Путешествие безумки по династии Сун

Глава 93

"My baggage is always ready," Leng Jie replied with a shrug and a smile. She then turned to Qingfeng and said, "It all depends on whether Senior Brother is ready or not?"

"Mine is always ready too," Qingfeng nodded and replied with a smile.

"That's good! Mine is ready too," Zi Ying murmured contentedly. The thought of finally being able to return home filled Zi Ying with indescribable joy. He excitedly asked:

"Should we return to Jinghe, or go directly to Xiping to meet the Emperor?"

Leng Jie and Qing Feng exchanged a smile; they completely understood Zi Ying's desire to go to the battlefield. They deliberately remained silent.

Seeing that they did not answer, Zi Ying continued:

"This journey to Xiping is a few days shorter than the journey back to Jinghe!"

“But I’m more worried about the situation in the capital,” Leng Jie replied with a hint of concern.

“I’ve thought it over. There’s no need to worry about the capital. As long as Beifeng doesn’t take the opportunity to attack, even if the crown prince goes back and occupies the palace, it won’t matter. At most, we can wait for the emperor’s army to conquer Xiping and then fight our way back to the capital.”

"Fight back?" Leng Jie glanced at Zi Ying, and said with a wry smile, "Brother Ying, I think you've gone crazy wanting to fight!"

Zi Ying immediately realized she had said the wrong thing and awkwardly chuckled:

"So you're planning to go back to the capital?"

Leng Jie paused for a moment, then smiled and replied:

"It's too early to say anything now. Whether things will go according to plan is still unknown."

Qingfeng noticed Xiaojie's unease, walked over, patted her on the shoulder, and said with a smile:

"Don't worry, even if it doesn't go exactly as we planned, with those mines we planted last night, chaos is inevitable. At that point, we won't care about anything else; we'll just take advantage of the chaos to leave the capital first."

Leng Jie thought about it and agreed. The conflict between Xiping and Beifeng had already been started. Given Beifeng's current state, unless the old emperor had lost his mind, they would never dare to rashly provoke a war with Jinghe. And once the three of them were determined to leave, who could stop them?

However, plans are always subject to change, and the gap between imagination and reality is often quite large.

After breakfast, Zi Ying set off early as planned to hide in the tree they had chosen the night before, ready to unleash the final tremor!

Qingfeng and Lengjie were to go to the main hall to join the procession participating in the divine sacrifice at the temple. However, men and women were not allowed to walk together, so they agreed to return to the palace immediately after Yingyi pulled the fuse before leaving together.

Qingfeng, dressed in formal court attire, exuded a dignified and handsome aura, radiating a kingly presence. Having returned to Beifeng three years ago, this was the first time he had worn the local court robes. Although a large part of his motivation stemmed from Xiao Jie, he didn't seem particularly averse to it. He had just stepped out of his room when a eunuch rushed towards him, forgetting even to perform the proper greeting, and anxiously said:

"Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to the main hall immediately!"

"What happened in the main hall?" Qingfeng asked unhurriedly.

"This servant does not know, but the eunuch sent by the Emperor only instructed me to tell the Crown Prince that the Emperor wants you to go to the main hall immediately."

"I know," Qingfeng replied lazily, then walked to Leng Jie's door and knocked.

"Xiao Jie, are you done? Do you want to find a palace maid to help you?" Qingfeng asked with concern, knowing that Xiao Jie disliked those complicated clothes.

The customs of Beifeng are somewhat similar to those of the Qing Dynasty. For any important occasion, attendees, regardless of age or gender, must wear formal court attire. The Empress had ordered the Crown Princess's clothing delivered early that morning; there were over twenty pieces of clothing, both inner and outer, to wear. Not to mention the vast pile of various jewelry and accessories. Leng Jie looked at the mess on the bed and groaned in despair.

She had been struggling with this cumbersome court dress for twenty minutes, still unable to find a way to wear it. She was now regretting not keeping the maid who brought the clothes with her to help. Little did she know, however, that the Crown Princess of Beifeng's court dress was far more complicated than Empress Jinghe's. Suddenly, she heard Qingfeng calling from outside the door, and she casually replied:

"I'm fine."

