Knock knock knock.
A knocking sounded urgently; it was Zhuang Xin requesting an audience.
After entering, he handed Yun Zhuo two letters, "They were sent from the Xuan Prince's residence. One is for His Highness, and the other is for the Crown Princess."
Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue opened the letter at the same time. Inside was another drawing with the same content: a simple sketch of a child's head and body separated. The strokes were few, but lifelike.
The only difference between the two paintings is the text written on them; yes, there are words this time.
One is "Iron Cliff Pass".
The other one is "Locking Dragon Dock".
They are all place names.
Chu Xianyun read through the two letters, his brows furrowing.
The study was completely silent, except for the sound of the wind pounding against the doors and windows, as if a heavy rain was about to fall.
Yun Zhuo's face grew colder and colder, his eyes blazing with fury. Ye Qingxue's eyes, on the other hand, were like an icy river, devoid of any surging emotions, yet chilling to the bone.
She stepped back and slowly sat down, laying the letter flat on the small table beside her. She spoke slowly and heavily: "The meaning of the Xuan Prince's Mansion is very clear. They have given us two locations to rescue Xiao Bao. If we do not go as they require, they will first cut off Xiao Bao's hands, then his legs, and finally his head and body."
She turned the envelope over to look at it; it wasn't signed by either her or Yun Zhuo, and Yun Zhuo's letter was also unsigned.
She asked Zhuang Xin, "Did the messenger give any instructions on which letter to give to me and which to give to the Crown Prince?"
Zhuang Xin replied, "No, the man just handed me two letters, saying one was for His Highness and the other for the Crown Princess, without distinguishing between them."
In other words, the Xuanwang Mansion did not specify which of the couple should go to Tieya Pass and which should go to Suolongwu, but there is only one Xiaobao, and Xiaobao can only be in one of the places.
If Yun Zhuo finds Xiao Bao, the Xuan Prince's Mansion will capture both father and son to threaten her.
If she finds Xiao Bao, the Xuanwang Mansion will use her and Xiao Bao to threaten Yun Zhuo.
In short, the goal is to separate the couple and defeat them one by one.
Yun Zhuo and Chu Xianyun had obviously both thought of this, and the two remained silent for a while.
Zhuang Xin asked, "Is it possible that the young prince is not in one of these two places, but in a third place?"
Chu Xianyun immediately denied it: "No way. In order to capture the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, they would definitely use the young prince if they captured him. They wouldn't create a fake one and increase their own danger. Therefore, the young prince must be in one of these two places."
Moreover, they cannot act rashly.
If any rash action is taken, the young prince will lose his life.
The Prince Xuan's Mansion has really hit the nail on the head this time.
More than two years ago, Prince Xuan and his wife returned to Beijing. On the one hand, they wanted to preserve their strength, and on the other hand, they had other plans. They really did not expect that the little prince would be the biggest variable in this plan!
Moreover, Chu Xianyun had thought that even if the little prince was mentally challenged, it wouldn't matter; he could just have someone keep an eye on him. Who could have predicted that someone with no intelligence would be able to leave in that way!
Is Heaven not giving the entire Crown Prince's residence a way to survive?
Is this truly the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
Chu Xianyun gave Ye Qingxue a deep look, stood up, and said to Yun Zhuo, "Your Highness, may I have a word with you in private?"
Yun Zhuo sat motionless in the chair, but his hands, resting on the table, turned white inch by inch at the knuckles.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, like a bowstring being drawn taut. Chu Xianyun had no choice but to look at Ye Qingxue again: "Crown Princess, please persuade His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Ye Qingxue looked at Yun Zhuo, and Yun Zhuo also looked at her. The couple's eyes met in mid-air, but they remained silent.
They could probably guess what Chu Xianyun wanted to say.
Time flowed silently, and the atmosphere did not ease because of their silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Qingxue finally spoke, "Go out and talk to Mr. Chu."
Chu Xianyun was still standing in the center of the study, his eyes slightly red. Yun Zhuo finally got up and followed Chu Xianyun out of the study. They walked slowly to a corner and only stopped when they were sure that the people in the study could not hear them.
Zhan Shuang and his guards stood watch all around, not allowing anyone to approach. At this moment, all they had around them was the wind, the night, and a faint light that could not penetrate the darkness.
The view was hazy, as if shrouded in thick fog.
Chu Xianyun said, "Your Highness, three years ago, for the sake of the Longevity Pill, hundreds of innocent children who had just been born died in such a terrifying and cruel manner."
"The collapse of the Qinglanxia Tunnel buried countless men. 'Pitiable bones by the Wuding River, still the dream of a maiden in her spring boudoir.' Have you forgotten?"
"Going back a bit further, before and after Empress Shen launched the palace coup, if it weren't for you and the Crown Princess stopping them, how many innocent people and soldiers would have turned to dust?"
"We planned for three years to allow Prince Xuan and his wife to return to the capital. Does Your Highness still remember why?"
Chu Xianyun knelt down, his voice deep and heavy, as if blood was seeping from his throat: "Your Highness, there are many people behind you. If you are gone, they will all be buried with you!"
"Those people are not just the guards and servants of the Crown Prince's residence, but also the ministers hiding in the shadows. They are all waiting for Your Highness's actions! Does an emperor who harms his own son, causes rivers of blood to flow in the Eastern Palace, and sends innocent soldiers and people to their deaths deserve to be an emperor?"
Yun Zhuo understood what he meant: "If you choose your own son, you are putting the large number of your followers to death."
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