Chapter 113 Accident 1
After the fasting meal, everyone prepared to set off back to the palace. The sky was still snowing heavily, and the mountain road was slippery and difficult to walk on, so the team moved very slowly.
Ji Zheng and Mu Ce walked side by side, both of them had heavy hearts.
Snowflakes fell heavily, landing on their shoulders and hair, and quickly melted away.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew past, causing everyone to sway.
Mutse was already in a trance due to the dream he had in recent days. The snow under his feet seemed to have turned into an ice rink with the help of the wind. He staggered and leaned forward.
In a panic, he subconsciously reached out to grab Ji Zheng beside him, and his fingers tightly clasped Ji Zheng's sleeves.
Ji Zheng was thinking about what the phrase "death is life" meant at that time. He was startled back to his senses by the sudden pull, but before he could make any effective reaction, he was dragged by Mu Ce and fell towards the cliff.
As Ji Zheng and Mu Ce fell off the cliff like kites with their strings cut, a burst of terrified shouts instantly broke out among the crowd.
The minister who witnessed everything opened his eyes wide, his face full of disbelief, his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to shout but lost his voice due to extreme shock. After a moment, he shouted with a trembling voice: "Quick, go save them!"
The officials were in chaos. Some of them looked pale and stood there in a daze, as if their souls had been taken away by this sudden change.
Others rushed to the edge of the cliff, but did not dare to get close because of its steepness and danger. They could only crane their necks to look around, their eyes full of panic and helplessness.
Upon learning that Ji Zheng and Mu Ce fell off the cliff, a flash of surprise crossed Ren Di's face, but he quickly regained his composure, frowned slightly, and a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.
He walked steadily to the edge of the cliff, looked down, and after a moment of silence, he turned to the guards and said, "Arrange some people to go down and look for them, and try to rescue them."
His voice was steady, without much emotion, but he was not completely indifferent to the safety of the two ministers. It was just that his status as an emperor prevented him from easily revealing his emotions.
The guards reacted quickly, and some of them searched along the cliff for a path to go down for rescue. Their footsteps were hurried and chaotic, splashing up the snow on the ground.
The other group of people carefully looked around for other clues or signs, and kept calling out Ji Zheng and Mu Ce's names. Their voices echoed in the valley, but there was only the endless sound of the wind in response.
At the moment of falling, countless thoughts flashed through Ji Zheng's mind. The first person he thought of was Ji Hean. His heart was full of reluctance and worry. Ji Hean's rosy little face, smart eyes and every little detail of their time together emerged in his mind. All that sweetness and warmth now pierced his heart like a knife.
Then, he recalled his conversation with Mu Ce and the dream they had had these days. Was this a coincidence or God's will?
But before he could think about it carefully, he felt a sharp pain in his body. The wind whistled in his ears, as sharp as the howling of ghosts and wolves, and his body kept hitting the rocks and branches.
Ji Zheng felt a sharp pain. Every collision was like being hit by a heavy hammer, and his bones seemed to be falling apart.
His clothes were torn by branches and his skin was scratched. Warm blood seeped out and was quickly cooled by the cold snow.
After an unknown amount of time, he fell heavily onto the snow, his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.
At the same time, on the other side, a large group of soldiers searched for a long time at the bottom of the valley where Ji Zheng and the other fell, but couldn't find anyone.
When he heard the news again that the person had not been found, Emperor Ren's expression was extremely ugly. Things had been really bad these days. First, it snowed heavily, and then a valued minister fell off a cliff and disappeared.
"Keep searching. If he's alive, we need to find him. If he's dead, we need to find his body." Emperor Ren waved his hand, frowning. "Send more people to help."
After saying that, he added, "Ji Qing's family must be comforted and no accidents can happen, otherwise..."
Having said this, Emperor Ren sighed heavily, his brows filled with worry and fatigue.
Everyone looked very unhappy at once. It was getting dark, and the snow was blowing hard. They could not delay any longer.
Emperor Ren naturally knew this as well. He let out a sigh and ordered his men to set off, leaving two teams of soldiers here to search for Ji Zheng and the other two.
After returning to the palace, Emperor Ren's face was solemn. He slowly spoke to the eunuch leader Li Dequan beside him: "Quickly send a calm and reliable eunuch to Ji Zheng's residence and inform them that Ji Zheng had an accident on his way back from praying at Xiangguo Temple. He slipped and fell off a cliff. His condition is critical and his life is in danger. The court has sent a large number of people to search and rescue him. Let his family wait for news at home and don't panic."
Li Dequan took the order and hurried away. He selected a eunuch who was capable of doing the job well. After giving him detailed instructions, the eunuch quickly walked towards Ji Zheng's residence.
On the other side, Ji Hean was having a great time with Ji Zhongzi, Yan Xing and Lin Yu.
Ji Hean held the exquisite pot-throwing arrow in his hand, slightly leaned sideways, aimed at the mouth of the pot and threw it lightly. The arrow slid into the pot along the edge of the pot. He jumped excitedly: "Haha, with my luck, I'm going to hit the target!"
Ji Zhongzi laughed and joked: "It's just a blind cat catching a dead mouse. I will definitely surpass you in the next round."
Yan Xing fanned himself at the side, pretending to be profound: "This pot-tossing game doesn't just rely on luck, it also requires skills. I think He Andi has grasped the essence of it."
Lin Yu picked up a snack and ate it while saying, "You guys play for a while while I eat something to cushion my appetite. I'll show off my skills later, and maybe I can win all the prizes in this pot-throwing game."
Ji Hean replied with a beaming face: "Brother Lin Yu, you eat for a while. When you go into battle, I will definitely not show mercy."
As he was speaking, Ji Zhongzi shot another arrow, but it missed by a little bit: "Oh, my mistake, my mistake. The charcoal fire made me a little dizzy."
Everyone laughed, and Ji Hean teased: "Brother Zhongzi, don't make excuses, it's just that your skills are not as good as others."
Just then, the joy was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Everyone turned around in shock, only to see a panicked eunuch rushing in.
The eunuch knelt down with a trembling voice, "Master Ji, something terrible has happened! Master Ji fell off a cliff on his way back from praying at Xiangguo Temple. His life is in danger. The emperor has sent people to rescue him and ordered me to come..."
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