Something’s happened at the Wang Fu.
Upon hearing this, Wei Changtian’s eyes lit up, and he glanced at Ning Yuqiao, who looked puzzled, before slowly standing up from the bluestone.
“Princess, I have some urgent matters to attend to. Please wait for a moment.”
“Yes, Prince, you don’t need to worry about me.” Ning Yuqiao nodded lightly.
“Sorry.”
Wei Changtian smiled and nodded, walking a distance with Zhang San before his expression gradually turned gloomy.
“What’s going on? Did they discover that Ning Yuqiao is missing?”
“Not…”
Zhang San lowered his voice and replied, “Young Master, the brothers monitoring the Wang Mansion just reported that they saw dozens of black-clad men sneaking into the mansion. They noticed this and immediately sent people to rush to Yunyuan Mountain, and it’s been half an hour now.”
“Black-clad men? They entered the Wang Mansion?”
Wei Changtian’s tone paused, and his pupils suddenly contracted: “What else? Bring the scout over!”
“Yes!”
Zhang San waved his hand, and the slender man waiting on the side quickly approached, detailing the events at the Wang Mansion.
The black-clad men, armed and skilled, entered the Wang Mansion and then disappeared without a trace…
Wei Changtian listened while his brain rapidly processed the information.
Based on the scout’s description, there were only two possible explanations for these people.
One was that they were Ning Qingyu’s men, and the other was that they were Ning Yongnian’s men.
Wei Changtian felt that the former was more likely.
After all, the “Joint Investigation Team” was still in Shuzhou City, and the case of the prince’s assassination was still under investigation. Ning Yongnian shouldn’t make another move at this critical juncture…
But one couldn’t be too sure.
What if they were real assassins…
Wei Changtian didn’t want to get involved in unnecessary trouble. If those people were indeed Ning Yongnian’s assassins, he definitely wouldn’t go to rescue Ning Qingyu again.
However… what about Ning Yuqiao?
Should he send her back, sending a sheep to the tiger’s den?
Should he keep her, protecting her thoroughly?
Or should he just ignore her, letting her fend for herself?
“Bring Ning Yuqiao, prepare the carriage to return to the city.”
A moment later, Wei Changtian had made up his mind.
“Yes.”
Zhang San nodded, then confirmed, “Young Master, are we going back to the mansion, or…”
“Let’s go to the Shun Wang Mansion first.”
……
“Young Master, has something happened?”
A moment later, the black carriage departed from Yunyuan Mountain, racing along the official road towards Shuzhou City.
Ning Yuqiao looked at Wei Changtian, who remained silent, and asked with a concerned tone, “I see that your complexion doesn’t look very good.”
“Thank you for your concern, Princess.”
Wei Changtian shook his head: “It’s nothing major, I was just thinking about something earlier.”
“Oh…”
Ning Yuqiao saw that Wei Changtian didn’t want to talk, so she didn’t ask again. She simply turned her head to gaze out the window at the night scenery.
She didn’t know why, but from earlier, she had a lingering sense of unease and anxiety in her heart.
The dark clouds covered the moon, and her heartbeat quickened.
“Who is it?!”
At the south gate of Shuzhou City, several guards stopped Wei Changtian’s carriage, preparing to conduct a routine inspection.
Zhang San jumped down from the carriage, walking towards the guards while reaching into his chest.
He always carried the tokens of the Xuanjing Bureau and the Qingbao Army on him, which would allow him to pass through Shuzhou City unhindered.
However, what he took out this time was not a token, but a few silver ingots wrapped in white paper.
“Gentlemen, my master is sleeping in the carriage. Could you please let him rest and not disturb him?”
“Hmm?”
A few soldiers glanced at each other, then smiled and accepted the silver ingots, quietly pocketing them.
“It’s late, and people are tired. We can make an exception.”
“You don’t seem like a bad person, so we won’t investigate further. You can hurry in now.”
“Thank you, gentlemen!”
Zhang San bowed to express his gratitude, and the black carriage smoothly entered the city, heading towards the Wang Mansion at a moderate pace.
It was already around 2 am, with only about two hours left until dawn.
Although Daming did not have a curfew, there were hardly anyone who would venture out onto the streets at this hour.
The streets were deserted, with doors and windows tightly shut. Occasionally, a few beggars and drunkards lay sprawled out on the roadside, snoring loudly.
Everything seemed to indicate that tonight was no different from usual.
Was I overthinking things?
Wei Changtian gazed out at the night scene through the carriage curtains, feeling a slight sense of relief.
It had already been over an hour since the group of black-clad men had entered the Wang Mansion. If they were indeed assassins, the entire city would have been in chaos by now. How could it be so quiet?
“Ah…”
This was for the best.
“Princess, I’ll stop the carriage near the Wang Mansion, and then let Zhang San escort you in.”
Wei Changtian turned back and whispered to Ning Yuke, who was furrowing her brow, lost in thought: “Please don’t tell anyone about tonight’s events.”
“Ah…”
Ning Yuke came back to her senses, hastily nodding to guarantee: “I won’t say a word, sir.”
“That’s good.”
Wei Changtian hesitated for a moment, then reached into his sleeve and pulled out an object.
“Princess, I have something else… Please take it back as well.”
“What is…”
Ning Yuke leaned in to examine the object under the candlelight, and the next moment, her entire body trembled.
A white pouch with gold embroidery, adorned with the characters “Ping An” (peace).
“Lord Wei…”
A forced smile appeared on her face, but her tone was tinged with a hint of pleading.
“You… don’t like the design of this pouch?”
“Shall I… re-embroider one for you?”
“No need.”
Wei Changtian gently shook his head, placing the pouch beside Ning Yuke.
He had originally wanted to say more, but in the end, it only became a single sentence.
“Princess, take care.”
“…”
The sound of horse hooves grew slower and slower, then came to a stop.
Ning Yuke bit her lip hard, clutching the pouch she had sewn with her own hands, her eyes filled with a painful struggle.
“Lord, we’ve arrived at the Wang Mansion.”
Zhang San’s voice came from outside the carriage, and Wei Changtian glanced at Ning Yuke before asking through the curtains:
“Is there anything unusual?”
“Everything is normal.”
“Then…”
Wei Changtian turned his head, his tone calm: “Princess, you should leave.”
From noble mtl dot come
“…”
A gentle night breeze blew into the carriage, carrying a faint whispering sound that rustled the few strands of hair by Ning Yukuo’s ear.
Ning Yukuo didn’t refuse, but she took one last deep look at Wei Changtian.
Perhaps she knew that she wouldn’t be able to see Wei Changtian again after tonight, so she wanted to etch his appearance into her memory.
“Prince… you should take care too.”
The night wind blew several times, swiftly changing the atmosphere.
Ning Yukuo suddenly turned her head, forcing back tears that threatened to fall, and prepared to get out of the carriage.
But just then…
“Slap!”
A large hand suddenly grabbed her arm from behind without warning, and with a burst of strength, pulled her back into the carriage.
“Ah!”
Ning Yukuo instinctively let out a cry of surprise, wanting to turn around to look at Wei Changtian.
But before she could turn her head, a low roar exploded in her ear.
“Zhang San, go!!”