Deep in the crown prince's heart, it felt as if stung by a bee, aching sharply.
"I will never lose to Liang Yuzhou."
His eyes were stubborn and resolute.
Under the cold moonlight, his young and determined face showed a hint of the emperor's cruelty and treachery.
Daoist Qiu watched him calmly, his gaze full of meaning.
He had spent his first half of life in military campaigns and the second half enjoying the tranquility of nature. He had never married and had never been troubled by love. He saw things clearly and thoroughly.
"Hong'er, if you were an ordinary person, I would support you in pursuing true love with all your might. But you're not.
You stand at the peak of power. With a single word, you can decide a person's life or death. You can also obtain Wanchu by force and shower her with boundless love.
But when the historians write about it in the future, your love for Wanchu will only be a page of the emperor's amorous affairs in the history books. Have you ever thought about how Wanchu will be described?"
The crown prince's eyes trembled.
Daoist Qiu sighed softly. "Since ancient times, beautiful women have constantly been wronged and misinterpreted. They're accused of being fox spirits that bewitch the emperor and bring disaster to the country. They're just weak women, yet they have to bear such heavy accusations. No one will pity them, and neither will the history books. The emperor's extreme preference for a woman is not her honor but a disaster for her and her descendants."
The crown prince's heart clenched tightly, as if being repeatedly interrogated and beaten.
"Why can't an emperor whole - heartedly love a woman?"
Daoist Qiu didn't answer. The answer was too cruel.
Standing in front of him was the future emperor. He was surely capable of passing the tests of the country and its people, and would undoubtedly be a good and diligent emperor who loved his people.
But at this moment, he was still too young and hadn't overcome the obstacle of love.
He could only give the crown prince an answer worthy of deep thought. "No one can get everything they want at the same time, not even an emperor."
"I just want to get Wanchu, and I will definitely get her!"
Daoist Qiu looked at the sky. The slanting moon was sinking in the west, and dawn was approaching.
Liang Yuzhou should have taken Song Wanchu far away by now.
"Don't chase. You won't catch up."
"Who said I'm going to chase?" The crown prince looked calm and composed. He straightened his chest and took a deep breath of the cold air.
Daoist Qiu's eyelids twitched. The crown prince's calmness was a bit abnormal.
He had surrounded the Songhe Temple menacingly. Shouldn't he have asked about Wanchu's hiding place right away?
But he didn't. It seemed as if he had already guessed that Liang Yuzhou would take Wanchu and run away.
Daoist Qiu suddenly realized something. "You brat, you have a backup plan?"
The crown prince smiled, his expression mysterious.
Little Anzi walked over in a hurry and whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, Lieutenant Liu Zhonglin from the army came to see you late at night. He said that the former generals of Yue Chenkong intended to rebel. He has already stabilized the army's morale. He requests that the crown prince go to the military camp to take charge of the overall situation."
The crown prince sneered. "Liang Yuzhou wants to use the military camp to tie my hands. He's very smart, but does he really think he can take Wanchu out of Yunzhou?"
...
Once they passed Guyun Pavilion, they would leave the territory of Yunzhou.
Ahead was Qingzhou.
Song Wanchu suffered from a heart disease and couldn't bear violent jolts. Liang Yuzhou held the reins tightly, not letting the horse run too fast.
"Chang Xuan, the governor of Qingzhou, is an old acquaintance of mine. He was a subordinate of the old duke. Six years ago, he made great contributions in suppressing bandits and has a life - and - death friendship with me. We'll stay in Qingzhou for the time being. Chang Xuan will take care of us. The crown prince has to maintain his dignity and has no reason to search for us wantonly in Qingzhou."
Song Wanchu knew that Liang Yuzhou had a wide network of contacts, but she didn't expect that he had acquaintances all over the south of the Yangtze River.
The people he knew were not ordinary people. They were either in high positions or had unique skills.
Most people's impression of him was that of a cold and noble young master from a prominent family, so cold that he seemed almost heartless.
