Volume 1 Princess Taiping Grows Up Chapter 78 The Emperor Leaves the Palace
In Luoyang City, a large number of soldiers ran out of the palace in an orderly manner and began to search along the Luo River.
Such a large-scale action obviously made everyone talk about it, and they quietly discussed with each other what had happened.
It didn't take long before almost all the powerful people received the news: Princess Taiping was assassinated and her whereabouts were unknown!
The dignitaries who received the news were shocked and began to think about it.
Many people immediately thought, who is so bold as to slap the emperor in the face like this? Do they want to die?
Many ministers knew how favored this princess was, so they immediately sent out their troops to look for her!
At the same time, he was thinking in his heart, if the princess was okay, it would be fine, but if the princess died, Li Zhi would definitely go crazy!
By that time, the matter will not be over until many people are killed. Many people were trembling with fear after hearing about this matter, mainly those from the Henan County and Prefecture Governments.
Dongdu can be regarded as a city, and Henan Prefecture is equivalent to the municipal government.
Just as Chang'an had two counties, the Eastern Capital was also divided into two counties with the Luo River as the boundary.
The area north of Luo River was called Luoyang County, and was under the jurisdiction of Luoyang County Office; the area south of Luo River was called Henan County, and was under the jurisdiction of Henan County Office; both county offices were under the jurisdiction of Henan Prefecture Office.
After receiving the news, the magistrate of Luoyang County immediately sent people to look for him. Although he was worried, he was not afraid.
Because the princess was assassinated in Henan County, it had little to do with him, so he didn't have to worry about being implicated.
After receiving the news, the Henan County Magistrate immediately ran to Xuanfanfang, and after entering the government office, he found the government magistrate Lu Hexiang and asked, "Teacher, have you heard about this?"
Lu Hexiang behind the desk nodded silently: "I just received the news, and I have sent people to look for him."
The county magistrate's expression revealed panic, and he asked with a slight tremor: "Teacher, are you sure?"
"No." Lu Hexiang shook his head and stroked the map on the table. "At present, we only know that the princess jumped into the Luo River and the assassins all committed suicide. There are no other clues."
"Alas..." The county magistrate sighed, "Why run to Luoshui? If Your Highness comes to the mansion, it will be a great achievement for the teacher to lead the people to catch the assassin!"
Lu Hexiang did not respond to his afterthought, but just shook his head silently.
According to the servants' reports, he already understood the princess's escape route, and it had to be said that the princess's route was the best solution.
As a little child, she didn't have enough physical strength, so she had to choose the shortest way to escape.
The place where the princess was assassinated was in Jiashanfang, and there was the prosperous Nanshi in the middle, so her chances of escape were relatively higher.
If he ran to Xuanfanfang where the government office was located, not only would it be a little further away, but the key point was that there would be very few people along the way, and he would not be able to hinder the assassins behind him, and the possibility of being caught would be even greater.
Not to mention that these officials had never seen the princess at all. Even if the princess really came, whether they could believe it was another matter.
But the emperor would not listen to this explanation. The most important thing to do now is to pray that the princess is okay .
Otherwise... let alone the hat, he might not even be able to keep his head!
…
"Aung, Aung..." Liu Huang ran back home in a hurry.
Seeing Liu Rengui sitting in the main hall, he ran over and said, "I heard..."
"I already know about it," Liu Rengui waved his hand and said, "I have just sent my troops to look for him."
Liu Huang then sat down for a while, but his face was still anxious: "But, why would His Highness..."
"Be quiet!" Liu Rengui waved his hand and closed his eyes to think.
Seeing that his grandfather didn't say anything, Liu Huang stood up and walked around again. After a while, he turned around and said, "No, I can't wait any longer. I want to go out and look for it too!"
Having said that, he ran out of the house without even saying hello.
Liu Rengui didn't call him either, and continued to think with his eyes closed.
It is obvious that some people are dissatisfied with the royal family's behavior of monopolizing the product and grabbing the market, and want to seize the formula and give the emperor a warning at the same time.
but……
Thinking of this, Liu Rengui couldn't help but shook his head.
Warning the royal family, but don't you even consider whether you are strong enough? Do you really think this is still the Southern and Northern Dynasties?
Liu Rengui was also worried, not only because the princess was favored, but most importantly because she was his apprentice.
The princess was kind and filial, and had a good heart. Whenever she had something good, she would think of sending a copy to him first, which made Liu Rengui very happy.
He secretly made up his mind that if anything happened to the princess this time, don't blame him for breaking up with her!
…
In the palace, Li Zhi and his family stood at the gate of Renshou Hall, looking at the setting sun in the sky, feeling annoyed.
