Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 24 Mantis, Yellow Bird, and Cicada
Yang Zongjia and Fan Dalang escorted Luzhu and the maid in black to the Yongning Tower.

All I saw was Luzhu taking out a small oil lamp and lighting the wick with a tinder. The faint light barely illuminated the stairs.

"It suddenly rained at night today, so the guards must have been more lax. Let's quickly go to the top of the tower and take a look." After saying this, Lu Zhu and the maid in black climbed up the wooden tower.

Yang Zongjia and Fan Dalang looked at each other, drew their weapons and followed.

Luzhu and the maid in black used the excuse of looking for the raccoon slave to carefully check every floor they went up before continuing to climb up.

The scene inside the wooden tower was truly shocking. A huge golden bottle fell from the top of the tower, just like a huge rock falling from the top of a mountain, smashing several layers of the tower eaves along the way. When the four people climbed to the sixth floor, they could see the flashing lightning in the clouds through the broken eaves.

"It's going to rain soon, let's hurry up." Luzhu urged, and the group climbed up again, but there were more obstacles ahead.

The wooden structure of the top three floors of the tower had already suffered a certain degree of damage. Because the golden bottle was connected to the iron chains and golden bells on the tower, the iron chains were torn apart when it fell, and some of the golden bells were scattered on the ground.

After the Junior Supervisor of Works Mu Shaoyou arrived at Yongning Temple, he ordered the soldiers and craftsmen to collect the golden bells and stuff the iron chains and the golden bells into the top of the tower.

The Junior Supervisor of Construction said that when the palace craftsmen came to repair the Yongning Pagoda, it would be convenient to use these things, and placing them on the top of the pagoda would also make it easier to guard them.

However, this approach caused great suffering to the investigators from the Supreme Court and the Egret Cao. In order to investigate the cause of the overturning of the Golden Bottle, they had to climb the tower back and forth many times.

"Go to the top of the tower!"

When Yang Zongjia and Fan Dalang saw the golden bells piled on the ground, their eyes lit up, but reason told them that these things should not be moved.

But when they saw the gold in front of them, they couldn't resist their greed and their pace slowed down.

"Go to the top of the tower!"

Luzhu and the maid in black had no interest in the golden bells piled on the ground. They urged the two men to continue climbing to the top of the tower.

Yang Zongjia and Fan Dalang deliberately slowed down. Fan Dalang quickly picked up a golden bell that fell from the iron chain and quietly put it into his arms.

Yang Zongjia followed suit, picked up the golden bell and put it in his arms.

The two men felt unsatisfied again, so Fan Dalang picked up a broken gold bell and stuffed it into his waist. Just as they were sticking their butts out to stuff the gold bell into their waist, they suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of their heads, and then their eyes went black and they passed out.

After Xi Ping knocked the two men unconscious, he kicked them hard twice and tied them up with ropes. Looking at the golden bells all over the ground, he came up with a plan.

However, Xi Ping did not act immediately. Instead, he followed Mu Shaoyou's instructions and first sprinkled oil and straw on the ground, and then continued to climb up to look for the two women who had climbed up the stairs.

At this time, thunder was already rumbling outside the tower. Seeing that the two imperial guards had not come up, Luzhu whispered to the woman in black:

"My Lord, the spring thunder in the capital is very loud. Every year, it destroys many houses and kills many people. We are climbing so high, will it be dangerous?"

Princess Chenliu said with a smile: "Since the Yongning Temple Pagoda was completed, it has been struck by lightning every spring and autumn, but every time it is struck by lightning, it is safe and sound."

"what?"

"Everyone in the temple says that it is the Buddha's blessing. The various magical features of Yongning Temple are why my sister-in-law, who is a devout Buddhist, came to worship in person many times."

Princess Chenliu continued, "There is only one layer left, and the golden vase was piled there. As long as we see the broken part, we will know whether the golden vase fell due to human error."

The two climbed to the top of the tower. Princess Chenliu immediately rushed to the golden vase. She saw the gap at the bottom of the golden vase and said immediately:

"As expected! The cut is smooth and neat. The golden vase was deliberately pushed down!" "Strange, why would someone use this method to assassinate someone? Such a huge golden vase fell from such a high tower. If you want to accurately hit the Queen Mother's carriage, you might as well ask the Buddha to kill someone. How can there be such a stupid assassination method in this world?"

"The enemy was able to cut open the golden bottle in Yongning Temple. If they really wanted to assassinate him, wouldn't they just send assassins to ambush in Yongning Temple?"

"No, the Golden Vase fell not to stab the emperor."

Luzhu heard a loud thunder. There were already lightning and thunder outside the tower. She said quickly, "Master, since it has been confirmed, let's leave quickly!"

Princess Chenliu felt the wind and rain leaking out from the broken top of the tower, and finally nodded and said, "Let's go back."

But just as the two were about to leave the tower, they suddenly heard a sinister laugh from the stairs:
"Go? Where are you going?"

Luzhu's face changed and she took out her dagger. Then she saw a masked man walking up to the top of the tower from the shadow of the stairs.

Xi Ping looked greedily at Lu Zhu and the black-dressed Princess Chen Liu, and said with a lewd smile: "You two young ladies, be obedient, otherwise, hmph!"

Luzhu looked at Princess Chenliu and immediately picked up the dagger in her arms and pounced on her.

But she was only the princess's personal maid. Although she had learned some martial arts skills, how could she compare to Xi Ping, who was the commander of the Yulin Army? The other party just reached out and grabbed Lu Zhu's wrist, and with a squeeze, Lu Zhu let go of the dagger.

Luzhu only felt a sharp pain in her wrist, and before she could even breathe out, she was pushed down by Xi Ping.

Xi Ping laughed lewdly again, and Lu Zhu shouted, "I am the personal maid of Princess Chenliu! If I disappear, the princess will track me down!"

Xi Ping paused for a moment, but soon he said with a grim smile: "Princess, so what!? Even you don't know who I am, how can the princess find out about me?"

This time Lu Zhu really felt fear. She realized that what she relied on were just the rules followed by the upper-class dignitaries, and these things were not worth mentioning at all in the eyes of the desperado.

Lu Zhu looked at Princess Chenliu in despair. At this moment, a flash of lightning flashed in the sky, like a dragon flying across the night sky, and swooped down to the wooden pagoda of Yongning Temple!

The lightning illuminated the eyes of Princess Chenliu. Luzhu, who was familiar with the princess's eyes, did not see any fear in them. Instead, she saw the kind of crazy excitement that comes from having fun.

Luzhu cursed in her heart, why is the princess still acting crazy at this time!

"Thunder punishment!"

"It's Buddha's punishment!"

The soldiers guarding the wooden tower noticed the lightning around the tower. They fled in fear, and another lightning struck the tower.

The lightning was directed into the tower through the broken iron wire, and the sparks fell on the oil spilled by Xi Ping. The sparks were immediately ignited and spread rapidly, emitting red flames on the top of the tower.

Mu Shaoyou, the deputy director of the Ministry of Works, came out of the monk's quarters, looked at the fire on the top of the wooden pagoda, and said to the people around him:
"Are you ready?"

The subordinate hiding in the shadows immediately said, "Master, we are ready. After the Yongning Temple Tower is on fire, no one is allowed to enter the tower until it burns out!"

Mu Shaoyou added: "Send another team of archers. If anyone comes out of the tower, shoot them immediately."

"only!"

(End of this chapter)