Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Frightened Horse
Seeing that she finally asked to leave, the nanny secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that fortunately everything went well and nothing unexpected happened.
When the Crown Prince emerged from the palace, he had changed into a moon-white robe and, along with Li Fu, galloped towards Huangjue Temple. Huangjue Temple was located on Qingyun Mountain south of the city. A carriage would have been slow to travel back and forth, but the two men rode fast horses, both skilled in horsemanship. In just an hour, they arrived at the mountain gate.
After tying the horse under a willow tree not far away, the prince straightened his clothes and went in with Li Fu and the other Qinglong guards.
Upon entering the Heavenly King Hall, a host of monks came out to greet him. They wondered why the prince had suddenly arrived. Despite their confusion, they remained respectful.
Li Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the Bodhi tree outside the courtyard. He asked, "I've heard that your temple has a very powerful person named Liao Wu, who is incredibly efficacious. Who is he?"
The abbot stepped forward tremblingly, clasped his hands together, and said, "Your Highness, you have come at an unfortunate time. Monk Liaowu went traveling some time ago, and I'm afraid he won't be back until next year."
The prince looked quite cold: "The powerful people in Huangjue Temple not only need to verify and obtain the certificate of ordination when traveling, but also report to the court. Why didn't I hear any news in advance?" He stroked the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist with his right hand, and his tall figure was majestic without anger.
The monks in the temple were so frightened that sweat broke out on their foreheads. The abbot explained with a stiff upper lip: "Master Liaowu's action was sudden, and we haven't had time to report it to the court yet..." He also felt that this matter was strange. Liaowu had been practicing in seclusion and had never traveled far. Why was he in a hurry some time ago, saying that something big had happened?
The prince looked coldly at the monks who were wearing robes but shivering and had no dignity at all.
He sneered and said, "Seeing that he knowingly committed a crime, not only did you not report it, you even tried to cover it up for him." He walked up to the abbot, who was kneeling on the ground and didn't dare to look up. He could only see the prince's Liuhe boots.
"Who knows if Liao Wu is colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty? Or, is he the remnant of the previous dynasty?" Li Cheng looked around at everyone, "If that's true, you, Huangjue Temple, will be charged with treason."
"Your Highness, please spare my life! Spare my life! I have never collaborated with the enemy!" The monks were terrified and kowtowed to beg for mercy.
"Then tell me, was there anything unusual before he left?" The prince turned around with his hands behind his back, looking at the several-meter-tall Buddha statue in the hall, waiting for an answer.
After hearing this, the monks looked at each other and pondered for a long time before the abbot spoke on their behalf: "Master Liaowu has a very high status in Huangjue Temple. He is usually in seclusion, so I really didn't know about him. But I seem to have heard him accidentally mention that the destination he was going to this time was Yizhou. He was in high spirits before leaving, almost crazy."
Li Cheng saw that he didn't look like he was lying. And if he was lying, he would be able to find out easily.
But what exactly was Liaowu going to do in Yizhou? Why was he so excited? What big event did he mention?
Li Cheng had a hunch that he had overlooked a crucial piece of information. Now, upon hearing the name Yizhou, some speculations inevitably surfaced in his mind.
Is this really the case?
Li Cheng was not too particular about whether he could get a blessed amulet from Wu or not. As long as it was a blessed amulet with Buddha nature and could protect the baby in her belly, she would not mind it too much.
What's more, if the person who has realized this lacks moral character and behaves like a dog or pig, then using the amulet that he has blessed would be desecrating the child.
After handing over the matter concealed by the monks to the relevant personnel for handling, they rode back to the city.
…
After leaving the shop and walking to the large stone lions nearby, the bustling vendor pestered Liang Hanzhang. "Madam, could you please take a look at my boxwood comb? It helps my daughter comb her hair into a bun, and it helps my daughter keep her hair from falling out!"
The two maids tried to protect her in the middle, waving their hands impatiently: "We don't want your comb." Frowning, they escorted Liang Yuan towards the carriage.
The oil seller stopped them again, banging his clappers with both hands: "Bang-bang-bang! Finely ground sesame oil, freshly hung and sold. You get what you pay for. Don't miss out! You'll be at a loss!" He looked Liang Hanzhang up and down, then said with a flattering smile, "Madam, would you like to buy some sesame oil?"
This area is a prime location, and many dignitaries pass by. As long as these dignitaries give him some rewards, or dig out some from their teeth, it will be enough for his family to eat for a long time.
The small vendor had received such benefits before, so whenever he met someone dressed well, he would shamelessly introduce them to them.
Nanny Sun's face darkened: "No need, we are busy and need to hurry, go away!"
