She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 227: Remember, It’s Easy to Invite Buddha, Hard to Send Him Away

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Remember, It’s Easy to Invite Buddha, Hard to Send Him Away

"Xie Qun! You have neither an Imperial Edict nor a verbal decree from the Emperor, what right do you have to arrest an official from the Imperial Court!" Chief of Staff Cao gritted his teeth as he spoke, his salt-and-pepper beard trembling with his body like withering leaves in the autumn wind, pitiful yet declining.

Xie Qun tapped his ear, speaking carelessly, "This official of the Imperial Court needs an Imperial Edict or a verbal decree, but how I remember it—you have already retired and returned to your hometown. Right now, you’re just a common citizen. The process I’m using to arrest you follows that for commoners, and I, the official, personally oversaw it. There’s nothing wrong with this procedure."

"What are you waiting for?" the clerk suddenly shouted, "Invite our Chief of Staff Cao to Dali Temple for some tea!"

No sooner had the voice faded than the officers from the Dali Temple advanced two steps.

There, Chief of Staff Cao, stooping, gave a cold laugh twice.

He raised his hand, stopping his descendants who were about to step forward and speak.

"Fine, Xie Qun, I’ll accompany you. Just remember this, ’It’s easy to invite the gods, hard to send them away!’" Saying this, he stepped forward, walking outside first.

Xie Qun squinted, watching his retreating figure.

"Your words, at any time, I always remember," Xie Qun said.

Hearing Xie Qun’s lukewarm response, Chief of Staff Cao snorted coldly and said no more.

The news that Chief of Staff Cao had been taken to Dali Temple by Xie Qun, spread among all the prominent families before dawn had even broken.

Many of Chief of Staff Cao’s apprentices, infuriated, went to Dali Temple seeking an explanation, but Xie Qun denied them all entry.

Lord Wang looked at the grand doors of Dali Temple, his face full of gloom.

"Has Xie Qun eaten the ’Courage of the Bear and Leopard’?" Lord Wang asked his colleagues.

"Indeed, when did Xie Qun start throwing his weight around in the Capital City? The teacher is about to retire, is he exploiting this opportunity to settle personal scores?" the others said anxiously.

The thought struck Lord Wang that this was unacceptable, "The teacher is of old age, and the dungeons of Dali Temple are both cold and damp. We mustn’t let it harm the old man. Let’s hurry to present a petition to the Emperor."

"Right, right..." After a quick discussion, the several men hurriedly boarded carriages heading toward the palace.

The Emperor had actually planned to spend the whole day in the Alchemy Room today.

He hadn’t wanted to attend the early morning court at all.

But who would have thought that several ministers would actually wait right outside the Alchemy Room for him?

The Emperor opened the door with a scowl.

"May the Emperor live long! We beg Your Majesty to do justice!" Seeing the door open, Lord Wang and the other ministers immediately knelt down.

With a frown clouding his face, the Emperor asked, "When do you not ask me to intervene? Speak, what’s the matter this time?"

Not deterred by the Emperor’s stern tone, Lord Wang blurted out, "Your Majesty, Minister of the Ministry of Justice Xie Qun has arrested Chief of Staff Cao at Dali Temple armed with only a secret letter. This action is inappropriate both morally and logically. We beseech You to swiftly dispatch someone to Dali Temple, to have Xie Qun release him and to hold him accountable for abusing the law to satisfy personal vengeance!"

"Could you repeat that, what did Xie Qun do?" The Emperor was taken aback, doubting his own ears.

Lord Wang then hurriedly embellished the story further.

Surprised, the Emperor exclaimed, "Eh?"

"Xie Qun’s gotten bold," the Emperor laughed. "He even dares to arrest Cao Man."

Seeing the Emperor not angry but laughing, Lord Wang got nervous, uncertain of the Emperor’s intentions.

That secret letter still had not been traced back to who had sent it to Xie Qun.

Meanwhile, with Chief of Staff Cao confined inside Dali Temple, if he were to divulge anything, every minister present could be skinned alive.

Thus, they all must rescue him no matter what.

