Wang Xiuxiu turned around alertly and saw several guards rapidly approaching them, their faces showing great tension.
"Madam, there's something going on." The head guard lowered his voice. "We've discovered suspicious individuals following us. Three groups are taking turns watching, and their methods are practiced. They might be after you and the Crown Prince."
Wang Xiuxiu felt a pang of anxiety, but she didn't show it on her face.
She knelt down to straighten the prince's clothes, and whispered in his ear, "Remember everything you saw today. Now, we're going to play a game—pretend we're just an ordinary mother and son, and quietly leave this place, okay?"
Lu Yunian blinked his large, clear eyes, his long eyelashes casting a light shadow on his face.
Although he was young, the upbringing he received at the Prince's residence made him understand immediately. He nodded solemnly, and a composure beyond his years appeared on his tender face.
Wang Xiuxiu took his soft little hand in her hand, and her fingertips could feel the child's slightly cool body temperature due to nervousness.
She glanced around discreetly, her gaze sweeping over the street vendors, farmers carrying loads, and tourists strolling by, finally settling on a few figures with unusual expressions.
With a subtle glance, the guards around her immediately and discreetly dispersed, disappearing into the crowd.
Suddenly, several ragged beggars pushed and shoved their way over.
They reeked of a pungent, sour stench, and their filthy hair covered most of their faces.
One of them pretended to stumble and bumped into Lu Yunian. Wang Xiuxiu reacted quickly, pulling the child into her arms, her embroidered shoes drawing a half-arc on the bluestone slab.
In the blink of an eye, several rough men surrounded him, cursing and shouting "Make way, make way!" while their eyes were fixed on the prince with the sinister gaze of hawks.
"Auntie..." Lu Yunian called softly, his little hands tightly gripping Wang Xiuxiu's sleeve.
Wang Xiuxiu shielded the person beside her and quickened her pace.
Cold sweat had seeped through his back, soaking his inner shirt, when suddenly a commotion broke out in the crowd.
"Thief! My purse!" A sharp female voice pierced the noise.
The surrounding crowd immediately erupted into chaos, and in the pushing and shoving, she and the prince were separated!
Wang Xiuxiu felt her palm go empty, and when she turned around, the small figure had disappeared into the throng of people.
"Yu Nian!" Wang Xiuxiu disregarded everything else and pushed through the crowd to chase after him.
In the shadows, Xiao Cheng coldly watched all this, his fingers stroking the hilt of the short sword. The sharp blade was already slightly unsheathed, gleaming coldly in the shadows.
He turned to look at Zhou Yun'an beside him, waiting for the order.
However, Zhou Yun'an simply stood in the shadows of the street corner, his slender figure half-hidden in the mottled shadows of the wall.
His deep eyes were fixed on Wang Xiuxiu's flustered figure, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, as if he were pondering something.
Wang Xiuxiu found the prince at the entrance of a narrow alley. The child was huddled in a corner, his face pale, but he stubbornly did not cry out.
The fear in his eyes subsided slightly upon seeing Wang Xiuxiu.
"Auntie..." The young master's voice trembled.
Wang Xiuxiu pulled the child into her arms and could feel the child's thin body trembling slightly.
"Don't be afraid, your aunt will take you away from here."
Wang Xiuxiu keenly sensed a figure moving at the alley entrance. In a flash, she pulled Lu Yunian into an inconspicuous teahouse.
The shop was filled with the aroma of aged tea, and several regular tea drinkers were leisurely sipping their tea.
Wang Xiuxiu pretended to be an ordinary customer, ordered a pot of tea, and took the opportunity to sneak out through the back door.
To lure away the pursuers, Wang Xiuxiu deliberately dropped a smooth jade pendant at the corner—an item bestowed upon her by the prince last year.
After confirming that it was safe, she hurriedly led the young prince back to the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Wang Xiuxiu held Lu Yunian's hand tightly until she saw the familiar guards from the Prince's Mansion surrounding her, at which point her heart finally settled down.
Lu Yunian gradually calmed down and even began to quietly recount what he had just witnessed; the child's adaptability was quite unexpected.
Wang Xiuxiu's fingertips were still trembling uncontrollably.
Only then did I realize that my palms had been dug into by my fingernails, leaving several deep crescent-shaped marks.
Meanwhile, in the study of the Prince's mansion, Lu Jingze sat at his desk, holding a secret report with the ink still wet in his hand, his brows furrowed.
