Li Xiuzhi seemed unwilling to talk more with Jing Yuanyuan and others, and Jing Yuanyuan heard the sound of the gate closing behind her.

  She calmed herself: "Why did the king separate from you? Where are you now?"

  Li Xiuyi's people arrived just in time, if they were a step late, they would have been caught by the city gate guards. If Li Xiuyi knew nothing, how could he suddenly send someone to meet them at the city gate?

  Li Xiuzhi said slowly: "Now Pei Siqing should have entered the palace."

  Jing Wan'er had a feeling of more disasters than blessings, "How long has the master been in the palace?"

  Li Xiuzhi did not answer immediately, but Jing Wanyu had already realized that Pei Tan was likely to have an accident at the city gate.

  They parted from the Qinglong Temple and Pei Tan, it has been at least five hours now. In these five hours, how many things can happen? Thinking of this, Jing Wanyan subconsciously blurted out: "Your Highness, we want to go back to Dali Temple."

  Rather than staying here, Jing Wanyi would rather wait for Pei Tan's return at the Dali Temple.

  Li Xiuzhi rolled up her sleeves and stood under the doorway: "Dali Temple, you can't go back for now."

  Pei Tan was taken away, how could the Temple of Dali be safe and sound? Now naturally there are countless pairs of eyes staring at the Temple of Dali, Pei Tan's life and death are tied to the Temple of Dali.

  Jing Wan'er felt a chill in her heart. She and Pei Shiwei rushed back to Chang'an together, but only after entering the city did she realize that she couldn't do anything.

  Li Xiuzhi said: "Before Pei Siqian returns, you all stay here with this king."

  Waiting is the most profound torture, if there's a choice, nobody wants to wait.

  "We can only believe in Pei Siqing." Li Xiuzhi seemed to see through the thoughts of both Jing Wanyan and her companion.

  They can't replace Pei Tan in facing this. This is Pei Tan's solo battle, if he wins, it will be his and the Temple of Dali's good fortune, if he loses, no one can be blamed.

  Li Xiuzhi's expression was clearly lukewarm, and Jing Wanyu looked at him, the king in front of her was obviously different from the one in Qinglong Temple. There was a kind of more...

  A sense of alienation and indifference, although he seemed to be clearing the way for them at the city gate, his purpose might have been just to bring them to the palace.

  The death of De Fei was not solely caused by the Imperial Court, but I did not kill Bo Ren, Bo Ren died because of me.

  Jing Wan'er seemed to have understood in her heart, and she lowered her eyes.

  If Pei Tan didn't come today, it's uncertain whether they can leave the Wang Manor or not.

  The weather almost instantly turned into night, with oppressive dark clouds and a silent courtyard. This feeling of one's life being in someone else's hands made Jing Wanyan feel a little numb.

  "It seems that this king has overestimated Pei Siye."

  In the corridor, Li Xiuzhi's expression finally changed, with a hint of irony.

  Pei Tan's investigation at Qinglong Temple was so careless that Li Xiuzhi thought this young master Pei had some ability.

  It turns out that's all there is to it.

  Li Xiuzhi glanced at Jing Yuane and Pei Shouwei, seemingly fed up, wanting to leave the corridor.

  At this time, the gatekeeper hastily came in to report: "Your Highness,

  "Ta Li Temple Master is seeking an audience outside the gate."

  Jing Wan'er's expression brightened up.

  Li Xiuzhi's footsteps slowly turned around, he looked at the young servant boy, "...He came alone?"

  The little servant nodded and immediately said: "There is also a horse-drawn carriage."

  Pei Tan was a man who explained that he had not been detained and no one guarded him, came to the palace alone.

  Li Xiuzhi's eyes were heavy: "Bring him in."

  Jing Wan's palm, which was clenched into a fist, had a hint of tension.

  Bai Tan's figure slowly appeared in the courtyard, his pace was a bit slow, he had been rushing for a day and night, the wound on his body had already cracked open.

