Chengzhou.

Yan Nangui followed Shu Chengfeng out of the palace to go for a walk in the suburbs.

Hunting is out of the question, but the scenery here is quite nice.

Accompanying him were several of the Crown Prince's subordinates and his guards.

The only female relative she brought was Yan Nangui, who didn't bring any maids. She only brought one eunuch, Shuanzi.

There's a fairly famous temple here, it's quite old, probably several hundred years old.

Although the Buddha statue in this temple has been replaced once, it has always been a popular place of worship.

When they arrived, there were many people. The guards disguised themselves as ordinary people and scattered inside and outside the temple. After all, it was the Crown Prince traveling, so even if they were traveling incognito, they had to be extremely careful.

This setup is only slightly simpler than when His Majesty travels incognito.

Yan Nangui wore a beige dress and had her hair styled in a bun.

Adorned with both elegant and simple headdress, she followed Shu Chengfeng up the mountain.

Shu Chengfeng was wearing a black robe today, with a white jade belt around his waist.

She wore a jade crown to bind her hair and carried a folding fan.

It strangely matched the round fan that Zhuang Jiaojiao was holding.

Because there are so many pilgrims, the mountain path is not difficult to walk.

There are steps on both the left and right sides, but it is clear that the left side is for high-ranking officials and nobles, while the right side is for ordinary people.

Now that the Crown Prince has arrived, this left-hand path is naturally only for his entourage.

Those who are usually high and mighty can only walk on the right, or dare not come at all.

Only the common people were unaware of the truth.

It was also because Shu Chengfeng didn't want to disturb the neighbors that he didn't stop them.

Fortunately, today is not the first or fifteenth of the lunar month, so although there are quite a few people going up the mountain, it's not too many.

After walking for about half an hour, we finally reached the top of the mountain. Because the path was steep, it was inconvenient to use a sedan chair, so we had to walk.

Walking won't feel so difficult anymore.

It would be very dangerous to carry a sedan chair up and down.

A thousand-year-old ginkgo tree stands at the main entrance of the temple, its branches and leaves flourishing. Below it is a circular protective structure built of stones.

There was also a cypress tree nearby, which was clearly quite old.

On the other side, peach blossoms were in full bloom.

The side gate of the temple is nestled among the peach blossoms.

Unlike the magnificent main gate, the side gate is quite simple and rustic.

"It's truly a case of April's blossoms fading in the human world, while the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are just beginning to bloom," Yan Nangui remarked.

"That's a brilliant line," Shu Chengfeng smiled.

This is April, isn't it? Indeed, the peach blossoms in the capital have already faded by now.

A novice monk came to greet them, and the group entered the main hall. The prince did not kneel when offering incense.

Yan Nangui then stopped kneeling.

The monks nearby didn't dare to say anything. They might not know exactly who had come, but since the person refused to kneel, they probably understood.

After offering incense, Shu Chengfeng said, "I heard the scenery behind this temple is quite nice. Let's go take a look."

Yan Nangui nodded and let him pull him to the back.

This temple is built against the mountain and is naturally quite large. In front are the main hall and other halls, and in the back are the living quarters for the monks, with courtyards in total.

Behind it is a garden, but this garden is connected to the mountain. The front and back mountains are connected.

The young novice monk, mindful of the donation money, explained things with utmost care.

“Birds and animals from the mountains often come here. The temple does not eat meat or kill animals, so they are not afraid.”

Actually, the earliest Buddhism did not abstain from meat. This was the case during the Dayan Dynasty, when there were two branches of Buddhism.

One of them was the one that spread to the world that Yan Nangui was familiar with; they didn't eat meat, drink alcohol, or get married.

However, there is another one, which is that they don't really have any taboos other than killing.

They look more like monks from an island nation.

The scenery on the back mountain is indeed beautiful, with small waterfalls cascading down the cliffs, and aside from other animals, there are quite a few fish in the pool.

The two of them lay down on the stone bridge. Looking out from here, the distant mountains rose and fell, shrouded in mist.

It's really a great place.

In the distance, you can still see White Bear Mountain on the other side of Dai Yangguang.

"White Bear Mountain is said to resemble a bear, but its summit is covered in snow all year round, hence the name White Bear Mountain," Shu Chengfeng said.

Yan Nangui nodded: "This temple is indeed something special."

Such a grand project, built against the mountainside and perfectly integrated with the mountain scenery, is truly rare.

There is also a huge lotus-shaped stone platform on the mountain, which is said to have been left behind by a certain patriarch after his death.

Of course, it's hard to say whether it's true or not, but making something that big in this era was indeed a huge project.

The wisdom of the ancient people!

The two discussed having a vegetarian meal at the temple for lunch.

Just then, a guard ran over from the side, his brows covered in sweat.

I spoke a few words with Ding Min.

Ding Min came over with a serious expression and whispered something in her ear.

"Just say it," Shu Chengfeng said, frowning.

Yan Nangui looked at Ding Min and smiled.

Ding Min hurriedly said, "The Seventh Prince has been assassinated. He is seriously injured. His Majesty is furious and has ordered you to return. Not just you, but everyone who has gone out is to return."

"Hmm." Shu Chengfeng waved his hand: "No rush, let's eat the vegetarian food first. The vegetarian food here is famous. It's not easy to come here."

Since that was his attitude, Ding Min naturally nodded in agreement.

After Ding Min left, Yan Nangui laughed out loud: "You can't get through this without making a scene of an assassination attempt, can you?"

Seeing that Yan Nangui was not in a hurry, he himself was not in a hurry either.

Of course, we continued to leisurely enjoy the scenery.

At lunchtime, we had a vegetarian meal at the temple, and it tasted quite good.

Before leaving, he asked the young novice to find a porcelain vase, pick the clever peach blossom buds, and take them with him.

After two trips, I was exhausted and collapsed as soon as I got into the carriage.

Shu Chengfeng hugged her: "Tang'er didn't come for nothing, she even brought back peach blossoms."

"I'll see Your Highness off. You'll need to rack your brains when you get back. I'll have someone put something in your room for you," Yan Nangui said with her eyes closed.

“Well, I won’t be able to see them tonight, so I’ll have to stay with you,” Shu Chengfeng said.

Yan Nangui simply smiled with his eyes closed: "If Your Highness has finished dealing with those matters, and still has the time and mood..."

"How could there not be? It's nothing more than an assassination attempt."

"If someone is assassinated, there has to be a killer, right?" Yan Nangui said.

"Okay, let's find one then." Shu Chengfeng said confidently.

Yan Nangui laughed again. Well, it seems that either the Crown Prince orchestrated the assassination, or he already knew about it.

Alright, the northern tour and the assassination attempt—it wouldn't be complete without either. Now it's complete.

Yan Nangui fell asleep while thinking about it.

Anyway, Yan Lingyun has returned to Daiyang Pass, and Chengzhou is not his territory, so whatever happens to him is none of his business.

Shu Chengfeng clearly knows how to handle things on his own, which means there's absolutely nothing wrong.

There's nothing to worry about.

By the time they returned to the palace, it was almost dusk.

Clearly, the assassination attempt has already caused a stir, and anything else that happens now has already passed its peak.

Moreover, Shu Chengfeng has plenty of backup plans; His Majesty should have already received the evidence before he even returned.

Now, when they meet again, no matter what His Majesty wants to do, he can't get angry at him.