Chapter 53 Chapter 53 [VIP]
Yuan Mu has a slender figure and a cold face, and is obviously a delicate beauty.
Few people would be wary of her.
When seeing Yuan Mu crying, men will subconsciously feel pity for her.
She would never have imagined that her hand, hidden in the dark, was tightly grasping a sharp blade, plotting to kill.
Yuan Mu did not tell the emperor any details of the day she killed Gao Shen, nor did she tell Xi Rongjing that on the day she left the Lishan Palace, she stabbed the emperor deeply.
She always has to rely on some means to save her life.
Yuan Mu's eyes were as cold as frost and snow.
She held Xi Rongjing's shoulder and pulled out the dagger.
Xi Rongjing was much taller than her. The moment he leaned forward, a large amount of blood gushed out.
Yuan Mu's body was burning hot, so she turned sideways to avoid getting more blood on her body.
The cold white sharp blade was stabbed directly at Xi Rongjing's chest. The knife, which could kill with one blow, pierced straight through the man's clothes.
Yuan Mu learned from his previous experience and did not wait for him to take off more clothes.
Otherwise, blood would have splattered all over her.
Excessively sharp pain can make it difficult for a person to stay conscious, especially when accompanied by heavy blood loss.
Seeing Xi Rongjing falling over, Yuan Mu tore off the curtain beside the table and immediately stuffed it into his mouth to prevent him from making too loud noise.
But in fact, it didn't take long from the time he was stabbed in the chest to the time he completely fainted.
Today's Shuofang still needs him.
So Yuan Mu only stabbed her that once, but now she is much more familiar with it than before.
Although it was just one blow, it was one that struck the most fatal spot.
Yuan Mu took off his blood-stained coat, then half-knelt down and neatly took away Xi Rongjing's token, certificate and other belongings.
When he is busy sometimes he will stay in the library.
Yuan Mu also found a set of Xi Rongjing's old clothes in the box.
She simply put on the outer robe to cover the messy inner clothes, and then picked up the fire starter on the table.
Yuan Mu dragged Xi Rongjing to the bed in the inner room of the study and used a fire starter to light the curtain hanging by the door.
When she was young, she would never have imagined that one day she would be so calm and composed when committing murder and arson.
Yuan Mu moved the screen before the fire got bigger to prevent Xi Rongjing from being burned to death.
Then she ran out of the library easily.
There were indeed guards not far away.
Xi Rongjing's study is located in the front yard. It is quiet and pleasant. Although the scenery is a bit solemn, it is still an elegant and quiet place.
But what was sweeping across the sky now was a raging fire.
The guards noticed that there was a fire and hurried over.
Yuan Mu's face was covered with tears, her face was pale and bloodless, only her lips were bitten red.
She said in a trembling voice: "My dear, my dear is still in there!"
Yuan Mu's health was very poor. As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn't control herself and fell forward.
The guards quickly helped her up, called for help to put out the fire, and hurried to call the palace doctor.
Yuan Mu's clothes were disheveled, and she was also wearing Xi Rongjing's outer robe. There were tears in her eyes, and she was drowsy and half-closed them.
"Don't worry about me..." She held back her tears, "Go save my husband first..."
This is the case between men and women.
The two had just had a fight not long ago, and now that Xi Rongjing was in trouble, Yuan Mu was more anxious than anyone else.
Xi Rong's situation is critical now.
But Yuan Mu was an important person in front of Xi Rongjing, and no one dared to neglect her.
The guard said soothingly, "Madam, please go and rest for a while. Wait until the court doctor has examined you. We are here."
Everyone took Yuan Mu to the front yard. Her face was pale, and her eyes were full of helplessness and fear.
The night was already dark, and the mansion was in chaos.
The fire started from the inner room. It is very likely that the two people accidentally knocked over the candlestick when they were getting close, which caused the fire.
Their husband has not been close to women for almost thirty years, but this time he is in love with Yuan Mu, just like a young boy.
When the guard thought of this, he became even more thankful that he had not neglected Yuan Mu.
Those who served closely were not as stupid as the maids in charge of the inner chambers around Xi Rongjing.
The husband is naturally the one who calls the shots at home, but it is always the wife who manages the affairs of the house.
