After traveling by water for more than a month, Prince Gong arrived at Quanshui Mansion with a group of disguised subordinates. Their lodging was a manor that Wu Lianlian had secretly bought in the suburbs.
Only Wu Lianlian and Steward Gu know about this estate; no one else knows about it, so it's very safe, and there's no need to worry about it being exposed.
The next day, Wu Lianlian rode a carriage out of the city to meet Prince Gong. As soon as they met, Prince Gong asked about the silver mine, eager to start mining.
“Your Highness, the silver mine is quite far from the city. It will take at least two days to get there by carriage. The place is very remote, with fewer than ten households at the foot of the mountain. It is very secluded. The location of the silver mine is quite far up the mountain, so there’s no rush,” Wu Lianlian explained.
"How could I not be anxious? What do you think I've traveled all this way for? How dare you say I'm not anxious?" Prince Gong's face suddenly darkened, startling Wu Lianlian, who immediately knelt down with a thud.
"Your Highness, please calm down. I have another matter to report, concerning the princess." Wu Lianlian told Prince Gong about her speculation that the real princess might not be dead.
"Is this true? If that child is really alive, then he cannot be kept alive any longer. Where are his family now?" Prince Gong's eyes flashed with a sinister light, his killing intent fully revealed.
“They’re hiding in a fishing village, and my men have been keeping an eye on them,” Wu Lianlian replied, still kneeling on the ground.
Prince Gong's expression softened and he nodded. "Get up. I'll leave this matter to you. If you need any manpower, just let Shui Liniang know."
Prince Gong had long heard rumors that Wu Lianlian had tried to seduce the princess but always failed, and knew that she couldn't handle it on her own.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will take care of it right away." Wu Lianlian went directly to Shui Liniang.
In another courtyard, Shui Li Niang looked at Wu Lianlian with a half-smile, "You lost thirty assassins and still failed to complete the mission. Your abilities are getting worse and worse. Is it because you're getting old?"
Wu Lianlian lifted her eyelids and sneered, "In terms of age, you and I are about the same. If I am old, doesn't that mean you are old too? Why humiliate yourself? Why should women make things difficult for each other? We are all working for the prince. Isn't it better to get along peacefully?"
Shui Li Niang's expression changed, and she immediately turned cold, no longer speaking sarcastically. "You've become much more composed since you had your child. Fine, I won't argue with you. How many people do you want?"
Wu Lianlian narrowed her eyes. What did she give birth to that son for? Wasn't it to help the prince make money? And this woman was actually making fun of her about it. "Whether I have children or not is none of your business. How many men did the prince bring this time?"
"Is this something you can test?" Shui Li Niang's expression hardened, and a murderous glint flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.
Wu Lianlian's heart skipped a beat, realizing she had asked something she shouldn't have, and she quickly lowered her head. "I need twenty people, plus my own, that'll make a total of over a hundred. Surely there won't be any accidents this time?"
Shui Li Niang had known about the little princess's strange nature for some time, that no matter how many people were sent to hunt her down, they could not complete the mission and instead died in various accidents.
But Prince Gong's original words were, "No matter how good a person's luck is, it will eventually run out. I don't believe that little girl can be so lucky forever. Kill her, no matter what the cost, we must never let her return to the palace."
"Too many assassins have been sacrificed. If this continues, it will be very disadvantageous for us. What will we do when the Prince needs manpower? We should spend some money to hire outsiders. If they die, they die," Shui Li Niang reminded her.
Wu Lianlian opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she said nothing and nodded slightly, "Yes, I understand."
It seems that the prince is really short of money right now, and doesn't even have enough to hire assassins. He can only rely on himself. However, it's a bit tricky for her to divert the Gu family's money since Old Man Gu is in the prefectural city recently.
Tonight, the Zhou family cooked a lot of meat dishes, including steamed fish, braised fish, poached chicken, and stewed old duck soup. It was as if they hadn't eaten meat in years. They prepared a huge feast, even more lavish than during the Chinese New Year.
Zhao Guihua even had some unsettling feelings, as if she were eating her last meal, like a prisoner in jail eating her last meal before she was executed.
Ugh, she couldn't think like that. It was Xingxing who told everyone to eat well so they'd have the strength to fight. The men in black were going to come and cause trouble for their family again tonight.
That's especially upsetting.
After finishing their meal, the Zhou family went out together to the beach and waited by the sea. As for what they were waiting for, only the stars knew.
Oh no, perhaps even the stars themselves don't know; they're just taking a chance, and it's worth a shot in terms of luck.
A group of people spread out mats on the beach, then faced the land with their backs to the sea, resting and waiting for the men in black to arrive.
Such an open space has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that if the men in black come, they can be seen at a glance, and there is nowhere to hide. There are not even any reefs nearby.
The downside is that they are completely exposed, unable to escape or find a place to hide, and have no choice but to fight back.
Although it's the hottest time of the year, the seaside at night still feels a bit chilly. The sea breeze is sometimes gentle and sometimes domineering, howling as it blows from behind.
"Keep an eye on whether the tide will come in tonight. We don't want to drown instead of being killed by the men in black."
Zhou Erfu has been out and about a lot these days, and he's gotten to know a lot of the local boys in the fishing village. He's become friends with them, so he knows that the tides rise and fall, and if you're not careful while sitting on the beach, you could be swept away by a big wave at any moment.
"You wretched thing, always talking about death, it makes me anxious. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll sew your mouth shut!" Zhao Guihua scolded angrily.
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