Chapter 259 Who is blocking the way

Ning An, who had been under house arrest for almost a month, finally exploded.

Her mother told her to wait for two days.

After waiting patiently for a day, Ning An found that he could not wait any longer.

After knowing that Su Zhizhi entered the palace, she felt like there was a feather in her heart, tickling her and she really wanted to go and see her.

Since she couldn't go out openly, she decided to find another way.

As long as she quietly climbed over the wall, quietly went to Minghui Palace to take a look, and then quietly came back, that would be fine.

There is a big locust tree in the backyard of Yaohua Palace, close to the wall, which is just right for climbing over the wall.

Ning An found an excuse and sent away all the palace servants who were serving him.

As soon as the palace maid left, she climbed the tree in one go.

However, as a princess, she had little experience in climbing trees. As soon as she climbed up, she lost her footing and almost slipped.

At this time, a bamboo pole emerged from the top of the wall.

Ning An grabbed the bamboo pole without thinking, used it to climb to the top of the wall, and then slid down the wall with the support of the bamboo pole.

She saw someone standing outside, probably a young palace maid who had just entered the palace and hadn't even changed her clothes.

Ning An turned around and ran away.

Unexpectedly, this little palace maid had such strong hands that she actually pulled her back.

Last year, she was invincible in the Lihe Hall!

Ning An scolded the other party for being bold, but the other party actually said that he didn't know who she was.

This, this is simply great.

So I don’t have to worry about this little palace maid telling others about it.

"I don't know who you are or why you climbed out of the wall, but you knocked over all the flowers I picked."

Su Zhizhi grabbed Ning An.

No one in this world can get away with knocking over Su Zhizhi's things.

Su Zhizhi spoke loudly and refused to let go, which made Ning An anxious. He simply spun around, squatted down and kicked, trying to shake her off.

Su Zhizhi really let go this time, dodged nimbly, and blocked Ning An again the next moment.

Ning An's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he punched Su Zhizhi's shoulder.

Su Zhizhi slightly turned her body and grabbed Ning An's arm. With her other hand, she quickly attacked, using her palm as a blade to chop towards Ning An's neck.

Ning An raised his foot at the same time and kicked Su Zhizhi's calf.

Su Zhizhi jumped up and put some distance between herself and Ning An.

The two men started fighting with punches and kicks.

It was hot in late spring, and the two little girls had a dense layer of sweat on their heads, and their collars were wet with sweat.

They fought breathlessly, but neither of them was willing to admit defeat.

When Dongyue came over worriedly, she saw that Su Zhizhi had actually pressed Ning An to the ground.

Dongyue's heart was in her throat, and she hurried over to stop him:

“Zhizhi!”

"Princess Ning'an!"

Dongyue pulled Su Zhizhi away from Ning An and helped Ning An up.

"Princess Ning'an, please forgive me. This is Su, the man the Emperor summoned to the palace to accompany Concubine Hui—"

Before Dong Yue finished speaking, Ning An's anger turned into joy, and two rays of light flashed in his eyes and pointed directly at Su Zhizhi:

"Su Zhizhi? You are Su Zhizhi?!"

Su Zhizhi was surprised. She didn't expect that she had just fought with the princess.

But the princess in the palace was also very strange. She didn't want to walk but insisted on climbing the wall.

Su Zhizhi replied: "I am Su Zhizhi."

"No wonder you're so good at Kung Fu!"

Ning An was overjoyed and rushed towards Su Zhizhi, but this time he didn't punch her. Instead, he touched Su Zhizhi's arm enviously:

"You have such strong arms."

"You're so strong..."

"You were very fast just now, and your martial arts skills are better than mine..."

Ning An never expected that he was so lucky that he met Su Zhizhi just after climbing over the wall.

What do you call this? This is fate, a gift from heaven.

Ning An's eyebrows lit up with joy: "Why are you here at Yaohua Palace? What's going on?"

Dong Yue was stunned. She didn't expect Ning An's attitude to change so much. She lowered her head and replied:

"Princess, I'm bringing Miss Su here to pick locust flowers."

Su Zhizhi pointed at the overturned bamboo basket with a bit of regret:

"The flowers I picked all flew away."

Ning An took the initiative to bend down and pick up the bamboo basket, winking at Su Zhizhi:

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

Half an hour later.

In Yaohua Palace, Su Zhizhi and Ning An sat at the stone table.

There were several baskets placed next to the stone table, all filled with locust flowers, like piles of snow.

Ning An asked the palace maids in her courtyard to pluck the entire crown of the tree, leaving almost no flowers.

The locust tree above my head now only has leaves but no flowers.

Su Zhizhi: "Princess, when I get back I'll tell Concubine Hui that all the locust flowers were given by you. I'll share some with you when the wine is brewed."

Ning An: "Zhizhi, you don't have to be so polite. Just call me Ning An in private."

Su Zhizhi and Ning An sat together under a tree and ate snacks, while Dongyue had to go back to Minghui Palace first.

Dongyue felt uneasy about leaving Su Zhizhi alone on the palace road, but she could rest assured about letting Su Zhizhi play in Yaohua Palace.

Ning An had her favorite snacks presented to Su Zhizhi for her to taste, and also showed her her precious spear.

Su Zhizhi showed Ning An her whipping skills with a willow branch, which made Ning An cheer.

The two of them exchanged some more arguments.

