Chapter 63: Taking a Bath

Chen Ajiao waited for another three days in Ganquan Palace. The soldiers holding the ropes on the cliff also guarded very professionally for three days. Three days later, Ajiao ordered the soldiers on the cliff to pull up the hemp ropes thrown down.

The soldiers found that three of the hemp ropes had weight. When they pulled the ropes up and took a look, they saw three dried corpses exposed to the sun.

From the clothing on the dried corpses, it could be identified that they were the soldiers who went down the cliff before.

Ajiao endured the fear in her heart, held her breath, and directed the soldiers to bury the three soldiers who had sacrificed themselves properly, and then gave their families a sum of pension.

Several days passed, and Wei Qing and the others who went down from the cliff also had no news.

Ajiao told herself in her heart that no news was the best news. Perhaps Wei Qing had already found Liu Che and A Li, and they were trying to find a way to walk out from under the mountain.

But at this time, she had to return to Weiyang Palace. The courtiers must all be waiting to discuss this matter.

Ajiao arranged for some soldiers to continue searching for the whereabouts of the Empress and the Princess along the mountain range where Ganquan Palace was built, and she returned to Weiyang Palace with the imperial carriage.

She knew that what was waiting for her in Weiyang Palace was definitely not just the courtiers in the court, but also the Wang Taihou in Changle Palace.

The Empress and Princess Jianling had fallen off the cliff for more than ten days. Even though Ajiao had arranged for many people to search the mountain, they had not found a single trace.

The courtiers in the court discussed a lot, and many people guessed whether the Empress and Princess Jianling had already encountered misfortune. Just imagine, even the soldiers who tied ropes and went down from the cliff died unfortunately, how could the Empress and the Princess, a weak woman and a child, survive?

On this day, during the morning court, many courtiers submitted memorials proposing to prepare a funeral for the Empress and Princess Jianling, letting them be buried as soon as possible.

Hearing these words, Ajiao felt fire rising in her heart and said angrily: "The soldiers have not yet found the traces of the Empress and the Princess, how can you be sure that the Empress and the Princess are already dead?"

"Your Majesty, Ganquan Palace is built on the top of the mountain, and the foot of the mountain must be deep mountains and old forests. Even if the Empress and Princess Jianling were lucky enough to survive when falling off the cliff, they would probably encounter wild beast attacks afterwards... Now that half a month has passed, there is really no need to search anymore."

Hearing these words from the courtiers, Ajiao's expression was a bit dazed. Had Liu Che and A Li been missing for half a month? Even Wei Qing and the others who went down the cliff to search for them had no news.

How could this be?

Ajiao's face was iron-blue, and her hands under her sleeves were tightly clenched, unwilling to accept this result no matter what. After a long time, she said in a deep voice: "The Empress is my wife, and Princess Jianling is my eldest legitimate daughter. Even if they unfortunately died, I must find their corpses. Do not speak of this matter again."

After the morning court, Ajiao leaned on the imperial carriage with an exhausted face, preparing to go to Qingliang Dian to rest. The carriage stopped outside Qingliang Dian. Su Wen looked at the beautiful figure standing in the big sun and hurriedly turned to Ajiao in the carriage: "Your Majesty, Lady Wei is standing outside the hall."

Ajiao frowned. She really didn't have the energy and mood to deal with Wei Zifu now, but since she was blocking the front of the hall, she had to see her.

"Your Majesty." Wei Zifu looked at the Emperor walking down from the imperial carriage and stepped forward to ask: "Is there any news about my brother and nephew?"

Ajiao said: "If there is news, I will arrange for people to notify you."

"My elder sister has been coming to me to ask for people." Wei Zifu said with her head down: "Qubing is my sister's only son. Now that he is missing, I have to give my sister an explanation. Your Majesty, when will they be able to return?"

"I don't know either." Ajiao answered truthfully. If she knew when Wei Qing would return, she would also know the news of Liu Che and A Li. It was precisely because there was no news at all that she was a bit anxious.

