However, when Cui Shi unfolded that "secret edict", he only saw four words written on it: Do what is convenient.

  Under these four characters is affixed the Great Seal of Jade.

  Choi Seok looked at Bae Dahn in surprise and asked, "What is this, Temple Lord?"

  Pei Tan has already retrieved the secret edict, and with a faint smile, he looks at Cui Shi: "This is an edict given to Pei by His Majesty, reminding Pei that all matters should be handled according to circumstances."

  It is to let Pei Tan, as long as he can investigate the affairs entrusted by Zhong Zong, use this secret edict written with temporary powers to handle any temporary matters, and all officials in Chang'an City need to cooperate.

  This edict written in four characters is feared to be more powerful than any imperial decree that is usually filled with demands.

  Chui Shi, as a member of the Chui family, could not help but ask Pei Tan, "How can my Thousand Bull Guards cooperate with you, sir?"

  He couldn't even ask Pei Tan about what case he was investigating, and when he asked, it was against the imperial edict of Zhong Zong.

  Pei Tan sat at the edge of the table, his fingers lightly tapping on the surface of the sandalwood desk beside him.

  "Originally, the four major city gates were heavily guarded, but those holding a pass of grade two or above could pass through without being checked. Mr. Pei hopes... that this group of foreign merchants will be registered separately by Lord Cui."

  Choi Seok was shocked, "Lord Pae is demanding that regardless of the rank of the official document presented, they are all treated equally and thoroughly inspected?"

  Bai Tan immediately shook his head and said: "Absolutely cannot inspect, Cui sir only needs to present the identity and list of people leaving the city to my Dalisi at the first time."

  Choi Seok's expression was uncertain for a moment, then he asked: "May I know the reason for doing this?"

  Everything related to the Dalai Lama makes people feel less secure.

  Just then, Pei spoke up with a slight movement of his fingers: "Lord Cui thinks that if someone wants to sneak out of the city disguised as a merchant, what method would be most covert?"

  This...

  Choi Seok seemed to have reacted: "Is there a recidivist who wants to escape from the city?"

  Pei Tan had no words.

  Choi Seok-do said: "If so, why doesn't Lord Pae allow me to investigate?"

  If someone really dares to be so reckless and hides among the Muslim merchants to escape, then strengthening the guards at the four major city gates can obviously catch this person.

  Pei Tan refused to let them search.

  "Please, Lord Cui, be sure to follow my words and beware of those holding passes of the second rank or higher."

  Chui Shi quickly ran through his mind, recently in Chang'an City's serious crimes, who had the ability to mix into the Hu merchants and disappear?

  This makes this confidential letter even more bizarre.

  But with the imperial edict before him, Choi Seok hesitated for a moment and could only say: "I... accept the edict."

  As soon as he left the Qian Niu Wei camp, Pei Xian immediately looked around to see if anyone was watching from outside. If someone dared to follow him all the way home, they would definitely not let her have another chance to escape like that woman did before.

  Pei Tan seemed to have let go, and without even turning his head, he got on the carriage and ordered it to hurry back to the Great Temple of Li.

  After returning to the Temple of Great Rites, Pei Tan immediately summoned the chief scribe Xing Zuo.

  "Xing Zhubu, would you please trouble yourself to fetch all the case files related to the Dali Temple and female prisoners from the past five years for Pei?"

  Xing Zuo served as the chief clerk of the Dali Temple for nearly twenty years and had a very deep understanding of all aspects of the temple.

  When Pei talked about checking the materials and specifically mentioned that it was a female prisoner, he couldn't help but feel surprised.

  In fact, Shi Cong County was also puzzled. Although he followed his family's young master closely, he couldn't guess what Pei Tan was thinking at all.

  Xing Zuozuo, who was familiar with the Temple of Dali, came forward and handed over the volume to Pei Tanmu.

  It's also because of the peculiarity of what Pei Tan is looking for, it must be a female offender. To know that women offenders are rare in themselves, let alone only having a span of five years, and there are less than ten cases found in total.

  Pei Tan flipped through the documents at his desk and quickly eliminated three cases involving death sentences, monks, and imprisonment. He focused on the remaining six cases.

  After watching for a while, Pei Tan's mouth curled up with a smile.

  He took out a case file and threw it to Xing Zhubu in front of him, saying: "Check the people involved in this case, are they still in Chang'an? If so, where are they?"

  It was supposed to be about Zhang Zonghou's case, but Pei Tan suddenly brought up a case that had been dormant for several years and wanted to investigate the people involved in it.

  But since he is the Duke of Dali Temple, how can we not give him what he wants.

  Xing Zuo opened the case file from start to finish, and it was an extremely ordinary theft case. The defendant was a young woman, and the plaintiff was her neighbor. The neighbor went to the government office to accuse the woman of stealing his property. After investigation, it was found that the plaintiff had been coveting the woman's beauty and had repeatedly tried to harass her but failed, so he falsely accused the woman of theft in order to take advantage of her.

  However, this woman was cleverer than others and had left evidence early on, so the case only went through the Temple of Justice once before she was released.

  It was just an ordinary case, without even any loss of life, but now Pei Tan wants Xing Zhuzhu to find the woman.

  Really don't know what's going on.

  When Xing Zhubu left, Pei County couldn't help but ask his master: "Sir, why do you suddenly want to investigate this theft case from several years ago?"

