Ping Zhao Lu

The young man in yellow clothes who broke into the house looked around arrogantly and found that there were only three or four people here, including a little kid.

He suddenly felt that he was very majestic, his arrogance grew higher and higher, and he became more and more arrogant.

"Hey, who's the young master here? Be smart and give this room to me. I'm a magnanimous person and won't argue with you."

The young man in yellow raised his chin and glanced at Chu Heyuan, his eyes full of disdain and provocation.

However, faced with such an unreasonable request, Chu Heyuan remained unmoved.

His face was calm and expressionless, but his tone was extremely firm: "No." These two simple words revealed an unquestionable determination.

"Oh, you ignorant little brat! How dare you disobey my orders!" The young man in yellow was enraged. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. "Hmph, do you know who I am?"

After saying this, he turned his head triumphantly and winked at the servant behind him.

The servant, upon seeing this, immediately understood what he meant. He quickly stepped forward, head held high, chest puffed out, and spoke in a loud and clear voice, "Open your eyes and take a good look! The one standing before you is none other than the son of the illustrious Prince of Zhenbei—Prince Jia Changfeng!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the people around who were originally just watching the fun gasped and couldn't help but let out exclamations and sighs.

After all, the King of Zhenbei is well-known in the Shuozhou area, and his power is awe-inspiring.

But when everyone was shocked, only Shi'an and his group remained calm, as if they didn't care at all about this so-called Prince Jia.

Shi'an even mocked himself in his heart: What persimmon? Fake? Tsk tsk tsk tsk...

Seeing that these people showed no fear at all of his publicly revealed identity as the prince, Jia Changfeng's anger was instantly ignited.

His eyes widened as he shouted angrily, "This prince has already revealed his identity, and you still don't know how to retreat? Are you openly defying me?"

Facing his angry rebuke, Shi'an seemed to have heard nothing and continued to stand firmly in the same place, without moving an inch.

Chu Heyuan behind him also looked disapproving, as if he didn't take Jia Changfeng seriously at all.

The two guards protecting Chu Heyuan were even more excessive, not even giving him a glance.

This time, Jia Changfeng could no longer bear it and fell into a rage.

At this moment, the young man in blue who had been standing beside him took the opportunity to fan the flames. He shrieked, "How dare you not greet the prince? Who gave you such courage?"

When Chu Heyuan heard this, he couldn't help but frowned slightly and looked up at the young man in blue.

When I saw this, I felt disgusted.

This man had a face that was difficult to tell whether he was male or female. When he spoke, he was not only coy and awkward, but also very delicate and artificial. It made people want to rush up and teach him a lesson.

The young man in blue felt guilty for no reason when Chu Heyuan stared at him, and his original arrogance disappeared without a trace in an instant.

He leaned into Jia Changfeng's arms with a sad and aggrieved look, muttering something softly.

When Jia Changfeng saw his beloved being wronged in this way, his anger grew even stronger.

With a "clang", he drew his sword without hesitation, pointing the tip of the sword at the people opposite him.

At the same time, Shi'an was not to be outdone and quickly drew the sword from his waist. The two sides were on the verge of a fierce conflict.

*

Xu Zhouye enthusiastically pulled Chu Yunxiao through the bustling crowd.

Chu Yunxiao was dressed in a dark suit, looking tall and handsome.

His long, shiny black hair was tied up high, adding a touch of neatness.

Xu Zhouye was wearing a long robe with wide sleeves as white as snow, with his sleeves fluttering in the wind. His long hair, like a waterfall, was half-draped casually, blowing in the wind.

At this moment, the two of them stood together, giving the impression of a rich young man and his personal bodyguard.

Xu Zhouye held an exquisite folding fan in his hand, shaking it gently from time to time, and the landscape painting on the fan appeared faintly.

He turned his head slightly and raised his hand to signal Chu Yunxiao to come closer.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiao understood what he meant and bent down, putting his ear close to Xu Zhouye.

Xu Zhouye lowered his voice and asked softly, "Your Majesty, is this guard doing a good job?" There seemed to be a hint of sarcasm in his words.