He frowned tightly, and the health ball in his hand was spinning rapidly, as if he was thinking about something.
Li Hong and others were accompanying him, not saying a word, also looking in the direction of the imperial city gate, anxiously waiting for news.
Wu Zetian stood beside Li Zhi, observing his condition from time to time. At this time, she was afraid that he would have a relapse.
Now most of the soldiers in the palace have been sent out, and there is basically a person responsible for salvage every ten steps on both sides of the Luo River.
But so far, there is still no news.
Princess Xuancheng lowered her head and muttered to herself, thinking about the flow rate of the Luo River and Li Yuechen's swimming speed.
It’s a pity that her current level is not enough to calculate such complicated things, and she can only make a rough simulation in her mind.
Li Zhi turned his head in annoyance and asked, "What are you mumbling about? If you have something to say, just say it!"
Princess Xuancheng raised her head and said, "Grandpa, I am doing some calculations. Chen'er is very good at swimming, and considering the speed of the Luo River... I think Chen'er should have reached the outside of the city by now!"
"Outside the city?" Li Zhi squinted his eyes and muttered to himself, feeling that it made sense.
Looking at the setting sun in the sky, I couldn't help but think, if I soaked in the water for a night...
Thinking of this, Li Zhi suddenly shouted: "Come here! Prepare the horses! The thousand-bull guards will follow me out of the city!"
"No!" Wu Zetian knew something bad was going to happen, and immediately advised, "Your Majesty, please wait in the palace..."
"I can't wait any longer!" Li Zhi turned around and stuffed the health ball in his hand into hers. "If you keep waiting like this, you'll probably get sick. My daughter, I'll go find her myself!"
When Wu Zetian heard him say that he was about to have a relapse, she was speechless and didn't know how to persuade him.
Li Hong and his children also tried to persuade him, but Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Shut up! Wait for the news. If there is any news, send someone to inform me at any time."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Qianniu Guards had already led the horses over, and the Qianniu Guards behind him had also all arrived.
Li Zhi stood up and mounted his horse directly, and Zhang Chengxin followed him and mounted another horse.
Accompanied by a chaotic sound of horse hooves, a team of Qianniu Guards went out first to clear the way, and Li Zhi also followed on his horse and galloped out.
Wu Zetian looked at his departing figure, let out a long sigh, and waved to Li Xian: "Xian'er, go out and take a look. If you have any news, let me know immediately."
"Yes!" Li Xian agreed and ran out quickly.
There were quite a few people on the street, and when they saw the riverside suddenly filled with soldiers salvaging something, they all watched from afar out of curiosity.
Suddenly, a chaotic sound of horse hooves was heard. Turning around, I saw two teams of Qianniu Guards in black rushing out of the palace, galloping on their horses and clearing the way, asking everyone in front to make way.
Just when I was wondering what was going on, I suddenly saw a man wearing a bright yellow uniform with a dragon embroidered on it riding a tall horse galloping between the two teams.
Although most people in this era may never see the emperor in their lifetime, just looking at this scene and the clothes are enough to prove the identity of the person in front of them!
The crowd who saw this scene bowed their heads and saluted, and only stood up slowly after the team had gone far away. Then they were all surprised, and they didn't expect to see the emperor today!
Li Zhi had no time to care about them now, so he just rode his horse at full speed and headed straight out of the city.
Although his eyesight was poor, there were two teams of Qianniu Guards leading the way ahead, so he had nothing to worry about and could ride his horse at full speed without any worries.
The news that the emperor had personally left the palace quickly spread to every corner, and for a moment, many ministers also took action.
You know, it is no small matter for the emperor to leave the palace in person, and it also represents the emperor's attitude.
Touched the princess? Prepare to die!
…
Outside Luoyang City, a cold wind blew, causing Li Yuechen, who was lying on the straw, to shiver.
She was now soaked to the skin and had nothing to cover herself with to keep warm. She could only endure the cold that continued to invade her body.
Her eyelids had completely drooped, and her usually bright big eyes were almost completely narrowed.
But she still didn't dare to fall asleep because she was not safe yet.
In fact, what she is most worried about now is not herself, but Li Zhi.
If my guess is correct, the news should have reached the palace by now. If Li Zhi falls ill, that would be terrible.
She didn't want anything to happen to Li Zhi, she just wanted him to be safe.
She tried to stay awake and kept talking to the dog next to her to prevent herself from falling asleep.
Seeing her holding her arms in front of her chest and looking very cold, Gouzi suddenly said, "How about I hold you? You look very cold!"
"You'd better not!" Li Yuechen forced a smile. "Although I don't mind, you'll be in trouble if someone sees you."
