Her interactions with the eldest princess weren't many, but each time was a nightmare for her.
That woman was domineering, venomous, and would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
She had almost died at that woman's hands several times.
During the year she had been away from the capital, she had lived a peaceful life. She had almost forgotten about the eldest princess.
She had also forgotten that the eldest princess was the most powerful woman in the world. Her minions were not only in the court but also spread all over the country.
That woman still wanted her dead!
Song Wanchu was both terrified and confused. She had already left Liang Yuzhou, and Liang Yuzhou had severed ties with the Duke's Mansion and become a monk.
At this time, the heir of the Duke's Mansion should be Liang Yuchuan.
Liang Yuchuan was a man who always played to the advantage. Seeing that he couldn't curry favor with the crown prince, he would surely show his goodwill to the eldest princess.
The eldest princess had the support of the Duke's Mansion, and her goal had been achieved. Why was she still after her relentlessly?
Song Wanchu couldn't figure it out.
Great fear and confusion enveloped her like a thick fog.
Her fingers unconsciously curled and then opened. Her shoulders trembled slightly. She looked tense and powerless, as if she had lost her support.
Suddenly, a pair of warm hands held hers.
Song Wanchu's expression froze, and she tried to pull her hand back.
"The eldest princess has been under house arrest for a year."
"What?" Song Wanchu was extremely shocked and forgot to pull her hand back.
"The crown prince obtained evidence of Yu Jingnian's embezzlement of military rations four years ago. Not long after Yu Jingnian was taken to the Supreme Court, he confessed that it was he who had mixed a large amount of sand into the old duke's military rations. He had sold the military rations and offered the silver to the eldest princess. The emperor was furious. He raided the eldest princess's mansion and placed the eldest princess under house arrest."
Song Wanchu's eyes widened in surprise.
The memories she had deliberately suppressed flooded into her mind like a flood. Han Cheng had once told her that the old duke had sent her father to Pingsha Pass to collect military rations, which had led to the subsequent incident of her father being deceived by the commoners and wrongly accused.
It turned out that the real culprit for the shortage of military rations of the old duke's army was actually the eldest princess!
At that time, all her hatred had been directed at the Duke's Mansion and Liang Yuzhou.
Her father hadn't simply been wrongly accused and died. There were so many twists and turns behind this incident...
"Then, isn't the eldest princess out of power?"
So, was the eldest princess sending killers all the way to kidnap her just to vent her anger?
It didn't make sense.
This was a struggle between the eldest princess and the crown prince. Why was she, a powerless person, involved?
Liang Yuzhou's eyes were deep. He knew there were many inside stories that Wanchu didn't know. He slowly explained.
"Not necessarily. During the year the eldest princess has been under house arrest, the emperor hasn't summoned her, but he hasn't investigated her either. Although her followers are panicking, most of them firmly believe that the eldest princess will make a comeback one day. She has done so much for the emperor. They are all betting that the emperor will eventually release her out of compassion."
"But what does all this have to do with me?" Song Wanchu completely forgot that her hand was still being held by Liang Yuzhou.
"The eldest princess is in desperate need of money now. She needs silver to bribe the powerful officials around the emperor and keep them pleading for her and speaking well of her. Her wet nurse, Mrs. Yue, loves her more than her own son. The eldest princess's current situation has made her unable to eat or sleep peacefully. Her son's wife is the former chief maid of the eldest princess. The entire Yue family is like a small boat tied to the eldest princess's big ship. If the big ship sinks, the small boat will surely sink too. She is trying to raise money for the eldest princess.
The Yue family is the most powerful in Yunzhou, and their spies are everywhere. As soon as you arrived in Yunzhou, the Yue family knew about it. Your maternal grandfather's family is the richest merchant in the south of the Yangtze River, and your aunt's Chu family is the only imperial merchant in Yunzhou. In Mrs. Yue's eyes, you are like shining gold."
Liang Yuzhou spoke in a gentle tone, patiently analyzing the situation for her.
Song Wanchu finally became a lot clearer in her mind through the thick fog.
No wonder the Chu family had met Mrs. Yue on their way back to the city just now.
At that time, she had thought it was strange. Big families usually held a religious ceremony to pray for blessings on the Winter Solstice, but Mrs. Yue had chosen to go to the Songhe Taoist Temple the day after the Winter Solstice.
She had even gotten off the carriage and chatted with Mrs. Chu, with whom she had never had a deep friendship, for a long time.
Mrs. Chu had introduced so many younger generations of the Chu family to her, but she had only mentioned her specifically.
"After going around such a big circle, Mrs. Yue just wanted to recognize my face and then send killers to kidnap me and extort money?"
"Mrs. Yue served the eldest princess in the palace for nearly thirty years. Do you think she would ask for money in such a simple and crude way?"
Liang Yuzhou thought her confused but hard - thinking look was especially cute.
Suddenly, he felt a sense of loss. They had spent three years together, but he had missed so many of her looks.
Song Wanchu didn't notice Liang Yuzhou's changing expressions. She analyzed on her own, "There is shrewdness in Mrs. Yue's eyes. She must have a more sophisticated way, a way that won't be criticized and sounds reasonable, to get my money."
After saying that, her mind seemed to break through the fog, and her vision suddenly became clear.
She understood why Mrs. Yue had warmly invited Mrs. Chu to take her grandchildren to the prefect's mansion as guests and had specifically told them to take her with them...
"Yue Chengkong's wife died three years ago. Mrs. Yue is looking for a second wife for her son."
Liang Yuzhou's words completely confirmed Song Wanchu's conjecture.
A chill like a poisonous snake climbed up her spine. Her face, which had just regained its color, turned pale again.
Dry and warm fingers gently brushed across her cheek. Song Wanchu was shocked back to her senses and found that her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Liang Yuzhou's fingertips gently wiped away the cold sweat.
Song Wanchu's lips trembled. She wanted to dodge, but Liang Yuzhou grabbed the back of her neck.
He didn't make any overbearing or aggressive moves. He just gently held the back of her neck and stared at her with his deep eyes.
Song Wanchu felt as if she was about to fall into that deep pool.
She knew his deep affection, but she also hated his deception.
But it was him who had given her a long - lost sense of security when she was most confused and helpless.
"I have to leave Yunzhou as soon as possible."
The only way Song Wanchu could think of was to escape.
If she waited until Mrs. Yue proposed marriage to the Chu family, it would be too late.
The Chu family would be in a difficult situation. Whether it was Mrs. Chu or her aunt, they would surely not send her to the Yue family.
Since ancient times, merchants have not dared to fight against officials. If the Chu family offended the Yue family because of her, their life in Yunzhou would be difficult in the future!
"The prefect of Huzhou is Yue Chengkong's colleague. They were both martial arts scholars in the same year, and their relationship is extraordinary. If you return to Huzhou, there will still be people proposing marriage to your family!"
Song Wanchu looked at Liang Yuzhou in disbelief. "How do you know everything?"
Liang Yuzhou smiled gently. "Wanchu, wherever you've been, I know all."
Her heart trembled uncontrollably.
"Right now, running away is not the best way. You must let Mrs. Yue know that you're not easy to deal with."
He opened Song Wanchu's palm and placed something in it.