an Ashoka pagoda enshrined in the middle. Inside the pagoda was also a Buddhist secret treasure. Huo Weilou did not ask any questions, and passed the stone door to the middle room. There was a There is a white marble spiritual tent enshrined in a Buddhist ritual instrument. There is a triple treasure letter in the back room, which also enshrines Buddhist secret treasures. After passing the stone door here, Huo Weilou saw the copper box enshrined on the lotus platform at a glance.

The copper box has a simple shape and is equipped with a lock. However, at this moment, the rivets on one side of the lock are loose, and there are several Buddhist verses carved on it. It is impossible to tell whether there are relics inside just by looking at the appearance. Son, when Jingming saw this copper box, he seemed to recall the events of the past, "Back then, my senior brother held this box with his own hands to welcome the relics out. However, within less than a day of being placed on the grand ceremony, something happened. In full view of everyone, No one knows how the relic disappeared out of thin air."

Huo Weilou asked: "During the ceremony that day, was the copper box opened?"

Jingming shook his head, "No, these five treasures were all consecrated by eminent monks in the past. Every time during the ceremony, the copper box was asked to be taken out instead of taking out the relics directly. Moreover, this copper box The key was lost long ago in the previous dynasty, and it has not been opened in this dynasty for more than a hundred years. When the incident happened that day, His Majesty ordered someone to open the copper box, but it was the guards who pried it open with a knife. Because of this, the poor monks were able to open the box. I find it even more strange, how could anyone steal the golden coffin and the glass vase containing the relics through the copper box and the wooden letter."

Huo Weilou picked up the copper box. He took such a Buddhist treasure very casually. Jingming hesitated to speak. In the end, he held it in and said nothing. Huo Weilou waved to Lu Ke, who was following at the end. , "Come and see."

The underground palace was not exposed to the sun. The five heavy doors and the inner stone door protected several palace rooms very well. Lu Ke took the copper box in his hand, and there was almost no dust stain on it. He only took a glance at it. The lock on the copper box said: "This is a lock from northern Shanxi. The lock is square, but the keyhole is very strange. The key is in the shape of a long-handled spoon. There are hollow patterns on the bottom of the spoon. The lock can only be unlocked by inlaying the pattern into the keyhole. And The hidden patterns in the lock are different, and each lock has a key. If you don't know the structure of the lock, it is impossible to open it without damaging it."

On the day Emperor Jianhe ordered the copper box to be opened, he ordered the rivets on one side of the copper lock to be pried open. However, this part of the copper box was damaged at this time. How did the thief open the copper box that day?

Huo Weilou didn't believe in the art of retrieving objects through walls. He opened the copper box again and saw that there were both a sandalwood letter and a silver coffin inside. These two treasure letters were also very exquisite, but there was no deadlock.

"Take the copper box out." Huo Weilou ordered Lu Ke.

The several palace rooms are all within a small space and separated by stone gates, which can be said to be full of obstacles. Huo Weilou looked at each place sternly and asked: "Does anyone outside know about the structure of this copper box?"

Master Jingming shook his head and said, "It shouldn't have happened. This thing existed in the previous dynasty and has been enshrined in the underground palace ever since. Very few people have seen it."

Huo Weilou stared silently, Bo Ruoyou was far away and was also looking at the copper box. Huo Weilou waved, "Come here -"

Bo Ruoyou stepped forward. Lu Ke did not dare to be rude today and hurriedly showed the copper box to him. Bo Ruoyou looked at the loose rivets, then opened the lid and looked at the sandalwood box and silver coffin inside. They were all intact, and she asked: "This thing was only opened once ten years ago?"

Master Jingming nodded, "That's right."

Bo Ruoyou said casually: "Master Hou, it's dark here. You can only take a closer look when you go out."

The underground palace itself had no clues, and Huo Weilou did not waste any time. He led a group of people outside and walked out. Bo Ruoyou took a step behind. When he left the dark room, he couldn't help but glance at the lotus base enshrining the copper box.

This base is also the same seat. Due to its age, its color has become simple and dull. She thought for a while and then came out with everyone.

