Chapter 3406: Hungry People
Ruoshui immediately stepped forward and said, "Her Royal Highness just said it was a bit stuffy in here and she wanted to go out for some fresh air."
Nan Yan said, "Don't let her run around, find her and bring her back quickly."
"yes."
Ruoshui immediately sent someone to check, but they found that the princess was nowhere to be found around the side hall. When they asked the people around, they all said they had not seen the princess.
Nan Yan immediately frowned.
At this time, the monk Shikong heard what was happening and hurried over to serve. He said, "Your Majesty, my disciple has also disappeared. Someone just saw them together. I'm afraid he took the princess out to play somewhere."
Hearing him say this, Nan Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, she didn't think that there would be any accidents in this place. After all, after what happened before, Zhu Feng would never allow any traitors to appear in Da Ci'en Temple again. It was just that Xinping was too naughty, and she didn't want this girl to cause any trouble here.
So he said, "Send someone to find them."
Shi Kong said: "Yes."
After saying that, he sent a few monks under his command to look around.
On the other side, Monk Na Buji took Mingxin and Xinping out of the back door of the kitchen, walked along the bluestone path for a while, and arrived at the second gate of the backyard of Da Ci'en Temple, but the small gate was locked.
It is so quiet here that there is not even the sound of birds.
Xinping looked around and said, "Where are the starving people? Are you guys trying to trick me?"
The monk Buji took out a bunch of keys from his waist and said with a smile, "Your Highness, how dare I deceive you? But no matter what you see in a while, don't get scared, and don't shout too loudly."
Xinping said, "I won't be scared!"
"That's good."
Monk Buji then walked to the small door, opened the lock, and pushed the door open with a creak.
Then he waved to Xinping and said, "Princess, come and see."
He walked up with doubt in his heart.
This is the second gate in the northeast corner of Da Ci'en Temple. There is a long corridor outside, which is a shortcut from the backyard to the lecture hall. Ordinary pilgrims will not come here, and even the monks in the temple usually do not come here often. Therefore, this place is always very quiet.
But at this moment, the place is full of people!
These people were dressed in rags, with pale faces and skinny bodies, some so thin that only bones were left. Perhaps it was because Monk Buji had just brought them steamed buns. Some of them still had one or two bites left in their hands, while some had already finished eating. But even so, the deep sunken eyes on their skinny faces were filled with hunger.
This hunger seemed to devour their reason and spirit.
When they looked at others, those empty eyes had no human spirit in them, they were just like wide-open mouths.
That wooden look is chilling.
Being looked at like this by them, Xinping suddenly shuddered and subconsciously took two steps back. Her heel hit the door sill and she almost fell. Fortunately, Mingxin was quick to support her.
"Your Highness, be careful."
After Xinping stood firm, he was still a little dazed. He looked back at Mingxin, and then at those pale and skinny people, especially some women who were holding dying babies in their arms. These babies could not eat steamed buns, but their mothers' shriveled bodies had long since left them without milk, and they were so hungry that they could not even cry.
Although Xinping didn't know what was going on, her eyes subconsciously turned red, and she cried to Mingxin, "What's going on? What's going on?"
Monk Buji said, "Young Prince, they are the hungry people."
“…”
"They couldn't afford food in their hometown, so they had no choice but to flee. Luckily, they made it to Jinling City. Our temple took them in, but we didn't have much to eat. We could only give them one steamed bun per adult per day, and that was the limit."
Xinping couldn't believe his ears.
In her eyes, her father was omnipotent. As long as he was the emperor, everyone in the world would be happy and safe. How could it be like this before her?
She covered her ears and shouted, "You lied to me! I don't believe it, I don't believe it!"
At this time, the hungry people began to stir.
They fled to Jinling City, where they were chased by the government and threatened to be expelled. They had no choice but to take refuge at the Da Ci'en Temple, where the monks took them in out of compassion. They had previously been allowed to live in the temple's backyard, but when they heard the emperor was coming, they banished them to the alley outside the second gate and told them not to speak or let their children cry. If the emperor saw them, he would chop off their heads.
Just now, they heard Monk Buji actually call this girl "Little Princess" and immediately understood her identity.
Several of the adults walked up to Xinping, knelt down and said, "Princess, please have pity on us and don't chase us away!"
Xinping was frightened by their appearance and quickly stepped back. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
She was so scared that she burst into tears.
"Father! Mother!"
Just then, the people who were looking for her in the distance heard the noise and hurried over.
The young eunuch Delu, who was beside the imperial concubine, walked the fastest with his men. When he arrived there, he saw Xinping sitting on the ground crying, with several ragged people kneeling in front of her. He immediately rushed to Xinping.
"Protect the princess!"
The guards hurriedly drew their swords and pointed them at the hungry people.
At this time, the monk Shikong, who had followed closely behind, saw this and immediately said, "Stop! Stop now!"
He walked over and said to Delu, "Eunuch, please don't misunderstand. They are not bad people. They are just - just hungry people who are taken in by this temple."
De Lu frowned, but he didn't care to pay attention to him. He helped Princess Xinping up and asked, "Your Highness, are you okay?"
Xinping's big eyes were still full of tears.
She sobbed as she looked at the frightened starving people, then turned to Delu and said, "I want to see my mother and my father. I want to ask them what's going on."
Delu has been with the imperial concubine for many years. When he saw these skinny and hungry people, he knew something bad was going to happen. He didn't expect that Monk Shikong was so bold as to hide the hungry people in the Da Ci'en Temple where the emperor offered sacrifices. Now the princess wants to ask the emperor and the imperial concubine about it. Isn't this a slap in the face of the emperor?
So he said softly: "Your Highness, this is not possible."
"I don't care!"
Xinping also got confused at this time, and shook off his hand, saying, "I must ask clearly!"
After saying that, he turned around and ran forward.
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