Chapter 171 The Crown Princess is Punished (Second Update)
Xiao Liulang withdrew his foot from the suspension bridge.
"Are you leaving or not? If not, get out of the way!" A burly man behind him rudely shoved Xiao Liulang aside.
"Hey! Why are you pushing people? Liu Lang! Liu Lang, come up here quickly—" Feng Lin had already been pushed onto the bridge by the crowd. He thought Xiao Liu Lang would follow closely behind, but unexpectedly, his spot was taken.
He reached out to grab Xiao Liulang.
But they couldn't catch them at all.
“You come back too!” Xiao Liulang said to him.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
There were too many people, and Feng Lin was quickly squeezed into the middle.
Lin Chengye was behind Xiao Liulang.
Since Xiao Liulang didn't go up the bridge, he didn't go up either.
Gu Jiao kept shouting not to come over because the bridge was about to collapse, but only those who were about to cross the bridge could hear her. Even if they did hear her, they didn't believe her and shook their heads before heading towards the temple.
"oops!"
Feng Lin was pushed across the bridge by others, lost his balance, stumbled a couple of steps, and fell.
He rubbed his aching knee and got up. Before he could see Gu Jiao not far away, he heard a scream behind him.
"ah--"
"ah--"
"ah--"
Feng Lin turned around and looked.
Oh my god!
The bridge is broken!
The bridge wasn't broken in the middle; it started from the end closer to the temple.
Everyone on the bridge fell into the icy water.
Xiao Liulang clearly saw the burly man who had just rudely pushed him aside fall into the air the moment he stepped onto the bridge.
He fell the hardest because he had been standing the highest.
If Gu Jiao hadn't stopped him, he would have been the one who fell heavily into the water.
And Lin Chengye, even behind him, couldn't escape this disaster.
People who fell into the water struggled desperately in the icy river like dumplings being dropped into boiling water. Those who didn't make it onto the bridge were so frightened their legs went weak. The sacred place, once bathed in the light of Buddha, suddenly became a living hell.
Xiao Liulang gazed at the slender figure on the opposite bank.
How many times has she helped him avoid disaster?
Amidst the biting wind, she wore a green robe that billowed and her black hair swayed, making her appear like a fairy descended from heaven amidst the white snow.
Gu Jiao returned from the stone arch bridge.
Feng Lin followed behind her, his face pale.
Seriously, he was terrified!
If it had been a moment later, he would have been the one to fall!
He was also extremely relieved that Liu Lang and Lin Chengye hadn't gone onto the bridge, otherwise, how could they have escaped?
Thinking of this, Feng Lin's legs felt like they had done too many bad things, and he couldn't walk anymore.
"Hurry up," Gu Jiao urged.
"Ah..." Feng Lin hugged his arms tightly, his voice trembling.
She did what she could, and the rest was beyond her control.
Besides, what do the people of the world have to do with her? She only cares about that one person.
The four met up and arrived at Lin Chengye's carriage.
When Steward Zhou saw the four of them emerge safely, he let out a long sigh of relief: "Oh my god, I was so scared! So scared! I just heard people say the suspension bridge had collapsed, and I was wondering if Sixth Young Master and you were on the bridge too... I... I..."
Lin Chengye patted Manager Zhou on the back reassuringly.
It was only at this point that Lin Chengye truly understood how difficult it was for Steward Zhou.
Perhaps those who survive a disaster are particularly vulnerable. In his heart, he had always treated Steward Zhou as a servant, but at this moment, he inexplicably saw a few shadows of his old father in Steward Zhou.
Lin Chengye felt a lump in his throat.
"Get in the car," Manager Zhou said with a choked smile.
The group boarded the carriage.
Although Xiao Liulang and Lin Chengye were rescued, the people in the carriage still seemed a little dazed.
Feng Lin and Lin Chengye did not hear Gu Jiao's words and assumed that Xiao Liulang was pushed aside and could not get onto the suspension bridge.
So shocked by the accident that they forgot to ask Gu Jiao how she ended up there and how she arrived at the temple before them.
The carriage soon arrived at Lin Chengye's residence. Steward Zhou lifted the curtain and smiled at Lin Chengye and Feng Lin, saying, "Sixth Young Master, Young Master Feng, please get out of the carriage first. I will escort Xiao Jieyuan and Madam Xiao back."
"Oh," Lin Chengye replied, and got off the carriage with Feng Lin.
Both of them needed to calm down.
The carriage continued towards Bishui Hutong.
Manager Zhou sat in the parking space with the driver.
Only Xiao Liulang and Gu Jiao remained in the carriage.
