Chapter 14 Like a Deer Finding Grass

"Don't talk." The eldest princess raised her hand to stop the panicked Jiang Jue.

The only remaining seaports in Dayong that can carry large ships are all in Qingzhou, and the place where this strange phenomenon occurred is the one closest to Nanchu.

"A thousand-mile dike is destroyed by a single ant's blood. If it were just an illusion at sea, it would be fine." The princess pointed to the location of Qingzhou on the map and said to Jiang Jue, "I'm afraid it was a rumor fabricated by spies from Southern Chu to cause unrest in Qingzhou so their army can march north to plunder."

"Send troops to quell the rebellion," Jiang Jue said immediately. "Aunt, quickly summon all the ministers to discuss the matter."

"How many troops do you plan to send?" the princess asked.

"This..." Jiang Jue thought for a moment and said carefully, "Send 3,000 cavalrymen from the Northern Army."

The eldest princess laughed out of anger.

"You've moved most of the imperial guards away from Dadu just because of some fishermen's nonsense. The governor of Qingzhou has always been a coward, and you've frightened him to death."

"Didn't Aunt say that Nanchu was going to attack?" Jiang Jue rubbed his hands nervously. "Please tell me clearly, Aunt."

"Send someone with a team to investigate the matter first." The princess sighed, "Let Xiao Zhenzhi go."

"That idiot..." Jiang Jue opened his mouth, then closed it again. A matter of this magnitude was only suitable for an idiot, wasn't it?

Solve small things and report big things, it's easy to get credit.

Jiang Jue frowned, but when he thought of Xiao Mianzhi's arrogant face, he didn't want to bother with the Xiao family at all.

"Aunt, why don't you send Ji Yao?"

"Tell me." The eldest princess picked up the tea without looking at him.

"Ji Yao is about to get married to Jing Youzhen. I think I can take this opportunity to win over the Ji family, the imperial censor."

The eldest princess nodded: "Continue."

"Xiao Zhenzhi is still... still young. I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the crowd if he goes. If he messes up, they'll even accuse me of nepotism."

"Not bad, you've made some progress." The eldest princess smiled and said, "Let's use Ji Yao as a gift for his wedding."

*

"It's just the two of us hanging out, why don't we call Youzhen?"

Feifei was interested in everything. She leaned on the car window with great interest and bargained with the passing vendors.

"It's embarrassing that we're all free and easy."

The old lady is afraid that she will be led astray by us.

"She's preparing her dowry next month."

"How come so soon?" Feifei was surprised. "When I first came here, the old lady said it would be next year."

"The Ji family spent a fortune hiring a witch to choose an auspicious day." Qiu Xuan paused, then added, "You also contributed to this."

"Mine?" Feifei tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I understand. Why are the Ji family still flattering the powerful and bullying the weak? They're not good people."

Yes, when the Marquisate was in decline, they dragged on. When Jing Bei'an came back and was valued by the Princess, he couldn't sit still anymore.

Qiuxuan picked a bag of dried osmanthus flowers from the vendor's bamboo basket.

The vendor opened another bag and showed it to Qiu Xuan: "Look, Madam, our osmanthus flowers are very carefully selected. My sister and I picked them out one by one."

The vendor was a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old, and she was holding a girl of five or six years old.

"Then give me two more packs." Feifei paid without thinking.

"Thank you, madams. Thank you, madams."

Qiu Xuan pointed at the people still praying and asked, "How long will it take for this to end?"

"Ma'am, you've got me stumped." The vendor said with a troubled expression, "These past few days, all that supernatural nonsense has made everyone uneasy, and the ceremony has been getting longer and longer."

"Just let them block the road?" Feifei frowned.

As more and more people gathered, those who arrived later began to kneel in the middle of the road.

People coming and going could use detours on foot or on horseback, but those traveling by car, like Qiu Xuan and her companions, could only wait where they were.

