Cypress Boat Floating
Chapter 52: Night Visit to Yue Lao Temple
In the freezing winter, night always comes early. The already snowy capital city gets even colder at night, and there is no sign of warming up just because it stops snowing. Every breath of air exhaled by the people standing outside is filled with white air.
Because Lu Ci Qiu and Ye Jianqing were going to Yue Lao Temple at night, they pretended to go back to the house to sleep after dinner and came out after the people outside relaxed their vigilance. The two of them tacitly understood each other and both wore black night clothes. They carefully avoided the people outside and quietly walked out from the back door.
In fact, after their performance over the past few days, the people who were monitoring them gradually relaxed their vigilance. At night, once they entered the room, they would not come out again. In addition, the weather was cold, so the people who were monitoring them also relaxed a little. So those people could never imagine that the two of them would sneak out on such a cold night.
During the day, the two of them made an appointment with Lu Zhixing to meet at a small teahouse at the city gate, so without saying a word, they left Prince Xian's Mansion and went straight to the agreed teahouse.
When the capital city was under curfew, soldiers would patrol the streets. The two of them happened to be wearing all black and were very careful along the way, so they managed to get to the tea shop safely. They hid behind the tea shop, so they were not easily discovered.
The two people here were extremely cautious, while Lu Zhixing came over slowly in a carriage. He was still wearing the same casual clothes he wore during the day without even changing. As a result, Lu Ci Qiu and Ye Jianqing had shocked expressions on their faces when they saw him.
Ah this...
What happened to the night visit to the Yue Lao Temple? Shouldn't we wear night clothes? Are you sure you are going to explore it secretly wearing such nice clothes? Are you sure you are not going to seek marriage?
Lu Zhixing was amused by their reaction and waved his hand to ask them to get on the carriage quickly. The two people in front of him were darker than the other and were almost blending into the darkness. If they had not agreed to meet at the same place, he would definitely not recognize them if he just passed by.
"You two..." Lu Zhixing pointed at their clothes and stopped talking midway, feeling a little speechless.
"Brother, aren't we going to explore the Yue Lao Temple at night? Why are you still wearing this clothes? What if we get discovered?" Lu Ci Qiu was an impatient person. Before his brother could say anything, he picked up his brother's clothes, looking quite disgusted.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Lu Zhixing slapped his claws away and glanced at him. "Let me ask you, how are you going to get out of the city wearing these clothes?"
Speechless, this... Lu Ci Qiu really didn't think about this problem. He was only thinking about how to avoid the people who were monitoring them, and didn't think about how to leave the city. He naturally threw this question to his brother.
As a modern man, Ye Jianqing had no idea about leaving Guda city. There was no such thing as curfew in modern times. People could go out at any time at night.
Lu Zhixing held his forehead helplessly. He knew that these two kids definitely hadn't thought about this question and just threw the problem to him.
"Um..." Lu Ci Qiu scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and approached his brother with a flattering smile, "Anyway, I know you will definitely have a way, brother."
Lu Zhixing pushed Lu Ciqiu's big face away and said, "Let's go out first."
The advantage of Lu Zhixing wearing this outfit is that he does not have to conceal his identity at all. When the guards at the city gate saw that it was the King of Qin who was going out, they did not dare to ask any questions and just let him go without any obstruction.
After successfully exiting the city gate, the road ahead was simple. The road to Yue Lao Temple was not complicated, and they had already walked there once during the day. They quickly found Yue Lao Temple along the road they had taken during the day. Fearing that the carriage would be discovered if it got too close, the three of them parked the carriage on the side of the road some distance from Yue Lao Temple.
Taking advantage of this time, Lu Zhixing also changed into his night clothes. The three of them checked each other, and after confirming that there was no problem, they trotted all the way to Yue Lao Temple.
The Yue Lao Temple is not very big, but it is divided into the front yard and the back yard. There is a large incense burner at the entrance of the temple. The incense burner is placed right in the center. On the one hand, it blocks the Yue Lao statue from seeing things it shouldn’t see, thus better protecting the Yue Lao statue. On the other hand, it provides a place for pilgrims to burn incense.
