Chapter 323 Four Peaceful Blessings
Imperial Palace, Purple Palace.
It was getting late and the dew was heavy, but the candles in the hall were still bright all night long.
Yan Shixu and several important ministers finally finalized the final strategy for the journey south.
When the tedious discussions were finally settled, the ministers took their leave, and the heavy palace door opened and closed, bringing in a cool morning breeze.
Yan Shixu rubbed his brows tiredly and glanced out the window——
The eastern sky was already turning pale, and the hazy gray-blue was gradually eroding the deep night.
It is a new day, and it is also the time for him to lead the army in person.
He stood up, and the hem of his black dragon robe brushed against the mirror-like gold bricks silently.
Before leaving, he was eager to go back to the bedroom to see Wen Lier again.
I wonder if that gentle woman slept well last night?
There were many more instructions that he needed to tell her in person.
As soon as he reached the palace gate, Yongtai bowed and hurried forward to report: "Your Majesty, the Queen...she has left the palace."
Yan Shixu paused and his brows furrowed suddenly.
"When did you leave the palace? Where did you go?"
Yongtai lowered his head even more. "Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort left the palace at one in the morning and went to... the Huguo Temple outside the capital. Before leaving the palace, she also took the Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant that you had placed in the secret compartment of the Duobao Pavilion."
Yan Shixu's heart tightened and his voice suddenly became deeper.
"Who did she bring with her? Did the secret guards follow her? What was her purpose in going to the Huguo Temple?"
Before he finished speaking, he had already strode out.
His dark robes blew a gust of wind, and he solemnly ordered Zhang Sicheng, who was following closely behind him, to prepare his horse.
Yongtai hurriedly trotted to catch up, his breathing slightly short.
"Your Majesty, rest assured! Qiuying and Huazhan will be your personal attendants, and the Shadow Guards will be secretly protecting you all the way. There will be absolutely no mishaps!"
He took a breath, and seeing that the emperor was still walking, he added hastily:
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine... has gone to seek a talisman for your safety! Calculating the time, she should be on her way back now."
Amulet...
These three short words were like a scalding hot current that instantly surged through his body, soaking the emperor's heart until it felt sore and limp, but was also tightly wrapped and tightened by the dense heartache that surged up afterwards.
This silly woman... just wanted to ask for a talisman?
How dare you ride out of the capital in the middle of the night!
With her meager riding skills, which were barely enough for transportation and not very sophisticated, she galloped along the bumpy road and climbed nearly a thousand steep stone steps...
How could her delicate body bear it?
He could almost imagine her enduring the discomfort and gritting her teeth to persevere, and imagine her kneeling devoutly and praying for him...
This affection weighs more than a thousand pounds.
Zhang Sicheng had already led the two horses to the steps. He looked worriedly at the emperor who had climbed onto his horse with a sullen expression.
The marching troops are about to set off, but His Majesty has to go to Huguo Temple to pick someone up, so the journey will inevitably be delayed.
It is the biggest taboo for an emperor to break his promise to his court officials.
He moved his lips, wanting to say a few words of advice, but when he met Yan Shixu's unquestionable gaze, he swallowed his words back and just handed over the reins silently.
Yan Shixu mounted his horse, and the steed charged out like an arrow. The horseshoes trod on the bluestone imperial path, sending sparks flying.
Zhang Sicheng did not dare to delay and immediately jumped on another horse and followed closely behind.
"Hey... Your Majesty! Old Zhang!"
Yongtai looked at the two horses that were galloping away, waving his arms in vain as he chased them for a few steps, with a helpless look on his face.
"Why...why is there no servant's horse?"
Unfortunately, the dark figure quickly disappeared at the end of the palace road filled with morning mist, and no one responded to his question.
Official road in the suburbs of Beijing.
Wen Li'er sat behind Hua Zhan, holding her waist tightly, looking towards the east where the sky was getting brighter and brighter, her voice filled with anxious panting.
"Hua Zhan, faster."
She was afraid that she would miss the time and would not be able to put the amulet on him personally.
The horse's hooves were rolling, leaving the green mountains of Huguo Temple far behind.
The outline of the towering city walls of the capital gradually became clear in the dim morning light, like a dormant giant beast.
