Liu Yu told her to return to the capital as soon as she found the Crown Prince, but Chu Lingyu encountered some trouble.
After waking up from his coma, Wei Huaixu placed extraordinary trust in the orphan Meng Shushu, not allowing any outsiders to touch him, not even the military doctor who wanted to take his pulse.
Because of her status, she couldn't say much and could only let him go.
The military doctor also said that given his current condition, it would be better for him to rest here for a while before returning to the capital.
So they had no choice but to stay at an inn in the town for the time being, waiting for Wei Huaixu's injuries to heal a bit before setting off again.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
There was already much discussion in the court about the Crown Prince's incident, and they could no longer delay.
However, this time Wei Huaixu finally agreed to cooperate, with the only request being that Meng Shushu be brought along.
Chu Lingyu glanced at the orphan girl, frowned, and felt displeased, but ultimately said nothing.
The carriage was quickly prepared, and Wei Huaixu led Meng Shushu inside. Chu Lingyu watched, thinking that it was good to have this orphan girl with her, saving her the trouble of finding a maid to take care of the Crown Prince along the way.
Inside the carriage, Yin Shuli sat cross-legged, while Meng Shushu sat obediently beside him.
"When we return to the capital, are you really going to break off your engagement with Liu Qingying?"
"Um."
"She's the daughter of a great general, and I've heard she's incredibly beautiful. Wouldn't it be a huge loss for you to give her up and choose me?"
"indeed."
Meng Shushu wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction and snorted, "Can't you say something nice to coax me?"
"Won't."
There's no way to have a conversation with this blockhead.
Meng Shushu turned her head away.
Yin Shuli continued, "However, in terms of status and position, you will not be inferior to her in the future."
Meng Shushu assumed he was referring to her future as empress and said haughtily, "That's right."
Little did they know that what he was talking about was completely different.
Upon returning to the capital, Yin Shuli, in order to avoid attracting attention, still forbade the imperial physicians from examining his pulse, and sent away all the palace maids and eunuchs around him, leaving only Meng Shushu behind.
Soon, Qingying, having received the news, entered the palace.
Seeing Qingying again still gave him a strong shock.
At this moment, he already felt a little regretful. But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to make a decision and force her away.
So he said, "Shushu and I are in love. She is the only future wife I have chosen. I ask Miss Liu to grant my wish."
Seeing Qingying's injured expression and incredulous eyes, he felt a dull ache in his heart. He clenched his hands tightly under the quilt to keep his expression from revealing any flaws.
Even after Qingying left, he clutched his still aching heart, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Why do I feel so uncomfortable?
Meng Shushu's attention was still on Qingying, who had just run out. She only vaguely heard him say something in a low voice, but didn't hear it clearly. She leaned over and asked, "Your Highness, what did you just say?"
"It's nothing." Yin Shuli closed his eyes, suppressing the discomfort in his chest, and said, "Just remember what I told you."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely complete it perfectly! I'm counting on you to treat me to the best of everything." Meng Shushu smiled slyly.
She couldn't laugh that night.
The Shadow Guards came looking for them because the three-month deadline had passed and Yin Shuli had not returned to camp, so they had no choice but to come and search for him.
Faced with the sudden appearance of several masked men in black in the palace, Meng Shushu asked warily, "Who dares to trespass into the East Palace?!"
There was an unfamiliar woman in the Crown Prince's palace. The group exchanged glances and then said respectfully, "We have important matters to discuss with His Highness the Crown Prince. We hope you will make an exception for us."
"His Highness has already rested. Please come again tomorrow if you have anything to discuss."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a dagger was placed against her neck.
She immediately stopped breathing.
These days it's really been a life-or-death struggle.
The man's voice, as cold as ice, was close to my ear, "Excuse me, but we must see His Highness today."
"Let her go!" Wei Huaixu's voice came from behind him as soon as he finished speaking.
The others immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your subordinates pay their respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The man who threatened Meng Shushu immediately put away his dagger and knelt down to pay his respects.
Yin Shuli shielded Meng Shushu behind him, looking down at them coldly, and said, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The group was stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Meng Shushu explained at the right moment, "His Highness was injured and hit his head the other day. He has forgotten everything right now. Please ask me anything."
Rumors of the Crown Prince's injury had already spread throughout the capital, but very few people knew that he had lost his memory.
The man who had just threatened Meng Shushu looked at her and said disdainfully, "What do you know?"
Meng Shushu took out a bamboo tube from her sleeve. "Perhaps this is what you're looking for?"
The group was taken aback again. "How did you end up with this?"
"I found it on someone else's corpse."
"A corpse? You mean Ashu is dead?"
"That person's name was Ashu? Tsk tsk, what a tragic death." Meng Shushu shook her head and said with a look of regret, "So young, and gone just like that."
The group exchanged glances and then asked, "Where is his body now?"
"In Peach Blossom Town of Qingzhou."
"Qingzhou..."
They knew that was the place where the Crown Prince had previously had an accident, so they had a plan in mind.
Did you find anything else on him?
Meng Shushu thought for a moment and said, "Wait for me a moment."
She ran into the inner hall and soon returned with a wooden plaque about the size of a thumb, handing it to them and saying, "I found this on his waist."
This is the pass token for the Shadow Guard Camp, made of nanmu wood and carved with special totems.
After accepting the wooden plaque, they bowed to "Wei Huai Xu" and took their leave.
After they left, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Back in the inner hall, Meng Shushu asked softly, "Has the matter been resolved?"
"It's not that easy."
The Shadow Guard Camp is easy to deal with, but the Han family behind them is not so easily fooled.
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something, and his eyes flashed.
——
In order to get Qingying to break off the engagement, he had to put on a convincing act, so he knelt outside the Qin Zheng Hall for three days and three nights despite his injuries.
Finally, Qingying arrived.
But to his utter surprise, she was willing to compromise and give Meng Shushu the title of Liangdi.
He knew that given Meng Shushu's current status, even becoming a concubine of the Crown Prince would be a great honor. What puzzled him most was that Wei Huaixu had promised to marry only Liu Qingying in this life; given her personality, she should have immediately broken off the engagement. Why did she accept it instead?
While feeling confused, he also felt a subtle sense of bitterness.
She actually made such a sacrifice for Wei Huaixu; she must have loved him terribly.
I never imagined that a dead person could make him jealous.
Yin Shuli concealed the turbulent emotions in her eyes and said firmly with a blank expression, "She is the girl I admire. She cannot be my concubine. Whoever I love is someone I will love for life."
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