Song Wanchu cast a surprised look at the Old Lady Chu.
Was the Old Lady Chu actually going to help her escape right under the Crown Prince's nose?
"Wanchu, go. We feel at ease entrusting you to Taoist Priest Liang," the Old Lady Chu said succinctly. "There's a secret door in this room. It was originally built for emergencies and leads straight to the southeast corner gate. Time is precious. Hurry and leave."
"Madam, if I disappear out of thin air from your room, what if the Crown Prince blames you..."
"Don't worry. I have my own way," the Old Lady Chu said, tightly squeezing Song Wanchu's hand. There were hidden tears in her eyes. "You've suffered so much these years. Once you're out, the world is vast. Go live the life you want."
A thousand words were stuck in their throats.
Song Wanchu knelt down in front of the Old Lady Chu and bowed three times.
The Old Lady Chu helped her up and gave her a reluctant hug.
The secret passage opened, revealing utter darkness inside. Liang Yuzhou tightly held Song Wanchu's hand.
The two groped their way forward in the darkness for a while.
When they emerged from the secret passage, sure enough, they were at the southeast corner gate of the Chu Mansion.
The two gate - keeping maids were sound asleep.
There were two packages on the ground. Liang Yuzhou picked them up and tied them to his body.
Song Wanchu suddenly understood why Xia He and Ying Lan hadn't accompanied her to Cihui Courtyard tonight.
"Wanchu, get on my back," Liang Yuzhou said.
He carried her on his back and lightly leaped over the high wall.
After flying over several streets, Liang Yuzhou stopped in front of Shi Luohan's Yunzhou branch.
Shi Luohan's escort team was already ready to set off.
A large flat - bed cart was pulled by three horses, and there was a brand - new coffin on the cart.
"Wanchu, you'll have to委屈 yourself to sleep in the coffin for one night. By dawn, we should be almost out of the city," Shi Luohan said, patting the coffin.
Two apprentices opened the coffin lid. Liang Yuzhou supported Song Wanchu's waist and lifted her onto the cart.
Song Wanchu took a look at the dark coffin and found that there was a hidden mystery inside.
There was a partition that divided the coffin into two layers.
That meant that even if someone searched the coffin, they would only see the empty upper layer.
"Do you like it? I designed it," Liang Yuzhou said, a bit proud seeing the surprise in Song Wanchu's eyes.
Song Wanchu was speechless. She had never been asked if she liked a coffin before.
No matter how she answered, it would feel strange.
A strange feeling welled up in her heart. "Did you plan all this? From when Magistrate Liu asked my brother to escort the goods to when the Old Lady Chu called me to Cihui Courtyard and sent everyone away..."
Liang Yuzhou knew what she was worried about. "Liu Zhonglin didn't lie. He really does have an uncle in Qingzhou who is on his deathbed. I came up with the idea of transporting the coffin after hearing this news. The Crown Prince trusts Liu Zhonglin, so he won't suspect him."
Song Wanchu let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want innocent people to be implicated because of her escape.
Shi Luohan looked at Liang Yuzhou with a complicated expression.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "Liang Yuzhou, you're quite smart."
Liang Yuzhou gave him a friendly smile.
The two, who had always been at odds with each other when they met, had miraculously reconciled.
Shi Luohan's gaze shifted between Song Wanchu and Liang Yuzhou. "Liang Yuzhou, this is the second time I'm entrusting Wanchu to you."
Liang Yuzhou said seriously, "I will use my life to protect her."
Shi Luohan nodded.
"I'm entrusting Yaoguang to you too," Liang Yuzhou said, his mood suddenly turning a bit heavy. "This is all I can do for her."
Thinking of Yaoguang, a gentle look flashed in Shi Luohan's eyes. "I will always fight side by side with her."
Seeing the two reconcile, Song Wanchu felt much lighter.
She calmly lay down in the coffin.
The coffin lid slowly closed in front of her, accompanied by Liang Yuzhou's gentle consolation, "Wanchu, I'll always be here."
Shi Luohan commanded the escort team to set off. "There's only one hour left before the city gate closes. Hurry up."
...
