There was a fierce look in Zhou Chengyu's eyes. Glaring at the figure not far away, he barked an order. Immediately, the guards behind him dismounted their horses and pinned the person to the ground. "What are you doing!"
The guards looked frigid and showed no mercy just because the person in front of them was a woman.
Zhou Chengyu stared at the person without dismounting. Sitting high on his horse, he demanded, "Speak."
The woman on the ground trembled violently. Her eyes were full of fear as she looked at Zhou Chengyu. "M...My lord."
She stammered, her voice quivering. "This servant was sent by the mistress. She told me to guard this courtyard and inform her as soon as the son - in - law arrives."
Son - in - law?
Zhou Chengyu frowned and turned to the guards. "Deal with this person."
"Please don't!"
The woman let out a shrill scream. "I'm just a servant. I don't know anything and I won't say a word! Please, my lord! Spare my life!"
"This was all the mistress's order. Please!"
There was not a flicker of emotion on Zhou Chengyu's face. Seeing this, a guard quickly covered the maid's mouth.
Strange. Why would anyone be eyeing Xie Lang?
A hint of doubt welled up in Zhou Chengyu's mind. Finally, he attributed it to Xie Lang's identity.
As he left the temple, Zhou Chengyu couldn't help but glance in that direction. After hesitating for a moment, he left two guards behind. "Remember, keep an eye on it. If anything seems amiss, report to me immediately."
Zhou Chengyu didn't know who was after Shen Mingzhu this time. Usually, no one would dare to harm her, but he still felt a twinge of unease, so he stole another look.
On his way back, Zhou Chengyu rode his horse at full speed.
He entered the city and returned to his mansion.
Before Zhou Chengyu could finish his work, one of the guards he had left rushed in and said anxiously, "My lord, something terrible has happened!"
"The Princess Royal was assassinated. By the time I got there, her Highness was missing. The son - in - law is leading people to search for her!"
Zhou Chengyu was stunned. He suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "What?"
The inkstone was swept to the ground by his sudden movement. Zhou Chengyu felt a chill run through his body. He instinctively gasped and ordered the guard, "Hurry, gather men and follow me."
"Send someone else to the palace to inform the Emperor!"
Zhou Chengyu's face turned ashen. He got up and strode out, only to see Prime Minister Zhou standing calmly at the entrance of his courtyard, looking at him.
"Was it you?"
Zhou Chengyu's steps suddenly faltered.
Prime Minister Zhou looked at his son calmly and said, "Of course not. Shen Mingzhu has offended so many people. There are countless people who want her dead. I wouldn't be so rash as to take action myself."
He watched the eagerness in his son's eyes for a while before coldly stating, "I won't let you leave this door today."
Zhou Chengyu frowned and looked at his father. "What do you want to do?"
"Doing what's best for the Zhou family, of course." A faint smile played on Prime Minister Zhou's lips. He waved his hand, and the guards behind him stepped forward and surrounded Zhou Chengyu.
"You know the Emperor won't let Shen Mingzhu die. What you're doing now is just testing his bottom - line."
Prime Minister Zhou suddenly burst into laughter and said, "The Emperor doesn't want her to die, but what if Shen Mingzhu wants him dead after learning the truth?"
Zhou Chengyu was shocked by his father's words. He said in a deep voice, "What do you know?"
Prime Minister Zhou smiled and said to Zhou Chengyu, "You're still too young. No matter how smart you are, you can't compete with me."
"Zhou Chengyu, if you weren't my only son, I wouldn't protect you now. Stop getting involved in these matters."
Zhou Chengyu was silent for a moment. He suddenly realized that his father might know a lot of things he didn't, perhaps even more than Shen Mingzhu and himself.
"Never."
He sneered and said to the guards behind him, "Attack."
...
The mountain path was steep. Even on horseback, it was hard to move quickly. Xie Lang was taking a shortcut, which made the journey even more arduous.
Gone was his usual calm demeanor. His eyes were blood - shot. He yanked hard on the reins, breathing heavily.
Where was Shen Mingzhu? How could there be an assassination all of a sudden!
