People are in Zhenguan, solving crimes scientifically

Chapter 320 The ultimate showdown is coming!
Inside a dark underground room in Chang'an City.

The flickering candlelight cast two figures on the stone wall.

"Star Lord, we found that Wei Zheng and Dai Zhou went to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall in the East Palace to arrange for guards. Then they sent people to find Popo and told him that he couldn't bring too many people to pray... Do you think they have realized that praying would be dangerous?"

The man wearing the white tiger mask sat steadily on the stone bench. After hearing his subordinates' words, he said calmly, "So what if they guessed it? So what if they didn't guess it? As long as they don't know our specific action plan, no matter how much they think, the result will not change at all."

"The struggle now is just in vain."

Upon hearing this, the subordinates nodded repeatedly: "That's right. From their actions, we can see that they are completely ignorant of our real plan. Everything they are doing now is meaningless."

Baihu leaned back, his dark eyes looking through the mask at the flickering candlelight, and asked, "Is there anything special going on with Lin Feng?"

The subordinate was puzzled: "Isn't Lin Feng already dead? Why is the Star Lord still paying attention to him?"

"No need to waste time, just answer directly." Baihu was dissatisfied with his subordinates' questioning.

The subordinate lowered his head quickly and said, "Star Lord, there is nothing unusual with Lin Feng. Dai Zhou wanted to bury Lin Feng, but Xiao Man'er and Zhao Shiwu opposed it. They said they wanted to keep vigil for Lin Feng as Lin Feng's relatives. Dai Zhou asked Li Shimin, and Li Shimin agreed to Xiao Man'er and Zhao Shiwu's request. Now the two of them will keep vigil for Lin Feng... and those who had a good relationship with Lin Feng in the past, or those who had received Lin Feng's favor in the case, have also gone to pay their respects in the past few days. The Star Lord of the Pleiades even went to Lin Feng every day to check in person. Everything is normal."

"What about the others? Those officials who have a good relationship with Lin Feng, as well as Wei Zheng, Dai Zhou and others, have any mysterious people met with them secretly in the past few days, or sent them secret letters?" Baihu continued to ask.

"No, we have people keeping an eye on these people all the time, and we haven't found anything like this happening to them."

Baihu nodded and said, "It seems that Lin Feng is really dead."

When the subordinate heard Bai Hu's words, he couldn't help but blink in confusion. Wasn't Lin Feng someone Bai Hu personally sent to deal with? Why was Bai Hu still not confident?
Baihu could naturally see what his subordinates were thinking, but he had no intention of explaining. Perhaps others would think that he had been bewitched by Lin Feng, but in his opinion, it would not be too much to be cautious against a cunning person like Lin Feng who had repeatedly made Xinggong suffer.

Tomorrow is the day when the ultimate plan will be implemented, and he must not allow any accidents to happen.

"Where is Li Shimin? Is there anything unusual?" Baihu continued to ask.

The subordinate shook his head and said, "The spies in the palace didn't find anything unusual. Li Shimin first met with Dai Zhou and Wei Zheng today, and then received the letter of plea from Li Tai. However, Li Tai's plea not only failed to gain Li Shimin's forgiveness, but it completely angered Li Shimin, so that Li Shimin went to the Prince of Yue's mansion and beat Li Tai severely, making Li Tai cry for his parents. After that, Li Shimin returned to the palace and has been handling official business. Until now, he has not seen anyone again."

"Prayer letter? Have you confirmed it?" The eyes under the White Tiger mask suddenly narrowed.

The subordinate nodded quickly: "It has been confirmed, it is Li Tai's handwriting, and although there is no explicit word "ask", the whole article is full of the meaning of begging."

Bai Hu laughed and said, "It seems that Li Tai has finally grown after being used by us, but this growth makes Li Shimin unhappy... That's right, Li Chengqian is in a coma, and Li Chengqian's coma was caused by Li Tai. As a result, Li Shimin punished Li Tai for just a few days, and Li Tai couldn't stand it anymore. He even played tricks on Li Shimin and hoped that Li Shimin would lift the punishment on him. It would be strange if Li Shimin didn't get angry."

The subordinate quickly said: "Star Lord is right, Li Tai really deserves a beating."

"Go ahead and fight. If he can fight to his heart's content before he dies, it will be worth it for Li Shimin to be a father."