After the fire died down, the guards immediately rushed into the fire and rescued Xi Rongjing, who had already fainted.
It has been some time since the fire started.
Xi Rongjing was trapped in the thick smoke and was unconscious for an unknown amount of time. However, it was not until he was carried out of the fire that the guards discovered that the black spot on his chest was a thick blood smell.
The court doctor immediately stepped forward, and everyone finally realized that Xi Rongjing had been stabbed deeply.
The position of the knife mark was extremely clever. It would not cause death, but it could instantly deprive Xi Rongjing of any room for resistance.
This kind of mark can only be made by someone who is very skilled in knife skills.
But who would do such a thing? , so he just took Yuan Mu into the library.
She is so timid,
Just when the guard was at a loss and was about to ask Yuan Mu about the situation,...
In the dead of night,
Xi Rongjing has acted extremely in the past two years and has made quite a few enemies.
Even his most trusted aides were unsure whether the two of them had a dispute or someone was secretly interfering.
Yuan Mu has been here for a long time and nothing has happened.
It just so happened that he had just brought the person out today, and this happened at night.
In addition, the emperor kept a close eye on Xi Rongjing. He always suspected that it was Xi Rongjing who took Yuan Mu away, and the letters he sent were full of suspicion several times.
Searching for someone in a high-profile manner at this time would undoubtedly expose the target to the emperor.
Now that Xi Rongjing was unconscious, the staff could only decide to have someone search for Yuan Mu secretly first, and then have the traveling doctors and non-Chinese doctors who had frequent dealings with the mansion come quickly to diagnose and treat Xi Rongjing.
In the second half of the night, Xi Rongjing woke up briefly.
He spat out a mouthful of blood from his throat and sat up straight while coughing.
The attendant quickly helped him up and asked, "Sir, what happened just now? Did an enemy try to assassinate you?"
Xi Rongjing clenched his teeth, his lips were stained with blood, and his usually gentle face was now filled with a gloomy look.
He spat out two words from between his teeth: "Yuan Mu."
The people nearby were horrified and were about to ask more questions when Xi Rongjing fainted again.
Could it really be Yuan Mu?
She was so frail, so gentle and peaceful, that even when someone spoke harshly to her, she would just lower her wet eyes.
The staff's expressions were also extremely solemn.
If Yuan Mu looked for someone else at this time and intended to return to the emperor, Xi Rongjing would have no way out.
In an instant, the already chaotic mansion became even more chaotic.
-
The cold moon is sinking into the river water.
There was a curfew in Lingzhou at night, so Yuan Mu didn't dare to attract attention after coming out of Xi Rongjing's residence.
She had seen the surrounding environment during the Lantern Festival, and she had also lived in Lingzhou for a long time.
Yuan Mu knew there was a Taoist temple nearby.
She climbed over the wall and hid in the study where the scriptures were kept.
Yuan Mu had stayed at Qingyun Temple before. When she got bored staying at Xi Rongjing's mansion, she would come over to take a look from time to time.
The noble lady's life was boring, so in her free time she would bring Mu Li and stay at the Taoist temple alone.
Yuan Mu was very familiar with the situation here. She held her breath, wrapped herself in her outer robe, and curled up among countless Taoist scriptures.
She couldn't fall asleep now. As soon as the sun rose, she had to prepare to leave Lingzhou immediately.
Yuan Mu learned a lot of classics when he was in Qingyun Temple.
But after leaving there, she read very few Taoist scriptures.
Yuan Mu was tired and sleepy, and his body felt numb. It was almost March, but it was still very cold at night.
Her current situation seems very critical, but in fact, as long as she is willing to look back, the emperor will always be waiting for her behind her.
He might get angry, or go crazy.
But no matter when, he gave her a life of luxury.
Yuan Mu's knowledge is not rich enough.
She couldn't quite figure out what she was resisting, she only knew that she didn't want to live like a plaything anymore.
Yuan Mu has grown up but has never lived for himself.
She needs some freedom, some value and meaning.
Yuan Mu did not want to be recorded in history as a virtuous queen. Her only achievement in life was giving birth to a crown prince.
She had never dreamed of leaving a name in history, nor was it something she could possibly achieve.
Yuan Mu just wants to live a good life.
