“Oh right.” Grand Prince Liang changed to look at her confidently. He noticed a leaf on her hair and reached out to gently brush it away.
Yan Zifang could not stand to watch any longer as he took big strides in. Lu Yingying got up. “Your Highness, your injury has been taken care of.”
Grand Prince Liang was satisfied and proceeded to remind her, “Remember to come and help me change the dressing tomorrow.”
Lu Yingying spoke honestly, “The imperial physician said that your wound has almost healed and there is no need to change the dressing. Tomorrow, the bandage can be taken off.”
Grand Prince Liang was not at all awkward. “What do those quacks know? I want you to change it so you shall change it. Come early tomorrow morning, if you are late I will be angry.”
Lu Yingying promised and turned to leave.
Grand Prince Liang’s gaze was fixated on Lu Yingying and he did not realise that Yan Zifang’s gaze was also on his wife. When Lu Yingying’s figure completely disappeared, Grand Prince Liang then asked, “Yan Zifang, when did you come?”
Yan Zifang’s voice rose slightly, “I have been here for a while. However, I saw that the two of you were talking and did not want to interrupt so I did not say anything.”
Grand Prince Liang raised his brows. “Look at how sour you sound. It is not that I want to nag at you but you are not young anymore, you should get a wife. It doesn’t matter how you play on the outside but when you return home, you should have a wife to serve you. Everyone says that a man becomes more earnest after he has settled down, just like me…”
Yan Zifang cut him off, “Your Highness, I came today because I heard something that could be disadvantageous for you.”
As soon as Grand Prince Liang heard the word ‘disadvantageous’, he could not be bothered with Yan Zifang’s attitude. “What news?”
Yan Zifang replied, “You Jianming intends on appealing to the Emperor to send you to Liangzhou.”
In reality, whatever Yan Zifang asked You Jianming to do, You Jianmign would do. Just like the previous time when You Jianming appealed to the Emperor to abdicate the Crown Prince. The Iron Mask Imperial Censure had turned into a puppet in his hands.
Grand Prince Liang was furious. “Was he not satisfied after trying to abdicate the Crown Prince? Now he is creating trouble for me. Hurry and help me find out where that person is.”
Yan Zifang smiled. “At this time, he should be returning home.”
Grand Prince Liang shot up. “Men, let’s go and search a house!”
Yan Zifang held back a smile as a mysterious look overcame him. Lu Yingying did not allow him to kill Grand Prince Liang so he shall chase him out of Chang’an. If something happens on the journey and he dies, Lu Yingying will not have any proof and cannot blame him.
In the silence of the night, Sheng Chumu chose a few of his most outstanding soldiers from his army of a hundred. Ye Qiulang, who was considered a veteran soldier, was amongst them as well as the newly joined, Zong Jianxiu. They silently made their way into a farm on the outskirts.
He had received news that Zhan Xuanzhi’s murderer, Mao Shouping, was hiding here. He wanted to capture him alive as proof to who had instigated the murder, although all the signs were already pointing to the Crown Prince. All of a sudden, a patrol group appeared out of nowhere and found them. Although Sheng Chumu’s group managed to subdue them quickly, they did not manage to stop them from warning others.
Mao Shouping intended to escape by jumping out of the window. However, under Sheng Chumu’s orders, Ye Qiulang and Zong Jianxiu blocked the back exit. Without saying anything more, the two of them quickly place a sack over Mao Shouping’s head. They tied him up and brought him away.
Everyone gathered outside the house. Ye Qiulang was delighted. “General, we got him. He is alive.”
Sheng Chumu gave the order to return when all of a sudden, they heard a puu sound. An arrow stuck onto the bag.
“A hidden archer!” Sheng Chumu warned. Following that, he whirled around and kicked away another arrow. He then accurately determined where the arrows were being shot from and automatically chased after them.
Even if this person was not the instigator, they would be close to the instigator. Unfortunately, the sky was too dark and the territory was complex. When he chased up until the tree, that person had already disappeared without a trace and Mao Shouping had been silenced.
Sheng Chumu returned to Han Mansion and informed Prince Han of this bad news.
Prince Han paced back and forth. However, he eventually sat down after a few steps due to his overweight self. He drank a cup of tea. “Without a live witness, we are unable to get an oral confession. Even if we bring him to Imperial Father, we will not be able to take down the Crown Prince. It seems like he has managed to escape this time.”
Sheng Chumu spoke in a low voice, “No one can run from the long arm of law, he will be punished eventually.”
Prince Han, however, shook his head. “He has been the Crown Prince for many years and has built up power in court. It will not be easy to make him get the punishment he deserves.”
Sheng Chumu already had a plan. “No matter how powerful the Crown Prince is, he is not as powerful as the Emperor. Brother-in-law, you have to think of a way to get the Emperor’s support.”
Prince Han asked, “How?”
Sheng Chumu gave him an idea. “Everything needs to be nurtured and a father son relationship is no exception. The longer you stay in front of the Emperor, the more he will care about you. You have to try to spend time with the Emperor. The best would be to spend time out of court.”
Internal attendants rushed in and reported that the Emperor had fainted. Prince Han was startled as he rushed to enter the palace.
Sheng Chumu pondered, “Go ahead. I am going home to find my father. Let him support you.”
Prince Han made an ah sound. “What is there to support? I am much storkier than your father.”
Sheng Chumu rolled his eyes and walked away. He did not know how the Crown Prince even thought that his chubby brother-in-law would covet the Crown Prince’s position. From his long years of observing Prince Han, all he liked to do was eat. Of course, when his sister was still around, she would be his top priority.
As he thought of his elder sister, Sheng Chumu’s heart clenched. He will get revenge. However, before he got his revenge, he was going to find out what exactly had happened and determine who was at fault.
Chapter 77.1: Cold Plum
When the Emperor woke up, he saw Prince Han and Sheng Xiaojing kneeling in front of his bed.
Prince Han leaned on the bed. “Imperial Father, I heard that you fainted and I was so scared. Imperial Mother has already left me, you cannot leave me behind.”
The Emperor sighed, “Your Imperial Mother left before me and missed seeing the big changes happening to this country. She is actually lucky. Grand Prince Liang is creating trouble again. He actually brought people to silence and beat up You Jianming, an Imperial Censor. If it was just that, I could have just sent him to the feudal land. However, the member of the Ministry of Revenue, Du Ning, whom I had sent to gain experience in the Sheng Country, has also been killed by assassins from the Sheng Country. Did you all hear about it?” The urgent news from Lu Yunji had been delivered by the Crown Prince.
Prince Han and Sheng Xiaojing nodded at the same time. The Emperor asked, “What are your thoughts?”
“I believe that this situation was definitely…” Prince Han almost blurted out the Crown Prince’s name.
Sheng Xiaojing nudged Prince Han lightly.