Chapter 99 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
"Cough cough cough..."
The Empress clutched her chest, coughing uncontrollably.
Everything was fine until now, when my old ailment suddenly flared up again.
Qi An comforted the Empress, saying with concern, "Your Majesty, you must not continue your journey."
The Empress shook her head. "Your Majesty... let's continue."
Since His Majesty has sent out a distress signal, it must be something serious. We cannot delay because of her.
Moreover, she dared not rest easy until she saw her son Xiao Jingbei and nephew Han Mu.
The sudden appearance of these ferocious wild beasts in Shanglin Garden was suspicious, and she was uneasy.
"Cough cough..."
Qi An helped the Empress dismount, still advising her, "Your Majesty, your body can't take it."
The Empress waved her hand, "Qi'an, instruct Commandant Qin to take his men and go rescue His Majesty first."
Qi An whispered, "Her Majesty's safety is also of paramount importance, especially since many ferocious beasts have suddenly appeared in Shanglin Garden. What if Commandant Tan leads his men and..."
His Majesty doesn't often visit Shanglin Garden, but who knew this visit would be so dangerous? If everyone goes to His Majesty's side, there won't be enough people to protect Her Majesty the Empress.
The Empress calmly replied, "If there are any wild beasts, they will surely spot them beforehand and send a signal. Alright, say no more. His Majesty's safety is of utmost importance. Go and deliver the message."
Qi An said no more, glanced at Cui Tingyue, handed the Empress over to her care, and then went to find Captain Qin, who was in charge of the Empress's safety this time.
--
Hiding behind a tree, watching the rapidly shrinking queue, the woman's voice was filled with joy: "Heaven is on my side."
Hearing that smug voice, Lin Niancang's unease grew even stronger.
Previously, the Empress had many people around her, so there was no fear that she would act rashly. But now most of the guards have left.
“Go this way, I know a shortcut.”
Lin Nianzang was forcibly dragged away again, without giving her any chance to resist.
Seeing that they had reached the front of the group, the woman pulled Lin Nianzang and hid, waiting for the group to arrive.
Lin Nianzang looked down and noticed that the woman was holding a dagger in her hand.
She immediately hissed in a low voice, "Are you crazy? Attempting an assassination in front of the Empress?"
As he spoke, Lin Nianzang reached out to snatch her dagger.
The woman easily dodged the attack. She examined the dagger closely, glanced at Lin Nianzang with a dismissive look, and then put the dagger away. "Look at your cowardly behavior. I'm not stupid. Would I dare to attack you in public?"
Lin Nianzang didn't believe her; she felt as if she had gone mad, completely insane.
The woman paid no attention to Lin Nianzang. Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, she smiled and said, "That's about enough. Let's go and rescue the Empress."
The word "rescue" was emphasized very heavily.
Lin Nianzang frowned slightly. There were only two of them; how could they be 'rescued'?
Before she could ask, the woman pushed her, forcing her to head in the direction of the Empress and her entourage.
Crack—
The sound of the two stepping on leaves and twigs instantly prompted the guard at the front to shout, "Be on guard!"
The line came to an instant.
The Empress, her face pale, glanced at Qi An and said, "Go and see what's going on."
Qi An got up and went in the direction from which the sound came. He returned shortly afterward, followed by two other people.
"Your subject, Lin Nianzang, pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress."
The Empress looked at Lin Nianzang and the people behind her, but did not ask her to get up. She asked, "Why did you come to the woods without any guards?"
"Your Majesty, I got separated from my guards. There were bears and wild boars down there, so I dared not run around. I didn't know which way to go down the mountain, so I hid. I never expected to run into Your Majesty." As she spoke, Lin Nianzang's voice was tinged with sobs.
Hearing her say this, the Empress did not pursue the matter further. "Get up. This forest is not safe. You will stay with me for the time being."
The Empress did not arrange for anyone to escort Lin Nianzang down the mountain. They could not be sure if there were any other wild animals lurking in the shadows. If fewer people were sent to escort Lin Nianzang, they would not be able to protect her safety if an accident occurred on the way. If more guards were arranged, there would be even fewer guards on the Empress's side.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Lin Nianzang stood up and went behind the Empress. A guard led a horse to her, and she stood in a similar position to Zhao Xian.
A familiar fragrance wafted over, disrupting Zhao Xian's thoughts.
After seeing the bear and the wild boar, she kept thinking about the plot of the book, and many fragmented plots flashed through her mind, but she couldn't piece them together.
It was the familiar scent that pulled her back.
Puzzled, he wondered, "Why is Lin Nianzang here?"
Zhao Xian's gaze fell on the woman who was following Lin Nianzang, and the woman also looked up at her.
Their eyes met, and the woman quickly lowered her head.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Xian didn't get a good look and didn't notice anything familiar about the person's appearance. But when she thought about it, the first time she smelled this fragrance, it was this person who was with Lin Nianzang. At that time, she was dressed in an old-fashioned way and thought it was the old nanny in the house.
At first glance, the woman's appearance was not outstanding, but she was not yet as old as the old woman. Especially now that she was wearing a dark purple riding outfit, she looked even younger.
Zhao Xian was puzzled. This woman had no resemblance to Princess Rongyang at all, so why did Lin Nianzang give her his mother's favorite face powder?
