"Liang Er, how dare you break into my palace without permission? This is a capital crime!"
The face of the Princess Dowager contorted hideously. She was so close, just one step away!
Why did Liang Yuzhou suddenly come to the Princess Dowager's mansion? How dare he kick open the door of her bedroom? Was he really willing to risk his life for a woman?
A madman, a complete madman!
Liang Yuzhou's tall and straight body shielded Song Wanchu behind him. His eyes shot out a cold light.
Song Wanchu only felt a sudden darkness in front of her eyes. She was blocked by Liang Yuzhou and couldn't see anything.
Her face was pressed against his broad back. She could hear his violent heartbeat and feel the continuous warmth from his body.
"Then I'd like to ask, Princess Dowager, what do you mean by imprisoning my wife in your bedroom and forcing her to drink poisoned wine?"
The Princess Dowager's eyes trembled.
"May I ask, Princess Dowager, what crime has my wife committed that you use such a vicious means to take her life? You are neither the Ministry of Justice nor the Supreme Court. What right do you have to convict my wife?"
His words were sonorous and forceful, leaving the Princess Dowager speechless and her face turning ashen.
"Liang Er, you are so audacious. You offended me and had ill intentions. I will report your absurd behavior to the Emperor!"
The Emperor was the biggest trump card in the Princess Dowager's hand.
She had been greedily amassing wealth, colluding with party members, oppressing the people, and bullying men and women for decades without fear. All she relied on was the deep affection between siblings.
Even if she committed the greatest crime, the Emperor would not care. But once someone opposed her, the Emperor would surely punish them severely.
Liang Yuzhou sneered contemptuously, "The Princess Dowager has even brought out the Emperor. It seems your confidence is not that strong."
His words seemed to hit a sore spot for the Princess Dowager. Her face became even more embarrassing and angry.
"I'll put it here today. Even if this matter goes to the Golden Throne, I, Liang Yuzhou, will never be timid or back down!"
He turned around, put his arm around Song Wanchu's waist, and picked her up horizontally. "Whoever dares to harm my wife, I, Liang Yuzhou, will fight to the death with them!"
His words were resounding. Each word hit the Princess Dowager's heart like a boulder, making her chest buzz.
Her chest heaved violently, and the flames of anger burned fiercely in her eyes.
"Liang Er, you finally told the truth. The person you like and care about the most is Song Wanchu, not Yu Huiyan!"
Otherwise, how could he turn against her, the most noble and powerful Princess Dowager of the Great Zhou, just for a mere concubine?
She laughed wildly, with a venomous look in her eyes. "If Princess Lingyang knew, do you think she would spare Song Wanchu? Her methods will only be more insidious and vicious than mine!"
At least, she had the pride and nobility of the royal family and was willing to give Song Wanchu a decent way to die.
But Lingyang, that natural bad seed, had no bottom line at all!
Song Wanchu suddenly tightened her grip on Liang Yuzhou's shoulder.
What did the Princess Dowager mean?
Liang Yuzhou couldn't care about her more than Yu Huiyan...
The man looked down at her. Her pale and thin face was buried in his chest. She was so light, like a withered begonia flower.
"The Princess Dowager may go ahead and tell. You can try and see how much of your words Princess Lingyang will believe."
Liang Yuzhou sneered indifferently. "Please put away your arrogant attitude. Today, I will let you know that not everyone in this world can be manipulated by you."
This was the first time the Princess Dowager had been blatantly threatened by a junior. She gritted her back teeth angrily, and her face gradually became stiff.
Could it be that Liang Yuzhou had caught hold of her weakness?
Her overbearing arrogance suddenly disappeared. Liang Yuzhou hugged Song Wanchu tightly and left the Princess Dowager's mansion under the shocked gazes of everyone.
Aunt Fang had been listening to the confrontation between the two with a pounding heart.
