Chapter 278 Fire
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The carriage drove on the official road and left the city gate two quarters of an hour later. It was not known whether it was due to the bumpy ride or some other reason, but Shen Anan leaned against Xiao Yuan and slowly fell into sleepiness. By the time Xiao Yuan noticed, she had already fallen asleep without knowing when.
She had just stood up, and within half an hour, Xiao Yuan's eyes were filled with worry. He gently stroked her face and carefully placed her head on his lap.
Shen Anan seemed to be uncomfortable and twisted her body, so he patted her back gently like coaxing a child.
An hour later, they finally arrived at the foot of Xiangjue Temple before noon, but Shen Anan was still asleep, so Xiao Yuan did not call her and sat quietly in the carriage waiting.
Halfway down the mountain, several men dressed as woodcutters were all startled when they saw the carriage of the Fourth Prince's Mansion.
One of them turned around to look at the mountain, and saw thick smoke. "It shouldn't be like this. How could we get the news so quickly?"
"Go quickly, or you'll have to explain everything here later."
The few of them looked at each other, shook the baskets on their backs up, pushed down their veils, and walked quickly down the mountain.
Not many people came to burn incense today. Qing'an sat on the carriage bored, racking his brains to find topics to talk to Moxiang. Qingfeng squatted on a rock at the foot of the mountain, holding a piece of dry grass in his mouth.
Several woodcutters lowered their heads and walked quickly past Qingfeng.
Qingan looked up and saw Qingfeng staring at one of the woodcutters. "What are you looking at?"
Qingfeng tilted his head and spat out the dry grass in his mouth, his eyes slightly cold, "That man has a dagger on his waist."
The sunlight shone on everyone, his robe swayed, and the sharp cold light flashed by and stung his eyes.
Qing'an frowned and turned to look at those people.
Mo Xiang was puzzled and said, "Isn't it normal for a woodcutter to carry a dagger? You may encounter anything when you go up the mountain to cut wood. You can carry a dagger for self-defense or for emergencies."
"No." Qing'an said solemnly, "What a woodcutter should bring is an axe. There is no emergency that cannot be solved with an axe. If the axe is useless, then the dagger is even more useless."
Mo Xiang frowned, looking at the two people who were very alert.
They are just a few woodcutters. What's the big deal?
"Send someone to follow them. As long as the target is not us, just ignore them." Qing'an instructed Qingfeng.
Qingfeng walked a little further away and whistled into the air. The secret guards descended silently and caught up with the woodcutters.
Qing An looked back and saw Mo Xiang blinking her big eyes at Qing Feng, so she explained in a low voice, "Master is of noble status, it is inevitable that some people have bad intentions, so it is better to be cautious."
He spoke politely, fearing to frighten her.
Now, the vigilance and alertness of him and Qingfeng are the result of experience accumulated over the years. Disguising themselves as various killers is no stranger to them.
After waiting for another quarter of an hour, there was still no movement in the carriage.
Mo Xiang ran to the stone where Qing Feng was squatting to block the ants. Qing An watched the two of them talking from time to time. Mo Xiang's mouth was curved with a smile, but his face was gloomy.
Qingfeng was the most sensitive to this kind of cold air. When he turned around, he met Qing'an's eyes glaring at him. He had a stone in his hand and was planning to block it together with Moxiang.
He curled his lips, threw the stone aside, and slowly stood up from the stone. "My legs are numb from squatting. Let me let you squat. I'll go to the mountain to take a look."
"What are you doing in the mountain?" Mo Xiang raised his eyes and asked.
"I……"
"Going to the toilet." Qing An interrupted Qing Feng and stepped forward, shutting Mo Xiang's mouth with two words. Her face turned red, and she tilted her head to glare at Qing An, "Vulgar."
Qingfeng winked at Qingan and grinned with glee.
"Why does there smell like something burning?" Mo Xiang said suddenly after sniffing.
Qing'an looked around, but there was nothing.
There was a towering mountain at the foot of the mountain, blocking the view from the mountain, and we couldn't see the scene above. "Are you hungry?"
Mo Xiang glared at him, "I really smelled it."
“Maybe, it’s the temple that’s cooking.”
As soon as Qing'an finished speaking, Qingfeng's voice came from above, "Something seems to be wrong."
He quickly ran up the mountain a hundred meters and saw thick black smoke swirling around the top of the mountain.
"Go and tell the master, the temple seems to be on fire."
After hearing this, Mo Xiang stood up and ran towards the carriage.
In the carriage, Shen Anan also heard the noise and slowly climbed up from Xiao Yuan's body, "What's going on?"
