Chapter 50 Imperial Stables, what exactly did you two do to deserve being chased...?
Shen Yan, unable to respond to Yu Nie's exclamation, stared anxiously at the figure surrounded by the White Guards below the city gate.
Nie Lanting's robes fluttered as he held his sword horizontally to his chest, the blade angled, drawing a cold arc in the air, eliciting screams and wails wherever it passed.
The situation was urgent, and Yu Nie knew that now was not the time to discuss the matter in detail, so she asked again, "Where are we going?"
Shen Yan's heart was set on his beloved, who was being attacked from both sides in the enemy's camp.
As the horse got further and further away from the gate, she pulled on the reins.
The horse turned sharply as it galloped, facing the city gate again. Shen Yan spoke urgently: "Young Taoist priest, I need to go back to save Lanting. You should go to the ferry and board the boat first. We'll part ways here."
“Hey…” Yu Nie spurred his horse to block her way: “What are you saying, my lord? How can I abandon the two of you and flee alone?”
She stated firmly, "If we're going to leave, we'll all go together."
“But…” Shen Yan wanted to persuade her to leave quickly.
Getting involved in their affairs would do her no good.
Unexpectedly, before she could even speak, Yu Nie pulled a small bottle from his waist.
She held the bottle tightly: "Neither of us knows martial arts, so we can't act rashly to save people. We have to use other methods..."
Shen Yan interrupted her before she could finish, saying, "No matter what method you use, it's dangerous for you to go alone. Those people are the Imperial Guards of the Imperial Stables! Daoist, don't do this for the sake of the two of us..."
“My lady, you don’t need to stand on ceremony with me.” Yu Nie’s expression was righteous, and his voice was more serious than ever before: “This thing of mine is extremely lethal. No matter if it’s the Imperial Guard, as long as you stay here safely, I will go and use it alone to avoid accidentally hurting you.”
"but……"
"Trust me." Her expression was serious. "If I make a mistake, it's not too late for you to come and save me. If we all rush over, we might all be wiped out. We need to leave one of us to fetch reinforcements."
With that, she suddenly spurred the horse, and the red-brown steed reared up and neighed loudly.
Before Shen Yan could speak again, Yu Nie braved the wind and rain and rushed toward the city gate without a moment's hesitation.
"My lord, please wait here. I will bring your lover back to you safe and sound!"
Her words drifted into her ears on the wind. Shen Yan was anxious and burning with impatience, but she did not force her way out.
Yu Nie's words made sense; if they were all captured, things would only get worse.
Surrounded, Nie Lanting single-handedly held off seven or eight White Guards.
When the two first clashed, they were evenly matched. After a few moves, Nie Lanting gradually gained the upper hand. He even used the hilt of his sword to strike the jade hall acupoint of one of the White Guards. The guard's breath hitched, and he staggered backward, knocking down two of his companions.
Just as he finished dealing with the situation in front, he heard a whooshing sound behind his head, and a cold blade suddenly slashed down.
Without turning his head, Nie Lanting thrust his sword sheath backward with his right hand, striking the attacker squarely in a vital spot. The attacker immediately lost all strength and collapsed to the ground.
Just as he was about to deal with the remaining White Guards, a rapid sound of hooves approached from afar.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Nie, who should have left, rushing towards him with her face covered by a veil.
With one hand holding the reins and the other holding the medicine bottle high, she shouted at him, "Young Master Nie, hold your breath!"
Before she finished speaking, she had already spurred her horse into the encirclement, and with a flick of her wrist, the powder in the bottle spilled out.
Before the White Guards could react, a strange fragrance wafted over them, and their limbs went weak. Their weapons clattered to the ground, and they collapsed to the ground.
Upon hearing her words, Nie Lanting held his breath in time and was unharmed.
Yu Nie said to him urgently, "Hurry! The effects of this medicine will only last for a little over fifteen minutes!"
Although Nie Lanting had doubts about what she was holding, he did not hesitate and leaped onto the horse beside him.
Without lingering for a moment, the two broke out of the encirclement like arrows released from a bow.
The fight between them had frightened the constables so much that they only dared to stand by with their knives, pretending to attack, but dared not step forward.
Seeing the three of them reunite and escape, Bai Zhiwei, who was unable to move on the ground, shouted to the three yamen runners, "Quickly go to the county government and inform the Junior Supervisor!"
*
Yongdeng Ferry is located in Wulan Town, Jingyuan City, about 100 li away from where the three of them are currently.
At their current pace, they should arrive by evening at the latest.
Having escaped through the city gate, they dared not delay for even a moment, hoping to take the opportunity to leave the city.
To their surprise, every city gate they visited was guarded by White Guards.
With nowhere to go, they could only hide and flee within the city.
Fortunately, Jingyuan City is vast, with crisscrossing streets and alleys, and caravans from the north and south come and go in an endless stream.
These weary strangers mingled in the crowd, and it would take the pursuers quite a bit of effort to find them in such a chaotic place.
