The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 295 Determined to Court Death

The eunuch was kicked to the ground, but he didn't dare to utter a sound. He quickly got up and continued to kneel properly.

Xuanyuan Hongjun flew into a rage and smashed everything he could in the room.

Can he not be angry?
The duck that was about to be caught flew away.

It's a shame that he had previously strongly recommended Lu Zhan to his father, the Emperor, and managed to get Lu Zhan away.

But the beauty ran away with such a good opportunity.

After venting his frustrations, Xuan Yuan Hongjun suddenly realized that this matter was not simple and that someone must have leaked the information in advance.

"Guo Yingrong!"

The first person he thought of was the Crown Princess.

His face immediately darkened, and he rushed to Guo Yingrong's bedchamber.

Guo Yingrong was not surprised to hear that the Crown Prince had arrived.

She got up and went out to greet them.

However, before she could even bow, Xuan Yuan Hongjun kicked her to the ground.

"You wretch! I trusted you so much, yet you dare to betray me!"

Before Guo Yingrong could react, Xuan Yuan Hongjun lifted her up from the ground.

"Tell me, did you leak the information to Zhiwan?"

"No, Your Majesty, I did not," Guo Yingrong shook her head in denial.

"No? No, how could she have run away?" Xuan Yuan Hongjun looked incredulous.

"I really didn't, Your Highness. If you don't believe me, I have no other choice." Guo Ying endured the pain in her body and said with her eyes closed. She did not inform Zhi Wan, but only had Xi Ying take the letter she wrote to see Lu Zhan.

Xuanyuan Hongjun shoved her away and said coldly, "Do you think that I have no other choice after you send Zhiwan away? There are only a few temples in the outskirts of the capital. I will go find them myself."

Guo Yingrong was shocked and grabbed his leg, saying, "Your Highness, please think it over! This is a sacred Buddhist site, how can it be desecrated? If Father finds out, he will surely reprimand Your Highness."

"Hmph, Father has already gone to the hunting grounds. I'm the one who calls the shots in the entire capital. I'd like to see who dares to bring this matter to Father's attention." Xuan Yuan Hongjun was completely unconcerned. Instead, he became interested in the temple. If he could get the beauty there…

With that thought in mind, he stopped paying attention to Guo Yingrong and eagerly went out the door.

When Guo Yingrong saw him leave, she immediately stood up, her expression indifferent.

She had already tried to dissuade him, but Xuan Yuan Hongjun insisted on courting death.

Let's go, let's go quickly, otherwise the position of crown prince will be lost.

This is for the best. Otherwise, given Xuanyuan Hongjun's character, he would surely be a foolish ruler if he ascended the throne one day, causing chaos in the world and making the common people suffer.

……

Xuan Yuan Hongjun easily found out which temple Zhi Wan had gone to, called Puzhao Temple.

When he heard about the temple, he was taken aback. Wasn't the temple on the way to Weichang?
The attendant also thought of this and quickly advised, "Your Highness, the Emperor and his entourage will pass by Puzhao Temple on their way to the hunting grounds today. If they are seen on the road, it will be difficult for Your Highness to explain to the Emperor. Your Highness should choose another day to go."

"What's there to be afraid of? Father and the others left the city long ago. By the time we arrived at Puzhao Temple, they would have already left," Xuan Yuan Hongjun said nonchalantly. Knowing his temper, the attendant knew that if he tried to persuade him further, he would be whipped, so he shut his mouth and didn't try to persuade him anymore. At the same time, he also felt that it was impossible for it to be such a coincidence, and since the Emperor and the others had left so long ago, it was impossible for them to run into each other.

The thought of a beauty like Zhiwan, alone in the temple, made Xuanyuan Hongjun's blood boil. Without thinking twice, he immediately led his men, rode out of the city, and headed straight for Puzhao Temple.

Unbeknownst to him, the emperor's entourage encountered trouble shortly after passing Puzhao Temple, and the entire procession came to a halt.

Two women, barely clothed, ran out of the nearby woods in a panic and collapsed in front of the group.

"Help--"

Faced with the two women who suddenly appeared, the imperial guards drew their swords in alert, asking, "Who are you?"

The two women were clearly disoriented, repeatedly shouting, "Help! Help us..."

The Imperial Guard commander waved his hand, and several guards immediately headed into the woods. They spotted several furtive figures in the woods and gave chase. "Who are you?" they demanded.

The commotion at the front of the procession naturally caught the emperor's attention.

He immediately sent one of his eunuchs to investigate.

A moment later, the eunuch returned and reported to the emperor in the carriage: "Your Majesty, we encountered two women fleeing in panic. Someone is chasing them. Commander Shen has already sent men to pursue them."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's face showed displeasure. This place was so close to the capital, yet someone dared to commit violence in broad daylight. This showed a complete disregard for the imperial court.

Bored on the journey, the emperor suddenly perked up and ordered, "Bring them here. I will personally ask them who dares to be so arrogant."

The two women were quickly brought over.

When the emperor saw that they were barely clothed and their exposed skin was covered with whip marks, clearly indicating that they had suffered a lot of abuse, he was immediately moved with pity. He quickly ordered his men to put outer garments on them and give them some water.

The two women, who were initially hesitant, calmed down a bit when they saw that the men had given them clothes and water. However, seeing the crowd around them staring at them with strange looks, they were still trembling with fear and hugged each other tightly.

“Do not be afraid. The Emperor is here. If you have any grievances, speak them out. The Emperor will stand up for you,” Lu Zhan said.

Upon hearing this, the two women were stunned for a moment before they reacted. They immediately began to kowtow forcefully towards the carriage in front of them, crying out, "Your Majesty, please save us! Please do us justice!"

"Who are you people, and why are you being hunted down?" the emperor asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the two women burst into tears.

After a long while, they stopped crying, and one of them spoke up: "I am originally from Qingzhou, and my family members are all law-abiding citizens. But one morning, when I went out to buy groceries, I was knocked unconscious from behind. When I woke up, I found myself locked in a dark room, where many girls around my age were also imprisoned."

Those people wanted us to learn the rules, to learn how to seduce men, and if we didn't learn or obeyed, we would be beaten up.

But if you learn well, you'll soon be sent to brothels in various places to serve customers.

Unable to bear the humiliation, we fought our way out, but we were still discovered.

Those people relentlessly pursued us, chasing us all the way here. If we hadn't met you, we would have been taken back, locked up, and beaten again..."

"Your Majesty, please save us! We don't want to be taken back again! We want to go home..." another woman cried, her voice breaking with anguish.

"Outrageous! How dare someone be so arrogant right under the emperor's nose!" The emperor was furious and smashed a cup.

"Your Majesty, please calm down and take care of your health!" The eunuch serving in the carriage was so frightened that he immediately knelt down.

It took the emperor a while to recover before he spoke in a deep voice, "Lu Zhan, what do you think we should do about this?"