The night wind whimpered, dark and gloomy, and the cold air spread out in wisps.
When the night crows cawed on the branches, one could occasionally hear the dripping of dewdrops.
There was no one on the main road surrounded by trees, but it was not calm at all. The movement of foxes, rabbits, insects, and snakes slithered unceasingly.
"Tap, tap, tap ..."
Suddenly, light footsteps came from the distance.
When they sensed the presence of people, the red fox fled, the gray rabbit fled, and the insects and snakes returned to their caves. In an instant, the sky above the great path was empty, and all kinds of strange sounds were calm. Only a stone tablet with the three big words " Yan Hui Valley " engraved on it stood quietly.
The Starlight and moonlight were as cold as frost, and they shone on a palanquin on the road.
The four men who carried the palanquin were dressed like servants. They were all full of qi and blood, and their temples were high. When they looked around, their eyes were like torches. If one looked carefully, they would see that their shoulders were much wider than ordinary people, and the calluses on their hands were very thick. There were also many scars on their cheeks and necks.
The four of them carried the palanquin and set off and landed at the same time. The palanquin moved quickly and did not move at all. On the wide road, only the sound of one person's footsteps could be heard.
Beside the palanquin, there was a white-faced, beardless, big-bellied old man. He had long eyebrows, a high nose, and thin lips. He was wearing an old green robe with flowers and had a snow-white horsetail whisk in his arm. He looked fat and heavy, but his steps were surprisingly light. He landed silently and did not startle the leaves.
In the sedan, there was a young woman in luxurious clothes and golden hairpins. She had Willow-shaped eyebrows, bright eyes, white teeth, and bright lips. On her Lily-shaped bun, she wore an Emerald bird crown with beads on it. She was wearing a red embroidered Phoenix, peony, and quiver. She was wearing a light blue crepe with wide sleeves and a gold pomegranate skirt. She had a red cloak on her arm, a Kasaya around her neck, and a golden silk scarf around her wrist. She looked tender and beautiful, shy and shy.
Her eyes moved, and as she looked around, she was suddenly stunned.
Below him was a maid in a blue shirt and a green skirt.
This woman was the emperor's most beloved Imperial Noble Consort, ruan xilu. He was born into a famous family and had been proficient in the four Arts since he was a child. At his age, he was famous for his talent and appearance. As a result, he was selected to be part of the palace and the Emperor fell in love with him at first sight.
However, ruan xilu was used to being arrogant. After entering the palace, she did not restrain herself at all.
He had offended the Empress Dowager a few days ago.
The country ruled the world with filial piety. Under the Empress Dowager's anger, the Emperor could not directly pardon her. He could only let the noble consort leave the palace in the name of going to Wujing temple in Muyan city to pray for the Empress Dowager and avoid the Empress Dowager's punishment.
The four porters in front of him were all Imperial Guards and were first-class experts.
In addition, the white-faced old man was one of the most famous eunuchs in the palace. His name was pang chongdeng, and he was extremely talented and had profound martial arts. Even though he was on the road, his eyes were slightly closed, and his inner strength was flowing naturally. His aura was completely restrained, giving people the feeling that he was just an ordinary old man in the village who did not know any martial arts.
With pang chongdeng's strength, even in the entire pugilistic world, there were only a handful of opponents.
Therefore, although they only had five followers, they were enough to protect noble consort ruan.
At this time, ruan xilu was leaning against the small table in the palanquin with her hands on her cheeks. Her long eyelashes were lowered, and she seemed to be asleep.
Suddenly, the palanquin stopped.
Ruan xilu opened her eyes, her brows furrowed and her face filled with dissatisfaction.
The maidservant not far away immediately shouted coldly, " "Why are you stopping? Didn't I tell you to keep walking forward and not stop until you reach Muyan city?"
"It's so late at night. Without the Empress's orders, who allowed you to rest?"
One of the Imperial Guards said in a deep voice, " "Reporting to your ladyship, this subordinate does not want to rest. It is just that the road has become unfamiliar, and I might have taken the wrong path."
The maidservant sneaked a glance at the Imperial consort's expression and immediately rebuked again, " "What are you guys doing? When the Empress is traveling, she doesn't even look at the road properly?"
"Delaying the Empress's blessing for the Empress Dowager, can you bear the responsibility!"
"Your subordinate knows his crime," the guard said in a low voice.
"Empress." At this moment, pang dengchong, who was following closely beside the palanquin, said in a harmonious voice, " the path of this wild goose Valley is famous for its rugged and complicated nature. It's also known as having nine twists and eighteen turns. It has been known for its precipitousness since ancient times."