"His Majesty has urgent business with me. I'll go to the main hall and wait for you. I'll leave a eunuch here. Would you like to come to the main hall with him in a moment?" Qingfeng said through the door.

"Okay, I understand!" Leng Jie shouted back towards the door. Then, she muttered a curse under her breath at the clothes embroidered with the same pattern on both sides:

"Damn it! What kind of clothes are these? Which side is the bottom? Or is it reversible?"

Hearing her scolding, Qingfeng couldn't help but chuckle inwardly: Haha, finally something to trouble Xiaojie. He turned to the eunuch who was looking at him with surprise and instructed him:

"You stay here and wait for Miss Leng. When she comes out, tell her some etiquette she should follow." After saying that, Qingfeng took a deep look at Leng Jie's door, then turned and left.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the eunuch replied hastily.

"Hmph! I refuse to believe that Leng Jie, who has lived two lives and is known as the 'Hundred-Faced Fox,' wouldn't even know how to dress herself," Leng Jie muttered to herself. Then, according to her own aesthetic sense, she began to put on the pile of clothes. Another fifteen minutes passed. Finally, she had all the accessories on. Then she felt she needed to use her inner strength to support the weight of her body.

Despite this, she carried all the necessary weapons. However, this rendered her light-footed skills useless, as she feared that if she took to the air, the "darts" she wore on her head would randomly shoot at targets.

Leng Jie walked towards the main hall with delicate, lotus-like steps, but was intercepted halfway by Qiu Ju, who was by the Empress's side.

"Miss, Miss Leng! Her Majesty the Empress has fallen ill again! You must go and see her quickly!"

"It's happened again?" Leng Jie was taken aback! She had been diligently treating those two old men these past few days to ensure the smooth running of today's scene. Logically, they should be fine! Leng Jie's sharp gaze subtly probed Qiu Ju. Seeing the genuine anxiety in her eyes, Leng Jie turned to the eunuch and said:

"Go and tell the Crown Prince the truth: I went to treat the Empress first."

Without waiting for the eunuch's reply, Leng Jie hurriedly followed Qiu Ju to the Empress's Fengming Palace. Along the way, Leng Jie asked Qiu Ju what the Empress had eaten that morning, only to receive the reply that Hong Mei was on duty taking care of the Empress's daily needs, so she didn't know. Leng Jie didn't think much of it, as they did indeed have a division of labor.

When Leng Jie saw the Empress, her entire face and limbs were trembling as if in spasms. She quickly stepped forward to check her pulse and discovered what appeared to be another toxin in her body. She then reached out and lifted her eyelids to examine her pupils, which appeared to be dilated.

"Hongmei, what did Her Majesty eat this morning?" Leng Jie asked sternly.

"Miss, Her Majesty ate the same thing as usual this morning: a bowl of milk and an egg. She didn't eat anything else!"

Seeing that she couldn't get any information, Leng Jie gave up. No matter what, she had to get today's performance to proceed as planned. There was no time to get the medicine now, so she had to use the simplest and quickest method to save the Empress's life.

"Come over and help the Empress up, so that she can sit up as I usually do when I use my internal energy to heal her from the poison."

As Leng Jie removed the extra things from her body, she gave instructions to the palace maids who were sweating profusely with anxiety.

Leng Jie channeled her inner energy into the Empress's body, first protecting her heart meridian. Then, she guided the energy along her meridians, as she was already skilled at this method of expelling poison. Therefore, the energy flowed smoothly within her body. About half an hour later, the Empress finally spat out a mouthful of black, poisonous blood. Leng Jie, already drenched in sweat, was just finishing her practice when she suddenly sensed something amiss behind her. She was about to unleash the hidden weapon on her fingers when she felt a sudden dizziness and lost consciousness.

