Chapter 3298 Altar
Nan Yan turned her head and glanced at him, then just smiled and said, “My concubine has never been one who is as delicate and noble as a man.”
As she spoke, her eyes looked around sharply through the gauze hanging around the veil.
Seeing her like this, the old uncle immediately understood what she was looking at, but said nothing. Only Ying Shao, who was escorting them, rode cautiously to Nan Yan's side and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has already sent people to clear out this route. If there was any trace of the young prince, it would have been reported long ago."
The implication was that Nan Yan should not be distracted.
Although she had long known that Zhu Feng would never let her wander around the wilderness with such an important uncle without taking precautions, and she also knew that Chen Zixiao and the others must have searched for her again and again without success before reporting the news, but as a mother, this is how she is. Even at the critical moment of life and death, there will always be a thread in her heart that is tied to her child.
Nan Yan gritted her teeth, swallowed the frustration in her heart, and said calmly, "I understand. Ying Shao, how far is this place from the altar?"
Ying Shao said: "The guide Ashu just said, it's not far away, just ahead——"
He stopped talking before he finished.
A pair of hawk-like eyes looked forward sharply.
Nan Yan also looked forward in the direction of his gaze, and saw a group of people coming in the afterglow of the setting sun.
It's He Yi.
Of course Nan Yan knew that Zhu Feng had entrusted him with the task of supervising the construction of the altar and preparing to pray for rain. In fact, this man, who used to be the Left Prime Minister of the Secretariat and the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, had been busy with house repairs in the past two years. It seemed unfair to him to use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken, but he seemed to be happy to do it and didn't complain at all.
At this moment, he obviously knew that Nan Yan and the others were about to arrive, so he came to meet them.
Soon, the group of people and horses were close at hand. He Yi reined in his horse and immediately dismounted, walked up to Nan Yan and the old uncle, and bowed to them, saying, "Greetings to the Imperial Concubine, Taoist Priest."
Nan Yan didn't bother to answer him perfunctorily, and simply asked, "He Yi, are you ready?"
He Yi said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty."
He was about to say something, but when he looked up, he saw Wen Wuyu behind Nan Yan, who was being escorted by the imperial guards. His expression suddenly changed: "Why is he following us?"
Originally, what happened here had nothing to do with Wen Wu Yu, and he really shouldn't be here, but He Yi's reaction to this matter seemed a bit too much, especially when he said this in front of the imperial concubine, with a tone that was almost blaming, or even questioning. Nan Yan's brows immediately frowned.
Even the old uncle beside him glanced at him.
Ying Shao coughed cautiously and said, "Lord He Yi."
It is to remind him not to overstep his bounds.
He Yi's breath sank, and he realized that his reaction just now was too great. Looking at Nan Yan, he quickly bowed his head and confessed: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was just a little surprised. This time - the matter is of great importance, and there really shouldn't be anyone else present."
“…”
Nan Yan looked at him gravely for a moment and said, "You know about the King of Han, right?"
He Yi immediately said, "I have heard about it."
Nan Yan said, "The King of Han has disappeared, and Wen Bieyu has also vanished with him. Wen Wuyu has been asking me for him. He's not in his right mind, and I'm worried something might happen to him if I leave him in the Commandant's Mansion, so I'm taking him with me. You know his situation, so I'll just have someone to watch over him."
He Yi hesitated for a moment and said, "I am just worried that he will disturb the uncle's prayer for rain."
The old uncle said, "No problem."
Hearing what the old uncle said, He Yi naturally had nothing to say. Nan Yan looked at him for a while, but did not ask any further questions. She just said calmly: "Let's go over first and talk later."
"yes."
So, the group continued to move forward.
Everyone was walking slowly. He Yi, riding on horseback, walked not far behind Nan Yan, looking worried. He turned back to glance at Wen Wu Yu. At this moment, Nan Yan said, "I just remembered that you, He Yi, have been taking care of the Wen family for the past few years, but Wen Wu Yu's condition hasn't improved at all. Is it really incurable?"
He Yi looked up at her.
At this time, although it was almost dusk, the land on the wasteland had absorbed most of the sun's heat for half a day and was slowly exhaling it. People riding horses on it felt like they were walking in a steamer, and they were all sweating profusely. When He Yi heard this, he broke out in a cold sweat.
He has always been calm and composed, and has never been surprised by praise or criticism. He has rarely been in such a mess.
Even the old uncle couldn't help but look back at him.
Seeing that he still didn't answer after a long time, Nan Yan turned around and said, "Hmm?"
He Yi calmed himself down and said, "I'm not an expert on the matter of illness, so it's not easy for me to make a hasty conclusion. However, didn't the Emperor send the imperial physician over a few days ago? If even the imperial physician can't help, then it's not surprising that the folk doctors I invited returned empty-handed."
Nan Yan looked at him for a while, then smiled and said, "That's right."
She seemed to want to say something else, but He Yi said, "By the way, I also know about the little prince's affairs. In fact, I should have been the one who saw the little prince last that day."
"Um?"
When Nan Yan heard him mention Zhu Chengjun, she immediately forgot about everything else. She asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Did he tell you anything?"
He Yi said, "I was preparing at the altar. It was only when someone came to announce that Your Majesty and the Prince's uncle were coming over that I learned of this matter. Actually, that day, after the young prince went to the east wing to meet the Prince's uncle, he spoke to me for a while. He seemed very interested in what was going on at the altar. I think he left the Duwei Mansion just to visit the altar. It's a pity that I didn't think of it at the time. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
What will happen if I don't forgive him at this time? Blame him, and he won't come back.
Nan Yan only sighed deeply and said, "Forget it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of the guide Ashu came from the front of the team: "We're here! We're here!"
Nan Yan immediately raised her head.
On the vast horizon in the distance, there appeared a tall altar, nine feet high and with three layers. On the edge of each layer, there stood a soldier in black clothes every three steps. When illuminated by the setting sun, the black clothes also glowed red. From a distance, it looked like a high platform on fire.
That is the altar used by the old uncle to pray for rain.
On the top level of the altar, one could vaguely see an incense table with incense, candles and other items already lit. It was obvious that everything had been prepared long ago, just waiting for them to come.
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