"Wasn't it Your Majesty who arranged for them to search for the Empress and the Princess?" Wei Zifu's voice carried a trace of anger: "If they have an accident, who will go to attack the Xiongnu for the Great Han in the future?"

Ajiao: "?"

"Lady Wei, are you blaming me?" Ajiao listened to Wei Zifu's words and only found it funny: "Do you want to listen to what you are saying yourself?"

Wei Zifu bit her lip tightly. She

was really worried and confused, and actually said what was in her heart in front of "Liu Che."

She thought that if Liu Che knew what kind of myth Wei Qing and Qubing would create for the Great Han in the future, he would definitely regret arranging for Wei Qing and Qubing to search for the Empress and Princess Jianling!

But everything that happened now had not happened before, and such changes made Wei Zifu panic in her heart. If Wei Qing and Qubing really encountered danger while searching for people this time and never came back, what should she and Ju'er do?

"I take it that you are worried about your brother, so you said these words." Ajiao said coldly: "But Wei Zifu, you must be clear, Wei Qing is the Leader of the Feathered Forest Guard, and it is his duty to take people to search for the Empress and the Princess."

Wei Zifu's breathing stopped, and she bowed her head: "Yes."

"You have been standing here long enough, go back first." Ajiao said: "I hope they can return quickly more than you do."

In the court, the courtiers who hoped that the Empress and Princess Jianling would not return were people of the Wang Taihou. The power of the Wang Taihou's maternal relatives, with the death of Prime Minister Tian Fen, had been gradually weakened, but there were still some remnants.

Now, taking advantage of the Empress's disappearance, the Wang Taihou wanted to support the power of her own maternal relatives again. The best way was to let her son "Liu Che" establish a new Empress.

And the candidate for this Empress must be someone related to her Wang family. Thinking of this, the Wang Taihou said a few words to her confidant, and the confidant took the order and left Changle Palace.

The spy in the dark conveyed the news to Liu Ling and asked: "Wengzhu, should the things happening in Chang'an City be reported to the King?"

Liu Ling listened and sneered: "What's the use of reporting to Father King? Now everything is in a mess. It's all the fault of that stupid assassin, actually causing Ajiao sister and little Liu Li to fall off the cliff."

The spy said: "Now the Wang Taihou seems to want the Emperor to establish a new Empress. Just now, the slave overheard that the Wang Taihou sent her confidant to pick up the daughter of the Marquis of Zhouyang to enter the palace."

Liu Ling reached out and picked up the teapot on the side, slowly poured a cup of tea for herself, and sneered: "Oh, I really don't understand this Wang Taihou. Does she want to be the second Empress Dowager Dou or the second Empress Dowager Lu?"

Actually wanting her own niece to enter the palace and be the Empress?

Tian Sheng, the Marquis of Zhouyang, was another younger brother of the Wang Taihou. In her early years, the Wang Taihou's mother remarried to the Tian family of Changling and gave birth to two brothers, Tian Fen and Tian Sheng.

Because her elder brother of the same father and mother, Wang Xin, had already passed away during the time of Emperor Jing of Han, the only maternal relative power the Wang Taihou could develop was Tian Fen and Tian Sheng. And now that Tian Fen was dead, the Emperor did not implicate the Marquis of Zhouyang, Tian Sheng, in the previous matters, so the power of the Wang family's maternal relatives still existed.

"The assassin's action failed. Fortunately, he is already dead, so it shouldn't be possible to find out that we arranged it." The spy was worried: "Wengzhu, in your opinion, what should we do now?"

"Now?" Liu Ling drank a sip of clear tea and laughed faintly: "Oh, it's already beyond my plan. I have to think carefully about what to do next."

Seeing Liu Ling's frivolous behavior, the spy frowned, wondering whether to report the Wengzhu's words and deeds to the King.

