Chapter 472 Baihua Village (5k)
The sun sets in the west.
On a dirt road within the Huai River Channel, a gray donkey snorted, swung its tail, and leisurely pulled a cart covered with thick straw.
The leather collar on the donkey's neck was worn out, and the copper bell in its mouth was shaking gently.
Zhao Duan was wearing a straw hat and swinging a whip, like a country man. Behind him, on the straw piled on the cart, sat the only female emperor of the Dayu Dynasty in 600 years.
"...So, at the critical moment, Eunuch Hai showed up with his men and stopped the pursuers, allowing me to escape." Zhao Duan softly recounted the story, his face bitter.
"I was supposed to meet up with Your Majesty before noon, but... I accidentally got lost in the mountains and forests and went in the wrong direction. I had no choice but to go around in circles before I finally caught up with you.
On the way, we passed a small town. I wanted to buy a horse-drawn carriage, but I didn't see any. So I spent some money and got a donkey cart.
Xu Zhenguan was wearing men's clothes and sitting on the donkey cart with a smile on his face, without any sign of disgust.
Listening to the story of Zhao Duan's escape in the forest, she secretly clenched her palms in a cold sweat. When she learned that Hai Chunlin had arrived and Zhao Duan was lost, she burst into laughter for no reason.
"In that case, it was wise for me to wait a little longer." She said with a smile, not without pride.
It seemed as if squatting under the wall for a whole day was a very honorable and wise decision.
Zhao Duan happily supported the joke:
"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and blessed with great fortune. Thanks to Eunuch Hai and the others supporting us, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Next, when we enter the Huai River, the pressure will surely be much less."
Xu Zhenguan warned him earnestly to be cautious and not to be arrogant:
"Prince Huai'an may not hunt me down, but I'm afraid the many local nobles along the Huai River have already colluded with Prince Jing, Prince Mu, and the others. We still can't be careless. We must be careful of these nobles, or they might tip off the rebels."
"I know." Zhao Duan nodded. He was certainly not stupid enough to think that he would be safe after entering the Huai River.
At most, the pressure of escape is slightly less.
Moreover, there was one thing that the king and his minister tacitly did not mention:
If the Eight Princes had already rebelled, would the "Li Party" officials remaining in the capital still remain obedient? Li Yanfu would likely become the most destabilizing bomb in the capital.
However, the capital still has the "imperial party" such as Yuan Li and Xue Shence to check and balance it, so it will not be in chaos for a while.
The setting sun gradually went out, and the dark night was like ink, covering the sky.
Xu Zhenguan suddenly said:
"The journey is long, and there will be no shortage of dangers like today. Next time, you will not rashly abandon me and face danger on your own."
Zhao Duan didn't look back, driving the donkey cart, and said calmly and seriously:
"good."
After a pause, he added:
"However, if that day ever comes, I will definitely die before Your Majesty."
The empress was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why?"
Zhao Duan smiled:
"Your Majesty is the ruler and I am the subject. Isn't this the natural order?"
The Empress remained silent for longer this time than ever before. At the moment when the world was completely plunged into darkness, she sat behind the donkey cart and said softly:
"Just the monarch and his subjects?"
Unfortunately, the sound was too soft, almost as soft as a mosquito's, and was drowned out by a long donkey's bray, so Zhao Duan didn't hear it clearly.
…
…
Inside Jiancheng Road, there is a large Buddhist temple named "Hanshan".
A few days ago, Prajna Bodhisattva from the main temple of Shenlong Temple in Beijing went up the mountain alone to take over the assets left behind by the "Great Master" who defected to the Western Regions.
Hundreds of monks in the temple respectfully welcomed the Bodhisattva.
The old nun stayed in the temple and dealt with the accumulated affairs of the temple one by one.
When the Fengshan Ceremony at Luoshan went wrong, the empress and Zhao Duan disappeared, and the news of Prince Jing's rebellion reached the temple.
Prajna Bodhisattva could not hide his astonishment, and immediately announced the closure of the temple and prohibited the monks from the Jianchengdao sect from going down the mountain, trying his best to protect himself.
She was still unaware of the ignominious role Xuan Yin played in this matter, but her instinct and logic made her feel extremely uneasy.
One day, the Bodhisattva, who was feeding the golden carp in a water tank in Hanshan Temple, learned that Prince Jing Xu Wen had personally climbed the mountain to visit him.
"Prince Jing, why have you come to visit Han Temple?"
Dressed in a nun's gauze robe, with her hair loose, and holding a jade bottle in one hand, the plump and fair Prajna Bodhisattva looked at the group of uninvited guests who walked into the inner courtyard with a little caution.
