Chapter 1 The Temple

The temple before him was completely different from what he remembered. The shop assistant was dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open involuntarily. Yao Shunyu, worried that he would cause trouble, covered his mouth tightly and threatened him in his ear, "Don't shout, unless you want to die here today."

The shop assistant trembled a few times and really didn't dare to move. Everything before his eyes was beyond his understanding.

Jiang Cheng's gaze focused on the stone steps outside the main hall. In the mysterious light, he clearly saw a wooden box placed on the steps. The location was very conspicuous, and… it was the very one he had given to the shopkeeper.

According to the shopkeeper, the mysterious person who knew the inside story had only agreed to meet them after seeing this box.

"Mr. Luo, please retrieve the box."

Luo Tianhe felt terrible when he heard this. He had been willing to act just now because he was certain that there was a way out in the temple, but now it seemed that the temple was not simple either. However, he dared not disobey Jiang Cheng's words. Under the influence of complicated emotions, Luo Tianhe hardened his heart, stepping forward in a hesitant manner, taking two steps forward and one step back, until he reached the box. He nervously bent down to pick it up, but perhaps he didn't use his fingers properly, and he didn't get a firm grip. After the box fell to the ground, it opened naturally, revealing the two slips of paper inside.

Written on them in black ink on white paper were two names.

Jiang Cheng.

Wang Fugui.

At this moment, the others also stepped forward. After seeing the slips of paper, Jiang Cheng and Fatty were both stunned. However, Luo Tianhe, who had escaped a disaster, breathed a sigh of relief. Not only did he breathe a sigh of relief, but a burst of secret joy welled up in his heart. Jiang Cheng and Wang Fugui were truly hateful. The appearance of their names on the slips of paper was more likely to be a curse than a blessing.

Before Jiang Cheng and Fatty could figure out the reason, they heard a "creak—" sound. The originally tightly closed door of the main hall opened, only about a third of the way, but more than enough for one person to enter and exit.

Strangely, from their position looking towards the main hall, it was as if they were looking through a layer of frosted glass. They could only see light, and everything inside was blurry.

This scene immediately reminded them of that bus. Looking out through the bus door was a similar sight because it was completely like two different worlds.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Wang, please be careful," Luo Tianhe reminded, feigning concern. "This gentleman must be a person of great importance. Now that your names have appeared in the box, it seems he wants the two of you to enter the hall together."

If it was a blessing, it was not a curse; if it was a curse, it could not be avoided. After giving Yao Shunyu and Li Bai a few simple instructions, Jiang Cheng led Fatty towards the main hall. The moment their bodies crossed the threshold, the scene before them suddenly changed. The next second, the two of them were inside a wide hall. The decorations were not luxurious, but they were solemn and simple, with a power that shook people's hearts.

At the end of the hall was a statue, but it seemed that it had not been completely finished yet, and it was covered with a layer of golden cloth.

The cloth was very large, almost completely covering the statue, but from the raised areas, it could be vaguely discerned that the statue was in a sitting position. Even so, the height was more than two *zhang*, and the body was wide and fat. Even through the cloth, it gave people an impression of being honest and reliable.

Before Jiang Cheng could carefully consider where this familiar feeling came from, a few candles were lit, instantly dispelling some of the darkness in the hall, and a person's figure was reflected in the darkness.

Only a figure. They couldn't see the person clearly because he was sitting behind a screen, and the candlelight cast the figure onto the screen.

"You… have come."

A man's voice came from behind the screen, a little hoarse, and with some ethereal things inside that made it difficult to grasp. Jiang Cheng and Fatty were not familiar with this voice.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Jiang Cheng cupped his hands and replied, "We dare not disobey the gentleman's invitation. Today, we hope that the gentleman will clear up our doubts." Before figuring out the other party's details, it didn't hurt to speak politely.

"Sit."

After hearing the man's voice, Jiang Cheng and Fatty sat down on the ground, facing the mysterious figure behind the screen. Jiang Cheng had several guesses in his mind, while Fatty was more interested in the covered statue. He only felt inexplicably familiar.

"Hun Hou, Wangyan Hou… It's been a long time since I've heard these names." The man made a reminiscent sound, and then sighed softly, "In the end, he was just a pitiful and sad fellow."

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's heart, which was on edge, relaxed a little. He had originally thought that the other party's second sentence would be, "I've almost forgotten myself."

Jiang Cheng suspected that the other party was Wangyan Hou, but he didn't have any evidence yet, and he didn't want the other party to reveal his hand now. He could feel that Wu was about to awaken and wouldn't take long.

Jiang Cheng was good at pretending to be confused when he understood things. He leaned forward, putting on a respectful attitude. "Sir, I've heard that you know a lot about this so-called Hun Hou. What kind of person was he, and why did he suffer such a great disaster?"

"Isn't the word *wangyan* (reckless words) clear enough? He thought too highly of himself, recklessly speaking and offending too many people—eunuch factions, powerful officials, royal descendants, and even the current emperor. Why, do you think he shouldn't have died?"

"These are just appearances. Whether one deserves punishment should not be determined by whether one offends these people. The people are important, and the emperor is light. If one seeks benefits for the people and is selfless, then one should not suffer this disaster. Not only should one not suffer, but one should also write books and biographies for him, so his name can be passed down through the ages."

These words were not entirely flattery. Jiang Cheng thought so in his heart. Judging from the people affected by Wangyan Hou's curse, they were all unscrupulous people who sold out their masters for personal glory and broke their promises. These people deserved to die and did not harm innocent people. On the contrary, they prevented and ended many evils, saving the people from misery.

Liu Xueyi also mentioned in his memories that Hua She Tou (Flower Tongue) donated all the money left over from selling the burial objects to the poor and students. This was not Hua She Tou's intention, but presumably the order of the so-called tomb owner, that Wangyan Hou who died from having molten gold poured down his throat.

"Hun Hou, what a Hun Hou! To be granted the position of Prime Minister and Marquis after being subjected to cruel torture is a joke, a great joke! A small remonstrating official, what virtue and ability did he have? Instead of envying his colleagues who sought personal gain and glossed over the truth, he had to speak his mind before all the officials, constantly mentioning the common people, stirring up resentment in the court, angering powerful officials, and embarrassing the emperor. In the end, he deserved this fate. It's just a pity for his wife and children in his household and his trusted brothers, who suffered along with him because of him. His crime is unforgivable!"

"Sir, your words are wrong. Since the integration of the censorate and the remonstrance office, the remonstrating officials have been given the power to investigate the emperor and supervise the officials. Hun Hou constantly mentioned the common people in the court, did not associate with his colleagues, and did not gloss over the truth. This was an act of fulfilling his duties. Hun Hou's loyalty was not to the emperor alone, but to the hearts of the people of the world."

"A serious illness requires strong medicine, and a good prescription is needed to cure the disease. Hun Hou's words are just frank words that are unpleasant to the ear. In my opinion, Hun Hou is definitely not a joke. To subject him to cruel torture and give him the name Wangyan is a great joke by those who dare not let him speak!"