Building a Harmonious Song Dynasty

Chapter 18

Qin Zhen said, "At this time of year, the maple trees at Xiangguo Temple should be all red, right?"

"Shall we go to Xiangguo Temple? It's the first day of the lunar month today, there will definitely be a lot of people there, it will be very crowded," Zhao Gou said.

"What's the big deal about having more people? It's better than not seeing any talented people anywhere in the palace."

After the two had discussed it, Zhao Gou told Zhao Yong to quickly prepare the carriage. Zhao Yong hesitated and said, "The worshippers at Xiangguo Temple are a mixed bag right now. Isn't it too dangerous to go there? Should Your Highness bring more guards?"

"No need, no need," Qin Zhen said quickly. "If we change into ordinary clothes, who will know our identities? Bringing too many people will only draw more attention, don't you think?"

Zhao Gou nodded. He didn't think anyone would be so bored as to harm a powerless prince like him, except for him, of course.

Thinking of his third brother Zhao Kai, Zhao Gou always had a question in his mind. He could never understand why Zhao Kai had tried to kill him time and time again. Was it just because he was close to Zhao Huan? He didn't think so.

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Someone's going to get injured tomorrow. Guess who it is?

Volume 1: Fate Determined 035 The Third Eye in the Palace

The weather was unusually warm in late autumn. Qin Zhen drew back the curtains of the carriage, letting the sunlight stream in. The carriage traveled smoothly towards Xiangguo Temple. Zhao Gou was in excellent spirits, talking incessantly, while Qin Zhen remained much more silent in comparison.

To get to Xiangguo Temple, one must pass the Duyi Pavilion on Zhuque Avenue, which was the inn where envoys from various countries stayed. As the carriage passed in front of the Duyi Pavilion, Qin Zhen peered through the carriage window, looking inside. Zhao Gou noticed this and said, "Your elder brother, the Crown Prince, and your father seem to be handling some business here today. Would you like to go see them?"

"Forget it," Qin Zhen said. "They must be very busy. Why should we bother them? Let's hurry to Xiangguo Temple. It's getting late."

Qin Zhen seemed distracted, and his eyes darted around. Zhao Gou wondered why they were in such a rush, as it was only Chen Shi (7-9 AM) now, more than enough time to get to Xiangguo Temple.

Sunlight streaming in from the side shone on Qin Zhen's turned face, revealing a hint of worry on her delicate features. The furrowed brows, highlighted by the sunlight, were clearly reflected in Zhao Gou's eyes.

"It seems this trip out of the palace is not just for sightseeing," Zhao Gou realized.

"Oh, right, let me tell you a secret," Qin Zhen suddenly said, her face beaming. The worry she had just shown seemed to be just Zhao Gou's imagination. "My sixth senior brother is in Xiangguo Temple. I'll take you to see him when we get there. He's a very handsome man!"

"A handsome man?" Zhao Gou said sourly, "What's the point of a man being so beautiful? Real ability is what matters!"

Qin Zhen said with a grin, "Sixth Senior Brother is the real expert, but he's always kept a low profile, so you just haven't seen his skills yet."

"I've seen it today, and I'm determined to see it for myself!"

Qin Zhen deliberately didn't tell Zhao Gou that her sixth senior brother was a monk, finding it quite amusing to tease him like this, and the little cloud in her heart immediately dissipated.

—

"Your Highness, Your Highness."

Zhao Kai stopped writing. He disliked being interrupted when he was doing calligraphy and painting. The people in the mansion always knew the rules, so why was someone shouting like this?

The butler rushed into the study. Seeing Zhao Kai's unwell expression, he knew he shouldn't disturb him, but he couldn't care less.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the palace, bearing the imperial seal!"

Zhao Kai took the letter in surprise. He and his mother, Consort Wang, rarely corresponded, and unless absolutely necessary, they would not leave any ink marks. In the few times they did communicate, they usually used ink seals as markers; if it was a red seal, it must be extremely urgent.

He quickly finished reading the letter and was even more surprised.

"How is that possible?"

Zhao Kai murmured to himself that he found it hard to accept what Consort Wang had said in her letter. How could he, who was always so proud, believe that he had been plotted against by a nine-year-old girl?

If Zhao Kai thought it was possible that the Crown Prince's rise to power was due to Qin Hui's help, he found it laughable that all the schemes originated from Qin Hui's daughter. He had lost in such a ridiculous way!

