After speaking, the two of them looked at each other, Yuan Gang didn't say anything and turned around to leave. Niu You Dao watched him leave and muttered, "That demon won't get beaten up again, right?"

In the small courtyard, a group of monks were truly compassionate. They seemed to maintain the style of Nanshan Temple, with those who read sutras reading sutras and those who swept the floor sweeping the floor. The courtyard didn't need anyone else to clean it because they kept it neat and tidy themselves.

As soon as Yuan Gang arrived, the group of monks became like frightened birds. No matter what they were doing, they put down what they were doing and stared at him, all feeling that Yuan Gang was terrifying. Others' terror is unpredictable, but this person's face doesn't show any emotions, he doesn't have any reason to explain himself, and he will use violence without warning, making him impossible to guard against.

Recently, they have witnessed Yuan Gang beating Yuan Fang mercilessly every day. Every time Yuan Gang came, he would beat the abbot. He had already come twice today, why did he come again?

Yuan Fang, who had heard the news, didn't know whether to greet him or not. He felt the same way in his heart. Didn't he already beat him twice today?

Extremely worried and fearful, he still approached him with a face that was brown-nosing and said, "Mr. Yuan, do you have any orders?" This attitude was damaging to the image of the dignified abbot, but now that he had a swollen nose and a swollen face, he couldn't be considered dignified.

After calling him 'monkey' twice and getting beaten up twice, Niu You Dao changed his tone.

"Come in." Yuan Gang threw down his words, brushed past him, and went straight into a room with no one in it, the same room where he first beat Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang was nervous and didn't dare to go in, but he couldn't delay any longer because the other party had a habit of being ruthless when he was unhappy. His fists and kicks were too hard and too heavy, so he could only grit his teeth and follow him in. Bang! The door was closed.

The other monks in the courtyard looked at each other, raised their ears and listened, and some of them began to move their prayer beads to pray for the abbot.

They were all worried about the abbot. Even if he was a demon, he couldn't withstand being beaten like this every day, right?

It seemed that their prayers were effective because it was quite quiet inside the room, and nothing happened that they were worried about.

However, soon after, the sound of Yuan Fang's surprise came from inside the room, "Mr. Yuan, I don't do that kind of thing."

"What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly, say it again?"

"Um... Mr. Yuan, I really don't have that thing, bang! Ah..."

Everyone's hair stood on end as the familiar sound of violent beating, mixed with Yuan Fang's screams, came from inside the room.

"Lord Yuan, don't move the knife, don't move the knife, someone will die."

"Are you human?"

"Lord Yuan, I am, I am!"

"You're not lying to me?"

"I swear to the heavens, I am telling the truth, absolutely true. If I tell a half-lie, you can chop off my head!"

"Can you handle it?"

"I guarantee it, Lord Yuan. Wait for good news from me. If there is the slightest mistake, I'll offer my head!"

The room seemed to have fallen back into a peaceful calm, with occasional murmurs. Soon, the door creaked open and Yuan Gang calmly walked out, taking big strides as he left.

After Yuan Gang disappeared from the small courtyard, the monks rushed to the room. They found Yuan Fang sitting in the corner, wiping blood from his nose with a miserable and pitiful expression. The two leaders of the east and west courtyards helped him up and sat him in a nearby chair.

The leader of the west courtyard cried out in pain, "The abbot has suffered injustice for us!"

"It's okay!" Yuan Fang wiped the blood from his nose and looked at the bright red on his hand. His expression twisted and he said, "That monkey has gone too far! A hero doesn't suffer in silence. I will remember this debt and eventually skin him and pull his tendons."

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside, shocking Yuan Fang and causing him to stand up in fear.

The monks were also frightened by the commotion and thought that Yuan Gang had come back. But a weak monk outside said, "The broom was not put away properly and fell!"

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The monks breathed a sigh of relief. Yuan Fang clasped his hands and said, "Amitabha Buddha, my heart is troubled and the Buddha will blame me. I am guilty, I am guilty!"

"Amitabha Buddha!" The monks followed suit and chanted the Buddha's name.

Yuan Fang put his hands down and looked around at the faces of the people. He motioned for them to come closer and whispered, wiping the blood from his nose, "There is something important that we need to do. Otherwise, that troublemaker will cause us more trouble. He has made threats this time..."

The sound of gongs and drums could be heard throughout the county. Shang Chaozong rode on a decorated horse and threw money bags to the crowds on both sides, exchanging copper coins for cheers and congratulations.

The prefecture was bustling with guests, all of whom were important figures in Guangyi County. Ordinary wealthy families may have offered great gifts, but not everyone could enter the prefecture. Outdoor banquets were prepared for those who couldn't make it inside. Besides heavy military defenses, people stood on and off the ups and downs of the prefecture's roofs, with vigilant eyes scanning both inside and out. The groom arrived escorted by people and horses, and voices of congratulations from old and young, men and women filled the air.

