New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Having received Prince Kang's order, Tang Xiaoqi didn't linger for a moment. He bowed and took his leave, then went out to gather the guards.

Upon hearing that they were going to rob a Taoist temple, the guards of the Kang Prince's mansion were incredibly excited, as if they had been injected with chicken blood. These Taoists not only had little fighting ability, but they were also quite wealthy. As long as they raised their arms and shouted outside the temple gate, the old thieves would be like frightened birds, obediently opening the gate and handing over the silver with both hands.

Tang Xiaoqi didn't need to promise any generous rewards afterward, and he received an enthusiastic response from the soldiers. They all changed into ordinary civilian clothes, mounted their warhorses under the leadership of their personal guard leader, raised their long swords, and the group of more than a hundred people rushed towards Jianlong Temple outside Liangmen Gate in the west of the city like wasps flying out of their nest, chanting their battle cries.

Inside Jianlong Temple, dozens of young Taoists dressed in robes were cleaning up the mess, while the temple's abbot, Master Yiheng, looked gloomy and distressed.

In the two months since Emperor Huizong abdicated, the status of the Taoist temple has plummeted. Not only does no one come to offer incense and tribute on weekdays, but even the land at the foot of the mountain has no tenants to rent.

However, with the world in chaos now, it's one thing to lose these petty gains; at worst, we can just close the mountain. With the temple's surplus grain, everyone can survive for three to five years. But every now and then, a group of bandits come to the temple under the guise of robbing the rich to help the poor, looting and vandalizing it. This is disgusting.

In just a few dozen days, bandits from all walks of life had visited the place no less than six times. Even if someone is rich, they cannot withstand such looting. Daoist Yiheng was indeed a Daoist official appointed by Emperor Huizong, but in this world, with bandits running rampant and war raging everywhere, the court was powerless to investigate even if it wanted to.

What's even more infuriating is that no one really dares to ask whose subordinates these cavalrymen, who are posing as bandits, are. They are all private soldiers of powerful families, and even the emperor would have to give them some respect. What can a Taoist priest who has already lost his protection do?

He murmured, "Amitabha Buddha." Daoist Yiheng flicked his whisk, seemingly concerned about the country and its people, but inwardly he was considering whether he should take what little he had left and flee back to his hometown.

Just as he ordered someone to right the overturned statues of the Three Pure Ones, another commotion came from outside the mountain gate. Daoist Yiheng's brow twitched, and he was secretly praying that another group of bandits had come to the gate when a young Daoist boy guarding the entrance of the temple came running over in a hurry, shouting, "Master, something bad has happened!"

Master Yiheng nearly rolled his eyes back and collapsed.

Not again? When will this ever end?

He really wanted to close the mountain gate, but unfortunately these people were vicious and ruthless. If he angered them, their gleaming longswords would have no eyes. Jianlong Temple had been robbed repeatedly recently, and now, let alone gold and silver, they had barely any copper coins left. He had just seen one group off when another came from down the mountain. Did they really think their temple was the Song Dynasty's national treasury?

Just as Daoist Yiheng was frowning and pondering how to get rid of these people, the sound of horses' hooves outside grew louder. One man rushed into the gate of the Daoist temple and kicked a young Daoist boy who was blocking his way to the ground: "Hand over your money, and I guarantee you won't die."

In just a short while, Jianlong Temple was surrounded by a hundred or so bandits. Daoist Yiheng had no chance to escape and could only bite the bullet and go forward to talk to them.

His expression was bitter, with a helpless, wry smile on his lips: "My good sir, you really are a step too late. The temple has already been looted several times, and there's really nothing of value left."

"You thieving old Taoist, you usually collude with the government to exploit the people and plunder so much ill-gotten wealth. Now you say it's all gone after being robbed twice? How come everyone else has something, but I have nothing? Do you think my knife isn't sharp enough to cut off your head?"

“Good sir, even if you kill me, it will be of no use. There is really nothing left in the temple.”

"Really?" Tang Xiaoqi pulled on the reins, spurred his horse forward, and blocked the head of the Kang Prince's guards. "Even the materials you used for alchemy in your temple have been stolen?"

"Materials for alchemy? Cinnabar? Saltpeter? Sulfur?" Tang Xiaoqi nodded each time Yiheng Daoist named a material.

“If you need these things, we do have them. They are piled up in the warehouse in the backyard. If you need them, there are vehicles in the temple. I can immediately order people to load them onto the vehicles. I only ask that you let us go after you take the things. I would be extremely grateful.”

Upon hearing that all these things were available, Tang Xiaoqi immediately pointed to the young Taoist disciples in the arena and said, "You few, come with me. As long as you behave, I guarantee you will live."

Upon hearing this, the young Taoist disciples, who had been trembling, were immediately infused with vitality. Without waiting for the abbot's order, they all swarmed ahead to lead the way, taking Tang Xiaoqi to the backyard.

Upon opening the warehouse door, Tang Xiaoqi saw a mountain of various powders piled up inside. He grabbed a young Taoist boy to confirm the names of the materials and then ordered them to load them onto a truck immediately.

With the help of the young Taoist disciples, the materials in the warehouse were quickly loaded onto the carts. Tang Xiaoqi then had mules and horses brought over, and with more than ten carts in tow, they were about to descend the mountain. When they arrived at the front courtyard of the Taoist temple, the abbot, who had been kicked several times by his guards, immediately ran over and blocked Tang Xiaoqi's path. He spat out blood and spoke with a sob in his voice: "This hero made a promise just now that he would not kill anyone as long as he handed over those alchemy materials. You cannot break your promise."

Tang Xiaoqi snorted coldly: "I only guaranteed that I would not kill anyone, but I did not say that others would not do the same." Then, he cupped his hands towards Tan Zhen, the commander of the Kang Prince's personal guards, "Brother Tan, I have finished my business here. Please hurry up, brothers, we still need to get to the next place."

Tan Zhen smiled faintly at Tang Xiaoqi, then tapped Yi Heng Dao Ren's trembling shoulder with the back of his knife: "You heard it too, don't keep the brothers waiting."

As the sun set over the Kang Prince's residence, after listening to Tan Zhen's report, Prince Kang, Zhao Gou, pondered for a moment before asking, "Was that kid really just stealing those materials?"

“That’s right. We visited three Taoist temples today. Tang Xiaoqi only had people pack up and transport the mineral powder away. He didn’t ask for a single copper coin that we stole. I also took the opportunity to try and get information out of him, but he didn’t reveal a single useful word.”

"That's strange. Could it be that Tang Qian can also refine pills?" Zhao Gu pondered for a moment without success, then simply gave up. "As long as he's not trying to steal our money, let him be."