The underground palace was cramped and dark. The moment they walked out, everyone exhaled and the group returned to the morgue.

Ming Guilan was still examining the bones. He was a little surprised to see everyone coming and going so quickly. Lu Ke held the copper box and placed it on the long desk. Jingming saw it and said "Amitabha" and hurriedly put on his cassock. Take it off and "ask the donor to put this thing on top of the cassock."

Lu Ke touched his nose and followed suit.

Seeing that Jingming was really tight on this thing, Boruoyouji stepped forward to inspect it. The walls of the copper box were as smooth as a mirror, not to mention the opening, and there were not even a single scratch. This shows that it has been well preserved over the years. Except for the loose rivets, there were no signs of damage on the lock. Bo Ruoyou frowned and said, "A common girl once heard that the North Shan lock was made by a very famous locksmith in Jinzhou in the previous dynasty. Due to the complex internal structure and complicated craftsmanship, ordinary people rarely use this lock. In this case, the method of unlocking the lock will not be widely spread."

Huo Weilou did not expect that Bo Ruoyou knew a lot, so he said: "Even so, the person who stole the relics would not really have the ability to retrieve the relics from a distance, and there are no unnecessary signs of damage on the copper box. Most likely I’d start with the lock."

Bo Ruoyou agreed and began to examine it carefully. Lin Huai said from the sidelines: "But that day, the copper box was in front of everyone's eyes. How did the thief open the lock and steal things?"

A sneer appeared at the corner of Huo Weilou's lips, "There must be a way. No matter how theft is done, the person who steals it will always be deceptive. The unlocking step is unavoidable. Let's see if there is any evidence in the box."

Seeing Ming Guilan examining the pile of human bones, Huo Weilou asked him: "What can be found?"

Ming Guilan shook his head, "Master Hou, I am quite helpless this time."

Huo Weilou said: "There is no hurry."

At this time, Bao Ruoyou made a sound. Huo Weilou turned around and saw Bao Ruoyou taking out her personal snow-colored handkerchief from her sleeve. She was wiping something on the corner of the sandalwood handkerchief. When he took out the handkerchief, he saw a black stain on the snow-colored surface. The stain was dry, and he couldn't tell what it was for the moment. Bo Ruoyou picked it up with his fingertips and said, "It looks like lamp oil."

"Show me——"

Ming Guilan made a sound, Bo Ruoyou hurriedly handed over the handkerchief, Ming Guilan put it under the light and took a look, "It is indeed a greasy substance, rosin, or ghee. It has been too long. Done."

Bao Ruoyou looked at Master Jingming, whose expression changed slightly, "This... was opened once ten years ago. No one touched it again and was sent directly back to the underground palace."

In other words, in the past hundred years, it was only opened ten years ago.

Lin Huai hesitated for a moment, "Either it was left by the guards when His Majesty ordered it to be opened, or it was left by the thieves."

Jingming said, "The lock was opened by the imperial guard at your Majesty's side. After opening it with a knife, it was senior brother who came forward to check. Senior brother always respects holy objects and should not have dirt on his hands."

That's what the thief kept.

Huo Weilou stared, "It's not surprising that the thief got some lamp oil in the temple. Where was the lamp oil in the dojo that day?"

Jingming smiled bitterly and said, "There are bright lanterns everywhere."

Huo Weilou pondered for a moment and said, "Draw a sketch of the layout of the dojo that day, the location of the ceremony platform, what is placed on it, and where the everlasting lanterns are lit. Be sure not to omit any omissions. If you still remember, please place the distance between the relics and Draw the nearest people."

A thin sweat broke out on Jingming's forehead. Hearing this, he wiped the sweat and said, "I will draw it for the Marquis within today."

Huo Weilou nodded, and Jingming withdrew. Bo Ruoyou carefully checked the wooden box and silver coffin in the copper box, and found the same stain in the dark carved patterns of the silver coffin. There were more than one stain, which further proved that someone had opened the copper box. But in full view of everyone that day, it was really unbelievable how the thief succeeded.

