113 The State Discussed on the Tower (2/2)
”The homicide case by the lakeside should firstly be filed according to the regular procedures, then you should investigate the case diligently and strive for solving the case quickly,”
Shangguan Yangyu slowly said. Obviously, he meant that the stress should be put on trying. Even if you could not solve the case quickly, nobody would mind provided that no one in the imperial court cared.
Looking at the subordinates backing down following the order, Shangguan Yangyu shook his head and took out his handkerchief from his sleeve, wiping off the sweat on his face. His rosacea and reddish nose suddenly turned a bit more red.
Hearing that the true murderer was probably a powerful man at the peak state of Martial Arts, the desire to retreat came upon the newly appointed prefectural magistrate of Chang'an City as he knew the case was very troublesome.
As a senior official of the Great Tang Empire, although Shangguan Yangyu had a despicable temperament, he was not such a coward to escape from shouldering this task. But it was clear to him that if the homicide case involved many countries and people, then it would not be solved merely by the Chang'an Local Government alone. If other government offices did not take on the job, it meant that somebody in the imperial court did not want to kick up a fuss.
”His Majesty's graciousness is infinite.”
He saluted northward, bowing with his hands folded in front, full of a grateful look on his ugly face. ”His Majesty promoted me to the prefectural magistrate of Chang'an City from a Judicial Military Supervisor and granted me so much and supported me, how dare I cause trouble?”
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There was an old tower built with yellow bricks in Southern City, and the tower body was utterly damaged with green vines intertwined. The tower seemed as if were about to collapse at any moment. However, the old tower was still standing between the small temples—a witness to the vicissitude of the local scenery—peacefully, silently, and wordlessly.
Every spring, innumerable wild geese returned from the south that would fly over the city of Chang'an before summer in Xunyang Lake of the Gushan Commandery. They then circled for many days around the old tower with intermittent warbles, when the shadows of wild geese seemingly blocked out the sun, forming a splendid sight.
No one knew why these wild geese, which flew high and lodged by the waterside, would appear in the busy city of Chang'an and be so interested in the old tower, but they had gotten accustomed to it over time. In recent years, the scene of numerous wild geese fluttering in the air became another wonderful piece of scenery that citizens in Chang'an appreciated, hence it became known as ”Wanyan Tower” (10,000 Geese Tower).
Now, a monk lived in the top of Wanyan Tower, accompanied by a green lamp and a Buddhist statue in a niche, and Scriptures, pens, and ink on the desk. He seldom went down from the tower, nor met with the women in the back garden that respected and believed in Buddhism.
The monk called himself Huang Yang, and he was the younger brother of the emperor of the Tang dynasty.
Today he encountered a guest as honorable as himself.
Li Qingshan, the Nation Master of the Great Tang, said as he was looking at the Buddhist monk transcribing Sutras at the desk, ”Last night, the Vermilion Bird woke up.”
Monk Huang Yang, answered placidly without raising his head, ”The sacred item left by the Sage from previous generations has its true meaning in its every movement. How can we ordinary people besieged in the mortal world understand it? Why on earth do you bother yourself?”
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