"We're travelling at night, so it's inevitable that we'll make mistakes. I hope your Majesty can forgive us."
Ruan xilu narrowed her eyes and looked at the maid.
The maidservant immediately understood and softened her tone, " "Since it's partner da who has spoken, then I'll let it go this time."
"Don't forget, our niangniang is here to pray for the Empress Dowager's blessings."
Pang dengchong nodded slightly,"many thanks, Your Majesty."
The Empress ordered the guards, " go back. &Quot;
The guard let out a sigh of relief and quickly said,"Yes!"
Then, the palanquin quickly turned around and continued to move forward.
However, the palanquin stopped again after a short while.
This time, without waiting for the Imperial consort and servant to ask, the Imperial Guard carefully said, " "Imperial consort niangniang, this subordinate can't find the path we took just now."
There was a moment of silence in the palanquin before the maidservant asked, " "A huge partner?"
Pang dengchong looked at the unfamiliar surroundings with a serious expression, and shook his head slightly, " "Empress, please forgive us. We don't know what's going on either."
Hearing this, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a blue-robed maid walked out, looking at the surroundings.
She did not know the way to Yanhui Valley, and it was night time. The mountains, rivers, and grass were all mixed together, covered in the cold light of the stars and the moon. The shadows were like demons and ghosts. From time to time, the eyes of the night crows would flash in the night, like a ghost fire, fleeting.
Under such circumstances, they should have left quickly, but the group had taken the wrong path twice in a row. They immediately shouted angrily, " "Did you do it on purpose? You don't want the Empress to pray for the Empress Dowager, do you?"
The four Imperial Guards didn't even dare to breathe loudly, their hands hanging down in silence.
At this time, ruan xilu raised her hand and looked at her Scarlet fingertips that had been repeatedly stained with Phoenix Fairy Flower juice. She said softly, " "Little Dan, stop talking."
"Companion DA's words make sense. The terrain here is complicated. If we travel at night, it's inevitable that we'll go the wrong way."
"You can't blame these guards."
"How about this, you two send two people to Scout the surroundings and leave marks along the way."
"If I meet them, I can ask for directions."
"Yes!" The Imperial Guard quickly replied.
The maidservant, Little Dan, looked at them coldly before she returned to the sedan and swung the curtain down.
Ruan xilu sighed and said,"what kind of life is this?" You're just not sharp-tongued enough and said something that caused the Empress Dowager to misunderstand, yet you have to suffer like this ... If I had known that this trip would be so rough, I would have killed myself in front of His Majesty."
&Quot; Empress, please don't be like this. You're pure and kind, and the Empress Dowager has been deceived ... &Quot; Little Dan immediately consoled her. &Quot; moreover, His Majesty treats you like a Pearl or a treasure. If anything happens to you, what will His Majesty do? "
He then said, " it's just that these Imperial Guards are too incompetent. That's why you're here. &Quot;
"Once they find the right path, we'll be able to reach Muyan city very quickly."
Ruan xilu lowered her eyes and nodded slightly, but her heart was cold. Find the way? She cursed the Empress Dowager to die on the spot, so how could she have the mood to rush to Muyan city to pray for her?
The reason he had sent the Imperial Guards to find the way was to see if the Empress Dowager's men would take this opportunity to kill them.
At that time, he could use the lives of the Imperial Guards to cry to the Emperor about his grievances and danger.
With the emperor's love for her, he would definitely complain to the Empress Dowager ... Well, just this little thing might not be enough for the Emperor to fall out with the Empress Dowager for her.
But it didn't matter. This was just the beginning. In the future, she would incite disharmony a little. One day, she would make the Empress Dowager, that old woman, go to the cold Palace and live a life worse than death!
The only mistress of the Imperial Harem could only be her, ruan xilu!
These four Imperial Guards, along with pang chongdeng, were the emperor's most loyal confidants. If they died, it would be a great loss to the Emperor. However, wasn't the Eagle Hound used at this time?
As long as pang chongdeng was alive, he would be able to protect her.
As for the other four Imperial Guards, it would be best if one of them died.
Thinking of this, ruan xilu leaned back and patiently waited for the bad news.
However, after waiting for a while, the Imperial Guards that were sent out to Scout the way had yet to return.
[ note ] for clothing reference, search " Tang Shiyi " on B site, " old Affairs of Luoyang, a dance in the Tang Dynasty ".