Baihu leaned back, his eyes reflecting the dancing candle flame under the white tiger mask with bared fangs. He said slowly: "It seems that everything is completely within our plan and control. If so, there will be no more surprises."

"tomorrow……"

He raised the corners of his mouth and said without blinking: "This is the moment when the Tang Dynasty changes!"

…………

The night passed quickly as the undercurrent surged.

Finally, with the rising sun the next day, the much-anticipated day of prayer arrived.

Early morning, Lin Mansion.

The lantern with the word "甸" written on it was swaying in the wind, and the white silk on the door frame was also blown around like rootless duckweed.

Xiao Maner, dressed in plain clothes, slowly came to the door. She nodded to the guards who guarded outside the door day and night, and then walked into the hall.

In the center of the hall, there was a dark red coffin. In front of the coffin was a table with an incense burner, candlesticks and some sacrificial items on it. At this moment, blue smoke was rising from the incense burner and the candlelight was flickering, never going out even in the daytime. In front of the table, there were two figures standing, staring at the coffin silently.

Xiao Maner first glanced at the coffin, then let out a long breath and came to Sun Fujia.

She said softly, "Doctor Sun, it's almost time, you have to leave."

Hearing the voice, Sun Fujia shifted his gaze and looked at Xiao Maner. He saw that Xiao Maner's brows were furrowed and her eyes were a little swollen due to crying for a long time. The originally quiet and elegant Xiao Maner now looked like duckweed, as if she would be blown down by the wind.

He sighed deeply and said, "Miss Man'er, you have to take care of yourself. If you ruin your health because of Zide, I believe Zide would never approve of it even if he knew about it in his grave."

Xiao Maner nodded reluctantly: "Don't worry, Doctor Sun, Maner will take good care of herself."

Sun Fujia knew that this kind of thing could not be forced, and he could only hope that the smart and clever Xiao Maner could really get out of her sadness.

He looked at the coffin again and said, "Today is the day when the monks from the Western Regions prayed for blessings. It is also the day predicted by Zi De for the Four Elephants Organization to take action... If Zi De were still alive, he would be very excited today, right? After all, he loves challenges. The more critical the moment is, the more motivated he will be."

"He once told me that he wanted to play a good game of chess with the master of the most mysterious Four Symbols Organization. He tried his best to find clues about the Four Symbols Organization and crack the conspiracy of the Four Symbols Organization, just for the sake of being able to play the final game to his heart's content and make his moves without any reservations. But now... this moment has really come, but he is no longer here."

Xiao Man'er held the corner of her clothes tightly with both hands and said, "Although Lin Lang is gone, you are still here, Doctor Sun, and you, Duke Wei and Duke Dai, are still here... You have always been the people closest to Lin Lang and the ones he trusts the most. You all know everything Lin Lang has done, so I think if Lin Lang knew about this in his afterlife, he would definitely hope that you, the people closest to him, could play this game for him and help him defeat the sinister, vicious, cunning and mysterious Lord of the Four Symbols."

"At this moment, I want to..."

She raised her head, looked at the flickering candle flame, looked at the dark red coffin, and said, "Lin Lang must be watching us. He must be watching Qi Fu, watching your game with the Four Symbols Organization, and waiting for the moment when you win."

Listening to Xiao Maner's words, Sun Fujia took a deep breath and nodded heavily: "You are right. Destroying the Four Symbols Organization has always been Zi De's greatest wish. No matter what, I will never let him down."

After saying that, he bowed deeply to Lin Feng's coffin, and then said to Xiao Maner: "The prayer will start soon. I will go to the East Palace first. After we destroy the Four Symbols Organization, I will come back in person and tell Zi De the good news!"

After saying this, he turned around and left without looking back.

Xiao Maner looked at Sun Fujia's back and felt that his back was a little bent. She knew that was the burden given to him by the last wish of his only confidant in life.

Sun Fujia went there not for himself, but for Lin Feng.

She exhaled lightly, then turned her head to look at Zhao Shiwu. Seeing Zhao Shiwu's red and swollen eyes, bloodshot eyes, and sad expression, Xiao Maner said softly, "You should go to the East Palace too."

"I'm not going!"

Zhao Shiwu shook his head directly: "I have to observe mourning for my adoptive father. I won't go anywhere before the mourning is over!"

"No! You have to go!"

