Perhaps she's overthinking it; how could anyone possibly predict a flood?
“Princess, if a messenger travels to the capital by fast horse, it will be much faster than if the message arrives on its own. It is also possible that someone has placed people in the post stations to intercept the letter,” Su Xiu said softly. Their intelligence network did not cover Jiangnan and Sichuan.
However, Zhao Shu was not listening. She suddenly remembered that there were two Ouyang Pings at Chamei Manor, and Ouyang Ping was more famous in Jiangnan.
So it turns out that the same group of people intercepted the imperial messengers, causing the urgent reports to be delayed for a period of time, which allowed them to operate. In fact, not much time was needed; sometimes, a lot could happen in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
"Late winter, how long did it take us?" she couldn't help but ask.
Looking at the sun in late winter, she said, "Princess, it took us half an hour." When they left, the sun was already setting, and when they returned, the sun was no longer visible.
"Why did it take so long?" she said irritably, her tone becoming extremely stern, and she quickened her pace.
“Princess, Cining Palace is too far from Taihe Hall. It passes through multiple palaces such as Chuxiu Palace and Changxi Palace. Unless you ride a horse, it will be very slow.” Unconsciously, Wan Dong also walked faster and faster with Zhao Shu, but she had to keep an eye on Zhao Shu so that she would not step on her skirt.
Finally, she caught a glimpse of the golden glazed tiles and soaring eaves of the Taihe Hall in the distance, but Zhao Shu's heart was in her throat.
"Quick, hurry up and follow them." She urged Su Xiu on.
There's a saying that goes, "Looking at the river makes a horse run itself to death." The Hall of Supreme Harmony is clearly in front of you, but you have to cross two fake bridges to reach the steps, and then climb dozens of steps to get to the main gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
At this moment, Liang Yunsi's voice suddenly rang out in the hall, "Lord Xuan, I have an audience with you!"
Wang Jiyang didn't understand the meaning behind Prince Yong's silencing gesture. This was the Taihe Hall; could there be any villains here? Of course, he believed it, otherwise Prince Yong wouldn't have made that gesture for no reason. But at this moment, Emperor Mingde summoned him for an audience, so he cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I will not keep you company any longer."
“Okay.” Prince Yong nodded. He always remembered to take good care of Sun Yun. At this moment, everyone had entered the main hall, but he was the only one guarding outside. Just now, he felt a blur before his eyes, as if someone had walked by, but disappeared in the blink of an eye. Therefore, he instinctively made a shushing gesture, but he wanted to carefully search for that fleeting figure.
After Wang Jiyang entered the hall, Prince Yong greeted Uncle Fu. There were Imperial Guards, but he could not easily dismiss them. So he and Uncle Fu jumped down from the white jade railing and walked towards the side hall, which was a few stories lower than the main hall.
The timing seemed perfect. Just as he approached the side hall, the Crown Prince came out of the main hall. The first thing the Crown Prince saw when he came out of the main hall was Zhao Shu running towards him. Because she was running so fast, even though someone was supporting her, she still tripped on her skirt and fell to the ground.
Zhao Shu's haste was not due to a lack of manners. He remembered that Prince Yong was outside the main hall and Sun Yun was in the side hall. His mind raced, and he suddenly looked towards the side hall, only managing to catch a glimpse of the hem of Prince Yong's robe.
"Not good!" The crown prince realized in an instant that this was a trap, and the target of this trap was definitely himself!
However, he once said that he would be Zhao Shu's support. A gentleman's word is as good as gold, especially since Zhao Shu had done him a great favor. Prince Yong was the best royal uncle to him. A person can lose everything, but he must never lose his conscience.
Without much hesitation, he jumped off the white jade railing and headed straight for the side hall opposite the sky bridge.
When Prince Yong arrived at the side hall, several darts flew towards him. Uncle Fu helped him dodge them, but it was clear that someone was hiding there, and the secret guards and imperial guards had been dealt with, and the patrolling imperial guards had just left.
That's not the point. The point is that Sun Yun's cries for help came from the side hall. A woman's reputation is of paramount importance. He dared not take the risk and dared not shout. What if he called someone over and found that Sun Yun had been molested?
Without saying a word, he tried to break down the door, but darts kept flying at him.
"Bring this man out!" Prince Yong was eager to save his life. He could tell that this man was just trying to lure Uncle Fu away, not to kill him, but to get him to come and save Sun Yun.
Although he doesn't need to resort to intrigue and trickery to win favor, he's not stupid. But if he knows it's a trap, shouldn't he save him?
Others may lack moral principles, but he does.
Uncle Fu nodded, kicked the door open, and saw a man in black climb out of the window, holding Sun Yun's outer garment in his hand. "Quick, after him!"
Prince Yong hurriedly looked around the side hall, only to find that apart from tables, chairs, and tea sets, there were no clothes. Helpless, he had no choice but to take off his outer robe, turn his face away, and throw it away. "Miss Sun, put it on quickly."
Sun Yun's face was streaked with tears, her heart pounding with fear, and she even bit her lip until it bled. When she saw Prince Yong, it was as if she had seen a god. She obediently draped the clothes over herself.
He arrived just as he donned the crown prince's robes. "Nineteenth Uncle, what's going on?"
"Something terrible has happened." Prince Yong's gaze pierced through the half-open palace door, and he saw that the officials had dispersed and Emperor Mingde was leading his men toward him.
Fortunately, the palace door was ajar, and Xiao Fuzi quickly closed it. "Your Highness, Your Highness, please leave through the back door."
"It's too late, someone's coming out the back door." The prince opened the back door and quickly closed it again.
"Miss Sun, please tell your father why he placed you here." The Crown Prince was extremely calm and gentlemanly, not looking at anything improper, even though Sun Yun was wrapped in Prince Yong's robes and couldn't see anything.
Knowing that the Crown Prince and Prince Yong were trying to save her, Sun Yun gritted her teeth and said, "The Emperor wishes to take me as his concubine."
"What?" The crown prince was startled, finding the matter utterly absurd. "Are you willing?"
Sun Yun shook his head, "A daughter of the Sun family will not be a concubine!"
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