Chapter 6

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Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

The speed was extremely fast!

The other women immediately panicked and started chasing after her, "Princess, slow down!"

The princess clearly did not expect the horse to accelerate so quickly. She screamed in fright as it started, then tensely leaned on the horse's back, unable to make a sound.

"It's too fast!" Xue Shao couldn't help but exclaim.

The black horse carrying the princess galloped like a bolt of black lightning along the riverbank, quickly reaching the stone path. At that moment, a large fish, seemingly startled, suddenly leaped out of the river, performed a beautiful mid-air jump, and splashed back into the water, not far from the black horse.

The galloping black horse was clearly startled, neighing loudly and turning its head to charge toward the lakeside pavilion. The sudden turn frightened the princess, who screamed and almost fell off the horse.

The women chasing behind screamed in panic, and Xue Shao's heart tightened. The stone path was uneven and without railings, making it very easy to fall into the water. The horse was truly out of control!

The horse, clearly afraid of water, slowed down on the stone path but couldn't turn around, only frantically stepping left and right, causing stones to fly and the horse to wobble precariously.

The princess screamed repeatedly, almost falling off the horse several times.

"Someone, save the princess, save the princess!" The women were all terrified, with two of them even crying.

The horse's hooves were heavy, and the stone lotus leaves were about to be trampled to pieces. Seeing the situation becoming critical, Xue Shao suddenly rushed forward, leaped high in front of the horse, and in mid-air, grabbed the princess and threw her to the side, landing with a splash in the water!

In the critical moment, Xue Shao instinctively used the "flying car capture" technique he had learned in his previous life.

Almost simultaneously, the horse let out a tragic neigh and fell into the water—the stone lotus leaves completely collapsed!

After falling into the water, the princess, already frightened, swallowed several mouthfuls of water and then closed her eyes, flailing and grabbing wildly. The strength of a person who has fallen into the water is immense; if she grabbed onto someone, they would be unable to move and would drown together. In a panic, Xue Shao slapped her unconscious and then dragged her to the riverbank.

The women on the riverbank were already in a state of shock, and a group of soldiers were rushing over. Xue Shao swam to the riverbank, and the women and soldiers helped pull them up. Seeing the princess unconscious, everyone panicked, with some crying loudly and others shouting, "Quick, call the imperial physician!" Xue Shao shouted, "Quiet, move aside!"

This thunderous shout immediately silenced everyone.

Pushing aside the crowd, Xue Shao squatted next to the princess, preparing to perform first aid for drowning. Just as he squatted down, Xue Shao suddenly froze!

The princess, though disheveled and pale, had delicate and exquisite features that were breathtakingly beautiful. However, whether in his previous life or this one, Xue Shao was no longer a young man who would be overwhelmed by a woman's pretty face.

The problem was that the princess's face... was so familiar!

Apart from the clothes and hairstyle, from her features to her figure, even her fair and tender skin, she bore a striking resemblance to An Xiaorou, who was always called the "school flower" during their student days!

The memory of An Xiaorou in Xue Shao's heart was too deep. They used to go to school and back together every day, secretly passing notes under their desks, riding bicycles through the dry yellow autumn leaves on their way home, leaving countless memories of their youth...

Countless fragments flashed rapidly in Xue Shao's mind, his expression changed, and his heart surged with waves of emotion, unable to calm down!

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing the shocked expression on Xue Shao's face, the crowd shouted in extreme alert. Several soldiers rushed forward and pulled him away without a word, while others carried the princess away, crying and shouting.

Xue Shao was held back by the soldiers, unable to move, and could only stare with wide eyes as the princess was carried away, his breathing rapid and his chest heaving. He knew the princess was not in any danger and would wake up soon even without his help.

"Oh, I remember, the higher-ups mentioned you, you're Xue Shao!" One of the soldiers recognized him and let him go.

"Which princess was it just now?" Xue Shao asked hurriedly.

"You don't need to ask more." The soldier glanced at him and said, "What happened just now, you must not reveal a single word. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire!"

"Understood." Xue Shao replied.

"Considering you saved the princess, we won't make things difficult for you." Another soldier said, "But you cannot leave for now. If the higher-ups ask, you must be ready to answer—come with us!"

Xue Shao wiped the water from his face and silently nodded. His mind, however, was still on that moment, with the images of An Xiaorou and the princess flashing in his head. Although they were not identical, and their personalities were vastly different, this little princess was the only one in recent years who reminded Xue Shao of An Xiaorou!...

The soldiers took Xue Shao to the nearby Longshou Hall and confined him to a room where the soldiers rested. Knowing Xue Shao's identity, the guards treated him reasonably, allowing him to take a bath and change into clean clothes, and even lit a fire to warm him after the cold spring water. They also gave him some food and then left him alone.

Xue Shao sat in the room for a long time, holding An Xiaorou's sculpture, with the images of the princess and An Xiaorou constantly flashing in his mind, his heart racing.

