12dz Chapter 1628 Murderous intent in the bustle!
Chapter 1628 Murderous intent in the bustle!
During the Lantern Festival, the city of Luoyang seemed to be enlightened by gods. Overnight, it shed its winter coldness and put on gorgeous clothes.
At the first light of dawn, the vendors in the market were already busy.
Merchants in the East Market set up colorful tents and hung glass lanterns from the Western Regions.
Craftsmen in the West Market display intricately carved wooden lanterns, each depicting a different mythological story.
The teahouses in Nanshi started brewing osmanthus wine early, and the sweet fragrance wafted in the morning breeze.
Jugglers in Taipei City have begun rehearsing, and their stunts of breathing fire and swallowing knives have attracted passers-by to stop and watch.
By the afternoon, the whole city was boiling like a cauldron.
On Zhuque Street, people were surging like a tide, shoulder to shoulder.
The young men from wealthy families were fanning themselves with folding fans and reciting poems and composing couplets in front of the lantern riddle stalls, while the ladies, wearing light gauze veils, were choosing pearl hairpins and rouge in groups of three or four.
Children holding candied haws were weaving in and out of the crowd. From time to time, they were attracted by the candy figurine stalls on the roadside and pestered their parents to buy a little tiger or a big carp.
As the sky gradually darkens, the real spectacle has just begun.
Millions of lanterns were lit up one after another, and the entire city of Luoyang seemed to have fallen into the starry sky.
Thousands of lotus lanterns float on the moat, and the candlelight reflects on the water, making the waves sparkle like flowing gold.
The most eye-catching is the Bao'en Pagoda. This nine-story octagonal tower is wrapped with gold and silver threads all over. Huge palace lanterns are hung on the eaves of each floor, swaying gently in the night breeze. From a distance, it looks like a fairy palace in heaven.
However, at this moment of universal celebration, in an alley at the foot of the imperial city, several dark shadows were talking in low voices.
Their voices were extremely low, but were drowned out by a sudden burst of cheers - it turned out that in the square not far away, a dragon dance team was tumbling and leaping, attracting cheers from the onlookers.
The noise just happened to be their best cover.
At three quarters past ten, the copper nails on the main gate of the imperial palace shone coldly in the light of the torches.
As the heavy palace gate slowly opened, a team of elite imperial guards marched out in neat steps.
Each of these soldiers was eight feet tall, wearing Ming Guang armor, with swords at their waists and long spears in their hands. Their solemn and murderous aura was incompatible with the festive atmosphere.
Then, a huge gilded carriage slowly drove out of the palace gate.
Six pure white horses held their heads high and chests puffed out, with red silk tied on their manes, and their horseshoes made crisp sounds as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.
The carriage was surrounded by curtains embroidered with gold thread, and a glazed palace lantern was hung on each corner of the roof. As the carriage moved forward, it swayed gently, casting changing light and shadows on the ground.
The inside of the car was as warm as spring, and silver charcoal was burning quietly in the gilded incense burner.
Wu Zhao sat in the center, wearing a purple and gold phoenix robe embroidered with a pattern of birds paying homage to the phoenix in gold thread. The pearls on the Nine Phoenix Crown cast a soft halo under the light.
Her face was as calm as water, and only when she looked at Wu Xiuning beside her did a hint of tenderness appear in her eyes.
Chu Ning sat on the other side, the dark dragon pattern on his ink-black brocade robe faintly visible.
At his waist hung a simple long sword, the scabbard inlaid with seven gemstones arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper. At this moment, he was slightly tilting his head, observing the movements outside through the gauze curtain.
"Father, Mother, look!" Seven-year-old Wu Xiuning suddenly lay down by the window and lifted a corner of the curtain with her little hand.
She was wearing a goose yellow skirt today, with a few small silk flowers in her hair, which made her face look even more delicate.
"That's a huge rabbit lantern over there! It's even bigger than the one in the palace!"
Chu Ning looked in the direction his daughter pointed, and sure enough, he saw a two-person-tall rabbit lantern standing at the corner of the street, its ruby-encrusted eyes sparkling in the light.