  "What case is not important, the key is that the person involved in this case was still a girl at that time."

  It's precisely because of her beauty and youth that she is being pursued by Dung Tu Tzu.

  Pei Xian still didn't understand: "What's that got to do with anything? Isn't it clear that this woman was falsely accused by the plaintiff?"

  But the false accusation had already been cleared up at that time, what does Pei Tan want to find this woman for now?

  Pei Tan's gaze, however, seemed to drift vaguely towards the window of the Dalit Temple: "Do you still remember that carrier pigeon? Why was it that the palace's carrier pigeons could find their way to the Dalit Temple?"

  The attendant was stunned, and then his eyes deepened slightly.

  "The homing pigeon is familiar with the Temple of Dali, which means that the person who raised the homing pigeon must be very familiar with the temple. But in a place as strict as the Temple of Dali, who would be so familiar? Unless it's someone from within the temple, neither you nor I, nor even the officials inside the temple, would dare to do such a thing."

  Bai County listened to his own son's analysis, but became more and more astonished and uncertain.

  "So there's only one kind of person who would have the opportunity to understand the layout and situation of the Dalí Temple, that is, those who have been to the Dalí Temple before - the defendants and the plaintiffs."

  Ordinary people can only have these two identities when they come to a place like Dali Temple.

  Since none of the yamen runners and officials inside the Temple of Great Awakening are suspicious, it must be one of the culprits or plaintiffs who have been to the temple before.

  "But... plaintiffs usually don't have the opportunity to stay in the temple, only defendants who are detained in the temple have the time or chance to draw a map of the temple's layout." Pei Tan lightly tapped his hand on the table and paused for a moment.

  The doubts in Pei County's mind were suddenly cleared up.

  So the young master of the house wants to investigate the female prisoners who have been to the Grand Temple, but why are they female prisoners, and the time... Why is it five years?

  Before he could ask this question, someone outside the door came to report: "Sir, the person being searched for has been found and is in Chang'an. He has already been brought back by Chief Scribe Xing."

  Xing Zuoneng was able to serve as the chief clerk of the Dali Temple for twenty years, and it's not without reason. He knew that the people Pei Tan asked him to investigate wouldn't be there without a cause. Since he found them at the first time, and they were still in Chang'an, naturally, he had to bring them back to the Dali Temple immediately.

  Pei Tan immediately stood up from his desk and walked to the door, saying: "Take me there at once."

  The woman who was brought here is now married and has become a lady, with a woman's hairdo, still showing her beautiful charm.

  The woman seemed to have no panic when she was brought to the temple, and her face still had a faint smile.

  Such a beautiful woman, the attendants of the temple would naturally not dare to be rude.

  When Pei Tan appeared in the hall, the woman's gaze naturally met with Pei Tan.

  The woman curtsied: "Commoner's wife Zi'an, paying respects to the great Lord of the Supreme Court."

  Pei motioned for her to rise, and instructed the nearby Xing Zhubu and the bailiffs: "You all go down first, I have something to say to her."

  So except for Pei County, all the lower-ranking officials temporarily left the hall.

  That woman called Zi An'er still looked at Pei Tan without any surprise, and her demeanor was quite unexpected.

  Before Pei Tan arrived, he had already heard from the bailiff that this woman was now the wife of a tavern owner, who usually managed the tavern with her husband and did a thriving business.

  Judging from the woman's attire, she seems to be doing quite well too.

  "His Honor has a matter that requires your cooperation, Madam. That's why I brought you here. I hope you will understand."

  The woman's demeanor was elegant and refined, with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. She said, "It is an honor for a humble housewife like myself to be able to share your worries, Your Excellency... especially since you are Lord Pei, the upright official whom everyone in Chang'an praises."

  The so-called "Clear Sky" reputation was established when Pei Tong first took office, as he single-handedly solved the murder case on Zong Huo Street and successfully sent him to the executioner's platform. Although many people were involved in this case, from the perspective of ordinary citizens, Pei Tong was seen as a champion of justice for the people, and since he had just taken office, this case naturally made his reputation spread far and wide. From the moment Zong Huo was beheaded at the Meridian Gate, Pei Tong was hailed by some as "Clear Sky".

  "Five years ago, madam, were you not accused of theft by your neighbors and later cleared of the false charge after being detained in the Temple of Justice for two days?"

  The woman's eyes moved slightly and she smiled faintly, saying: "This is indeed true."

  Pei nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on the woman's elegant face for a moment before he spoke again: "Zi Cui'er is not your real name, is it?"

  Pei Tan used a declarative sentence, and the woman was not stupid either, her eyes moved slightly at once.

  After a moment, the woman smiled slightly and said, "What does this have to do with what you asked, sir?"

  Pei Tan looked at the woman: "Of course there is a relationship. The information about your wife recorded in the file five years ago shows that she was from Lingnan."

  The woman's eyes grew even more profound: "What of it?"

  Pei hesitated for a moment before saying, "According to the records, Madam was born to a Hu merchant from Lingnan and a Han Chinese woman. She came to Central Plains since childhood, and after her parents passed away one after another, she drifted to Chang'an to make a living."

  The woman's hands in her sleeves were clasped together lightly, and her face was still calm: "I don't want to mention the past, madam."