Zhou Sheng quickly corrected himself. "My lord."
He almost forgot that there was no longer Lord Liang the Second in this world. There was only Taoist Priest Qingzhou now.
Looking at Liang Yuzhou's face turning paler bit by bit due to the suppression of emotions, Zhou Sheng's heart ached.
He knew better than anyone how much his lord cared about his wife. From an on - looker's perspective, his lord was implicated by the old duke.
Although he was not entirely innocent, the price he paid was too high.
Liang Yuzhou silently watched Zhou Sheng treating his wound.
Did it hurt? It did.
When Wan Chu stabbed him with a sword, the wound was deep and had split open several times.
However, the pain in his body was far less than the pain of losing Wan Chu.
In fact, he wished his body would hurt more to divert and relieve the pain of temporarily losing Wan Chu.
It was only a temporary loss.
"My lord, don't blame yourself too much. After all, madam couldn't bear to hurt you severely. She is clear - cut in her love and hate and knows that the blame doesn't lie with you."
"How can I not blame myself? She hates being deceived. She should hate me."
Liang Yuzhou didn't want to find any excuses for himself.
Zhou Yan was driving the carriage, with Yaoguang sitting beside him. They were both silent.
Zhou Yan felt the atmosphere was stifling and tried to make small talk. "My lord—the Second Lord, I mean—oops, my lord has become a Taoist priest. Does that mean we have to become Taoist priests too?"
He didn't dislike Taoist priests. Whether his lord was the Second Lord or Taoist Priest Qingzhou, he would follow him to the death.
But he didn't want to be a Taoist priest.
If he became a Taoist priest, he would have to be pure - hearted and have few desires, couldn't marry, and couldn't eat meat.
He loved meat the most and couldn't bear to give it up.
Yaoguang rolled her eyes at him speechlessly and didn't want to talk to someone so stupid.
She felt extremely guilty.
"It's all my fault. I noticed something was wrong with madam last night. Shi Luohan was holding madam tightly and wouldn't let go. I should have told my lord about madam's strange behavior last night. I was too careless."
My lord had asked her to serve madam well, but she hadn't even noticed madam's abnormality.
She was so derelict in her duty.
"My lord, we've already left the city. Which direction should we go?"
Zhou Yan asked.
Liang Yuzhou's deep and slow voice came from inside the carriage. "Go east along the official road to the Ning'an Inn."
Zhou Sheng was stunned for a moment. "Isn't that Shi Luohan's territory?"
Earlier, when his lord learned that madam had obtained the concubine - releasing document and was planning to leave, he had investigated all the inns, manors, and villages in the four directions on the outskirts of the capital.
The Ning'an Inn was a key place his lord had focused on at that time.
Animals feel safe when they are in their own territory, and humans are the same.
Did his lord think that Shi Luohan had taken madam to rest at the Ning'an Inn?
Madam's family had left at noon, and it was almost dark now. They should have already passed the Ning'an Inn.
"My lord, madam may not be there anymore."
"I'm not going to chase after Wan Chu. I'm going to meet someone."
Liang Yuzhou said briefly.
Han Cheng had revealed the real cause of his father's death to Wan Chu and Shi Luohan. Shi Luohan would regard him as a benefactor and would also promise to protect him.
Naturally, he would send him to his own territory.
Inside the Ning'an Inn, Han Cheng was in his room, leisurely picking up his wine cup.
He had already received a message from Liang Yuchuan. Song Wanchu had stabbed Liang Yuzhou with a sword and left. Liang Yuzhou had cut off a lock of his hair in front of all the guests and thrown it at the old duke, then become a Taoist priest.
The truth couldn't be hidden forever. The old duke would soon go to the emperor to plead guilty.
By then, the princess would speak well of him in front of the emperor, and the suspicion of treason against him would be cleared.
Then he could get a reward and go back to his hometown to live a comfortable life.
Just as he was daydreaming happily and the wine hadn't even touched his lips, there was a knock on the door.
He thought it was the waiter bringing hot water. Without thinking, he put down the wine cup and opened the door.
The man in front of him was as straight as a pine, wearing a Taoist robe. He had an other - worldly air about him, but his eyes were sharp and cold, like a leopard in the forest, staring at his face.
The man's aura was terrifyingly powerful.
A chill instantly ran up his spine, and his throat tightened. It was as if the leopard had already grabbed his throat and his life was hanging by a thread.
