allonlinenovel Chapter 384 Corpses Everywhere
Chapter 384 Corpses Everywhere
Unexpectedly, Su Qingchan received no response from the Dali Temple, so she became determined to kneel at the temple gate for a long time.
Her wounds had not yet scabbed over, and kneeling for so long caused them to reopen, with blood gushing out and soaking her clothes.
However, she remained kneeling outside the Dali Temple, unwavering in the slightest.
People passing by Dali Temple would stop and gaze at it.
Seeing Su Qingchan so frail yet unyielding, they felt both sympathy and anger, but no one dared to step forward.
The common people cannot fight against the officials; this is a painful lesson that these people of humble origins have learned through countless tears and blood.
Su Qingchan knelt outside the Dali Temple for three consecutive days until the evening of the third day, when she finally collapsed from exhaustion.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review sent someone to take her to a clinic.
At this point, almost everyone was convinced that the matter would simply end there.
What happened next was utterly appalling and astonishing to everyone.
The Prince Yong's mansion was broken into by a group of江湖盗贼 (jianghu thieves) in the middle of the night!
The next morning, the entire capital was abuzz with this astonishing news.
Some curious onlookers rushed over to see what was happening and discovered it.
The garden of Prince Yong's mansion, which was planted with exotic flowers and rare herbs, was turned upside down and countless bones were scattered all over the ground, a shocking scene.
Moreover, gruesome skeletons were found both inside and outside the walls of the Prince Yong's mansion.
To the Dali Temple's utter surprise, skeletons were also found thrown outside the temple, and the words "Wrongful Souls Seeking Revenge" were written in red liquid on the ground in front of the skeletons.
On that day, the bailiffs of the Dali Temple opened the gate early in the morning and saw this horrifying scene. They were so frightened that their legs went weak and they almost fainted on the spot.
This news spread like wildfire throughout Shengjing City.
People were talking about it everywhere, and everyone was filled with anxiety.
Upon learning the news, Li Fu rushed to the Dali Temple.
When he saw the skeletons and the striking blood-red words, he turned pale with fright, his vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.
When he slowly woke up in the Dali Temple, he opened his eyes and saw the person sitting opposite him. He was so excited that he stood up immediately and walked over without even putting on his shoes properly.
He bowed deeply to the newcomer, his waist almost parallel to the ground, his face filled with fear, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, what... what should we do... what should this humble official do next?"
Li Fu was truly panicked at this moment, completely at a loss.
This matter has now aroused public outrage. It is said that the group of people who went to dig up the ground at Prince Yong's mansion last night are famous "knights-errant" in the martial arts world. These people usually act chivalrously in the martial arts world, specializing in doing good deeds to punish evil and promote good, and they have a very high reputation among the people.
At this moment, almost all the people in the city believed that Prince Yong had committed the crime of abusing and killing women.
Outside the Dali Temple, thousands of people gathered to protest, their emotions running high, shouting for severe punishment of Prince Yong.
Li Fu was initially puzzled as to why there were so many people.
Upon inquiring, they learned that the Prince Yong's mansion had been stormed by angry citizens early that morning. Many of them recognized the skeletons as those of their long-lost family members and were overcome with grief, their cries echoing through the air.
The corpses outside the Dali Temple had been moved in by the constables and placed in the front courtyard of the Dali Temple.
Prince Chen glanced at Li Fu, but did not answer. Instead, he got up and walked to the front yard.
Li Fu hesitated for a moment, then followed.
Because they had just been dug out of the ground, the remains were covered in mud, making it difficult to see their true appearance. Even so, everyone could tell that these bodies had been buried deep in the Yong Prince's Mansion for a long time.
Because all that's left are bones.
Prince Chen's face was cold and stern. He had always been weak and lacked imposing presence, but now his eyes were as sharp as cold stars.
He stared intently at the skeleton on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.
Li Fu stood to the side, barely daring to breathe, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and soaking his shirt.
“Lord Li,” Prince Chen finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice, “when Su Qingchan asked you to send someone to investigate, why did you ignore her request?”
“This, this…” Li Fu was speechless.
Little did he know that what Su Qingchan said was true.
No, it should be that he didn't take Su Qingchan's words to heart at all at the time.
Li Fu's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he stammered, "This...this official thought that Su Qingchan was talking nonsense, but I didn't know that what she said was the truth..."
In fact, if he had actually sent someone to investigate, even if the remains were found in the Prince Yong's residence, only the officials of the Dali Temple and the people in the Prince's residence would have known.
At that time, these people should keep the news a secret and not let it spread.
But now, that group of "martial arts heroes" have dug up the land of the Prince Yong's mansion and made the matter known to everyone. Li Fu can silence the Dali Temple and the Prince Yong's mansion, but he cannot silence the gossip of the people!
Could he possibly kill all the people in Shengjing who know about this?
Li Fu was filled with remorse at this moment.
If he had known this day would come, he should have sent someone to check earlier!
But it's too late to regret it now.
Prince Chen looked at Li Fu and said, "Your negligence has led to the current situation."
"Lord Li, the evidence is now conclusive. If the Dali Temple does not take action soon, it will be difficult to quell public anger."
Li Fu said with a mournful face, "Your Highness, I understand, but His Majesty... intends to protect Prince Yong. I am truly in a dilemma."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
My hands were trembling uncontrollably.
He was truly being roasted over a fire.
On one side was the emperor, and on the other was the overwhelming anger of the people.
He doesn't even dare to leave the Dali Temple right now, for fear of being devoured alive by the enraged crowd.
Prince Chen looked at him and gave a cold laugh, "Isn't this something Lord Li asked for?"
Upon hearing this, Li Fu was stunned.
Prince Chen said no more and turned to leave Dali Temple with Mingwei.
He left only one sentence: "Lord Li, I am unwell, so I will trouble you to handle all the affairs of the Dali Temple during this period."
Li Fu watched helplessly as Prince Chen left the Dali Temple, still in a daze.
A constable stepped forward and cautiously asked, "Sir, what should we do now?"
Li Fu finally came to his senses. He glared at the constable, his eyes wide, and roared, "What can we do? What else can we do! Quickly go and properly arrange those skeletons, then go door to door asking around to see if we can confirm the identities of the deceased. If we miss anyone, you'll lose your heads!"
The constable trembled with fright, shrank back, and hurriedly obeyed the order and left.
Li Fu paced back and forth alone, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
He secretly groaned in his heart.
With Prince Chen's departure, he completely dumped this hot potato on him.
But it's too late to avoid it now.
With such a major case, the Dali Temple could no longer refuse to take it on. As for the Emperor, they could only wait and see.
Given the current situation, the Emperor may not be able to protect Prince Yong...