noffsinger Chapter 408 Robbery?
Chapter 408 Robbery?
In a blink of an eye, the robbers rode their horses into a magnificent mansion. The animal heads holding rings on the vermilion lacquered gate shone coldly in the sun, and the three large gold-plated characters "Princess Mansion" on the lintel sparkled brightly.
The sound of the door slamming shut made the door knocker buzz, and a shadow fell like a giant curtain, completely isolating Lu Wensheng's figure inside the door.
Ye Yingzhou hurriedly pulled the reins, and his horse's front hooves flew into the air, leaving two deep marks on the bluestone slabs. It stopped just in front of the gate to avoid a direct collision.
He looked up at the plaque, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
Tang He and others who followed closely behind ran over breathlessly, looking at the closed door of the princess's mansion, all of them were stunned.
Li Zheng's eyes widened like copper bells, and he pounded on the door knocker with his fist, shaking his palms numbly. He cursed in a rough voice: "What kind of thing is this! Robbing people in broad daylight, and in the princess's mansion? Could it be that the princess also likes to rob men?"
Tang He peeked inside through the crack in the door and shouted at the top of his voice: "Brother Lu! What happened to you? Don't panic, we are outside!"
Yan Zhaoming frowned and stared at the gilded emblem on the door lintel. He stretched out his hand to stop Li Zhe who wanted to continue to smash the door, and said in a deep voice: "Don't be impatient, figure out the situation first. Why would the princess's mansion do such a thing? There must be something fishy."
Ye Yingzhou got off the horse, stroking his chin with his fingertips, looking deeply at the closed door, and said in a deep voice: "No matter what, don't act rashly. Since we have entered the princess's mansion, Brother Lu should not be in danger for the time being. Let's go back and make a long-term plan, and then find a way to get the news..."
Before he finished speaking, Tang He had already rushed to the door, and peered inside through the crack of the door. The jade hairpin on his bun almost poked into his eye socket: "No! What if this princess covets Senior Brother Lu's beauty? This concerns Senior Brother's innocence..."
Yan Zhaoming rubbed his brows and said, "Not so many people covet your Senior Brother Lu."
The people who were waiting to watch the show had already gathered in three layers inside and outside. A white-haired old woman was leaning on a jujube wood crutch and standing on tiptoe, unaware that the vegetable leaves in the bamboo basket were scattered all over the ground. A few vendors who were carrying goods on their shoulders simply put down their shoulder poles, slung their greasy sweat towels over their shoulders, and stretched their necks to squeeze to the front row.
"Is he being taken as a lover?" The man in a coarse cloth shorts wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, grinned with his gap teeth, and nudged his companion with his elbow. These words were like drops of water thrown into hot oil, and the crowd instantly exploded.
"But Princess Wangshu is a great beauty, so that man didn't suffer a loss?" The woman with patches embroidered on her clothes pinched the corner of her clothes, with envy in her eyes.
The woman selling rouge immediately curled her lips: "It's easy to say, but how can a forced melon be sweet? Besides, officials should pay attention to integrity..."
The little girl with two buns beside her looked up and asked: "Mom, what is a concubine?" The people around laughed, and someone joked: "You will know when you grow up!"
"Who was arrested?" The new spectators tiptoed into the crowd, and immediately an enthusiastic person stretched his neck to ask: "It seems to be an official!"
"Your memory is hopeless. It's that number one scholar!"
Tang He and others stood on the outskirts of the crowd, looking at each other in bewilderment as they listened to the discussions.
Li Zhe's thick eyebrows were twisted into knots, and his thick fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of the sword at his waist: "Princess Wangshu? Could it be Liu Jiqian?" As soon as the words came out, they attracted surprised looks from his companions.
"How could Liu Jiqian do such a thing?" Yan Zhaoming frowned slightly. "He is usually as gentle as jade, how could he do such a ridiculous thing as robbing a man?"
"Yes, they say it's a princess, how could it be Liu Jiqian?" Tang He stamped his feet anxiously.
Ye Yingzhou looked at the tightly closed red lacquered door, his eyes full of deep thought: "This matter is very strange. If we rush in now, it will only cause trouble and implicate Fellow Daoist Lu."
Although everyone was unwilling, they also knew that forcing their way in at this time would only cause trouble, so they had to suppress their anxiety and nodded in agreement. As they turned around and left, they kept looking back at the tightly closed vermilion lacquered door, their hearts full of worry and confusion.
Well, they climb over the wall and come back at night.
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When Lu Wensheng was suddenly carried off the horse, the sharp edges of the saddle hurt his ribs and he groaned. Before he could open his mouth, a piece of brocade soaked in agarwood scent covered his eyes from back to front.
The cloth was soft but carried an inexplicable sense of oppression. When the edge brushed against his eyelashes, he subconsciously turned his head, but bumped into the robber's hard shoulder armor. The coldness of the iron leaf armor seeped through the cloth, making him shiver all over.
While struggling, he smelled a faint smell of dust on the other person's clothes, mixed with a faint hint of sandalwood - the scent of perfumed powder commonly used in the palace or in wealthy families.
It can burn incense and is covered with armor - could it be from the palace?
The "robber" walked steadily, and the sound of his steps on the bluestone slabs gradually became lighter. When he stepped into a courtyard, the soles of his shoes had already rolled over the soft fallen leaves, making a slight rustling sound.
Lu Wensheng was carried, staggering as he counted his steps and sensed the changes in the terrain.
First, I stepped onto three levels of bluestone slabs, and then passed through a breeze that carried a faint scent of osmanthus. I guess I had passed a flower corridor somewhere.
Soon the smell of dust in the air gradually disappeared, replaced by a wisp of sweet agarwood fragrance. Lu Wensheng couldn't tell whether it was from the incense bag hanging under the eaves or the incense from the place ahead that he was about to arrive at.
The smell is mixed with the lotus fragrance in the morning dew, which is more elegant than the ambergris in the imperial study.
Was it the Emperor? Because he rejected him yesterday, or did he know something? Or was it the young marquis? But he hadn't met him yet...
Suddenly, the back of his neck loosened, his hands were tied behind his back and pressed on some soft fabric, his knees were gently kicked, and he involuntarily knelt on a soft bed. The man considerately took off his shoes and socks.
While interrupting Lu Wensheng's wild thoughts, it also gave him a little shock - why would an enemy not throw his enemy into the woodshed, but onto the bed? Was this revenge? It was clearly "catching the son-in-law"!
When the soft silk slid across his wrist, it felt cool to the touch, but it brought out a delicate friction as it wrapped around him. Although the man's movements were rough, he did not hurt him at all.
The silk threaded through the gilded hooks above his head forced him to kneel on the edge of the bed, his back stretched into a fragile arc, kneeling on the couch in a shameful "human" shape.
This posture left the back of his neck completely exposed, his robe slipped slightly due to being pulled, and the thin layer of sweat from his collarbone meandered down his skin. The feeling of shame climbed up the back of his neck to the tips of his ears, burning his cheeks.
Under the blindfold, the candlelight shone through the fabric, casting warm yellow spots, as if through a layer of mist.
The room was eerily quiet, except for the crackling sound of the incense in the gilded animal-head incense burner, which was bursting with oil sparks, mixed with the rustling sound of the candle wick popping, which was particularly clear in the silence.
The wind came in through the tiny gaps in the window paper, blowing the gauze curtains and the tassels on the bed curtains, making a slight rustling sound, which was very much like the sound of clothes rubbing against each other when someone was walking in the dark.