Chapter 18
The day before yesterday, Lai Shan visited Zhao Heng's grandmother in Xuejia Village and found that everything was well in the household. However, after several heavy snowfalls in the winter, the tiles on the roof had loosened, and with the arrival of the rainy season, there were some leaks in the house.
Therefore, Lai Shan went to find a craftsman yesterday to go to the village to repair the house for her grandmother.
Grandma was not at home.
Neighbor Li Auntie said that she had gone to offer incense at Baimasi Temple.
Lai Shan waited in the house for a long time, but Zhao Heng's grandmother still did not return until the sun was setting.
He felt that something was wrong and immediately asked people to help him search. They searched carefully along the mountain road from Xuejia Village to Baimasi Temple, for fear that the old woman might have fallen and was unable to move. They even searched carefully through the thorn bushes by the roadside.
As a result, he did not find anyone until he just returned to the palace.
He panicked immediately, and thinking that he could not delay any longer, he came to report to Zhao Heng.
Zhao Heng's mind buzzed, and the buzzing sound covered Lai Shan's voice.
She pinched her palm hard, and the pain made her calm down.
"Don't worry, sister, I just came to inform you. I will leave the palace immediately and continue to search. I will definitely find the old lady," Lai Shan said calmly, but he was also panicking in his heart.
"Okay," Zhao Heng forced herself to calm down, her face full of worry, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Does you know if the old lady has any enemies?" Lai Shan asked.
Zhao Heng shook her head resolutely. Her grandmother was open-minded and rarely made enemies. Moreover, the trivial quarrels in the village were not enough for them to abduct a lonely old woman.
Lai Shan thought for a while and asked her again, "Does the young lady have any old relatives or friends in the capital? Could the old lady have gone to visit her relatives and friends after offering incense?"
Zhao Heng still shook her head. There were a few old relatives in the family before, but after her parents died, they were afraid that Zhao Heng and her grandmother would drag them down, so they avoided them whenever possible. After seeing their true colors, Grandma never contacted them again.
After a pause, she finally told Lai Shan the old residences of the two families.
Perhaps, Grandma was forgiving and would reconcile with them, overlooking the past coldness and making amends with them?
Even though she knew the chances were slim, she couldn't help but hope.
After Lai Shan noted it down, he said, "I will leave the palace first. If there is any news, I will find a way to inform Sister as soon as possible."
Zhao Heng's mind was now full of Grandma. A lonely old lady who had lived alone for ten years, rarely held grudges and had no close friends or relatives to speak of, it wasn't likely that she was a target of revenge or had enemies.
So where could she have gone?
After bidding farewell to Lai Shan, Zhao Heng returned to her residence.
Her daily necessities were already packed and placed on the table. She could sleep and leave early in the morning.
But she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Grandma's face.
Her face covered in blood.
She was startled and scared. Looking out of the window, all she saw was darkness with no moonlight.
She felt empty, like a thread blowing in the wind, as if she had no anchor.
Perhaps Grandma had reconciled with Auntie Biao, and after burning incense, she had gone to Auntie Biao's house. Lai Shan could bring good news in the morning.
She forced herself to lie down on the bed, clutching the blanket tightly.
Her body trembled slightly with fear.
Grandma didn't believe in ghosts or gods. She said the Buddha doesn't save mortals; only they can save themselves.
In all the years she had written to her, she had never mentioned any acts of worship. So why would she suddenly go to the White Horse Temple?
"His Majesty has renovated the White Horse Temple, where everyone enters on the Great Dao. You will see three-double horse carriages passing side by side, unlike what you saw at the White Horse Temple back then. When you leave the palace, I will take you to see it. You can make wishes there, and it will protect you for the rest of your life."
Bai Yu's words about the White Horse Temple echoed in her mind.
Her heart sank suddenly.
She threw off the blanket, put on her clothes and shoes, and ran out.
She couldn't wait until tomorrow, not for a moment.
"Sister Ah Heng, where are you going? The palace gates will close soon," Bing Tao was startled by her and hurriedly chased after her, watching her disappearing into the dense night.
*
In the Chengming Hall, the lights were on.
Li Wenjian was meeting with several important ministers.
He had just issued a decree, and the hall was silent, everyone remained calm and composed.
Liang Xingyan broke the silence, saying, "The mere five thousand rebels do not need to worry Your Highness. Sending General Funan to suppress them would suffice."
After a pause, he continued, "Before Prince Wuyou took his own life at the Yuhang Palace in Xuanzhou, he set fire to completely burn away the remnants of the previous dynasty, to prevent any descendants from being humiliated. Now, who are left from the previous dynasty? Just treacherous officials using this as an excuse to rebel and cause chaos."
"Mr. Liang's words, I dare not agree with," Shen Zhuo'an stroked his beard and said, "As soon as the rumors about Prince Wuyou came out, it planted seeds of doubt in the hearts of the people. If we send troops to suppress now, won't it just confirm His Majesty's ruthless reputation of exterminating the remnants of the former dynasty?"
Li Wenjian pressed his temples.
