"Some people are alive, but they should have died long ago!" Wei Dongling said coldly. "The Zhao family may come back. I plan to go to Liaocheng early tomorrow morning. First, I want to see if it's suitable to open a milk tea branch there. Second, I want to secretly keep an eye on Xuyang Winery. If the Zhao family still has a way out, it must be related to this Prince of Xiliang."
Uncle Li was silent for a while and then said in a deep voice, "That Prince of Xiliang is not to be underestimated. If you really want to investigate secretly, I'll go with you."
Wei Dongling shook her head. "The Crown Prince may still make things difficult for us. Uncle Li, you have to stay and stabilize the situation. Anyway, making money comes first."
Everyone fell silent. Last night, all the servants of the Crown Prince's Mansion were mobilized, but they didn't gain any advantage. The Crown Prince was even slapped in the face by Uncle Li in public! With his temperament, he would surely bear a grudge and come back to settle the score sooner or later.
Wei Dongling looked up at Jingzhe and asked, "Now that you've fallen out with the Crown Prince, you definitely can't go back to the Crown Prince's Mansion. What are your plans for the future?"
Jingzhe looked at Wei Dongling quietly. He reached into his clothes and fumbled for a long time before taking out a yellowed and blood - stained piece of paper. He handed it to Wei Dongling and said, "Actually, I went to the Crown Prince's Mansion to steal my indenture last night. I happened to run into the Crown Prince making things difficult for you."
Wei Dongling raised her eyebrows, took the indenture, opened it, and looked at it carefully. She sighed and said, "The government has a record. It's useless for you to steal the one from the Crown Prince. Once they start an investigation and issue an arrest warrant, you'll always have to hide."
Jingzhe nodded. "I know. Haven't I been hiding all these years? I haven't thought of a way out yet, and I don't know where to go. I just don't want to work for the Crown Prince anymore."
For more than ten years, Jingzhe had been loyal to this son of heaven. He had watched him grow up step by step. He had even fought through thorns and dangers for him and saved him from fire and water several times, just because he was the master in Jingzhe's heart.
However, the older this young man grew, the more terrifying he became. He was tyrannical and killed innocent people wantonly. He had no grace of a national heir apparent at all. His methods were so cruel that Jingzhe was secretly shocked.
Not long ago, the Crown Prince no longer trusted him and found an excuse to send Jingzhe far away. Only then did he faintly realize that in fact, he had never had a sense of belonging by the Crown Prince's side all these years. Only when he saw Wei Dongling did he feel inexplicably steady and at ease.
Since he had been caught in the rain, he wanted to hold an umbrella for Miss Wei.
Wei Dongling showed a bright smile and said softly to Jingzhe, "As long as you're willing, the Su Mansion will be your home. There's no distinction between master and servant here. We're all brothers and sisters."
Jingzhe looked at Wei Dongling with a firm look in his eyes. His heart warmed and he was deeply touched.
Uncle Li interrupted discontentedly, "Hey! Who's your brother or sister? You're the youngest in seniority. You have to call me uncle!"
This sentence made Wei Dongling twitch at the corner of her mouth. Everyone couldn't help laughing.
Jingzhe lowered his head and thought for a long time. Then he looked up and said, "I'm willing to follow Miss Wei for the rest of my life."
Seeing everyone looking at him, Wei Dongling felt a little embarrassed. She touched her nose and said, "Well, I'm already engaged."
Jingzhe was stunned for a moment. His face suddenly turned red, all the way to the tips of his ears. He said embarrassedly, "I, I don't mean what you think..."
Only then did Wei Dongling smile and say, "That's great. I'll go and tidy up a room for you later. From now on, this will be your home!"
Home? Jingzhe was stunned. Looking at Wei Dongling, who looked so sincere, he suddenly thought that it seemed quite nice to have a home. He nodded and whispered, "I can't decline!"