Although Xiao Man'er was thin, she gave Zhao Shiwu an inexplicable pressure when she looked at him. Xiao Man'er said, "You and I are Lin Lang's only family members, and today's blessing was the most important thing for Lin Lang during his lifetime. It can be said that... all the efforts he made after becoming an official were for today."

"It's just that Lin Lang was harmed by the thieves and couldn't witness today's results with his own eyes... Then as Lin Lang's adopted son, don't you want to witness Lin Lang's efforts with your own eyes and see if they paid off?"

"I..." Zhao Shiwu opened his mouth.

But Xiao Maner continued, "As a woman, it is not appropriate for me to appear in this kind of occasion. Otherwise, what do you think I don't want to witness the result of Lin Lang's all-out struggle? Fifteen, mourning is important, but appearing in the East Palace as a family member to witness everything is more important, isn't it? We have to let everyone know that Lin Lang has a family. Even if Lin Lang is not here, there are people who will appear on his behalf..."

"If you show up in the East Palace, then no one will forget what Lin Lang did. But if you don't show up, some people might forget that today's opportunity was won by Lin Lang."

Hearing this, Zhao Shiwu suddenly felt a surge of anger in his heart. He did not hesitate any longer and said directly: "I will go! I will never allow anyone to forget what my adoptive father has done!"

After saying that, he didn't delay any longer, fearing that if he was late, someone would forget about Lin Feng, so he ran out. Seeing Zhao Shiwu clenching his fists and leaving with a resolute look, Xiao Man'er took a deep breath, then turned her head again and looked at the coffin in the hall again. She stared at the coffin in silence for a long time, then suddenly leaned down and blew out the flickering candle flame in one breath.

…………

East Palace.

When Zhao Shiwu and Zhao Xieyang followed Sun Fujia here, the outer courtyard of the East Palace was already full of people.

Zhao Xieyang looked around and found that those standing here were either important officials of the fifth rank or above, or royal relatives. The whole courtyard was packed with people, and only he and Zhao Shiwu had the lowest status.

But neither he nor Zhao Shiwu felt nervous or awkward. Instead, they straightened their backs, with their waists as strong as swords - because they were not representing two ordinary Dali Temple clerks, they were representing Lin Feng.

Therefore, they must not embarrass Lin Feng.

Wei Zheng and Dai Zhou, who were not far away, saw this scene and nodded.

Dai Zhou said with emotion: "Lin Feng has trained two good subordinates. You can consider reusing them in the future."

Wei Zheng couldn't help but recall the scene of him and Lin Feng investigating a case together in Shangzhou. Recalling Lin Feng's ability and character, he said: "A red bird is redder than a red bird. They are lucky to have met Lin Feng. Even though Lin Feng is gone now, the time they spent with Lin Feng is enough to change their lives."

Dai Zhou nodded in agreement: "Yes, they are really lucky..."

At this time, Sun Fujia came over, bowed to the two of them, looked around, and said in a low voice: "Minister Dai, how are the preparations going?"

Dai Zhou nodded confidently and said, "Don't worry. All the procedures for this prayer, as well as the list of people accompanying us into the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall, were carefully selected and decided by Duke Wei and I. There will be no accidents."

Sun Fujia glanced around and couldn't help but say, "But there don't seem to be too many people around here..."

Dai Zhou naturally understood what Sun Fujia meant, but Li Shimin had ordered not to reveal the specific details of today's operation to anyone, so he could only shake his head and said, "Don't worry, Doctor Sun. I know you don't want the opportunity that Lin Feng risked his life to leave us to be wasted. I have the same idea."

Sun Fujia was a sharp-minded person. When he heard Dai Zhou say this, he knew that Dai Zhou had his reasons for not being able to speak. Dai Zhou and Wei Zheng had already heard what he said, but they were still so confident. This showed that the seemingly loose guarding force was probably something Dai Zhou and his men did on purpose.

If that's the case, then he can rest assured.

He knew Dai Zhou and Wei Zheng's character better. They were definitely more trustworthy than others.

"What about the monks from India?"

Sun Fujia said, "I looked around just now, but I didn't see any monks. Haven't they arrived yet?"

Dai Zhou shook his head: "They have already arrived and entered the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall to prepare for the prayer."

Sun Fujia frowned and said, "Let them prepare?"

Zhao Shiwu and Zhao Xieyang, who were following closely behind Sun Fujia, couldn't help but frowned when they heard this.

