binnovel Chapter 126 Dragon Travels the World 13
Chapter 126 Dragon Travels the World 13
Following the Empress Dowager's clues, Chu Tianyou and his group of four traveled all the way to Jinling County, where they happened to arrive just in time for the wedding of Prime Minister Tang's only daughter, Tang Yao.
The county town was teeming with people, a scene of jubilation, and the wedding procession was more grand than ever before.
The people clearing the way waved their poles, and firecrackers crackled and popped incessantly, scattering bright red firecracker fragments all over the street, turning the entire street into a festive red sea.
The musicians played auspicious and festive tunes with great enthusiasm, and the loud suona horns pierced the sky and carried for miles.
The groom, Wang Enlun, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, sat regally on his horse with a beaming smile, repeatedly clasping his hands in greeting to those around him.
Following closely behind was the lavishly decorated bridal sedan chair, a truly magnificent sight. Behind the sedan chair was the bride's dowry procession, with all sorts of exquisitely carved chests and boxes being steadily carried by the wedding party. The sheer number of these items stretched as far as the eye could see, leaving the onlookers speechless with amazement.
"As expected of the Prime Minister's daughter getting married, this pomp and circumstance is probably almost on par with that of a princess!"
"Prime Minister Tang has no sons, only this one daughter. Her wedding must be a grand affair!"
"I've heard that the Prime Minister's daughter is incredibly beautiful and has exceptional culinary skills. She's known as the 'Skilled Soup Fairy.' Whoever marries her will be truly blessed!"
"Oh my! The bride is as beautiful as a flower, and the groom is also handsome and dashing. They are a perfect match!"
"Yes! But I heard that this groom used to be just a chicken wing vendor. What makes him worthy of the attention of Fairy Tang?"
"Nonsense! How could Prime Minister Tang possibly marry his precious daughter to a mere peddler? This groom is the Commander-in-Chief, who holds the reins of power in our prefecture!"
"Signing a coach? That's no ordinary thing!"
The surrounding people whispered among themselves, some with envy, some with amazement, and all sorts of voices mingled together, reaching the ears of Chu Tianyou and his companions.
"What is the official title of this 'Signing Marshal'? I've never heard of it before," Chu Tianyou, who had been in a good mood, suddenly asked with a frown.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu quickly replied, "The commander-in-chief is an assistant to the prefect of a military government in various regions."
"I see!"
Chu Tianyou suddenly realized the problem, and then immediately recognized the issue with the official position. He said, "Although the position is small, the power is immense, making it practically the domain of a local authority. This is like a fox borrowing the tiger's might, it won't do! It needs to be improved!"
Chu Tianyou made the final decision, and Zhao Yu readily agreed beside him, while Ding Wuwei, who was standing nearby, was already impatient to hear these words.
All he thinks about every day is how to swindle money from those heartless rich merchants and corrupt officials. He doesn't care whether a certain position in the imperial court is appropriate or not!
So he simply changed the subject. Chu Tianyou realized that this was not the time to talk about this, so he took the opportunity to move on from what had just happened, and soon the four of them were laughing and joking again.
Meanwhile, He Yaozu, who had just arrived in Jinling County, also happened to catch the excitement, except that he was still leading a horse.
At this time, the street was crowded with people, and it was inconvenient for a person and a horse to walk. They could only stop temporarily at a corner of the street and wait for the crowd to pass.
He Yaozu's gaze swept across the crowded people and he spotted the four people chatting and laughing opposite him.
In an instant, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he involuntarily turned his horse around and rode away.
It wasn't that he was afraid of seeing Chu Tianyou, but rather that a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
Something's wrong with the Empress Dowager!
After learning that the Empress Dowager was still alive, Chu Tianyou quickly posted an imperial edict with a portrait of the Empress Dowager attached, mobilizing people throughout the country to search for her whereabouts. He also declared that whoever successfully found the Empress Dowager would be richly rewarded and granted a title.
However, despite the court's great efforts in searching, the Empress Dowager was still nowhere to be found.
After Chu Tianyou left the palace to search for his mother, news about the Empress Dowager came in like snowflakes. Suddenly, many people appeared, all claiming to have seen the Empress Dowager with their own eyes and reporting her whereabouts.
Upon receiving the news, Chu Tianyou immediately set off to search for him.
But it was as if the Empress Dowager was playing hide-and-seek with him. Whenever Chu Tianyou arrived at a certain place after traveling a long and arduous journey, he would always receive the news that the Empress Dowager had already left.
Just when Chu Tianyou is about to lose track of the Empress Dowager, new information will appear at just the right time, continuing the game.
What's most puzzling is that, while searching for the Empress Dowager, Chu Tianyou not only focused on traveling and searching, but also paid attention to the local people's livelihood and the quality of officials. He would also intervene in any injustices he encountered along the way, sometimes taking several days or even dozens of days to resolve.
Just like before, because of his matter, Chu Tianyou and his group stayed in Qinghe County for more than a month.
Even amidst these frequent changes, the Empress Dowager maintained a pace just one step ahead of Chu Tianyou, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far, as if she could foresee the future and anticipate and avoid Chu Tianyou's every move.
This is so weird!
He Yaozu was filled with doubts, wondering whether all of this was a clever arrangement by someone behind the scenes or just a coincidence.
In any case, this unknown success piqued his curiosity.
He abandoned the spectacle, turned around, and led his horse quickly out of the city, leaving the Dragon Slaying Society behind. After recalling the Empress Dowager's overall direction of travel, he mounted his horse and spurred it on, giving it his all to catch up with her.
As he galloped on horseback, he used his telekinesis to almost instantly perceive every pedestrian along the way; all information was exposed under his telekinetic scan.
They galloped along, their hooves flying, kicking up clouds of dust.
……
About ten miles from Jinling County, at the edge of a dense bamboo forest, an old woman was slowly walking, carefully supported by a man and a woman.
The old woman was dressed in a gray-blue cloth dress, with a thorn hairpin in her hair. Her face was slightly pale, and her steps were unsteady, making her appear quite weak.
The couple accompanying them were also simply dressed, especially the man whose clothes were patched, clearly indicating that he came from a poor family and lived a hard life.
He Yaozu spurred his horse and galloped past the three men. After the horse had run some distance, he inexplicably turned back for a glance.
He felt that the old woman in the middle looked somewhat familiar!
He Yaozu always trusted his intuition, so he decisively tightened the reins, turned the horse around, and stared at the old woman's appearance, trying to find someone in the depths of his memory who matched her.
The old woman seemed to have poor eyesight and did not notice He Yaozu's actions. On the contrary, the couple next to her noticed his gaze and stopped in their tracks.
The old woman sensed something was wrong with the two, and seeing them suddenly stop, she asked in confusion, "What happened?"
The man lowered his head slightly and whispered in her ear, "Mother, there seems to be a young man on horseback watching us."
Upon hearing this, the old woman laughed nonchalantly, "We don't know him at all, why is he looking at us? Besides, there are so many people on the road, he might be looking at someone else."
Upon hearing this, the man thought it made sense and nodded in agreement: "Mother is right!" He then helped her continue walking.