As Shang Chaozong dismounted, he repeatedly thanked the guests outside for their congratulations, whether he knew them or not, with a smile on his face.

When it comes to the critical moment, Shang Chaozong is not nervous at all, with the innate noble temperament that few people can compare with. Upon arrival at the residence, someone led Shang Chaozong to Feng Ruonan's boudoir. It was the first time that he had seen Feng Ruonan, but he couldn't see her face as it was covered by a red veil.

However, Shang Chaozong could feel Feng Ruonan's hidden stature beneath the phoenix crown and dress, and when a couple of red silk flowers, symbolizing the union of the couple, were held up to lead Feng Ruonan out, Shang Chaozong could clearly tell that Feng Ruonan appeared to be slightly taller than himself, although it may be because of the phoenix crown. It should be noted that Shang Chaozong was also a well-built man and was considered tall among his peers. It was rare for him to meet a woman who could match his height.

However, this didn't matter, as he had prepared himself mentally to marry Feng Ruonan, which was a sacrifice he had to make. But the secret that Blue Ruoting had told him on the way made him feel melancholy.

The newlyweds arrived at the main hall, and the ceremony was nothing out of the ordinary. Feng Lingbo and Peng Yulan sat high up. Looking at her daughter, who was finally getting married, Peng Yulan was both happy and worried, unable to help but shed tears, wiping them away repeatedly.

After the ceremony was complete, the guests of the governor's residence started drinking and celebrating, while the host himself warmly welcomed every guest. On the way back, the procession of the welcoming party grew larger, and the level of caution heightened. They kept a watchful eye on surroundings, looking at the jubilant people congratulating them on both sides. In the courtyard where the newlyweds would reside temporarily, food and drinks were also prepared. Although Shang Chaozong didn’t have many relatives and friends to invite, he entertained his accompanying guards.

The backyard of the main courtyard was the newlyweds' bridal chamber, where two maids came in carrying wine and tea trays. However, before they could reach the door, several people suddenly appeared, causing the two maids to be frightened. The leader was an old man with a white beard, looking a bit fierce with bruises on his face. His name was Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang and several southern temple disciples intercepted the two and asked sternly, “What are you doing?”

The two maids, however, were from wealthy families, and they remained calm.

One of them answered, “We are preparing the wedding ceremony. We have brought tea and wine to the bridal chamber. What about you guys?”

They had been in and out of the courtyard several times before and had never seen these guys with hats before.

Yuan Fang calmly replied, “We are the prince's guards, responsible for checking the security of this courtyard.”

The two maids looked at each other and didn’t doubt him. The place was well-defended, and without permission, outsiders could not likely enter.

“We need to check these items,” Yuan Fang pointed to the trays and utensils in their hands.

A maid shook her head and said, “No need. These items have already been checked thoroughly and are safe.”

Yuan Fang said seriously, “The governor's inspection belongs to the governor's side, and we, the prince's guards, also need to check. Is that okay?”

The two maids didn’t know how to respond and before they had a chance to say anything, Yuan Fang waved his hand, and several monks came and snatched the items from the two maids. “You guys…” The two maids were obviously not happy with their rude behavior, but before they could reprimand them, Yuan Fang spoke again. “I now doubt your identities. Can you prove that you are from the governor's residence?”

Two maids turned back and looked at him, seemingly amused and annoyed. One of them said, "Do you still need proof, sir? If we weren't from the magistrate's office, could we be here?"

Yuan Fang asked, "What are your names? I need to verify."

"Wei Xin and Wei Li." The two women replied reluctantly. Behind them, a monk nodded slightly at Yuan Fang and gave him a look, saying, "There shouldn't be a problem."

Yuan Fang waved his hand and said, "Give them the item and ask someone if they arranged for these two people to be here."

The tray was returned to the two women and a monk ran out of the courtyard. As they faced each other, Wei Li couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what happened to your face? Were you hit?"

Yuan Fang touched his face, which was sore to the touch, twitched his mouth and said seriously, "I fell off a horse." He cursed someone in his heart.

Wei Li chuckled, "You fell so badly."

Yuan Fang replied, "I was galloping on horseback and the horse lost a shoe, so I fell harder than usual..." He suddenly realized that he didn't need to explain and glared at them, saying, "Why so many questions?"

Wei Li laughed, "We are accompanying the Miss as attendants. You are the Prince's people, so we'll probably see each other often in the future." She meant that they should get acquainted now.

This made Yuan Fang a bit uneasy. It was better not to let the other party remember that he had appeared here. At this point, the monk who had just left returned quickly and nodded at Yuan Fang, saying, "There are indeed these two people."

"Let's go!" Yuan Fang waved his hand and led the Southern Mountain Temple disciples out briskly. Wei Xin and Wei Li turned and went their own way. Outside the courtyard, Yuan Fang waved to the followers to go back first and rushed off to Yuan Gang's lodging place...