Chapter 744 Peeking Under the Skirt, Seeing Through the Fog [Requesting Monthly Tickets!]
Outside the Xunyang Ferry Wharf, a distinguished carriage.
A burly man in a green robe with a cold face led several Xianbei guards to arrive quickly. They stopped in front of the carriage and clasped their hands in salute.
The burly man in the green robe who was leading the group asked a question with utmost respect.
Beneath the robes of the burly man in green and the Xianbei guards, they appeared to be wearing armor. As they came to a stop, the swords at their waists collided with the armor, producing a crisp metallic sound.
There was a brief silence inside the carriage.
Immediately, Wei Anhui's gentle voice came from inside:
"I didn't see him. Hmm, are you looking for him?"
The burly man in the green robe frowned slightly, not answering her question, but patiently asking:
"But someone just saw him running over, riding a fast horse, disappearing into the crowd at the dock, and heading this way... Your Highness, did Li Fusu really not come looking for you?"
"No. Hmm, what does he want with me?"
The burly man in green robes and the guards seemed somewhat puzzled by the princess's tone.
Inside the carriage, Wei Anhui sat upright, her long dress trailing on the ground. She lowered her head, carefully adjusting the wide hem of her skirt, and continued speaking:
"I'm waiting for the boat. When do we set off? By the way, where's Uncle Wu?"
The burly man in the green robe frowned, staring at the imposing carriage shaft, and shook his head.
"Master Wu will be there soon. On his way to the ferry, he specifically ordered me to protect Your Highness's safety. My name is Wei Jin. Your Highness, if there is anything you need to do, you can rest assured to talk to me. Although I come from the Wei Prince's Mansion, the Wei Prince's Mansion and the Liang Prince's Mansion have always been one family. There is no need for any barriers between us."
"I have nothing to say, I'm just getting a little bored while waiting. Hmm, I understand. You've worked hard. I'll tell my father when we get back and ask him to reward you. You may leave now, I'm tired, I'll close my eyes for a while."
Wei Anhui politely and courteously ushered them out.
But after she said that, she waited for a while, but there was still no sound outside, no footsteps or the sound of metal clashing.
The burly man in green robes and the Xianbei guards did not leave.
Wei Anhui's tone was subtly displeased:
"What, is there something else?"
Wei Jin maintained his clasped-fist posture and said in a measured and deliberate manner:
"Your Highness, would it be convenient for you to open the lower curtain of the carriage?"
Wei Anhui gently shook her head:
"inconvenient."
Wei Jin's brows furrowed even more.
Wei Anhui's tone became a little stronger, but she still sounded gentle and weak, without any threat.
Are you doubting me?
Wei Jin shook his head: "I wouldn't dare, but someone saw it..."
"Shut up, all of you get out of here! Who gave you permission to surround her and frighten the princess? Are you tired of living?"
Just as Wei Jin was speaking, a stern rebuke suddenly came from behind him.
Wei Jin shuddered. Before he could react and turn around, a burly man with a square face dressed as a groom walked past him and strode quickly to Wei Anhui's distinguished carriage shaft, walking with a brisk pace.
"Uncle Wu".
Hearing the commotion outside, Wei Anhui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master Wu!"
Wei Jin, accompanied by his servants, respectfully clasped their hands in a gesture of respect towards the burly man with the square face. A certain indescribable fear and reverence appeared in their eyes, as if they were quite afraid of him.
Before the esteemed carriage, Wei Wu ignored his subordinates and first respectfully clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wei Anhui inside the carriage.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed the princess. The servants below are uncouth and ignorant. I will handle it. The princess should continue to rest. The boat will arrive soon."
Wei Anhui suddenly lifted the carriage curtain.
She seemed to have inadvertently revealed her private car interior.
Wei Anhui nodded obediently:
"Yes, it's alright, Uncle Wu, thank you for your hard work."
Wei Wu, who was bowing and clasping his hands in greeting, paused for a moment, then slightly raised his eyes and glanced at the girl in the long dress who was smiling sweetly at him from inside the car.
Wei Jin and the others behind also glanced sideways into the carriage, quickly scanned it, and then quickly lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
Wei Wu stood with his hands behind his back, silently turned around, and coldly swept his gaze over Wei Jin and the others. The latter all bowed their heads deeply as if they had done something wrong.
Wei Wu calmly said:
“If the two princes were here, you would all be dead. Get down here. After the princess leaves by boat, give her fifty lashes.”
Wei Jin couldn't help but explain, "Your Highness, a sentry saw Li Fusu heading towards..."
He stopped speaking as Wei Wu cast a calm, indifferent glance at him. The burly man in green robes, whose face had been cold and aloof, trembled and shut his mouth tightly.
Just as Wei Wu was about to speak, Wei Anhui, who was openly showing herself from inside the carriage at the back, suddenly said:
"Uncle Wu, let it go. They've done their job well, and it's not easy for anyone. Let's just let them off the hook."
Wei Wu pursed his lips and waved his hand:
"Go and check on the Market and Trade Bureau. Don't get in the way here. Also, why don't you thank the Princess?"