Xiao Liulang glanced at Gu Jiao, who always carried a basket with her small medicine box inside when she went out.
She brought nothing with her today.
It's clear they were in a real hurry to leave.
He stared at her intently: "How did you know the suspension bridge would break?"
Gu Jiao said without changing her expression, "Oh, a few days ago a patient came to the clinic. He just came back from offering incense at Puji Temple. He said that the suspension bridge there is in disrepair and probably won't last much longer. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. So many people are rushing to be the first to offer incense. The suspension bridge definitely can't bear your weight."
In her past life, she had at least undergone lie detector training, so she could control even the smallest micro-expressions.
Xiao Liulang gave her a deep look: "But there are two bridges there. How did you know we would take the long way around and use the suspension bridge? Did you know in advance that some important person would be coming this morning and would close the stone arch bridge?"
Gu Jiao shrugged: "Of course I didn't know. I've never been to Puji Temple, so I had no idea there was a stone arch bridge. The patient didn't mention a stone arch bridge; I thought there was only a suspension bridge."
This logic is flawless, provided that there was indeed a patient who complained to her about the suspension bridge being in disrepair for many years.
This Xiao Liulang is impossible to verify.
But Xiao Liulang always felt that this matter had nothing to do with evidence.
He looked at Gu Jiao: "Are you...?"
Is it something?
Even Xiao Liulang himself didn't believe the question.
He thought a small first-aid kit would be enough for him to figure out, but it turned out to be much more than that.
Her secrets were no less than his.
Xiao Liulang ultimately swallowed all his doubts.
I got away with it! I'm so happy!
Gu Jiao shook her head, revealing the same smug little expression as Xiao Jingkong.
Xiao Liulang: ...Is it really okay to be exposed so quickly? Don't I have any dignity?
"Scholar Xiao, Madam Xiao, we've arrived," Steward Zhou said from outside the curtain.
The two got off the carriage, and Xiao Liulang thanked him. Suddenly, a howl came from Xiao Jingkong in the courtyard, and the two were startled!
The incident of Xiao Jingkong causing a scene at his aunt's house last time is still fresh in my mind.
Gu Jiao left in a hurry today and forgot to wake the little guy up and tell him she was going out.
If he wakes up and finds that he didn't sleep in Gu Jiao's bed last night, he'll feel like he slept for nothing!
However, when the two entered the backyard with trepidation, they found Xiao Jingkong happily playing in the snow with the family's dog, seven chicks, and a fledgling eagle.
Gu Jiao: ...Huh? Am I not important anymore?
Xiao Jingkong saw Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang, and he ran over, calling out, "Jiao Jiao Jiao Jiao!"
An excited whisper.
"Bad brother-in-law."
A low, muffled voice.
Gu Jiao opened her mouth: "Um, just now I..."
Little Jingkong said cutely, "I know, I know! Jiaojiao went to burn incense! Jiaojiao wants Buddha to bless me to grow taller!"
Gu Jiao: What's going on?
Little Jingkong's eyes seemed to sparkle with stars: "My master has been here!"
The topic changed a bit too quickly.
Gu Jiao blinked blankly, and then saw Xiao Jingkong take a piece of paper out of a small box in the snow and hand it to Gu Jiao: "Jiao Jiao, look!"
This is a... um... what?
Gu Jiao couldn't understand the text above.
Xiao Liulang looked at it and was somewhat surprised: "A house deed from the Liang Kingdom."
Gu Jiao: Is this real estate speculation extending overseas?
Gu Jiao gave Xiao Liulang a look that could only be understood but not spoken, as if to say, "Could it be that you and your great-uncle deliberately made a fake house deed to comfort the little guy?"
Xiao Liulang pointed to a seal: "A genuine house deed, with the official seal of the government office."
Gu Jiao: "..."
Gu Jiao learned from Xiao Jingkong that her master had come in the middle of the night, left a gift, and then left.
Gu Jiao asked, "Did you see him?"
Xiao Jingkong thought for a moment and said, "I see it! I see it!"
Children are always exceptionally firm in their beliefs; if they want to see something, they will see it even if they don't!
Gu Jiao asked again, "Did you open the door for him?"
Xiao Jingkong: "Yes! Yes!"
Kids can really talk a lot of whatever they want sometimes!
The main reason is that Xiao Jingkong believes he opened the door for his master, and that he even spent a pleasant night with his master!
Little Jingkong went off to play, shaking his head and swaying back and forth.
There was also a letter in the box, written in Gu Jiao's terrible handwriting. The letter said that she was going to be the first to offer incense and asked Buddha to bless Jingkong to grow tall. She was worried that it would be unsafe for him to sleep alone, so she carried him to her aunt's bed first.