"Master Hou, some adults have arrived."

Outside, Eunuch Fu reported softly. Huo Weilou looked back and saw Wang Qingfu and Wu Yu arriving. The three of them stepped forward to salute. Wu Yu said, "I wonder if the Marquis has any instructions?"

Back then, these three people arranged the ceremony. Huo Weilou was about to ask about the details, so he ordered the three people to go into the right compartment to inquire. When Bo Ruoyou saw Huo Weilou leaving, he carefully checked the inside and outside of the copper box. Nothing was found. Although the air flow in the underground palace was not painful and the palace was even dry, after ten years, the evidence was still likely to be lost.

She wrinkled up beautifully, her face was solemn, and her whole body was immersed in concentration and coldness. Ming Guilan looked at Bo Ruoyou like this, and his eyes were fixed on her for a moment, waiting for Bao Ruoyou to notice Ming Guilan. After looking at herself for a moment, she met Ming Guilan's gaze and was a little surprised, "Master, what advice can you give me?"

Ming Guilan laughed and shook his head, "Of course not, it's just that your appearance reminds me of someone."

Bo Ruoyou raised his eyebrows, and Ming Guilan pointed to the right compartment, "Master Hou, it reminds me of Master Hou."

Bo Ruoyou was even more surprised. Ming Guilan then said: "Such a person who is persistent and has no distractions will be outstanding no matter what he does. At such a young age, your skills are far better than ordinary ones. If a man can I want to gain fame by becoming an official, but unfortunately I am a daughter. Do you want to learn medicine?"

Medical skills are similar to the art of guzhuo, and Ming Guilan comes from a family of famous doctors. If you want to study medicine, having him recommend a teacher is a close step. However, Bo Ruoyou shook his head and said, "Women of the common people specialize in the art of guzhuo." , I have dabbled in medical skills, but it is difficult to concentrate on studying."

Ming Guilan was a little surprised. Being a widower in his daughter's family was not a long-term solution. However, if he practiced medicine and helped the world, he would not only be dignified and respected by others, but also win a good name for himself. He sighed, "Miss Bo makes people happy." Respect."

Bo Ruoyou said bluntly that he "didn't dare to take it". Seeing that he found nothing in the copper box, he had to put it aside and walked to the case to look at the pile of bones. Except for broken ribs, there were no injuries elsewhere on the white bones, and there was no sign of poisoning. It was really difficult to determine a person's identity just based on this pile of white bones. Bo Ruoyou stared at it, picking up pieces of bones or pieces. Split or connect, check the complexity.

Not long after, Bo Ruoyou frowned slightly, "Young master is good at medicine. Do you know that if a person has no external injuries, but his joints have bone spurs, what is the disease?"

This is the specialty of Ming Guilan. He immediately said: "Many joint pain symptoms are like this. One of the symptoms of osteoarthritis is osteoarthritis. The knuckles, ankles, knees, etc. are swollen. Wind pain is one of them. Second, the joints will also be painful and swollen at this time, and osteophytes will grow inside them. What does the bone spur look like?"

Bo Ruoyou gave the two phalanges to Ming Guilan, "At first, Minnu only found small bone spurs in the knees and other places, but after the murderer murdered the deceased, he dismembered the body with a sharp weapon. Minnu's bento was scraped with the murder weapon. The bones were left behind, but now the civilian girl found that they were also found in the knuckles, but the murderer did not dismember the knuckles as well, so these bone spurs must have grown from the deceased himself."

Ming Guilan looked at the two phalanges carefully and said, "If this is the case, patients will often have pain in their knuckles, especially after exertion."

Bo Ruoyou was certain in his heart that a single piece of evidence could not determine the identity of the deceased, but if he could obtain ironclad evidence from the corpse, it would be a different story. So he went out and asked the embroiderer, "Are the two masters Shicai Lingfan and Lingjue still there?" ?"

Liao Fan and Liao Jue did not follow them to the underground palace. When they came back, they did not see them. The embroidered messenger said: "They have gone back. Do you want to see them, girl?"

