The Capital, Western Outer City, Lingguang Temple.
Shen Qi, accompanied by his subordinate Shi Yanshuang and a few other Embroidered Uniform Guard, disguised themselves as ordinary worshippers and entered Lingguang Temple amidst the throng of visitors.
The temple’s main hall consisted of three tiers. The first two—Heavenly King Hall and Hall of Great Strength—had already been thoroughly inspected. They found that under the persuasive guidance of the monks, the devout worshippers not only spent generously on incense but also enthusiastically donated to the temple. The most devout even applied gold leaf to the Buddha statues to seek blessings and protection.
Oddly enough, despite years of devotees applying gold leaf, the statues never appeared to gain bulk—only a dazzling sheen.
Shen Qi speculated that the gold leaf was periodically scraped off and pocketed by the abbot, Master Ji Yao.
It was an open secret of exploitation.
However, even if they uncovered this stash of gold, it wouldn’t be definitive proof of wrongdoing. Ji Yao might just claim it was part of some “divine transformation” to deceive the public further. Worse, the common folk might blame the Embroidered Uniform Guard for angering a “living Buddha” and bringing divine punishment upon them.
Shen Qi, known for his meticulous planning and ruthless execution, always ensured that his moves were precise and devastating, leaving no room for retaliation. He wouldn’t strike until he had enough evidence to hit where it hurt most.
With a calm demeanor, he exited Hall of Great Strength with his team and headed toward the third hall.
The third hall housed a statue of Guanyin. It was said to be extraordinarily efficacious. Over the past two to three years, almost every woman in the capital struggling with infertility had come here to pray for children. After fasting and praying, some would dream of auspicious omens—red light descending, Guanyin delivering a child, or a Luohan embracing them—interpreted as signs of impending childbirth. The results were supposedly miraculous, with prayers for sons or daughters granted without fail.
Shi Yanshuang leaned close and whispered to Shen Qi, “According to the worshippers, Lingguang Temple was just an ordinary monastery when it was first built. It wasn’t until Master Ji Yao took over three years ago that such divine miracles began to occur. Many now privately refer to him as a ‘living Buddha descended to earth.’”
Shen Qi sneered, “If he’s truly a Buddha, let him offer himself to feed this hungry tiger!”
They entered the Guanyin Hall, where a tall statue of Guanyin holding a child stood in the center. At her feet were two attendants, the Golden Boy and Jade Maiden. Unlike the gold-plated statues in the other halls, this one was austere and unadorned. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with Guanyin’s serene and kind features accented by a crimson dot of cinnabar on her brow, adding a touch of elegance to her solemn demeanor.
Most visitors here were women, accompanied by family members or servants. Shen Qi and his group of bachelors stood out awkwardly in the crowd.
A portly monk approached, clasped his hands together, and greeted them, “Gentlemen, are you here to pray for children? You’ll need to bring your spouses with you for the prayers to be effective.”
“I’d love to pray for children,” Shen Qi said with a mocking smile. “But alas, my wife is far away, and even if I brought her here, no amount of prayer would help us conceive.”
The monk was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. “Please don’t despair, sir. You are still young, and your wife must be too. If you’re both in good health, coming to our temple will surely bring success. Sincerity is the key.”
Shen Qi shook his head, unwilling to engage further. The monk, sensing his aloofness, recited a brief prayer and moved on.
On either side of the Guanyin Hall were the “Halls of Descendants,” each with rows of private chambers resembling guest rooms. Shen Qi’s group wanted to investigate but was stopped at the entrance, with the monks insisting that only female worshippers could enter. Left with no choice, they moved to leave.
Just then, Shen Qi spotted a familiar figure in front of the Guanyin statue. Shi Yanshuang whispered, “Isn’t that… Censor Jia?”
It was indeed Jia Gongji, a Right Qiandu of the Imperial Censorate, dressed in plain clothing. He was speaking with Master Ji Yao as they walked side by side. Shen Qi quickly ducked behind a nearby red pillar to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“…I’ve heard your temple is renowned for granting children. My wife has been barren for years and is nearing forty. Do you think it’s still possible for us to have a child?”
“The Buddha is compassionate toward all beings. Sincerity is the key. Why not give it a try, Lord Censor?”
“What rituals are required?” Jia Gongji asked.
“For someone of Lord Censor’s status, simply lighting incense and praying sincerely should suffice,” Ji Yao replied.
Jia Gongji furrowed his brow. “But I’ve heard that other women must fast and pray for seven days, stay in the ‘Halls of Descendants,’ and seek divine dreams in order to conceive. Why am I exempt?”