After drinking the tea, Liu Ling stood up gracefully and said: "The brother and nephew have no news. Now Lady Wei must be very anxious. I'll go and enlighten her."

After saying that, she walked out of the bedroom door and ordered people to prepare a carriage to go to Weiyang Palace.

Flowers bloom in two places, each describing one branch. Let's go back to Liu Che and Liu Li. After they successfully found the river, they simply rested for a night by the river, ate and drank enough to recharge their energy, and planned to continue on their way tomorrow.

At night, they ate another meal of roasted wild rabbit, eating until their mouths were full of oil, which was somewhat greasy.

The moon in the sky hung high, illuminating the corner where they camped. The river also reflected the moon, and the slowly flowing river water became bright and crystal clear, which was very good-looking.

After using the evening meal, everyone found a comfortable place to sit or lie down to prepare for rest, and then arranged for one person to be on duty and keep watch.

Liu Che sat by the campfire, Liu Li lay beside him, boredly counting the stars in the sky. Wei Qing, because of his injury, had long since taken medicine and lay down to rest, and Huo Qubing guarded beside him.

Suddenly, an inexplicable loud noise came from the forest in the distance, scaring everyone to jump up from the spot. They were stunned for a long while, and then there was no sound.

"Could it be that the wild beasts have come again?"

"I don't know, should we run?"

The soldiers subconsciously turned to look at the Empress, who had very strong opinions. Liu Che frowned and said: "It should be nothing, everyone continue to rest."

Wei Qing was about to lie down when something fell out of his bosom, and the clanging sound attracted Liu Che's attention. Liu Che vaguely saw it was a token. He frowned: "Wei Qing, what is this?"

Wei Qing picked up the token and struggled to get up from the ground to hand the token to Liu Che. Seeing this, Huo Qubing got up hurriedly, supported Wei Qing to lie down, and then acted as a courier to hand the token to Liu Che.

By the firelight, Liu Che saw the mark on the token. After a long time, he asked Wei Qing: "Where did you get this token?"

Wei Qing had to get up again. After all, lying down and talking to the Empress was very impolite.

Seeing him like this, Liu Che only said: "Just lie down and speak."

"This is something I found on the assassin when I was at the bottom of the cliff. I originally wanted to present it to the Emperor after returning." Wei Qing said, and he didn't know if it was because he was roasted by the fire or what, but he felt his cheeks burning inexplicably.

Liu Li noticed that Liu Che's expression was a bit wrong. She hurriedly leaned closer to look at the token in his hand and asked curiously: "Whose token is this?"

It must be that Liu Che already knew whose token it was, which was why he showed such a sinister and terrifying expression.

Liu Che directly put the token into his bosom, and then reached out to knock on Liu Li's head gently, saying softly: "Children ask fewer questions."

Liu Li covered her knocked head and glared at him unhappily. Liu Che reached out to embrace her, letting his daughter lean in his arms: "Sleep, we have to continue on our way tomorrow, don't count on me carrying you again."

Liu Li was forced to lean in his arms. After a pause, she struggled to climb up from Liu Che's arms: "Empress Mother, do you want to go to the river to wash? You're already sour."

Liu Che: "???"

He lifted his sleeve and smelled it himself, then let go with a look of disgust. It was indeed a sour smell. He hadn't bathed for several days, could he not be sour?

Huo Qubing, sitting opposite them, saw this scene and secretly laughed with his head down. Between Princess Jianling and the Empress, it seemed like a mother and daughter in an ordinary family.

Liu Che really wanted to go to the river to take a bath, but these soldiers were all here, so he held back. However, now that Liu Li had said so, he himself was disgusted by the smell on his body.

Liu Li suggested in a low voice: "Why don't we go to a place further away to wash? I also really want to take a bath." Because she also had a sour smell on her body.

Liu Che was a bit tempted. He looked around and found that the soldiers were all resting, so he could take a bath now while it was dark, right?

