Chapter 545 The Crown Princess is Returning to the Palace!
The news spread quickly. The emperor did not actually kill the family, but it was no better than death. The entire family of over a hundred people was exiled to the wilderness, and it was feared that they would never be able to return to the capital.
Lord Shi, on the other hand, was kept in prison, barely clinging to life, and subjected to torture every day.
People in the capital all say that Lord Shi has had a smooth life for most of his life, but now all his luck has run out and he is plagued by bad luck. He deserves it.
Du Wanchun, dressed in men's clothing, walked through the crowd and overheard them discussing the matter.
A smile appeared in her eyes as she quickened her pace to the dilapidated temple.
Zhou Ruiyuan strode in to welcome her, looked around, and immediately closed the door when he saw no one was there.
"Why are you here?" he asked her quickly.
Du Wanchun smiled gently and said, "I was worried that you might not have enough food here, so I sent some more."
After saying that, he put down the food box in his hand and took out the dishes inside.
Zhou Ruiyuan looked at his wife with heartache, "You can send someone to do this next time."
After Du Wanchun arranged the dishes, she looked up at him and said, "I don't trust anyone else. It's best if I do it myself."
Zhou Ruiyuan held her hand and told her to sit properly. "I'll be able to go home in a few days. How are Xiaomianmian and Feifei?"
"Apart from constantly thinking about my father, everything is fine," Du Wanchun replied with a smile, then lowered her voice and asked softly, "Is the matter resolved?"
Zhou Ruiyuan replied with a smile, "Taking care of the Shi family is enough."
Du Wanchun smiled and nodded.
After the two had dinner together, the next morning, the guards sent by the emperor to search for the crown prince found Zhou Ruiyuan on an official road outside the capital.
After taking the pills Du Wanchun gave him, Zhou Ruiyuan collapsed to the ground, pale and unconscious. No one would have guessed that he had hidden himself away.
The Emperor was overjoyed upon learning of this and immediately sent people to bring Zhou Ruiyuan back to the palace, where he was treated by the best imperial physicians.
The imperial physician examined Zhou Ruiyuan's pulse but found nothing amiss, concluding that His Highness the Crown Prince had suffered greatly these past few days and was somewhat weak.
The Emperor felt a pang of heartache looking at Zhou Ruiyuan lying on his sickbed.
Zhou Ruiyuan has not changed his appearance these days, and he looks like his original self. However, compared with the teenager he used to be, his temperament has changed a lot, which makes the emperor very emotional.
He held Zhou Ruiyuan's hand and said in a hoarse voice, "My son, you have suffered all these years. Don't worry, I will treat you well from now on."
Zhou Ruiyuan was still unconscious with his eyes closed and did not hear what he said at all.
The emperor stared at him for a long time, then turned to the eunuch and ordered, "Go and announce to the world that Zhou Ruiyuan, the manager of the Zhou family, is my eldest son who has been missing for many years, and also the crown prince; Manager Du of the Zhou family is the crown princess; and Zhou Feng is the missing second prince."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the eunuch replied, bowing.
The Emperor continued, "The Second Prince shall remain in the Marquis's residence that I have bestowed upon him for the time being. As for the Crown Princess and the Imperial Grandson, you shall immediately send people to bring them into the palace! Do not neglect them!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." A hint of surprise flashed in the eunuch's eyes before he acknowledged and left the palace.
Not long after the eunuch left, the emperor's bodyguard came and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that it really wasn't Lord Shi who kidnapped the crown prince."
The emperor nodded slightly. "It seems there is someone else involved. They are terrified of my ruthless treatment of the Shi family, so they secretly released the crown prince."
The guard asked, "Who could it be?"
The emperor's gaze turned cold. "No matter who it is, they must die."
The guard, sword in hand, bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor turned to look at Zhou Ruiyuan's face, his expression becoming complicated.
Perhaps it was related to his personality, but the so-called long-awaited reunion of father and son did not last long.
Seeing that Zhou Ruiyuan was alright, he quickly calmed down, turned around, and left his palace.
Outside the palace, Du Wanchun had already packed all her belongings before the emperor sent people to fetch her into the palace.
She gave Hai Qingyang a simple disguise and brought him and Mr. Yuan with her.
Little Mianmian, wearing a light yellow dress, came over and took Du Wanchun's hand. "Mother, where are we going?"
Du Wanchun bent down, took her hand, and smiled, "Let's go home."
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