Bao Ruoyou was about to nod when he heard voices outside the courtyard, and the words were fierce, as if they were arguing. The sound caused Eunuch Fu and Lin Huai to come out from the right compartment, and they walked to the door of the courtyard together. .

Outside the courtyard, Liao Fan was quarreling with a monk who looked to be over his age.

"Master Liaofan, what's going on?"

Seeing that the people were startled, Liao Fan turned around and clasped his hands in salute, "The young monk heard that the Marquis came out of the underground palace and wanted to come to inquire, but he saw Senior Brother Qing sneaking around in the outer courtyard——"

When the other monk heard this description, his face immediately turned red, "Junior brother, you are so sneaky, don't talk nonsense, I just came to take a look."

Liao Fan sneered, "Senior Brother Liaoqing is not Master's disciple, so why are you so concerned about this case?"

He cleared his jaw and raised his head, "When things happen in the temple, everyone should be concerned." Seeing Eunuch Fu and others looking at him, he quickly saluted, "In this case, the young monk will leave without disturbing you. All the donors."

After he saluted, he turned around and left. His face was angry, but his steps were very fast.

Seeing that Fan was still angry, Bo Ruoyou hurriedly said: "Master Liaofan, do you dare to ask Master Jingkong if he has wind pain? Especially after a hard day's work——"

Liao Fan's eyes were fixed and he nodded quickly, "Yes, Master is old and does suffer from wind pain."

Lin Huai saw this and asked, "Has the girl tested positive?"

Bo Ruoyou nodded, "The deceased suffered from arthritis."

Lin Huai hesitated and said, "But most old people suffer from this disease."

Bo Ruoyou said casually, "The daughter of the people thought of it, so she asked Master Fan to think about it carefully. Where does Master Jingkong suffer from pain? Or is there any swelling?"

Liao Fan frowned, "Master's **** and big finger on his right hand are a bit thicker than ordinary people. Sometimes after worshiping Buddha for a long time, it is difficult to knock the wooden fish or twist the beads. In addition, the right knee is bent. Yes, Master's right leg It was difficult to use strength at one time, and every autumn and winter I had to recover before I could walk."

Bo Ruoyou's eyes were slightly bright, "I just inspected and found that the deceased's skeleton did have some lesions in these places. Although the elderly are prone to wind pain, there are many joints in the body, but there are not many people with these three places, and the bone age and age The similar stature, coupled with other physical evidence left with the bones, almost makes it possible to conclude that the deceased was Master Jingkong."

Liao Fan's eyes suddenly turned red when he heard this, "Little monk... the little monk knew that it was Master. Master has never left Famen Temple in these years. He died unjustly, so cracks appeared in the statue of the Venerable, and everything was in vain. In the world..."

Bo Ruoyou wanted to comfort her, but she didn’t know how to say anything. It took ten years for his bones to be exposed in front of others, which was really sad. She turned around and looked at the statue of the Venerable in the hall, and suddenly asked, "Will the statue of the Venerable be seen again in the future?" Use it?"

Liao Fan smiled bitterly for a moment and said, "How can a Buddha statue with hidden bones be respected by others?"

Bao Ruoyou nodded, and Eunuch Fu quickly asked, "What does Youyou want to do?"

Bo Ruoyou said casually, "The girl wants to smash the statue of the Lord open to see if there are any clues inside."

When the sound of "bang bang bang" sounded, Huo Weilou stepped out from the right compartment and saw the Buddha statue being carried out of the main hall and laid down on a carpet. Two embroiderers took hammers. The Buddha statue was being smashed, and the lotus base was the first thing to be smashed open. As soon as it was smashed open, many shriveled insect corpses fell out, which made people feel numb.

The people standing around dispersed, except for Bo Ruoyou, who was squatting next to the corpses on the ground, carefully looking at the inner wall of the bronze statue. Huo Weilou looked at her back with narrow eyes, and he didn't know when Ming Guilan slowly came to his side. .

"Miss Bo is so adorable."

"Hmm..." Huo Weilou responded, but quickly frowned, "Huh?"