"Yes, Master Wu."
Wei Jin and the other guards clasped their hands in acceptance of the order, then turned around and kowtowed repeatedly in the direction of Wei Anhui.
"Thank you for your kindness, Princess!"
Wei Anhui turned her head away, refusing to look at them.
She glanced at Wei Wu and noticed that he was still dressed in his unassuming groom's attire, with a white headband. However, he was followed by eight tall, unfamiliar maids who were standing to the side waiting.
Wei Anhui had never seen these maids before in the mansion. They came with Wei Wu, along with a cargo carriage, which was currently parked not far from Wei Anhui's carriage shaft.
There were six or seven large boxes stacked on the cart, tightly bound with ropes. It was unclear what they contained. Wei Wu had driven the cart himself, and the eight maids stood guard by the cart, supervising the guards as they unloaded the goods.
Before Wei Jin and his men left, he seemed to remember something and turned back to whisper:
"Master Wu, your boat is ready and docked at the pier. It can depart immediately for Shuangfengjian Ferry... The princess's boat will have to wait a little while."
Wei Wu nodded slightly: "Mm."
Wei Jin turned to leave, but Wei Wu suddenly said:
"etc."
Before Wei Jin could turn around, Wei Wu had already walked over. He waved to the eight tall maids beside him, who took out a stack of white cloth strips from their sleeves, held them in both hands, and handed them to Wei Wu.
Wei Wu grabbed the stack of white cloth strips and threw them into the arms of Wei Jin and the others:
"Wear it; it was a gift from the Prince."
"Yes, Master Wu! Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!"
Wei Jin and the others hurriedly put white cloth strips on their foreheads, dressed like Wei Wu in mourning clothes. They left quickly, some with cold smiles and others with solemn expressions, heading to the Market Trade Bureau.
Wei Wu watched Wei Jin and the others leave, then glanced at a ship moored at the ferry in the distance.
At this time, Xunyang Ferry was in chaos due to the martial law and closure of the ferry. There were minor officials from the Market and Trade Bureau trying to maintain order, as well as a few constables who had dispersed from the martial law, and Wei family assassins who had dispersed to defend the area under the pretext of escorting Princess Anhui onto the ship.
Wei Wu ignored the crowd and turned around, his eyes met Wei Anhui's.
Wei Anhui smiled gently and asked with concern:
"Where is Uncle Wu going later?"
Wei Wu seemed not to hear, and did not answer, but pointed to the eight tall maids:
"They will protect the princess all the way. When you arrive at Hukou County, after you have paid your respects to the Buddha, there will be a boat to pick you up and take you back to the capital."
Wei Anhui asked:
"Uncle Wu, is it safe in Hukou County?"
Wei Wu glanced at her and asked:
"Danger? Who told you that?"
Wei Anhui glanced at Wei Wu's expression and gently shook her head:
"It's nothing, it's just that the constables just came in and imposed martial law, saying there's some danger from river pirates, I think it's from Hukou County."
Wei Wu shook his head: "We have already sent people to pave the road in advance, so there is no danger. Princess, please rest assured."
He glanced at Wei Anhui's quiet long dress and the carriage decorations beside her, and continued softly:
"The real danger today is over at the Buddha statue. There might be an attack by rebels. I need to go and help. This is the prince's order."
"Uncle Wu, please be careful."
"Yes, thank you for your concern, Princess."
Wei Anhui asked again, "Uncle Wu, why did you go after Li Fusu?"
Wei Wu nodded: "It's dangerous for them to run around everywhere, so of course we should help them send them back to the Prince's Mansion."
Wei Anhui nodded: "Oh."
"The princess didn't see it, did she?"
Wei Anhui shook her head again.
Wei Wu didn't waste any more words, turned around and left, waving to the maids:
"Protect the princess well."
Wei Anhui watched Wei Wu leave.
A short while later, the carriage curtain was closed.
Outside, eight tall maids stood guard by the carriage shaft.
Inside the car, Li Dalang hurriedly crawled out from under her skirt, already covered in sweat.
"What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"
"fine."
Li Dalang shook his head vigorously.
Although she was wearing underwear, and he was trying not to look at it, he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of the fabric's color and its warmth... Any normal man would blush and have his heart race.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside, followed by a wave of panic. It seemed that the ferry crossing had suddenly become much larger, and there were more sounds of swords and armor clashing. Many people were fleeing, and some even bumped into Wei Anhui's noble carriage.
Li Dalang looked puzzled, then slightly lifted the carriage curtain with his fingertips and glanced outside. The next instant, his face turned to shock, and he swallowed hard.
"What's wrong?"
Curious, Wei Anhui also got up and bent down to look outside with him. Her face turned pale instantly.
"These people are... umm."
Wei Anhui's mouth was gagged. She rolled her eyes and looked up. It was Li Dalang.
He covered her mouth tightly with one hand, his eyes peering out through the gap in the carriage curtain.
Wei Anhui noticed that Li Dalang's face above him was unusually solemn and pale, as if he had realized something terrible.