Prince Jing Xuwen was actually dressed in military uniform!
Wearing brand new armor, with a sword hanging from his waist, he looked like a general about to go to war, followed by a team of strong soldiers.
"Hahaha... What's the matter? The Bodhisattva doesn't welcome me? Or do you think that a worldly person like me shouldn't defile this place?"
Prince Jing's face flushed, he laughed loudly, and there was a hint of disdain in his eyes!
With the favorable geographical location and favorable people that he had painstakingly built up over the years, and the empress's disappearance at a perfect time, Prince Jing was able to swallow up the entire city and build the Dao with great success!
He encountered almost no resistance and was able to capture a piece of land in the name of "entering the capital" to defend the king.
These days, most of his energy was spent on "digesting" the territory. However, Xu Wen knew clearly that there was more than one person competing with him.
Therefore, although it was still urgent, he was still prepared to lead his troops north in person. Before leaving, he came to Hanshan Temple.
"Your Highness is joking. It's just that our Shenlong Temple has never participated in the struggle for imperial power."
Prajna Bodhisattva's brows were calm, and his almost transparent eyes stared at him:
"Or, is Your Majesty here to seek personal revenge? Because I was traveling with Zhao Shaobao a few days ago?"
Prince Jing laughed again and waved his hand:
"Bodhisattva, you're joking! Bodhisattva has never been my enemy. How could he vent his anger on your temple over such a trivial matter?
I took the liberty of coming here, firstly to burn incense at the Buddhist temple and pray for good fortune before going to war;
Secondly, everyone in the world knows that Prajna Bodhisattva, through cultivating Medicine Buddha, can save all living beings...
On this journey north, my soldiers are bound to be injured. If the Bodhisattva is willing to accompany me and lend a helping hand, I can promise to help the Bodhisattva make further progress. What do you think?
Are you attracted by my ability to save people... Prajna's expression remained calm as she clasped her hands together:
"Amitabha, the two armies are at war, killing and bloodshed is raging. I am a poor nun with little influence and influence. I only wish to stay in Hanshan Temple, chanting sutras and worshiping Buddha. I have no intention of going out to fight."
"I see..."
Prince Jing's face was filled with regret. He tried to persuade her a few more times, but when he saw Prajna's persistence, he smiled.
"Since that's the case, I won't force you. I'll take my leave now. Don't worry, Bodhisattva. I've already instructed my men not to disrupt any Buddhist temples, big or small, within Jiancheng Dao."
Prajna bowed gently and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I will escort you down the mountain."
A monk and a nobleman exchanged greetings at the mountain gate.
Prince Jing burned a stick of incense and said goodbye before going down the mountain.
Walking on the mountain path, a trusted private army general beside him said:
"Your Majesty, this woman is so disrespectful to you, do you want to..."
Prince Jing put away his smile, shook his head, and snorted coldly:
"The old nun is ungrateful... but she is a descendant of the Shenlong Temple after all, so don't provoke her."
Even though Prajna and Xuanyin have differences, in the final analysis, they both come from the same source.
Prince Jing and Xuan Yin have formed a secret alliance, so it is impossible for him to make Xuan Yin unhappy and suppress the Shenlong Temple at this critical juncture.
"Unfortunately, Xuan Yin, due to the reputation of Buddhism, was unwilling to publicly take sides, or perhaps because Zhang Yan was keeping a close eye on him, he refused to leave the capital. Before the Fengshan ceremony, he was only willing to send the Dharma God to help."
Xu Wen frowned secretly in his heart.
He didn't know that the "God of Dharma" was actually the incarnation of "Xuan Yin".
I just thought that the God of Law was an extremely powerful master kept by the Shenlong Temple in the martial arts world.
Before this, Shenlong Temple also used the powerful Jianghu force of Fashen Sect to secretly contact several of the more promising ones among the Eight Kings.
Yes!
Abbot Xuanyin was betting on several of the Eight Kings at the same time, not just helping Xu Wen!
Therefore, he didn't dare to offend the Shenlong Temple. There was no need to take the risk.
"Your Highness, what if this nun secretly helps the false emperor and the man surnamed Zhao?" another confidant whispered.
Not long ago, the news that Zhao Duan and the empress's whereabouts were exposed and they fled into the Huai River reached Prince Jing's ears.
The information about Eunuch Hai leading people to stop Ouyang Ye, which led to the failure of the arrest, was recorded in great detail.
"So we sent people to keep an eye on Hanshan Temple. Whenever we have time, we'll go in and see if the old nun is there. As long as she doesn't wander around, we don't have to worry about her."
