A dark shadow slipped into the room silently like a nimble cat.
He moved so fast that Song Wanchu, who had been staring at the window, failed to see how he sneaked in.
The moonlight cast his shadow on the wall, and Song Wanchu saw the drooping beard of the man.
She was utterly stunned. "Master Qiu?"
Master Qiu let out a soft "Shh" and unfurled a large sack as tall as a man in front of her, motioning for her to get in.
He dared not make a sound for fear of alerting the secret guards.
Without a thought for embarrassment, Song Wanchu crawled into the sack.
Master Qiu hoisted her onto his shoulder.
Song Wanchu was plunged into complete darkness. Her body rose and fell as if she were flying through the air.
She didn't feel the slightest bit dizzy.
In less than half an hour, Song Wanchu found herself in a carriage on the outskirts of the city.
"Miss Song, where would you like to go?" Master Qiu asked politely.
Song Wanchu was caught in a dilemma.
Returning to the Chu family would be no different from falling back into the Crown Prince's clutches.
Going to Yungui Alley was also out of the question since the Crown Prince knew about that place and could easily find her there.
It wasn't appropriate to go to her elder brother's mansion on Luoxia Street either.
The world seemed so vast, yet there was no place for her to hide.
It was almost impossible for her to escape the Crown Prince's grasp on her own.
It seemed that she had no other choice.
She pinched her palm and said in a voice so soft it was barely audible, "Take me to Liang Yuzhou."
"Sure thing!" Master Qiu's tone became noticeably cheerier.
The carriage moved at a leisurely pace on the mountain road.
Master Qiu said with a beaming smile, "Qingzhou will be overjoyed to see you."
"Did he ask you to rescue me?"
"I had to 'volunteer' to save you!"
Master Qiu said with lingering fear, "I knocked him out by force. Otherwise, given how much he cares about you, he would have fought the Crown Prince to the death! Although he didn't tell me his plan to save you, I'm sure one step in the plan was to injure the Crown Prince!"
Song Wanchu was horrified.
Assassinating the Crown Prince was a capital offense that would implicate the entire family!
Although Liang Yuzhou had severed his ties with the Duke's Mansion, if the Crown Prince really wanted to pursue the matter, the Duke's Mansion would surely be implicated.
How could Liang Yuzhou have become so irrational?
...
Although Liang Yuzhou's body was in a deep sleep, his consciousness seemed never to rest.
In his dream, he saw Wanchu from afar, clearly seeing the sad and beautiful tears on her face.
The Crown Prince held her hands captive and whispered in her ear, but his eyes were fixed on Liang Yuzhou's direction, cold and menacing.
He couldn't move his body or speak. His eyes were bloodshot, and he felt as if he were in hell, the pain in his heart like being burned by fire.
Finally, when the Crown Prince grabbed the back of Wanchu's neck and was about to kiss her, his consciousness broke through his slumbering body, and he suddenly sat up.
"Wanchu!"
He tumbled out of bed, only to find his knees so weak that he fell heavily to the ground.
That old geezer! He was too ruthless!
Liang Yuzhou cursed through gritted teeth, grabbed the sword on the table, and limped out of the room.
The door opened.
Song Wanchu was standing right in front of him.
She looked a bit frightened, her face slightly pale, but her condition was relatively stable, and her clothes were intact.
Time seemed to stand still as the two stared at each other from a distance of three steps.
"Wanchu, Wanchu!"
Joy filled Liang Yuzhou's eyes. He took a big step forward, but his knees, which hadn't fully regained their strength, gave way again.
He knelt on one knee in front of Song Wanchu. Regardless of his disheveled appearance, he spread his arms and hugged her tightly.
A solid head bumped into her arms. Song Wanchu smelled the familiar scent, and her tense nerves suddenly relaxed. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over.
She wrapped her arms around Liang Yuzhou.
Liang Yuzhou was overjoyed.