The vendor was unconvinced and was about to argue when he saw a group of men dressed as guards approaching behind them. They looked ferocious and immediately shut up.
The attendants quickly cleared a path, the maids' hands sweating, their only wish being to escort the Empress back to the palace unharmed. If the Empress wanted to leave again, they would absolutely not allow it.
But just as he reached the carriage and was about to get on, another hawk seller came up, holding a hawk with blue feathers in his hand.
Its underbelly was covered in white snow, streaked with interlaced black lines. Under the sunlight, it shone with a faint golden hue. It truly looked like a well-tamed, docile harrier hawk.
The vendor introduced: "Madam, this is a harrier hawk that my family has trained. Although it is small, it is very capable. Rabbits are scared to death by it, and sparrows have nowhere to escape when they see it. Would you like to buy one to play with?"
Liang Hanzhang looked at the other person's familiar face with a dark look in his eyes.
After hearing this, Madam Liu was shocked and frightened, but she kept pushing people away: "Hurry up and take your things with you. We don't want any harrier hawks!" These hawks are raised by rich young men to catch prey. They are extremely ferocious and have very sharp teeth. They can bite off a large piece of raw flesh from a living person.
There is no such thing in the Eastern Palace. The Queen is a weak woman who is pregnant. If she really raises a harrier hawk, who knows what will happen.
She thought she had persuaded the vendor to leave, but unexpectedly, her own queen was quite interested. She turned around and stepped forward and asked excitedly, "Will it listen to me?"
"Of course it will listen to what the lady says," the vendor responded cheerfully, "My harrier is different from others'. Others raise them as birds of prey, but mine has been trained since it was young. This little thing is very well-behaved. It can't catch people, and it can understand human words."
He said to the harrier in his hand, its head resting on its wings, "Lower your head." The cyan-feathered harrier indeed lowered its head obediently, its sharp hooked beak preening its feathers.
"Fly twice."
The little blue bird flapped its wings and flew twice in his palm. It really could understand human language.
"Madam, what do you think?" Liang Hanzhang was very interested in what he saw and couldn't help but stretch out his hand and said, "Let me see."
"Mother... Madam, no, this bird of prey looks ferocious. What if it hurts you?"
Liang Yuan was in a bit of a bad mood today and couldn't be persuaded. She said nonchalantly, "Doesn't she look quite well-behaved? I'm just playing with her, I don't really plan to buy her."
As he spoke, he placed the harrier in his palm. The bird was still young, domesticated, and indeed seemed quite harmless. It lay obediently in Liang Hanzhang's hand, glanced at him with disdain, then drooped its head nonchalantly into its wings and went back to sleep.
Liang Hanzhang liked it so much that he couldn't help but say, "Mammy, please give me some money. I want this harrier hawk."
"Empress, this..." What the nanny least wanted to happen still happened. She tried to persuade Liang Yuan earnestly, but Liang Yuan didn't listen at all.
Just as they were frantically running around, an unexpected event quietly occurred. A carriage approaching from a short distance suddenly startled the horse, which bolted with red eyes and galloped towards where Liang Hanzhang was standing.
"Run! The horse is frightened, run!" the crowd shouted.
Although he brought a few guards with him on this trip, they were not martial artists. Moreover, the accident came so suddenly that they were pushed and squeezed in the crowd. Even if they wanted to take Liang Yuan away, they were powerless.
Nanny Sun was pushed aside by the crowd. Nanny Liu turned pale with fear. She held Liang Hanzhang's hand tightly and ran away, muttering incoherently, "My Lady, run to the side! Quick!"
In contrast, Liang Hanzhang's face remained calm, even vaguely excited. She had thought of this plan on the way here, but she had never expected it to be realized so soon.
She pretended to be frightened and prepared to run after the nanny, but after taking a few steps, she pretended to accidentally twist her ankle and fell into the middle of the official road.
"Empress!" Madam Liu shouted, her face filled with horror.
The carriage behind him was still galloping. The horse driver was so scared that his hands and feet were cold and he could hardly hold the reins. Seeing the person lying in front of him, he shouted at the top of his voice: "The horse is frightened! Run!" He tried his best to stop the mad horse, but it was of no use.
The horse was less than ten feet away. Liang Hanzhang's heart beat in his throat and he subconsciously closed his eyes.
At the critical moment, a man suddenly appeared on the back of Crazy Horse. He lay on the horse, raised the sword at his waist high, and stabbed it into Crazy Horse's body.
The mad horse neighed miserably, raised the two pairs of hooves in front of it high, and actually slowed down its pace.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the man on horseback quickly jumped down, not caring about the blood splattering all over himself. He bent down and picked up the man lying on the ground who was almost scared to death, and jumped forward.