Ji Yao chuckled. “Lord Censor is a high-ranking official, graced by the stars. Naturally, you cannot be compared to commoners. With your noble aura, your heartfelt prayer alone will resonate with the heavens, sparing your wife from such formalities.”
Jia Gongji grunted in acknowledgment. He lit incense, bowed three times to the Guanyin statue, and asked, “Is that all?”
Ji Yao said, “If your wife is still not pregnant three months later, she can observe another seven days of purification rituals, and you may continue to pray for her.”
Jia Gongji still found it too perfunctory. After thinking it over, he said, “If this attempt to request a child yields no results, I might as well have my wife come to the Hall of Descendants to seek a dream. But for a woman to stay overnight in a temple—it might not be very proper…”
Ji Yao, understanding his concerns about maintaining decorum between men and women and the potential harm to his wife’s reputation, quickly clarified, “The meditation rooms in the Hall of Descendants are secure, like seamless eggs, and no unrelated persons are allowed near them. Before any woman enters a room, her husband or servant may inspect the area. Each meditation room accommodates only one woman, and during the night, she meditates inside while her relatives or servants keep watch outside. This arrangement is extremely discreet, and none of the previous seekers of blessings have ever raised concerns.”
Jia Gongji nodded. “That does seem appropriate.”
Ji Yao then asked, “Does the esteemed Lord Censor not trust this humble monk?”
“The Master is a high monk personally praised by Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, with divine abilities acknowledged by all. How could I possibly doubt you?”
Ji Yao clasped his hands together and smiled. “Then trust in this humble monk. You may continue to pray for blessings yourself. If, however, your wife insists on seeking a dream in the future, I kindly ask you to inform me in advance so I may prepare with fasting and prayers to help your family connect with the mercy of the Goddess of Mercy.”
Jia Gongji was delighted and expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
Shen Qi signaled to Shi Yanshuang and the others, and they quietly left the Hall of Descendants, departing Lingguang Temple.
Back at the Northern Surveillance Bureau, Shi Yanshuang couldn’t help but ask, “Does this Ji Yao truly have divine powers to make Guanyin respond? I can’t shake the feeling that something is suspicious… but I can’t put my finger on it.”
Having had Shen Qi previously expose some of Ji Yao’s sleight-of-hand tricks, Shi Yanshuang’s perception of the “enlightened monk” had already dimmed. With his rationality restored, his suspicions began to grow.
Shen Qi, after careful consideration, said, “If there’s something suspicious, it must be in those meditation rooms.”
Suddenly recalling something, a faint smile appeared on his usually stern face. The harshness in his expression softened, like a thawed stream emerging from the cold, offering a faint glimpse of spring. He said, “Someone once taught me a term: ‘entrapment.’”
“Entrapment?” Shi Yanshuang asked, “Who taught you that?”
“My wife.”
Shi Yanshuang looked shocked. “When did Lord Qianshi….” Get married? The latter half of his question remained unsaid.
Marriage was a joyous event but also a personal matter. If his superior had wanted to make it public, there would’ve already been a banquet and celebration. The fact that it was kept so private suggested the wife’s identity was either extremely low-profile or extraordinarily complex—in any case, unlikely to be a woman from an ordinary family.
… Wait. Could it also be a man?
Though Qianshi Shen had never shown any inclination toward that, it was common knowledge that male companionship was fashionable among the elite. Many officials kept male companions or had romantic dalliances with young men.
Take Yu Wang, for example, infamous for his romantic escapades with numerous young officials in the court. While moralists sneered and ridiculed him in public, they didn’t dare formally accuse him before the emperor. Perhaps they even envied his romantic exploits.
With these thoughts running wild, Shi Yanshuang’s gaze toward his superior turned peculiar. He quickly lowered his head and cursed himself: Stop! If Shen Qilang ever finds out you’ve been fantasizing about his love life, he’ll skin you alive. Yet his imagination ran on, from the most famous courtesans of the brothels to the handsome officers in the Northern Surveillance Bureau, and even to certain court officials Shen Qi interacted with regularly.
But no matter how much he speculated, he couldn’t imagine who might win the favor of this cold and ruthless man.
—Could it be some snake demon or fox spirit in disguise? And because they feared being exposed by monks, they persuaded the Lord Qianshi to deal with Ji Yao?
Shen Qi, unaware that his subordinate was lost in wildly inappropriate thoughts, took a sip of tea and ordered, “Send word to our informants in the marketplace. Have them find two prostitutes from the brothels—not courtesans, but bold and resourceful women.”
At that moment, Shi Yanshuang’s mind was still in a haze of improper thoughts. His first reaction was that Lord Qianshi wanted to sneak behind his fox-demon wife’s back for a fling. Out of a natural sense of camaraderie among men, he blurted, “Are two enough?”