Why would they allow them to prepare in advance when they knew that Bo had problems? Aren't they afraid that they might have some tricks up their sleeves?
Dai Zhou smiled and said, "Don't worry. There are many procedures for blessing, and it does require preparation... But our people will follow them step by step. They need our permission to do anything and move anything. And during the blessing, Your Majesty will stand far away and will not have direct contact with Popo and others. In short... they won't even have the chance to get close to Your Majesty, and will never hurt Your Majesty."

After hearing this, Sun Fujia nodded. Since Dai Zhou and the others were already well prepared, he felt relieved.

He looked towards the direction of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall and said in a deep voice, "Then, all we have to do next is wait for the prayer to officially begin."

Wei Zheng and Dai Zhou both looked serious when they heard this. They had been fighting the Four Symbols Organization for so long, and the outcome was finally going to be revealed.

At this moment, even Dai Zhou, who had experienced many hardships, and Wei Zheng, who had a firm heart, could not help feeling a little nervous.

It’s true... they can’t afford to lose.

"Your Majesty is here!"

At this moment, a sharp voice was heard.

Everyone turned around quickly and saw a team of guards leading the way, and Li Shimin walking towards them with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

They all bowed in unison: "Your Majesty, we are here to see you."

Li Shimin waved his hand and smiled gently: "My dear ministers, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Shimin looked at the important officials in the courtyard, at the crowd that usually only gathered during the regular court session, and said, "I did not summon you, but you came spontaneously to pray for the prince. I am deeply moved."

"But this is my family affair after all. I don't want to mobilize a large number of people. Moreover, worshiping Buddha and praying for blessings requires inner peace and sincerity. But with so many of you, the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall may not be able to accommodate everyone, let alone keep it quiet... So the next prayer will only be for my family members to participate, and you don't have to follow us in."

After hearing Li Shimin's words, Fang Xuanling and others had not yet reacted, but Dai Zhou and Wei Zheng's faces changed.

They looked at each other, and saw a hint of surprise and confusion in each other's eyes.

Because according to the results of their discussion with Li Shimin, Li Shimin needed to choose some trustworthy people to enter the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas to pray together, and this group of people included the two of them. After all, all the planning today was done by the two of them personally. Only the two of them knew the situation in every link, and knew what to do if they encountered any kind of accidents.

But in the end, Li Shimin changed his plan without any warning and without consulting them.

They were caught off guard and didn't even have a chance to make amends.

After all... the emperor never jokes. Li Shimin gave the order in front of so many people. How could they say anything else?
Why did Li Shimin suddenly change his plan?
Did something unexpected happen that they didn't know about?

Dai Zhou couldn't help but whisper, "What's going on? Why doesn't His Majesty even let us in?"

Wei Zheng frowned and shook his head: "I don't know, but His Majesty didn't even look at us... This shows that His Majesty doesn't want to explain to us."

Dai Zhou raised his head and looked at Li Shimin, and sure enough... Li Shimin only talked to Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling for a while, then summoned the princes and prepared to take them to the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas to pray for blessings, without paying any attention to them at all.

"What should we do? Should we go to His Majesty? Or should we listen to His Majesty?" Dai Zhou asked Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng's eyes flickered. He glanced at the crowd around him, thought for a moment, and shook his head, "We don't know if there are any members of the Four Elephants Organization hiding in the crowd, and we don't know if they are paying attention to Your Majesty... Once we go to find Your Majesty, it is likely to attract their attention. If they notice something and give up the plan, it will be troublesome."

"and……"

Wei Zheng looked at Li Shimin, took a deep breath, and said: "Based on my understanding of His Majesty, His Majesty will never do anything without reason. Since His Majesty has changed the plan, it means that His Majesty must have other plans. We only need to obey His Majesty's orders. As for what to do next..."

"We'll take it one step at a time and adapt to the situation. If we find anything unusual happening, we'll take action immediately!"

Dai Zhou thought about it and nodded, "That's the only way."

The two of them were already under great pressure because of the ultimate showdown with the Four Symbols Organization, but Li Shimin suddenly changed the plan. This gave them a headache, but they suddenly had a premonition... Today's events might be completely beyond their expectations, but they had no idea what the final outcome would be.

"His Majesty!"

At this time, Qianniu Beishen Li Zhen suddenly came from the direction of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall. He bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Master Bopo asked me to report to Your Majesty... He said that the time has come and we can prepare to pray."

(End of this chapter)