To avoid attracting attention, Shen Yan removed the hideous fake scar from her face, revealing her original delicate features.
If she were to wear that fake scar now, she would only be more easily recognized.
The escape required disguise, so the three of them took advantage of the shopkeeper's attention to other customers at a shop at the end of the street to each grab a set of clothes that fit them. They then secretly slipped a piece of silver under a piece of cloth in the corner of the counter and slipped into the crowd of people in the alley.
Along the way, they would occasionally encounter the White Guards and the yamen runners of Jingyuan City. The group of people were secretly checking everywhere, like a dense filtering net, filtering every corner from south to north.
Places that have been checked are now under strict guard, and no one is allowed to enter again. Every household must stay at home, and those who have been checked on the street must stay where they are and are not allowed to wander around.
The people from the Imperial Horse Stables seemed determined to catch them.
Although it would take a lot of time for many people to find them, it would still be dangerous to keep hiding.
Now that leaving the city is difficult, they can only find a place to settle down first, and then discuss what to do next.
They searched cautiously all the way, and as night fell, the three of them hid in a dark alley corner, just as a group of people passed by the alley entrance in front of them.
Fortunately, Hua Yan had sharp eyes and they managed to hide in time, sticking close to the wall, so they weren't discovered.
However, the scare was not in vain. Yu Nie glanced around and saw that the back gate of a temple not far away was wide open, and several monks were unloading things from a carriage.
Nowadays, ordinary families dare not take them in, and staying in a guesthouse is too conspicuous.
She had a sudden inspiration and shared her idea with the two people around her.
With nowhere else to go, the temple, being a semi-forbidden place, offered a temporary refuge for them to rest for a while.
Hua Yan and Nie Lanting agreed to her suggestion to go to the temple.
They originally wanted to sneak in, but they couldn't abandon their horses.
Without their horses, they had no way to escape.
Yu Nie had no choice but to step forward openly and explain the situation to the monk, using the excuse of taking shelter from the rain.
The monk, being easygoing, allowed them to stay and then instructed his disciples to lead them to the guest rooms in the backyard to rest.
The horses were also brought to the stable and fed with fodder.
The disciple who greeted them was younger than Yu Nie, and had a very auspicious appearance with a round head.
After settling the group in, the disciple prepared to leave.
Yu Nie wanted to know what was happening outside, so he went up to him, struck up a conversation, and asked the disciple's name.
The young novice monk clasped his hands together and bowed slightly: "Amitabha. My Dharma name is Wuxiang; please call me Wuxiang."
“Wu Xiang…” she murmured, “It is truly a good Dharma name.”
The young novice monk looked at her with his round eyes: "Does the benefactor have any further instructions? If not, this humble monk should go and chant sutras."
Seizing the opportunity, she subtly inquired, "I heard that martial law is in effect in the city, and even inns haven't been able to take us in. Did you encounter any obstacles on your way back from buying things?"
The young novice monk shook his head: "Our temple has a pass, and there is no one the government is looking for in the carriage, so why did they stop our carriage?"
Only after being reminded of this did Yu Nie remember that Bei Ye Shang Fo was a Buddhist.
Temples held a high status in various prefectures and counties. Even government officials, without proper documentation, dared not do anything to monks.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
It seems they stumbled upon a blessed place by accident and unintentionally found a protective charm.
After a day of tension, she finally looked much more relaxed: "Master Wuxiang is right."
Seeing that she was alright, the young monk put his palms together in a gesture of respect and was about to leave.
People had just stepped out the door when they suddenly stopped, glancing inadvertently at the rabbit cage on the table.
He lowered his head in thought, seemingly a little embarrassed, and hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "Would you like to feed this rabbit? I can help."
She was starving after running all day, let alone the rabbit.
But right now they still needed to discuss how to escape the encirclement, and since someone was willing to help, she readily agreed: "Then, I'll trouble you, little master."
Wu Xiang, seemingly unfazed by the trouble, happily took the rabbit cage from her and went outside to get it some carrots.
With Wu Xiang gone, only the three of them remained in the room.
Nie Lanting and Shen Yan sat down at the round table next to each other, and Yu Nie followed suit.
Now the city is brightly lit everywhere, and the White Guards are searching for them from house to house.
Compared to her slightly relaxed expression, Shen and Nie's faces were much more solemn.
Seeing their expressions, Yu Nie poured them a cup of tea and pushed it in front of them, saying reassuringly, "We are much safer in the temple. Don't worry too much. We'll find a way out of the city."
Shen Yan understood the meaning behind her words.
She exchanged a glance with Nie Lanting, a glance that held too many profound meanings for Yu Nie to comprehend.
After a short while, Nie Lanting spoke in a deep voice: "The temple is safe compared to others, but compared to us, it is still fraught with danger."
