Chapter 123: The Tribulation Of Maitreya

Chapter 123: The Maitreya Sect's Ordeal

Gong Chaoqun could find no reason to refuse such a magnificent gift.

In terms of duty, he need not trouble himself with solving the case; it could be easily closed, satisfying both court and public opinion. The story was too convenient to fabricate, and it was exactly the kind the masses would eagerly accept.

In terms of the situation, though it might not greatly affect the entire Maitreya Sect, at least the situation in Yangzhou could be contained. Otherwise, with the prefect and the Canal Guild teeming with Maitreya followers, Gong Chaoqun feared that by morning Yangzhou would have changed its banner, and his own head would be severed as a sacrificial offering.

In terms of righteousness, killing barbarians was righteousness itself.

In truth, this wretched prefect was entangled with the Maitreya Sect, making it exceedingly difficult for his Demon-Suppression Bureau to investigate them. He had long wanted to kick this bastard to death; indeed, the prefect's death itself was a gift.

No matter how he looked at it, it was so perfect that he wanted to embrace the true culprit and kiss him—the crime was committed with such considerate care.

As for finding the true culprit being his real duty?

Well, Zhao Changhe would handle that anyway.

Seeing that Gong Chaoqun clearly could not refuse this great gift, Zhao Changhe smiled and said no more. Indeed, anyone would make the same choice.

There was another thought he kept to himself, knowing it was useless to voice: Had you ever considered why the murderer was so considerate, what benefit all this scheming brought him? Was it merely to avoid punishment for murder? Even without this setup, it would be hard to identify him.

Gong Chaoqun was a veteran of major cases; he could not have failed to think of this. But weighing the options, the benefits were too obvious, and he did not want to bother with other concerns.

Yue Hongling had no better idea either. Whether it was dealing with the Maitreya Sect or the barbarians, both pleased her. As for the true culprit, she could help Zhao Changhe investigate later. She finally said, "I discovered a Maitreya Sect stronghold a few days ago, at the White Lotus Temple ten li east of the city."

"So that's the place! I've suspected it all along, but the prefect kept obstructing and covering it up." Gong Chaoqun declared, "Today we will uproot the Yangzhou Maitreya Sect!"

......

The prefect's assassination case was solved within an hour.

The prefect's concubine was discovered by the Demon-Suppression Bureau to be a Maitreya Heavenly Maiden. Under interrogation, she confessed to using Maitreya Sect secret arts to control the prefect and drain his true essence.

She also confessed that under her control and inducement, the prefect deliberately acted on various pretexts, causing many commoners to lose their homes and families, who were then taken in by the Maitreya Sect to swell their ranks.

Through various exactions, silver not only fattened the prefect's own coffers but also enriched the Maitreya Sect.

—These were true facts.

Even Ruyan's fall into prostitution and her subsequent faith in the Maitreya Sect occurred during this process.

As the news spread, Yangzhou was in an uproar. Countless Maitreya followers were stunned, including Ruyan, who was still receiving clients at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Of course, the dissemination of news was a later matter. The prefect's Heavenly Maiden concubine confessed to more than just this.

She also confessed that when she saw signs of the prefect slipping from her control, the Maitreya Sect, driven by desperation, colluded with the barbarian Chili to assassinate the prefect in his chamber at midnight.

This, of course, was a hastily fabricated story, its logic questionable. Yet buried amidst the earlier truths, these flaws went unexamined. Gong Chaoqun would later embellish the details in his report to the court, needless to say.

For now, it was enough to convince the army commander.

In this prosperous region, the military had long been neglected, but at least it had not been heavily infiltrated by the Maitreya Sect—this was a key reason the sect still felt it lacked the momentum for an outright rebellion.

Even a neglected army was still an army; sheer numbers alone were useful.

The Maitreya Sect, still operating as a home-based association, had not yet formed a military organization. When the army began a city-wide sweep to arrest Maitreya followers, the sect was caught off guard and offered almost no resistance.

With spare forces, they also dispatched several hundred strong bows and crossbows, along with over a hundred elite from the Demon-Suppression Bureau, and together with Zhao Changhe, Yue Hongling, and others, they charged straight for the White Lotus Temple ten li east of the city.

Fayuan was restless inside the temple that day.

He knew about the prefect's assassination and the city lockdown, but this time the Demon-Suppression Bureau's blockade was extremely tight. The outside world did not know the details of the assassination, nor that the prefect had died at the doorstep of their Heavenly Maiden.

In his mind, this was not the work of the Maitreya Sect. He would not order a full evacuation over such a minor incident. Instead, he worried that the Heavenly Maiden in the prefect's residence might be discovered by the Demon-Suppression Bureau, and he was pondering how to rescue her.

There were plenty of other officials in the city who belonged to the Maitreya Sect; pulling strings to get the innocent Heavenly Maiden out should not be too difficult.

In Fayuan's view, the one who assassinated the prefect was a complete bastard. The Maitreya Sect had spent so much effort turning the prefect into one of their own, and they hadn't even enjoyed his usefulness for a few years before he died. Who knew what kind of prefect the court would send next? They would have to start the long, painstaking process all over again.

If the sect leader had already risen in revolt, it would be one thing—the prefect's death would be irrelevant. Fayuan could simply raise his arm and call for action, throwing the city into chaos. What need would they have for a prefect? But the sect leader had not yet made his move, leaving Fayuan in a terrible bind, unable to advance or retreat.

Chili sat nearby, watching Fayuan pace back and forth, and said coldly, "If you ask for my advice, Master, either rise up decisively now and seize Yangzhou, or evacuate immediately."

So it was true that the Maitreya Sect had colluded with the barbarians. After being wounded, Chili feared trouble and had not hidden in the prefect's residence but in the White Lotus Temple instead.

Fayuan shook his head. "Your Great Khan has not yet raised his army, and our sect leader cannot coordinate. How can I possibly rise up in Yangzhou alone?"

"Then evacuate. Your Heavenly Maiden is trapped in the prefect's residence. The Demon-Suppression Bureau is no pushover. You'd better not harbor any illusions about pulling her out. Prepare for the worst—she has already been discovered and controlled by the Bureau."

"Even if they discover she is our Maitreya Heavenly Maiden, does that warrant evacuation?"

In truth, Chili had not expected the people of the Central Plains to be so dirty. They would ignore the real culprit and directly pin the prefect's assassination on him and the Maitreya Sect. In his mind, he had nothing to do with it; the prefect was one of their own, and his death only angered him.

But his long experience in life-and-death situations had sharpened his instincts. His heart kept racing, and he felt something was very wrong. As for the exact reason, he could not pinpoint it at the moment.

Seeing that Fayuan would not believe in the need to evacuate, Chili knew he could not persuade him. He stood up and said, "Then we'll leave first."

Fayuan was puzzled. "Why so?"

Chili shook his head. "Just a gut feeling. It's like being stalked by wolves on the grassland—goosebumps all over. Master, believe it or not, I have no reason to give. Either way, we're leaving."

With that, he took Batu and the others and departed swiftly.

Less than a quarter of an hour after they left, shouts of battle arose outside. Several hundred strong bows and crossbows surrounded the White Lotus Temple. Elite troops from the Demon-Suppression Bureau swarmed in, and Gong Chaoqun led the charge, kicking open the temple gate: "Zhang Banfo, come out and die!"