He was about to speak when his daughter suddenly frowned: "But... why is there no one on this street?"
Indeed, the usually bustling Imperial Road was now deserted, with only the Imperial Guards standing solemnly on both sides, the light from the torches casting long shadows on the ground.
The faint laughter and chatter from other streets in the distance made the silence here seem even more extraordinary.
Chu Ning reached out and rubbed his daughter's head, saying gently, "This is General Li's arrangement. For safety reasons, the people are asked to temporarily evacuate."
Wu Xiuning pouted, her face full of displeasure: "This street is so deserted, what's the point? The other streets are so bustling!"
She leaned against the window, gazing longingly at the brightly lit street in the distance: "I want to see some acrobatics and eat some candy figurines..."
Wu Zhao held her daughter in her arms, and the fragrance of the phoenix robe lingered faintly at her nose.
"You can see farther from the Tower of Gratitude."
She tapped her daughter's nose lightly, a rare smile on her face. "Later, when we go up the tower, we'll be able to see the lights of the entire Luoyang. It's much clearer than from the street."
"really?"
Wu Xiuning's eyes lit up. "Can you see the dragon dance on Suzaku Street? Can you see the lotus lanterns in the moat?"
"nature."
Chu Ning took over the conversation, his eyes filled with fondness: "From the tower, you can see even further afield. The Huxuan dance in the East Market, the lantern riddles in the West Market, and the acrobatics in the South Market are all visible."
Wu Xiuning immediately cheered, jumping and clapping in the carriage, and the silk flowers in her hair trembled.
Looking at their daughter's innocent appearance, Wu Zhao and Chu Ning smiled at each other.
However, behind this tender scene, there was an imperceptible solemnity hidden deep in the eyes of both of them.
The carriage continued to move forward, getting closer and closer to the Baoen Tower.
Chu Ning's fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of the sword, while Wu Zhao raised her eyes slightly and looked through the gauze curtain at the towering tower in the distance.
In a dark alley beside the Imperial Road, several dark shadows gathered quietly under the cover of night.
They were wearing the coarse cloth clothes of ordinary vendors. Some of them had bags for selling goods on their shoulders, and some of them carried bamboo baskets in their hands. They looked no different from the small vendors on the street.
But if you look closely, you'll find that their eyes are unusually sharp, and their footsteps are so light that they make almost no sound when they walk.
"Are you sure the target has left the palace?"
The leader had a hoarse voice. He was wearing a conical hat, the shadow of which covered most of his face, leaving only his hard chin exposed.
"It's true."
A vendor selling candied haws whispered, "Our people saw Wu Zhao, Chu Ning, and that little girl get on the carriage together."
As he spoke, he took out a silk handkerchief from his bosom, on which he had simply sketched the layout of the carriage and guards with charcoal.
The man in the bamboo hat took the handkerchief and examined it carefully in the dim light of the lantern in the distance.
"The number of guards is twice as many as expected." He snorted coldly: "Li Junxian is quite cautious."
"Do you want to cancel the operation?" asked a peddler carrying a load on his shoulder, his voice hesitant.
"Cancel?"
The man in the bamboo hat sneered and took out a pitch-black token from his bosom.
The token is engraved with a night owl spreading its wings as if about to fly, with two blood-red gems inlaid in its eyes.
"The Lord's order, at all costs."
Everyone was stunned when they saw the token.
"Follow the second plan."
The man in the bamboo hat put away the token and said in a voice as cold as ice: "Group A is responsible for creating chaos, Group B is responsible for cutting off reinforcements, and Group C..."
He paused, a fierce look flashing in his eyes: "It must succeed."
"If you fail!"
"No if."
The man in the bamboo hat interrupted and took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve: "One for each of you. If you are captured..."
He didn't finish his words, but everyone present understood the implication.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the distance. It turned out to be a lion dance team passing by, and the sound of gongs and drums was deafening.
Taking advantage of the clamor, several people quickly dispersed and disappeared into the crowd like drops of water merging into the sea.
Deep in the alley, a black cat silently jumped onto the wall, watching everything with its green eyes.
It seemed to sense some danger, its hair stood up, it let out a shrill scream, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.