Chapter 245
As soon as the procession stopped, before even half an incense stick's time had passed, Qi Heng couldn't wait to dismount and quickly walk inside.
He bumped into Prince Murong Huai Shi, who had just come out, and called out suspiciously, "Your Highness, where are you going?!" He watched helplessly as the prince ran inside.
Qi Heng ignored them and walked straight past the ministers who crowded around to offer their congratulations, striding happily toward the backyard.
"Princess, Princess! His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
Rong'er ran into the courtyard from outside, excitedly talking, while the maids and nannies around her were chattering about it.
She wondered why the crown prince, who should have been waiting at the gate to welcome the bride, had come by himself.
All eyes turned to Tao Tao in a moment of teasing. On this joyous day, the distinction between superiors and inferiors was not very obvious, and a group of young ladies teased her, "Princess, His Highness is deeply in love with you!"
"Yes, yes, I've never seen a groom personally greet his bride when he comes in."
"The county princess is truly blessed..."
Tao Tao simply smiled faintly at this, not showing the shyness and excitement they had imagined, and quietly watched them chat and laugh.
Her fingers inadvertently touched the jade pendant hanging at her waist. She looked down and saw the dark jade ring. Her expression froze for a long time before she came back to her senses.
Granny Wu took the veil and was about to put it on her, but she refused, saying, "I don't want to wear it, just leave it like this."
Granny Wu was taken aback, and said with a troubled expression, "Your Highness, this is against etiquette."
"So what?" she retorted, completely unconcerned.
"Yes, Crown Princess."
Tao Tao was adamant, and aside from persuading her, she had no right to say no.
Qi Heng stood at the entrance of the courtyard, clenching her sweaty palms. Her usually calm expression now showed some unease, and her heart was pounding at an unusual rate.
His anxious heart finally calmed down when he saw Tao Tao, who was dressed in a radiant wedding gown.
He quickly stepped forward, smiled slightly, reached out and took her soft hands in his, and whispered, "Xiao Tao, you are so beautiful."
Upon hearing this, she lowered her head to avoid his gaze and feigned a shy smile.
Qi Heng pulled her along, and they walked outside step by step, surrounded by the crowd.
At the same time, the county magistrate of Sui County.
Chen Jinghe stood in the courtyard, wearing soft armor, his brows furrowed, his face grave, and he unconsciously clenched the letter that Zhang Cheng had sent over.
Before long, all the Ghost Guards in the county magistrate's office had gathered. They were few in number, but each one was a master worth a hundred.
He gazed at the people below and shouted, "Fourth Master has ordered that all the rebels in the mine be captured... and those who resist should be killed without mercy."
"yes!!"
The crowd responded in unison, their voices like a thunderclap echoing through the sky.
Just as Chen Jinghe was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the county magistrate Yun Xian, who had been missing for some time, and asked the steward in confusion, "Where is the county magistrate?"
The steward looked around, completely bewildered. "I don't know either. I was just in the manor a while ago. Come to think of it, it has been quite a while... Eh?"
Before he could finish speaking, the person in front of him swept past like a gust of wind, followed by an angry shout that exploded in his ears.
"Walk!"
Chen Jinghe's face was grim. He quickly walked outside, making sure the troops followed behind him.
Damn it, how could he have overlooked such a person? Yunxian's absence at such a crucial moment must be suspicious.
They needed to get to the iron mine, which was dozens of miles away, as quickly as possible.
Fourth Master had said that they might take risks, believing that the most dangerous place was the safest. Sure enough, they found traces of weapons secretly used by the rebels in a mine closest to the prefectural government.
Lead Mountain Mine.
A group of soldiers dressed as miners, their eyes menacing, surrounded Zhang Cheng and Leng Xu, picked up unrefined, blunt knives placed to the side, and approached them step by step.
Zhang Cheng was not afraid at all and even had the mood to joke, "These people don't look very skilled in martial arts, but they put on a great show. They're just relying on their numbers. In my opinion, they're just a bunch of punching bags."
"How about we have a contest to see who can hit the most sandbags?"
Leng Xu frowned, glanced at him sideways, and said in a low voice, "Don't show off."
Zhang He chuckled, turned to look at him, and said irritably, "Who's showing off? You're really boring. It would be so much better if you were with Leng Chuan. Although he's a bit slow-witted, he's not as taciturn and cold as you."
He frowned, his face expressionless, and he showed no intention of paying him any attention.
"Hey? Will saying something kill you?" Zhang Cheng was very dissatisfied with his attitude.
Seeing their arrogant conversation, the leader became enraged and roared, "Go get them! Whoever takes their heads first will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver."
"Huh? Our heads are only worth a thousand taels of silver? That's an insult to us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Cheng felt a gust of wind rush past him, and at the same time, his vision blurred, and screams rose and fell.
By the time they could see clearly, there were already several corpses lying on the ground.
Upon seeing this, everyone was horrified. Watching the person on the ground breathe their last in an instant, they couldn't help but take a step back in fear.
They hadn't expected this person to be so strong; no wonder the two of them dared to venture into this dangerous place without any troops.
After only a two-second pause, the group raised their blunt knives and charged forward with ferocious expressions.
Seeing that things were going badly, Zhang Cheng quickly drew his long sword from behind him and used his lightness skill to rush over.
On the other side, at the Laoshan Mine.
Soldiers were coming and going, even more so from the lead mine, and there were also many well-made weapons and armor, which were being quickly transported out of the mine under the command of their leader.
The man standing to the side wore a black cloak, and his gloomy and anxious face was faintly visible under the hood.
Standing beside him was Yun Xian, the county magistrate of Sui County.
He smiled and flattered, "Lord Qiu is wise. He deliberately exposed the existence of Qianshan to buy time for this place."
Qiu Yanwen remained silent, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face grave as he watched the soldiers carrying the load. After a long while, he finally spoke, saying, "Your sister has already been searched for."
"You can find it quickly in the capital. After you finish dealing with things here, go to the East Palace, and His Highness will arrange a suitable job for you."
"After all, your Ding family is also doing this for the Crown Prince's great cause, and the Crown Prince will not let you down."
Upon hearing this, Ding Yunxian's face instantly lit up with joy, and he bowed, saying, "Thank you, Lord Qiu, and thank you, Your Highness."
At this moment, they were moving to a new position and were unaware that the Privy Council's army was already on its way.
On the mountain path dozens of miles away, one black horse after another galloped by, raising clouds of dust and yellow earth.
Leading the group was Chen Jinghe, his brows furrowed. He turned and shouted, "Hurry up! Giddy up!"
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