Rebirth 78, the beginning of the marriage was broken off by the female educated youth

Chapter 1924 This is a case of hiding something here 32

Gan Qianjin and Liu Jianshe, who remained in the temple, quickly arrived at the Sutra Repository under the guidance of the young monk Jueming.

Clearly, the young monk had already received the abbot's tacit approval. He spoke with extreme restraint, but was still cooperative, leading the two of them to the document room.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will go and call the martial uncle here immediately!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Liu Jianshe took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Gan Jianshe. Looking at the mountain gate and halls built according to the terrain, he whispered, "How many people are in this temple? It looks so crowded. We get stared at wherever we go!"

Gan Qianjin shook his head. "Liu'er, there are several small temples in Yanjing City. Don't underestimate them just because they are small. Some of them have more people than the big temples outside the city. They may be small, but they are complete in every way. We can't let our guard down!"

"I understand!" Liu Jianshe nodded.

Not long after, the monk who managed the document room slowly followed Master Jueming over. He was an old monk who was nearly sixty years old and had severe myopia. His Dharma name was Yuanhui, and it was clear from his name that he was a fellow disciple of the old abbot.

Master Yuanhui didn't say much, but seemed to already know the two's purpose. He went straight forward, opened the door, and stood to one side after pushing it open. "The temple's clerks are inside!"

Gan Qianjin and Liu Jianshe exchanged a glance, then Gan Qianjin peeked over and said thank you.

The writing room was filled with various books, account books and scrolls, and the air was filled with the smell of old paper.

Gan Qianjin's father worked at the architecture institute, so he had been exposed to this kind of knowledge during his years of study and said he wanted to see the architectural drawings and repair records.

Yuan Hui wasn't wearing her glasses, and struggled to open her eyes to look at him. She slowly said, "The blueprints... are quite old! The earliest complete temple design was copied from the previous dynasty. Later, during several major renovations, it was patched up and supplemented a lot! Which year and which part do you want, benefactor?"

Gan Qianjin was clearly prepared, and he took out a notebook from his bag, which contained some public information and vague time points related to the building extracted from the Mu family bombing case file.

“Master Yuanhui, I need the historical changes to the side of the temple adjacent to the Mu family residence, especially… the blueprints and repair records from thirty or forty years ago to the last few years! We suspect that some structural changes may have important implications for the geological stability of the Mu family ruins and certain historical events! Of course, if there are any relevant county records, please provide them to us as well, so we don’t have to guess!”

His words were half true and half false, but they sounded reasonable.

Yuan Hui glanced at Gan Qianjin's notes, then at the nervous Jueming beside her, and slowly walked to a tall old wooden cabinet to rummage through it.

He searched slowly, but Gan Jinqian and the other man were in no hurry. While waiting, they observed the other furnishings in the writing room.

After a long while, Yuan Hui finally found a few yellowed, thick papers and bound booklets.

"These are the copies of the blueprints and repair records you requested. The detailed inventory of materials and labor is in another location! You may review them again, but please be careful, as these are unique copies and must not be damaged!"

After giving his instructions, he sat back down in his seat, lowered his head to copy the scriptures, and ignored them.

After thanking them, the two found the wooden table beside the bed, spread out the drawings and booklets, and began to examine them carefully.

The drawings have simple, archaic lines and are marked with traditional Chinese characters, but the layout is clear and easy to understand.

Gan Qianjin focused on examining the changes in the backyard warehouse and the street-facing wall over different eras.

Sure enough, he soon discovered that after a large-scale renovation record from more than forty years ago, there were some subtle, seemingly meaningless shading marks and dotted lines on the drawings in the area of ​​the backyard near the wall, which were different from the earlier simple drawing style.

However, the corresponding repair record summary is quite vague about this incident, only stating that the foundation was reinforced, the dilapidated walls were repaired, and warehouses were built. The materials and labor time are recorded in relatively detail, and the amount of bricks, stones, wood, and mortar consumed seems to be slightly more than the requirements of a regular project after careful calculation.

"Brother Liu, look here!" Gan Qianjin glanced at Yuan Hui and Jueming, who was sleeping on the side, and whispered, pointing to the booklet, "This special procurement fee is nominally for religious ceremonies, but the names of the goods listed after it... look, it's hardware and waterproof materials!"

The two exchanged a glance, each with their own plan in mind.

