Li Xia slightly furrowed her brow and continued writing with a smooth stroke of her brush.

  In that case, Zhao Huiqing's name never appeared from start to finish. She was puzzled at the time and thought it strange that this parent seemed as if he were dead. Later, she had someone ask around and only then did she find out...

  "Now at the Zhao family home in Xigou Town, there are Zhao Huiqing's second wife Meng and her daughter Zhao Erjie, as well as Zhao Huiqing's eldest son Zhao Honggui and his wife Zheng. Zhao Huiqing's first wife also had a daughter, Zhao Dajie, who is two years older than Zhao Honggui and married in Qiantang County's Qiaotou Town."

  Li Xia bowed her head and drew the characters, all of which she knew.

  "Zhao Huiqing's ex-wife, Sun, and the Zhao family were neighbors. It was said that her dowry was very rich, and when she came to marry, it caused a stir at the time. People in the town said that Zhao Honggui had a weak personality, and from childhood he studied books. According to the neighbors, he studied so much that he became a bit foolish. When his sister got married, she took almost all of her mother Sun's dowry with her."

  Zhao Honggui's daughter-in-law, Zheng, after marrying into the family, had a big argument with her elder sister-in-law when she returned to her parents' home. Many neighbors tried to mediate. After three years of marriage, the first two years were spent arguing, but last year on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao's daughter didn't return to her parents' home.

  Li Xia's pen stopped, but her head didn't lift, after a moment, she continued writing.

  At that time, she felt strange. This case of murdering his wife and abusing his daughter-in-law had been going on for over a month, and Zhao Honggui had also been detained in prison for more than 20 days. At this time, why didn't this fierce big sister show up...

  "Zhao Huiqing's second wife, Meng Shi, is said to have a very good relationship with Zhao Dajie. Meng Shi's biological daughter, Zhao Erjie, often stays at Zhao Dajie's house for over ten days or half a month. According to the neighbors, there is nothing wrong between Meng Shi and her daughter-in-law Zheng Shi."

  The Meng family was far less well-off than the Zhao family. There was an old woman who had been ill for many years, and her medical expenses were supported by the Meng family.

  The Zheng family was a farming and reading family, known for their loyalty and kindness. His grandparents had been commended by the county government for taking care of orphans and widows in their clan for many years, and on the gate of their house hung a plaque written by the county magistrate himself, inscribed with the words "Loyal and Kind Family".

  Zheng had been married into the Zhao family for more than three years, almost four years, but still had no children. For this reason, Zheng went everywhere to pray for a child and eventually prayed at the Wushen Temple outside Xikou Town.

  Li Xia looked up at Guo Sheng, and Guo Sheng met her gaze with an unstoppable bright smile, indeed, the girl had asked him to investigate this very thing.

  Li Xia averted her gaze, lowered her eyelids, and stared at the shadow of the word, with a hundred flavors in her heart, momentarily tangled into a messy knot. These words couldn't be written anymore.

  The Wu Zetian's affair with the five eunuchs was a case that occurred when she accompanied Empress Wang in copying Buddhist scriptures, until they reached the secret letters.

  The Five Gods' Heresy originated in Yan Guan County, with the main culprits being brothers Cao Xing and Cao Wang. Due to extreme poverty at home, they often went hungry. At the age of six, Cao Xing ran away from home to become a monk at a temple, eventually ending up at Ning An Temple. By the time he was 26 or 27 years old, he had already become the reception monk at Ning An Temple. Three years later, he was expelled from Ning An Temple on the grounds of violating the precept against handling money.

  After Cao Xing left Ning'an Temple, he went around swindling and deceiving people. It is unknown since when, but somehow he gained a reputation for having great spiritual powers, and was called Master Cao. The greatest spiritual power of Master Cao was that his prayers for children were particularly effective.

  Soon, Cao ** Master said through the Tianyan, did the Shenshi, summoned his brother Cao Wang to do Cao Er Fashi, half a year later, also received the surrendered cousin Yang Kang, Yang Kang also brought his cousin Yang Lian, Yang Lian brought his brothers Chen An, from ** Master to five Fashi, gathered the five gods.

