Chapter 481 Saving Him (First Update)
Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng embarked on their journey north, but Yuan Tang, trapped in the capital, was not so lucky. He could neither obtain the imperial edict from the Zhao Kingdom Emperor nor pass through the secret passage of the North Gate. Several attempts to sneak out of the city with a caravan ended in failure.
As the border war escalated, more and more bad news reached the court, and the emperor's anger towards Yuan Tang intensified. Starting a few days ago, even the palace's top guards were ordered by the emperor to arrest Yuan Tang.
Yuan Tang encountered three groups of imperial guards just last night, causing him to lose contact with his men. Just before dawn, he finally broke through the encirclement, but he also paid a heavy price.
His right arm was slashed, and if he were to encounter another expert from the Imperial Guard, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to escape unscathed.
"He's injured and can't go far. You few, go over there. The rest of you, come with me!"
Yuan Tang clutched his right arm tightly, hiding in a stable of a family's house. Listening to the voices of the imperial guards outside the courtyard wall, he couldn't help but show some irritation and despair in his eyes.
He was the sixth prince of the Chen Kingdom. The empress had passed away, and his mother was the highest-ranking concubine in the harem, holding the same rank as the vice empress. His maternal grandfather's family was the Rong family, which held military power. He was the most noble prince of the Chen Kingdom and had hardly suffered any hardships since birth.
Even when he came to Zhao Kingdom as a hostage, it was only to gain merit and more naturally become the crown prince.
Thanks to his uncle, Prince Bo, he has made up for all the hardships he suffered in the past twenty years.
"Hiss—"
The wound hurts again.
Yuan Tang frowned.
Just then, a servant from the manor came over and, upon seeing a disheveled man in the stable with blood dripping from his arm, instinctively screamed, "Ah—!"
Yuan Tang knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck.
But the voice still got through, and the Imperial Guards rushed towards the stables.
Yuan Tang had no choice but to leave again and find another hiding place.
With imperial guards in front and behind, and a dead end to the right, Yuan Tang had no choice but to hide inside a carriage parked on the left.
The carriage didn't look big, but the interior was quite spacious and rather elegant. There was a cloth covering the bench, and he lifted the cloth and curled up his tall body under the bench.
Such a cramped space must be really uncomfortable for a big guy like him.
"Lord Xiao, please wait!"
In the study next to the carriage, the owner personally escorted Xiao Heng out.
"Please wait." Xiao Heng nodded, said to the shopkeeper, and then turned and got into the carriage parked by the roadside.
The coachman came out of the study carrying a large pile of writing implements.
Xiao Heng just received a transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel this morning, appointing him as a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice.
The clerk was mainly responsible for organizing archives, managing official seals, and drafting documents.
His official position in the Hanlin Academy remained unchanged, but he concurrently served as the Secretary.
This was the idea of the Minister of Justice, who submitted it to the Ministry of Personnel last month. The appointments of the Six Ministries are different from those of the Hanlin Academy and are not under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet. After receiving the document from the Minister of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel first conducted an internal review before submitting it to the Emperor for his approval.
It is extremely rare for an official to hold multiple positions, especially those across departments. This places extremely high demands on the official, requiring him to be far superior to his colleagues in terms of ability, energy, and competence.
The emperor was worried that Xiao Liulang's health couldn't keep up, and also that his rising fame would lead to him being ostracized.
The emperor summoned the old chief priest to the palace and asked for his opinion. The old chief priest had not thought of this before, but now that someone had set a precedent, he was eager to put Xiao Heng in a high position.
"Now is the time when we need manpower. Your Majesty might as well let Xiao Liulang try first. If he can't handle both, then we can make other plans."
The emperor found the old chief priest's words reasonable, so he approved Xiao Liulang's official position.
Xiao Heng had just finished reporting to the Ministry of Justice and was on his way back to the Hanlin Academy when he passed by this study and remembered that he was running low on writing materials, so he stopped his carriage and bought some.
He sensed something was wrong as soon as he got into the carriage.
The curtains in the carriage were open, and the carriage was well-ventilated, yet he could still smell a faint odor of blood.
"Lord Xiao, I've left the things here." The coachman placed a large box of writing implements on the carriage floor. Unlike Xiao Heng, he wasn't as perceptive and didn't notice anything amiss. "Are we heading back to the Hanlin Academy? Do you need to buy anything else?"
"No need," Xiao Heng said.
"Alright, I'll go out then." The coachman lowered the curtain and sat back down on the bench outside.
Xiao Heng didn't sit down immediately, but instead looked warily at the long bench covered with brocade.
Under the bench, Yuan Tang clutched his wound, beads of sweat forming on his forehead from tension and pain.
He didn't know whose carriage it was, but he heard the coachman call him Lord Xiao and ask if he wanted to go to the Hanlin Academy. There was only one official with the surname Xiao in the Hanlin Academy, and that was Xiao Liulang, the husband of Doctor Gu.