Chu Yunxiao drooped his eyelids slightly, and his deep and sharp gaze quietly fell, fixing on the two people's tightly held hands.

His thin lips parted slightly, and his deep voice echoed in the air like the melodious sound of a zither: "I have never seen a guard from any family and a young master so close and intimate, holding hands so tightly."

When Xu Zhouye heard this, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, outlining a curve that seemed to be a smile but not a smile.

He slowly adjusted his wide, fine-textured sleeves, easily covering his clenched hands.

Then, he said in a slightly provocative tone, "Of course there are, but they act cautiously and don't let others easily notice. Your Majesty, perhaps you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunxiao gazed dimly at his hand which was hidden by his wide sleeves.

For some reason, a strange feeling, like a stream breaking through the ice in spring, inexplicably caused circles of tiny ripples in the depths of his heart.

The ripples gradually spread, causing his originally calm heart to become uneasy.

He took a deep breath, as if to suppress the chaotic emotions in his heart.

After a while, he slowly pulled himself out of Xu Zhouye's palm and said sternly, "Sir, this is against the rules."

Xu Zhouye was stunned and felt a little at a loss for a moment.

Just as he was stunned, he felt his vision suddenly go dark, and a mask had covered his face without him noticing.

Xu Zhouye came back to his senses, quickly turned around, and looked at Chu Yunxiao beside him with a puzzled look on his face.

At this time, Chu Yunxiao was also wearing a strangely shaped and colorful mask, which looked particularly weird in the dim light.

Under the mask, Chu Yunxiao's eyes were slightly narrowed, and he was looking at him with a faint smile.

Then, Chu Yunxiao raised his chin slightly and gestured to Xu Zhouye to look in a certain direction.

Xu Zhouye turned his head and looked in the direction he pointed, only to see a group of people wearing masks and strange clothes waving their hands wildly not far behind them, as if they were holding some kind of ceremony.

Some of the onlookers were confused and cheered and applauded from time to time, while most of the passers-by had complicated expressions and hurriedly left the scene.

"This posture... looks like an exorcism." Xu Zhouye couldn't help but mutter to himself.

But who would have thought that as soon as he finished speaking, the bright lights around him went out.

In an instant, the entire area was shrouded in darkness, with only the swaying lanterns under the eaves on both sides of the street still emitting a faint light.

Not long after, thick fog began to spread, quickly engulfing everything around.

In this mist, a mournful and low suona sound suddenly reached everyone's ears.

The voice was so sad and creepy.

Not long after, a group of people also wearing masks slowly walked out from the depths of the thick fog.

They marched in unison, carrying a beautifully decorated sedan chair.

Against the backdrop of the fog, the sedan chair looked even more eerie and terrifying, as if it was in the underworld.

"This..." Xu Zhouye frowned, his face filled with suspicion, and he muttered to himself in disbelief, "Is this a wedding or a soul-snatching mission?"

Chu Yunxiao on the side also looked confused, obviously he had never heard of this before.

At this moment, a hint of gloom flashed across the face of the nearby grocery vendor, but seeing the two people's curiosity, he patiently explained: "You two don't know, this is a ghost marriage! It's the Lu family from Xiangyang. They say that their young master has unfortunately passed away. According to their local customs, before burying the body in the coffin, they must find a new person of similar age to marry in this ghost marriage to dispel the bad luck!"

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye anxiously asked, "If that's the case, then does this new person also have to be buried with him?"

This question hit the nail on the head. Even Chu Yunxiao couldn't help but concentrate and hold his breath, staring intently at the vendor, waiting for his answer.

The peddler sighed softly, shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. We are in the presence of the emperor, and how dare we act recklessly when it comes to human lives. It's just a pity for the newlywed. Although he doesn't need to be buried with you, he will have to spend the rest of his life guarding this cold tombstone..." At the end, the peddler's tone was full of sympathy.

"What a rotten rule!" Xu Zhouye complained indignantly, "It's absolutely ridiculous! It should have been abolished long ago!"

Chu Yunxiao nodded in agreement.

Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the sky—

"It's dead!"