Gu Jiao looked at Xiao Liulang: "This can't be true, can it?"
Xiao Liulang shrugged: "It wasn't me."
He really can't write these kinds of characters.
The old priest next door, finally recovering from his immense exhaustion, could imitate famous names and paintings with ease, but imitating his little benefactor's handwriting almost killed him—
...
The news of the broken suspension bridge caused a great uproar, so much so that it couldn't be contained and reached the palace that very night.
The person who blocked the road was also identified as the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess announced that she was going to Puji Temple to offer incense, so the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards blocked roads, bridges, and even streets for her.
This wouldn't have been a big deal in the past, since royalty would never travel without a grand procession.
As long as nothing goes wrong, everything is fine.
But the problem is that something bad has happened, and it's a matter of life and death!
The Empress questioned the Crown Princess, while His Majesty summoned the Crown Prince to the Imperial Study and gave him a severe dressing-down: "Look what you've done! On the first day of the Lunar New Year, at the very beginning of the nation's fortunes, the two of you have already stirred up such a huge mess for me! Do you think my throne is too secure? Are you trying to cause me trouble?"
The Crown Prince was also aggrieved. What royal family doesn't have a bit of pomp and circumstance when they travel? Besides, that's the Crown Princess, the future Queen Mother of Zhao. Even if she closed a section of road or a bridge, or even if she closed a temple today and didn't allow anyone to burn incense, it wouldn't be considered a mistake.
This is not because the Crown Prince favors the Crown Princess; it is simply a tradition within the royal family.
This is both a royal pomp and a royal rule.
Unless the Crown Princess is traveling incognito.
But then her safety would be compromised.
However, His Majesty was in a fit of anger, and the Crown Prince dared not utter a single word in rebuttal.
His Majesty continued to berate, "Can't you learn from the third son? How does his wife handle things? And how does your wife do things?"
Because the Third Prince's Consort followed Gu Jiao's advice and selected a large number of people who were good swimmers from her own guards and the Imperial Guards to take to the back gate of the temple, she immediately ordered them to go into the river to rescue people the moment the suspension bridge broke.
The river wasn't swift, and everyone was holding onto the planks of the suspension bridge. As long as they were rescued in time, they wouldn't freeze to death in the river.
The vast majority of those who fell into the water were rescued, and casualties were minimized.
Most of them are candidates for next year's spring imperial examination.
It is easy to imagine the immense loss of talent that would have resulted in for the entire court if they had not been saved!
His Majesty used to have a very good impression of the Crown Princess. After all, she was engaged to the young chief minister. The two grew up together as childhood sweethearts. The boy was so outstanding, how could she be any worse?
To be honest, this marriage was somewhat inappropriate back then.
The Crown Prince is Xiao Heng's cousin.
How could he possibly propose to his own cousin's widow?
However, Wen Linlang was truly outstanding, Xiao Heng had been dead for so long, and the Crown Prince genuinely liked her. After considering all factors, His Majesty finally agreed to the marriage.
Wen Linlang did not disappoint the royal family. Although her background was not outstanding among the princes' wives, her talent, magnanimity, vision, and ability far surpassed His Majesty's other daughters-in-law.
This incident today was something His Majesty never anticipated.
His Majesty continued to berate, "Do you know how much resentment the people have these days? If it weren't for the timely intervention of the third son's wife today, saving everyone, your father would have issued an edict of self-reproach tomorrow!"
It is only when a monarch makes a huge mistake that he writes an edict of self-reproach to apologize to the world; this is tantamount to slapping the royal family in the face.
No emperor was willing to issue an edict of self-reproach.
This will be recorded in history and condemned for eternity!
The crown prince was severely scolded.
It took a full hour before he finally returned to the East Palace, his knees aching.
The Third Prince's wife made great contributions, and His Majesty rewarded her with a thousand taels of gold and issued an imperial edict, bestowing upon the Third Prince the title of Prince Rui and upon his wife the title of Princess Rui.
This is the first prince to be granted the title of king after the establishment of the crown prince.
Logically speaking, if anyone were to be granted a title, it should start with the eldest prince.
But not a single official, whether civil or military, voiced any objection. What could they do? So many lives were at stake, so many future pillars of the court!
Even the most outspoken censors in the Censorate fell silent.
The Third Prince... should now be called Prince Rui.
Prince Rui entered the palace with his wife and kowtowed to the Emperor to express his gratitude.
His Majesty was very pleased. He used to think that his son was not very promising, but his wife was so capable. At least he and Consort Yu had good taste in men.