He read the letter again. He knew his mother was a cautious person and would never play such a joke on him. Although the letter did not explain in detail, he thought it was better to believe it than not. All the members of the Qin family had to be eliminated!

—

When the carriage stopped at the bottom of the long steps in front of Xiangguo Temple, the two of them couldn't wait to jump off the carriage and run into the temple.

Zhao Yong called out urgently from behind, "Your Highness...Young Master, don't run around. Wait until I've stored the carriage, then I'll go in with you."

"Go quickly and come find me in the main hall later."

Zhao Gou couldn't wait to see the so-called "handsome man," so he turned and disappeared into the surging crowd with Qin Zhen. Qin Zhen had something to do with Zhao Gou's visit to the monk Wu Nian, which was why she had previously disapproved of bringing guards. Now that she had even gotten rid of Zhao Yong, it suited her wishes even better.

Xiangguo Temple is a popular place of worship, and many people come to offer incense early on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Moreover, the Maple Mountain behind Xiangguo Temple is already ablaze with red, attracting many literati and scholars. For a time, the temple was packed with people, with pedestrians shoulder to shoulder, and all you could see were people.

The two of them squeezed through the crowd toward Xiangguo Temple. Fortunately, Zhao Gou had grown taller and stronger this year, and he pulled Qin Zhen back several times when she was almost pushed away.

Zhao Gou took Qin Zhen's hand and held it firmly in his hand. They went through many trials and tribulations, and it took them a long time to finally reach the side gate of Xiangguo Temple.

"Which way do we go now?" Zhao Gou asked.

Qin Zhen pointed to the tightly locked wooden door of the side courtyard and said, "Inside."

"Huh? This is where the monks live. Outsiders aren't allowed in, right..."

Qin Zhen pulled a copper key from his pocket, opened the door in a few swift movements, and shoved the still-rambling Zhao Gou into the courtyard. The inner courtyard, now quieter than the bustling noise outside, finally possessed the tranquility expected of a temple.

Among the crowd outside, several ordinary-looking men emerged from the flow of people. Looking at the wooden gate of the side courtyard that had been closed again, they exchanged glances and walked along the wall towards a secluded area.

"Let's go."

Zhao Gou followed Qin Zhen deeper into the courtyard. The monks were all busy at the front, so they didn't see anyone along the way. When they passed a large locust tree, Qin Zhen suddenly leaped backward, only to find the ground where she had just stood covered with a dense barrage of iron darts.

Before Qin Zhen could land, several figures flew down from the trees, their gleaming swords reflecting the golden sunlight, stinging Zhao Gou's eyes.

"Run!" Qin Zhen shouted to Zhao Gou as he dodged, but how could Zhao Gou abandon Qin Zhen and flee for his life? He drew a small dagger from his boot and lunged forward.

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I finally managed to update everyone! I don't have any classes this afternoon, so I can focus on writing. It's rare to have such a large, uninterrupted block of time. I must write as much as possible.

Volume 1: Destiny's Fate 036 - A Selfless Rescue

Three assassins flew down from the tree, all of whom attacked Qin Zhen. One of them saw Zhao Gou charging at him recklessly, so he stepped aside to deal with him.

With a clang, the dagger in Zhao Gou's hand was knocked far away by the broadsword. His strength and skill were far inferior to the assassin's, but fortunately he was agile enough to narrowly avoid the oncoming blade.

Zhao Gou was filled with anger. He had practiced martial arts diligently for more than half a year, but he couldn't even withstand a single move from someone else. Seeing danger approaching, he was powerless to fight back!

Anger and humiliation drove him to pounce on the assassin like a little lion. Qin Zhen, who was trapped and unable to break free, became even more anxious when he saw what was happening to him!

Idiot, idiot, idiot!

Qin Zhen cursed Zhao Gou in her heart. Why didn't he run away when he clearly couldn't win! Although she had learned many skills, she was not proficient in any of them. Apart from her slight achievement in lightness skill, her other skills were really just rudimentary.

She could have escaped using her light-footed skills as soon as the assassin appeared, but Zhao Gou didn't leave, so how could she escape? It really worried her to death!

Zhao Gou used all his skills and fought desperately against the assassin, but the gap in strength was undeniable, and it was not something he could overcome with his efforts alone. After exchanging less than five moves, Zhao Gou was already panting heavily, like a fledgling eagle struggling in a storm, and in the end, he was defeated by reality.