No sooner said than done. Liu Che let Liu Li go and tell the soldiers on duty, so the father and daughter walked along the river for a distance. Seeing that it was about right, Liu Che let Liu Li go down to the river to wash first, while he started a small campfire by the river.

Seeing that Liu Li was still standing and not going into the water, Liu Che raised his eyebrows: "What are you still stunned for? Go take a bath."

Liu Li was a bit coy: "Father Emperor, I am a girl." Although Liu Che was wearing Ajiao's body now and was a woman, his core was a real man!

Letting her take off her clothes in front of a man and go to the river to take a bath, she was shy.

Liu Che: "..."

He sneered: "What are you shy about? I am your Father Emperor, it's not like I haven't seen you naked when you were little."

That was when she was little, could it be the same as now? Liu Li pursed her lips and said stubbornly: "Then Father Emperor, you look down and are not allowed to look."

Liu Che was helpless and lowered his head slightly: "Fine, fine, hurry up and wash."

Seeing that Liu Che really lowered his head, Liu Li quickly took off her clothes and jumped into the water with a plop. The cool river water washed over her body, making Liu Li shiver slightly. Fortunately, it was summer now, and although the river water was cool, it was not too piercing.

She buried her head in the river and swam a circle, wanting to exchange for shampoo and soap, but looking at the prices of these things, she endured it forcibly! She didn't have many points left now, so she had to endure!

After simple cleaning, Liu Li climbed ashore and soaked her clothes in the river water to wash them, and then appeared in front of Liu Che wearing them wet and disheveled.

"Father Emperor, I'm done washing."

Liu Che looked up, but saw that Liu Li was soaked all over, and the water droplets on her body were still dripping non-stop, like a wet water ghost.

"Why did you get your clothes all wet?" Seeing her like this, Liu Che hurriedly pulled her to the campfire: "Come and roast quickly, it's still very cool at night, aren't you afraid of catching a cold like this?"

Liu Li shook her wet sleeves and said: "Because the clothes are also sour, so I just washed them together."

Letting Liu Li roast her clothes by the campfire, Liu Che took off his outer clothes, wore the inner undergarment, and jumped into the water.

Liu Li roasted the fire and dried her clothes while aiming at the great beauty bathing under the moon, only feeling that the scene in front of her was so pleasing to the eye.

Liu Che took off his undergarment too, completely let go of himself, and even touched his body in the water, and then sighed long.

It was just that after being soaked in the river water, his back felt a burst of sharp pain again. Liu Che then remembered that his back was injured. After being stimulated by the river water, it was really painful.

By the moonlight, Liu Li also vaguely saw that Liu Che's originally smooth and snow-white back was full of scars, and some wounds were still bleeding. She exclaimed and hurriedly ran to the river, looking more carefully this time.

"Father Emperor, your back is injured like this, why didn't you say so before?" Liu Li looked at the wounds on his back, only feeling shocked.

Seeing this, Liu Che put on his undergarment and said indifferently: "I am a man, do I have to tell my daughter about a little injury?"

Liu Li resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him: "But do you know that if the wound is not treated well, it will leave scars? Do you want your back to be full of scars that can't be removed?"

And this was Ajiao's body!

Liu Che frowned: "Then what can I do?"

Liu Li was stumped for a moment, and finally, she could only whisper: "Then you come up first. Before the wounds on your body are healed, don't touch the water."

The points were not enough now, otherwise, she would have exchanged for some ointment from the system store to apply to Liu Che.

Liu Che put on his clothes and went ashore, roasting by the campfire for a while. He suddenly said: "I don't think your Empress Mother will mind if I have scars on my back."

Liu Li: "..." But the problem is, you are using her body to let the body leave scars!

Liu Li didn't want to complain anymore. After the two dried their clothes, they extinguished the campfire here and returned to the main force.

The night was safe and sound. The next day, Liu Li distributed a piece of bread to everyone for two people, and then continued to walk downstream along the river.