His Majesty allowed Prince Rui to play two games of chess.
Princess Rui paid her respects to the Empress, then to Consort Zhuang and Consort Yu, and afterwards strolled around the Imperial Garden.
As they wandered around, they arrived at the gate of the East Palace.
"You," she pointed at Lady Xu, "go in and report that this princess requests an audience with the crown princess."
“…Yes.” Lady Xu went with a stiff upper lip.
Before long, Lady Xu came out, followed by a smiling old woman.
The old woman said, "So it's Princess Rui who has arrived. I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner. However, the Crown Princess is not in a position to receive guests right now."
Princess Rui laughed and said, "Isn't she just confined to her quarters by Father Emperor? It's not like we're asking her to come out. I'll go in and see her!"
Having said that, without waiting for the nanny to invite her or not, she lifted her skirt, stepped over the threshold, and went to the Crown Princess's East Pavilion.
The Crown Princess was kneeling on a cushion in the warm pavilion, copying Buddhist scriptures.
"Oh, what are you doing, sister-in-law?" Princess Rui raised an eyebrow as she walked in.
"Princess Rui!"
"Step back."
A palace maid tried to stop Princess Rui, but was stopped by the Crown Princess.
The palace maid Nuonuo withdrew.
Princess Rui sat down on the cushion opposite her.
Lady Xu dared not follow them in, and waited outside the door with the nannies and maids of the East Palace.
The Crown Princess gently put down her pen and looked at Princess Rui with a calm expression: "I wonder what brings Princess Rui to see me today?"
Princess Rui said with a smile, "I heard you were under house arrest, and I was afraid you'd be bored, so I came to keep you company. Don't blame me for being late; I only heard about your house arrest this morning myself."
The Crown Princess didn't reply, but picked up her pen and continued copying Buddhist scriptures.
Princess Rui wouldn't feel bored just because she ignored her. For twenty years, she had lived in Wen Linlang's shadow, and finally, there was a time when she didn't have to be suppressed by Wen Linlang anymore.
Princess Rui smiled and said, "If you're feeling uncomfortable, just say it. You don't need to pretend you don't care."
"I'm not uncomfortable," the Crown Princess said calmly.
Princess Rui smiled and said, "I heard that it wasn't you who wanted to travel, but your family borrowed your name. Why don't you explain this to the Emperor?"
The advantage of Princess Rui over the Crown Princess lies in this: Princess Rui's family never drags her down because they have the powerful backing of the Duke of Luo's mansion.
Wen Linlang was different. The Wen family had declined, her father was seriously ill at home, and her brother was just a minor official in the Court of Judicial Review.
Princess Rui certainly understood that the Crown Princess could not explain things; some things would only get worse if explained, and would give His Majesty the impression that she was only trying to shirk responsibility when something went wrong.
The Crown Princess said casually, "I heard that Princess Rui was already gathering people before the suspension bridge collapsed. I don't mean anything by it, I just want to ask how Princess Rui was able to foresee the future."
Princess Rui glared at her with her almond-shaped eyes: "What do you mean? You suspect that I deliberately broke that bridge? I'm not that heartless!"
Crown Princess: "Then how did you know?"
"I..." The Third Prince's wife choked.
Actually, she didn't understand how Miss Gu knew. Miss Gu had already left after she saved the person. She was also worried that Miss Gu might have something to do with the broken suspension bridge, so she never mentioned her to anyone as a precaution.
The clinic wasn't open yet, and she didn't know where Miss Gu lived.
The Crown Princess twitched the corners of her lips and continued to bury herself in copying Buddhist scriptures.
Princess Rui realized she had been led by the nose, and, feeling both embarrassed and angry, quickly regained her composure and said, "Do you think Father didn't investigate? That bridge is obviously dilapidated, and you even drove all the pilgrims there. It's no wonder something bad happened!"
Your Majesty did investigate, and there were indeed no signs of tampering.
However, the Crown Princess did not show the frustration that Princess Rui wanted on her face.
Princess Rui narrowed her eyes.
I finally managed to get under her thumb, how could I not see her looking so dejected?
Princess Rui rested her elbows on the table and slowly moved closer to the other person: "Actually, I heard something not long ago, but I don't know if it's true, so I came to ask you, my sister-in-law."
The Crown Princess ignored her.
Princess Rui said, "I heard that the night the young marquis had his accident... he was waiting for you at the Imperial Academy. If that's true, then you're the one who killed him."
The Crown Princess's brush hissed, leaving a long, dark mark on the paper—
One more update to come, see you at 8 PM.
(End of this chapter)
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