Liang Yuzhou tightened his lips, the sharpness still lingering in the corners of his eyes. The Crown Prince's expression shifted slightly, as if weighing the pros and cons.
"Your Highness, you've always cherished talent. Liang Yuzhou is skilled in martial arts, strategic, brave, and loyal. He truly deserves the title of the greatest prodigy of the Great Zhou. If you two draw swords against each other, it's the court and the Great Zhou that will suffer, and the Eldest Princess will reap the benefits for free!"
Shi Minglang's words came from the bottom of his heart. Then he turned to Liang Yuzhou. "The Eldest Princess wields immense power and has great ambitions. Do you think that by retreating to the mountains with Miss Song and living in seclusion, you can lead a peaceful life?
Given the Eldest Princess's vengeful nature, will she not target the Duke's Mansion? Although you've severed ties with the Duke's Mansion, you still share blood with the old lady, the old duke, and the Princess Jiahe. If anything happens to them, can you stand by idly?
And what about Miss Song's maternal grandfather's family and the Chu family, her aunt's family? Can any of them stay out of this?"
Shi Minglang's powerful voice echoed through the forest.
Suddenly, he let out a heavy sigh. "When you two are at odds and refuse to yield, Miss Song is the one who suffers the most!"
The Crown Prince's expression finally softened.
"Lower your arrows!"
Upon receiving the order, the cavalrymen put away their crossbows one by one. Only Xu Mufeng's eyes flashed with reluctance.
He thought the Crown Prince still wanted to get rid of Liang Yuzhou.
As the saying goes, two tigers cannot coexist on one mountain. Moreover, Liang Yuzhou was a formidable love rival.
Song Wanchu had chosen to run away with Liang Yuzhou, which meant her heart was probably with him.
How could the Crown Prince tolerate this?
If he could kill Liang Yuzhou, it would be a great merit.
He was itching to act. The crossbow he had just put down was about to be raised again.
The Crown Prince didn't notice Xu Mufeng's little move.
"Liang Yuzhou, I've already made concessions. Wanchu will return to Yunzhou City with me."
"Do you want Wanchu to hate you for the rest of her life?" Liang Yuzhou refused to back down. With the Crown Prince's life in his hands, how could he easily compromise?
The Crown Prince's eyes were filled with hostility, and his tone was firm. "Even if Wanchu hates me for the rest of her life, I won't let her go to you!"
Liang Yuzhou let out a sneer. "Look, Lu Sihong, how are you any different from me a year ago?"
The Crown Prince's heart trembled violently.
He had witnessed firsthand how domineering and possessive Liang Yuzhou was towards Wanchu.
The more crazy Liang Yuzhou became, the deeper the hatred in Wanchu's eyes.
He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. "The Eldest Princess is out for revenge. Wanchu is in danger. Let's protect her together. I won't touch her, and neither should you. Give Wanchu time to make a choice."
The Crown Prince thought that his recent actions towards Wanchu had been too radical, which was why she had panicked and run away with Liang Yuzhou.
She might not have truly forgiven Liang Yuzhou.
Now he and Liang Yuzhou were on an equal footing, competing fairly.
The hand that had been gripping his throat finally let go.
Liang Yuzhou took a few steps back and smiled calmly.
Lu Sihong, you're doomed to lose.
He and the Crown Prince strode towards the carriage at the same time.
"It's okay now, Wanchu. You can come out."
"Wanchu, it's all my fault. I've scared you."
Song Wanchu trembled and let out a long breath. Her cold body began to warm up, and her heart resumed its regular beating.
The two of them took a step back and temporarily reached a gentleman's agreement.
She lifted the carriage curtain, and the morning light shone on her pale face.
Liang Yuzhou and the Crown Prince both reached out their hands to help her out of the carriage.
Song Wanchu didn't know where to put her arms.
Just as she was about to jump out of the carriage without taking either of their hands—
An arrow suddenly whizzed past her ear, making a sharp whistling sound.
Blood splashed on her face.
"Liang Yuzhou!"
The arrow shot by Xu Mufeng accurately pierced through Liang Yuzhou's right shoulder.
The Crown Prince's face changed drastically. Before he could say anything, he heard Xu Mufeng give an order to the cavalry: "Liang Yuzhou, kill without mercy!"