Bai Zhi and Luo Cen had been waiting outside for more than half an hour, but Song Wanchu still hadn't come out.
The two began to sense that something was amiss.
What kind of intimate conversation could last so long?
Bai Zhi couldn't wait any longer and knocked on the door.
"Madam, it's getting late. The young lady must be sleepy. It's okay to continue the conversation tomorrow."
There was no response from inside the room.
Bai Zhi frowned and knocked again.
Luo Cen whispered, "Something's wrong!"
The two didn't care anymore and broke into the room.
As soon as they entered, a strong fragrance hit them.
The two instinctively covered their noses.
The incense burner was emitting curling smoke. The Old Lady Chu was sleeping soundly on the small couch, and Song Wanchu was nowhere to be found.
The two were greatly shocked!
Bai Zhi picked up the tea on the table and extinguished the incense burner.
The two pinched the Old Lady Chu's philtrum and splashed water on her face. After much fuss, the Old Lady Chu finally managed to open her eyes with difficulty.
Her eyes were full of red bloodshot, and her mind was a bit dazed. It was obvious that she had been drugged by the sleeping incense.
"Madam, where's Miss Song?" the two asked anxiously.
Their task was to keep a close eye on Song Wanchu and prevent Liang Yuzhou from getting a chance. But a living person like Song Wanchu had disappeared right under their noses!
If the Crown Prince blamed them, they would be in big trouble!
The Old Lady Chu was in a daze and slurred her words. Luo Cen brought her a cup of tea. After the old lady drank it, she gradually regained consciousness.
"I was talking to Wanchu. Wanchu said she had recently obtained a good incense and casually sprinkled it in the incense burner. I unconsciously fell asleep..."
Bai Zhi and Luo Cen saw the panic in each other's eyes.
"It's Taoist Priest Liang! Only he has unparalleled light - body skills and can take Miss Song away right under our noses!"
The Old Lady Chu also got anxious. "This is a serious matter. Go and report it to the Crown Prince quickly!"
The Crown Prince rushed to the Chu Mansion from the government office in a hurry.
The entire Chu Mansion was startled, and the courtyard was as bright as day.
Nan Zhi and Su Yue hugged each other and cried heart - brokenly.
When the Old Lady Chu saw the Crown Prince, she staggered towards him.
"Your Highness, I've had people search the entire Chu Mansion, but there's no sign of Wanchu. There's only one strange thing. The two maids at the southeast corner gate were knocked out. Wanchu must have been taken out of the mansion from there!"
On the way here, the Crown Prince suspected that someone in the Chu family was an accomplice in Wanchu's escape.
But seeing the anxious and worried look on the Old Lady Chu's face, it didn't seem to be feigned.
He also thought that the Chu family didn't have the guts to help Liang Yuzhou and disobey him.
"Shi Minglang, order people to strictly guard the city gates and carefully inspect all passing vehicles. Don't let any boxes, cabinets, or baskets that could hide people go!"
"Order Liu Zhonglin to lead a team of soldiers to surround Songhe Temple and chase along the path behind it!"
The Crown Prince was furious, but his mind was still clear.
He would never let Wanchu escape from his grasp!
When Shi Luohan's escort team reached the city gate, the gate was about to close.
He quickly noticed that the city guards had been replaced by the Crown Prince's guards.
"The city gate will close earlier today. If you want to leave the city, wait until tomorrow!"
Shi Luohan walked up to the leader and said respectfully, "We're escorting a coffin that the magistrate is sending to Qingzhou. The King of Hell waits for no one. We need to rush on our journey overnight. Please make an exception."
Hearing the words "magistrate", the leader cast a sharp look at the coffin on the cart.
Liu Zhonglin was a newly - appointed official and was in the Crown Prince's favor. He couldn't be easily offended.
The leader waved his hand. "You guys, carefully inspect the coffin!"
Looking like he was just doing his job, he said to Shi Luohan, "It's my duty. Please understand. Open the coffin!"
Song Wanchu was lying in the coffin and heard the sound of the coffin lid slowly opening.
The wooden board above her head was knocked by several people at the same time. She held her breath, and her heart was pounding.