Live your life well as an independent person.
Not someone's vassal, not someone's canary, not someone's property.
Her knuckles were clenched tightly, and when the moonlight shone down, the book beside her suddenly fell.
The page that was opened happened to be "On the Equality of Things".
This is the second chapter of the Nanhua Sutra. The most famous story in it is the story of the Taoist ancestor dreaming of a butterfly.
The moon is bright in the sky, shining brightly for thousands of miles.
Every word and sentence in the book is so clear.
Yuan Mu used to be unable to understand complicated theories, but on this chaotic night, he read the difficult argument sentence by sentence.
Her heart inexplicably became quiet.
Yuan Mu didn't put down the book until the rooster crowed at dawn.
The makeup on her face had long been changed, and she once again looked like a rugged man.
If Yuan Mu went out without a veil, the servants would disguise her. Over time, Yuan Mu also learned some simple techniques.
After all, she doesn't disguise others, so it's simple for her to just learn one and use it on herself.
Yuan Mu didn't dare to delay too long. She called a carriage at the carriage company and then went straight to the ferry.
She didn't care about where to go at this moment. She hurriedly bought the nearest boat ticket and prepared to board the ship.
This is a very large ship, coming from the south. There are a lot of people on the ship, and it is very lively.
After finding a place to rest, Yuan Mu's heart, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed a little.
The outer robe she was wearing was an old one of Xi Rongjing's. Fortunately, it was an ordinary blue color and did not look too eye-catching.
She lowered her watery eyes, her mind, tired from the whole night, slowed down, and when the boat left the ferry, she fell into a sleep uncontrollably.
Yuan Mu had never been so tired.
She slept for a long time and only opened her eyes when dusk fell.
The boat had sailed farther, and seemed to have left Lingzhou. This was the last time it docked at the shore during the day.
Yuan Mu got off the boat and bought two sets of very rough ready-made clothes, then bought some food and returned to the boat again.
Life on the ship was very boring. She would eat when she woke up and sleep again after eating.
Maybe it's really fate's guidance.
After Yuan Mu had been on the ship for almost ten days, he suddenly realized that the ship was heading to Fengzhou.
Why are so many people going to the border at this time?
Yuan Mu seldom goes out. She stays in the cabin all day long. Disguise is very troublesome and requires cleaning. She doesn't want to move at all.
This was the life she lived when she stayed alone in the farm during the war.
It was much more dangerous back then than it is today.
Yuan Mu thought about it for a while and finally decided to go and find out.
In March, spring is in full swing everywhere. Even on the boat, you can feel the warm sunshine.
The sun shines brightly, like strands of gold.
When Yuan Mu walked onto the deck, she heard many people talking. She stood by the railing, letting the spring breeze blow across her face.
Some were talking about the war on the border, some were talking about the booming business, and some were talking about the food on the ship.
There are all kinds of noisy sounds.
Yuan Mu had little experience traveling, and she slowly realized that one could make a fortune even in times of disaster. The more dangerous the time, the more expensive ordinary things would be.
The government will make arrangements and also restrict entry and exit of prefectures and counties.
But there will always be people in this world who don't want to die.
The river under the boat is called the Big River.
According to legend, Dayu, who controlled floods in ancient times, was controlling this river that ran through half of the empire.
Yuan Mu looked up and saw the sky was far away and the rivers were endless.
Her vision had never been so broad. The magnificence of the mountains and rivers could never be replicated by the exotic flowers and rocks in the courtyard.
People who have lived in a cage for a long time will feel that their life is not in vain when they see such a vast scenery.
Life on the boat was unexpectedly peaceful.
The ship docked again in Shengzhou at night and was about to reach the Monan grassland. The faces of many people on board were completely different from those in the south.
Shengzhou is a place that is fought over by military strategists and has an important hub position.
The Li Dynasty was an authentic Central Plains aristocratic family, and was no different from the Qinghe Cui family, the Taiyuan Wang family, and the Chenjun Xie family.
They uphold the Central Plains culture and follow the old traditions of the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
If Emperor Gaozu had not overthrown the Yuan Dynasty, he would still be the most powerful person in the world today.
After all, everyone knows that before Emperor Gaozu seized power, the Longxi Li family had the title of "the most famous family in the world."