Ning An’s previous opponents in Lihe Hall were too weak. It was rare for her to meet someone like Su Zhizhi who dared to fight with her freely. Ning An said it was very exciting.

After the competition, Ning An and Su Zhizhi washed their hands and ate the soft pastries on the plates.

Ning An: "Zhizhi, are you free tomorrow? Can you come and play with me?"

Su Zhizhi: "I'm going to make wine with Concubine Hui tomorrow, you can come and see."

Ning An held his head in pain: "I can't go, at least not openly." Su Zhizhi: "Why?"

Ning An told the story of how he and the prince fell into the water.

Su Zhizhi was shocked: "Is it so serious just by swimming in the pool?"

The villagers in Heifei Mountain always go to the river to bathe. Even she herself often goes to the river to fish. Sometimes falling into the river is not a big deal.

When Su Zhizhi heard Ning An say this, she wondered if the prince was so fragile that he would fall down with just one breath.

Ning An whispered to Zhizhi, "...I guess he was doing this on purpose. He dragged me into this, wrongly accused me, and then pretended to be sick to prevent me from going on the spring hunt."

"I really want to teach him a lesson," Ning An bit a bite of the dessert fiercely, then lost his temper again, "but mother told me to stay away from him."

Su Zhizhi's eyes rolled around and she whispered:

"I have a solution. If he dares to wrongly accuse you again next time, I will help you vent your anger!"

…

It’s April and peach blossoms are blooming on the mountains.

The petals in the early morning were still covered with dew, and the mist had not yet dissipated.

In the small courtyard of Ciguang Temple, pink and white petals fell on the monks' robes.

Master Mingdeng was sweeping the yard as usual, and the fallen petals and dust were swept under the tree.

After a few rains, the pink and white petals will rot, melt into the soil at the roots, and return to where they came from.

Wuzhen changed into a new monk's robe in the room, poured a cup of tea and walked out, handing it to the master:

"Master, when are we going to enter the palace?"

Two days ago, news came from the palace that the Queen Mother invited Master Mingdeng to the palace to chant scriptures and pray for the prince.

Entering the palace is not a casual matter. Master Mingdeng can only bring one disciple with him, so he only brought Wuzhen with him.

Master Mingdeng took the tea and took a sip:

"When the fog clears, we'll go down the mountain. The palace carriage will almost be at the foot of the mountain by then."

The tea is a bit bitter and it takes a long time for the sweetness to return after drinking it, but it is very refreshing.

Wuzhen put his master's empty cup back into the house and asked in confusion:

"Master, are you really going to take me with you? I'm not as good at reciting the sutras as my brothers. Sometimes I make mistakes and just mumble through them. I'm not as strong as my brothers and can't lift anything. I can't help you, Master."

Master Mingdeng: "It's alright, just follow me closely and I will make all the arrangements."

After the master and disciple had breakfast, the fog dissipated.

The two of them slowly walked down the mountain. When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw people dressed as palace maids waiting for them.

The eunuch bowed respectfully:

"Master Mingdeng, I'm here to take you to the palace on the orders of the Queen Mother. It's early, and there are some vegetarian dishes in the carriage."

Master Mingdeng and Wuzhen said at the same time: "Well done, well done."

In the spacious carriage, Ming Deng sat in meditation with his eyes closed, reciting scriptures silently.

Wuzhen also closed his eyes and meditated, chewing vegetarian chicken in his mouth.

"Who's blocking the way? Get out of here right now!"

A shout was heard outside, and the carriage stopped.

Wuzhen lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out, and saw a man lying in the dirt road. He was covered in dust, had a pale and thin face, and his hair was half white.

Judging from his clothes, he could be barely recognized as a Taoist priest.

A very poor, hungry and miserable old Taoist priest.

After the palace maid scolded the old Taoist priest, she saw that he did not respond, so she raised her horsewhip and was about to whip him.

Snap——

The whip hit nothing and the old Taoist rolled on the ground, just in time to avoid it.

"Alas, why are you rushing like this? I'm just so hungry that I can't move for a while." The old Taoist priest got up from the ground.

He was so thin that when he stood up, the bones at his elbows looked like they would break through his skin at any moment.

Wuzhen subconsciously touched his elbow. It was so round and soft that he couldn't even feel the bone underneath the flesh.

Wuzhen turned around, picked up the vegetarian chicken and steamed buns on the table, and said to his master:

"Master, there's a Taoist priest outside who's very hungry. Can I give him some vegetarian buns?"

Master Mingdeng opened his eyes and glanced at Wuzhen's pleading expression.

This child seemed to be born with purity and kindness, without a trace of sin or darkness in his eyes.

Ming Deng nodded: "If you want to do this, go ahead."

When the palace servant outside saw that the old Taoist priest refused to leave, he thought he was trying to extort money. Thinking that Master Mingdeng was in the carriage, he didn't want to beat him half to death, so he was about to throw a few coins to send him away.

Wuzhen came out with a clean cloth holding the steamed buns and the vegetarian chicken, got off the carriage, and brought them to the old Taoist priest.

"Master, here's what you're eating."

When the old Taoist saw the buns and vegetarian chicken, he was so happy that his mouth was almost watering.

But when he then shifted his gaze to the plump white Wu Zhen, his eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he had seen a ghost.

His eagle-like hand suddenly grabbed Wuzhen's soft and plump wrist:

“You, you—”