Prince Jing said calmly:
"As for the king and his ministers who escaped... Humph, did they really think that just the two of them could return to the capital alive? Hai Chunlin and the others can stop my men, but they can't stop those heading south from the north."
According to the plan, the empress died directly on Mount Ruolo.
Then the Shenlong Temple will remain unaffected and will no longer participate in the fight.
But the empress is not dead... she is still alive, which poses a huge hidden danger. With the empress's intelligence, she must be able to guess that it was Xuan Yin who took action.
In this case, Abbot Xuanyin must continue to work hard to ensure that the empress cannot return to the capital.
As long as the empress was not dead, her previous instructions were still valid. Zhang Yan stared at the Xuan Yin to ensure that the Tianren realm would not suffer the same fate.
Wu Xiankui, the martial artist whose mind was incomprehensible due to practicing martial arts, only agreed to take action once.
At the critical moment, he even punched back at the God of Magic, and he was totally unreliable.
so……
Prince Jing has learned through magic that Shenlong Temple has secretly sent a team of people south to besiege the empress.
"In this way, my people will attack from the south to the north, and the people from the Shenlong Temple will attack from the north to the south. She will be unable to escape even if she has wings!"
Prince Jing sneered, raised his hand to lift the bright red cloak behind his armor, stepped forward and looked at the neatly arranged, black mass of armored troops guarding the foot of Hanshan Temple.
"If the Yu Kingdom wants to prosper and our ancestors' legacy last forever, how can we entrust our vast kingdom to a woman? If she actually gives birth to a child and passes the throne on, will the kingdom be ruled by the Xu or Zhao family? She's a traitor who has destroyed our nation and stolen our lineage. She deserves death!"
Prince Jing jumped on his horse, pulled the reins, turned his head and looked at Chang'an, his eyes burning:
"This world should belong to the Xu family for thousands of years! No room for error!"
Inside Hanshan Temple.
"Buddha, the army at the foot of the mountain has left."
A monk pushed open the door and said to the Bodhisattva who had his back to him.
"I understand." Prajna said softly, lowering her eyes to look down at the large water tank in front of her.
There is a lotus planted in the water tank, with lotus leaves covering half of the tank, and a fiery red dragon fish swimming underneath.
According to folklore, when a dragon fish appears, many heroes will compete for it.
"It's a troubled time. What a pity for that excellent furnace and cauldron..." Prajna Bodhisattva murmured, as if he was still thinking about Zhao Duan.
She immediately shook her head and didn't think that Zhao Duan, who had lost the support of the empress, could still survive.
"And... Xuan Yin... are you involved in this?"
Prajna looked down at the water tank, and ripples appeared on the clear water surface, and the scene of the capital city seemed to emerge vaguely.
The old nun frowned. She wanted to return to the capital immediately, but she knew that Prince Jing would not allow her to go north.
"I wonder what's going on in the nunnery in the capital."
…
Capital city.
In this era when letters were very far away, the transmission of news was always slow.
However, due to various magical means, the news of the empress's disappearance and the eight kings' rebellion was first known to a small number of people within a few days.
One day, Master Bian Ji knocked on the door of Jizhao Temple.
Princess Yunyang was found by the pond in the courtyard where Prajna lived.
After Prajna left, no one in the nunnery could suppress the Grand Princess anymore, although she was still under "house arrest" and unable to go out.
But inside the nunnery, he moved freely and no one dared to restrain him.
So, the eldest princess, who was almost going crazy, took over Prajna's residence openly and claimed it as her own.
At this moment, she changed into a bright red long dress, sat barefoot by the pond, and soaked her two jade feet in the water.
"Master, you're here!"
Princess Yunyang's eyes lit up, she stood up, stepped on the stone, and looked at Bian Ji, who had red lips and white teeth and was a feast for the eyes, with a smile.
Master Bianji clasped his hands together and said calmly, "I have come here to tell Your Highness a piece of news."
"What?"
"Your Majesty failed in the Fengshan ceremony, was seriously injured and missing, the eight kings rose up in rebellion, and now troops from all directions are rushing towards the capital." Bian Ji sighed.
"What!"
Princess Yunyang was shocked. She pulled Bian Ji aside and questioned him carefully. When she learned the detailed information, she cried and laughed at the same time. Her heart was like a pot of mixed feelings, and she didn't know whether she felt more happy or more painful.
When Xu Zhenguan was alive, she had only resentment towards her niece, and this year's house arrest made her resentment turn into hatred.
But when he learned that his niece might really die, his heart was filled with sadness and emptiness, as if he had suddenly lost the target of his hatred.
Princess Yunyang stood there in a daze for a long time, as if she had grasped a life-saving straw. She grabbed Bianji's sleeve, pulled his hand towards her, pressed it against her chest, and begged:
"Master, it hurts so much here. It hurts so much."