These subtle anomalies, while insufficient to directly prove the existence of the secret passage, are enough to suggest that the renovations of that year may have had other aspects.

Boom boom boom!

Just as the two were engrossed in their research, there was a sudden knock on the door of the document room.

A plump, ruddy-faced, and smiling middle-aged monk walked in carrying a tray with two bowls of tea and a few vegetarian snacks.

"You two police officers have worked hard! My Buddhist name is Yuanda, and I am the temple's guest master! My senior brother instructed that tea and snacks be brought to you to help you relax!"

Yuan Da closed the booklet with a smile, speaking in a familiar tone. He placed the tea and snacks on the corner of the table, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the open booklet on the table.

“Brother Yuanhui, these old things here are covered in dust. It must be hard for you two to look at them. These old records aren’t really anything to see! Our temple has always been law-abiding and quiet, and we have no dealings with the Mu family across the street!”

Gan Qianjin's heart skipped a beat. He raised his head and revealed a simple and honest smile: "Thank you, Master Yuanda. We are just doing our job. We're checking things out and writing a report to submit! Your temple has a long history. We're just here to take a look and listen to what's going on. It's a learning experience for us!"

Yuan Da laughed heartily and waved his hand, "I dare not presume to be learning! If you two need anything, just tell this humble monk, or I'll have Jueming run errands for you!"

He exchanged a few pleasantries before leaving.

While drinking tea, Liu Jianshe leaned closer and whispered, "This Yuan Da is a bit too enthusiastic! And his emphasis on having no dealings with the Mu family seems a bit like he's trying to cover something up!"

Gan Qianjin nodded, silently took out a small notebook from his chest, and wrote down the name of the guest master, Yuan Da.

"Masters, the master specifically instructed that we must eat the midday vegetarian meal at the temple!"

At this moment, Jueming suddenly reminded the two of his words, and without waiting for their reaction, he walked out.

Gan Qian looked out the window and saw that he had already walked away quickly into the distance. He turned around and the two looked at each other, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Jueming!"

Just as Jueming stepped out of the courtyard gate of the document room, he was suddenly called to a stop. When he turned around, he found Yuan Neng standing by the door watching him.

This Yuan Neng was dressed in a monk's short robe, like a handyman, but his eyes were like an eagle's, unlike those of an ordinary monk.

Jueming quickly greeted, "Uncle-Master!"

“Jueming, how could the abbot allow the police to search things in the temple? What are they looking for in those old blueprints?” Yuan Neng’s tone was full of dissatisfaction and a hint of barely perceptible anxiety.

Jueming shrank back somewhat fearfully: "Uncle-Master, I...I don't know either...Master agreed to it, saying it was to assist in the investigation of some Mu family case, but I don't really understand..."

Yuan Neng's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice: "What did they look at? Did they ask you anything?"

"Yes, it's just some old blueprints and repair records from the backyard. Uncle Yuanhui is here!" Jueming answered honestly.

Yuan Neng pondered for a moment, stared at Jue Ming, and his tone suddenly took on a threatening tone: "Watch your mouth! You are not allowed to mention to anyone what happened today when you came out of the backyard on official business, or what they asked you! Not even your fellow disciples! Of course, you are not allowed to know anything about what the police asked you! Understand?"

Jueming was so frightened that his face froze, and he hurriedly nodded: "Understood, Uncle-Master, I won't say anything!"

"Go!" Yuan Neng's expression softened a bit, and he waved his hand.

Jueming felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly lowered his head and walked away.

Yuan Neng stood in the shadow of the corridor, his face gloomy as he looked toward the backyard and the document room. His fingers unconsciously twirled a string of prayer beads of unknown material. The style of the prayer beads was different from Yuan Tong's sandalwood prayer beads, appearing rougher and more somber.

"Jueming!"

Jueming had just turned through two doors when he was called back. He turned around and broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly replied, "Master!"

Abbot Yuantong asked expressionlessly, "What did Uncle Yuan Neng say to you?"

Jueming didn't hesitate at all: "My master told me not to tell anyone that the police came to the temple! He also told me not to tell the police anything!"

He immediately sold Yuaneng.

Yuan Tong said with a profound Zen-like expression, "Honest child, you have done very well! Go!"

"Yes, master!"

Jueming hurriedly lowered his head and clasped his hands together, a barely perceptible smile seeming to appear at the corner of his mouth...