The Empress was worried about the safety of the Sixth Prince and the Emperor, so the group continued on their way. Before long, they heard a commotion, among which the roars of wild beasts were particularly deafening.
The empress had no intention of stopping, and the group continued riding towards the direction from which the sound came.
However, the horse beneath him was somewhat restless, probably due to the roars of the wild beasts.
Qi An helped the Empress dismount, and the rest of the group walked.
Zhao Xian's heart started pounding for no reason. The roar was deafening, and she hadn't seen Jiang Liangxu along the way.
As they walked, they noticed some movement ahead.
The roar of the tiger was terrifying, and the horses became increasingly restless, their hooves pounding the ground and panting heavily. The guards had to exert a lot of effort to control the horses, and thankfully everyone dismounted early.
Soon a guard returned and reported, "Your Majesty, the Emperor and the Sixth Prince are trapped by a tiger, and they are just ahead."
Without hesitation, everyone hurried to the place the guard had indicated.
Upon seeing them, everyone was shocked. There were two tigers, one huge and the other smaller, but they were not to be underestimated.
The number of injured people here is far greater than the number of people who encountered bears and wild boars earlier.
Zhao Xian searched among the crowd and finally spotted Jiang Liangxu and Jiang Heng. The father and son were not together, but were both trapped by the tiger.
Once the signal was sent, the Empress and her entourage, who were already in the mountains, arrived before the others who had come to the rescue. The Empress immediately ordered, "All guards, listen to my command and go immediately to help His Majesty escape danger."
In an instant, only a few women, led by the empress, and two guards remained on the spot.
Zhao Xian raised her hand and rubbed her nose. What was that smell? It was rather foul.
"Extras, extras—"
"Makeup artist, hurry up and put makeup on the extras, be quick."
Zhao Xian was momentarily dazed. The people around her were bustling about, some wearing modern short-sleeved shirts and others wearing ancient-style long dresses. They were noisy and busy.
"Sister Xian, Sister Xian, Teacher Qu is looking for you."
Zhao Xian snapped out of her daze and saw that the girl in front of her looked familiar, but it took her a while to remember who she was.
She's the assistant of her celebrity friend, what's her name again...?
How could she forget someone's name when they see each other every day?
"Filming is about to begin! Get ready, everyone, hurry up..."
Looking at the figures running around her, Zhao Xian's heart started beating very fast for no reason.
The door to the dressing room opened, and she saw Li Lianniang come out, talking to the people behind her as she walked. When she saw Zhao Xian, she hurriedly said, "Why are you taking so long to get a water cup? Hurry up."
Zhao Xian was somewhat dazed, and suddenly realized that it was not Li Lianniang; Li Lianniang would not speak to her like that.
"Teacher Qu, Teacher Qu..."
"Coming right away," Qu Shuangxing said, looking at Zhao Xian with her hand still outstretched, her eyes constantly giving hints.
Teacher Qu? Qu, Qu Shuangxing, such an unfamiliar yet familiar name, she's the artist she works for.
Zhao Xian looked down at the water glass she was holding without realizing it, and suddenly smiled. She remembered that it didn't contain plain water, but rather a low-sugar milk tea.
As an artist, Qu Shuangxing needs to control her weight, but she also has a sweet tooth, so every now and then she drinks some homemade low-sugar milk tea to satisfy her cravings.
Zhao Xian held the water glass in both hands, her excitement tinged with doubt and anticipation, and walked forward step by step. Just as she handed the water glass to Qu Shuangxing...
Suddenly she heard someone calling her name, the voice was very urgent.
"Danger."
"Mother, Mother, don't go."
"Madam Jiang, stop immediately."
"Madam Jiang, danger! I'm coming to save you—"
Several noisy voices rang out, and Zhao Xian's hand holding the water glass stopped. The scene in front of her began to blur and seemed very unstable. She wanted to turn around, but her shoulder was suddenly pushed hard, and she lost her footing. She fell forward and didn't have time to stand up.
At that moment, Zhao Xian turned her head. Because of this change, she suddenly saw her surroundings clearly. She was not in Hengdian, and Qu Shuangxing was not around. She had somehow ended up at the edge of a slope.
As she fell down, she saw a hand reaching out in front of her. Almost instinctively, Zhao Xian raised her hand and grabbed it. The other person couldn't withstand the force, and the two of them rolled down the slope together.
"ah--"
Zhao Xian and a woman tumbled down a slope. Some people tried to rescue them, but they were too fast to catch up. The guards had all been sent by the Empress to rescue the Emperor, leaving only a deputy head guard to stay by the Empress's side. It was too late to rescue them.
The two rolling figures quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Everyone was shocked by this scene, and they didn't understand why Zhao Xian suddenly walked to the edge of the slope.
Since everyone's attention was drawn to the tiger, they had no idea why.
"Mother, mother!"
Cui Tingyue lunged forward but was held back tightly by the maid Xiyu.
Unlike the others who were completely baffled, Lin Nianzang gritted her teeth inwardly. "Fool! With so many people around, how could she actually dare to make a move? Fool!"
He even got himself involved; how foolish.
Lin Niancang was terrified, but dared not show it. She didn't know if these people had seen the man's little tricks. She secretly hoped that the man would die to avoid implicating her.
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