Zhou Sheng and Zhou Yan!
These two had followed Liang Yuzhou to the south of the Yangtze River. How could they appear in the Duke's Mansion?
Yu Huiyan was flustered and excited. Regardless of her image, she rushed forward in big strides and grabbed Zhou Sheng's sleeve. She asked anxiously, "Is my cousin back? Is he back? Is he coming back to the Duke's Mansion, right?"
Zhou Sheng pulled his sleeve out of Yu Huiyan's hand and lifted his eyelids indifferently.
"I wonder which cousin Miss Yu is referring to. My brother and I don't know him. You've asked the wrong person."
The address "Miss Yu" was like two slaps on Yu Huiyan's face. She blushed with humiliation, and the resentment in her eyes seemed ready to overflow.
There was no more triggering address than "Miss Yu" for her!
She had already put up a married woman's hair bun and had lived in the Duke's Mansion for over a year. Although she was a widow, she was still a proper mistress!
These two lowly servants dared to call her "Miss Yu"!
What made her even more angry and humiliated was that they claimed not to know which cousin she was talking about!
Zhou Sheng and Zhou Yan didn't intend to pay attention to Yu Huiyan. She looked like a crazy woman who had lost her mind.
Yu Huiyan blocked their way and shouted sternly, "I am the mistress of the Duke's Mansion. I'm asking you a question. How dare you be so disrespectful!"
Zhou Yan couldn't hide his disgust for her and said coldly, "Where did this stray dog come from? Putting on a chicken feather duster, and it dares to pretend to be a big-tailed wolf. If you're really the mistress, why can't you even enter the old lady's courtyard?"
Stung to the core, Yu Huiyan glared angrily at Zhou Yan, and a terrifying redness seeped into her eyes.
Zhou Sheng pulled Zhou Yan and said, "Let's go. We can't deal with a crazy dog. It will bite even more fiercely."
Watching the two brothers walk away, Yu Huiyan's anger remained. She wrung the handkerchief in her hand tightly, feeling panicked.
She took a step forward, but her knees went weak, and she almost fell.
Caidie was extremely frightened. "Madam, do you think the real young duke is coming back?"
Zhou Sheng and Zhou Yan had always been inseparable from Liang Yuzhou.
Their appearance in the Duke's Mansion, did it mean that Liang Yuzhou was also coming back?
He was the rightful young duke. If he changed his mind, gave up Song Wanchu, and returned to the position of the heir apparent, wouldn't Liang Yuchuan become a clown?
And Yu Huiyan had just lost her virginity to Liang Yuchuan!
She couldn't help but blame Yu Huiyan for her stupidity and recklessness.
If Yu Huiyan was still a chaste girl and had been living as a widow in the Duke's Mansion for a year, Liang Yuzhou would surely feel a bit of pity for her.
Maybe he would even recognize her as his legitimate wife.
But now...
Yu Huiyan had made a blunder!
"It's okay, it's okay..."
Yu Huiyan's lips trembled with panic, but she forced a smile to comfort herself. "As long as no one knows about my affair with Liang Yuchuan, I'm still the proper heir apparent's wife!"
Her smile sent shivers down Caidie's spine.
She supported Yu Huiyan and slowly walked towards the Fragrant Snow Pavilion. She felt sad for Yu Huiyan and even more for her own hopeless life.
...
The Crown Prince's entourage rode their horses at full speed.
The further north they went, the colder and harsher the wind became.
Song Wanchu's clothes also became thicker and thicker.
Her gaze passed through the mountains, and her heart was full of emotions.
It was less than a hundred miles to the capital.
She put down the "Poetry Collection of Mingxi" in her hand and closed the book, lost in thought.
A hand reached under her armpit and "snapped" the book shut.
"Wanchu, you've spent more time looking at this book than looking at me on this journey."
Liang Yuzhou's resentment was almost filling the carriage.
Song Wanchu looked up at his deep eyes and smiled. "Do you really have to be jealous of a book?"
"It stole your attention from me. I'm not happy."
Daoist Qiu was a master of healing. Liang Yuzhou's eyes, which could only see blurry outlines before, could now distinguish colors.