The candlelight cast flickering shadows on his sharply defined face, adding to his somber and menacing aura.
"Did someone secretly mobilize manpower on Bitter Forest Street today?" His deep voice carried a chill as his long, slender fingers tapped on the table.
"This is bad! Send someone to search immediately!"
The guards who had been sent out had just left the mansion when they ran into Wang Xiuxiu, who was returning.
Seeing the carriage return safely, the head guard breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back to the mansion to report.
"Your Highness, the Consort has returned, and both the Prince and the Consort are unharmed."
Lu Jingze pondered for a moment, then stood up, his wide sleeves creating a gust of wind that caused the candlelight to flicker.
He hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Su Yingxue's courtyard, his steps hurried yet steady.
"How is Yu Nian?"
"It's nothing serious. I drank a bowl of calming tea and then went back to rest."
She paused, her voice softening further, "But Xiuxiu was frightened today; her face was pale when she came back. Although she's cheerful, she's also very sensitive, and she's probably feeling very guilty right now."
She sighed softly: "Your Highness, please go and comfort her, don't let her overthink things."
As Lu Jingze stepped into Wang Xiuxiu's Lanyue Pavilion, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the carved window lattice, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground.
Wang Xiuxiu sat on the embroidered stool by the window, lost in thought, unaware that he had entered.
Her long, loose hair fell like silk, making her face appear even paler.
"Your Highness..."
Upon seeing him arrive, she hurriedly stood up to greet him, but accidentally knocked over a teacup on the table.
The celadon porcelain shattered on the ground with a crisp sound, and tea splashed onto the hem of her skirt.
"It was my negligence today that almost put Yu Nian in danger..." she murmured softly, her fingertips trembling slightly, not daring to look up and meet his gaze.
Lu Jingze raised his hand to stop her from speaking, his deep gaze falling on her pale face.
"What happened today is not your fault."
Wang Xiuxiu was startled and raised her misty eyes.
"I've found out. Someone secretly set a trap to harm Yu Nian." He stepped forward, his tall figure looming over her. "If you hadn't been so alert, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Her eyes were slightly red, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly: "But in the end, it was I who took the young master out..."
Lu Jingze remained silent for a moment, then finally reached out and gently patted her shoulder.
The warmth from his palm made him realize how uneasy this woman, who was always smiling and cheerful, was at this moment.
"But it was also you who protected him."
Wang Xiuxiu looked up and met his deep, dark gaze, and the guilt in her heart finally dissipated slightly.
Lu Jingze left Lanyue Pavilion and went straight to Qingfeng Garden, where Lu Yunian lived.
As soon as the little boy saw his father arrive, he jumped off the couch without even putting on his shoes and ran barefoot to him.
"Father, Father, how is Aunt?" Lu Yunian looked up, his dark eyes filled with worry.
Lu Jingze's heart softened, and he reached out to touch the soft top of his head.
"It's alright, Auntie is an adult, she's already better."
"That's good!" The child visibly relaxed, and a smile returned to his face.
"Yu Nian, put on your shoes and come here. Your father has something to ask you."
Lu Yunian obediently put on his shoes and stood properly in front of his father, his little hands behind his back, looking like a little adult.
"Today your aunt took you to the West Market to see the lives of the poor. Did you gain any insights?"
Lu Yunian's eyes lit up, and he began to recount what he had seen and heard that day.
When he spoke of the ragged children, his childish voice was filled with sadness; when he mentioned the vendors in the market arguing heatedly over a single penny, he looked puzzled.
Lu Jingze listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
After the child finished speaking, he asked, "What you have seen and heard today, what will you do if you inherit the throne in the future?"
Lu Yunian tilted his head and thought for a moment, a seriousness that was beyond his years appearing on his youthful face.
Sunlight streamed through the curtains and fell upon him, giving him a soft, golden glow.
"I will go out into the countryside more often, to see for myself whether the people are doing well..." He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, "I will figure out what the people really need, instead of just listening to the advice of those around me."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingze's usually stern face broke into a rare smile of relief.
He reached out and gently took the child's small hand: "Good child!" His voice was filled with undisguised pride, "I'm sure your mother and aunt will be very proud of you tomorrow after hearing what you said today!"
Thanks to Wang Xiuxiu's mediation, the relationship between Lu Jingze and Lu Yunian has improved significantly.
Even so, the young prince had never heard his father praise him so openly.
Upon hearing this, her little face immediately turned as red as a ripe apple, but her eyes sparkled with joy.
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