bayedsolid Chapter 221 Arrival
Chapter 221 Arrival
Just as Li Xiaonuan was racking her brains to find a way to bring down the Empress's family, a very grand and noble ceremonial guard appeared on the official road of Yongzhou Prefecture.
Few in the entire land could boast such a grand procession. Thus, curious onlookers began to inquire. Finally, it was said that the procession was escorting the current Imperial Concubine and His Highness the Second Prince.
But didn't Consort Lu, the only one appointed by the Eagle King, perish in the fire along with the Second Prince Zhao Ruichen? Back then, the fierce fire in that impenetrable palace was known throughout the country.
Furthermore, the eulogy personally written by His Majesty the Emperor for Consort Wei and her son is still circulating among the people today. From the lines of the eulogy, everyone can feel the Emperor's deep sorrow and longing. This shows just how profound His Majesty's affection for Consort Wei and her son was.
But how could the dead reappear in the world, especially in Yongzhou Prefecture, a rather remote area in the southwest? Curious people spread the word. Within a few days, even places outside Yongzhou Prefecture had vaguely heard about it.
Zhao Wangchuan and his mother, however, didn't care about any of that. They enjoyed the ceremonial treatment bestowed upon them by the emperor, and made their way to the capital in a ostentatious manner. In the accompanying procession, there was also a particularly inconspicuous carriage, in which Li's father, Su Shi, and Xiao Gang were traveling.
The more Li's father and Su's mother thought about it, the more they felt they shouldn't have let Li Xiaonuan go to the capital alone. Therefore, after learning about the identities of Zhao Wangchuan and his mother, and their plans to return to the capital, they went to them for help.
And so they were relegated to the end of the procession, enjoying treatment that wasn't theirs to receive. However, the journey wasn't without its dangers. On the very night they left the city, at the post station, someone drugged them and set it on fire.
Fortunately, the men the emperor sent were not useless. They captured everyone the moment they made their move. However, that night, Father Li, Madam Su, and Xiao Gang were all drugged and rendered unconscious.
The main problem was that Xiao Gang trusted Zhao Wangchuan too much, so he wasn't wary at all. But since then, Xiao Gang has secretly become more vigilant. Unexpectedly, he actually saved Zhao Wangchuan and the others from a lot of trouble.
That was on the day they passed the post station where Li Xiaonuan and her companions had missed each other. When Xiaogang went to fetch water for Li's father, he suddenly sensed a very ominous smell coming from the kitchen. It smelled similar to the odor of colorless and odorless poison that had been set on fire.
Fortunately, the poison was only toxic if ingested; smelling it was harmless. This discovery shocked Li Xiaogang. He dropped the bucket and ran shouting outside Zhao Wangchuan and his mother's residence, telling everyone not to eat anything.
The old Taoist priest accompanying Zhao Wangchuan, upon hearing Xiao Gang's commotion, began inspecting the tea and food. Sure enough, upon examining a pot of pre-Qingming Longjing tea in Wei Lu's room, he discovered the deadly poison.
Later, they found the same poison in a small dish of pickled vegetables on the table. The old Taoist priest was very annoyed. After all, he was an expert in this field, yet he hadn't detected this deadly poison immediately.
From then on, the old Taoist priest began to guide and instruct Xiao Gang, imparting to him all his medical insights and perspectives that differed from those of conventional doctors. At first, Xiao Gang found it very difficult to learn, as many of the old priest's views and practices contradicted common sense.
However, Xiao Gang was a good boy. He wrote down all the contradictory things and planned to ask Qi Ji for advice the next time he saw him.
The old Taoist priest both liked and regretted Xiao Gang, this seemingly simple-minded boy. He liked him because Xiao Gang had exceptional comprehension, especially in the field of pharmacology. He regretted that Xiao Gang's trip to Beijing was still uncertain, and he didn't know if he would leave alive. Therefore, he lamented that he could no longer teach such a gifted child.
To be honest, the old Taoist priest felt that Xiao Gang was more suitable to be his disciple than Zhao Wangchuan. After all, Zhao Wangchuan only wanted to learn some martial arts and ancient military formations.
But the old Taoist priest preferred studying medical principles and the I Ching. This was exactly what Xiao Gang, that brat, was most interested in. Although Xiao Gang always seemed simple-minded, his responsiveness and learning ability were unmatched by many seemingly clever and intelligent children.
No matter how much the old Taoist regretted not meeting Xiao Gang sooner, or how Xiao Gang had integrated what he had learned into the knowledge he could master, the capital city soon appeared before their group.
Although they encountered many setbacks along the way, including several assassination attempts, they still managed to reach the legendary capital city.
"Grandpa, is this the capital? I think it's pretty much the same as our prefecture. Look at that city gate, it's a little taller and bigger than ours. The city walls are newer and thicker than ours. The gatekeepers are taller and more imposing, and there are more of them. Otherwise, it's no different at all."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Gang was more talkative than usual when he wasn't studying. The old Taoist priest sat beside him and joined him in admiring the place he hadn't visited in almost 60 years.
"That's right, it's really no different from your prefectural city. They're all places for people to live in, so as long as there are people, it's the same." Actually, quite a few things have changed. The old Taoist priest lowered his head and pressed the sachet at his waist, muttering to himself.
"Grandpa, do you think my sister will be happy to see us? I think she'll be terrified. She definitely won't want us to come and risk our lives with her. Maybe she'll even get furious." Xiao Gang said, his lips trembling with sadness. His fair, round face betrayed his grief.
Seeing this, the old Taoist priest couldn't bear it and patted Xiao Gang's head, comforting him, "Kid, your sister was only angry with you because she was worried about you. I advised you not to come in the first place, but you wouldn't listen. Now you know you were wrong, right?"
Hearing the old Taoist's words, Xiao Gang stopped being sad. He grinned and said, "No, we came to the right place. Although my sister might scold us, she worries about us deep down. That way, she'll always think of an escape route before doing anything."
Looking at Xiao Gang, who had returned to normal, the old Taoist priest could only sigh at the boy's intelligence. He was always very reserved, keeping all his talents hidden deep within. He would not easily reveal himself unless he was facing the person he trusted most.
“Yes, you should keep her occupied and make her think twice before doing anything. Otherwise, with her personality, she’ll cause trouble sooner or later. If you hold her back, she’ll be more cautious and won’t take any risks.” The old Taoist patted Xiao Gang’s head again.
While the old Taoist priest and Xiao Gang were discussing Li Xiaonuan, Li's father and Madam Su were also in the carriage, figuring out how to explain things to Li Xiaonuan. Actually, Madam Su suffered from severe motion sickness just like Li Xiaonuan. However, because she had taken some mysterious pills prescribed by the old Taoist priest, she was feeling much better than Li Xiaonuan.
“Say what you mean. She’s our daughter, shouldn’t we stay with her and stop her from causing trouble? Anyway, I’m going to stay in the capital. Unless she comes back with us, I’ll stay with her day and night.” Madam Su said unhappily, clutching her chest.
“Yes, we’ll just follow behind her. No matter what she does, we won’t leave her side. Anyway, Xiaoyang and Mom are taking care of things at home, so I’m not worried about anything,” Father Li said confidently.