The cruel little princess

Inside the courtyard, candlelight flickered, casting shadows on the walls. Mosquito-repellent wormwood was lit all around, its fragrance filling the air.

"Donors, please don't say too much, just be patient..."

Abbot Wuwo put his hands together, and after reciting the mantra, he continued to strike the wooden fish, muttering to himself.

The sound of the wooden fish spread far away in the quiet night, and seemed to strike at the tips of everyone's hearts, making the night even more mysterious and solemn.

Shen Duanfang's brows were furrowed, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion. He sighed softly and said, "This Abbot Wuwo is so mysterious and spouting nonsense. I don't know what he's up to!"

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and sat down on a chair beside him, facing Lord Wu. He picked up the teacup and took a sip, but his mind was not on the tea at all.

In the delivery room, Shen Youyou bit her lower lip tightly, her face was as pale as paper, beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down her forehead, soaking her hair.

The contractions came in waves like a tide. She clutched the curtains beside the bed tightly with both hands, her knuckles turned white, and her body trembled slightly.

But even so, she still stubbornly endured it, and took advantage of the pain to slowly move her feet and walk a few steps along the bed with difficulty.

When the pain became unbearable, she would lie back on the bed to rest for a while. After tossing and turning like this, the midwife checked and told her that her cervix was only five fingers dilated.

The night was as thick as ink, and everything was silent. As midnight approached, the whole world seemed to be swallowed up by darkness.

"Your Highness, please send someone to the North City Gate to wait! The destined one has come from afar and will be arriving soon..."

Abbot Wuwo still had his eyes closed, sitting upright on the cushion. The voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone, like a mysterious command.

Prince Jin raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of doubt. He subconsciously looked at An Yi and An Er beside him. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "An Yi, quickly send Nineteen to the North Gate to wait for the destined person."

An Yi's face was filled with helplessness. He stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "Your Highness, who is this destined person? How should I tell Nineteen? I can't just leave him there waiting, can I?"

His Royal Highness Prince Jin was speechless for a moment, and was left speechless by the question. He paced around the courtyard impatiently, and then looked at Abbot Wuwo.

But Abbot Wuwo said only that, and then stopped talking. Everyone was secretly wondering what the old monk was up to.

At this moment, An Er rolled his eyes, stepped forward and gently pushed An Yi, whispering, "You stupid fool!

The monk said that he had come from far away and would be here soon. But it was the dead of night and the city gates had been closed long ago. Who could possibly rush back from outside?

At this hour, you should have Nineteen wait at the city gate. Whoever comes will be the one!"

After hearing this, An's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly, then turned around and hurried away to arrange this matter.

In the delivery room, Shen Youyou was tormented by the two naughty little creatures in her belly and had no desire to sleep. She wanted to get up and move around, but as soon as she sat up, she felt a sharp pain and almost fainted.

Fortunately, I took advantage of the break in the contractions and drank a bowl of steaming ginseng chicken soup and a small bowl of rice porridge under the careful care of my maid. Now I feel I still have some strength.

At the same time, on the official road near the capital, the moonlight poured down like water, and the silver light fell on the earth. The trees on the roadside swayed in the wind, and the shadows of the trees danced and rustled.

In the distance, the sound of hurried horse hooves broke the silence of the night. Several horses came galloping, their riders agile and swift, rushing towards the capital at lightning speed.

On the tall horse at the head sat a man, his posture as straight as a pine tree. Although his face was a little tired, it still couldn't hide his innate handsomeness and heroism.

After a closer look, who else could it be but Shen Zijin?!

Yesterday evening, he led the army to the outskirts of the city. He originally planned to set up camp and cook, let the soldiers have a good rest for the night, and wait until tomorrow morning to straighten the army's appearance and enter the palace to meet the emperor in high spirits.

But who would have thought that after nightfall, he lay in bed but still couldn't fall asleep.

He always felt that the faint sound of the wooden fish coming from the air was like a ghost, lingering in his ears and making him upset.

He felt an inexplicable sense of unease in his heart, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his heart. His intuition told him that something bad was about to happen.

After much thought, considering that his sister would give birth in a few days and that there was a disaster approaching, he could no longer suppress his inner panic. He simply got up and decided to sneak back to the capital at night.

Even if he just went back to Beijing to take a look and make sure his father and sister were safe, he would come back quietly and enter Beijing with the army!

Along the way, he was extremely anxious and kept urging the horse to gallop faster. The sound of horse hooves was particularly loud in the silent night, as if telling of his inner anxiety and concern.

His eyes revealed a hint of fatigue, but more of it was worry about the unknown and an eager anticipation, as if there was something extremely important in the capital waiting for him to protect...

An Shijiu and his group rode at full speed and were about to reach the north city gate.

At this time, the night was like thick ink, pressing down heavily. Everything was silent, and only the cold moonlight sprinkled down like water, guarding the peaceful people who were sleeping.

The soldiers defending the city still stood tall and firm at their posts, fulfilling their duties conscientiously.

The soldiers on the city wall saw from afar several figures rushing towards the city, and immediately became alert. They all tensed up, opened their eyes wide, and tried to identify the identities of the people coming.

"Who are you coming? Tell me your name quickly!" The leader of the team guarding the city shouted loudly, and his powerful voice cut through the silent night sky.

"We are the guards of Prince Jin's Palace!" An Shijiu quickly took out the badge that symbolized his identity, gathered his internal strength in his palm, and suddenly shot the badge towards the top of the city wall.

The team leader saw something flying towards him with a whistling sound, and quickly reached out to catch it.

Even though he was wearing a thick helmet, his fingers were still numb from the shock. He couldn't help but secretly marvel in his heart: This person's skills are so profound!

He took the badge in his hand and looked at it carefully. It was undoubtedly the badge of Prince Jin's Mansion.

They guessed that perhaps the prince had sent them on an urgent matter, so they did not dare to delay for a moment and hurried down the steps on the city wall.

Soon, An Shijiu and his companions galloped to the city gate, dismounted swiftly, clasped their hands together, bowed, and said loudly, "Brothers, thank you for your hard work on duty! We are the guards of Prince Jin's Mansion, and we have come to pick you up on the orders of the prince!"

"Pick someone up?!"

The little leader was full of confusion and couldn't help but ask, "Who are you picking up?"

He scratched his head vigorously and thought to himself, when he came down from the city wall just now, there was clearly no one outside the city. Could it be that the agreed time has not arrived yet?

When An Shijiu heard this, his heart suddenly stopped and a trace of barely perceptible embarrassment flashed across his face.

He secretly complained: "How can I answer this? I can't just say I'll pick up the destined person, right? But I don't even have a clue who this destined person is.

But if I don’t answer, it will seem like we in Prince Jin’s Mansion are not following the rules and regulations…”

For a moment, An Nineteen stood there, not knowing whether to advance or retreat, feeling caught in a dilemma.

Fortunately, An Twenty-Seven behind him reacted quickly. He stepped forward, his expression stern, and loudly replied, "The prince's secret order! I have no comment!"

"Yeah!"

An Nineteen, waking as if from a dream, quickly composed himself, cleared his throat, and said with an unfathomable air, "We'll just go with you to the city wall and wait! Once the distinguished guest arrives, you'll know for sure!"

The little leader looked at them in such a mysterious manner. Although he was full of curiosity, he did not dare to ask more questions.

He simply stretched out his hand and made a "please" gesture, and said: "Okay! Brothers, please follow me!" After that, he took the lead and led them towards the city wall.

An Nineteen and the others followed behind, their footsteps gradually fading away in the silent night...