Chapter 189 Completely Muddy the Waters
Shen Qingci and Yuanbao exchanged a glance without making a sound.
Yuanbao immediately understood and said in a deep voice to the two guards behind him, "This place is dangerous. You two come with me to scout ahead!"
Having said that, he took the lead, his figure moving like lightning, and slipped into the narrow passage first. Two guards followed closely behind.
"Your Highness!" Shen Qingci looked anxious, as if she could no longer contain herself and was about to rush in!
But as soon as her foot stepped into that deep valley, before she had taken more than a few steps, a strange change occurred!
Several dark figures, like ghosts, suddenly darted out from behind the rocks and bushes on both sides!
They moved with lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, they had completely blocked the entrance that the guards of the Prince's Palace had painstakingly cleared!
"Your Highness! Watch out!"
Yuanbao let out a terrified shout in the valley, and then the crisp sound of weapons clashing echoed fiercely in the empty valley!
Seeing this, Wanqing outside was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She rushed to the blocked entrance and anxiously peered inside: "Miss! Miss! What happened?!"
Shen Qingci's face displayed just the right amount of panic and fear. She staggered back two steps, her voice trembling with despair: "We've fallen into a trap! We...we've fallen into a trap!"
"Their goal is not just the prince!"
"Me too!"
"They...they had already laid an ambush here..."
"Then...what should we do?!" Wanqing stamped her feet anxiously.
She tried desperately to rush in, but the entrance was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
At this moment, they were completely blocked by those black-clad assassins!
Those assassins were highly skilled in martial arts and ruthless in their attacks, displaying an aura of "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand cannot pass"!
Anyone who dares to step forward will face certain death!
She and the other guards from the Prince's mansion were simply unable to rush in and provide support!
Just then, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly echoed from within the valley!
The sound was filled with endless fear and pain, as if someone had... pierced the heart with a sword!
Immediately, all the sounds of fighting in the valley came to an abrupt halt.
A deathly silence.
Wanqing's heart sank to the bottom!
wrong!
This is completely different from the plan that the master had previously informed him of!
Could it be... could it be that something went wrong?
Or perhaps... the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and someone else has already gotten there first?
If Chu Jichen and Shen Qingci were truly kidnapped by someone else right under her nose... then her master would never let her off easily!
After an unknown amount of time, the black-clad assassins guarding the entrance retreated silently like a tide, disappearing into the dense forest.
"Wanqing" could no longer care about anything else and immediately followed the other guards, rushing in like a madwoman!
The valley was already a scene of utter devastation.
On the ground lay the corpses of several assassins dressed in black, lying haphazardly.
The pools of blood, still wet and shocking, looked particularly horrifying in the dim light.
Can……
Throughout the entire valley, not a single living person could be seen!
Shen Qingci, along with Yuanbao, Yelan, and the others who had entered the valley with her, vanished as if they had evaporated into thin air!
Wanqing felt a chill run down her spine!
Who is it?!
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and sternly commanded the equally panicked guards behind her, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly! Search carefully! Search every cave and secret passage in the surrounding area, inch by inch! You must... find the Princess!"
As she spoke, she subtly winked at someone in the crowd who had been arranged to meet her.
The man understood and immediately took advantage of the chaos to quietly break away from the group and rush towards the capital!
The Regent's Palace staff searched the narrow valley until nightfall, but still found nothing.
Looking at the bizarre scene before her, Wanqing finally spoke slowly, her voice filled with grief and determination: "No! This matter... must be reported to the steward immediately! Let him... let him go to the palace right now and petition His Majesty! Please ask His Majesty... to send the Imperial Guards to seal off the mountain and search for the whereabouts of the Prince and Princess with all his might!"
Unbeknownst to her, at this moment, in a very secluded courtyard in the western part of the capital city...
Shen Qingci and Chu Jichen were leisurely sitting opposite each other, sipping tea and quietly listening to Yuanbao's report.
"...Your Highness, everything has been done as you instructed."
Yuanbao's voice was full of admiration, "That imposter really panicked. As soon as she left the valley, she immediately sent someone back with the message. My subordinates followed her all the way, and the message... was indeed delivered to the Liu family."
A cold smile slowly curved Shen Qingci's lips: "We've all disappeared. The Liu family... they must be frantic with worry."
“Especially,” she paused, a calculating glint in her eyes, “Liu Wenyuan is still unconscious.”
After she finished speaking, she seemed to have thought of something and frowned slightly: "However, after we made such a scene today, the Liu family might... have some suspicions."
"After all, there are very few people in the entire capital who have the ability to kidnap me and the prince without anyone noticing before them."
"They are very likely to suspect that all of this is just a show that we... directed and acted in ourselves."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Jichen, who was standing to the side, chuckled softly.
Shen Qingci turned her head and looked at him questioningly, asking what he was laughing about.
Chu Jichen said slowly and deliberately, his voice filled with a confident languor: "Don't worry."
“They will be even more suspicious of… Emperor Yongming.”
A hint of confusion flashed in Shen Qingci's eyes.
Chu Jichen waved his hand, signaling Yuanbao and Yelan to step back, before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a hint of wicked amusement: "These past two days, I... haven't been idle either."
"I also arranged for some people to subtly sow discord between the Prime Minister's wife and several of Liu Wenyuan's right-hand men, highlighting the deep bond between them."
“I had someone tell the Prime Minister’s wife that the reason you refused to exchange the antidote with them, Qingqing, might not be because you really don’t trust them, but because you don’t have the antidote at all.”
"Is it possible," a chilling glint flashed in his eyes, "that the one who poisoned Liu Wenyuan from the very beginning wasn't either of them, but... someone else entirely?"
"For example...Emperor Yongming?"
Shen Qingci's eyes lit up instantly!
"They...would believe that?"
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