Old Madam Chu's heart sank abruptly.
Is the Crown Prince planning to keep a beauty in his private chamber?
She always thought that with the Crown Prince's gentle and upright character, he wouldn't forcefully keep Wan Chu.
Before the banquet, his feelings for Wan Chu were restrained.
Why has he suddenly changed his nature? Did Wan Chu say something to provoke the Crown Prince?
But Eunuch Xiao had given a reasonable explanation. Even if she wanted to inquire, she couldn't.
She had no choice but to hide her concerns and force a few smiles. "The Crown Prince's concern for the younger generation in the family is a blessing for Wan Chu and also for the Chu family."
Eunuch Xiao could tell that Old Madam Chu was just putting on a brave face.
He still smiled amiably. "Then I'll have to trouble the old madam to give the order to pack up the things Miss Song usually uses. I'll take them away right away."
Old Madam Chu quickly said, "Exactly. Wan Chu's maids, Nan Zhi and Su Yue, should go with her too."
Eunuch Xiao's smile faded a bit. "The Crown Prince has already assigned four maids to serve Miss Song. They are all smart and quick. There's no need to add extra people. Too many people might not be good for Miss Song's recuperation."
What Eunuch Xiao meant was what the Crown Prince meant. Old Madam Chu knew it was useless to say more.
After seeing off Eunuch Xiao, Chu Yueying held Old Madam Chu's arm. Her face was pale as she murmured, "Grandmother, if the Daoist Priest Qing Zhou finds out, will he go straight to the Crown Prince and kill him?"
Old Madam Chu's eyes were filled with gloom.
Since the Crown Prince had the audacity to forcefully keep Wan Chu, would he force her?
How would Wan Chu deal with him?
Old Madam Chu was very worried. It seemed that she really had to feign illness.
...
The moon was high in the sky.
Zhou Sheng and Zhou Yan led a group of secret agents back to the Songhe Temple in a hurry.
The wind on the mountainside was bitterly cold. Liang Yuzhou stood under a pine tree. The cold moonlight shone on his cold and solemn face, and his robe fluttered in the wind.
Even from a distance of more than ten meters, one could feel the cold air constantly emanating from him.
Zhou Yan didn't even dare to take a deep breath. He was brave enough to fight and kill, but he didn't dare to report bad news to his master.
He carefully hid behind Zhou Sheng. "You're the elder brother. You go."
Zhou Sheng stepped forward reluctantly.
"Master, Madam has been placed in Qiongzhi Alley by the Crown Prince. There are more than a hundred guards, both open and secret, around. The maids serving Madam also know martial arts. If we force our way in to rescue her, there will surely be a big fight. If the Crown Prince accuses us of treason, the Duke's Mansion in the capital might also be implicated."
Liang Yuzhou lifted his eyelids. His jet - black eyes were as sharp as a cold blade, passing over Zhou Sheng's face.
Zhou Sheng felt a numbness on his scalp.
He knelt down to plead for forgiveness. "Master, it's my fault for being indecisive and incompetent. I'm willing to take all the blame!"
His master had been lurking in the military camp all day.
Nearly five thousand guards in Yunzhou were loyal subordinates of Yue Chenkong.
Yue Chenkong had been seriously injured in an attack, and the Yue family was on the verge of collapse. If there was unrest in the army and the deputy general rebelled, Yunzhou would be in great chaos.
Among Yue Chenkong's subordinates, there was a deputy general named Liu Zhonglin who had been suppressed by Yue Chenkong. He used to be a subordinate of the old duke. Because he was honest and not tactful enough, he was sent to Yunzhou as a seventh - rank military officer.
But he was extremely brave and loyal, and had quite a high prestige in the army.
Not long after Liang Yuzhou came to Yunzhou, he became friends with Liu Zhonglin.
With Liang Yuzhou's help, Liu Zhonglin managed to control the other three restless deputy generals and stabilize the morale of the army.
