Zhike Monk Mingkong shivered and stammered: "Yes, I'm sorry, it was too slippery in the snow. I, I was carrying the dishes, but I fell. I... I didn't eat, that's why..."

"Your grandma," the horse-faced Mingzong stood up, angrily rolled up his sleeves and rushed over, "If you don't eat, it will be over. You spilled the food, what will I eat? I have to beat you to death!" He raised his hand and said,

Knowing that the guest monk Mingkong slapped him in the face.

Chef Mingyuan and the other monks also cursed and stood up to beat the monk Mingkong. Only an old monk with a white beard was still sitting there, grinning with a toothless mouth, gesticulating and cursing.

Leng Yi originally thought that abbot Juehui would speak out to stop him, but he didn't expect him to pay attention at all and let them quarrel and beat him. Leng Yi stood up and said sternly: "Stop! What are you doing?"

Chef Mingyuan looked Leng Yi up and down, curled his lips and said, "Are you just staying overnight? You should stop taking care of our temple affairs and eat your food!" After that, he grabbed the Zhike monk Mingkong by the collar and asked him again.

He wanted to fight, but Leng Yi grabbed his wrist that was raised in the air.

This time, it was like an iron hoop. Chef Mingyuan felt a sharp pain in his wrist that was almost breaking. He couldn't help but let out an ouch and looked at Leng Yi pleadingly.

Leng Yi shook his hand, threw him aside, and looked coldly at the other monks who were shaking their fists.

These people all knew that the chef Mingyuan was the strongest among them, but the host grabbed his wrist and prevented him from moving. It seemed that he had suffered a hidden loss, so they all became timid and returned to the table obediently.

Zhike Mingkong wiped the nosebleed, lowered his head and said, "I'll get the soup!"

"I'll go for it! Don't spill the soup again. Then everyone can only eat white rice." Chef Mingyuan glanced at Leng Yi with a flinch, rubbed his wrist, and hurried out.

A large wooden basin of soup was brought quickly, with a few green vegetable leaves floating on it.

Zhuo Qiaoniang pulled Zhike Mingkong down to her side and took out her handkerchief to wipe the blood from his mouth and nose. Zhike Mingkong twisted his face, raised his sleeve and wiped away the blood.

Zhuo Qiaoniang looked at Leng Yi and smiled bitterly. Leng Yi shook his head gently, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.

Everyone ate their food in silence, and all the vegetable soup in the wooden basin was eaten up, and they all left one by one.

After Leng Yi and Zhuo Qiaoniang finished eating, they also returned to the house.

Zhike Monk Mingkong brought them hot water and washed them, but he left without saying a word and with his head lowered.

Because they were not at home, Leng Yi and Zhuo Qiaoniang only took off their outer clothes and slept in their middle clothes. There are no big beds in the temple, they are all single beds, so they can only sleep on a bed each.

Not long after she lay down, she heard Zhuo Qiaoniang whisper: "Guanren..."

"Um?"

"I..., I'm a little scared..."

Leng Yi immediately understood that Zhuo Qiao Niang wanted to sleep on his bed and let him sleep with her in his arms. He was afraid of this now, fearing that Zhuo Qiao Niang would feel that his body was different from her real husband. So, he just

Being able to harden one's heart and say: "It's okay! Go to sleep!"

"Oh!" Zhuo Qiaoniang whispered a little aggrievedly. After a while, she added: "That chef monk is really too much. He is clearly bullying others. No wonder the thin monk and the others are angry. Master Abbot watched them beating the little monk,

I don’t care, there’s so much chaos in this temple!”

Leng Yi turned over and said: "Whatever, I hope the snowstorm stops tomorrow and we can set off, whatever they like! Go to sleep!"

Zhuo Qiao Niang stopped talking.

The cold wind howled all night long until the next day. Leng Yi woke up very early as usual, almost as early as him. Zhuo Qiao Niang also woke up. When she got up to get up, she saw Leng Yi and sat up too.

, hurriedly said: "My lord, please sleep a little longer. It's still windy outside, and the snowstorm must not have stopped yet."

Leng Yi smiled and said: "Forget it, it's better to get up early, it's not good to sleep in all the time."

Zhuo Qiao Niang said: "The official will lie down for a while. When I light up the fire and the room is warm, you can get up again."

"No, I'm not afraid of the cold!"

Zhuo Qiao Niang looked at him curiously: "In the past, officials were the most afraid of the cold. Every time I had to put the quilt on me to warm me before going to bed. Why..."

Leng Yi began to let her adapt to her current self, of course, little by little, and then he smiled and said: "It was before, and now is now. What I did before was so inconsiderate of you. I have to be nicer to you in the future.