**************************************

Inside the main hall, the sacrificial ceremony was about to begin. Qingfeng, however, still couldn't see Leng Jie or the messenger eunuch. He anxiously tried to go back several times, but the emperor kept a close watch on him, not allowing him to leave even for a moment. Only at the last moment did the eunuch run to tell him that Leng Jie had gone to the Empress's palace. He was about to ask what Leng Jie was doing there when the emperor beside him preemptively answered:

"Is Your Highness worried about your wife? Don't worry, she'll be fine with your mother. Today is your wedding day. According to custom, you can only see each other from now until you lift the bridal veil in the bridal chamber tonight."

"Is there such a custom?" Qingfeng asked coldly.

"Yes! Of course!" The eunuch on the side immediately nodded in agreement.

"The Second Prince has arrived!"

The second prince entered the main hall with an arrogant smile. Seeing the emperor and Qingfeng together, he hurriedly went to greet them, bowing respectfully to the old emperor and Qingfeng.

"Your Highness pays respects to the Emperor! And to your elder brother!"

But when he lowered his head, a flash of ruthlessness suddenly appeared in his eyes, which did not escape the keen eyes of Qingfeng and the old emperor. Qingfeng, true to form, ignored him. The old emperor, however, reprimanded him with a double entendre:

"Today is both the grand sacrificial ceremony and your elder brother's wedding day. Second brother, you must behave yourself. Don't do anything to disgrace our royal family. We'll deal with what happened in your residence yesterday after today."

"Yes! Your son will obey your teachings, Father!" the Second Prince replied, bowing. At the same time, he unconsciously curled his lips into a sly smile.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

With a summons, the Empress, dressed in a noble and magnificent court robe, led a large group of palace women, also in court attire, to the entrance of the main hall. Qingfeng's gaze immediately fell on the figure wearing a red wedding veil and the Crown Princess's court robes. Looking at that bulky attire, Qingfeng simply couldn't reconcile her with Xiaojie. He took a step forward, intending to lift the red veil to investigate.

The old emperor grabbed him and said sternly, "Have you forgotten what I just said? You two cannot meet now."

"Haha, Your Majesty is really impatient! It's still a long time before the wedding night! Be careful not to make yourself sick!" the Second Prince teased with a mocking laugh.

Qingfeng still ignored him, but gave him a cold, sharp look. The Second Prince shivered at that glare and took two steps back in fear.

"I'll only say one thing to her," Qingfeng said to the old emperor. "We won't meet."

"What are you saying? I'll have a eunuch deliver it to you," the emperor replied firmly. Seeing Qingfeng's expression darken, he softened his tone and advised:

"I really don't understand why you're in such a hurry. After today, you'll have a lifetime together. You'll get tired of each other eventually."

"That's right! Women! No matter how beautiful they are, you'll find they're all the same once you've used them. Only a fool would put his heart into one woman!" The Second Prince chimed in with a double entendre and a barbed remark.

This time, he was prepared to accept the emperor's cold gaze.

"Your Majesty, the time has come!" a minister stepped forward to report.

Thus, Qingfeng was never able to confirm whether the person under the veil was indeed Leng Jie.

*******************************************

After everyone had gathered in the main hall, according to protocol, the emperor first led the royal family and court officials to invite the gods to the hall and pay homage to the golden tablet left by the ancestral emperors. Only then did they begin the second item on the agenda for the day—the sacrificial ceremony at the temple.

Following a procession of about six hundred men carrying various sacrificial offerings, the emperor and empress rode together in a magnificent palanquin amidst hundreds of fully armed armored warriors. Closely behind them were the carriages of the two princes. Next came the princes and ministers, arranged in order of rank and status, walking alongside the palanquins.

Behind the ministers were the most eye-catching women in the imperial harem. These women, pampered and rarely walking, were now not only forced to follow behind the men, but also forced to wear headdresses that could break a person's neck. The difficulty they faced walking is self-evident; it was truly a struggle to move forward.

Meanwhile, Zi Ying, who was lying in wait ahead, was already extremely impatient. A quarter to an hour after he arrived at the designated location, a large number of imperial guards lined both sides of the road, every three steps. This was where they were planting the mines. Zi Ying secretly rejoiced that he had arrived early. Otherwise, reaching the designated location undetected in broad daylight would have been truly difficult.

