Fourteenth Prince took out his night clothes, which he had prepared beforehand, from the closet, and quietly avoided the guards of Cangyue Tower, heading towards the cave.
The Fourteenth Prince never expected that shortly after he left, Zhu Wanqing slowly opened her eyes.
A maidservant entered from the shadows; she was Zhu Wanqing's personal bodyguard. Zhu Wanqing's eyes were dull and lifeless, and she seemed to have suffered some kind of blow, appearing somewhat haggard.
The maid lit the candles in the room and draped an outer robe over Zhu Wanqing. Zhu Wanqing simply asked, "He's gone?" The maid knew who Zhu Wanqing was referring to and nodded uneasily.
"The prince quietly left Cangyue Tower and headed towards the cave..." the maid reported truthfully.
"Perhaps I just can't sleep and want to practice my sword..." Zhu Wanqing said with a weak smile, as if she herself didn't believe these words.
The maid glanced worriedly at Zhu Wanqing, then at her pregnant belly. She said softly, "His Highness has changed into night clothes, and as the sect leader instructed, all patrols along the route from Cangyue Tower to the cave have been withdrawn... So, His Highness should be almost at the cave by now!"
Zhu Wanqing suddenly curled up into a ball, collapsed, and sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face in her knees. The maid was terrified and at a loss for words, not knowing how to comfort her, and could only bite her lip and remain silent.
After a long while, Zhu Wanqing, exhausted from crying, raised her head with red eyes. She seemed to have made a great decision, took a deep breath, and slowly stood up. Zhu Wanqing's expression was blank and somewhat frighteningly cold. The maid quickly helped her change her clothes.
"Let's go, we always have to face this, what's coming has come!" Zhu Wanqing murmured.
On the other side, the Fourteenth Prince traveled smoothly without encountering any patrols. Since he was fortunate enough not to encounter any, and with his mind on the Seventeenth Prince in the cave, he didn't think much of it.
They quickly found the cave Zhu Wanqing had mentioned, but upon entering, they discovered it was actually a prison. The Fourteenth Prince carefully made his way forward, his back against the wall, until he reached the innermost part where he saw two guards, both women.
Two women were dozing on the stone table, unaware of the Fourteenth Prince's approach. He walked straight up behind them, and a henchman struck them both unconscious, one in front and one behind. The Fourteenth Prince rushed to the cell, wanting to check on the people inside. However, everyone had their backs to him, and he dared not shout. After looking around, he suddenly noticed a bunch of keys on the waists of the two women lying on the ground.
The Fourteenth Prince immediately went up, removed the key from the woman's body, and frantically searched for a long time before finally finding the correct key and opening the cell door.
The Fourteenth Prince pushed open the door and found several men sleeping inside, all of whom were unfamiliar faces. They were all tied up with their hands behind their backs and lay sprawled together. The Fourteenth Prince tiptoed among them, trying to identify each of them one by one.
Upon seeing a familiar figure at the very back, the Fourteenth Prince's heart sank, but he was overjoyed and rushed forward. He brushed aside the loose hair and immediately recognized the Seventeenth Prince.
Overjoyed, the Fourteenth Prince brushed the straw off the Seventeenth Prince, patted his face, and excitedly called out, "Seventeenth, Seventeenth Prince, wake up..."
The Seventeenth Master opened his eyes in fright, instinctively shrinking back and staring warily at the man in black before him: "You...who are you?"
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