Now, the Seventeenth Prince finally returned to Songjiang Prefecture. Without even having time to rest, he couldn't wait to report to the Thirteenth Prince about what had happened on the island.
As Seventeenth Master removed his clothes, which he hadn't changed in days, he said, "Thirteenth Brother, just as you said, Fourteenth Brother is on the island, and he's even living with that cult leader..."
Thirteenth Master ordered his men to prepare bathing supplies and bring up clean clothes and food. Seeing how thin Seventeenth Master had become in just a few days, he felt sorry for him, but was even more annoyed with Fourteenth Master: "Have you seen your Fourteenth Brother? How is he?"
The Seventeenth Prince said, "Of course I saw him. I have already told the Fourteenth Brother everything that happened at the Prince's Mansion..." The Seventeenth Prince suddenly sighed, stopped what he was doing, and said dejectedly, "But I couldn't persuade the Fourteenth Brother. He doesn't want to believe us."
Thirteenth Master groaned, then slammed his fist on the table in a muffled voice, and roared, "You're utterly muddleheaded!"
Seventeenth Master quickly advised, "Thirteenth Brother, although Fourteenth Brother didn't express his opinion at the time, it doesn't mean he won't consider it. I've already made an agreement with him that as long as he changes his mind, he can contact us by sending out smoke signals if he has any ideas!"
Fourteenth Prince glanced at Seventeenth Prince, who nodded firmly and said resolutely, "I believe in Fourteenth Brother; he will definitely not let us down!"
Thirteenth Master sighed and said, "At most ten days. We don't have any more time or opportunity. If he still hasn't come to his senses after ten days, we will immediately surround and annihilate the island!"
Meanwhile, the Fourteenth Prince was secretly plotting how to contact the Thirteenth Prince and the others. After testing Zhu Wanqing, the Fourteenth Prince had already lost trust in her. If it weren't for the innocent child in Zhu Wanqing's womb, the Fourteenth Prince would have already killed her.
The Fourteenth Prince finally learned the truth about the assassination attempt on the Prince's Mansion. He felt deeply guilty for the concubines and children who had died there, and his only thought now was to avenge them. The Thirteenth and Seventeenth Princes were still not taking action, and the Fourteenth Prince knew perfectly well that they were waiting for his news. In order to re-establish contact with the outside world as soon as possible, the Fourteenth Prince had been completely obedient to Zhu Wanqing these past few days.
Zhu Wanqing wasn't stupid. Before she was certain whether the Fourteenth Prince was truly on her side, she remained uneasy about him, even secretly monitoring his movements. The Fourteenth Prince faced immense difficulties, let alone contacting the Thirteenth Prince by letter, and even leaving the Cangyue Tower was extremely challenging.
That day, the Fourteenth Prince was sitting blankly in the Hidden Moon Pavilion when he smelled something burning coming from outside. He stood up and walked to the window to investigate, just as a passing maid bumped into him.
"What's that smell?" Fourteenth Master choked and asked uncomfortably.
The maidservant bowed respectfully and said timidly, "Your Highness, it was a child outside who accidentally set something on fire. I will go put out the fire right away!" Before the Fourteenth Prince could speak, she broke free and ran out.
The Fourteenth Prince had a flash of inspiration, and looking at the wisps of smoke in the distance, he fell into deep thought.
The moment the Fourteenth Prince closed the window, several figures flashed out from the shadows. The Fourteenth Prince pretended not to see them and went about his business expressionlessly.
The Fourteenth Prince remembered what the Seventeenth Prince had told him before he left: if he absolutely had to lose contact with them, he should use smoke as a signal. The Fourteenth Prince had completely forgotten about this, but fortunately, the children's actions today reminded him. The Fourteenth Prince had an idea.
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