When I saw Chu Xianyun again, he was dressed in rags, with disheveled hair, a stubble beard, and his shoes were tattered.
When he appeared at the gate of the Crown Prince's residence, the servants thought he was a beggar and were about to give him some food to send him away.
Chu Xianyun ignored him completely until Yun Zhuo's carriage appeared at the gate, at which point he stepped forward.
Yun Zhuo met him just like that, and hurriedly invited him into the mansion. "Zhan Shuang, have someone prepare hot water and clean clothes, and also prepare a sumptuous meal!"
Chu Xianyun was very particular; even though he was starving, he still took a bath and changed his clothes before sitting down to eat.
Yun Zhuo sat opposite him and personally warmed the wine for him: "It's cold, Mr. Chu, have a cup of wine to warm yourself up."
It was already dark outside, and snowflakes were still falling heavily.
Chu Xianyun had already taken a hot bath and put on thick clothes, so the chill in his body had long since subsided. However, he still drank two cups of warm wine, feeling quite comfortable!
"Your Highness the Crown Prince saw me and didn't drive me away. You are truly magnanimous. I admire you greatly!" Chu Xianyun suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Yun Zhuo.
Yun Zhuo knew he was referring to the time when his father had falsely accused him of mobilizing troops without authorization.
When Chu Xianyun disappeared, he did suspect him. Later, he even sent a letter to his master, Qin Tianrui, but Qin Tianrui replied that Chu Xianyun had saved his life and was the person he trusted most in his life.
There were no further words spoken, clearly indicating that he was being told to investigate carefully and not to suspect anything lightly.
Subsequent events proved that framing him for privately mobilizing troops was a move by the Emperor, and Yun Xun was adding fuel to the fire; it had nothing to do with Chu Xianyun.
Yun Zhuo helped Chu Xianyun up, asked him to sit down, and asked him to tell him what had happened.
Chu Xianyun drank another half cup of wine before saying, "Your father hates you, and he's really not a human being! Back then, I led my men to surround Empress Shen and Prince Ding's men, and your father was saved. We made a great contribution, but he sent someone to invite me over and tried to imprison me without saying a word."
"Fortunately, there were many things going on in the palace at the time, and things were not completely stable yet. I had taken precautions in advance, so I took the opportunity to escape. He sent people to chase me all the way until I broke into the jungle..."
"The men he sent in suffered heavy casualties from attacks by wild beasts, so he assumed that I would suffer the same fate and gradually stopped hunting me down. Little did he know that I had only wandered around the jungle for a short while before running off elsewhere. If I had actually entered the jungle, I would have certainly been torn apart by wild beasts and killed as well."
After Chu Xianyun finished speaking, he ate meat and drank wine, as if he were just talking about the past, and that it was over and done with, without any emotion.
Yun Zhuo poured him wine again personally.
For a long while afterward, the two remained silent, with only the howling of the north wind and the soft rustling of falling snowflakes able to be heard.
Seeing that Chu Xianyun had almost finished eating, Yun Zhuo told him about the situation in the capital, especially emphasizing that the emperor wanted to bring Yun Xun and his wife back to the capital.
“The Xuanwang couple should be on their way by now.”
Although it was the dead of winter and the weather was bitterly cold, with the possibility of heavy snow blocking the roads, based on Yun Zhuo's understanding of the Emperor and his wife Yun Xun, he was certain they would brave the wind and snow to continue their journey.
Chu Xianyun paused for a moment, then asked, "Is Your Highness asking me whether we should arrange for men to intercept and kill them on the way?"
Yun Zhuo nodded slightly.
Although he and Ye Qingxue had already discussed this matter, he still wanted to hear Chu Xianyun's opinion.
Now that things have come to this, there is no brotherhood left. If Yun Xun and his wife return to the capital, one of them will surely die.
Chu Xianyun pushed open a corner of the window, and a cold wind immediately rushed in, carrying snowflakes. The snowflakes entered the room, fell onto the table, and quickly melted into water.
Chu Xianyun quickly closed the window, exchanged a glance with Yun Zhuo, and said, "Let's take another look. Your Highness's poison hasn't been cured yet, has it? Who was the person Your Highness jumped into the water to save last June? Does Your Highness remember?"
Yun Zhuo paused, then lightly tapped the table with his fingertips: "I understand what Mr. Chu means!"
Zhan Shuang arranged a room for Chu Xianyun, and Chu Xianyun took his leave and went to rest.
Yun Zhuo summoned Zhan Shuang to his study: "Quickly arrange for a team of men to quietly travel to the Southern Frontier to meet Xiang Si Zi!"
It's been almost a year since Xiangsi left Kyoto, and if all goes well, she should be back soon.
Was the person he saved last June related to his father? If so, would his father forbid Xiangsi Zi from bringing the antidote back? In that case, Xiangsi Zi would surely suffer the same fate as Chu Xianyun!
He must arrange for someone to meet him!
"We split into three groups: one group went openly, one group went covertly, and the other group traveled like ordinary people."
Zhan Shuang replied, "Your subordinate will make the arrangements immediately!"
...
When Yun Zhuo returned to the room, Ye Qingxue had already changed into her nightgown, but the child had not yet been taken away. The child was lying on the bed, gnawing on her chubby little hand, which looked like a lotus root. Even Granny Xing was beside her, looking worried.
Yun Zhuo walked over and asked, "What's wrong? Usually, Xiao Bao would already be asleep by this time?"
"I'm trying to get my child to roll over, but he's so lazy. No matter how I try, he won't move and just chews on his hands."
Ye Qingxue spoke simply, and her expression was devoid of emotion, but Yun Zhuo could sense that the atmosphere in the room was oppressive, and even Ye Qingxue's tone of voice was restrained.
Yun Zhuo bent down and laid the child flat on his back, where he lay down and started chewing on his hand.
Yun Zhuo then turned his body to the side and gave him a push. His body rolled over, swayed a couple of times, and then lay down, continuing to gnaw on his hand, which was covered in saliva.
Yun Zhuo picked him up and put him in his lap. The child neither cried nor made a fuss, but he also didn't look at him.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
