Lai Junchen was like a hound that smelled blood, chasing after his prey excitedly.
He started out as a nobody, but once he was promoted, he held great power. He was naturally proficient in the art of manipulating people, but he never understood the art of officialdom. Thus, he was slow to ignore the olive branch extended by the Zhang brothers and missed the last chance to reconcile with the flourishing Zhang Corporation.
The next morning, an eunuch went to the White Horse Temple to pass on an imperial edict, summoning the State Protector Huaiyi to the palace. The Emperor wanted to inquire about the reconstruction of Heaven and Bright Hall. Xue Huaiyi was overjoyed when he heard the news. He hurriedly took a bath, brushed his teeth, cleaned his face, and put some powder on his kasaya. He led Hongyi and Hongliu, his two most trusted disciples, into the palace.
After listening to Yang Fan's words last time, Hongyi and Hongliu became more convinced the more they thought about it. The two returned to Xue Huaiyi's side and tried to persuade him, but Xue Huaiyi didn't listen at all. Xue Huaiyi actually admired Yang Fan from the bottom of his heart and didn't see him as a disciple. Hongyi and Hongliu didn't feel the same way. The two were scolded by Xue Huaiyi when they tried to persuade him.
The two were helpless and didn't try to persuade him anymore. They just discussed the matter with their fellow disciples in private. Some of the fellow disciples believed them, some didn't. Those who believed them had already taken the money they had earned from following Xue Huaiyi and slipped away.
Although they said they slipped away, they didn't actually go too far. They just moved away from their original location, rented another place, and observed the situation, just in case. They were only ruffians. If something really happened, they could slip away at any time. They didn't have to worry about the imperial court going to war to hunt them down. As long as they weren't immediately arrested, they could escape.
Some didn't believe them at all and laughed at Hongyi and Hongliu's absurdity for not making any preparations to escape. Hongyi and Hongliu couldn't do anything to such people. Medicine couldn't cure diseases, and Buddha helped those who were fated. No one could stop him from walking on the road to death. He had already done his part by taking such a big risk to tell them about this matter.
Today, the Emperor had summoned Xue Huaiyi. The two brothers immediately tensed up, but Xue Huaiyi didn't believe that the Emperor would do anything to harm him. Seeing their nervous expressions, Xue Huaiyi immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Who are the two of you showing a bitter face to? If you're worried, then scram. I don't need your service! "
Helpless, the two could only force a smile and coax Xue Huaiyi to be happy.
Xue Huaiyi's anger had yet to subside as he walked out resentfully. Hong One and Hong Six looked at each other and chased after him with a bitter smile.
They were loyal, but since they didn't have the ability to dissuade Xue Huaiyi, nor did they have the ability to save him from danger, they might as well give up their lives to accompany him. This seemed extremely stupid, but in their opinion, they were doing their duty.
Xue Huaiyi always had a fish talisman to pass through the palace. Although he had been going to the palace less and less in the past year, the palace guards still recognized him. After checking the fish talisman, the imperial guards respectfully let them into the palace.
Today, there was no court session, so the palace was much quieter. Xue Huaiyi swaggered through the front hall and entered the back garden. When he reached the back garden, there were even fewer people. Hong One and Hong Six were already nervous, and now they were even more paranoid. They felt as if every bush and tree was an enemy. On the way, they occasionally encountered some palace eunuchs who bowed to give way. They were on tenterhooks, as if in the next moment, those palace eunuchs would turn into palace experts.
Xue Huaiyi saw their behavior and felt it funny and angry at the same time. However, he had already entered the palace. After being given the cold shoulder by Wu Zetian for so long, he didn't dare to be as unbridled as before. It was absolutely impossible for him to teach his disciple a lesson here, so he could only pretend not to see them.
When Wu Zetian wasn't attending court, she was either at the Martial Achievement Hall or at the Lovely Spring Terrace. To go to these two palaces, one had to pass through the Radiance Hall.
In front of the Radiance Hall, flowers were in full bloom. The early spring flowers were planted in front of the hall. They were bright purple and beautiful red, blooming beautifully.
Xue Huaiyi strode to the front of the Radiance Hall. Suddenly, a person flashed out from the flowers in front of him.
Xue Huaiyi took a closer look and recognized that it was Princess Taiping. He couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. If it was when he was favored, he could stride forward at this moment. Not only did he not have to salute this princess, but the princess would also have to take the initiative to call him "Master Xue". Things were different now. Although Xue Huaiyi tried to maintain his appearance, the arrogance in his bones had long disappeared.
He hesitated for a moment and wanted to step forward to greet her. Princess Taiping, with her obviously bulging belly, smiled at him and said, "Master Xue, long time no see!"
Following Princess Taiping's words, eight fat women suddenly flashed out of the flowers from all directions, surrounding them in the center. When Xue Huaiyi saw that Princess Taiping took the initiative to greet him, he was very happy. His face was full of smiles, but when he saw this posture, his smile immediately froze on his face. "Your Highness, what do you mean?"
Princess Taiping's smile turned cold. She replied in a cold voice, "Feng Xiaobao, you know what you have done. Now, it has been exposed!"
Xue Huaiyi was shocked. He quickly took two steps back and took a stance. He said angrily, "Taiping, what do you want? I … I want to see the Emperor! "
Princess Taiping sneered and said, "I have received the Emperor's order to capture you! Come! Capture Feng Xiaobao for me! "
Just now, when Princess Taiping's expression suddenly changed, Xue Huaiyi knew that the situation was not good. If Wu Zetian did not agree, no one in the world would dare to touch him. Moreover, this was the Imperial Palace. Princess Taiping dared to make things difficult here, without a doubt, it was Wu Zetian's intention. But he still asked this question. Perhaps in his heart, he still held on to the last trace of hope. But this last trace of hope was ruthlessly destroyed by Princess Taiping.