In this unfamiliar Yinling County, we are dependent on each other and if we don't take care of each other, who will take care of us?"

Zhuo Qiaoniang looked at him with bright eyes and nodded happily.

After washing up, the two of them sat next to the fire shop and talked. It was still snowing heavily outside and the wind was raging. The two of them had been sitting for about an hour, and their stomachs had begun to growl. They felt strange, why haven't they had breakfast yet? Could it be that this

Does the temple not have breakfast?

Leng Yi was about to open the door to check, but the door opened by itself. Zhike Mingkong stood at the door in a panic, and finally spoke, but what he said was not good news: "It's not good, Mingyuan, die."

Got it!"

Chef Mingyuan died? Leng Yi was surprised and asked: "How did he die?"

"I don't know! Senior Brother Mingshou found it early in the morning, dead in the kitchen. The abbot asked me to invite you to go and have a look!"

The abbot invited them to see it? Even if he didn't invite him, this was the territory of his magistrate in Yinling County, and he still had to check it out. But being invited by the abbot to investigate a death with an unknown cause always made Leng Yi feel a little strange.

of.

He didn't go out in a hurry, picked up the package, opened it, took out a small box, and handed it to Zhuo Qiaoniang for her to hold. He didn't bring the box of silver and the rifle, so that Luo Luo would not be suspicious. These people don't

You will know that he is carrying such valuable things. In this temple surrounded by a snowstorm, no outsiders will come. So rest assured to put the things in the Zen room. Take Zhuo Qiaoniang and follow Zhike Monk Mingkong out, stepping on the thick dust.

Xue came to the backyard kitchen. Here, eight monks from the whole temple were gathered at the door. Abbot Juehui looked at Leng Yi and said: "Donor, a monk from our temple died in the kitchen. You are outsiders, please come and be a monk."

This is a testimony, so that when someone comes from the Yamen in the future, they can have an explanation."

Leng Yi glanced at it and saw that the door was wide open and there were two small holes in the window, which tore up the paper sticking to the window.

Leng Yi didn't rush in. He stood at the door and peeked inside. Inside was the kitchen, which was quite large. On the left was a large chopping board with a large pile of noodles piled on it. It was covered with a piece of cloth and half of it was exposed.

Come on. On the inner side, there are two earthen stoves connected together. Firewood is inserted into the two stove holes. The growing part sticks out of the stove opening. The fire burning inside has almost reached the stove opening.

On one side of the stove is a three-layer bamboo steamer, steaming something steaming. On the other stove is a large pot with a lid on it, steaming out.

To the right of the stove is a long table. There is a large piece of tofu on the table, but most of it is rotten, and some tofu is scattered on the floor.

Between the tofu, on the wet bluestone floor, there was a person lying on his back, motionless. It was the chef Mingyuan.

Leng Yi signaled to the monks at the door not to follow him, then carefully observed the ground to avoid stepping on important evidence, walked to the body, checked the pupils and pulse, and confirmed that he was dead.

He stood up, exited the door, and said, "Who discovered it first?"

"Junior Brother Mingjing and I." The fat man who loves to flatter us said wisely.

"What happened? Tell me what happened."

"It's past breakfast time in the morning, and I still didn't hear the bell ringing, so I..." At this point, the fat man Mingzhi felt something was wrong and looked Leng Yi up and down: "Why should I tell you?" He turned to

Abbot Juehui said: "Let's go to the county seat to report to the official!"

"I am the official!" Leng Yi said, "I am Leng Yi, the magistrate of this county!" After saying that, he reached out and took the brocade box from Zhuo Qiaoniang's hand, opened it, and found a large brass seal inside.

Leng Yi took out the big seal, turned it over, and handed it to Abbot Juehui: "Master, let's take a look. This is the official seal of this county!"

As soon as these words came out, all the monks in Changzhong were surprised and couldn't help but look at each other.

Juehui quickly took the big seal with both hands, squinted his eyes and took a look, and saw that the words engraved on it were indeed "Yinling County Yazhi Seal" in large Chinese characters. The abbot had seen various official documents with the big seal of the Yamen and recognized them.

This seal was indeed the seal of the county magistrate. He was so panicked that his hands were shaking and he almost dropped the seal to the ground. Thanks to the fat man next to him, Mingzhi supported him, so he caught the seal, held it with trembling hands and handed it back to Leng Yi.

.Then he bowed and clasped his hands and said: "It turns out to be the county magistrate. I don't know. I am very disrespectful. Please forgive me!"

All the other monks also hurriedly put their hands together to greet him in fear.
Chapter completed!