Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 238: The Color of Luxury
Qiu Erlang covered his ears, as if some voice was speaking to him, and shouted frantically: "Forgive me, spare me, great monk."

He kowtowed and said, "Master Wang, I plead guilty. I plead guilty."

The people of Cuihua Village are simple and honest. Quarrels between people in the east and west of the village are common things. The villagers have never heard of murder. Several people standing in front of Meng's house were stunned by fear.

Wang Heng was just about to ask Qiu Erlang to get up and ask him about the matter, but Qiu Erlang became so excited that he fainted.

Mr. Meng asked the farmhand to get some cold water for Qiu Erlang to wash his face. Fortunately, Qiu Erlang woke up soon.

Seeing Qiu Erlang's dull eyes, Wang Heng was afraid that this would cause him to have another accident, so he discussed with Mr. Meng to borrow an ox cart from him to take Qiu Erlang to Jubao Temple to be dealt with by the monks in the temple.

Mr. Meng readily agreed. His eldest son, Meng Dalang, was mature and prudent, so he asked him to accompany the ox cart to escort Wang Heng and Xiaocai back to the temple safely.

Old Man Qiu and several other farmers were shocked to hear that Qiu Erlang had surrendered himself and killed the monk from Jubao Temple, but they could not bear to leave Qiu Erlang and his close relatives behind, so they had to follow the ox cart.

When we set off again, the sunset glow was almost fading and the heat was almost gone. In less than half an hour we arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Xiaocai chatted with Meng Dalang for a while, and seeing that he was an honest man, he asked him, "Brother Meng, what is that vast expanse of white water on the east side of the road? It looks like a beautiful view from afar."

Meng Dalang was thirty years old. He looked in the direction Xiaocai pointed. Suddenly, his brows furrowed. He said, "I heard from the elders that the lake and mountains once belonged to our Cuihua Village. I don't know what happened and it was abandoned. The elders did not allow the villagers to go near it."

Meng Dalang noticed Xiaocai's stunned expression and said sternly, "Master Wang, you must not go there. It's not clean."

Xiaocai's expression was startled. That place was not clean. Could it be haunted?
He looked at Meng Dalang in confusion. Meng Dalang met his eyes, roughly guessed what he was thinking, and nodded solemnly.

Everyone moved forward in silence, and the driver drove the ox cart back to Meng's house. Meng Dalang insisted on sending Wang Heng and Xiaocai to Jubao Temple on the mountain.

Qiu Erlang was still being carried by the sturdy man. He closed his eyes tightly and it was hard to tell whether he was asleep or awake.

Climbing up the steps from the foot of the back mountain, you will reach the release pond next to the villa in a quarter of an hour. At this time, night is falling and fireflies are flying among the mountains and fields.

Wang Heng thought for a moment and asked everyone to go into the Vimalakirti Courtyard to wait, and asked Xiaocai to go to the temple to invite Zhang Xiru over.

After a cup of tea, Zhang Xiru and Wuming arrived hurriedly. Not long after, two monks, one fat and one thin, Guangwen and Guangliang, also arrived. It seemed that Mr. Zhang did not dare to take charge of the discussion and asked them to come and listen together.

Everyone sat down in the entrance hall of the villa. When Wang Heng saw that everyone was present, he recounted in detail what he had seen and heard in Cuihua Village, excluding his experience at Liu Biejia's residence.

How he met Qiu Erlang, the pilgrim who first discovered Guangheng's body the day before, in front of Meng Yuanwai's house. At this time, Qiu Erlang had gone mad. He had heard of Wang Heng's name and surrendered himself to him.

Zhang Xiru interrogated Qiu Erlang, asking him why he killed Guangheng?
Qiu Erlang was crazy and the dead monk Guangheng seemed to be asking for his life, so his confession was incoherent.

The rough guess is that Qiu Erlang went up the mountain to burn incense and met Monk Guangheng at the waterfall viewing pavilion.

It was dusk and there was no one around. Monk Guangheng had valuables with him. Qiu Erlang was blinded by greed and wanted to steal the treasures. He stabbed Guangheng in the left abdomen from behind with a dagger and killed him on the spot.