Before Xiao Yuan could speak, Mo Xiang's voice came from outside, "Princess, Master, Xiangjue Temple seems to be on fire."
on fire? Shen Anan quickly opened the car curtain and looked toward the top of the mountain, only to see unusual black smoke swirling and rising.
From this angle, she couldn't see the details. She took Xiao Yuan's hand and got out of the car immediately. "Let's go and see what's going on."
Xiao Yuan held her hand in return, and the group quickened their pace and headed up the mountain.
But the higher we went, the thicker the black smoke became, almost covering the small patch of blue sky, thick and deep.
Shen Anan was a little weak and was breathing heavily.
She lowered her eyes and looked at Xiao Yuan's slightly trembling hands, frowning slightly, "Husband, what's wrong with you?"
Xiao Yuan looked at the direction where the black smoke was rising, pursed his lips tightly, and said nothing. Qing An's horrified voice came from behind him, "Master, that direction seems to be where the tablet of the queen is enshrined."
The oppressive silence spread among the crowd for a brief moment.
Shen Anan's pupils shrank slightly, and she immediately let go of Xiao Yuan's hand, "Don't wait for me, go and take a look."
Xiao Yuan looked back at her.
"Qingfeng and Moxiang are here. I'll be there soon. You should go quickly." She urged.
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes, turned around and quickly flew up the mountain.
With the support of Mo Xiang, Shen Anan tried her best to rush up the mountain. When she reached the top of the mountain, she saw a chaotic scene.
Each monk was holding a bucket in his hand and running back and forth between the burning hall and the well. However, the fire was so big that pouring buckets of water on it was like a drop in the bucket and could not have much effect.
Shen Anan found Xiao Yuan in the crowd.
He stood at the front, his back straight like a pine or cypress, motionless, staring at the burning palace.
Qingfeng's eyes were red. "The queen was framed and her tablet cannot be placed in the royal ancestral hall. This is the only wish left to the master."
He clenched his fists tightly, tears in his eyes.
Shen Anan pursed her lips and walked towards Xiao Yuan step by step.
Seeing her coming, Xiao Yuan tilted his head slightly, and a hint of tenderness appeared in his moist black eyes. "Don't come over here. The smoke is poisonous. Be careful not to choke."
At this moment, Shen Anan's heart seemed to be torn into countless petals, and each petal was painful enough to dig at her bones and burn her heart.
It turns out that even if I don't remember, I will still be heartbroken because of him. It is an instinctive reaction of the body.
She said nothing, but walked towards him slowly and firmly, then gently held his hand and told him, "You still have me."
Xiao Yuan curled the corners of his lips, bitter and sad.
It seemed as if God had never favored him. From childhood to adulthood, his mother died early, his father wanted him dead, and his brothers were his enemies. He was like a lonely man walking on ice, he had to be very careful, for if he wasn't careful he would fall into the abyss and leave no trace.
Later, I found my beloved, and when we were in tune with each other...
He lowered his eyes, which slowly turned into a cold scarlet red. When he raised his eyes again, they were flashing with a crazy and destructive intent.
What's the point of Buddha? If he cannot see the sufferings of the world, why should he be worshipped by people and offered incense?
Shen Anan immediately sensed his change of mood, loosened her arms and hugged his waist, "Husband, don't forget what you promised me. The past is the past. You and I still have a future, and we will have children. Do it for the children and me."
Xiao Yuan's mood, which was on the verge of collapse, was pulled back by Shen An'an's soft words. He lowered his eyes and stared at the beautiful little face.
After a long silence, he bent down, picked her up, and left the place. He put her down only after they were far away from the black smoke.
Shen Anan was afraid that he would lose control of his emotions, so she hugged his waist tightly and didn't let him leave.
Xiao Yuan patted her back comfortingly, "Don't be afraid, I won't leave, I'll stay here with you."
Shen Anan still didn't let go, and watched with him as the hall was burned black by the fire. The beams collapsed and fell heavily, raising endless dust.
People from the Fourth Prince’s Mansion also joined in the firefighting.
The wind was a bit strong on the top of the mountain. Xiao Yuan stood far away without moving at all. He just looked up and watched everyone putting out the fire. Shen Anan silently accompanied him.
Neither of them spoke, and they couldn't remember how long they stood there, until the red in front of their eyes slowly faded and the blue sky turned pitch black.
"I haven't visited her for many years." Xiao Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice very hoarse.
"In my heart, I kind of blame her. I blame her for being stubborn and not smart enough. She clearly saw through the man's character, but she didn't know how to turn back. She was willing to be used by him, and in the end she lost her life."
"When I was little, those people bullied me. I often wondered, when she was dying for her so-called love, did she ever think about my future? Did she ever think that I would suffer and be treated coldly because no one would protect me? In her heart, the person who had let her down all her life, was cruel and heartless, and used despicable means to plot against her, was really more important than me, her own son?"