Liang Yuzhou had the people of Yunzhou in mind. He helped the Crown Prince stabilize the situation from behind so that the Crown Prince could focus on dealing with the Yue family.
But the Crown Prince had taken advantage of the banquet to软禁 Madam!
Zhou Sheng felt it was not worth it for his master. Wasn't this like being stabbed in the back by the Crown Prince?
He also regretted that his master had sent him and Zhou Yan to secretly protect Madam today.
When the Crown Prince's guards "escorted" Madam away, Zhou Yan had drawn his sword and was about to rush up to rescue her, but he had stopped him.
He hated himself for being too calm and over - cautious, and missing the best opportunity to rescue Madam!
He deserved to die!
Liang Yuzhou clenched his fists tightly. His deep eyes were filled with a chilling coldness. "It was my carelessness. I should have protected Wan Chu myself today."
He had trusted the Crown Prince's character too much, so he had been tricked!
Just thinking about Wan Chu being trapped in the Crown Prince's cage, a blazing anger burned in his heart.
"Lu Sihong, since you don't play by the rules, don't blame me for being too ruthless!"
"Little master, what are you going to do?"
Daoist Priest Qiu saw that Liang Yuzhou was on the verge of losing control and quickly jumped out to hold his shoulders.
He could feel the boundless anger surging in this man.
Once it was released, it would be devastating!
"None of your business!" Liang Yuzhou shook off his hand and was about to leave with his sword.
He was going to assassinate Lu Sihong.
Then he would spread rumors in the city that the person who disabled Yue Chenkong and the one who assassinated the Crown Prince were the same person.
Liu Zhonglin was just short of an opportunity for promotion. He could take this opportunity to lead his troops to assist the Crown Prince in searching for the assassin.
He could then sneak into Qiongzhi Alley. When Liu Zhonglin entered the alley to search, the open and secret guards around would be distracted and mobilized.
He could then take Wan Chu away during the chaos.
This plan had taken shape in his mind the moment he learned that Wan Chu had been forcibly taken away by the Crown Prince.
Moreover, when he said assassination, he wasn't just pretending. He was going to make Lu Sihong bleed!
Daoist Priest Qiu was usually unreliable, but he had a sharp eye and had already understood Liang Yuzhou's character very well.
He could remain calm even when a mountain collapsed in front of him, but when something happened to Miss Song, the crazy beast in his body would roar out of its cage and do shocking and incredible things!
Daoist Priest Qiu couldn't guess what Liang Yuzhou was thinking for the moment, but he was sure that Liang Yuzhou was going to do something very dangerous.
One wrong step could lead to a great disaster!
He had profound internal energy. He pressed his five fingers on Liang Yuzhou's shoulders, and Liang Yuzhou immediately felt his legs go weak and couldn't take a step.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" He growled, his eyes filled with crazy emotions.
"Qing Zhou, I'm warning you. Get rid of all those dangerous thoughts in your head! No matter where the Crown Prince hides Miss Song, I've been through thousands of troops. I don't care about a hundred guards! You go to sleep well. When you wake up, your wife will be back!"
Daoist Priest Qiu pressed harder with his palm, and Liang Yuzhou felt all his strength draining away.
Liang Yuzhou let out a muffled groan and fell limply.
Daoist Priest Qiu wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "My dear God!"
He glared at Zhou Sheng and Zhou Yan. "What are you still standing there for? Carry him back!"
...
Qiongzhi Alley.
The candles in the room were still lit until the middle of the night.
Song Wanchu's face was pale. She was sitting on a small couch, looking absent - minded.
The dagger hidden in her sleeve was already soaked with the sweat from her palm. It felt cold and slippery to the touch.
"Miss, the hot water is ready. Let this maid help you take a bath and change your clothes."
The two female officials standing in front of her were Bai Zhi and Luo Cen, who had been sent to teach Yue Jiaojiao manners not long ago.
Hearing the words "take a bath and change clothes", Song Wanchu stood up in a panic. Every nerve in her body was screaming in resistance.