"Lord... Lord Liang the Second!"
How did Liang Yuzhou guess that he was still alive?
And how did he know that he was here?
He had ruined the young duke's wedding. Was Liang Yuzhou here to take revenge?
He considered himself a man who had experienced many hardships and could remain calm in a crisis, but under Liang Yuzhou's scrutiny, he felt so guilty and scared that he didn't dare to look him in the eye.
Liang Yuzhou pushed the door wider and walked in as if he were in his own home.
There were good wine and delicious dishes on the table, not a single bite had been taken.
Liang Yuzhou looked at him and smiled meaningfully. "Han Cheng, you're very lucky."
Han Cheng was sweating cold sweat, and his heart was pounding so hard that it seemed to fly out of his throat. He always had a sense of fear that his life was about to end in Liang Yuzhou's hands.
He tried his best to suppress his uneasiness and forced a smile. "A loyal minister doesn't serve two masters. I survived many near - death experiences and escaped with the belief that I would rather die on the land of the Great Zhou..."
He thought that what Liang Yuzhou meant was that he was lucky to have survived the bloody battle at Pingsha Pass and escaped from the Hu tribe.
But Liang Yuzhou didn't respond. He picked up the wine cup Han Cheng had just used and poured the wine on the floor.
When the wine touched the floor, green bubbles rose, hissing and giving off a sour smell.
Han Cheng's face turned ashen, and his legs trembled. He was scared out of his wits.
He had almost drunk the poisoned wine!
"Who... who wants to kill me?"
He kept swallowing his saliva.
Liang Yuzhou didn't expect him to be so cowardly. He sighed with emotion that people change.
The once Han Cheng had made great military achievements under Liang Xuguang's command and was unyielding.
The emperor had once praised him for his pride and integrity.
But in just three years, after experiencing a little hardship, his back had bent, and his courage was gone. A cup of poisoned wine had scared him like this.
He had degenerated and colluded with Liang Yuchuan and the princess.
"What do you think?" Liang Yuzhou countered.
The contrast between Han Cheng's suspicion and Liang Yuzhou's calm was sharp and tragic.
For some reason, looking into his deep eyes, Han Cheng's fear dissipated a little.
His mind became clear, and he quickly figured everything out. A chill ran down his back again.
"Liang Yuchuan is insidious and cunning. In order to seize the position of the heir, he can even bite his own father. How can you think you'll have a good ending when you collude with such a person?"
Han Cheng's cheeks twitched, and a flush of heat rose on his face.
Facing Liang Yuzhou, or rather his savior, he felt extremely ashamed.
"You're just a knife in his hand. This knife has stabbed me and completed its mission."
Liang Yuzhou looked directly into his eyes and continued. "You're useless now. For a useless person who knows about his and the princess's despicable deeds, neither he nor the princess will leave a hidden danger. You may think that Liang Xuguang will kill you, but Liang Xuguang has his own pride and disdains to do it. But Liang Yuchuan and the princess will. They'll use any dirty means for power."
Han Cheng was a military general, proficient in military strategy but not good at understanding people's hearts.
He could be Liang Yuchuan's knife or the fish on the princess's chopping board.
Han Cheng choked with emotion, and his eyes turned red.
"I just want to get rid of the suspicion of treason and go back to my hometown to live a good life..."
He didn't want to be an official in the court anymore, and he didn't dare to expect the glory of the past. He just wanted to live.
He had done unjust things for Liang Yuchuan, but Liang Yuchuan wanted his life.
"Do as I say, and I'll let you live. All your relatives in your hometown can also live well."
"You... I hurt you so much, and you still want to help me?"
Complex emotions welled up in Han Cheng's eyes, and he felt even more ashamed.
They all said that the second young master of the duke's mansion was cold and unapproachable, and it was extremely difficult to ask him for help.
But he was sitting there, spotless and with an other - worldly air, yet full of human kindness.
"I'm willing to go through fire and water for the young duke!"
"Call me Taoist Priest Qingzhou."
Han Cheng nodded. That address of "young duke" was an acknowledgment of his ability and courage.
He was too smart, scarily smart.
How could Liang Yuchuan be a match for him?
"Tomorrow, you go into the capital and go straight to the Eastern Palace to meet the crown prince."
"Why would the crown prince see me?"
"You tell the messenger that you want to know if they want to add a bargaining chip to defeat the princess."