Chapter 295: Chapter 295: Insisting on Courting Death
The eunuch was kicked to the ground but didnāt dare make a sound. He scrambled back up and resumed his kneeling position.
Xuanyuan Hongjun, seething with rage, smashed everything he could get his hands on in the room.
How could he not be furious?
The prize that was already in his grasp had just flown away.
And to think he had gone out of his way to recommend Lu Zhan to his father, the Emperor, just to get him out of the way.
But now, with such a perfect opportunity, the beauty had run off.
After venting his fury, Xuanyuan Hongjun suddenly realized this was no simple matter. Someone must have leaked the news beforehand.
"Guo Yingrong!"
The Crown Princess Consort was the first person who came to mind.
His face darkening, he stormed over to Guo Yingrongās chambers.
Guo Yingrong wasnāt surprised to hear the Crown Prince had arrived.
She rose to greet him.
However, before she could even curtsy, Xuanyuan Hongjun kicked her to the ground.
"You bitch! I trusted you completely, yet you dared to betray me!"
Before Guo Yingrong could even react, Xuanyuan Hongjun hauled her up from the floor.
"Speak! Was it you who leaked the news to Zhi Wan?"
"No, I did not." Guo Yingrong shook her head in denial.
"No? If not, then how did she get away?" Xuanyuan Hongjunās face was a mask of disbelief.
"I truly did not. If Your Highness refuses to believe me, there is nothing I can do," Guo Yingrong said, closing her eyes and enduring the pain. āI didnāt notify Zhi Wan. I just had Xi Ying take a letter to Lu Zhan, thatās all.ā
Xuanyuan Hongjun shoved her away and said coldly, "Do you think Iām out of options just because you sent Zhi Wan away? There are only a few temples in the suburb of the capital. Iāll just go find her myself."
Guo Yingrongās face went pale with fright. She grabbed his leg and pleaded, "Your Highness, please reconsider! A Buddhist Holy Land must not be desecrated! If Father Emperor finds out, he will surely reprimand you."
"Hmph. Father Emperor has already left for the hunting ground. I am in charge of the entire Capital City now. Iād like to see who dares to report this to him." Xuanyuan Hongjun was completely unconcerned. In fact, the idea of a temple piqued his interest. āIf I could take that beauty right there in the temple...ā
At this thought, he ignored Guo Yingrong and left, unable to wait any longer.
When she saw he was gone, Guo Yingrong immediately got to her feet, her expression completely indifferent.
āI tried to warn him. Heās just determined to dig his own grave.ā
āGo on, hurry up and go. Once you do, your position as Crown Prince will be forfeit.ā
āThis is for the best. Otherwise, with a character like his, he would surely be a fatuous ruler if he ascended the throne. The world would be plunged into chaos, and the common people would be the ones to suffer.ā
...
Xuanyuan Hongjun easily found out that the temple Zhi Wan had gone to was called Puzhao Temple.
When he heard the name, he froze for a moment. āIsnāt that temple on the way to the hunting ground?ā
His attendant had the same thought and quickly advised, "Your Highness, the Emperorās procession will pass Puzhao Temple on their way to the hunting ground today. If you happen to run into them, it would be difficult to explain yourself. Perhaps you should go another day."
"Whatās there to be afraid of? Father Emperorās party left the city long ago. By the time we reach Puzhao Temple, theyāll be long gone," Xuanyuan Hongjun said dismissively.
The attendant knew his masterās temperāone more word of protest and he would feel the lash of a whip, so he held his tongue. In his heart, he also felt it was too much of a coincidence. The Emperorās party had left so much earlier that a chance encounter seemed impossible.
The thought of a beauty like Zhi Wan, all alone in a temple, made Xuanyuan Hongjunās blood boil with lust. With no time for further consideration, he immediately gathered his men, spurred his horse out of the city, and galloped straight for Puzhao Temple.
What he didnāt know was that the Emperorās procession had just passed Puzhao Temple when they ran into trouble, bringing the entire retinue to a halt.
Two women in tattered clothes scrambled out of the nearby woods in a panic, stumbling and falling before the procession.
"Helpā"
Faced with the two women who had appeared so suddenly, the Imperial Guard drew their swords, on high alert. "Who are you?"
The two women were clearly delirious, crying out over and over, "Help... save us..."
The head of the Imperial Guards waved his hand, and several guards immediately advanced toward the woods. Spotting a few furtive figures among the trees, they gave chase. "Who goes there?"
The commotion at the front of the procession naturally caught the Emperorās attention.
He immediately sent a nearby eunuch to see what was happening.
A moment later, the eunuch returned and reported to the Emperor in his carriage, "Your Majesty, weāve encountered two women fleeing for their lives. Someone is pursuing them. Commander Shen has already sent men after the culprits."
Hearing this, the Emperorās expression soured. For someone to dare commit such a crime in broad daylight, so close to the Capital Cityāit was a blatant disregard for the Court.
The journey had been tedious, so this incident piqued the Emperorās interest. He commanded, "Bring them here. We shall personally question them and find out who dares to be so audacious."
The two women were quickly brought forward.
The Emperor saw that their clothes were in tatters and their exposed skin was covered in whip marks. They had clearly been severely abused. A flicker of compassion stirred in him, and he ordered his attendants to cover them with outer robes and give them some water.
The two women, who had been cowering, calmed down slightly when they were given clothes and water. But seeing the crowd around them staring with strange looks, they began to tremble with fear again, clinging tightly to each other.
"Do not be afraid. The Emperor is here. Whatever injustice you have suffered, speak of it freely. His Majesty will see that justice is done for you," Lu Zhan said at that moment.
Hearing this, the two women froze. It took a long moment for them to react, then they began to kowtow forcefully toward the imperial carriage, crying out, "Your Majesty, save us! Please, grant us justice..."
"Who are you, and why were you being pursued?" the Emperor asked in a grave voice.
At his question, the two women let out a wail and burst into tears.
It was a long while before they stopped crying. One of them finally spoke. "I am originally from Qingzhou. My family members are all law-abiding people. But one morning, when I went out to buy vegetables, I was knocked unconscious from behind. When I woke up, I found myself locked in a dark room with many other girls my age.
"Those people... they forced us to learn ārulesā... to learn... to learn how to seduce men. If we didnāt learn or disobeyed, we would be brutally beaten.
"But once we learned, we would be sent off to serve clients in brothels all over the country.
"The two of us couldnāt bear the humiliation, so we risked our lives to escape, but we were discovered.
"Those men pursued us relentlessly all the way here. If we hadnāt run into you, we would have been dragged back, locked up, and beaten again..."
"Your Majesty, please save us! We donāt want to be taken back! We want to go home..." the other woman cried, her voice filled with heart-wrenching despair.
"Outrageous! For someone to be so audacious right under the Emperorās nose!" The Emperor flew into a rage and smashed a cup.
"Your Majesty, calm your anger! Please mind your health!" the eunuch attending him in the carriage cried, dropping to his knees in fright.
It took a while for the Emperor to compose himself. He finally spoke in a low, serious voice, "Lu Zhan, how do you think this matter should be handled?"