Bian Ji's eyes were filled with compassion: "Amitabha."
Suddenly, a sentence from the Buddhist scriptures he often read emerged in his mind:
Cross yourself before crossing others.
"Your Highness, why don't you go to the Zen room and let this humble monk untie the knot in your heart for you?"
…
…
The carriage drove along the long official road and entered Baihua Village.
Midsummer of every year is the most beautiful season for the well-known Baihua Village located on the Huai River.
At that time, the sunlight that crosses the equator will be evenly spread on this village hidden among the green mountains and clear waters. The flowers planted by the farmers, which come from all over the country, will bloom in full bloom, vying for beauty. When the fragrance is at its strongest, it can drift ten miles away.
The villagers living in Baihua Village are no different from the households who have lived in the royal gardens for generations, and their names are all recorded in the official register of craftsmen.
For generations, they have planted flowers for the royal family.
The mature flowers would be planted in pots, loaded onto ox carts in batches, and sent thousands of miles to the northern capital.
They appeared at banquets in the imperial palace, filling the gaps in the imperial gardens, circulated deep in the mansions of the dignitaries in the capital, were sought after by noble ladies, and even gave rise to entertainment activities such as "flower fighting parties".
Zhao Duan drove the carriage that he had managed to purchase along the way, carrying the empress. The two of them changed their appearance and entered Baihua Village.
The carriage was traveling on a dirt road in the countryside. On both sides of the road was an almost endless sea of flowers, with a rich fragrance filling the air.
In the flowers, a large group of butterflies are dancing in a tangle.
"Your Majesty, according to the map, passing through Baihua Village is a relatively safe route. This area is barely considered royal property, so it can be avoided to the greatest extent possible from the eyes of the local nobles."
Zhao Duan was wearing a straw hat and looking around with a slightly vigilant look in his eyes while speaking.
Many days had passed since they escaped from Jiancheng Road. Along the way, they encountered enemy pursuits no less than dozens of times.
A considerable part of them originated from local clan forces along the Huai River.
As expected, after the King of Huai'an closed the door, the entire Huai River became the stage for the major aristocratic families.
These families with deep roots have dense eyes in the local area, and they also secretly keep martial artists in the world.
Although Zhao Duan is not afraid of most of the family's thugs, he is worried about exposing his whereabouts and attracting the attention of the masters who are secretly pursuing him.
Therefore, if you respond passively along the way, you will inevitably get hurt.
Fortunately, he did not fall into life-or-death crisis, and the several dangerous situations were apparently resolved by the worshippers following behind him.
Even so, after traveling all the way, he had lost a lot of weight and his skin had become much darker.
However, his eyes were bright and sharp, and the Qi in his Qi Sea was full of powerful Qi, and when he breathed in and out, there was a faint sound like the roar of mountains and seas.
He had a premonition that he was approaching the peak of the Divine Chapter and was getting closer and closer to the Worldly Realm.
"Okay, then we'll stay in Baihua Village for a day. Don't stay any longer, lest our identities attract pursuers and cause trouble for the people of Yu State."
Inside the carriage, Xu Zhenguan opened the curtains and looked at the sea of colorful flowers outside, and his tense heartstrings relaxed a little.
She used a mask to change her appearance, and now she looked like a pretty woman, wearing an ordinary woman's skirt. She no longer dressed as a man - that would have aroused suspicion.
Now, to outsiders, the king and his minister looked like a young couple on a journey.
As for the injuries...
Xu Zhenguan kept regulating his breathing along the way, and the "palm power" left by the mysterious seal in his body finally gradually subsided. Although there are still some remnants now, there is not much left.
Unfortunately, due to the existence of this palm power, her internal injuries recovered extremely slowly.
Although he can move freely now, his strength can only barely reach the initial level of the Divine Chapter, which is not sustainable.
Once the Qi is circulated, the internal injuries will be aggravated... Let alone returning to the peak, it will take some time to recover to the "worldly" state.
Along the way, she had witnessed the fall of places and the capture of government offices by rebels, which had already made her extremely anxious.
"Your Majesty, please be at ease. At least the Huai River has not been completely conquered by the rebels yet, right?
Further north, Linfeng Road is definitely still in the hands of the imperial court. There are border troops stationed in both the west and north. The Qingzhou King in the east is too weak, and the Beijing Camp is more than enough to deal with him. "
Zhao Duan comforted softly.
The empress nodded and smiled: "You are right, I was just too anxious."
At this time, the carriage drove into Baihua Village, and houses appeared in front, like a fairy tale world.
(End of this chapter)
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