Qiu Erlang originally wanted to escape, but when he killed Guangheng, he couldn't help but scream. There was no one around the waterfall viewing pavilion, but he felt that there was someone on the mountain path who seemed to have heard his scream. So he thought quickly and pretended to be passing by and was frightened by the crime scene, and shouted all the way to Jubao Temple to report the news.

Zhang Xiru asked angrily, "What did you steal?"

Qiu Erlang smiled foolishly and said, "Gold." Guangliang scolded Old Man Qiu, "Do you know where the gold is hidden?"

Old man Qiu was uneasy and said, "I really don't know that my son came home empty-handed this morning."

Zhang Xiru winked at Guangliang and said, "Search him."

Inside the pocket of Qiu Erlang's summer cloth shirt, they found something that was clearly not in keeping with his status: a gold filigree coin with a butterfly inlaid on it.

Everyone was stunned by the luxurious look and wealth. They wondered why Qiu Erlang would take such a risk and kill for money.

Zhang Xiru had been an official in the capital and had seen the world. He was very confused. Such luxurious gold jewelry was a rare item even for noble ladies in the capital. How could Monk Guangheng own it?
Wang Cai paid attention to the expressions of everyone present, and seeing that they all looked obsessed, he was afraid that something might happen, so he quickly took out a white handkerchief from his bosom, wrapped it with a gold silk heart, and handed it to Zhang Xiru.

Wang Heng said, "Brother Xiru, the treasure is kept by the abbot, what should we do with Qiu Erlang?"

Zhang Xiru solemnly took the golden silk ribbon, walked to the door with Guangwen and Guangliang, and lowered his head to discuss for a moment.

Soon he came to the crowd again and said, "Someone died in the temple, so we should report it to the authorities. Since Qiu Erlang surrendered himself, I will not make things difficult for you. I will not tie you up. I will ask Old Man Qiu to guard you. You can stay in the other courtyard for one night. Tomorrow morning, someone from the temple will escort you to the Jiangning County Office to report it to the authorities."

Zhang Xiru turned around and said to the Wang brothers, "Qilang and Xiaocai, help me go to the Jiangning County Office tomorrow and bring the evidence, Jin Leisi Tiaoxin, to the County Office."

Wang Heng and Xiaocai bowed in agreement.

The other three farmers who followed Old Man Qiu up the mountain were all terrified when they heard that Qiu Erlang was going to be taken to the government. The strong man who had carried Qiu Erlang on his back said to Zhang Xiru with a smile, "Sir, I have a lot of work to do in my family and fields. Now that I have brought Qiu Erlang to justice, it's time for me to go home."

The other two also said they were busy in the fields and had to hurry down the mountain.

Zhang Xiru pondered and said, "You fellow villagers are not involved in the case, so you should come and go freely. I would like to remind you that you must be careful when going down the mountain in the dark."

The farmers all said that they were very familiar with the mountain roads and that nothing would happen.

Zhang Xiru waved his hand and told them to do as they pleased. The three men left in a hurry as if they had been pardoned.

Meng Dalang decided to stay in the villa for one night and go down the mountain tomorrow morning.

Guangliang ordered the young monks in the other courtyard to take the father and son of the Qiu family to the bedroom and lock them up. Qiu Erlang was crazy and stupid and had no fear. Guangwen sighed secretly, saying that his junior brother Guangheng was a man of great learning and character, but he didn't expect to die at the hands of such a madman.

After everything was arranged, Zhang Xiru turned and left the courtyard. Wang Heng followed closely and whispered, "Brother Xiru, we must arrange for the monks in the temple to guard the courtyard tonight to prevent any unexpected incidents."

Zhang Xiru nodded and said to Guangliang, "You make the arrangements."

Guangliang said, "Uncle Master, rest assured. I will gather my fellow disciples and divide them into two shifts to guard the night. I will definitely make the courtyard as secure as a rock."

Wang Heng was still thinking about the whereabouts of the Feishan Golden Lantern, one of the six scenic spots on Jubao Mountain, so he said to Zhang Xiru, "I would also like to ask Brother Xiru to write a letter to the magistrate of Jiangning County, so that I and Xiaocai can check the historical records of Jiangning."

Zhang Xiru said: "That's easy. Jiangning Wu Ling is a member of my Xingshe."

We agreed to meet before departure tomorrow, and then everyone went their separate ways.