She had brought Yaoguang outside the bedroom. The original plan was that if something went wrong, Yaoguang would break into the bedroom and rescue Song Wanchu.
Unexpectedly, Liang Yuzhou came so quickly. With a sword at his waist, he barged in. None of the guards in the Princess Dowager's mansion dared to stop him.
Seeing that her mistress had been rescued and she hadn't been of any use, Yaoguang felt very regretful.
She bowed to Aunt Fang. "Thank you, Auntie, for your planning for my mistress today."
She followed Liang Yuzhou out in the chaos.
When they got out of the main gate of the Princess Dowager's mansion, Nanzhi and Suyue rushed up.
Seeing that their young mistress was unharmed, just a little frightened, the two girls heaved a huge sigh of relief.
"Nanzhi, you're really fast. You called the Second Master here in the blink of an eye!"
Since Liang Yuzhou had come so quickly, Suyue's dissatisfaction with him had decreased a lot.
When she saw the angry and nervous expression on his face when he rushed into the Princess Dowager's mansion with a sword, Suyue wondered if the Second Master really cared about their young mistress.
Nanzhi had a strange look on her face and shook her head gently. "I didn't go to the Yu family to call the Second Master. I had just walked a short distance when I ran into the Second Master on his way to the Princess Dowager's mansion."
She had thought that after making such a ruckus in front of the Yu family last night, it might not be easy to invite Liang Yuzhou.
But Liang Yuzhou's actions exceeded everyone's expectations.
He left Yu Huiyan, who was on the verge of death, behind and rushed into the Princess Dowager's mansion with the determination to die, saving Song Wanchu, whose life was hanging by a thread.
Just as Liang Yuzhou was about to carry Song Wanchu into the carriage, the Crown Prince came out.
He paused in his steps, his expression froze slightly, and he stared at Song Wanchu in Liang Yuzhou's arms from afar.
He was clearly in the Princess Dowager's mansion, just separated from the Princess Dowager's bedroom by a wall. He clearly had the best chance to save Wanchu...
But facing the two tightly closed doors of the bedroom, he hesitated.
He was the nephew of the Princess Dowager, and the blood and ethical relationship could not be ignored. As a nephew, if he broke open the door of his aunt's bedroom, before dawn, he would be drowned in a flood of discussions.
On one hand was his reputation as the Crown Prince, and on the other hand was the life or death of the woman he loved the most. Facing that door, he was in a fierce inner struggle and couldn't make up his mind for a long time.
Liang Yuzhou had finally gotten ahead of him.
When he saw this man kicking open the door of the Princess Dowager's bedroom without considering the consequences, his heart was shocked, and at the same time, he felt a faint sense of self - abasement.
He was not as decisive as Liang Yuzhou, not as reckless.
He had lost this round, lost because he had too many concerns.
He could only watch Song Wanchu leave from afar...
Back at Shuiyunju, Song Wanchu's body was still stiff and trembling.
That was the closest she had ever been to death. Even now, the bitter taste of the poisoned wine still lingered on her lips.
Liang Yuzhou brought her a cup of hot tea and fed it to her bit by bit.
She swallowed the tea mechanically. The warm water gradually warmed her internal organs.
Finally, her body regained its temperature, and a hint of color returned to her pale face.
"Why didn't you listen to me? What bargaining chips do you have to confront the Princess Dowager? You knew clearly that going in there was a dead end. Why did you still act so bravely?"
Liang Yuzhou was both angry and heart - broken.
He didn't care about the consequences of breaking into the Princess Dowager's bedroom at night. Since three years ago, he had already embarked on a path that he couldn't turn back from.
He fought hard in front, and all he hoped for was that Song Wanchu behind him would be safe.
Song Wanchu's expression froze again. She slowly raised her head. Her tear - filled eyes stared at him with a mixture of love and hatred.
"Liang Yuzhou, do you think you're so great and heroic?"
The man was stunned by her tears and accusations.