The lobby behind the incense burner is the room where the statue of Yue Lao is placed. On the left and right sides of the large room are two symmetrical small rooms. One side is for the Taoist priests to sit when they are on duty, and the other side is for the Taoist priests to tell fortunes for the pilgrims.
After passing the wing rooms, you will reach the backyard, which is divided into a yard where pilgrims can rest temporarily and a yard where Taoists live. During the day, people can only go to the yard where pilgrims live, and are not allowed to enter the yard where Taoists live.
The yard for pilgrims to rest is not big, with about four rooms in a row, two on each side. The rooms are not big and can only accommodate a bed and a table and chairs. These small rooms are provided for pilgrims to take a short rest.
Normally, Yue Lao Temple is not like other temples where people come to burn incense and tell fortunes and then leave without staying too long. But this Yue Lao Temple is different. Because it is so effective, everyone wants to stay longer in the hope of finding their true love here.
Moreover, when there are too many people, various things are likely to happen, especially in summer, when several weak ladies often suffer from heat stroke. Therefore, the elders of Yue Lao Temple built a few rooms in the middle for the young men and women to rest. If someone wants to stay here for two or three days, it is also possible.
Beyond the courtyard where pilgrims rest, behind is the courtyard where the real Taoists live. The courtyard at the back is bigger and is where the Taoists live and do their studies.
Therefore, it is forbidden to go to the back. There is a door in the passage between the last courtyard and the courtyard where pilgrims live. You are absolutely not allowed to enter without permission.
The three of them arrived under the side wall of the Yue Lao Temple. As agreed in the carriage, Ye Jianqing was responsible for the front yard, Lu Ci Qiu was responsible for the middle yard where pilgrims lived, and Lu Zhixing was responsible for the last yard where the Taoists lived.
After determining their respective directions, they split into three groups to check, and agreed that they would return here to gather and report the situation after one stick of incense, no matter what the result was. The three of them also carried a small firework with them, and if anything happened, they would set off the fireworks, and then the other two would know what to do.
The other two people jumped over the wall in a flash and headed in the direction they wanted to go.
Because Ye Jianqing wanted to check the front yard, he was not in a hurry and could take his time.
The Yue Lao Temple is extremely lively during the day, with many pilgrims coming and going, as if they will not leave until they have found a good marriage. In addition, the altar of the Yue Lao statue is piled with all kinds of wedding cakes, some for praying to the gods and some for fulfilling vows.
But at night, the Yue Lao Temple is extremely quiet. When you look up, you can only see the Yue Lao statue smiling at you, with two little boys on the left and right holding a red string. In the left wing, there is also a little Taoist priest sleeping soundly.
After Ye Jianqing jumped down from the wall, he followed the direction and went to the left wing first. He saw a little Taoist priest meditating in the left wing. In order not to wake up the little Taoist priest, Ye Jianqing moved lightly, quickened his pace, and slowly walked to the middle wing where the statue of Yue Lao was placed.
It's a pity that even though she searched the room thoroughly and almost turned over the entire statue, she found nothing.
Unable to find anything here, Ye Jianqing had to move to the right wing.
There was a Bodhi tree planted outside the right wing door, and the tree was covered with red strings and signs. When the wind blew, the signs made a rattling sound. When Ye Jianqing first heard the sound, she was afraid that it would wake up the little Taoist priest, so she hid quickly. But after a while, she found that the little Taoist priest didn't seem to react, so she put her mind at ease and continued to search.
There was nothing in the right wing, so the only room left was the left wing. However, there was a little Taoist priest in the left wing, so she didn't dare to go in casually.
Hiding in the dark and watching quietly, Ye Jianqing found that the little Taoist priest was sleeping very soundly, so she quietly opened the window and went in.
There was nothing in the left wing except a table and a chair. The little Taoist priest was not shy and just lay down on the mat on the ground with his legs crossed and went to sleep like that.
As for why Ye Jianqing was sure that he was asleep and not meditating, it was because he was snoring continuously, as if he would not wake up even if the sky fell.
After two fruitless searches, Ye Jianqing felt a little sleepy. He felt that Yue Lao Temple was too simple and not challenging at all.