  "Your Highness, Pei has come to take someone away."

  He said he came to pick someone up, calm and composed, but somehow it gave Jing Wanyan a feeling of being pierced in the heart, she stared blankly at the man under the moonlight.

  Pai Tan's shadow dragged on the ground, and Li Xiujie stood quietly under the corridor watching him.

  "Even something like this can be escaped unscathed, truly worthy of Pei Si"

  Your Highness

  Pei Tan looked at Li Xiuzhi without saying a word. His standing there was already the best proof and the best ending.

  Li Xiuzhi said: "You knew in advance that the trunk would be checked at the city gate, but you insisted on putting the trunk in your carriage."

  The premise is that Pei Tan needs to know what's inside the box in order to make this decision.

  "Pei Tan slowly opened his mouth: 'The monk of the Qinglong Temple said that De Fei jumped into the well, and her body was cremated. But with Wang Ye around, how could such a thing happen.'"

  The best place to hide a corpse is in Li Xiuzhi's trunk. He wants to give the virtuous imperial concubine a place to rest.

  Pei Tan could only try his luck. Given Li Xiuyi's current situation in the eyes of Emperor Zhongzong, with a corpse found in his carriage, the Chang Le Palace had no way out but death.

  Li Xiuzhi hadn't spoken for a long time. Even if it meant risking his own life, he didn't want to see Wang De Fei end up with no place to rest in peace.

  This cold-faced king is no less emotional than most devils in Chang'an.

  Pei Tan said, "The night Hui Gen was killed, he was ordered to kill De Fei, and De Fei was in the attic where Wang Ye practiced. Hui Gen knew this, so he went there. But that night, Wang Ye wasn't in the attic for some reason, so he couldn't stop what happened, right?"

  Pei Tan still remembered that the monks said Li Xiuzhi's closed-door meditation ended at midnight on that night. And Li Xiuzhi must have left after midnight, or else he would not have missed De Fei.

  As the hour passed, Huigen used the key to open the door of Li Xiuzhi's practice pavilion and let Li Xiuzhi leave. Then Huigen entered the pavilion and waited for Empress De to arrive.

  Li Xiuke said after a long time: "That night, the little monk who opened the door told me that Master Xuanyan was waiting for me in the Mahavira Hall."

  Under this pretext, Li Xiuzhi left the attic, and Li Xiuzhi stayed in the Daxiong Treasure Hall for a whole night. When he came out, the news of Hui Gen's death had already spread throughout the temple.

  At that time, when Pei Tan went to ask, Li Xiujie directly told Pei Tan that the death of Hui Gen had absolutely nothing to do with him.

  But afterwards, Li Xiuzhi found out about De Fei's affair.

  To get De Fei out of trouble, facing the clues pointing at himself afterwards, Li Xiuzhi did not make any more excuses.

  But because of what he said for the first time, it was printed in Pei Tan's heart, and Pei Tan always felt that this king was not the real murderer.

  "The king has already done enough for Consort De, and if she were aware of it in the underworld, she would also thank the king."

  The Great Tang, the Li Tang imperial family, how many princes and nobles there are. Including Zhong Zong who was once the King of Lu Ling, everyone around him is respectful and calls him "Wang Ye", but he doesn't even have control over his own life.

  Li Xiuzhi was like a silent and motionless statue under the eaves.

  "Your Majesty, I have brought something for you, it is in the carriage at the entrance. In return, I hope Your Majesty will allow me to take my subordinate away."

  Jing Wan'er had been waiting for Pei Tan's words. What was in the carriage that could be used to exchange them?

  Even Li Xiuzhi's eyes moved when she heard Pei Tan say that.

  Pei Tan's expression was somewhat mysterious and hard to fathom.

  "The carriage is not safe outside, if your lordship agrees, I"

  "Just help Master Wang move the things in."

  Li Xiuzhi suddenly swung her sleeve and walked down from the corridor.