A shower of arrows flew towards the carriage. The horse was startled, rearing up on its hind legs and neighing loudly. It then ran out of control towards the depths of the forest.
Song Wanchu fell heavily back into the carriage. The back of her head hit the carriage wall, and her vision went black.
There were no flat roads in the depths of the forest. The carriage jolted violently, and Song Wanchu's body bounced up and down. Her internal organs felt like they were being twisted together. Her vision alternated between black and white, and she couldn't see anything clearly.
She could only hold on tightly to the carriage window.
"Wanchu!" Liang Yuzhou let out a roar. He knocked the Crown Prince aside, grabbed his horse, and galloped towards Song Wanchu.
A trail of blood was left behind him.
The Crown Prince grabbed Shi Minglang's horse and followed closely behind.
Shi Minglang punched Xu Mufeng hard. "Idiot! Who told you to shoot Liang Yuzhou?"
Xu Mufeng didn't think he had done anything wrong. "I was just following the Crown Prince's orders!"
"Damn it! Are your ears selectively listening to orders?"
Shi Minglang kicked him angrily, grabbed his horse, and then looked back at him deeply. "You'll pay for what you've done!"
On the steep downhill slope, the black horse galloped desperately.
There was a dead end ahead.
In extreme panic, Song Wanchu had lost her voice and couldn't even scream.
Liang Yuzhou leaped into the air and cut the reins of the black horse with his sword.
The carriage body and the black horse separated. Sensing the danger ahead, the black horse turned around and climbed up the slope without the restraint of the carriage.
The carriage body was still hurtling downwards rapidly. At the end of the road was a bottomless cliff.
Song Wanchu closed her eyes.
Outside the carriage, Liang Yuzhou let out a thunderous roar.
With just his bare arms, he managed to hold back the carriage that weighed a thousand jun.
Song Wanchu's body jolted to a stop.
The carriage had reached the edge of the cliff. She could hear the sound of stones falling, the howling of the wind, and the heavy breathing of Liang Yuzhou outside the carriage curtain.
"Don't be afraid, Wanchu. Slowly get out."
Song Wanchu's hands trembled as she lifted the curtain. Liang Yuzhou stood in front of her, as solid as a statue.
He was covered in blood, and blood was gushing out of his injured right arm.
Due to the excessive exertion, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Behind him was a bottomless cliff. One more step back would mean certain death.
Big tears rolled down her cheeks.
Liang Yuzhou was willing to risk his life for her.
"Wanchu, this is what I owe you. I couldn't save you when you had that carriage accident. This time, it's like..."
"Stop talking!"
Song Wanchu seemed to be infused with strength. She quickly jumped out of the carriage. Liang Yuzhou's arms suddenly went limp, and the carriage fell off the cliff with a loud crash. The echo lingered for a long time.
The Crown Prince, who had arrived a bit late, saw Song Wanchu tightly hugging Liang Yuzhou.
Both of them were covered in blood, but Song Wanchu didn't care. She held Liang Yuzhou's face in her hands and looked at him with tearful eyes.
The Crown Prince's eyes were deeply stung.
Hearing the sound of the carriage falling off the cliff, Shi Minglang thought the two of them had fallen. His heart almost jumped out of his throat.
"It's okay. It's okay..."
He kept patting his chest.
He thought Liang Yuzhou was truly a crazy man.
Even though he was injured, he managed to hold back the falling carriage on the steep slope by himself!
Who else would be so reckless?
Song Wanchu was truly his life!
The two of them held hands and slowly climbed up the slope.
Suddenly, an arrow flew from behind the Crown Prince towards Liang Yuzhou.
Song Wanchu instinctively stepped in front of Liang Yuzhou.
Liang Yuzhou pushed her to the ground to avoid the arrow, but he also lost his balance.
Song Wanchu quickly rolled down the steep slope and fell into the bottomless abyss.
"Wanchu!!!"
Liang Yuzhou and the Crown Prince let out earth-shattering roars at the same time. And Liang Yuzhou didn't hesitate for a moment before jumping off the cliff.
The Crown Prince rushed to the edge of the cliff and stopped abruptly.