This was simply a fatal question.
Song Wanchu felt as if she was holding a hot potato in her arms. She couldn't swallow it, nor could she throw it away.
Two pairs of gazes from different directions fell on her face simultaneously.
The Crown Prince looked calm and composed on the surface. His sitting posture exuded noble royal air, but his hand in his sleeve unconsciously clenched tightly.
Liang Yuzhou didn't even bother to pretend. He clearly showed an expression of "If you think it's safer to follow the Crown Prince, I'll go crazy and get jealous right away."
Song Wanchu's face turned a bit pale. She tightly pursed her red lips, and her eyes clearly showed resistance.
The Crown Prince seemed to laugh casually, but his tone turned cold. "Wanchu, you're sitting in my carriage. I can guarantee that no matter where the danger comes from, I'll always protect you and get you out first."
Liang Yuzhou's eyes suddenly trembled, filled with inky darkness, endless and gloomy.
The Crown Prince had precisely grasped his weakness. With one move, he made him suffer unbearably.
Song Wanchu's heart clenched tightly. An old scar was torn open. The cold wind rushed into the wound, and the blood in her whole body was almost freezing cold.
The Crown Prince was openly mocking Liang Yuzhou.
That time when the carriage was in danger, Liang Yuzhou had protected Yu Huiyan and jumped out of the carriage. He had coldly watched as Wanchu fell heavily from the carriage and was hit by the carriage wall, spitting out fresh blood.
Reluctantly, he didn't want to evoke Wanchu's painful memories, but he was holding a grudge in his heart and must compete with Liang Yuzhou to see who was better.
Song Wanchu's lips had already turned white. She felt a deep weariness and boredom from the bottom of her heart. She didn't want to look at either man's face.
"Your Highness, I've been away from the Chu family for many days. I'd like to go back and visit my aunt and Old Lady Chu."
She didn't directly answer the difficult question the Crown Prince had thrown out.
But indirectly, she gave the Crown Prince a perfect way out.
The Crown Prince had proposed to go out with her, so she chose to go back to the Chu family to visit her relatives.
It didn't matter where they went.
It also saved Liang Yuzhou from being irritated.
The Crown Prince curled his lips and smiled gently. "Wanchu, you're still so considerate. As you wish, we'll go back to the Chu family. It's windy outside. You can ride in the carriage with me."
That tender and affectionate look in his eyes was extremely annoying to Liang Yuzhou. It was like two sharp blades stabbing at his heart.
"The Crown Prince has a noble status. If you openly ask Wanchu to ride in your carriage, do you want to show off? Are you not satisfied with the gossip behind this young lady's back and want to cause more for her?"
Liang Yuzhou didn't give in an inch. His words were full of sharpness.
The two men's eyes clashed silently in the air.
If looks could kill, they would have stabbed countless holes in each other.
Song Wanchu's temples throbbed even more painfully. Just then, Xia He's voice sounded. "Miss, the carriage is ready."
Was this the voice of an angel?
Song Wanchu's tense body suddenly relaxed. She looked at the Crown Prince, and there was a bit of relief in her tone. "Your Highness, I don't dare to disturb you. I'll just ride in my own carriage."
The Crown Prince didn't say a word. He got out of the carriage. Judging from his actions, he wanted to personally send her into the carriage.
A glint of coldness flashed in Liang Yuzhou's eyes. Without saying a word, he directly picked up Song Wanchu by the waist and sent her into the carriage behind.
The Crown Prince's hand missed again.
Little Anzi was both angry and shocked. Pointing at Liang Yuzhou, he scolded him head-on. "You still have the nerve to say you're a Taoist priest in self - cultivation. With your current status, is Song Wanchu someone you can touch?"
There was only one meaning behind his words: Song Wanchu was now the Crown Prince's woman. You're not qualified to touch her!
Such a clever remark pleased the Crown Prince.
Liang Yuzhou sneered indifferently. "I, the Taoist priest, just don't care about my reputation."
Little Anzi was so angry that he almost fainted.
Damn it! This man's psychological quality was incredibly strong. His face was as thick as the city wall, without any weak points!
He didn't care about propriety, righteousness, honesty, or shame at all. There was simply no way to attack his weak points!
Liang Yuzhou raised his eyebrows and glanced at the Crown Prince. "I'm different from the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is a gentle and courteous gentleman, a moral example. What do I need a reputation for?"
He wanted Wanchu.
The Crown Prince's face darkened slightly after being mocked like this.
After several rounds of verbal confrontation, neither of them had gained an advantage.
The Crown Prince gave up and got back into the carriage.
Liang Yuzhou also mounted his horse.
The Crown Prince's carriage led the way, and Song Wanchu's carriage followed behind.
Liang Yuzhou's horse followed beside Wanchu's carriage, like a loyal guard.
Ying Lan and Xia He stood at the door to see them off. When they were about to turn at the alley corner, Liang Yuzhou looked back and curled his lips at the two of them.
The two girls happily exchanged a look.
Inside the carriage, Nan Zhi and Su Yue were in a very low mood.
They hung their heads, as if they had suffered a great blow.
"Miss, we're so useless."
Nan Zhi kept wiping away her tears. "We're just weaklings. We couldn't help you at all at the critical moment."
Su Yue had a fiery temper. She cried and scolded herself for being useless.
She had admitted that she couldn't compare to Yao Guang before. Yao Guang was brave enough to even eat the poisonous pea cake. She was not an ordinary person.
But Ying Lan and Xia He were just like them. Why couldn't she even compare to the two maids who had only served the miss for three or four days?
Song Wanchu looked at them, feeling both heart - ache and a bit amused.
She calmly handed each of the two girls a silk handkerchief. "You two are like me, while Ying Lan and Xia He are like Liang Yuzhou."
She had simply stated a fact, and Nan Zhi and Su Yue stopped sobbing.
The two girls looked at her with tear - filled eyes.
"If you're like the person you follow and have the same way of doing things, and you keep saying you're weak and useless, doesn't that mean I, your mistress, am not tough enough in front of the Crown Prince?"
Nan Zhi quickly辩解. "Miss, that's not what we meant."
Song Wanchu smiled gently and held their hands. "Then don't say such things anymore and don't think about it. Just be who you are now.
You two have been with me since childhood. You're like my younger sisters. The younger sisters I've watched grow up are not supposed to risk your lives to offend the Crown Prince for me."
The two girls stopped crying and smiled.
Su Yue scratched her head shyly. "We're supposed to take care of you, but instead, you have to comfort us."
Behind a curtain, Liang Yuzhou quietly listened to the conversation between the mistress and her maids.
Wanchu was indeed considerate. Her words of comfort made people feel like they were bathing in the spring breeze.
But what had he done to Wanchu in the past three years?
He had mercilessly mocked her, coldly belittled her, and cruelly hurt her.
He had turned her from a bright and cheerful woman into a woman full of scars and thorns.
When she had hurt him with sharp words, he had even thought that Wanchu was not reasonable enough.
He had never reflected on the fact that he had hurt her first. She was like a person in a state of stress. She would show her thorns as soon as he got close.
There was a stabbing pain in Liang Yuzhou's breath.
Damn it! What have you done to Wanchu?
The Crown Prince's advance messenger arrived at the Chu family. When announcing to the people of the Chu family, he used some delicate words.
He said that the Crown Prince was bringing Miss Song to the Chu family to accompany Miss Song to pay respects to the elders at home.
Chu Shangxu and Ning Shi were completely confused, while Old Lady Chu frowned slightly and thought for a long time.
"We've all thought wrong. The Crown Prince has been staying at our house completely for Wanchu."