Song Qingshu swaggered into Yuqing Temple, watching his soldiers turn the entire Daoist temple upside down, and could not help sighing. No wonder so many people said a man could not go a day without power. Leaning on power to bully others... bah! With others handling these trifles for him, things really were much easier.
"May I ask what brings you here so late at night, sir?" A plump middle-aged Daoist emerged with a group of Daoists behind him. The corner of his eye caught the Manchu soldiers kicking down doors everywhere, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
"You are the master of Yuqing Temple?" Song Qingshu gave him a sidelong glance. He appeared fair, fat, and amiable, but the occasional flash of sharpness in his eyes revealed that he was undoubtedly a master.
"That is correct. This poor Daoist is Ma Zhen, and I serve as master of Yuqing Temple." The plump Daoist bowed.
"Ma Zhen?" Song Qingshu frowned. The name sounded familiar somehow, but no matter how hard he thought, he could not recall where he had heard it before.
"It is like this. Not long ago, Prefect of Yangzhou Wu Zhirong was abducted from his home by criminals. I received intelligence that suspicious people were seen sneaking into Yuqing Temple, so I came to investigate." One needed a legitimate pretext to act; if Song Qingshu wished to use his authority to pressure others, he needed a reason that sounded plausible.
"Suspicious people?" Daoist Ma Zhen hurriedly waved his hands. "Absolutely impossible. Yuqing Temple has quite a few Daoists patrolling the surrounding area every day. We would never allow suspicious individuals to slip inside."
Song Qingshu snorted coldly. "You say there are none, and that makes it so? I will decide after I have investigated thoroughly." With that, he