However, when the three of them arrived at the city gate, exhausted and with disheveled hair, they saw that the heavy city gate was already wide open.
Before the morning mist had dissipated, two riders on swift horses rushed out of the city like two black lightning bolts and came towards them.
The leader was dressed in a dark suit, his figure as tall and straight as a pine or cypress.
He galloped on his horse, his deep gaze like a sharp arrow, piercing through the thin morning mist and instantly locking onto Wen Li'er, who was clinging to Hua Zhan's back and looked extremely embarrassed.
The air was stagnant for a moment, with an oppressive feeling of impending storm.
Hua Zhan and Qiu Ying were panicked and almost instinctively pulled the reins hard.
“Ouch!”
The galloping horse neighed loudly, raised its front hooves, and stopped abruptly in place.
The two men quickly dismounted, carefully helped Wen Li'er, whose legs were a little weak, down, and knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty!"
Wen Li'er met Yan Shixu's eyes, which were so dark that ink could almost drip out of them. She subconsciously shrank her neck and her voice became as thin as a mosquito's.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Yan Shixu rode his horse forward a few steps, his tall figure casting a long shadow on the ground.
He looked down at her condescendingly, the morning breeze blowing his black sleeves, bringing a biting chill.
"Wen Li'er!" It was the first time he called her by her full name.
"Do you know what time it is now? Do you know how dangerous it is to ride a horse at high speed at night? If you encounter an assassin again, how will you protect yourself?! If anything goes wrong, you will let me..." The rest of the words were blocked in his throat by a burst of fear and turned into uncontrollable anger.
A series of questions came like a storm, and every word struck Wen Li'er's heart.
She lowered her head like a child who had made a mistake.
Wen Li'er wanted to explain, wanted to tell him about the magic of the abbot of Huguo Temple, and wanted to take out the lucky bag given by the abbot.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she was blocked by his pressure and heartache at the moment, and she couldn't say a word. Only a delicate grievance rose to the tip of her nose, and her eyes turned red in an instant.
She pursed her lips stubbornly and hid the bright yellow brocade bag that she was holding tightly in her sleeve even further.
Yan Shixu looked at her flushed little face, messy hair, clothes soaked and dried by sweat, and her red eyes that were trying hard not to cry. The fire in his heart felt like it was poured with a basin of ice water, sizzling, leaving only the burning pain.
The words of rebuke rolled on the tip of his tongue for a few times, but he finally swallowed them back because he couldn't bear to do it.
Yan Shixu sighed deeply and urged his horse forward.
Before Wen Li'er could react, a pair of strong arms had already passed through her slender waist like an iron hoop, and lifted her up steadily.
"Ah!" Wen Li'er cried softly.
As the world spun around, she fell steadily into his broad and strong arms.
Yan Shixu carefully placed her in front of him, holding the reins tightly with one hand and wrapping the other around her waist, holding her firmly in his arms.
"Go back to the palace." His voice was still low, but strangely, it had lost the rage it had just radiated.
However, the arms around her waist tightened silently a little.
Wen Li'er was held in his warm embrace, her nose filled with the familiar scent of his body, mixed with a faint, cold ambergris.
The hypocritical grievance she had just felt disappeared instantly when she touched the warmth of his chest.
Yan Shixu's chin gently rested against the top of her head and rubbed it.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard again, heading towards the towering palace in the morning light.
But this time, Yan Shixu deliberately slowed down and let the horse walk at a leisurely pace.
Wen Li'er carefully took out the bright yellow brocade bag, untied the ribbon, and looked inside.
Four amulets, neatly folded into squares and meticulously painted with cinnabar, lay quietly inside, emitting a light sandalwood scent that soothed the mind.
There was also a small package of medicinal herbs carefully wrapped in clean gauze, which emitted a faint bitter and slightly spicy smell.
Wen Li'er was puzzled. What disease could this medicinal herb cure?
The abbot of Huguo Temple is actually well versed in medicine?
There was also a blessing of peace, and the abbot actually gave four of them.
Originally, he had only nervously asked for one each for the Emperor and his brother and sister-in-law, fearing that his greed would displease the gods and Buddhas.
So who did the abbot give this last one to?
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