But after Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne, he would continue to use foreign generals.
The blood of foreign races naturally makes them have a more brave physique, and the family tradition of generations of military service makes them extremely good at leading troops in battle.
The famous Geshu family is a military family that has produced many famous generals.
Yuan Mu looked curiously at those people who were obviously dressed in military uniforms. They seemed to be sergeants, but not entirely.
Because soldiers usually travel on special boats.
Some people on the boat seemed to recognize them, and after they got to know each other, they immediately had a simple banquet.
Because they had just been resupplied, their spending was quite extravagant, and they seemed a bit like people in the court, except that their rank was probably not very high, and there was a blatant flattery in their words.
Yuan Mu pursed her lips. She didn't stay on the deck for too long.
Lingzhou is not too far from Shengzhou, and news spreads quickly.
Yuan Mu just learned that Xi Rongjing had been dismissed from his post.
The emperor has great connections and has been keeping an eye on Xi Rongjing for a long time. If he had noticed something was wrong, he would have definitely noticed it.
Yuan Mu just couldn't help but wonder if the emperor had already noticed her existence?
The thought that there might be a pair of eyes spying on her in the dark gave her a creepy sense of crisis.
Just as Yuan Mu was about to walk into the cabin, she bumped into a stranger.
The man's face was half covered, and people were following him on both sides. His eyes were calm but mocking, as if he looked down on everything in the world and claimed to be extremely noble.
He only showed half of his face, but Yuan Mu's mind was shaken for a moment.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt that the man looked very much like Yuan Wei.
After the incident in the Yuan family, Yuan Wei was imprisoned.
After all, he was Yuan Mu's biological father, so the emperor couldn't punish him too harshly. After severe punishment and imprisonment, he imprisoned him again.
This is a common tactic used by the royal family.
The emperor could not allow Yuan Wei to tarnish Yuan Mu's reputation, so when he dealt with the Yuan family, a large number of documents and files were not made public.
All of them were sealed in the Forbidden Palace.
After the shock, Yuan Mu shook his head. It was impossible. Yuan Wei couldn't possibly appear here.
She returned to the cabin with a heavy heart, her eyes wide open, and fell asleep after a long time.
-
A few more days of peaceful life passed.
Yuan Mu once thought about whether to get off the boat halfway, especially when arriving at a certain vassal state.
There are many different ethnic groups living here.
Their faces were clearly of the Hu type, with clear eyes, deep eye sockets, and straight noses.
Yuan Mu's face blended in with the crowd and did not look strange at all.
But they were about to arrive in Fengzhou, and she knew that the King of Chu must be in great danger, but she could not suppress the expectations in her heart.
What if nothing happened to the King of Chu?
At the same time, Yuan Mu tentatively looked for the man who looked very much like Yuan Wei whom he had met before.
But for many days, she didn't meet him again.
It was as if what happened that day was completely Yuan Mu’s illusion.
However, one night near Fengzhou, the peaceful sailing process was suddenly disrupted, and the man who had disappeared for a long time appeared in front of her again.
Yuan Mu hugged the thick blanket and fell into a deep sleep.
After she got on the boat, she slept surprisingly well, probably because the boat was rocking all the time, making her feel like she was in her mother's arms.
We are almost reaching Fengzhou, and there are fewer and fewer people getting on and off the boat.
Merchants are always the largest group, followed by prominent figures, some with attendants and some who look like officials.
It was very quiet on the boat at night, and Yuan Mu slept soundly until a scream woke her up from her dream.
The ship had docked at the shore at some point, and masked men in black, like bandits, rushed onto the ship. They were holding long knives and looting indiscriminately. There seemed to be a fire on the deck.
It seems that there are pirates causing trouble.
Yuan Mu was tense. She sat up and hid the dagger under the soft pillow in her palm.
Her cabin was located in a very remote place and she had to search for it for a long time when she got on board.
Yuan Mu walked to the end of the narrow corridor, then carefully lifted the wooden board above his head and looked around.
She still remembered that when she was in Shengzhou, a group of people who looked like soldiers came on the ship.
They seemed to be real soldiers. The two groups drew their swords and fought fiercely. The cabin was filled with a strong smell of blood.