The swelling blood clot on the back of his head had basically disappeared.
Daoist Qiu was confident that in another ten days or so, he would be completely cured of his blindness.
He met Song Wanchu's gaze, and his pupils changed from dull to bright, looking extremely affectionate.
"Mr. Mingxi is truly an extraordinary woman."
Song Wanchu sighed sincerely. "Once you read it, you'll be convinced by her magnificent mind."
Liang Yuzhou curled his lips, obviously not interested.
He was not interested in any woman other than Wanchu. It was the same in the past, now, and in the future.
He was very firm on this point.
His heart was so small that it could only hold Wanchu.
"Why did Chu Yueying think of giving you a poetry collection?"
Song Wanchu carefully put the poetry collection away in a bookcase and smiled knowingly. "Yinger said this one was copied by herself. The most valuable thing is her sincerity. She didn't know when we sisters would meet again, so she gave it to me as a keepsake."
"Didn't Shi Minglang copy one for her? Why did she copy another one herself?"
"Shi Minglang said something silly and angered Yinger. They returned each other's tokens of love. On the day we left, Yinger came to give me the book. I asked her if she was willing to give me the hand - copied version.
The little girl blushed and said Shi Minglang had someone send his copied version again and also asked for her sachet. The little girl said angrily that she wouldn't forgive Shi Minglang, but as soon as Shi Minglang apologized and softened, she immediately softened her heart."
Song Wanchu was relieved.
The marriage between the Chu family and the Shi family, with the Crown Prince as the matchmaker, had been settled.
If it weren't for the undercurrents and rapid changes in the capital, Song Wanchu would have stayed in Yunzhou for a while longer, waiting for her aunt to give birth and seeing Shi Minglang and Yinger get engaged.
When they arrived at the post - station, during the break, Xia Anzi politely asked Song Wanchu, "Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince heard that you have a copy of the 'Poetry Collection of Mingxi' and would like to borrow it for a look. I wonder if Miss would be so kind as to oblige?"
Song Wanchu quickly replied, "Of course. There's no problem with that."
Nan Zhi opened the bookcase and handed the poetry collection to Xia Anzi.
Xia Anzi happily walked away with the book in his arms.
Liang Yuzhou muttered, "He has ulterior motives."
Song Wanchu glared at him. "Come on. How long has it been since the Crown Prince talked to me in person?"
The Crown Prince's sense of propriety was very comfortable.
Liang Yuzhou was just being too petty.
In the afternoon, the Crown Prince sent Xia Anzi to convey a message, saying that they should speed up and try to reach the outskirts of the capital today.
The Crown Prince's advance messenger had already entered the capital and confirmed the time of the Crown Prince's return. The emperor would send a royal escort to greet him on the outskirts.
Liang Yuzhou pondered for a moment and went to see the Crown Prince in person.
He, Wanchu, and Daoist Qiu decided to enter the capital one day later than the Crown Prince to avoid attracting too much attention.
The Crown Prince agreed and set off first.
As evening approached, the north wind began to blow.
Suddenly, there came the screams of a woman and the lewd laughter of men in the distance.
The sound of clashing swords was faintly mixed in.
The carriage curtain didn't move, but only the cold voice of the Crown Prince came from inside. "Under the feet of the Son of Heaven, who dares to be so bold?"
Xia Anzi sent six guards to go and check the situation.
They heard a man roar angrily, "You little bitch, how dare you hit me! I'll kill you!"
Immediately afterwards, the man's shrill wail echoed through the forest.
The guard came to report, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, there are three rapists who blocked a girl on her way to the capital and tried to assault her. Two of them were injured by the girl, and another one who spoke rudely was... castrated by the girl!"
The Crown Prince lifted the carriage curtain, his eyes showing shock. "She's truly a heroine among women. Is she okay? I want to meet her!"
He admired heroes, regardless of gender.
Soon, a figure in aqua - blue came gracefully.
The woman was tall, with skin as fair as the moon. She lowered her eyes and bowed gracefully to him.
"My humble self, Cheng Simian, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince's gaze suddenly turned cold.
The surname Cheng?
The minion of the eldest princess, the daughter of Marquis Wude, Cheng Yong?