...
Twin peaks.
Ouyang Rong met with Rong Zhen.
After explaining the hair issue, he calmly asked about Rong Zhen's situation.
"Did Li Congshan and his men bring three hundred armored soldiers?"
"Um."
Rongzhen waved her hand:
"I have them guard the Shuangfengjian ferry crossing to prevent those river pirates from attempting to land."
"That's fine then."
"How about you? How's the setup outside?"
"It's all settled. All the irrelevant people have been persuaded to return to the city. Those who remain are all our own people. The south bank of Shuangfengjian can be sealed off now. We can focus on fighting the rebels."
Rongzhen nodded gently.
"By the way, Commander Yi has also arrived, bringing Yuan Huaimin with her. I have arranged for Yuan Huaimin to go to the south peak of Shuangfengjian based on her suggestion."
"Nanfeng?"
“Yes, the construction site of the Buddha is at the foot of Beifeng Mountain on the north bank. If he wants to paint, it would be best if he could have a panoramic view of the north bank, so that he could have an unobstructed view of the scenery.”
"Alright."
"The jade staff you gave me before, I had someone send it to him so he can climb mountains more easily."
"Ms. Rong is indeed very thoughtful."
The two arrived at Shuangfengjian Ferry, which had been closed. Li Congshan, Miaozhen, and others were already there.
The three hundred soldiers did not cross the river to the construction site on the north bank, but stayed on the south bank to guard the ferry crossing.
Yi Qianqiu was also at the ferry crossing; he must have just brought Yuan Huaimin there.
As soon as Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen appeared, Yi Qianqiu's gaze fell on Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong greeted Yi Qianqiu, then asked:
"Lady Rong, have you seen Wang Caozhi?"
Rongzhen: "No, I haven't seen him for a while. What, you don't know where he went either?"
"No, I sent him out on some errands, and he hasn't returned yet."
After thinking for a moment, before boarding the ship, Ouyang Rong instructed Li Congshan and the others: "If you see Wang Caozhi, bring him directly to the Buddha statue to see me."
"Yes, Prefect Ouyang."
Li Congshan clasped his hands in a deep fist salute.
A short while later, everyone boarded the boat together and sailed through the Shuangfengjian Waterway to the Dafozhu Grotto on the north bank.
Standing at the bow of the boat, Ouyang Rong looked at the misty river and suddenly recalled the scene when he entered the Xunyang Grottoes on the day the Buddha was secretly completed.
However, today seems to be a little different.
He turned around without making a sound and glanced at the woods on the south bank behind him.
A faint intuition told him that a carriage was parked quietly in a pre-arranged spot in the woods.
Just like when he went to the main grotto for seclusion, but today there are embroiderers present.
Sensing from afar that the embroiderer was still obediently holding the Mo family sword box without any intention of opening it, Ouyang Rong smiled smugly.
At that moment, a pair of eyes turned over and landed on Ouyang Rong's smiling face.
It was Rongzhen standing quietly inside the boat, her sleeves tucked in.
Ouyang Rong coughed and composed himself.
A moment later, the boat arrived at the north bank. Before Ouyang Rong stepped ashore, he looked up and glanced at the shore.
The silhouette of a majestic Buddha is faintly emerging from the white mist, as if it were drawn on a painting.
The Buddha's body was a hazy white, with only the golden corner of the highest Buddha head visible, as if welcoming them...
...
Yuan Huaimin's robes were wet with dew.
Just after dawn, as the sun rose, large dewdrops still clung to many flowers and plants along the misty mountain path, teetering on the verge of falling. Yuan Huaimin, who was hiking along the way, happened to touch them and they fell off.
Yuan Huaimin paid no attention to these things. Alone and silent, he focused on climbing the mountain, holding a jade staff in his hand, which was sent by the lady Rongzhen to make it easier for him to climb.
This is a small path leading to the summit of Shuangfengjian, located on the mountainside of the south peak.
Shuangfengjian was originally two mountain peaks that were connected together. From a distance, they looked like twin brothers, with the base of the mountain in the concave part in the middle closely touching.
Under the water conservancy project overseen by Ouyang Lianghan, the former chief administrator of Jiangzhou, Shuangfengjian was cut in half like a cake, and a flood discharge channel was carved out.
Thus, the Twin Peaks were divided into the South Peak and the North Peak, which are located on the south and north banks respectively.
The Xunyang Grottoes were built along the north bank, and the main grotto where the Donglin Buddha is located is also on the north bank, with the Buddha backed against the cliff of the north peak.
Shuangfengjian Ferry is located on the south bank. It is the only way to get from Xunyang City to Xunyang Grottoes. Originally, there were many boats passing through the waterway in the middle, but today they have all been detained at the ferry. Private individuals are not allowed to leave, and it is under martial law.
Therefore, the South Peak that Yuan Huaimin is currently climbing is the best vantage point for viewing the North Peak and its Buddha statue.
This is also why Rongzhen and Yi Qianqiu allowed Yuan Huaimin to come to this place.
(End of this chapter)
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