But even in such a critical situation, they fought with the bandits while escorting the people on the boat away quickly.
Yuan Mu didn't have time to change her appearance, so she just put on her outer robe and took the things she needed to take.
The sergeant saw her leaning against the plank and pulled her out. Then he pointed in the direction of the exit and shouted, "Get out!"
Yuan Mu didn't care about anything else and immediately ran out with the crowd.
It was such a mess on the boat.
The deck was on fire and the smoke was thick, and Yuan Mu's vision became blurred.
Just when she was about to succeed in getting out, she was suddenly tripped by something, and her soft knee was bleeding. She was in so much pain that she couldn't stand up.
Yuan Mu lowered his head and realized that it was a person's leg.
She thought it was a broken arm or limb, and screamed uncontrollably, stepping back repeatedly.
Just when Yuan Mu was about to cry out of fear, the owner of the leg suddenly spoke: "What are you afraid of?"
The voice was both familiar and unfamiliar.
So when Yuan Mu looked up and saw that half face, he had the illusion that he was in a nightmare.
It is Yuan Wei.
There was sarcasm in his eyes, and he looked at her as if she were a joke.
This was the first time father and daughter had reunited in three or four years, and it was in such a scene.
Yuan Mu wanted to remain calm, but her eyes were full of the feeling that she had seen a ghost.
"I'm not a ghost," Yuan Wei said calmly, "I'm your father."
Compared to his former romantic and unrestrained appearance, his appearance now has a sense of fatigue from the passage of time.
But Yuan Wei could still instantly arouse the emotions of others as soon as he opened his mouth.
If he hadn't injured his knee and was unable to stand up for a while, Yuan Mu really wanted to kick him hard.
She bit her lip and whispered, "Why don't you leave? There are bandits on the boat."
Yuan Mu and Yuan Wei hid in the corner together, and then carefully bandaged the wound on her knee. She fell so hard that it hurt, and her leg was covered in blood.
Yuan Wei's tone became even more sarcastic. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you blind too? I can't walk."
Yuan Mu looked at him and realized that his hands had been covering his abdomen. He seemed to be seriously injured. The smell of blood and rust filled the cramped corner.
Yuan Wei's hands were even stranger. He seemed to have only three fingers, and the most important index and middle fingers seemed to have been cut off.
Yuan Mu subconsciously asked, "How did you end up like this?"
Her voice was light and seemed to contain no sarcasm.
But Yuan Wei's raised eyebrows immediately lowered, and the false smile on his face disappeared completely.
He gritted his teeth and said, "It's all thanks to your husband."
The fighting in the cabin became more intense, and the bandits seemed to be approaching this side.
Yuan Mu didn't have time to say anything else. She held onto the side of the boat and struggled to stand up. The pain in her knees made her face slightly distorted.
"Let's go," Yuan Wei said, "If we don't leave now, it will be too late."
His expression was serious.
"Those guys kill without blinking an eye," Yuan Wei said sternly, "You have to crawl out even if you have to."
Perhaps it is true that when a man is about to die, his words are good.
Yuan Mu received the care from Yuan Wei that he had never received in his entire life, but he got it when he was about to die.
But she was still angry in her heart: "If you hadn't tripped me, how could I have fallen!"
Yuan Muzhen kicked Yuan Wei and then limped out.
Away from the smoke-filled cabin, her breathing finally became a little smoother.
The river water along the ferry was dyed red by the dirty blood. The blood smell was too strong, and a fishy stench filled the air under the moonlight.
At this point, Yuan Mu is no longer the timid and helpless little girl she used to be.
She has killed people, set fires, and done countless outrageous things.
Yuan Mu took a deep breath and then ran into the darkness.
The cabin grew darker and darker, with thick smoke blocking out the light from the fire.
Yuan Wei sat leaning against the corner. He had thought about how he would die countless times, but he never expected that he would die in such a miserable way.
A powerful official died at the hands of bandits.
When he is written into history books one day, he will be in bad luck.
After Yuan Mu left, the surroundings became dark and silent again.
Just as Yuan Wei closed his eyes and prepared to wait for death, a bright flame illuminated his eyes.
Yuan Mu held the lantern and pulled him up, saying firmly, "Let's go!"
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