"A bunch of rubbish!" Shen Qingyu was rarely furious. In a rage, he threw a cup of hot tea at the kneeling lieutenant general of the Imperial Guards without any force. The scalding hot tea splashed all over the general's body and face. "It's fine that Her Royal Highness the Princess was not found, but now Master Yu and Miss Mu are also missing. What are you doing?"
The scene was chaotic yesterday and Shen Qingyu was unable to take care of himself. He thought that since the accompanying artillery team had a large number of people, protecting Mu Lingsu should not be a problem. However, he did not expect that after everyone escaped from danger, Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu were both missing.
Where did they go?
Were they abducted by the cult members or did they just get separated from them? Now a day and a night have passed. Are they safe? Will they be able to reunite on their own?
Shen Qingyu was extremely worried and couldn't sleep at night. Princess Yongjia hadn't been found, and the son of the leader of the martial arts world was missing again. He didn't dare to face Yu Jianwu and Gu Ru'an anymore .
The lieutenant general of the Imperial Guards still knelt straight and analyzed truthfully: "Your Highness, you don't have to worry. Although there is no news about Master Yu and Miss Mu now, this is the best news. At least it means that they were not captured by the cult, otherwise there would have been news. Master Yu and Miss Mu are children of the underworld. They have been in the underworld for many years, so there won't be any accidents."
In his opinion, Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu were just the son of a wanted criminal and the daughter of a guilty minister. It didn't matter if they died. His mission was directly issued by the queen. As long as he ensured the safety of Princess Yongjia, everything else had nothing to do with him.
Seeing that Shen Qingyu didn't say anything, the lieutenant general continued, "Don't worry, Your Highness. As long as Your Highness is safe, everything will be fine."
Shen Qingyu was still feeling uneasy. He did not respond to the lieutenant general's words, but waved his hand to let everyone disperse, leaving himself alone.
He has always been confident, but he could not have guessed that he would suffer such a big setback for Mu Lingsu's safety. Although Mu Lingsu did not leave Yumen Pass for him, since she was by his side, he had the responsibility to protect her. Now that Mu Lingsu was missing, he blamed himself and was anxious, but he was helpless.
I don't know where she is now. Did Yu Linzhi take good care of her? Did she think of him when she was in trouble?
Shen Qingyu was extremely anxious, and his mind was full of Mu Lingsu's every frown and smile.
"My Lord, I am at peace." Gu Ru'an appeared behind Shen Qingyu without knowing when. She looked calm, as if she was not affected by Yu Linzhi's disappearance. She looked calm and composed. She bowed to Shen Qingyu and reported, "I have reported yesterday's incident to the palace truthfully."
Thinking of Gu Ru'an as Yu Linzhi's mother, Shen Qingyu felt guilty. He didn't know if it was his negligence that led to Yu Linzhi's disappearance. He wanted to apologize to Gu Ru'an, but when he saw Gu Ru'an's calm expression, he couldn't say any words of apology or comfort.
"Your Highness, I have something else to tell you." Seeing that Shen Qingyu ignored her, Gu Ru'an said directly without waiting for his permission, "The third young lady of the Tang family had disappeared with Yu Linzhi and the others, but just now, she is back. Do you want to see her?"
Gu Ruan knew very well that Shen Qingyu liked Mu Lingsu very much. Only by constantly giving him hope about Mu Lingsu at this time could he find Shen Hanyan in one go. Only by finding Shen Hanyan could they immediately set off to return to the palace. The longer they stayed outside, the more likely it was that something unexpected would happen. Only by returning to the palace could she grasp all the information about the court and the world.
As expected, when Shen Qingyu heard that the missing Tang Rudai had returned, he felt more confident in finding Mu Lingsu. He was overjoyed and said to Gu Ruan urgently, "Then please ask Auntie call Miss Tang San over quickly."
Although Shen Qingyu didn't know Tang Rudai's true identity, ever since he knew that she had escaped from danger, he had been skeptical about everything she said. He always felt that it was too "coincidental" for her to be released, and there must be very complicated reasons behind it.