Thinking of this, she quickly reached out her hand and rubbed her face vigorously to cheer herself up. When going out on a mission, the taboo is to underestimate the enemy. She has now committed a big taboo and she can't do this.
She hurriedly checked the situation in the room, but unfortunately, the furnishings in the two rooms on the left and right were the same, so there were naturally very few things. There was nothing, so naturally nothing was found.
Extremely disappointed, she jumped over the wall to the outside of Yue Lao Temple and waited for the other two people at the place they had agreed to meet. Soon, Lu Ci Qiu and Lu Zhi Xing also came out, and it was obvious that both of them returned empty-handed and found nothing.
When the three of them saw that everyone was present, they returned to the carriage without saying a word to exchange information.
"Is this Yue Lao Temple really so clean? There's nothing here?" Ye Jianqing frowned. Based on her job responsibilities before she traveled through time, she always felt that Yue Lao Temple was not as simple as it seemed.
"Is it possible that we came at the wrong time?" Lu Ci Qiu was also thinking, "Could it be that the disappearance of those people really has nothing to do with Yue Lao Temple?"
Lu Zhixing did not participate in the issue they were discussing at all. He put on the casual clothes he had just taken off. In a short while, he changed from a sneaky little thief to the gentle King of Qin.
Besides, it was originally agreed that this case would be handed over to Lu Ci Qiu, so he might as well be bold enough to let him think about it on his own.
"I still feel something is not right. How could this Yue Lao Temple be so simple?" Ye Jianqing sighed in disappointment. She looked visibly depressed. She believed in her sixth sense and she still felt that she was not wrong.
Seeing her like this, Lu Zhixing asked appropriately, "So what do you want?"
Ye Jianqing didn't know and shook his head silently. Lu Ciqiu's eyes suddenly lit up and he actively suggested: "How about we do it again tomorrow?"
Unfortunately, this suggestion was rejected by Ye Jianqing as soon as it was spoken: "There is a possibility that we have alarmed the snakes today. We have already come once during the day, so they have restrained themselves. We cannot come again tomorrow. If we come again, they will only hide more tightly."
After listening to Ye Jianqing's words, Lu Zhixing raised his eyebrows. It must be said that Ye Jianqing's idea coincided with his. He had already alerted the enemy. If he continued, he was afraid that the enemy would hide its tail more thoroughly. But seeing his brother frowning, he felt a little bit sorry, so he tried to give him some advice, "Are you sure you want to focus all your attention on this Yue Lao Temple?"
According to his experience, the Yue Lao Temple is indeed suspicious, but there are many suspicious aspects in this missing case as well. If they only focus on the Yue Lao Temple, it would be easy for the person behind the scenes to take advantage of the situation and cover up evidence from other places.
Lu Ci Qiu bit his lower lip hesitantly. It was a little habit of his. He liked biting his lower lip very much, which caused it to crack easily in winter, but he didn't care.
"Do we need to ask those families again? I feel like we didn't get enough information today." Lu Ci Qiu leaned a little towards Lu Zhixing and asked tentatively.
Lu Zhixing gave him an appreciative look and said, "You can ask again."
Yes, today they actually did not ask all the questions to those families, because they only got the location of Yue Lao Temple, and they were eager to verify whether the other families were also like this. When they got a positive answer, they threw everything else out of their minds, resulting in them now having only one clue, which was Yue Lao Temple.
"But those people may not tell the truth. If it weren't for Lord Du, would anyone have thought of continuing the search?" Ye Jianqing was listening on the side. Lu Ci Qiu had told her the general situation of the case today. Now that everyone was talking about this, she just happened to express the doubts she had all day long.
Lu Zhixing tapped the seat with his fingers, thinking about Ye Jianqing's words, and said slowly: "These people are all honest people. We have already checked and their family backgrounds are all clean."
"Then let's see tomorrow." Ye Jianqing now felt like giving up. She just followed them out to see if she could help find some clues. Whatever they wanted to do and how they wanted to investigate was their business. This was not what she learned in modern times, so she had no way to help them.
Lu Zhixing sent them to the small teahouse where they had met before and then left.
Lu Ci Qiu and Ye Jianqing continued to hide from those who were watching them and quietly returned to their respective rooms.
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