But he quickly changed his mind, because he had remained motionless on that big tree for a full hour, and still hadn't seen a trace of the sacrificial procession. Meanwhile, the snow-covered ground on both sides had become crowded with onlookers. They all stared expectantly at the empty cobblestone path. If Zi Ying made any move at this time, many eyes would be fixed on him. Therefore, he could only continue to remain a "wooden man."

Half an hour later, Zi Ying finally heard the sound of a large procession approaching in the distance. Although he couldn't see anyone, at least there was some hope. He tightened the thread in his hand, excitedly waiting to witness the earth-shattering, awe-inspiring spectacle Xiao Jie had described. The footsteps grew closer, and finally, he saw a procession carrying all sorts of elaborate offerings passing by. Next up was his target. He remembered Xiao Jie's instructions perfectly: he must wait until the emperor's carriage was a hundred paces away before pulling the thread. Zi Ying carefully calculated in his mind:

"One, two, three... thirteen, fourteen, fifteen... eighty-seven, eighty-eight, eighty-nine... ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine, pull!"

Immediately afterwards, starting from the emperor's carriage, a series of deafening noises rang out!

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

After the loud noise, snowflakes and thick smoke rapidly expanded, followed by the neighing of startled horses and screams from the crowd! The onlookers on both sides were also thrown into chaos. Pushing, shoving, and trampling were everywhere…

Although he was somewhat prepared, Zi Ying was still so stunned by the effect that he almost fell from the tree. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to whether anyone was in the tree anymore. Even if he did fall, no one would care. Zi Ying reached out and grabbed a branch, steadied himself, and struggled to regain his composure. He waved to the chaotic crowd, then rose and leaped to the top of the tree. Stepping on the pine needles, he sped towards the palace.

*************************************

Qingfeng, too, was counting down the days until the explosion. However, he was also simultaneously watching the movements of the Second Prince's and the Emperor's carriages. After the explosion, he saw that although the horses driving their carriages were startled, the armored guards quickly cut their reins. The horses charged wildly towards the crowd in front of the carriages. The people inside, however, were unharmed.

However, he saw the Second Prince pause for a moment before immediately disappearing into the crowd. It seemed Xiao Jie had achieved her goal. Let them play their part as they see fit! Qingfeng thought to himself, just as he was about to use his lightness skill to leave, when suddenly the Empress's sharp voice rang out:

"Wind! Don't leave!"

"Who cares about you!" Qingfeng sneered.

However, he reflexively glanced back. That one glance froze him in place. He saw the Empress holding something up and beckoning to him. He stared intently at the object; it was none other than the leather case Xiao Jie always carried with her. Inside was something only she possessed—a pistol. Remembering the questions that had arisen in the hall, his heart skipped a beat.

You Diqingfeng's face suddenly darkened, his brows furrowing. Two cold, sharp gazes, like ice blades, shot straight at the Empress. In a flash, he was already on the Emperor and Empress's carriage, a pistol already in his hand, and at the same time, a gleaming soft sword was already at the Empress's neck.

"Tell me! What did you do to her?"

"Outrageous! She is your mother! Do you want to commit such an unforgivable act as patricide and matricide for a woman?" the emperor immediately rebuked.

"Speak! Where is Xiao Jie?" Qingfeng completely ignored the old emperor; his sword was already pressed against the empress's artery. With just a slight pull, the empress would surely die.

But the Empress seemed utterly unfazed, her face always bearing a gentle smile. Yet, it only fueled one's hatred!

"Don't worry, since I know that Xiaojie is the most important person in your heart, I naturally won't make things difficult for her. I just want to keep her in Beifeng. Think about it, if we let you have her, you would also watch her leave, right? With our abilities, it's unlikely that we can keep you here. But now that I'm keeping her here, you will naturally stay too! You should understand a mother's heart!"

The Empress's gentle words made Qingfeng want to chop her up. But thinking of Xiao Jie in her hands, he could only suppress his rage. He asked in a cold, harsh voice:

What exactly do you want?

"You'll see what to do once you look ahead," the Queen said with a smile.