The news that Princess Qinghe had run away from home exploded like thunder in the closed study.
The expressions on Wang Pan and Zhou Dequan's faces froze instantly. All the conspiracy, calculation, pride and even despair they had just felt were washed away by the sudden news, leaving only shock and doubt.
Then, Zhou Dequan walked back and forth, touching his chin, squinting his eyes, full of conspiracy.
At the moment, the game between the Crown Prince and Prince Jin seems to have quietly begun. The border general Zhao Muyun, who can provide Prince Jin with military support, is connected to Prince Jin through the Princess Qinghe.
Qinghe County was mainly married to Zhao Muyun, which tied Prince Jin and Zhao Muyun together.
If the prince knew that the princess had run away, he would definitely be alert.
At this critical juncture, if something happens in Qinghe County, it will bring about many variables.
The current emperor intended to let Princess Qinghe marry Zhao Muyun, but something went wrong. According to the principle that the beneficiary is the most suspicious, the prince became the emperor's most suspicious person.
Even though they knew that the prince would never do such a thing, the emperor and other ministers who did not agree with the prince would not think so as long as they had other thoughts.
Therefore, before the prince has a chance to know about this, we must consider the prince and eliminate any hidden dangers.
If this matter is handled well, his status in front of the prince in the future will be extraordinary.
"Tell me again? Princess Qinghe? The apple of the eye of the Prince of Jin's eye? She actually ran away from home? Is this news reliable?"
Wang Pan still couldn't believe that such a thing happened.
Logically, there are at least two hundred guards in Prince Jin's mansion, and the security is very strict. How could they let a woman leave the mansion so easily?
His voice rose, with an incredible sharpness.
"Yes... yes, Master."
The servant was startled by Wang Pan's reaction and lowered his voice, but spoke more clearly, "The Prince of Jin's Mansion is in chaos! His Highness the Prince of Jin has personally led a large number of guards out of the mansion and is chasing north."
Zhou Dequan looked suspicious. He stared at the servant who had brought the news and asked slowly, "North? Which direction exactly? Do you have any clues? How long has the King of Jin been there personally?"
Faced with Zhou Dequan's question, the servant looked at Wang Pan for help, and after receiving the latter's consent, he reported the truth.
"The exact direction is unknown, we only know it's north of Jinyang. The people in the Prince of Jin's mansion are very tight-lipped, and they only revealed that the princess disappeared last night or this morning. His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin left with his men shortly after noon, so they shouldn't have gone far."
"Last night or this morning..."
Zhou Dequan muttered repeatedly, his eyes instantly becoming as sharp as a hawk. He turned abruptly to Wang Pan, his previous "collaborator" attitude replaced by a forceful, almost commanding tone, "Brother Wang! You just said that before you entered the city, you saw movement at the Prince of Jin's Mansion, heading north. Was it in the afternoon?!"
Wang Pan was frightened by Zhou Dequan's gaze and nodded quickly, "Exactly! In the afternoon, I hid in the woods beside the official road outside the city and saw it with my own eyes! The King of Jin's carriage and many guards galloped north at full speed. It was a huge scene and a hurry! There were many passers-by around at the time, and I was worried about people talking, so I didn't go up to ask the King of Jin. I just felt strange at the time, but I didn't expect it to be..."
"This is a godsend! This is truly a godsend, Brother Wang!"
Zhou Dequan's voice trembled slightly with excitement. "I thought the escape scene was deliberately staged by the Prince of Jin, but I didn't expect the princess to actually escape the marriage."
"She ran away from the marriage, which was actually a clever move by the Prince of Jin to counter Your Majesty. But the bad thing is that the princess fled north. Her destination is obvious: Shuozhou, where Zhao Muyun is."
Wang Pan was stunned: "Brother Zhou, why do you say that? Why would the princess go to find Zhao Muyun? They..."
"stupid!"
Zhou Dequan interrupted sternly, "Rumor has it in the capital that His Majesty intends to marry Princess Qinghe to Zhao Muyun! This news has probably already spread throughout the court and the country! How could the princess, a young woman in seclusion, suddenly learn that she's marrying a border general she's never met? She's running away, most likely to seek out her 'future husband' and ask for clarification."
Zhou Dequan's thoughts became clearer and his speech became faster. "The Prince of Jin is so nervous that he's personally chasing her, which only proves this point! He's not afraid of his daughter running away from the marriage, he's just afraid that she'll actually go find Zhao Muyun!"
"This not only concerns the royal family's reputation, but may also lead to the emperor's wrath!"
"Then...what do we need to do?" Wang Pan was confused.
"Brother Wang! Don't you want to curry favor with the Crown Prince? Do you want to survive? The opportunity is right before your eyes! Catch up with Prince Jin! Find the Princess! This is the greatest token of our loyalty we can offer to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Find the princess... then what?" Wang Pan's voice was dry.
"Then?"
Zhou Dequan's eyes flashed with undisguised malice, "Of course, I want him to meet with an accident and die unexpectedly on Zhao Muyun's territory!"
"The county magistrate is dead. This...isn't this causing trouble for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Wang Pan's mind was suddenly confused. "Doesn't everyone suspect that it was the Crown Prince's doing?"
"You still know how to think, Brother Wang! Indeed, if the princess dies, everyone will suspect the crown prince. After all, the signal sent by His Majesty is to let Prince Jin come out and compete with the crown prince."
"How could the Prince of Jin dare to do that openly? The drama of his daughter running away from marriage might confuse the Emperor for a while, but he will have to face it in the end."
"But it's different if the princess dies on Zhao Muyun's territory!" Zhou Dequan said coldly.
Wang Pan was indeed an old fox. He obviously couldn't keep up with Zhou Dequan's train of thought: "Brother Zhou, what's the difference?"
"First, the princess died in Shuozhou, and Zhao Muyun was more or less implicated, and Prince Jin would also have a rift with him; second, the suspicious Majesty would think that Zhao Muyun refused the marriage and deliberately let the princess die." Zhou Dequan sneered.
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