  …

  Looking at the trunk that had been moved into the courtyard, Jing Wanyu's shock couldn't subside.

  Rather than that, let's talk about how Pei Tan was able to save the Grand Temple and himself without letting Zhong Zong be punished, and even bring back De Fei's body.

  Even the two people who had been following him all along were shocked beyond words at this moment.

  Li Xiuzhi gazed at the coffin, and Pei Tan said slowly: "Your Majesty has already made it clear that as De Fei, she cannot be buried in the imperial mausoleum. However, the Dali Temple also has no right to dispose of an imperial concubine. Since Prince Wang has brought De Fei back to Chang'an without considering the consequences, then having De Fei stay with Prince Wang is a result that both De Fei and Prince Wang are willing to accept."

  Li Xiuzhi gazed deeply at Pei Tan: "Pei Temple Master, in this life of mine, I have never thanked anyone. Your kindness, I will definitely remember."

  Starting from Qinglong Temple, Pei Tan did not listen to distractions and focused on his spear

  He had put his head on Li Xiuzhi's body and now he personally handed De Fei over to him.

  Pei Tan finally looked towards Jing Wanyu: "...Wanyu, Pei County, let's go."

  The sky was overcast with dark clouds. Pei Tan came alone, driving a horse-drawn carriage, obviously to deliver the body of De Fei to the Wang Fu, he couldn't let more people get involved.

  Now Pei Shiwei took over the reins from Pei Tan, and Jing Yuanner sat with Pei Tan in the carriage. Thinking that Empress De had just been in the carriage, there was a hint of chill in the air.

  Jing Wantong hesitated and asked: "How is your injury, sir?"

  Just now at Wang Fu's place, she had let go of everything, yet what she was most worried about was this issue.

  Pei Tan's expression was calm and gentle: "The imperial physician has already examined him, it's nothing serious."

  Imperial Physician? Jing Wanyi's heart skipped a beat, Emperor Zhongzong actually allowed the imperial physician to diagnose and treat Pei Tan, did this mean that the Dali Temple was really okay now?

  ——

  After the silent night, all eyes staring at the Dali Temple knew

  The outcome of this matter shook them under their feet.

  Guo Si Zhu Chi Xuanlian, due to illness, passed away in the temple. His disciple Hui Gen, unable to bear the grief, followed Xuanlian and left as well. The position of Guo Si Zhu Chi is currently vacant, and within a few days, Zhong Zong will personally issue an edict to appoint a successor.

  The Grand Master of the Temple, Pei Tan, privately left the capital and misjudged the Qinglong Temple case. He was demoted and his salary was reduced for one year. No one is allowed to discuss or spread this matter again. Those who disobey will be punished according to the law.

  The news spread like wind all over Chang'an. Chen Shuai, who had opened the coffin and examined the body with Pei Tan at first, suddenly retired and returned to his hometown from the gate of Chang'an City.

  In the Shangshu Fu, the scout informed Zong Chuke of the imperial edict.

  "A year's salary as penalty?" Zong Chuke burst out laughing in anger, "Is Pei Tan lacking that bit of salary?"

  This "punishment" of Zhong Zong really made all the civil and military officials who were waiting to see Pei's joke speechless.

  Reducing his salary for a year, this is considered an extremely severe punishment in the law. It cannot be said that Emperor Zhongzong was lenient and did not punish the Grand Council, but this punishment fell on Pei Tan's body, which made people feel like scratching an itch through boots.

  Feeling.

  It seems that wanting to bring down Pei Tan and the Dalit Temple, with Zhong Zong this mountain blocking, it's not a crime of exterminating nine clans that can't bring down Pei Tan.

  However, annihilating the nine clans... a family like that of Pei's, who could possibly dare to annihilate their nine clans?

  To put it simply, is there no way to deal with this "plague god"? The venomous blood seeped into Zong Chuke's eyes.