The Emperor found the situation amusing for a while, then gestured, and Eunuch Zhang quickly came over, "Your Majesty."

"Go, have Xie Qun come to the palace; I want to ask him personally what he was thinking, as Cao Man was about to retire back home."

Eunuch Zhang quickly nodded and bowed, hurrying away.

Watching the ministers kneeling all over the floor, a deep look swept across the Emperor’s eyes, and he hooked his thick lips, "Enough, get up, it’s time for the court session."

He walked ahead after he finished speaking, while the ministers behind him hurriedly got up and followed the Emperor.

Eunuch Zhang, with the Emperor’s verbal message, invited Xie Qun to the palace.

Standing outside the dungeon, he was quite startled to see Xie Qun covered in blood as he emerged.

"What happened to Minister Xie?" That blood couldn’t possibly be from Chief of Staff Cao, could it?

Xie Qun washed his hands in a basin and then dried them with a cloth.

"Please bear with me for a moment, let me change into clean clothes before entering the palace," Xie Qun said apologetically.

Having said this, he quickly made his way to the backyard.

Eunuch Zhang was significantly frightened, and at that moment, the clerk also came out covered in blood; he hurriedly stopped the clerk, "What were you doing in there?"

"Don’t worry, it’s not from Chief of Staff Cao. Today, there was a prisoner in the dungeon who was being uncooperative, so the minister had to take matters into his own hands to discipline him," the clerk explained.

Upon hearing that it wasn’t Chief of Staff Cao, Eunuch Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, "May I see Chief of Staff Cao? Entering the dungeon at his age, I hope it doesn’t lead to any trouble."

"How could that happen, our lord respects the elderly and loves the young, Chief of Staff Cao is being treated well inside," the clerk reassured Eunuch Zhang, "If you don’t believe it, you can come inside with me."

Eunuch Zhang quickly nodded, and the two of them entered the dungeon.

They were greeted by a strong smell of blood.

From afar, Eunuch Zhang saw Chief of Staff Cao and hurried forward, reducing three steps to two, "Chief of Staff Cao, ah!"

Upon hearing the voice, Chief of Staff Cao saw that it was Eunuch Zhang and quickly approached, "I have seen Eunuch Zhang. Has the Emperor summoned me by sending you here?"

"Indeed, the Emperor sent me here, to invite Minister Xie to an audience at the palace."

"What about me?" Chief of Staff Cao was puzzled.

Eunuch Zhang shook his head, "The Emperor did not mention summoning you to the palace."

A look of dejection appeared on Chief of Staff Cao’s face.

At this point, the clerk quickly said, "I didn’t deceive you, did I? This spacious cell, with tea and a soft bed, even perfumed inside, Chief of Staff Cao has been living comfortably."

Eunuch Zhang nodded, "Indeed."

Compared to the bloody cell next door, Chief of Staff Cao indeed had been living like a heavenly being inside.

The clerk led Eunuch Zhang out, "Our lord has probably changed clothes by now and is waiting outside for you."

As the men were about to leave, Chief of Staff Cao stretched out a hand, calling, "Eunuch Zhang, Eunuch Zhang?"

Eunuch Zhang wanted to turn back, but the clerk pulled him forward, "Eunuch Zhang, our lord is waiting for you ahead."

Eunuch Zhang thought that bringing Xie Qun to the palace for the audience was a matter of import. Considering Chief of Staff Cao was being well-treated in the dungeon prison, there was no need to worry about him for the time being.

At the moment, Xie Qun was more important.

He also wanted to see what had given Xie Qun the confidence to dare to arrest Chief of Staff Cao, who had half of the Capital City’s scholars at his disposal, and throw him into the dungeon.

It was truly too intriguing.

Upon leaving the dungeon,

Xie Qun stood in the sunlight dressed in white, with disheveled hair and bare feet.

Eunuch Zhang was flabbergasted.

"What is this, Minister Xie?"

Xie Qun extended both hands, and the clerk, with tears in his eyes, came forward and shackled his limbs.

"I am entering the palace to confess my guilt!" Xie Qun said to Eunuch Zhang with a tragic expression on his face.