Xie Lang felt as if he couldn't catch his breath. He finally managed to calm down, his face cold and solemn.
When the little maid rushed in just now, why did Li Xiyu look a bit surprised but not show the normal panic or worry?
Could it be... Could Li Xiyu be involved?
No! Li Xiyu was someone Shen Mingzhu trusted. Xie Lang believed that Shen Mingzhu wasn't that blind. But then why...
Xie Lang fell into deep thought. A possibility occurred to him. Maybe Li Xiyu knew about this. Could it be Shen Mingzhu's tacit approval?
Thinking of Shen Mingzhu's recent hasty actions, Xie Lang took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. His face grew colder.
That stupid woman, Shen Mingzhu! She'd better be okay! Otherwise, Xie Lang would really be mad at her!
As he moved forward, he saw the maple trees on the way up the mountain.
In summer, the maple leaves were thick. From a distance, Xie Lang saw Shen Mingzhu's carriage. All was quiet around it.
His heart sank.
"Hurry!"
Xie Lang galloped forward and ordered the guards, "Search. See if there's anyone around."
When he reached the carriage, Xie Lang lifted the curtain. The carriage was empty, except for an arrow that had pierced straight into the wall.
He instinctively bit his lip nervously. He stood up and told his men, "Keep searching. If anyone finds her, take her to a hiding place first. Then continue the search. Don't alert the enemy."
There were signs of a fight around the carriage, as well as some dragged bloodstains. Looking more closely, Xie Lang followed the intermittent bloodstains forward and saw that the surrounding grass and trees were flattened. Several corpses were lying on the ground.
Xie Lang's heart turned cold instantly. He quickly checked the corpses and found that they weren't Shen Mingzhu's men. His hands began to tremble slightly.
Where on earth was Shen Mingzhu?
He continued to move forward, following the traces of the escape. As he went on, he even saw some faint marks from time to time, but they were quite scattered. If Xie Lang hadn't learned tracking skills from those search - masters before, he might not have noticed them.
Xie Lang's eyes paused. He suddenly saw a familiar piece of cloth hanging on a small branch.
This was the material of one of Shen Mingzhu's dresses. That dress was rather unremarkable compared to her other clothes, which was why Xie Lang remembered it.
He squatted down and picked up the cloth. The next moment, Xie Lang noticed some bloodstains on the small branch, which looked like signs of injury.
Shen Mingzhu was injured?
Shen Mingzhu was really injured!
Xie Lang's already pale face turned even whiter. He tightened his grip on the cloth. It seemed as if the smell of blood was lingering in his nostrils, and he felt a sudden sense of suffocation. He could hardly stand up.
By now, no matter how slow - witted Xie Lang was, he realized that Shen Mingzhu seemed to have really fallen into a trap and was in great danger. He had no idea what the situation was.
No matter how much she didn't trust him or how heartless she was, she wouldn't just leave without saying a word and watch him worry about her.
Xie Lang stood up. His vision suddenly went black for a moment. He steadied himself by holding onto the horse beside him and continued walking.
As he moved forward, a smell of blood seemed to fill his nostrils. It grew stronger and stronger, making him nauseous.
The horse beside Xie Lang was raised by him since it was a foal and was very intelligent. When it smelled the blood, it pawed the ground uneasily, and there was a hint of unease in its big eyes.
Xie Lang took a few steps forward and looked in the direction where the smell was the strongest. He saw a corpse lying on the ground. The person was wearing the uniform of a guard from the Princess's mansion. His eyes were wide open, and his face was full of terror.
Xie Lang paused for a moment. His legs suddenly went weak. He took a deep breath and stepped forward to examine the body carefully. He found that the wound was on the neck. It seemed that something had pierced in, and then a dagger had slit a deep cut. The person had died quickly from blood loss.
He retched and continued looking. In a small bush not far away, he saw a blood - stained hairpin.
This was...
Xie Lang tried his best to calm down and thought about the origin of the hairpin. Finally, he remembered that he had seen Shen Mingzhu wear it before. After comparing it, he found that the size of the hairpin was almost the same as the wound on the corpse.
What on earth was going on?