Tang Rudai told Shen Qingyu that the kidnappers mistakenly took her for Mu Lingsu and later released her after another group of kidnappers captured the real Mu Lingsu.
"It is said that Princess Yongjia was injured and the doctors in the Western Regions were helpless, so they decided to kidnap Mu Lingsu." Tang Rudai glanced at Shen Qingyu, who was anxious, and said, "Your Highness, please don't worry. Since they have kidnapped the princess as a hostage, they will be more worried about her life than we are. The princess will be safe."
Shen Qingyu had always treated Shen Hanyan as his own sister. Now that she was in danger, how could he not be anxious? Tang Rudai's words undoubtedly angered Shen Qingyu. He glared at Tang Rudai and said, "So, if Princess Yongjia gets into trouble, Miss Tang San is willing to take responsibility for her?"
Tang Rudai was startled by Shen Qingyu's serious face. She was still surprised that Shen Qingyu, who always had a kind face, suddenly spoke to her like this. She thought that Princess Yongjia was just an adopted daughter, and he should not value her, but had to come here on the Queen's order. Unexpectedly, they actually had such a deep brother-sister relationship.
In a flash, she suddenly remembered that someone reported yesterday that Shen Hanyan stabbed herself. If Shen Hanyan died, I'm afraid there would be a lot of trouble.
Although Tang Rudai was nervous, she didn't show it on her face. She smiled and said, "I made a mistake. I am of humble origin, so how dare I be responsible for the princess's safety."
When she first knew that Su Tijia brought Shen Hanyan back, she was just a little jealous. It was not until now that she realized that Su Tijia might have led everyone to a dead end.
After all, she is the queen's daughter. If Shen Hanyan really died, perhaps the Kushan Empire would have been destroyed.
"Were they really taken to Kushan?" Shen Qingyu thought about it and still felt that it was unreasonable for this group of people to travel thousands of miles to Kushan. The journey would take at least ten days. As long as people were moving, there would be a lot of variables. Any smart person would not choose to travel a long distance with several hostages.
Furthermore, we don’t know whether this so-called Miss Tang San’s identity is real or fake. It would be too hasty to believe her so rashly.
Shen Qingyu looked at Tang Rudai and repeated word by word: "Were they really taken to Kushan?" In order to make sure that Tang Rudai was not lying to him, he added: "If I went to Kushan and searched the whole country but couldn't find anyone, would you like the Tang Clan to be buried with them, or would you like to be tortured to death yourself?"
Only when faced with a life-or-death decision, no one would have the guts to tell a lie. Even if she wasn't the real Miss Tang, she could ignore the life and death of the Tang Clan, but she couldn't let herself be tortured to death because of a lie.
Tang Rudai was obviously scared. She couldn't tell whether she could get away immediately. She was also afraid that Shen Qingyu would immediately restrict her personal freedom and prevent her from establishing contact with Sutijia. She was even more worried that if Shen Hanyan died, Sutijia would be forced to pay an unexpected price. After all, the national strength of Kushan would not be comparable to that of the Kushan Empire for another thirty or fifty years.
"I only know that their final destination is the Kushan Empire, but I don't know when they plan to arrive." After weighing the pros and cons, she gave such an ambiguous answer, which was neither a lie nor the truth.
Shen Qingyu was too lazy to say more to her and only said lightly: "If the princess , Master Yu and others return safely, the court will definitely benefit from the Tang Clan." Then he let her leave.
It was late at night and Shen Qingyu was standing alone in the inn garden.
He looked at the sky in the north and found that only the North Star was lit. Although he led people into Dunhuang City, he had not yet decided whether to really lead people to rush out of Yumen Pass or stay in Dunhuang to wait for the other party's information. As long as there was no news about Shen Hanyan, he would not dare to take risks. What's more, Mu Lingsu and Yu Linzhi were still unknown.
Have the three of them met up? What will the other party do next?
Shen Qingyu knew nothing.
"What's wrong?" Yu Linzhi followed Mu Lingsu out of Sutijia's listening pavilion and walked towards the side room. He noticed that Mu Lingsu looked nervous after coming out of the room, and knew that she must have discovered something. He didn't ask until they turned the corner and avoided the sight of the servants in the house.
