Xiao Wuchen knew that Jiang Mian had just gone with Taoist Yuanzheng to see Xiao Jingcheng. He guessed that the matter she wanted to talk about must be related to Xiao Jingcheng, so he said,
"Miss Jiang, please feel free to speak your mind. We've gone through this ordeal together and formed an indissoluble bond. There's nothing you can't say."
Mo Zhizhang looked at Jiang Mian, his face showing no particular expression.
Li Zhao said in a gentle tone, "Yes, Mujuan, just speak your mind."
Jiang Mian took a deep breath. First, she turned to Xiao Wuchen and said, "I wonder if His Highness the Prince of Ning knows that the Crown Prince was harmed by someone?"
Xiao Wuchen said straightforwardly, "His Majesty the Emperor once mentioned it to me. I know this matter has something to do with my second elder brother."
Jiang Mian said, "Then does Your Highness know what means the Prince of Xuan used to take the Crown Prince's life?"
Xiao Wuchen paused for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know about this. His Majesty didn't tell me much."
Jiang Mian said coldly, "He invited a demonic Taoist and came up with a poisonous plan. He trapped the Crown Prince's soul in a certain place, trying to consume the purple aura on him and make his soul disappear forever, never to be reincarnated."
Xiao Wuchen was full of shock. "There's actually such a thing?!"
He immediately thought of the Taoist he had invited from Tianyuan County.
He was arranged to investigate this assassination case and had to travel back and forth between Dongli Town and Tianyuan County frequently. By chance that day, when he came out of the Tianyuan County Yamen, he heard two commoners chatting outside the yamen and mentioning Taoist Yuanqi.
Since he finally got this task, of course he wanted to do it well. He thought that if he could invite that Taoist to summon the Crown Prince's soul, he would be able to find out everything. That's why he strongly recommended this to the Prince of Mu.
It turned out that all of this was designed by Xiao Yixuan?
Noticing Xiao Wuchen's expression, Jiang Mian continued, "After you two came to Dongli Town, I was recognized by Xiao Yixuan. When that fake corpse appeared, I accidentally found that the corpse was not the Crown Prince, so I started to investigate this matter. Finally, following the clues, I rescued the Crown Prince from the coffin of the youngest son of the Chen员外."
Xiao Wuchen was shocked again.
What? His Majesty the Crown Prince was hidden in the coffin of the youngest son of the Chen员外?
No wonder the tomb of the youngest son of the Chen员外 was dug up. He actually went straight to the Liuxiang Tower and found Xiao Yixuan. And Xiao Yixuan was so concerned about this matter.
"After I rescued the Crown Prince, I couldn't wake him up no matter what. By chance, I met the Taoist priest today. He said that someone had imprisoned the Crown Prince's soul and was using it to wear away his fortune, making his soul disappear completely."
Qi Wen and Li Zhao already knew this matter, but it was the first time for Mo Zhizhang and Xiao Wuchen to hear about it. Xiao Wuchen's face changed several times. In contrast, Mo Zhizhang seemed much calmer, but there was also a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Jiang Mian told Xiao Wuchen how Taoist Yuanzheng had summoned the Crown Prince's soul back to his body and how Xiao Jingcheng had woken up with the help of the three life lamps.
"Although the Crown Prince finally got the protection of the heavens and woke up smoothly, his soul is still not very stable. This time, when he encountered this flood, he put himself in danger to save the commoners, so his soul escaped from his body again."
"If you want to wake him up and restore him to his former state, you need to..." She took a deep breath. "You need to return to the capital and use the dragon vein of the capital to nourish his soul so that he can save his life."
She finally got to the point and said bluntly to Xiao Wuchen, "The Prince of Mu rebelled and tried to seize the throne. The situation in the capital has changed greatly. Although Your Highness has been enfeoffed as a prince, you are, after all, the bloodline of the deposed emperor. Like the Crown Prince, you are a threat to the Prince of Mu. Returning to the capital is not a good thing for you. So, I would like to ask for Your Highness's opinion."
Xiao Wuchen came back to his senses from the shock. He took a deep breath and said with a bit of resentment, "After Xiao Yixuan received the news that something had changed in the capital, he didn't leave me a single word. He immediately led his people to retreat. And regardless of the fact that I was still in Dongli Town, he led people to blow up the water canal. This move was also to get rid of me."
"Father Emperor and the imperial concubine fled from the capital. Xiao Yixuan must be going to look for them. My existence is just a pawn that can be used for them. It's better to escort His Majesty the Crown Prince back to the capital and strive for a future."
"But..." He frowned and made a decision in his heart. "His Majesty the Crown Prince was injured in the head and is in a coma. Someone must take charge here. He trusts me so much, and I can't let him down. I think I should stay here, properly settle these disaster victims, and help them rebuild their homes and restore their former lives as soon as possible."
Xiao Jingcheng had been controlling the body of Dahuang and following Jiang Mian. He knew that she had called these people here to discuss the matter of returning to the capital. But Xiao Wuchen's answer really surprised him.
He didn't expect that his younger brother had a kind heart.
After getting Xiao Wuchen's answer, Jiang Mian looked at Li Zhao. "Father, the Crown Prince has made such a great sacrifice for the commoners in Dongli Town. As a doctor, I can't ignore this. I want to escort the Crown Prince back to the capital until I see the Crown Prince wake up with my own eyes, and then I'll leave."
"But Mother's current condition may not be suitable for a long journey. Since His Highness the Prince of Ning wants to stay, Father might as well stay here with Mother. With His Highness the Prince of Ning's protection, I believe Mother won't suffer anymore in the future."
Li Zhao didn't even think about it and said, "I'll take your mother and go to the capital with you."
Mo Zhizhang said that he only had three years to live. He just wanted to be by the side of his beloved. No matter what Jiang Mian planned, their family would always be together.
Jiang Mian's eyes welled up with tears. She nodded vigorously. "Okay, Father, our family will go to the capital together."
Then she looked at Mo Zhizhang and Qi Wen. "Uncle, Qi Wen, what about you two?"
Return to the capital.
Mo Zhizhang didn't know what he was thinking. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Don't forget, nephew. Senior brother is still in the hands of that new emperor. Senior brother told me to take good care of you. If I leave you alone, wouldn't I be letting down senior brother's trust? Naturally, I'll go with everyone."
Qi Wen said, "I..."
He lowered his head and pursed his lips. His expression looked quite tangled. Jiang Mian didn't urge him, just looked at him gently. After a moment, Qi Wen gritted his teeth, raised his head, and said to Jiang Mian,
"I'm sorry, Miss Jiang. I plan to stay in Dongli Town. If you all leave, there will be no one in Huichuntang. I want to guard Huichuntang and wait for you all to come back."
Jiang Mian smiled. "Why are you saying sorry? I can understand no matter what choice you make. Although we're going to leave here, it's not going to be right away. To go to the capital, we have to wait until the rain stops, the flood recedes, and the roads are cleared before we can leave."
Li Zhao nodded. "Yes, everything has to wait until the rain stops."
Everyone looked outside the cave. Maybe it was just their imagination, but the rain was indeed much lighter than the previous two days. It seemed that this rain was almost over.