Shen Qi glanced at him impassively. “They’re enough.”
“Don’t worry, Lord Qianshi. I’ll take care of it,” Shi Yanshuang promised, hurrying off to assign a clever informant to the task. He made it clear the informant must find suitable candidates within the hour.
After the informant left, Shi Yanshuang suddenly realized: I forgot to ask if Lord Shen wanted women or men.
It was too late to go back and ask, and he didn’t want to appear unreliable or lacking in judgment. He sat down and waited for his excitement to subside, reasoning it out: If Lord Qianshi is using them for entrapment, they must be women. If the informant brings back men… well, I’ll just insist he misunderstood the instructions.
As it turned out, no one in the Surveillance Bureau lacked cunning.
The informant returned with four individuals: two women and two men.
The women were strikingly different—one voluptuous and flirtatious, the other slender and demure. The men were also distinct—one tall and elegant, the other petite and delicate.
The four were seasoned professionals, well-versed in their trade. Spotting the young, commanding official with power and looks, they immediately grew eager, fearing their peers would outshine them. They rushed forward: one reached for his left arm, another for his right, a third aimed to embrace his neck, and the smallest one, unable to squeeze in, tried to climb onto his lap.
Shen Qi’s expression darkened, a faint green hue spreading across his face. His icy glare at Shi Yanshuang was as sharp as daggers, and with a loud bang, he slammed his embroidered spring blade onto the table!
The surge of murderous intent sent chills down their spines, and the four immediately collapsed to the ground, trembling and paralyzed with fear.
“Commander Shi, are you really planning to send two male prostitutes to the temple to pray for children? With what, their butts?”
When Shen Qi exploded with profanity, it was clear he was truly furious. Shi Yanshuang, realizing that a single misstep in this situation might cost him his position, quickly thought on his feet. He clasped his hands in a respectful salute and explained, “It was my oversight. I thought they could pose as two married couples: the ‘wives’ would stay in the secluded rooms overnight, while the ‘husbands’ would stand guard outside.”
Shen Qi had initially planned to assign two clever Embroidered Uniform Guard officers to pose as the prostitutes’ husbands, but after hearing Shi Yanshuang’s explanation, his anger subsided somewhat. He responded coldly, “They don’t look like husbands—they look more like kept lovers.”
The tall male prostitute remained silent, but the petite one, bolder by nature, retorted indignantly, “Lord, I can also use the front! Why can’t I play the husband?”
Shen Qi gave him a bloody, chilling glare. The man felt a sudden, inexplicable chill below his waist and immediately shut up.
Shi Yanshuang cautiously interjected, “These prostitutes make their living through endless socializing, and those who thrive in their line of work are masters of reading people’s expressions. While our spies are indeed sharp, they might carry an aura of menace that could give them away to someone trained in martial arts. That could arouse suspicion.”
Shen Qi pondered for a moment, finding merit in this reasoning, and turned to ask the two male prostitutes, “Do you truly think you can pass as husbands?”
The petite one climbed to his feet and cleverly hooked his arm around the slender female prostitute’s, putting on a concerned expression. “Dear wife, come on, get up. The floor is cold; sitting here too long isn’t good for you.”
The slender prostitute played along, her eyes filling with tears as she whimpered, “Husband, my stomach hurts. Carry me, will you?”
The tall male prostitute quickly adapted, offering a hand to the plump female prostitute with a refined demeanor. “My dear wife, the road is treacherous. Watch your step.”
The plump prostitute leaned against him coquettishly. “Husband, you treat me so well. I’ll make sure to give you a chubby baby boy.”
—What a group of drama queens! If Su Yan were here, he’d surely offer a heartfelt round of applause.
Shen Qi, too, was somewhat impressed. He ordered all four of them to stand in line and meticulously briefed them on the operation. Finally, he declared, “If the mission succeeds, each of you will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver.”
The two male prostitutes were overjoyed. Earning twenty taels without having to sleep with anyone was beyond their wildest expectations. The two female prostitutes, meanwhile, thought that simply “spreading their legs” for one night, without the madam taking most of their earnings, was already an excellent deal. On top of that, earning extra silver for helping with official business seemed like a stroke of good fortune.
As the sun began to set, the four of them dressed up in modest attire suitable for common families, abandoning their flirtatious airs to fully embrace their roles. By the time they were finished, they looked convincingly like two ordinary young couples, albeit more attractive than the average pair.
Shi Yanshuang prepared bluegrass juice, handed them a small offering for the temple, and personally escorted them to Lingguang Temple.