Yu Nie asked in bewilderment, "Why? Do the White Guards dare to disregard the law and arbitrarily search such a large temple? They probably won't be able to get the relevant documents in a short time, and this place is far from the governor's mansion."
What she said makes sense, but these are all things that can only happen within the rules.
Or for unimportant matters, you can follow the rules.
They... clearly do not belong to this category.
Now that things had come to this point, Shen Yan knew the situation was serious and there was no longer any room for concealment.
She looked at Yu Nie with a solemn expression, determined to make her understand the perilous situation the three of them were in.
“Little Taoist priest…” she called to Yu Nie solemnly, “The Bai Zhiwei are on this mission with absolute authority. As long as they can capture us, they will dare to break into even the National Temple.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie was about to ask for the reason, but then she remembered that when they were at the city gate, the imperial guards had referred to the person in front of them as a princess.
Since it is a princess of the current dynasty who is being pursued, it is no ordinary matter.
She muttered to herself, realizing she had forgotten about that.
However, she was very curious about the reason why the two of them had been chased here, and couldn't help but ask, "Uh... what did you two do to be chased here?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yan and Nie Lanting exchanged a glance.
After a moment of silence, Shen Yan pondered for a moment before slowly explaining the reason: "It's because I ran away from my arranged marriage..."
"Runaway bride?!" Yu Nie was shocked.
Shen Yan stroked the rim of the cup and nodded.
She said, "I am the eighteenth daughter of the late emperor, named Hua Yan, with the title Shunhe..."
Upon hearing this title, Yu Nie was stunned, and the fate of Princess Shunhe in history instantly flashed through her mind.
She married three times for the sake of the country, eventually dying in sorrow, and never had children.
The ending was incredibly tragic.
Now that the person involved was right in front of her, she looked at her but did not immediately show her surprise. She simply continued to listen silently to the people around her.
Zhao Huayan recounted: "But because of the unusual signs at my birth, I was considered an omen of bad luck. The Imperial Preceptor said that I must be sent to Shuoyang Temple to pray for the country in order to cleanse the impurity I was born with."
“My mother had no power or influence; she was just a lowly palace maid who became a concubine because the late emperor favored her while he was drunk. Naturally, she had no say in my fate.”
Her voice was as soft as a leaf falling in the rain: "So before I was a hundred days old, I was sent out of the palace and taken to the State Temple by my wet nurse. I have not returned to the palace since."
"Two years ago, Lanting accompanied the Grand Chancellor back to Shuoyang to pay respects to their ancestors. On the way, they stopped at the National Temple to offer incense." Her voice was soft. "That day, I happened to be organizing scriptures in the Sutra Repository when he came to find scriptures for the Grand Chancellor. That's how we met."
She paused, a faint bitter smile appearing on her lips: "Who could have imagined that a month later, the eldest son of the powerful Nie family of Shuoyang would fall in love with someone like me... who was considered an omen of bad luck from birth and was abandoned by the royal family at birth."
As she said this, Nie Lanting, who was sitting next to her, grasped her hand under the table and shook his head.
He never felt that he was the one who had sacrificed anything.
From the moment they met, he felt incredibly fortunate to have earned her pity and affection.
She understood the affection in his eyes, her eyes trembled, and she continued, "For me, he even broke with his family, gave up his second-rank official position, and returned to Shuoyang alone, willing to be by my side as a low-ranking guard."
After hearing this, Yu Nie couldn't help but take a few more glances at Nie Lanting. He never expected that this seemingly cold person would actually be such a romantic.
“Even though it has always been like this, we have lived a peaceful life.” Hua Yan’s narration did not end there: “But a month ago, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration came to the State Temple with an imperial edict, saying that he wanted to take me back to the palace to marry the leader of the Jie tribe.”
“I refused to comply even at the cost of my life, and I did not want to be slaughtered, so I escaped with Lanting.”
She said, "The chief eunuch of the White Guard is extremely afraid of his life and fears that the court will punish him, so he did not hesitate to mobilize all the elite White Guards to chase him all the way here."
After speaking, the whole story became clear.
The meditation room fell silent for a moment.
Yu Nie remained silent for a long time.
Seeing the loving couple, and recalling Hua Yan's final fate in history, I felt quite heavy-hearted.
Princess Shunhe in history sacrificed herself for her country. It sounds like a noble act, but little did we know... the reason behind it was like this.
If Bai Zhiwei is allowed to escort them back, Shunhe will surely suffer the same tragic fate as history.
Looking at the two people in front of her, she felt a pang of pity.
She knew that the only way to escape their historical fate was to help them break free.
Now the question returns to the very beginning: how will they escape these multiple blockades?
As Yu Nie was deep in thought, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the house.
A monk could be faintly heard calling from outside: "The Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration is here. He's telling everyone to go to the front."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Only one chapter remains to be written in the Huaiyuan arc; the Jian'an arc is about to begin! [Go for it!][Go for it!]
Thank you for adding this to your favorites! [cat emoji][cat emoji] Comments are now open.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
