Harem Daily Life

"How could there be wild beasts in such a clear situation? Quick, protect His Majesty!" King Yong exclaimed loudly. The guards were well-trained and immediately formed a formation, surrounding the civil officials and the emperor's carriage in the middle. Naturally, there were other guards on the outside to fight against the wild beasts.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Ningyuan Hou hurried to the side of the emperor's carriage and said, "Your Majesty, something is strange. Your Majesty, please do not leave the carriage!"

The beasts rushed towards the crowd like crazy, not caring about their own lives. Fortunately, the guards were numerous, so there were no major casualties.

Suddenly, dense arrows shot towards the crowd from all directions. Soon, a group of men in black rushed out and fought with the guards.

Upon seeing this, Prince Yong turned pale, but he pretended to be calm and commanded his guards: "Everyone, don't panic, resist with all your strength!"

The men in black were all skilled, and the guards fought fiercely, resulting in a close battle. Ning Yuanhou, tightly gripping his sword, stood guard beside the emperor's carriage, his eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilance.

Suddenly, he spotted several men in black rapidly approaching the emperor's carriage. Ning Yuanhou shouted loudly and flew forward to meet them, engaging in a fight with the men in black.

The shadow guards came out in full force and guarded the emperor's carriage in the middle, so that no man in black could get close.

The shouts of killing were deafening, and blood was splattered everywhere. In the wilderness halfway up the West Mountain, rain washed away the blood, and the mixture of rain and shouts was terrifying.

At some point, He Linzhang's horse was hit by an arrow. The horse was startled, raised its hooves high, and let out a terrified roar. The carriage rushed out like an arrow.

"Your Majesty! Quick, mount your horses and protect the Emperor!" Ningyuan Hou led the charge, chasing after him. The shadow guards, unwilling to fight, quickly followed. Unable to move, Prince Yong could only watch helplessly as the Emperor's carriage sped away like crazy, brandishing his sword and slashing at the men in black.

"Capture one alive, and kill the rest without mercy!" Prince Yong shouted angrily. He had accompanied the emperor to suppress the rebellion a few years ago, and it had been a long time since he had fought with real swords and guns. He was so bloodthirsty that he was red-eyed.

After Prince Yong finally killed all the men in black with his guards and caught and tied up one of them, he discovered that Marquis Ningyuan had taken his men to chase the emperor and never returned.

"Everyone, listen up! Half of you will escort the courtiers back, and the other half will follow me into the mountains to protect His Majesty!"

Tao Qian stepped forward and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, please bring His Majesty back. I will go back and get reinforcements."

Just as Tao Qian was about to leave, Prince Yong stopped him and said, "Master Tao, let's not talk about the Queen for now. Wait until His Majesty is back, and then tell the Queen, so she won't worry."

Tao Qian nodded. He didn't want his daughter to be frightened.

King Yong led his men all the way to the hunting grounds, but saw no sign of anyone.

Because the heavy rain washed away the road surface, many traces were erased, and it was impossible to tell whether anyone had passed by.

King Yong was extremely anxious and asked everyone to divide into several teams to search everywhere.

"Prince! Prince!" Soon, a group of people came to meet them.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Ningyuan is just ahead, but...but your Majesty's carriage...has fallen off a cliff!"

"What did you say?" Prince Yong looked at the guard who came to report in disbelief. "Did he really fall off the cliff? Quick, take me to see it!"

This royal hunting ground has guardrails around the cliffs, so it is not easy for a carriage to fall off the cliff. Therefore, Prince Yong found it hard to believe that his royal brother actually fell off the cliff with the carriage!

When he arrived at the edge of the cliff, he saw that the guardrail that was supposed to stand on the edge for protection had already been cut down, and there was no protection at all.

Ning Yuanhou knelt on the edge of the cliff in despair, looking down at the cliff with tears in his eyes.

"Go down and look for him, go down and look for him, His Majesty must be found! Alive or dead... No, His Majesty will not die, His Majesty cannot die!" Ning Yuanhou's heart sank to the bottom of the valley, and he prayed silently in his heart: Your Majesty, you must live well, otherwise Yan Yan is only twenty years old, and the twins are still so young, how can they, an orphan and a widow, survive!

In Changchun Palace, the Queen Mother fainted as soon as she received the news.

Even if Tao Qian didn't want to tell the Queen, the people who left the city returned and the matter became a big deal. When Tao Yanyan found out, she almost dropped the child in her arms. It was Qingfeng who quickly caught the child and saved the fat little Yucheng from hitting the ground.

"What do you mean by an ambush? What do you mean by His Majesty's whereabouts are unknown?"

Eunuch Zhang stood before Tao Yanyan, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty, I was brought back by Lord Tao. I only know that your Majesty's horse got spooked, and the carriage went into a tailspin and disappeared..."

Tao Yanyan calmed himself down and said, "Prepare the carriage. I want to go!"

"Your Majesty! Prince Yong and Marquis Ningyuan are here. Why don't you stay in the palace? The Queen Mother still needs to be taken care of. Eunuch Qin sent someone to say that the Queen Mother has not yet woken up." Qingfeng advised.

Mingyue, with tears in her eyes, also advised: "Your Majesty, you are now the backbone of the entire Great Zhou. You must not let anything happen to you again! It's getting dark outside, and it's raining in the mountains, making it difficult to walk. It's better to wait until daybreak. Perhaps Prince Yong and the others have already found Your Majesty!"

Mingyue knew that Yingyi and the others would definitely stay by His Majesty's side. If anything happened to His Majesty, then Yingyi...

Mingyue didn't dare to think about it. She regretted very much now why she didn't express her feelings earlier.

Tao Yanyan looked at the drizzle falling outside the window again, and suppressed the grief in her heart: "Okay, let's go visit the Queen Mother first. Mingyue, you guard Changle Palace and the children." After that, she took Qingfeng to Changchun Palace.

In Changle Palace, Doctor Xu frowned, and only after giving the empress dowager acupuncture did he feel relieved.

Several imperial physicians were discussing a prescription when they heard the Empress had arrived. Doctor Xu, noticing the Empress's frown, stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Empress Dowager fainted in a moment of anxiety and will wake up soon. However, Your Majesty has not returned to the palace to avoid upsetting the Empress Dowager. Please be cautious when mentioning Your Majesty."

Tao Yanyan nodded, and sat down to wait, feeling somewhat confused. Fortunately, not long after, he heard that the Queen Mother had woken up and summoned the Queen.

Tao Yanyan quickly stood up and went into the inner room, then stepped forward and held the empress dowager's hand.

"How are you feeling, Queen Mother? I hope nothing happens to you, or His Majesty will be worried when he returns."

The Queen Mother closed her eyes and asked: "How is the Emperor now? When will he return to the palace?"

Tao Yanyan's face paled as she soothed him, "The road down the mountain was washed away by the rain. Word has come that the troops are staying at the mountain inn for two days. Your Majesty is well, and the hunting will continue as usual. Don't worry, Queen Dowager. Get well soon. Tomorrow morning, I will go up the mountain to visit Your Majesty on your behalf."

The Queen Mother watched Tao Yanyan feign composure, a pang of pain welling up in her heart. After a moment, she closed her eyes and shook Tao Yanyan's hand. "My child, you are in charge of the harem. Even in the face of difficulties, you must remain calm. I am old, and from now on, I will fully cooperate with you to resolve this matter. Listen, I will tell you something, and you must do it immediately."