Chapter 139: The Zhao Clan’s Young Misses Came to Fulfill Their Vows

Young women?

After the head guard’s announcement, there was nothing but the sound of rain pattering against the ground for a few seconds.

Gu Xinglang asked, “Could it be some females who came to fast at the temple?”

Xianzong had a low opinion of his son-in-law as he replied, “Eternal Life Temple’s Junior Master is living in the temple. Would the State Preceptor allow any women to fast here? Gu fellow, are you this brainless on the battlefield too?”

“Eh?” Yu Xiaoxiao spoke up.

Xianzong thought that she was going to defend Gu Xinglang again and huffed, “So now Zhen can’t even lecture that Gu Clan fellow anymore?”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked beyond the crowd and remarked, “That looks a lot like Prime Minister Zhao.”

Xiaozong, Gu Xinglang, and the guards all turned to see.

“Very similar, right?” Yu Xiaxiao added.

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” Xianzong asked. “That is Zhao Qiuming.”

Yu Xiaoxiao knit her brows. She had just ran into this prime minister at the prisons last night, but why did he suddenly look 10 years older now? It was as if he’d walked from the prime of his life to the decline of his years.

Zhao Qiuming had long spotted Xiaozong and Yu Xiaoxiao standing together and silently cursed. He had been at a teahouse near Safeguard Temple waiting for the Zhao sisters who never showed up. Then the shocking phenomenon of thunderbolts led him to run straight for the temple with his attendants in tow, afraid that the sisters might have been hurt by the princess instead of running into Xianzong.

Xianzong could tell that his prime minister had aged overnight too. He glanced at Yu Xiaoxiao and said, “This is the result of worrying after his sons and daughters!”

That’s right ah, Yu Xiaoxiao privately agreed, This fellow was busy worrying about how to kill his son.

Zhao Qiuming stopped a dozen paces from Xianzong and fell to his knees in the mud to pay his respects. “This subject greets Your Majesty.”

“Stand up to talk,” Xianzong replied.

Zhao Qiuming didn’t rise, but bowed towards Yu Xiaoxiao and Gu Xinglang next. “This official greets Your Highness Princess and Royal Son-in-Law.”

Yu Xiaoxiao copied Xianzong and replied, “Stand up to talk.”

Zhao Qiuming wasn’t expecting the eldest princess to show him any manners, so he thanked His Majesty for his grace and stood up.

“Why are you here?” Xianzong asked next.

Zhao Qiuming replied, “This subject heard that Junior Master Fenglin wasn’t well and that His Majesty brought the princess and Royal Son-in-Law to ask after him at Safeguard Temple. Feeling uneasy, this subject came as well.”

“Tch,” Yu Xiaoxiao scoffed. “Why are you uneasy that Wen Fenglin’s sick? Aye, imperial father, I just knew it. Wen Fenglin and Consort Zhao are—”

“S-shut up!” Xianzong shouted at her. “This is impossible, so you’re forbidden to talk about it from now on!” She’s so obsessed with putting a green hat1 on my head. What is my daughter thinking of these days?

Zhao Qiuming carefully probed, “Your Majesty, the junior master is…?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the junior master,” Xianzong replied. “But the thunderbolt just then startled him, so he’s feeling rather unwell.”

Prime Minster Zhao didn’t believe those words. Would Eternal Life Temple monks be afraid of thunder and lightning?

Yu Xiaoxiao tried to shoo him off. “Wen Fenglin’s fine, so you can go home.”

Zhao Qiuming replied, “Your Majesty, this subject’s other two daughters went to Safeguard Temple to fulfill their vows today. This subject is concerned about their welfare.”

Besides an outsider like Yu Xiaoxiao, everyone else could understand. To fulfill one’s vows (pray) before the Buddha, or give prayers or promises to the boddhisatva, both took an entire day.

Xianzong had heard of Consort Zhao mentioning two little sisters and nodded. “Since that’s the case, go ahead and visit those young Misses from the household. Zhen doesn’t need you to attend Us here.”

Zhao Qiuming glanced at the collapsed wall behind them and asked, “Your Majesty, how did this wall fall down?”

“You’re asking Zhen?” Xianzong retorted. “How should Zhen know why it fell? Is Zhen the one who built Safeguard Temple?”

His sudden reaction scared Prime Minster Zhao, who quickly amended, “This subject deserves to die.”

“Enough,” Xianzong waved at him impatiently. “You don’t need to worry too much about your daughters. How long can you keep looking after them as a father? Zhen heard you even had a bitter cry in front of Consort Zhao yesterday. What now? You think Zhen mistreated your daughter?”

“This subject doesn’t dare!” Zhao Qiuming quickly fell to his knees again. “This subject has let Your Majesty down! This subject deserves death ah, Your Majesty!”

“This subject deserves death, this subject deserves death,” Xianzong parroted. “How many lives can you afford to lose? Scram and go find your daughters. Don’t cry in front of Zhen. If you knew what was going to happen, why act like that from the start?”

“It’s not like he can predict the future,” Yu Xiaoxiao muttered. “How could he know what would happen today?”

Xianzong looked at Gu Xinglang. “Why are you still hanging around?”

Gu Xinglang said, “Your Majesty, this subject has something to report. The junior master, he—”

“You don’t need to ask after the junior master,” Xianzong cut him off abruptly. “Take Linglong and get out of here, fast.”

“Your Majesty…” Gu Xinglang tried again.

“Zhen wants you to get lost!” Xianzong’s temper flared. “Get! Lost! Understand?!”

“What are you shouting for?” Yu Xiaoxiao shielded Gu Xinglang behind her and creased her brows at Xianzong. “We didn’t do anything wrong, so why should we get lost?”

Xianzong fumed. “Do you want Zhen to list out your misdeeds one by one?”

Yu Xiaoxiao refused to give in. “What did I do wrong? Tell me about them.”

Xianzong paced around in a circle, feeling weary at heart. To put it in modern terms, His Majesty was currently 'so disenchanted by their relationship that he felt like he would never fall in love again.”

The head guard looked at the half-buried women beneath the rubble at his feet as his face twitched. His Majesty and the princess couldn’t have forgotten about this, right? Ah, wait. He looked towards Zhao Qiuming next. The prime minister’s two daughters? The prime minister’s two daughters…my God! He felt like a streak of lightning had seared through his brain. These two can’t be them, right?!

Gu Xinglang couldn’t very well watch this imperial father and daughter break into a scuffle in public. If they really started fighting, His Majesty would be no match for his wife. If his wife hurt His Majesty and rumors spread out, she’d be drowned in the spittle of the world’s people.

“Your Majesty!” Gu Xinglang raised his voice.

Xianzong gave a start. “What are you being so loud for? Wait, no—why haven’t you left yet?”

Gu Xinglang sped up his words to prevent another interruption again. “Your Majesty, Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei rescued two Eternal Life Temple monks from the pill furnace buildings. One of them was making medicine for the junior master.”

“So then?” Xianzong folded his hands behind his back.

Gu Xinglang explained, “They can’t find the junior master’s medicine anymore and they didn’t bring extra ingredients. It’s likely Junior Master’s illness won’t recover for a while.”

Xianzong was quite happy to hear that. He just knew bad luck couldn’t be limited to one person. If Wen Fenglin wanted to get sick, he could go ahead. He didn’t mind taking care of that little tender face for the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, the head guard ran in front of Xianzong, glanced at the still-kneeling Zhao Qiuming, and couldn’t help but add, “Your Majesty, it seems like the prime minister’s daughters are under that pile of rubble.”

What?!