Xiao Wuchen frowned.
Xiao Yixuan had specially sent people here, but they weren't here to confirm the life or whereabouts of Xiao Jingcheng. Instead, they were looking for Jiang Mian?
Moreover, they even claimed that Jiang Mian was a wanted fugitive. What was he up to?
"That's right. I saw them go to Huichuntang first. When they couldn't find anyone there, they then headed to Qingyu Alley. They were clearly after Doctor Jiang!" another woman asserted.
"Right! They also mentioned the Crown Prince!" the woman suddenly remembered something and added, "But it wasn't the Crown Prince who saved us. It was that... "
She couldn't recall the name for a moment. The woman beside her spat and said, "Prince Xuan!"
"Isn't he the hypocritical Prince Xuan who abandoned Dongli Town before? With his character, how could he be the Crown Prince? He's not even as good as our Prince Ning!"
Xiao Wuchen paused.
In the past, he had been like a shadow behind Xiao Yixuan, doing many under - the - table things for him. Naturally, he knew better than anyone what kind of person Xiao Yixuan was.
However, this was the first time he had heard someone say that Xiao Yixuan was inferior to him.
He had to admit that he was quite pleased.
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Wuchen's face unconsciously. He said to the two women, "You've done a good job today. I'll remember this. Later, I'll have someone give you more meat."
After the two women left happily, Captain Cui looked at Xiao Wuchen and said, "Your Highness, today's incident seems rather strange."
"When something seems off, there must be a catch," Xiao Wuchen pondered and said. "Xiao Yixuan values profit. Since he's looking for Jiang Mian, it means Jiang Mian's existence is beneficial to him."
Although they knew that Xiao Yixuan hadn't sent people to look for Xiao Jingcheng and him today, this couldn't go on like this. They couldn't keep hiding in the mountains through the town's secret passages every time.
If the Cangzhou Army sent by Xiao Yixuan insisted on staying in the town for ten days or half a month, their whereabouts would surely be exposed.
The Emperor had placed so much trust in Xiao Yixuan and even made him the Crown Prince. If he found out that Xiao Wuchen was still alive and hadn't shown up to pledge his allegiance for so long, he would surely suspect him of having ulterior motives and wouldn't let him off easily.
He couldn't just wait in Dongli Town. He needed to come up with a way to strengthen his own forces. Only when the Crown Prince returned to the capital and woke up could he be of help to the Crown Prince instead of a burden.
Xiao Wuchen got up and walked out of the door. He followed the corridor to the inner courtyard. When he reached the door of one of the side rooms and was about to push it open, he heard Qi Wen's overjoyed voice from inside.
"It's done! It's done!"
The next moment, the door was opened from the inside. Qi Wen rushed out of the room holding a thick manuscript, almost bumping into Xiao Wuchen.
When he saw Xiao Wuchen, Qi Wen became even more excited. He even forgot about the hierarchy and grabbed Xiao Wuchen's wrist. "My Lord, I've finished writing the storybook about the Crown Prince! Look!"
These days, Qi Wen had been staying in the room writing his storybook, almost to the point of "forgetting to eat and sleep". Since this storybook was related to Xiao Jingcheng, Xiao Wuchen immediately looked solemn and said, "Good, let me take a look."
The two of them went back into the room. Xiao Wuchen sat in front of the chair and carefully read through the storybook written by Qi Wen from beginning to end by the light of the oil lamp in the room and the daylight outside.
Qi Wen's excited mood gradually calmed down. Seeing Xiao Wuchen being so serious and solemn, he gradually became nervous.
Nervously, he fidgeted with his fingers and didn't dare to make a sound to disturb him. It wasn't until Xiao Wuchen turned to the last page and put down the manuscript that Qi Wen asked, "My Lord, what do you think... of it?"
Xiao Wuchen looked up at him, as if seeing him for the first time, and scanned him from head to toe with his eyes.
Qi Wen became even more nervous and stammered, "M - My Lord?"
"Have you ever been to school and studied?" Xiao Wuchen asked.
Qi Wen shook his head. "No."
"Then who taught you how to write?"
"It was, it was our master, oh, that is, Doctor Wang from Huichuntang, who is also Miss Jiang's master," Qi Wen explained. "Our master said that since I'm a medicine boy, I should learn to read and write so that I can understand the prescriptions. Before Miss Jiang came to the medical hall, I helped our master copy medical records."
After saying that, he became a bit nervous again. "My Lord, is there something wrong with my writing?"
Although he was determined to spread the heroic deeds of the Crown Prince, if the storybook was poorly written, it would only have the opposite effect.
Xiao Wuchen put down the manuscript and smiled. "I don't think it's bad. On the contrary, I think it's very good. That's why I wanted to ask if you've ever studied in school."
"Now it seems that this is all your talent."
Qi Wen grinned. "I don't have any other hobbies on weekdays. I just like to figure this out."
"Since my Lord says it's good, then our storybook is settled. It's time to arrange the play."
Xiao Wuchen shook his head. "You've been buried in writing the storybook in the room these days. You probably don't know what's going on outside."
He told Qi Wen about the current situation. "If we spread the deeds of the Crown Prince at this time, it will surely attract the Cangzhou Army. If we want to help the Crown Prince, we need to find another way."
This was something Qi Wen never expected. After his surprise, he quickly calmed down. "My Lord, have you already thought of a countermeasure?"
Xiao Wuchen nodded. "We can't stay in Dongli Town all the time. It's actually disadvantageous for us. Since we want to spread the deeds of the Crown Prince, we can do this..."
He whispered his plan to Qi Wen. Qi Wen's eyes sparkled, and he clapped his hands in agreement. "My Lord, this method is wonderful! In this way, they won't be able to find any fault with us, and they won't be able to do anything to us!"
Xiao Wuchen pointed to the manuscript on the table. "You should first organize your storybook well. Tomorrow, I'll gather everyone. The Crown Prince can't wait. The sooner we act, the more beneficial it will be for him."
...
Lingfeng Ferry had already been destroyed. There were Cangzhou Army troops stationed along the river, banning any boats from crossing the river, not even fishing boats. The security was very strict.
In a mansion in Tianyuan County, Xiao Yixuan was looking through the military report in his hand. He rubbed his temples and looked out of the window again.
They had blocked Lingfeng Ferry and, under the pretext of the Cangzhou flood, had raised troops to attack Emperor Guiyuan. The purpose was naturally to force Xiao Tianchi to fight, so that they could completely pin the blame of the Cangzhou flood on Xiao Tianchi and tell the world that he was unworthy of the throne and against the will of heaven.
But so much time had passed, and there was still no news from the capital. It was really worrying.
But what worried Xiao Yixuan even more at this time was another piece of news.
Just as he was thinking, there was a report from outside. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Yu Si has returned."
Xiao Yixuan immediately put down the military report in his hand. "Summon him!"
Yu Si walked into the room. After saluting Xiao Yixuan, before he could even get up, Xiao Yixuan urgently asked, "Well, did you find out where Jiang Mian is?!"