In fact, what Li Yuechen wanted to do most now was to take off her clothes and dry her body, but she didn't dare.
It’s not that she minds being seen, the key point is that the princess is a noble and precious girl. If she is seen by this father and son, even if she is her savior, she will probably be killed.
Li Yuechen didn't want someone to save her out of kindness only to be stabbed in the end.
The ox cart moved slowly forward, and gradually, the sun set completely, and the night sky turned dark blue.
Li Yuechen opened his eyes with great effort and could barely see the city wall of Luoyang. They should be there soon.
She knew she was almost at her limit, but she had to hold on.
I guess I will have to spend some time with the soldiers guarding the city. After all, I don’t have anything to prove my identity.
Just as I was thinking about how to explain it to them, I suddenly heard the rumbling sound of horse hooves ahead.
When he looked up, he saw a Qianniu Guard dressed in black riding a horse at full speed.
Li Yuechen couldn't help but smile slightly. Since the emperor's guards had come, she should be safe.
Seeing an ox cart slowly moving towards Luoyang City, the Qianniu Guard who was responsible for clearing the way in the front stopped and planned to check.
Wu Da was stunned when he saw a group of soldiers stop in front of him and was about to explain.
The Qianniu Guard at the front had already recognized Li Yuechen lying on the straw and exclaimed, "Your Highness!"
Li Yuechen's voice was a little hoarse: "Send...send me back to the palace."
However, because her voice was so soft, the person on the other side did not hear it. Instead, he turned around and shouted, "Go and tell His Majesty that His Highness is here!"
Hearing the other party's words, Wu Da was stunned and turned his head to look at Li Yuechen.
At the same time, I felt relieved. It seemed that I was really lucky this time.
Li Yuechen, who was lying on the straw, did not expect that the emperor would come out to find her in person, and she struggled to sit up.
After a while, with the sound of horse hooves, a middle-aged man in a dragon robe stopped under the protection of the Qianniu Guards.
When Wu Da saw this, he quickly pulled his son to bow his head and salute.
Li Zhi didn't have time to care about them. He got off his horse and quickly walked behind the ox cart: "Chen'er!"
"Grandpa..." Li Yuechen forced himself to open his eyes. "I'm fine. I was worried that Grandpa might have a relapse!"
"It's okay, it's okay. As long as Chen'er is fine, I'll be fine." Li Zhi smiled, then quickly picked her up and said, "Let's go, Grandpa will take you back to the palace!"
When he picked her up, he found that she was soaked, so he handed her to Zhang Chengxin to hold her, and he began to take off his dragon robe.
Zhang Chengxin felt distressed when he saw Li Yuechen, who was soaked all over and had pale lips. This princess had always been very kind to them, but now seeing her become like this, he couldn't help but tear up.
Seeing Li Zhi start to take off his dragon robe, he immediately stopped him: "Your Majesty, please don't do that. I'll just let you do it..."
"Shut up!" Li Zhi interrupted while taking off his clothes, "Take off Chen'er's wet clothes!"
“Yes!”
Zhang Chengxin agreed, and after Li Zhi covered her with his dragon robe, he helped her take off her wet clothes.
At the same time, he immediately turned his head and said to the Qianniu Guards behind him: "Hurry up and send someone back to tell Liu Fengyu to enter the palace as soon as possible!"
"Yes!" The two Qianniu Guards at the back answered and turned away.
Li Zhi took her and wrapped her tightly in his dragon robe, saying as he wrapped her: "Chen'er is fine, Grandpa will take you back..."
Li Yuechen forced himself to open his eyes: "Grandpa, these two people... are my saviors. And those gate guards, they did their best..."
"Okay, okay, I get it, don't say anything." With red eyes, Li Zhi wrapped her tightly in the dragon robe, held her in his arms and mounted his horse directly.
Zhang Chengxin and others also mounted their horses, leaving two people to take care of the father and son, and followed Li Zhi to gallop towards Luoyang City.
Li Zhi held the reins with one hand and held his daughter in his arms with the other, trying to hold her as close to himself as possible so that his body temperature could be transmitted to her.
At this point, Li Yuechen finally couldn't bear it anymore and closed his eyes with peace of mind.
"Chen'er, hold on, we'll be back to the palace soon!" Li Zhi said as he rode his horse back madly.
…
The Renshou Hall was brightly lit at night, and the food that was delivered was left there and no one touched it.
The whole family was anxiously awaiting news.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and then a eunuch rushed in: "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses! The Princess has been found, and the Saint is on his way back. He has urgently summoned Liu Fengyu to the palace!"
"Huh——" The whole family breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news.