"Letting her abandon me and become a pawn in his hands, how can a person be so stupid? It really makes me wonder."
He smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Shen Anan said nothing, but just hugged him tightly.
Xiao Yuan took a long breath and exhaled slowly, "But recently, I seem to have slowly understood it. It's a pity that she didn't wait for me."
He raised his hand and gently embraced Shen Anan.
At that time, he was also willing to be a chess piece and a sharp blade in her hands, asking for her companionship for the rest of her life.
Shen Anan, "If mother knew, she would definitely regret it."
When people are trapped in a situation, they always like to cover their ears and eyes, just like themselves in the previous life. The only difference is that she has a chance to start over and cherish it.
"Perhaps."
The last cluster of fire was extinguished by water, Xiao Yuan let go of Shen Anan, and slowly walked towards the ruins.
The table, the incense table, the tablets, and the Buddha statues had all long been burned to ashes and would shatter at the slightest touch. Xiao Yuan stood in the middle, seemingly looking for something.
Finally, he stopped at a burnt beam, slowly squatted down, and took out a black object similar to a tablet from under the beam.
Everyone stood quietly, not daring to speak, watching him take the handkerchief and wipe the tablet clean bit by bit.
As the dust on it was wiped clean, a long crack appeared in the middle of the tablet, dividing it into two parts right in the middle of Concubine Shu's name.
If you use a little force, the tablet will be split into two.
The silent brows of Qing'an and others showed a little relaxation. The tablet of Concubine Shu should be the only thing still preserved in the ruins. Although it was cracked by the beams, at least it did not turn into ashes.
Shen Anan frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on the charred statue that could be vaguely identified as a Buddha statue.
Such a huge Buddha statue was burned to ashes, but a wooden tablet was not burned to ashes? .
But at this time, she certainly wouldn't say anything, or maybe Xiao Yuan knew.
But so what? It is absolutely impossible to leave the tablet of Concubine Shu in the ruins.
She took out a handkerchief from her bosom, walked forward and handed it to Xiao Yuan, "Wrap up the tablet, go back and have someone repair it, and place it in the mansion for us to worship."
She carefully unfolded the handkerchief and motioned Xiao Yuan to put it in. Her movements were very gentle, as if she was afraid that the tablet would crack.
Xiao Yuan handed it to her, stood up and left the ruins.
After Shen Anan wrapped it up, she gave it to Mo Xiang for safekeeping.
That was the only consolation Xiao Yuan had left.
Qing An inquired about the process of the fire and came to report to Xiao Yuan, "Master, they said that a few woodcutters came to ask for water, and the person guarding the palace left for a while. When he came back, the incense table fell on the gauze curtain and a big fire had already started."
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes, swept across the exhausted and embarrassed monks present, and said coldly, "It took less than a quarter of an hour to carry the bowl of water. How big was the fire that it was not put out immediately?"
"They said it started from the doors and windows. No one could get in. The fire inside spread very quickly. Everything was on fire while we were running back and forth to get water."
After saying this, Qing'an paused and thought of the woodcutters he met at the foot of the mountain.
At this time, the abbot stepped forward tremblingly, bowed and saluted, "Please forgive me, Mr. Xiao. This matter is due to my failure to supervise strictly. I am willing to take the responsibility. Please do not implicate innocent people."
After saying this, he propped himself up and knelt down, and the other monks also knelt down.
Qing'an frowned and asked the abbot, "The woodcutters you mentioned who were asking for water were three men, carrying baskets on their backs, wearing veils and hats, and they were very tall."
The abbot looked at the shivering little monk beside him inquiringly.
"Yes, yes, it was those three people. They said they were dying of thirst. I thought it wouldn't take long, so I went to get them some water."
Qing An's eyes turned cold, "Master, I have seen those three people at the foot of the mountain. Qing Feng found daggers on their waists and was worried that they might have some intentions, so he sent secret guards to follow them."
Now it seems that the fire was caused by those three people.
But what's the point of burning the tablet of Concubine Shu? What benefit will it bring to them?
Qing'an was puzzled.
Shen Anan heard the conversation between the two and walked over here, "Then catch those three people and torture them severely."
Xiao Yuan's face was hidden in darkness, extremely gloomy, "Go."
Qing'an agreed and his figure quickly disappeared into the night.
Xiao Yuan stood in front of the ruins, with crazy anger surging in his eyes. Shen Anan slowly reached out and held his hand. When Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes and looked at her, she pulled her lips into a smile.
He closed his eyes, his anger slowly faded away, and he returned to his calm state. He stroked her head, trying to be calm, "Don't worry."
"Um."
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