Meanwhile, Zhao Heng had arrived outside the Chengming Hall.
The guard, holding a long sword, looked at her warily and asked, "Who are you?"
Suppressing her fear, Zhao Heng tried to keep her voice calm and composed, "Please help relay a message, Zhao Heng from the laundry department requests an audience with His Highness."
The guard's lip twitched, as if holding back a laugh.
A palace maid from the laundry department daring to request an audience with the prince in the middle of the night?
He lifted the sword in his hand and said, "His Highness is meeting with important ministers. You should go back."
Frowning at the brightly lit main hall behind the guard, Zhao Heng urgently said, "Can you help me pass on a message to General Mu Gui? Tell him I have urgent matters to discuss."
The guard replied expressionlessly, "General Mu Gui has left the palace and won't return until tomorrow."
"What about Fei Yu? Is he here?" Zhao Heng grasped onto a glimmer of hope.
The guard shook his head impatiently, "Feiyu is by His Highness' side. You should hurry back and not linger here."
The fear and unease in Zhao Heng's heart grew, like an endless spring bubbling up.
At that moment, she had a bold idea, a courage she had never felt before.
"Your Highness," she called out suddenly, crossing past the guard. The night wind whispered past her ears, her heart pounding as if it would burst out of her chest.
"Stop!" The guard shouted and drew his sword to chase after her.
Would she die?
Zhao Heng couldn't think about that. A voice in her head urged her to run, regardless of life or death.
Grandma's safety was more important to her than her own life.
If she could get the prince's help tonight to find someone, as long as Grandma was safe, she was willing to accept any punishment.
With a fearless determination, she ran towards the brightly lit Chengming Hall, shouting, "Your Highness!"
The cold, sharp sound of blades and spears rang out behind her, but she didn't care; she pushed open the door.
The guard was shocked, his spear flashing with a cold light as it flew towards Zhao Heng's back.
In the split second when Zhao Heng entered, a dazzling white light flashed before her eyes, and she instinctively closed them.
The next moment, a clang echoed in her ears, like the sound of porcelain and iron clashing. The spear landed on the Persian carpet in the hall with a dull thud.
Opening her eyes, Zhao Heng saw a white jade wine cup at her feet, with the fallen spear beside it. If it weren't for the timely intervention of the cup's owner, the blade might have pierced her back.
"Your Highness, I was negligent for a moment, and she managed to break in," the guard who had chased Zhao Heng knelt and begged for forgiveness.
Li Wenjian withdrew his hand, elegantly and nobly said, "You may leave."
General Shen was impulsive, slamming the chair armrest heavily and his face turned sharp, "Who are you?! How dare..."
Li Wenjian glanced at him and raised his hand casually, silencing him.
Everyone looked at Zhao Heng with curiosity, secretly speculating about her identity. They were all old acquaintances who had followed Li Wenjian for many years, knowing his ambitions and his vows. His Highness was determined to resolve the lingering issues in the Jiangnan region and pacify the Northern frontier completely.
He had no interest in romantic affairs, no leisure for the company of women.
"What's the matter?" Li Wenjian, with his hands clasped behind his back, looked at Zhao Heng with half of her face hidden in the darkness and half illuminated by the light, his tone calm and devoid of anger.
Zhao Heng's straight back slouched in exhaustion as she knelt down, head bowed. She saw the wine cup that had knocked down the spear earlier and her voice trembled, "Your Highness, my grandmother is missing."
Li Wenjian turned his head and asked Feiyu, "Is Mu Gui back?"
"He's on his way back, and he should arrive before dawn tomorrow."
"Your Highness, I can't wait." Suppressing the urge to cry, Zhao Heng took a deep breath and tried to remain composed, "She's been missing for a day and night. If we delay, her danger will only increase."
After speaking, she stared at Li Wenjian, her body tensed again, shoulders trembling slightly, finally mustering the courage to ask him, "Please, Your Highness, help me find her."
She had no idea what he would think when she said this, just one day ago they agreed to go their separate ways, yet here she was turning to him for help.
But no matter what he thought, she had no other choice.
Stay calm, stay calm.
She told herself to stay calm, even if he didn't help, she would at least ask him to let her out of the palace early.
But Li Wenjian agreed readily, "Okay."
"Jian Ning," he turned and ordered, "Mobilize three hundred Yulin guards, we'll leave the palace to search for the missing person."
Tears welled up in Zhao Heng's eyes in an instant.
She didn't know why her eyes were so shallow, suddenly wanting to cry.
Kneeling down, she bowed deeply to Li Wenjian, "Thank you, Your Highness."
The lanterns hanging on the eaves swayed gently in the wind, the crescent moon high in the sky. Her slender figure in the night wind revealed a hint of loneliness to Li Wenjian.
Li Wenjian was far away and couldn't see her face clearly, but he could see her eyes. They were teary, filled with tears, illuminated by the light, like pear blossoms in a light rain, exuding a delicate and fragile beauty.
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The author comments:
Li Gouzi: My wife came to see me too~~ so happy