Autumn's arrival and Winter's departure had been a day of preparation in secret.

Ye Qingxue immediately called the two of them over.

"Is the medicine obtained from the acacia seeds enough?" Ye Qingxue asked.

Autumn Deep and Winter White nodded.

Qiu Shen said, "We've already received them. Just in case, we took a few more."

"Alright!" Ye Qingxue said, "Then you two can set off. The horses have been prepared for you."

Qiu Shen and Dong Bai glanced at her, then at Yun Zhuo behind her, and said solemnly, "Miss, we're going!"

Ye Qingxue nodded, and the two of them turned and left.

Chunqian and Xialu also came out, and their eyes started to redden again the moment they saw Ye Qingxue.

Chunqian asked, "Will Miss be able to return to the Marquis's residence before dawn?"

This was because they were worried that Ye Qingxue might die outside, and they wouldn't be able to see her off on her final journey.

Although they knew the road ahead was fraught with danger and that Ye Qingxue was doomed, they still hoped that when Ye Qingxue left, she would be accompanied by many people, so that she would not leave alone and lonely.

Ye Qingxue's throat tightened slightly, but she didn't show it on her face. She said, "I'll try my best to come back. You guys go to sleep. I'll wake you up when I get back."

Chunqian and Xialv exchanged a glance, knowing that her chances of returning alive were slim, and couldn't help but say, "Miss, shall we go with you?"

Ye Qingxue refused decisively: "No, you can stay at home and take care of Xiaobao!"

Not wanting to say more to Chunqian and Xialv, afraid that she would lose control of her emotions, Ye Qingxue turned around decisively after finishing her sentence.

Under the cover of night, two light cavalrymen left the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence and then left the capital city.

Behind them followed two gray and white wolves.

Their men were naturally going along as well, but to avoid suspicion, they departed at different times.

But their destination was the same—Bamboo Sea Ravine.

The moonlight tonight is a little brighter than last night. The crescent moon last night is slightly fuller tonight. The moonlight shines on the treetops, as if covered by frost and snow, clear and boundless.

"Jiefeng, will tonight's plan work out?" Empress Shen asked Shen Jiefeng in the study of Imperial Physician Liu Qinghe.

Shen Jiefeng said, "The news has already been spread. Knowing the deposed crown prince's personality, he will definitely come. As long as he enters our ambush, I will definitely be able to capture him!"

Empress Shen gave him a deep look: "It's not that I don't trust you, but everything is ready except for the deposed crown prince. As long as he arrives—regardless of whether he lives or dies, our great cause will be accomplished!"

In other words, Shen Jiefeng is taking the lead tonight, and whether he succeeds will affect many of Empress Shen's plans.

Shen Jiefeng immediately knelt down, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, Jiefeng will not fail in his mission!"

Empress Shen then said firmly, "Very well, you may go now. I and the other officials will be waiting for your good news at the agreed location!"

These words revealed a desperate gamble and absolute trust in Shen Jiefeng. In an instant, Shen Jiefeng felt his blood boil, convinced that he would definitely be able to capture the deposed crown prince this time!

Shen Jiefeng left in an orderly fashion with over a hundred guards.

The sound of orderly footsteps echoed through the streets under the night sky, causing the road surface to tremble slightly. Many households had blown out their candles and gone to bed early, with their doors and windows tightly shut.

Empress Shen called Wanxin over and said, "Go and inform Prime Minister Ning that we have found traces of the deposed crown prince. Tell him to come with me to see what heinous things his good nephew has done while on the run!"

Wanxin agreed and immediately turned and left, heading towards the Prime Minister's residence.

The maidservant served tea, and Empress Shen took a small sip, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

Tonight, she wants Prime Minister Ning Hongxi to watch with his own eyes the deposed crown prince, whom he once trusted, protected, and supported, die in front of him.

From this day forward, the Great Zhou Dynasty never again deposed Crown Prince Yun Zhuo.

Tonight, the deposed Crown Prince Yun Zhuo will lose not only his life, but also all his former good qualities and reputation. Ning Hongxi and the Ning family will be completely at her disposal.

The night wind was blowing.

An hour later, Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue arrived at the border between Kyoto and Yongning. There were several small and medium-sized manors in the vicinity.

Even though the village had twenty or thirty households, it seemed to be completely asleep at this moment, extremely quiet, not even a dog barking could be heard.

Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue faced the high mountain opposite the manor, their gaze slowly rising. Across from them stretched endless mountain ranges, with no end in sight to the left or right.

However, there are valleys between the peaks; climbing up the valley will allow you to cross them. I've heard that on the other side of the valley lies a bamboo forest.

The Bamboo Sea Stream is covered with dense bamboo forests, the bamboo leaves are lush and green, and the bamboo stalks are tall and straight. The stream flows gently in the mountain stream, and although it seems like a paradise, it is rarely visited by people.

Because tigers and wolves often roam the area, and it is located deep in the mountains, the local people basically dare not go in.

If someone is hiding there, they will face the threat of tigers and wolves, which is very dangerous, and it will be very difficult to find them.

I heard that the old nanny who served the late Empress and the young maid who served Consort Li hid in the Bamboo Sea Ravine and survived by stealing food from nearby villages at night.

Although Yun Zhuo's men and Empress Shen's men saw them appearing in this area, they got lost and couldn't catch them at all when they tried to go in and capture them.

—This is the official version of events.

In reality, Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue believed that only the young palace maid was hiding in the Bamboo Sea Ravine, and that the old nanny who served the late empress was just bait.

Shen Jiefeng probably also had an element of luck involved, hoping that the old woman who sent her into the bamboo forest could find the little palace maid, capture her, and send her to Empress Shen.

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