Wanchu had taken the initiative to hug him!
She had actually taken the initiative to hug him!
It had been so long since he had felt Wanchu's love for him so strongly!
Fireworks seemed to be exploding in Liang Yuzhou's mind. If happiness could be so tangible, he wished time would stop at this moment forever.
He grabbed Song Wanchu's shoulders and stood up, then cradled the back of her neck and kissed her lips eagerly.
Their lips collided, and their breaths were a bit unsteady. Song Wanchu didn't dodge but let herself be embraced by Liang Yuzhou both physically and mentally.
For a moment, it was hard to tell who was comforting whom.
Master Qiu had been standing there for a while, but the two showed no sign of separating, which made him feel quite awkward.
"Alright, you two can have your moment. My business can wait."
He backed out of the room and kindly closed the door.
As he turned around, the playful look on his old face vanished without a trace, replaced by a deep frown.
Song Wanchu's lips were a bit numb from the kiss. She needed fresh air, so she gasped and pushed Liang Yuzhou away.
Liang Yuzhou pressed her head against his chest and rubbed his chin against her forehead. Holding her like a precious treasure that had been lost and found, his voice was hoarse and trembling.
"Wanchu, I'll take you away. You've chosen me again, and I will never辜负 your trust and love. My person, my body, my life, everything I have belongs only to you!"
Song Wanchu's ears burned, and her heart fluttered.
"What would you have done if Master Qiu hadn't rescued me?"
Liang Yuzhou pondered for a moment and then confessed everything. "I would have disguised myself as an assassin to kill the Crown Prince, then sneaked into Qiongzhi Alley. When the army came to search Qiongzhi Alley and confused the secret guards' attention, I would have taken the opportunity to take you away."
A chill ran down Song Wanchu's spine, and she clenched the clothes on his chest tightly.
"Are you crazy? Don't you know that assassinating the Crown Prince is a capital offense that will implicate the entire family?"
"I don't care! Wanchu, just thinking about what the Crown Prince might do to you makes me want to cut him into a thousand pieces!"
"I'm fine. The Crown Prince is a gentleman. He was convinced by me and didn't touch me."
Liang Yuzhou frowned deeply, and a hint of jealousy seemed to emanate from him. "He used his power to keep you against your will, and you're still speaking up for him?"
Song Wanchu wanted to say that the Crown Prince was much more gentle and rational than Liang Yuzhou used to be.
But this wasn't the time to rub salt into his wounds.
"What about Yaoguang? What will happen to her after we leave?"
Liang Yuzhou's eyes were deep. "I've basically fulfilled my promise to Yaoguang. She's a sharp sword for the Crown Prince to bring down the Princess Dowager. The Crown Prince will make good use of her and keep his promise to help her restore her country. The fighting and killing will be left to this princess. As long as the people of the Gaochang Kingdom still exist, it depends on how much influence she has and how many troops the Crown Prince is willing to give her."
"Brother is out on a bodyguard mission and doesn't know about Yaoguang yet."
Song Wanchu was most worried about her brother's reaction.
When it came to Yaoguang, he might not be any calmer than Liang Yuzhou. What if he rushed to the government office without understanding the truth?
"Don't worry. I've already sent someone to inform Shi Luohan. He'll be back in Yunzhou by tomorrow morning. As for the matter between him and Yaoguang, they need to talk it out face to face."
Yaoguang had decided to keep it a secret from Shi Luohan before she took action.
It was Yaoguang's own choice, and Liang Yuzhou didn't interfere.
After Yaoguang was "arrested," Liang Yuzhou immediately sent someone to inform Shi Luohan and explained all the twists and turns.
"Wanchu, Master Qiu is probably exposed. We have to leave now!"
Song Wanchu was a bit confused. "What do you mean by Master Qiu being exposed?"
Just then, Master Qiu pushed the door open and walked in with a solemn expression.
"The Crown Prince's guards have surrounded the Songhe Temple."