"There's nothing we can do about it." The vendor smiled bitterly. "The wizard said that worshipping the gods is a major event. Even the emperor has to do it."

At this time, the wizard standing in the center of the crowd stopped chanting and took refuge in a small hut nearby.

"Isn't this the end?" Feifei couldn't help but say, "The leader is gone."

"She's gone to rest," the merchant explained. "From her accent, she must be from far away. Mages are not allowed to show their faces, nor eat or drink in front of people. So if they want to moisten their throats with water, they have to hide inside."

Qiu Xuan asked the accompanying maid to distribute the water and snacks in the car to the two sisters selling flowers.

"When was this rule established?"

"Thank you, ma'am." The vendor put the candy into my sister's mouth. "Master Jizhuang ordered this last year."

"He doesn't allow them to see their family." The younger sister interrupted in a slurred voice, holding a candy in her mouth. "The neighbor's sister hasn't been home for three years."

"Is there such a thing?"

"It's said that a wizard needs to communicate with heaven and earth, so he can't be disturbed by ordinary people, otherwise he can't be a wizard." The vendor said, sighing, "But, madam, honestly, how many people can enter the palace to become wizards?"

"This is too much." Feifei said indignantly, "Why should he make the rules?"

The vendor's face turned pale, and he quickly signaled Feifei to be silent: "Madam, please keep your voice down. You can't say anything. You can't say anything."

"My maids also want to pick some things. You can show these to them." Qiu Xuan said to the vendor.

The vendor thanked him repeatedly and went to the front with his sister.

Feifei and Qiuxuan looked at each other.

"How reckless." Feifei said indignantly.

"Wu Zhuang and Shaman Zhuang are deeply trusted by His Majesty."

If it weren't for this, the queen wouldn't have been so unable to bear it and would have killed someone.

Unfortunately, the actions of these two charlatans over the years have become increasingly close to what the Queen worries about.

At this moment, a roar broke through the buzzing prayers of the believers.

Feifei quickly lifted the car curtain and looked out.

I saw a man riding a tall horse rushing towards me.

"The horses are frightened! Get out of the way!"

Some people immediately stood up and tried to run, but more people remained kneeling.

The wizard who heard the sound came out in a hurry.

"Get out of the way!"

Only then did people push and shove and run to the side of the road.

The mage who had spoken rushed forward, raising his hands high.

"Whatever she's going to do, she'll be hit." Feifei exclaimed.

In a blink of an eye, the out-of-control horse rushed in front of her.

Everyone exclaimed, and some of the brave ones even covered their eyes.

But the man on the horse leaned over, stretched out his hand, picked up the wizard, and placed him behind him.

Then he threw the reins and shouted loudly. The horse's hooves galloped away, raising a cloud of dust.

When the dust settled, all that was left on the road were people lying in a heap and a mask broken into pieces. The wizard had long since disappeared into the halo in the sky.

"What's going on?"

Feifei tugged at Qiuxuan's clothes.

Qiu Xuan came to his senses and immediately ordered the guards of the Marquis' Mansion: "Clear the road, we will go back now."

Then he said to the merchant who was protecting his sister tightly, "Where do you live? I will take you back."

With the guards' command, the bewildered people finally began to act.

The road was open, and people's mouths were finally connected to their brains.

"Did he take the Master Mage away?"

"He kidnapped the mage!"

Feifei looked at the horizon and sighed, "This trip was truly worth it. But why would someone kidnap a mage? That person was riding a fine horse, he doesn't look like someone without money."

"That horse is well-maintained." You can tell by the sound and the strength of its legs. Speaking of the sound, the man's voice sounded very familiar.

"The horses in the Marquis' Mansion are not as good as this."

"The number of families that can raise horses like this can be counted on one hand."

Qiuxuan's eyelids twitched.

Feifei slapped her head and said, "It seems like Yuzhen's fiancé's family has a horse trading business?"

"Ji Yao, that seems to be Ji Yao's voice."

Qiu Xuan held his forehead.