363 Traveling Together
The Empress of the West Wind Nation had given birth to only one daughter, and the entire palace doted on her.
This also nurtured the Princess’s innocent personality, but to others, she also had a pampered side.
The Princess was unwilling to stay in the West Wind Nation, so she brought a few guards to wander around.
At first, all kinds of letters from her would arrive at West Wind Nation every season. Later on, it became once every half a year and then once a year.
In the end, there was no news from her.
That Princess called Ruan Ruan had been missing for nine years now.
The Empress’s search was fruitless. She was in no mood to manage the harem and directly built a Buddhist hall to live in.
She was not even willing to see the Emperor.
Therefore, the Emperor hated Buddhism.
Fortunately, his personal disgust did not develop into a suppression of Buddhism.
However, people took advantage of the situation, and Daoism became more popular than Buddhism in the West Wind Nation.
This was already the unified understanding of the citizens of West Wind Nation.
The old emperor wanted to give the throne to the Crown Prince now before going out to look for his daughter. He wanted to see the little girl who looked very similar to his daughter first.
Coincidentally, the Crown Prince had the same thoughts.
His sister, whom he had once doted on, had disappeared just like that. The Crown Prince often missed her and sent people to look for her, but they were all like stones thrown into the sea.
“Royal Father, let me go,” the Crown Prince said. “This matter is very important. I’m worried about sending others, so I’ll follow General Ouyang to take a look. If it’s really related to Ruan Ruan, I’ll bring her to you.”
The old emperor thought about it. This girl may just be a person who looked like her. If he left the country’s matters behind like this, it would be too irresponsible.
In the end, he agreed to the Crown Prince’s suggestion.
However, he looked at the Crown Prince with obvious jealousy.
Sigh, when would this be able to become the Emperor?
He did not even have time to coax his wife.
He still had to act with those women in the harem.
Everyone was very tired.
In a month, a special temple would be built in the capital of the West Wind Nation. There were both Daoist Deities and Buddhist Bodhisattvas inside.
The citizens were in an uproar.
Especially the Daoists and monks, who were all gathered at the foot of the Imperial City, looking very resistant.
In the end, it was Ye Yuncang who stood out and convinced the people from both sides with his words. He even made them smile and happily say that they were going to move in.
There were also people watching the commotion who recognized Ye Yuncang.
“Isn’t that Minister Ye’s youngest son? Why is his hair gone?”
“Did he become a monk?”
“Don’t monks have no hair!”
“Don’t pay attention to such details.”
“…”
After Ye Yuncang completed this magnificent feat, he kept his previous promise and brought Ouyang Pei to the Great Chang Nation.
Other than the two of them, there was also the Crown Prince who was pretending to be an accompanying guard.
The Crown Prince’s name was Ouyang Changjing, and he was Ouyang Pei’s cousin.
“Your Highness, you have a noble status. It might be inappropriate for you to follow us. We’re traveling to Great Chang. If the people of Great Chang find out that you’re here, you might be in danger.” Ouyang Pei resisted the urge to roll his eyes and persuaded earnestly.
Ouyang Changjing waved his hand. “Cut the crap. Lead the way.”
Ouyang Pei: “…” He could only look at Ye Yuncang for help.
Ye Yuncang: “Your Highness, if something happens to you outside, our West Wind—”
“It’s not like the country can’t operate without me. Without me, there’s still my second and third brothers. Royal Father is still in his prime,” Ouyang Changjing said very sincerely. “However, my sister can’t live without us.”
At this point, the two of them had no choice but to agree.
Moreover, in order to travel faster, the Crown Prince did not care if his journey was comfortable.
Originally, the path to Wangbei County in Great Chang would take over two months. They were currently compressing the trip to under two months.
It was the third day of March, the Flower Festival. The entire Wangbei County was in a state of lively celebration.
The South River Town of Yongding County, which Wangbei County belonged to, had also been especially lively recently.