The broadsword slashed horizontally from his left. He no longer had the strength to leap up and dodge. Just as he was in despair, there was a loud "boom," and the assassin's figure suddenly stopped. A plume of black smoke rose from behind the assassin.

The loud and sudden bombing startled everyone. As the assassin in front of Zhao Gou fell straight down, Qin Zhen appeared in front of him, holding a long, shiny black box in her hand, pointing directly at the spot where the assassin had just stood.

The other two assassins hesitated, looking at the strange "weapon" in her hand and their companion's charred back. In that moment of hesitation, a gray-yellow figure appeared in the courtyard. A gust of wind swept through, and the two men were lifted into the air, then struck down with a staff by the leaping figure, falling heavily to the ground unconscious.

The man wielding the staff slowly descended from the sky, put away the staff, and chanted a Buddhist prayer to the unconscious assassin. He was none other than the monk Wu Nian, who had arrived just in time.

Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, Qin Zhen breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The iron box in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and he slumped to the ground as well.

"Qin Zhen, what's wrong?"

Zhao Gou hurriedly helped Qin Zhen, who had fallen to the ground, and looked at her anxiously.

Qin Zhen looked at Zhao Gou with teary eyes and said with extreme grievance, "It hurts so much..."

Zhao Gou looked at Qin Zhen's outstretched hands. His once fair and delicate palms were now covered with hot, red blisters!

He felt a pang of pain in his heart and reached out with trembling hands to grab hers, only to see her hand snatched away by Wu Nian in the next moment.

"Sixth Senior Brother..." Qin Zhen called out.

A slight anger crept onto Wu Nian's usually kind face. He said with a hint of reproach, "You dared to use the Thunder Pearl without wearing silk gloves? Don't you want your hands anymore?"

"I was in such a hurry just now that I didn't bring anything else with me..." If Sixth Senior Brother wasn't angry, then so be it, but if he got angry, Qin Zhen would definitely not dare to be presumptuous again.

Seeing Qin Zhen's honest appearance and remembering that her hand injury needed to be treated promptly, Wu Nian stopped blaming her and said, "I have to talk to Second Senior Brother. He can't let you have such dangerous things again."

Qin Zhen stuck out her tongue, thinking to herself, "I spent a long time getting this Thunderbolt Pearl from my second senior brother. Now that I'm out of the mountain and can't see him, I can't get it back even if I want to."

Wu Nian pulled Qin Zhen up from the ground and led her toward the meditation room. Qin Zhen turned around and looked at Zhao Gou, who had his head bowed, and called out, "Come quickly, you haven't seen the person you're supposed to see yet!"

Zhao Gou silently followed Wu Nian into the meditation room, where he saw two strange men. Wu Nian ignored the two men and took Qin Zhen to take a cold shower and apply medicine. Seeing that he couldn't help with Qin Zhen's task, Zhao Gou found a place to sit down and looked at the two men in front of him.

Although the two men wore Han-style hair and clothes, they looked quite strange, leading Zhao Gou to guess that they were not from the Song Dynasty. One of them was a tall, imposing man with a fierce expression. He stood to one side with his arms crossed, staring directly at Zhao Gou, while the other was a young man of medium build with a worried expression, sitting cross-legged on a futon, his eyes constantly scanning Zhao Gou.

Who are these people that Qin Zhen refers to as "those we should meet"? And who are they? They seem hostile...

When Qin Zhen came out after applying the medicine, her hands were wrapped up like steamed buns. Zhao Gou couldn't help but ask her, "Does it still hurt?"

Qin Zhen nodded, staring at Zhao Gou's bitter face, and then said, "It's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a few days."

Zhao Gou remained silent, but his heart was in turmoil. He was filled with intense self-reproach; if it weren't for saving him, Qin Zhen wouldn't have used such a dangerous thing. It was all his fault for being useless!

Seeing the anger and sorrow on his face, Qin Zhen knew he was overthinking things again, so she quickly interrupted him.

“By the way, let me introduce you to someone—he,” Qin Zhen said, walking up to the person sitting cross-legged on the futon, “This is the eldest son of the Liao Kingdom, Prince Ao Luwo of Jin.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou became extremely alert. Liao Kingdom, the eldest prince?