Because she wasn't sure when they would be able to walk out, Liu Li had to be very frugal with the use of points, trying not to use points if she didn't have to.

On the fifth day they were in the forest, after walking for another day along the river, they finally met a few hunters hunting nearby in the evening when the sky was about to turn dark.

Seeing that these people were in a sorry state, the hunters just took them for refugees fleeing from nearby. Liu Che and the others didn't explain their identities, so they defaulted to being refugees.

Through the introduction of two hunters, they learned that this was a small village in Yunyang County, north of the Wei River. This place was at least tens of miles away from the inner city of Chang'an.

But in any case, they had finally walked out of this forest.

The group followed the hunters all the way forward and finally arrived at the small village before dark. Two hunters brought so many people back at once, which inevitably attracted the attention of the people in the village.

"Da Wu, Xiao Wu, who are these people?" A villager asked curiously.

The hunter called Da Wu said: "They should be refugees from other places who got lost in the mountains, so we brought them back."

It was already dark now. Da Wu and Xiao Wu heard that these "refugees" wanted to go to the county town, so they decided to take them in for the night and kindly brought them back home.

Da Wu and Xiao Wu were a pair of brothers. They had an old mother at home, and three children waiting to be fed below. Originally, there weren't enough rooms, but now that they had brought so many people back, their old mother was dumbfounded.

Wei Qing looked at the thatched cottage of the Wu family and didn't want to add trouble to this family. He said to Da Wu: "Brother Da Wu, I and the others will just make do outside your house for the night. Please prepare a clean room for the women and children."

The Wu family had three children. The eldest girl was about seven or eight years old, and the youngest was a boy of only three. Da Wu's wife was pregnant, looking big-bellied, and it felt like she would give birth before long.

Liu Li stood at the door of the Wu family, looking at their dilapidated thatched cottage, with a whole family crowded here, only feeling a bit suffocated.

Da Wu's wife and mother looked like honest and simple rural people. Originally, there weren't enough rooms, but they managed to arrange an empty room for Liu Che and Liu Li to live in.

Then they distributed dry steamed buns to everyone to fill their stomachs.

Being able to have such treatment, everyone felt very satisfied in their hearts. Liu Li squatted by the fence of the Wu family, gnawing on the steamed buns, but her gaze was observing the appearance of the entire village.

The houses in the entire village were almost the same as the Wu family's, all thatched cottages of similar appearance. Perhaps when a strong wind came, the roof could be blown away.

Too poor and too backward.

Liu Li's heart felt a bit blocked. She couldn't say what kind of feeling this was, perhaps pity, perhaps luck. She was lucky that when she traveled through time, she became a princess, at least she could be worry-free about food and clothing in this backward era.

Liu Che also walked slowly to Liu Li's side. He learned his daughter's appearance and squatted down, took a bite of the dry and hard steamed bun in his hand, and then said: "Just now I learned that the Wu brothers shared three days of food with us."

Liu Li responded gently.

"I never knew that there was such a poor place in the Chang'an area." At the feet of the Emperor, not to mention all prosperous, but at least it shouldn't be like this. When Liu Che saw the situation of this village, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Liu Li turned to look at him: "It's not too late for you to know now." For a king, only by truly experiencing the suffering of the people can he truly do things for the country and the people, right?

Ancient productivity was backward, and now it was only in the early stage of the development of feudal society, not to mention backward thoughts, probably even thoughts didn't exist.

And the Wu family was just a microcosm of the ordinary common people in this era. ===== CHAPTER 64 =====

Liu Li turned to look at him: "It's not too late for you to know now." As an emperor, only by truly experiencing the hardships of the people can one truly serve the country and the people.

Ancient productivity is backward, and this is only the early stage of development in a feudal society; let alone backward thinking, I'm afraid there isn't even any thinking at all.

And the Wu family is just a microcosm of the ordinary commoners of this era.