  By the time of the incident, this Five Gods Sect had already built more than a dozen temples in Yanguan County and several neighboring counties, amassing enormous wealth.

  The Five Gods Sect case started with a sudden death of a postpartum woman in Fuyang County.

  In Fuyang County town, the wife of a wealthy family, Yang, gave birth and died with her child on the second day.

  Yang's mother had been waiting outside the delivery room the day before, and didn't leave until her daughter gave birth safely. She went home half a day later, and after waking up from a nap, she heard that her daughter and newborn grandson had died suddenly. She refused to believe that they had died of illness. Coincidentally, her son-in-law Yao Da was infatuated with a courtesan at the time and was making a big fuss about bringing her home.

  The Yang family was convinced that their daughter and grandson were killed by Yao Da. A petition was filed, accusing the Yao family of wrongdoing at the county government office.

  Fu Yang County Magistrate was halfway through the trial when he almost died of fright, and sent all the defendants and case files to Hangzhou City's Procuratorate overnight.

  Xian Si read the case files and secretly reported them to the imperial court.

  The death of Yang Shi was indeed the doing of the Yao family, because the baby boy born to Yang Shi resembled Chen An, a Taoist priest from the newly built Wugong Temple outside the city. When Yang Shi saw the child, she collapsed and said that what they called "seeking a son" was actually being raped by the Taoist priest.

  This case was handled with utmost secrecy from start to finish, and the Empress Dowager had personally explained it to her.

  The five gods are incredibly effective in granting children, and the method of sending children is only one. The five gods have been flourishing in several neighboring counties for six or seven years, from their rise to prosperity. In these six or seven years, countless people have sought children, and countless people have obtained them. If this case were to be made public, it would not be known how many people would die in the counties that had built temples to the five gods, as well as in the surrounding counties where people had gone to seek children.

  The Empress Dowager said that Cao Xing and the other five were ordered by her, and they were beheaded.

  In the second year after she became Empress Dowager, she found an excuse to put to death those who had violated the rule against handling money in the Ning'an Temple, including the abbot Cao Xing, and had the Ning'an Temple razed.

  "How many temples of the Five Gods have been built?" Li Xia closed her eyes, thinking back to the case of the Five Gods' temple, which had occurred in the year she entered the palace. She hadn't expected that it would start so early!

  "It is said that there are three, one in Xikou Town, and one each in Sanyang Town and Qiaodong Town of Yangguan County." Guo Sheng's eyes gleamed, and he added another sentence, "This was what the old woman said, we need to investigate carefully to confirm."

  "You go on." Li Xia put down her pen, she really couldn't write anymore.

  "Yes." Guo Sheng's spirit lifted, "The Zheng family has been going to the Wugong Temple for a child for about two years now, but they still have no children. It's probably because every time they go to pray for a child, Zhao Da accompanies them and they kneel together, coming and going at the same time. That Taoist priest wasn't able to succeed."

  After leaving Wushen Temple, I went down and visited Qiaotou Town again.

  Zhao's sister-in-law's maiden name is Hu, and Zhao's sister married the eldest son of the Hu family. The Hu family has over 300 mu of land, an oil mill in town, a grain store, and a wealthy household. Hu Daxin is shrewd and not only farms but also digs ponds to raise fish and shrimp, plants mulberry trees to raise silkworms, and runs the family business very successfully.

  The Hu family had three brothers, the second eldest stayed at home to help the eldest with mulberry and fish farming. The third brother of the Hu family was clever since childhood and became a child prodigy. He married Wang Damaizi, the daughter of Wang Da Kui, the head of the yamen in Hangzhou Prefecture. Wang Da Kui had three sons but only one daughter, whom he loved dearly. The Hu family bought a house in Hangzhou City, and Wang Da Kui helped his son-in-law find a job as a clerk in the provincial government office, which was said to be a very prestigious position.

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