But what they didn't know was that he was also a man who valued friendship, kept his promises, and would do anything for his friends.
Song Wanchu felt very safe at this moment.
The sky was turning pale. Dawn was the coldest time, but her hand was wrapped in Liang Yuzhou's big palm, and it felt warm.
From afar, they could already see the top of Guyun Pavilion.
Suddenly, Liang Yuzhou reined in the horse.
"Why are there rows of torches up ahead?" Song Wanchu was shocked.
Guyun Pavilion was a place for seeing off the departing. It was normal for there to be occasional passers - by, but the sudden appearance of a large number of troops was definitely abnormal!
Liang Yuzhou's eyes were dark, and his face was clouded.
Zhou Sheng and Zhou Yan walked out of the dense forest and dismounted in front of Liang Yuzhou.
"Master, Madam, we can't go any further. The crown prince has set up defenses at Guyun Pavilion. More than three hundred soldiers are guarding it. We can't break through with just the few of us."
The two had followed Liang Yuzhou's order and gone to the military camp. They had mobilized Liu Zhonglin to hold back the crown prince and then come to Guyun Pavilion as planned to wait for them.
Unexpectedly, the crown prince was one step ahead and had set up heavy defenses at Guyun Pavilion in advance.
Liang Yuzhou tightened his grip on the reins. Song Wanchu could feel the gloomy anger constantly emanating from his body.
"Humph, Lu Sihong is really good at the trick of the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole lurks behind."
Song Wanchu had originally thought that after escaping from the crown prince's control, Liang Yuzhou had been leading her out of the abyss all the way, and the light was just ahead.
But a boulder had fallen from the sky, hitting them hard and pushing them back into the dark abyss.
"What should we do now?" she asked Liang Yuzhou in a soft voice.
Liang Yuzhou looked ahead. The guards at Guyun Pavilion were fully armed and seemed to be waiting for them at any moment.
After only a moment of thought, he turned the horse's head and rode back the way they had come.
"The crown prince should have gone to the military camp by now. We'll go back to the Songhe Temple for the time being. I'll think of another way to send you back to the Chu family."
Song Wanchu thought that this was the only way.
In the Chu family, there were the old lady of the Chu family, Mrs. Ning, and other elders. Although she would often see the crown prince, the crown prince abided by the etiquette and couldn't do anything to her.
But it was only a temporary solution. Once the crown prince finished dealing with the affairs in Yunzhou and asked the Chu family to let him take her back to the capital, the Chu family would be powerless to stop him.
"Wanchu, don't worry. I will surely come up with a perfect plan to take you out of Yunzhou."
Liang Yuzhou seemed to know what she was thinking and comforted her gently. "No one can take you away. Lu Sihong failed before, and I won't let him succeed now."
"The crown prince must have sent people to monitor the Songhe Temple. How can I get back to the Chu family smoothly?"
What if the crown prince's men showed up on the way...
"I have a way, but I need to go to the Chu family."
When they returned to the Songhe Temple, the crown prince had indeed left.
In this game, he had shown amazing self - control.
Song Wanchu was afraid of him and at the same time admired him. He knew very well that as long as he trapped her in Yunzhou, she would be at his mercy.
She was like a little bird with a string tied to its leg. Although it could flap its wings and fly a certain distance, as long as he pulled the string, she would still have to fall into his palm.
This was the terrifying art of an emperor. Even the far - sighted Liang Yuzhou could be defeated by him.
When Song Wanchu saw Daoist Qiu standing in front of them unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief.
Looking on the bright side, there was still something good. The crown prince hadn't made things difficult for Daoist Qiu.
"Hey, I've given all the advice I could. That kid is still stubborn."
Daoist Qiu was a bit discouraged. "It seems that there's still a lack of an opportunity. Something big has to happen to make him completely sober up."
Liang Yuzhou arranged a room for Song Wanchu to rest.
"I'm going out for a while."
Daoist Qiu stared at his face nervously and warily. "You're also a headache. Are you going to assassinate the crown prince again?"