"Madam, I told you, Prince Andrei did not want to go back of his own accord."
Listening to someone's unreasonable argument, Leng Ningyue extended her delicate index finger and tapped the man's forehead.
Unlike before, this time the tap was quite forceful, and several red marks could be clearly seen on Lin Qingge's forehead.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Lin Qingge dared not speak, and could only cast his gaze upon Abbot Xuanjing, who was not far away.
"As the saying goes, a leaf obscures the view.
This Guanyin Hall appears to be in plain sight, but who could have imagined that the Guanyin statue, worshipped daily by people, would itself be an excellent place to hide a person?
It's hollowed out inside; not to mention the tall Prince Andrei, even if you were to stuff me in here, there would still be plenty of room!"
After hearing Lin Qingge's words, Abbot Xuanjing no longer argued but generously admitted:
"Amitabha, as expected of Master. I did not expect my small trick to be seen through so quickly by Master.
However—
Was it not Master who ordered me to hide Prince Andrei?"
"What?!"
Lin Qingge, who did not remember and could not possibly have ordered Abbot Xuanjing to do such a thing, could not help but exclaim.
Seeing this, Abbot Xuanjing finally sensed something was amiss and could not help but ask with confusion:
"What, was it not Master who ordered it?
I still have a token and a note left by Master."
As Abbot Xuanjing spoke, he took out a plaque engraved with the character 'Lin' and a note from his怀.
Lin Qingge took them and examined them carefully, then frowned and said:
"This note was not written by me; someone copied it by imitating my handwriting."
Lin Qingge was very certain.
Back then, in order to adapt to this world, she had spent three years copying the calligraphy left by her elder brother at home. Therefore, no one knew Lin Jinghang's handwriting better than she did.
Although the person who wrote this note had imitated it vividly, the stroke pressure was slightly greater than that of her elder brother, causing the characters on the note to lack a bit of its elegant and unrestrained feel.
The most crucial point was that her elder brother and his wife had not faked their deaths like Bai Yichen but had been truly killed and then cremated by her own hands.
As for the token engraved with the character 'Lin', it was indeed her elder brother's possession.
She had seen it on her elder brother's waist before. Because a corner was missing, she had even teased him about it.
She had said that as someone who had achieved the third rank in the imperial examinations, he still wore such an old item, and it would be easy for him to be pointed at when he went out.
At that time, her elder brother had simply smiled.
Who would have thought she was too hasty!
This seemingly unremarkable, worn-out waist token was actually an important token?
No wonder she hadn't found it when sorting through her brother's belongings.
She had thought it was accidentally dropped by her elder brother and his wife while fleeing, but it turned out someone had stolen it.
Wait!
Did that mean that the person who gave the note and the token to Abbot Xuanjing was the murderer of her elder brother and his wife!!!
Upon thinking this, Lin Qingge's gaze suddenly sharpened:
"Abbot Xuanjing, who gave you these two items?"
Abbot Xuanjing, who had belatedly realized, thought for a moment and answered seriously:
"Replying to Master, a three-year-old child, who came to the temple with his family to offer incense, passed them to this humble monk.
Because immediately after, I received news of Master's visit with the delegation from Chile Kingdom, I did not think much of it at the time."
"To be honest, this token has been missing for over half a year. I thought I had lost it carelessly, but now it seems it was stolen by someone with intent.
However, only a handful of people know the use of this token. Abbot Xuanjing, do you have any thoughts?"
Lin Qingge's words were half true and half false. Abbot Xuanjing heard this and chanted Buddha's name:
"Amitabha.
As far as this humble monk knows, although there are many hidden operatives like myself lurking in Great Xia, these operatives do not contact each other.
Only when Master personally arrives or presents this token can all the operatives be dispatched.
And this token is only possessed by the heir of the former imperial lineage.
Since this humble monk took over the role of operative from the previous abbot, I have only seen Master."
...
Lin Qingge suppressed the urge to throw the hot potato in her hand away and, with a calm expression, ordered:
"Move Prince Andrei out of the Guanyin statue and place him on the meditation cushion in this hall.
Say that Guanyin heard Prince Andrei's sincere wishes and invited him into her immortal abode to personally recite scriptures for him.
In short, it was a manifestation of Guanyin's divine power."
After giving the instructions, Lin Qingge, carrying the token, left with Leng Ningyue.
The two did not return to the temporary courtyard but walked out of the Putuo Temple.
Walking on a deserted path, Leng Ningyue spoke softly:
"I thought you would have taken Abbot Xuanjing and the others back to the yamen as well."
"I did consider that at first, but doing so would alert the enemy, and it felt like an overreaction.
After all, Prince Andrei suffered no serious harm other than being drugged and missing a couple of meals, and Abbot Xuanjing and the others were also acting on someone else's orders."
Meeting those eyes that seemed to see through everything, Lin Qingge surrendered:
"Alright, I admit it.
I am worried that the mastermind behind this orchestrated this entire affair not only to provoke conflict between the two countries by causing Prince Andrei's disappearance but also to target 'me', or rather, to expose 'my' identity as an orphan of the former imperial family.
If I were to rashly treat this as a case, I cannot guarantee that the mastermind has prepared any countermeasures that could be fatal to me.
After all, the mastermind is fully aware of my every move.
Therefore, my best course of action now is to remain calm and observe."
Leng Ningyue's eyes flashed with a cold glint upon hearing this, "Are you saying that the mastermind behind this scheme is by our side?"
"Most likely."
Lin Qingge frowned, "The visit of the Chiled Kingdom delegation to Putuo Temple was a last-minute decision proposed by Master Hua.
However, Abbot Xuanjing received the token and note at the same time we arrived at Putuo Temple, which can only mean that someone close to me leaked the information."
"Could it be Master Hua?"
"It's unlikely. Hua Jinrong is a bit glib-tongued, but what he says is generally trustworthy."
Lin Qingge then recounted her meeting with Bai Yichen to Leng Ningyue.
Leng Ningyue's brows furrowed even tighter after hearing this, "If it's not Master Hua, then who could it be?"
"Whoever it is, I will definitely find them!"
Lin Qingge said through gritted teeth, then drooped her head in dejection,
"However, until that person fully reveals themselves, I can only wait and see."
The next day.
Prince Andrei was discovered in the Guanyin Hall.
Although the explanation of Guanyin's divine manifestation was somewhat far-fetched, Prince Andrei himself firmly believed it.
He insisted that he heard Guanyin's voice in his sleep, saying that Guanyin would bless him to win the beauty's heart.
Thus, the matter was ultimately dropped.
However, after returning from Putuo Temple, Prince Andrei became much more well-behaved.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the new emperor's enthronement arrived.
As per custom, Lin Qingge, as the Prefecture Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture with a fourth-rank official position, also had to attend.
Dressed in her official robes, Lin Qingge arrived at the palace gate. As she alighted from the carriage and was about to enter, she was stopped by the guards at the gate.
"This is the Imperial Palace. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter!"
Following the gaze of the gate guards, Lin Qingge realized that the former was not referring to her, but to the people following behind her, which amused her.