Seeing that Jingzhe had agreed, Wei Dongling was overjoyed. She said to everyone, "I'd like to ask all you uncles to take care of the business of the Listening to Sounds Building. As for Liaocheng, let Jingzhe go with me! Don't worry. I won't alert the enemy."
Aunt Ruan pouted and said, "But both of you are injured. Why don't you wait for a few days until your injuries are healed before you go?"
Wei Dongling shook her head. She was so anxious that she couldn't wait for a moment.
Jingzhe looked at Wei Dongling and nodded. "My injury is not serious. Besides, going to Liaocheng won't affect our recovery."
Uncle Li was silent for a long time and then waved his hand. "It's okay to bring more ointment. Liaocheng isn't far away. If anything happens, just send us a message in time. We'll rush over immediately."
Everyone nodded.
So, early the next morning before dawn, Wei Dongling and Jingzhe drove a carriage out of the Su Mansion.
When passing by the market, Wei Dongling got off and prepared some thick blankets and a lot of dry food. She stuffed all these big and small packages into the carriage.
Jingzhe was surprised and asked, "What does this mean, Miss Wei?"
Wei Dongling climbed onto the carriage and took the reins. She waved her hand indifferently and said, "I'm so worried that I can't sleep at night. I must go to the northwest to find Yu Zixi before I can feel at ease."
Jingzhe was speechless. Miss Wei was actually sneaking off to the northwest without telling all the uncles! Presumably, she was afraid that everyone would worry, so she didn't tell the truth and went secretly. Jingzhe sighed and whispered, "Miss Wei doesn't actually have to go in person. I can go and look for him for you."
Wei Dongling smiled bitterly. "How can I feel at ease if I don't go and see for myself?" Even if Yu Zixi had really met with an accident as the Crown Prince said, she had to go and find out. Even if he was really dead, she had to bring back his body!
Jingzhe nodded. Alright! He would accompany her to the ends of the earth.
Cuihuan's back injury had affected her meridians, and she needed to rest quietly for some time.
When she woke up, she found that the pillow beside her was empty. Cuihuan reached out and touched the cold bed. She couldn't help feeling a little confused. Why did Miss Wei wake up so early today? Where did she go so early in the morning?
Then she saw a small corner of a letter sticking out from under the pillow. Cuihuan quickly grabbed it and unfolded it. After reading it, her face immediately turned bad. Miss Wei had actually sneaked off thousands of miles away to look for Young Master Yu without telling anyone? And she didn't even take her!
Cuihuan threw off the quilt and was about to get up. Just then, she saw Aunt Ruan pushing the door open. She quickly stuffed the letter into the quilt.
Aunt Ruan smiled and said, "Cuihuan, you're awake. I was just about to wake you up to have some breakfast!"
"Miss Wei, she..." Cuihuan blurted out anxiously, but then quickly swallowed the words back. She was worried that if everyone knew, they would be as anxious as she was.
Seeing her hesitating to speak, Aunt Ruan waved her hand and said, "Miss Wei has gone to Liaocheng with that friend of hers, Jingzhe. She said she wanted to go and investigate and open a milk tea branch there. You just rest and recuperate. Don't worry about her."
Last night, when she heard the news about Young Master Yu, Cuihuan had been extremely anxious. Now that she knew Miss Wei had left without her, she was even more worried. Cuihuan asked pale - faced, "Aunt Ruan, you're so skilled in medicine. With you here, I'm not worried about my injury at all. I just want to ask, if I take good care of my back injury, how many days will it take for me to go out?"
Aunt Ruan comforted her and said, "Don't be in a hurry. If you take good care of it, I reckon it will only take eight to ten days for you to go out for a walk!"
Eight to ten days? Hearing this, Cuihuan's face turned deathly pale. By then, Miss Wei would probably be almost in the northwest! Cuihuan asked anxiously, "Is there any medicine that can numb the wound so that I don't feel the pain? I want to go out earlier to look for Miss Wei."
Aunt Ruan rolled her eyes and said angrily, "Lie down obediently. Don't come up with such crazy ideas for me!"