Yuan Tang and Xiao Liulang had never officially met, only seen each other a few times from afar. Yuan Tang knew that Xiao Liulang was the husband of Doctor Gu, the top scholar in the imperial examination, and was now working in the Hanlin Academy.
As for whether Xiao Heng knew him, Yuan Tang was unsure.
But if Xiao Liulang actually saw him in this state, even if he didn't recognize him, he should be able to guess who he was.
Yuan Tang dared not easily draw a conclusion as to whether Xiao Liulang was friend or foe. Although he was Gu Jiao's husband, he was also an official of the imperial court. As an official of the imperial court, he had to arrest him and bring him to justice.
Yuan Tang bit her lip so hard she wouldn't make a sound.
He had no intention of harming Gu Jiao's family, but if... he meant if, he really wanted to arrest him, he would have no choice but to offend him!
Whose carriage is that up ahead?
A troop of imperial guards stopped opposite the carriage, and the one who asked the question was the commander leading the troop.
They had chased him all the way and surrounded him from all sides, but Yuan Tang seemed to have vanished without a trace.
They guessed that Yuan Tang must be hiding right under their noses, either in a nearby shop or in a passing carriage.
Xiao Heng looked at the bloodstains slowly flowing from under the bench, his eyes flickered slightly, he turned around and walked forward, lifted his robe and sat down, his right foot just stepping on the flowing bloodstains.
After negotiating with the Imperial Guards, the coachman lifted the curtain slightly and said to Xiao Heng, "Lord Xiao, the Imperial Guards say they are arresting the hostage of Chen State and hope to search our carriage."
Xiao Heng raised his hand, gesturing for him to lift the curtain.
The coachman bowed slightly and lifted the curtain as high as possible, allowing the Imperial Guards to see the carriage clearly.
Xiao Heng sat upright in the carriage with a serious expression. He was young and handsome, but his aura was exceptionally strong, and his eyes exuded an imposing presence: "Would you gentlemen like to come up and search us thoroughly?"
The commander was stunned by Xiao Liulang's appearance and aura, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. Perhaps realizing that he had lost his composure, he hurriedly lowered his head, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "No need! We have seen clearly. We have disturbed Lord Xiao. Please forgive us!"
Xiao Heng was someone highly valued by both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Even if the Commander had eight lives, he wouldn't dare to offend him easily. Besides, he had been staring at him so intently just now, which was quite impolite.
"It's alright," Xiao Heng said.
The commander said politely, "Then we will continue the search. Farewell, Lord Xiao."
Xiao Heng nodded: "Farewell."
The commander was about to lead the rest of the Imperial Guards to search the nearby shops when he heard a dripping sound on the ground. The sound was very soft, but there weren't many people on the street at the moment, and it was very quiet all around.
Yuan Tang's expression changed drastically!
His blood dripped onto the floor through the cracks in the floorboards!
This is terrible!
He's about to be discovered!
"What are you standing there for!" Xiao Heng shouted at the coachman. "How much longer are you going to make me bleed? Get to the clinic now!"
The driver was taken aback.
Is the adult injured?
When?
Xiao Heng's aura was so powerful that the coachman didn't dare ask him what was wrong. He hurriedly lowered the curtain and said, "Yes! Yes! I'll go to the clinic right away!"
Just before the curtain was lowered, the commander saw blood trickling out from under Xiao Liulang's right foot.
So it really is Lord Xiao who is injured?
The commander frowned, somewhat suspicious, but ultimately he was wary of Xiao Liulang's identity and did not believe that Xiao Liulang would lie, so he did not go up to check.
The coachman was driving the carriage toward the nearest clinic when he suddenly heard Lord Xiao inside the carriage say, "Let's not go to the clinic, let's go to the North Gate."
"Huh?" The coachman was taken aback again. "Lord Xiao, weren't you injured? We're almost at the clinic."
"I remember there was some wound medicine in the carriage, so I can just apply some ointment myself."
"Well, alright then." The coachman was completely bewildered, not understanding why this official's mood had changed so quickly. "Are you going to the North Gate, sir?"
Xiao Heng said in a normal tone, "I originally planned to go in the afternoon, but after thinking about it, I think I'll go now."
“Alright.” The coachman, being of lowly status, dared not inquire about Xiao Heng’s official business. He drove the carriage to the north gate.
Xiao Heng brandished the Ministry of Justice's token: "Investigate the case."
The city guards allowed them to pass.
Xiao Heng went to the nearest post station outside the North Gate.
"Feed the horse," he instructed the coachman.
"yes."
The coachman removed the reins and the carriage shaft, and led the horse to the stables at the post station.
Xiao Heng alighted from the carriage with a calm expression.
He sat in the post station for a quarter of an hour before returning to the carriage, but by then, Yuan Tang's presence was no longer in the carriage.
The coachman led the well-fed horse over: "Sir!"
Xiao Heng said calmly, "Return to the capital."
(End of this chapter)
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