For so many years, only things related to An Xiaorou could touch his heart. He had seen An Xiaorou in his dreams countless times, but he never expected to see a woman who looked so much like her today!

...

In the same Longshou Hall, Princess Taiping had already changed into dry clothes and was lying on a soft couch, covered with a phoenix-patterned brocade quilt. Her face was still pale, and she remained unconscious. An old imperial physician with white hair and beard was sitting by her side, diagnosing her through a silk screen. After a long time, he finally sighed in relief!

In the room, over a dozen palace maids and eunuchs were kneeling on the ground, trembling and not daring to move. The old physician glanced at them, his heart heavy: today's incident would likely cost many lives!

A moment later, the door to the bedroom was pushed open, and a woman walked in.

She was dressed in a green robe, with twelve flower tree decorations on her head, a red silk belt around her waist, and white jade pendants hanging from it. She looked to be in her early forties, with a broad face, wide forehead, and arched eyebrows, exuding a regal and dignified presence.

Her face was expressionless, but she exuded an aura of authority. As soon as she appeared, the air in the room seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe. The kneeling maids and eunuchs began to tremble, and the old physician hurriedly knelt down, "Your humble servant greets Empress Dowager!"

The woman before them was none other than the current Empress of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian, known in later generations as Wu Zetian. Although she was nearly sixty, she looked much younger due to her beauty-preserving techniques.

Wu Zetian stood in the hall like a celestial being, glanced at the group of people kneeling on the ground, and with a wave of her left sleeve, a group of armored guards rushed in and dragged the eunuchs and maids out.

No one dared to cry out or beg for mercy. They had followed the princess for a long time and knew the Empress Dowager's style—no begging, a quick death; begging and crying, a worse fate!

The room was now clear, leaving only Wu Zetian and the old physician, who was trembling on the ground.

Wu Zetian walked silently to the princess's couch, sat down, and held her hand, asking, "How is she?"

The old physician, as if hearing a death sentence, shuddered and quickly turned to kneel, "Empress Dowager, the princess is fine!"

At this, Wu Zetian's tense face relaxed slightly.

"Details." Only two words.

"The princess was fortunate to be rescued in time after falling into the water. Although she swallowed some water, it did not harm her vital energy. However, the spring water is cold, and the princess has caught a slight chill. I have used acupuncture to drive out the cold and prescribed good medicine. After taking one dose, she will be completely fine with no lingering effects." The old physician's cold sweat dripped down his forehead, but he dared not say a wrong word.

"Why is she still unconscious?"

"Empress Dowager, the person who rescued the princess knocked her out, which is why she remains unconscious. But it is only temporary."

"Hmm?!" A heavy nasal sound.

"Empress Dowager, please calm down!" The old physician pressed his forehead to the ground, "Those who drown are usually in a state of panic and have immense strength. If the rescuer does not use the right method, they risk drowning together. It is likely that the princess was knocked out for this reason."

After a moment of silence, Wu Zetian's voice softened slightly, "Rise."

"Thank you, Empress Dowager!" The old physician gratefully got up, his knees aching, but he dared not move, only staring at his feet.

At this moment, the princess was still unconscious. Wu Zetian gently patted her face, softly calling, "Taiping, Taiping?"

At this moment, Wu Zetian seemed like a loving mother, gently calling her daughter to wake up for breakfast, her eyes filled with tenderness.

After a few pats, the princess woke up. Opening her eyes groggily, she saw Wu Zetian and burst into tears, "Mother, Mother!"

"Good, my child, good! It's okay, it's okay!" Wu Zetian, with a pained heart, opened her arms to embrace her. Princess Taiping, crying, tried to get up and run into her mother's arms but winced in pain and fell back down.

"Mother, it hurts!" She clutched the back of her neck, her face contorted in pain, tears streaming down.

"Mother, I remember, wail, wail, wail!" Princess Taiping stretched out her arms and tightly hugged Wu Zetian's neck, crying bitterly, "Someone hit me! Someone hit me!"

"No one hit you." Wu Zetian gently patted her back, comforting her, "In the entire world, who would dare to bully the great Princess Taiping?"

"Yes, yes, there is! I clearly remember someone rushing over and pulling me into the water. Then they hit me hard on the neck! I blacked out and don't remember anything else—now it hurts, it really hurts! Mother, your precious daughter will become a hunchback princess!" Princess Taiping cried, "Mother, you must take revenge for me, cut off his head and exterminate his clan!!"

Wu Zetian felt a strange block in her heart, a smile of indulgence and helplessness appearing on her face: exterminating his clan would also implicate her own emperor husband?

At this moment, Xue Shao, who was warming himself by the fire in another room, sneezed. He rubbed his nose, thinking: this body, long indulged in alcohol and women, was already drained. Being immersed in the spring water of Longshou Pool, he felt a chill. He would need to spend more time exercising to strengthen his body.

That night, several dozen more souls were added to the list of victims in the Daming Palace, all of them eunuchs and attendants of Princess Taiping.

However, no one came to bother Xue Shao again.

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