"Help, help me!"
The woman's cries rang in my ears, accompanied by the man's angry shouts, and the woman continued to wail.
"What's going on?" The curtain was lifted, revealing a handsome face.
The driver pointed to a pretty young girl not far away: "The girl just broke a bowl."
The man followed the gaze and saw a thin, frail girl with wide eyes, tears streaming down her face in fear. She was being beaten and had crouched on the ground, clutching her head and crying for help.
The man didn't want to get involved and tried to back away, but the woman beside him put her hands on her hips and said fiercely, "You slut, I've raised you for thirteen years, and you've been eating and drinking for free, but you can't even arrange a marriage for me! Bah!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pinched the little girl hard a few times.
When the little girl raised her hand, her thin sleeves could not cover the wound at all, and her wrists were covered with bruises.
"Mom, I will work hard, please don't hit me."
The man scoffed.
The person behind him stopped him, saying, "Don't meddle in other people's business."
Upon hearing this, the man had no choice but to shrink back, ignoring the little girl's pitiful cries.
The road was opened soon.
The oxcart headed towards the city gate.
"We'll be in the capital tomorrow, why hasn't the Crown Prince of Northern Chu made a move yet?" Xuan Yuanche frowned, displeased.
The Sixth Prince, Xuan Yuanming, fumed, "I guess they're feeling guilty. How dare they bully Sister Qing like this? They deserve to die!"
Mentioning Xu Lingqing, a look of displeasure and tenderness crossed Xuan Yuanche's brow. He suppressed his anger and said, "Send someone to deliver a message to the Crown Prince of Northern Chu. We'll wait here!"
"Second brother did the right thing!" Xuan Yuanming pursed his lips. He also disagreed with taking the initiative to enter the city. It would be too embarrassing. After all, they were two princes, and they should have gone out of the city thirty miles to personally greet them.
The two princes settled down and found an inn to rest.
Just as I unloaded my luggage, I heard the sounds of fighting coming from next door. A group of men in black were chasing after another masked figure.
The figure was clearly outmatched and was gradually losing ground.
Xuan Yuanming sneered: "With the Northern Chu Emperor gone, Northern Chu has fallen into chaos. It's clear that the Crown Prince is a useless piece of trash!"
"Sixth brother, be careful, the walls may have ears."
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Ming had no choice but to restrain himself.
At this moment, a guard reported: "The Crown Prince of Northern Chu has led his men out of the city to welcome him, but he was attacked by assassins on the way."
"What about the Crown Prince?" Xuan Yuanming asked urgently, a hint of schadenfreude flashing in his eyes.
"It is said that the Crown Prince suffered a minor injury."
The two brothers were somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.
evening
The Crown Prince led troops to welcome the two envoys from Japan. When they met, Yunke was pale and clearly had been injured.
"Your Highness, what is this?" Xuan Yuanche asked, feigning surprise.
Yun Ke's eyes were filled with anger: "A group of reckless assassins came, but they are not seriously injured. They just arrived late. Your Highnesses, please don't take it to heart."
Since everyone had arrived, the two of them couldn't say anything more.
So, at Yunke's invitation, we will enter the city again tomorrow morning.
That evening, Yunke hosted a banquet for the two princes. During the banquet, something the guards said caused Yunke's expression to change slightly. He then whispered a few words and summoned the imperial physician.
Xuan Yuanming, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Who's injured?"
Yun Ke sighed, "She was my distant cousin. She happened to be out of the city this time and took an arrow for me at the critical moment."
"Is that so?" Xuan Yuanming said with a smile, "Your Highness is truly blessed with good fortune and a long life."
Yun Ke looked hesitant, and finally could only sigh silently without refuting. Xuan Yuanming found it strange and, unable to suppress his curiosity, secretly ordered someone to investigate.
It turned out that the crown prince would be assassinated whenever he left the city, and each time he was assassinated, a beauty would come to his rescue. The number of times this happened was countless.
"There's such a strange thing?" he clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Some girls will do anything to climb the social ladder. Saving the crown prince means a lifetime of wealth and honor. It's not like you're really going to die. It's worth the gamble!"
Xuanyuan Ming sneered.
The guard continued, "I have also learned that there is a group of people in Northern Chu who specialize in training girls from poor families. They train them in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, the Five Classics, and even the art of divination. These girls are then sent to the noses of noblemen. These girls are trained specifically for these noblemen. They either look like someone they know or have a unique skill that will surely captivate the noblemen."
"Such a thing is true?" Xuan Yuanming was stunned.
“A few days ago, Prince Jing brought a girl back to his residence. The girl came from a respectable family. She happened to meet Prince Jing when she went to the mountains to pray for blessings. Prince Jing rescued her, but the girl became attached to him. He gave her some money to get rid of her. Not long after, Prince Jing saw her again in the brothel. The girl had been sold by her family. Prince Jing couldn’t bear it and rescued her.”
"There was also the Imperial Censor's wife who was bitten by a poisonous snake in the mountains. She was saved by a nun who practiced Buddhism while still keeping her hair. This nun also saved the Imperial Censor's wife's grandson. The two lives were saved, and the Imperial Censor's wife brought her back to her mansion and forced the Imperial Censor to marry her."
As he listened, Xuan Yuanming's expression gradually became somewhat strange.
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