Meanwhile, Chen Feng's shouts made Shen Wan and the others stop playing. Then they saw Prince Yanping and the others leap onto the bridge, put on their shoes and socks, and hurriedly head upstream along the riverbank.
Each of them had a serious expression, as if something major had happened.
Especially since Tang Yinong was still holding the fish that Xu Ji had given her, she didn't know what to do.
Cheng Yi and Du Cheng'an were fishing quietly when they saw that the Prince of Yanping and his entourage had left. They looked at each other, feeling puzzled.
Cheng Yi said, still worried, "Let's go take a look too."
Du Cheng'an was about to get up when, just then, a fish took the bait. He hurriedly took the fish off the hook and threw it into the wooden bucket, then caught up with Cheng Yi.
Shen Wan went to the bridge to find Xie Jingyan, asking worriedly, "What happened?"
Xie Jingyan didn't hide it from Shen Wan and truthfully told her his suspicions, then said, "The Prince of Yanping and Tang Ze are going to find people. You guys do your thing."
It was still uncertain whether the eldest prince had really been in trouble. Fearing that Cheng Yao and the others would worry, Shen Wan didn't say much and turned back.
As they descended the wooden bridge, Yunrui was the first to approach them, asking, "Did something happen?"
Shen Wan said, "A piece of silk floated down from upstream, and it looks like it's from the First Prince's brocade robe. I'm afraid something has happened to the First Prince. Lu Cheng and the others should go upstream and look for him."
Shen Wan is very tired.
She just wanted to come to the river to have a whole fish feast, but why is it so difficult? First, she was delayed again and again, and now that she has finally come, she hasn't even caught two fish yet, and Prince Yanping and the others have already gone off to do other things.
If something were to really happen to the eldest prince, Empress Song and Xie Jingyin would be the prime suspects.
No.
He is not the prime suspect.
Shen Wan is almost certainly one of them.
The Empress Dowager's scheme nearly cost the Left Chancellor his life. Given Empress Song's vengeful nature, how could she tolerate it? However, the Empress Dowager was Prince Cheng's birth mother, and even if Prince Cheng supported Xie Jingyin, he would not allow Empress Song to harm the Empress Dowager. Empress Song couldn't swallow this insult, so she would definitely vent her anger on the First Prince. After all, the Empress Dowager had plotted against the Left Chancellor precisely to support the First Prince.
During the days when the Left Chancellor was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, the eldest prince was so popular that it seemed the position of crown prince was already in his grasp.
She only failed to choose Xie Jingyin, which caused Empress Song to lose face a few times, and in return, she sent assassins to kill her several times. If Empress Song didn't take action against the eldest prince, she wouldn't be Empress Song.
Shen Wan cleared her mind of these jumbled thoughts. "They're going to find someone. They'll be fine. Don't worry about them."
Princess Qinghe and her companions were having their first picnic by the river, and they were in high spirits. Soon, the riverbank was filled with laughter and joy.
Chef Li sighed repeatedly.
He was even pointing at Prince Yanping and his men, hoping they could catch a few more fish, but before they could catch any, they all ran away.
After being here for so long, all I've gotten are three duck eggs and a turtle.
Chef Li no longer cared about the humiliation. He ordered his servant to kill the fish he had brought, thinking that if he relied on the gentlemen, they would really be starving for lunch.
The servant was quick and efficient, and soon he had cleaned the fish. Then two other servants came over carrying two wooden buckets.
Seeing that there were quite a few fish in the wooden bucket, Chef Li asked, "Where did they come from?"
The servant replied, "It was the heir of the Duke of Du and the eldest son of the Right Prime Minister's residence who were fishing over there. I saw them leave, so I went over to take a look, and I didn't expect them to catch so many."
It's really not easy, but at least two of the gentlemen are reliable.
The fish in the two wooden buckets, plus what we brought, were enough to eat.
Chef Li quickly got to work.
...
In the woods upstream, several men dressed in black and wearing masks were searching for something. One of them noticed bloodstains on the leaves and said, "There's blood here. The person must have fled that way."
"Chase!"
The leader shouted and went in that direction first.
But after walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, raised his hand, and the people following behind him also stopped.
The man's ears twitched; he vaguely heard voices, but not very clearly. He leaped up a tree and saw figures moving about. The man climbed down and said, "The Prince of Yanping and the others are nearby. Let's retreat!"
Several men in black quickly retreated.
In the bamboo forest, Xie Jingyin sat there as his guards bandaged his wounds.
After bandaging his wounds and changing into a brocade robe, the man in black left. Xie Jingyin was about to leave when the leading man said, "We didn't catch up with the Crown Prince."
Xie Jingyin paused, his face darkening. "You didn't catch up? What are you doing back here?"
The man knelt down and said, "Your Highness, please calm down. The Prince of Yanping and his men were nearby, and we didn't dare to continue chasing them for fear of being discovered."
Weren't Prince Yanping and his entourage fishing and picnicking downstream? What are they doing here?!
Xie Jingyin's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
The man said, "The eldest prince was struck in a vital spot by a sword, and the sword was poisoned. He should be dead by now."
Needless to say, Xie Jingyin already knew this.
Because he was the one who stabbed the eldest prince with the sword.
Hearing that the Prince of Yanping and his entourage were nearby, he became anxious and uneasy.
He wanted absolute certainty!
If the eldest prince doesn't die, then it's him who will die!
What a bunch of useless people! It takes them so long to find just one person!
Suppressing his unease, Xie Jingyin gave a few instructions to his men, then left the bamboo forest and rode away.
On the riverbank, Yinshuang was teaching Tang Yinong how to skip stones.
A pebble flew out, creating twelve splashes of water, which drew applause.
Yinshuang's delicate face was full of pride.
Footsteps sounded from that direction, and Tang Ze's shouts could be heard from afar, "Dr. Tao! Help!"
Dr. Tao was lying on a recliner, his face covered by a palm-leaf fan. Hearing the shout, he sat up straight, and the fan fell off.
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