Seeing the frosty look in Ye Qingxue's eyes, Qiu Shen immediately asked, "What did the letter say, Crown Princess?"
She couldn't understand why, if the Prime Minister's men had already discovered their whereabouts, they didn't just come and kill them directly, but instead sent a letter.
Ye Qingxue handed her the letter.
She, Chunqian, and Xialu huddled together to look at it, and after they finished, they were all stunned. Qiushen asked incredulously, "Is this real?"
It turned out to be a letter related to Dongbai.
They were at a critical moment of life and death, and they never expected to receive a letter related to Dongbai.
The letter said that Dongbai was in their hands, and if they wanted to rescue Dongbai, they should do as they were told. As for how to do it, they would send them another message when it got dark.
"Is this...is this real?" Chunqian asked.
Everyone looked at Ye Qingxue, seemingly trying to confirm whether what was said in the letter was true. Even Qiu Shen was confused.
She frowned and tentatively asked, "Was Dongbai really kidnapped? Was he deliberately waiting for this crucial moment to deal with us?"
Both Chunqian and Xialu felt that this was very likely.
Chunqian said, "Someone must have kidnapped Dongbai with malicious intent, intending to deliver a fatal blow to us at the last moment. We are currently on the run. The Prime Minister and the Emperor's men haven't found us yet, but the person behind us has! It's clear that person has been secretly watching us all along!"
Xia Lu said, "It's true what they say: it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark!"
Chunqian said, "We can't avoid open attacks anymore, but there are also hidden arrows!"
Once again, they felt that Kyoto, the center of power, was truly a place where people devoured each other, and it was terrifying.
I want to go back to my estate in Jingzhou.
Ye Qingxue remained silent, simply waiting for the night to arrive.
Two days have almost passed, and the Emperor and the Prime Minister's men have still not found them. Similarly, Zhan Shuang has not sent any good news either. The two sides are probably still locked in a tug-of-war.
Ye Qingxue guessed that the matter would likely end before dawn.
As midnight approached, Brother Liu delivered another letter, and Chunxiaqiu gathered around Ye Qingxue to read it.
After reading it, I gasped in shock.
The letter said that if they wanted to see Dongbai, they should go to the wooden house on the very edge of Dafeng Village, and only Ye Qingxue could go alone, without any helpers.
The letter also said that they had seen everything about their large-scale search for Dongbai in Wanliu Town, and that if Ye Qingxue dared to bring extra people there, she could just wait to collect Dongbai's corpse!
The time is tonight, midnight!
"Is this...won't it be dangerous?" Chunqian asked, her face pale. "Why are they only sending the Crown Princess? What are they planning to do?"
Xia Lu asked, "Who is behind this? Why didn't we notice anything before! Crown Princess, we can't go!"
Granny Xing watched her with great concern, but remained silent.
Qiu Shen said, "I will put on the Crown Princess's clothes, pretend to be the Crown Princess, and go in her place."
Chunqian and Xialu's tense gazes darted back and forth between Ye Qingxue and Qiushen. It was worrying and nerve-wracking to see either of them go.
“No,” Ye Qingxue said, “The person behind this chose this village and knows we are here. They must know us inside and out. As soon as Qiu Shen goes there disguised as me, they will find out! In that case, everyone will be in danger.”
Ye Qingxue stood up: "Get ready, I'm going to meet that person myself. I think I already know who that person is and what their purpose is. You all have things to do after I leave, and they're quite important."
Chunqian exclaimed in surprise, "Does the Crown Princess know who that person is? Then, is Dongbai really in their hands?"
Ye Qingxue fell silent. She could deduce the other party's identity and purpose, but she couldn't be completely sure whether Dongbai was truly in their hands.
Dongbai has disappeared; he could be in anyone's hands.
"If we can't be sure if Dongbai is in their hands, do we absolutely have to go tonight? Is it not possible to not go?" Xia Lu asked.
Ye Qingxue answered decisively, "I absolutely have to go."
Otherwise, if that person joins forces with the Prime Minister and attacks from both sides, not only her, but everyone behind her will die without a burial place.
Only by accepting the invitation can we have a chance to survive.
Midnight.
The surroundings were silent, and the entire village seemed to be in a deep sleep. Ye Qingxue walked alone to the wooden house at the very edge of the village.
Next to the wooden house grows a large tree, which should be the village's protective tree. It is very tall and thick, and is about two or three hundred years old, forming a unique landscape next to the wooden house.
Candles were lit on the second floor of the wooden house, casting a faint candlelight. Cicadas chirped nearby, and frogs croaked in the distance, creating a lively atmosphere. However, the air felt lifeless, stuffy, and suffocating.
As soon as Ye Qingxue entered the courtyard, two guards stepped forward: "Your Highness, Miss Dongbai is waiting for you upstairs."
This household is about fifty paces away from the village, living in a secluded corner. It is unlikely that they will disturb other families when they conduct business here.
Ye Qingxue stepped over the threshold, entered the house, and came to the stairwell, taking each step up the stairs.
...
On the way back to Beijing, a donkey and an oxcart were running forward with all their might, but the speed was still slow, very slow!
Dongbai was sweating profusely with anxiety: "I could run faster than you even if I came down here!"
She really wanted to get off and run away, and was confident that she was faster than the donkey, but the journey was too long and she needed to conserve her energy, so she let the donkey run first.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
