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How come the Empress Dowager was leaving the palace at this hour?
Despite having a sharp hearing, Tang Yueshan still suspected that he had heard wrongly. He cast a glance in the direction of the palace gate, and sure enough, he really saw the Empress Dowager’s golden phoenix palanquin dazzling in the dark night.
"Stop!" He shouted loudly.
The Tang Archers withdrew their bows and arrows.
Tang Yueshan wasn’t afraid that Gu Jiao would take this opportunity to run away, because if she really dared to flee, she would collide with the entourage of the Empress Dowager, giving him a justifiable reason to shoot her into a hedgehog!
Tang Yueshan lifted the hem of his clothes and knelt down in the direction of the phoenix palanquin.
As soon as he knelt down, all the Tang experts and archers around him followed in kneeling down.
Gu Jiao walked up to Gu Chengfeng then crouched down on one knee to examine Gu Chengfeng who had fallen to the ground. She grabbed his wrist and put her three fingers on it.
Gu Chengfeng was in pain all over, but it wasn’t to the point of having grave internal injuries. The trick of hitting the cow behind a mountain had certain limitations after all, reducing the strength of Tang Yueshan’s attack.
It was just that Gu Chengfeng was a little shocked and couldn"t move at once.
Eight powerful eunuchs, all of whom were imperial experts, carried over the big phoenix palanquin made of nanmu wood without their breathing getting disorderly.
The ta.s.sels made of the southern dragon yarn hanging down from the canopy of the phoenix palanquin looked priceless and something that couldn’t be bought in the market.
The curtains on all sides were also embroidered with different forms of the golden phoenix. When the night wind blew the curtains, the golden phoenix moved as if it were about to fly out.
Tang Yueshan had always been a decisive warrior. However, at this moment, he had to admit that Empress Dowager Zhuang had a powerful aura that was kind of overwhelming even for him.
In this world, women were inherently weaker than men. To achieve the same thing, women might have to pay more than ten times the effort.
But Tang Yueshan would never underestimate her just because she was a woman of the harem. She could endure the death of the former Emperor, abolish the former Crown Prince despite not having children of her own, and still become the Empress Dowager who ruled the court behind the curtains even though the new Emperor was already an adult.
How could her skills be poor?
The phoenix palanquin stopped at a closer distance to Tang Yueshan than he had expected. Tang Yueshan was so flattered he almost forgot that there were still two a.s.sa.s.sins behind him.
"This official greets the Empress Dowager!" Tang Yueshan knelt down and performed a grand salute. "How come the Empress Dowager is out of the palace so late at night?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang didn’t leave the palace usually. After all, the imperial rules were there, and although Empress Dowager Zhuang had done quite a lot of things that were really not in line with the rules, Empress Dowager Zhuang also knew what was important. She would try her best to curb her rebellious temper and focus on things she had to do, such as ruling the court from behind the curtain.
Behind the palanquin’s curtain made of mermaid fabric, Empress Dowager Zhuang"s dignified voice sounded, "Does Aijia need to inform you of her activity?"
Tang Yueshan was slightly stunned.
This remark was a bit unkind.
In any case, he was also a favored subordinate of the Empress Dowager. But why did he feel as though there was a sense of alienation and coldness when the Empress Dowager talked to him?
Nevertheless, Tang Yueshan didn"t take it too personally when he thought of Empress Dowager Zhuang"s unsteady temperament.
"This official has overstepped, may the Empress Dowager forgive this official." He bowed down with cupped hands, waiting for Empress Dowager Zhuang to tell him to rise.
Who knew that instead of letting him rise, Empress Dowager Zhuang would question him with an aloof voice, "Why are you making a scene at the palace gates, bringing so many people? Are you rebelling?"
There was still a little distance from here to the palace gates. Besides, the people he took were the guards from his estate, not the soldiers from the military camp. How was it rebelling?
Tang Yueshan replied, "Responding to Empress Dowager, some a.s.sa.s.sins broke into the Supreme Commander Estate tonight. This official came here only to catch the a.s.sa.s.sins. This official is hoping for Empress Dowager’s understanding!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang coldly interrupted him, "Catching the a.s.sa.s.sin near the palace, is it? If Aijia hadn"t come out to stop you though, Aijia guessed you would have broken into the palace in a moment!"
Did the Empress Dowager actually come out of the palace to stop him?
Empress Dowager"s relationship with the Emperor became more and more tense after she promoted him to the National Supreme Commander. There was no room for him to make the slightest mistakes at this juncture.
Tang Yueshan cupped his hands once more and said, "This official has been reckless, begging for the Empress Dowager’s forgiveness!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang said earnestly, "Be thankful that it was Aijia who found you tonight. Aijia naturally believed in your loyalty, but if His Majesty gets wind of this matter, a few words of explanation won’t be enough to calm things down. Aijia has just promoted you, don"t get Aijia into trouble."
Tang Yueshan kowtowed and said, "This official knows his mistake!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang added, "That"s that then. As for the a.s.sa.s.sins, let my side quickly dispose of them. A long delay, after all, means many hitches. Eunuch Qin."
Eunuch Qin stepped forward, "This old servant is here."
Empress Dowager Zhuang whispered, "Go and drag those two a.s.sa.s.sins into the woods and get rid of them. Do it cleanly."
"Yes!" Eunuch Qin bowed down, then he raised the horsetail whisk in his hand and ordered the four imperial guards escorting them, "The four of you, come with me."
The imperial guards followed Eunuch Qin, pa.s.sed Tang Yueshan and came to Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng.
Gu Chengfeng covered his chest, which was almost bursting with pain, and said painstakingly, "Wait… You can"t kill us… I am…"
"Shut it!" Eunuch Qin squeezed a handkerchief into a ball and gagged Gu Chengfeng"s mouth with it.
Gu Chengfeng was dragged into the woods not far away, and Gu Jiao was taken along with him.
There was the sound of swords being unsheathed in the woods, followed by the flash of cold light of the blade. The two a.s.sa.s.sins didn"t even have time to scream before their throats were slit.
A moment later, two imperial guards who executed the a.s.sa.s.sins came back to report, their swords still dripping with warm blood.
Although the clue was cut off in this way, this was also a good thing. At least they didn’t have the chance to reveal his secret in front of the Empress Dowager.
"Is there anything else?" Empress Dowager Zhuang asked.
Tang Yueshan hurriedly replied, "Nothing, this official shall excuse himself."
Now that the a.s.sa.s.sins were dead, he could proceed to tracking Gu Changqing without worry.
Within the woods, Gu Chengfeng watched Eunuch Qin take out two bottles and instruct the remaining two imperial guards to fill them up with the pheasant’s blood.
That’s right. Just now, he really thought he was going to die. As a result, he saw the imperial guards raise their sword and slash it down, only to cut down two pheasants in the gra.s.s.
Eunuch Qin said, "Fresh pheasant blood is good for making delicious blood curd in spicy soup."
Gu Chengfeng：“…”
Was that the point?
He was seriously scared to death just now and you’re telling him this?
Empress Dowager asked you to kill people, you know? Was it really okay for you to kill pheasants instead?
And you——
He looked at Gu Jiao next.Raz P."s Thoughts
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