The eight female sumo wrestlers were like eight mountains of flesh. They surrounded him in all directions, impenetrable by wind and rain.
They approached step by step in unison. With each step, the earth trembled.
"Master, let's go!"
Hongyi screamed and charged at a fat woman. The fat woman grinned and grabbed Hongyi's belt. She lifted him up like a broken doll and slashed his neck. Hongyi's body went limp and he didn't make any more sounds.
"Eldest Martial Brother!"
Hong Liu let out a miserable howl and rushed towards the enemy in front of him. Although he was like a small quail standing in front of an eagle compared to his opponent, he was still not afraid.
The big fat woman didn't give him any face. She stretched out her hand and pushed Hong Liu's chest with her palm. Hong Liu bounced back at a speed faster than when he had pounced on him. He fell to the ground, sprawled on his back.
Dizzy, Hong Liu crawled up and spun around twice. Just as he stood up, he saw a face that was even rounder and fatter than the Great Buddha Lu She smiling at him. The big face laughed twice and suddenly leaned forward. With a bang, their foreheads collided. Hong Liu's eyes stared blankly as he fell to the ground again, unconscious. Following that, a ball of sackcloth was stuffed into his mouth, and he was tied up tightly with his hands and legs.
Xue Huaiyi's body was very strong, but he was not good at martial arts. The martial arts he performed when he ran the jianghu and sold fake medicine were all showy but impractical moves that had no real value. Laymen just watched for fun. He couldn't even beat one of these eight fat female sumo wrestlers, let alone eight of them. Eight pairs of palms were as heavy as mountains. Xue Huaiyi had no strength to fight back and was beaten unconscious by the eight female sumo wrestlers in a moment.
A moment later, Xue Huaiyi and his two disciples disappeared and three sacks appeared where they had been. At the same time, a general dressed in military uniform appeared ten feet behind Princess Taiping. The general stood with his hand on his sword and smiled: "Good move, Princess. It seems that this prince's hidden troops were unnecessary."
This person was Jianchang Commandery Prince Wu Youning, Princess Taiping's husband and Wu Youji's elder brother. Although Taiping had taken care of this matter, Wu Zetian was worried that her daughter would not be able to handle it, so she had arranged for Wu Youning to lead troops to support them just in case. Now that Taiping had succeeded, Wu Youning was relieved that there was no need to kill them in such an ugly manner.
Princess Taiping said without turning her head: "I will act according to the plan. Jianchang Commandery Prince, please inform His Majesty that everything went smoothly!"
Wu Youning gently nodded and said yes. At Princess Taiping's order, the three fat women each picked up a sack and followed her as if they were nothing. Wu Youning waved his hand and also led the imperial guards who were secretly supporting her to turn around and leave.
Outside the Changle Gate, there were already a dozen or so knights waiting there. There were two carriages in the middle. The three sacks were carried into the carriages. Princess Taiping boarded the first carriage and the convoy immediately left. They did not go through the Duanmen, but left through the right Ye Gate. They followed the long weeping willow causeway and turned towards the Tianjin Bridge, hurrying all the way to the White Horse Temple.
In the White Horse Temple, Sanshan Buddhist Monk and a few other true high monks of the White Horse Temple were already standing solemnly inside the corner door on the right. The door was open, and it was quiet inside and outside. Pilgrims and tourists had long been isolated by the disciples, and no one was allowed to approach.
They had already waited for a long time, but not a single person moved. They were like statues. The sunlight gradually moved from their heads to their shoulders. At this moment, a dozen or so fast horses and two carriages rushed over from afar. They did not stop for even a moment and went straight into the temple.
Sanshan Buddhist Monk waved his hand, and two monks on duty immediately rushed forward. The moment the last knight rushed into the temple, they closed the temple door. The reception monk in front led the way, leading the two carriages straight to the cremation room in the backyard. Sanshan Buddhist Monk and a few other old monks also hurried over.
In the cremation room, a few monks in charge of the cremation had already prepared everything. The charcoal fire burned brightly, and there was a thick layer of charcoal on top to keep the fire quiet. The cremation room was extremely hot and stuffy. A few strong monks were sweating through their heavy clothes, but their expressions were extremely cold.
The two carriages stopped in front of the cremation room. Princess Taiping lifted the curtain of the carriage, but she did not get out. In the carriage behind her, a few fat women carried three sacks and quickly entered the cremation room.
The door of the stove was wide open, the cremation pit was very high and very wide. As soon as they saw the three fat women carrying three sacks in, the cremation monks immediately prodded the fire with long iron hooks to make the stove fire roaring.
The three fat women did not hesitate for a moment. They threw the three sacks into the cremation pit. The six cremation monks on both sides immediately closed the door of the stove and pulled the wooden rings on the bellows. With a 'hu hu' sound, wind blew into the cremation stove. Immediately, the flame sprang out from the cremation stove's iron door.
Suddenly, a few shrill cries rang out from the cremation pit. The monks ignored them and used all their strength to blow as hard as they could. Sanshan Buddhist Monk and the other monks stood outside the cremation room. When they heard the faint cries, they could not help but press their palms together and recite in a low voice, "Namo Amitabhaya, Dota Jiaduye, Dota Di Ye, he …"
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