Fortunately, he acted quickly, and the mad horse, which had been stabbed by the sword, regained its composure. The pain in its body aroused the beast within it, and it continued to neigh and charge forward.
Watching the mad horse gradually retreating, the man, covered in blood and sweat, looked utterly miserable. He ordered in a deep voice, "Li Fu, go and take care of that mad horse."
Li Fu sighed, quickly jumped on his horse with a pair of people, and chased after the shadow in front that was gradually getting smaller.
The woman was being held in his arms, her face covered in cold sweat, her teeth chattering, looking genuinely frightened. Liang Hanzhang was indeed frightened, but not by the mad horse, but by the gloomy expression on the face of the man holding her.
He stood beside her, holding someone in his arms. His chest was still wet with blood, some of it spattered onto his face. His moon-white robe was mottled with blood, looking extremely horrifying.
Even more terrifying was his face, gloomy and dark, his breathing heavy, as if he wanted to skin the man alive right then and there. He glanced at the gradually gathering guards and servants, his eyes stern: "Discipline according to military regulations."
He glanced at the two maids again, his eyes bloodshot: "The rest will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane." After saying this, without waiting for anyone to react, he carried the people onto his horse and headed towards the East Palace.
It was also the first time that the maids saw such an expression on the prince's face. When they heard that he would be punished with thirty lashes of the cane, they didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
The prince held the man in his arms with one hand, the other holding the reins, remaining silent. Liang Hanzhang didn't dare plead for his subordinates, much less say a word. He closed his eyes and feigned unconsciousness. He wished he were dead at this moment; it would be better than enduring this man's wrath.
Li Cheng glanced at the person in his arms, curled his lips coldly, but held the person in his arms even tighter with his left hand, feeling angry and scared.
He had given her special instructions before leaving today. He really didn't know what was going on in the servant's mind. She actually dared to let her go out and leave her on the road.
Since the people are not taken care of, there is no reason to need these heads.
Recalling the scene just now, Li Cheng felt the blood rushing to his head. His body trembled uncontrollably, and a surge of rage in his body threatened to burst out. He couldn't help but want to pick up the knife and kill.
If, if she really got hurt under the horse's hooves, the prince's eyes would turn bloodshot, and he would not spare anyone!
The big hand held her tightly in his arms. Seeing her eyelashes trembling with guilt, he felt the endless anger spreading to every part of his body.
How dare she, how dare she go out! She was pregnant and the fetus seemed unstable, yet she dared to come to such a chaotic and turbulent place! Did she really think that Chang'an City was really peaceful and tranquil?
Liang Hanzhang was terrified and could even hear the man's gnashing of teeth above her head. Her heart was in turmoil, and she didn't know what to do to quell the anger in his chest.
It seemed like success was about to happen, but who could have imagined that a prince would suddenly appear on the street! Is there anything scarier than this?
Had he discovered something? Would he see that she had done it on purpose? Liang Hanzhang's heart was in turmoil, and he truly felt the torment of the scorching fire.
She was afraid he was playing dead, and ignoring him would only add fuel to the fire. She decided to test the waters and see what he would say. She quietly raised her hand and shook his arm slightly. "Your Highness," she whispered softly. She felt both wronged and pitiful.
Li Cheng had no time to pity her. He felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger. He coldly shouted, "Shut up!"
Meeting the other person's terrifying Shura-like gaze, the woman felt as if she was pricked by a needle, and lowered her head, not daring to look again.
After a while, he suddenly felt a wetness on his chest. Li Cheng knew it wasn't the feeling of blood soaking through his clothes. He looked down and saw the woman's thin shoulders trembling as she cried silently.
The prince turned away in a huff, continuing to gallop towards the East Palace. He watched the scenery receding on both sides, feeling a sense of uncertainty within him.
Did he just say something too harsh?
But if he wasn't strict, she wouldn't take it to heart. If what happened today happened again, he didn't dare to think about the final result.
She should learn a lesson from this.
He should have thought so in his heart, but his mind was completely out of control. He couldn't help but reflect on himself: Was I really too harsh on her just now?
His voice softened unconsciously, and he pulled the person closer to him. He patted her back gently with his left hand to comfort her: "Don't cry, it's my fault."
The woman ignored him, as if she had truly been struck by a tearful cry, sobbing silently and non-stop. Li Cheng was most afraid of her like this. If she had burst into tears, it would have been fine, but this silent sob was heartbreaking. He only felt that she was cute and pitiful, not at all spoiled.
Besides, it’s okay for women to be a little pampered.
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