She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 399 Remains Stolen

Zhao Yi lifted the curtain of the carriage window and looked at the general on horseback: "Where have the remnants of the previous dynasty appeared?"

"It's at the foot of the cliff behind the temple," the general said. "I've already arranged for men to muster the troops, and we'll pursue them immediately once you arrive."

Zhao Yi frowned and turned to look at Shen Qingtan.

Shen Qingtan said considerately, "Second Master, you go and hunt down the remnants of the previous dynasty first, and I will go to pay my respects to the Princess Protector of the Nation."

"You should go back to the manor first," Zhao Yi said gently. "Mother isn't in the garden, so it doesn't matter whether you go or not."

He took the initiative to mention that he wanted to pay respects to his birth mother, and the Emperor of Northern Qi gave the order for them to come to the Lingfei Mausoleum to pay their respects, as they had to go through the motions.

Now that unexpected complications have arisen, there is no need to go to the mausoleum.

Moreover, these are turbulent times, and he wouldn't feel at ease leaving Shen Qingtan alone in the Lingfei Garden.

Shen Qingtan nodded: "We have set up a memorial tablet in the mansion. We can go and pay our respects together when you return."

Zhao Yi responded and turned to the general, saying, "Return."

The general led the way.

The coachman turned the carriage around and sped back the way he came. As they passed the foot of Guosi Mountain, they saw a troop of soldiers and horses, so they immediately reined in the horses and brought the carriage to a sudden stop.

Zhao Yi bid farewell to Shen Qingtan, dismounted from the carriage, and led a troop of soldiers down the cliff behind the National Temple.

Those secretly watching saw Zhao Yi heading in the direction of the National Temple and felt that their master's guess had come true.

Zhao Yi was not going to the National Temple to arrest remnants of the previous dynasty.

They were clearly using the pretext of capturing remnants of the previous dynasty to legitimately steal Princess Yizhen's remains from the national temple.

However, since the King of Qi failed to steal the remains last time, the Emperor of Northern Qi will surely lay a trap, and this time Zhao Yi is destined not to be able to take them away.

They silently followed Zhao Yi to the foot of the cliff behind the mountain, only to belatedly realize that something was wrong.

What was Zhao Yi doing at the foot of the cliff after he arrived?

Why not go to the national temple to search for and arrest the remnants of the previous dynasty?

The next moment, they saw soldiers searching the forest, as if they were really looking for remnants of the previous dynasty.

Otherwise, how could they have taken the opportunity to steal the remains?

Or...did they guess wrong?

Did Zhao Yi really find traces of the remnants of the previous dynasty?

The thought had barely crossed their minds when they saw a signal flare explode in the sky.

The signal flare was launched directly towards the Guosi Zen Monastery.

Their expressions were solemn. They first looked at Zhao Yi, who was talking with the general, and then at the direction of the temple on the mountaintop. Suddenly, an idea came to mind—to feint to the east while attacking in the west.

Everyone knows that Zhao Yi wants to fulfill Princess Yizhen's last wish and bring her remains back to the Great Zhou.

Today is Princess Yizhen's birthday, and many forces will be secretly watching her, speculating whether she will make a move today.

Because all the forces were focused on Zhao Yi, how could Zhao Yi dare to go to the National Temple to steal the remains?

That would be far too conspicuous.

Zhao Yi understood this, so he led his men to search for remnants of the previous dynasty at the foot of the cliff behind the mountain, and also arranged for others to ambush the temple, waiting for the right moment to seize the remains.

Thinking of this, they immediately rushed to the Guosi Zen Temple, where they saw more than a dozen men in black fighting fiercely with the monks guarding the temple and the royal guards.

Suddenly, the guard gripped his longsword and struck swiftly and ruthlessly, the blade sharply aimed at the man in black's throat.

As they watched the man in black about to be stabbed, they immediately remembered Prince Yu's instructions: if Zhao Yi's men took the opportunity to steal the remains, they were to step in and help.

With that thought in mind, they drew their longswords, swiftly deflecting the guards' swords and joining the melee.

Realizing he was outmatched, the man in black seized the opportunity to escape.

Upon seeing this, Prince Yu's men spat and cursed, then fled.

The royal guards wanted to give chase, but fearing they might fall for a diversionary tactic, they didn't. Meanwhile, the monk guarding the monastery straightened his robes, pushed open the tightly closed door, and looked towards the offering table. His expression suddenly changed drastically.

A box that used to be placed under the offering table was gone.

The monk hurriedly told the royal guards, "Benefactor, the nobleman's remains have disappeared."

The head of the royal guards pushed aside the monk and strode into the meditation room. Sure enough, the spot where the box had been was empty. The head's face was grim: "When was the last time you saw the box?"

The monk replied, "The nobleman's remains were still there when the offerings were presented this morning."

The leader's face was tense; if they lost Princess Yizhen's remains and didn't find them, they would all lose their heads.

He pondered carefully which step had gone wrong, and suddenly, he seemed to have figured out the key. He took a few steps to the offering table, knelt on one knee, and tapped the ground with his hand, making a hollow "thump-thump" sound.

The leader pulled out a dagger strapped to the inside of his calf, pried open the floor tiles, and revealed a dark, muddy hole.

His face turned icy, and he forced out a sentence through clenched teeth: "We've fallen into their trap."

While the men in black openly robbed the remains, another group crawled in through a tunnel and stole them.

What a good trick to make a feint to the east and attack in the west.

"Go and inform the abbot to arrange for the warrior monks to search," the leader instructed the monks, then strode out of the meditation room and ordered one of the guards, "Go to the palace to report to His Majesty, the rest of you come with me to search."

After giving all the details, the leader went into the secret passage and climbed out along the narrow passage, only to find that he was in the back mountain.

He looked around, but the back mountain was densely wooded and covered with thorns, and there wasn't a soul in sight. His gaze settled on the ground, where he noticed that the sprouting wild grass had been trampled. He followed this clue.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Just as he was about to turn around, a cold longsword was pressed against his neck.