Mu Lingsu stopped, feeling flustered and uneasy. She had to hold his hand to calm herself down: "That Madam Ru is Shen Hanyan."
When she said these words, Mu Lingsu's hands were still shaking. Yu Linzhi reacted quickly and immediately held her hand back to comfort her. He had never seen Mu Lingsu so panicked before. He guessed that Shen Hanyan's condition would not be very good, but he didn't know what he could do. He only felt sorry for Mu Lingsu in his heart.
He had never felt so helpless before. He knew he should do something, but he didn't know where to start. Moreover, the person he was facing was the one he loved the most. She took the initiative to approach him just to seek his safety, but he didn't know what to do.
Yu Linzhi was a little annoyed and felt a little guilty. He gently put his arm around Mu Lingsu's shoulders and held her in his arms: "That's okay. Since Su Tijia still remembers to look for you, it means Shen Hanyan is not in danger of life." It can be considered a blessing in disguise. At least Shen Hanyan is still alive. For both the Wulin Alliance and Su Tijia, there is still room for negotiation with the court.
If Shen Hanyan died, I'm afraid that Yu Jianwu and his son would be beheaded immediately, and Su Tijia would not be turned into meat paste, but would be ground into ashes.
"Then...what should we do now?" Mu Lingsu was also afraid of the imperial decree. All the male members of her family had been sent to the army and exiled. If her family members were implicated in the death of Princess Yongjia because of her, the Mu family would probably end there.
"It's very simple." Yu Linzhi hugged his beloved, raised one hand and gently patted her back, comforting her like coaxing a child to sleep, and his tone was as gentle as the spring breeze. Mu Lingsu's soul almost melted when she heard it. He said: "First, do your best to give Shen Hanyan medicine and cure her. If we save her life, we can also survive."
Although he knew that it was not easy to pull a person back from the brink of death, he could only make the matter sound light-hearted so that Mu Lingsu could put down the burden in her heart.
"Okay." Although Mu Lingsu agreed, she was troubled in her heart. Su Tijia didn't let her get close to Shen Hanyan at all. How could she save Shen Hanyan? If she forced it, Su Tijia would definitely notice it. If he wanted to kill her, it would be difficult for Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu to escape. In addition, Shen Hanyan was still in Su Tijia's hands, so she and Yu Linzhi didn't dare to act rashly.
No matter what choice she made, she was in a dilemma and Mu Lingsu was suddenly filled with worries.
Yu Linzhi of course noticed that Mu Lingsu was worried, and counseled her, "I'm here to take care of everything, don't worry."
He didn't want to do anything earth-shattering, he just wanted to protect his beloved woman from all the ups and downs . He hoped that Mu Lingsu could put aside all her worries and troubles in front of him and not have to face the difficult reality.
"Xiao Mu, you don't have to worry too much." Yu Linzhi said, "Su Tijia has many doctors around him. Although their level is likely to be lower than yours, their ability to apply and change the dressings will definitely be good enough."
The difference between Mu Lingsu and these ordinary doctors in treating external injuries lies in the medicine she has. The medicine in her hand is the palace prescription that has been passed down for more than a hundred years in the Mu family. Naturally, these doctors outside cannot compare with it from the beginning. Yu Linzhi is also very clear about this, so he said this to Mu Lingsu.
As long as she handed over the medicine, with the doctor that Sutija trusted, Shen Hanyan would not die. After ensuring that Shen Hanyan was safe, everything would be easy to talk about.
"Okay, I understand." Mu Lingsu nodded. Just as she was about to turn around and go back to the room where Shen Hanyan was lying, she suddenly saw the butler beside Su Tijia watching them not far away.
Mu Lingsu immediately turned around and looked at Yu Linzhi for help, but it was too late. Seven or eight servants rushed out from behind the housekeeper and surrounded the two of them in an instant.
The butler's expressionless face was very scary. He looked at the two people for a moment, then spoke with a fake smile: "Don't be alarmed, my two distinguished guests. I was just passing by and overheard your conversation. Now please follow me and go to see my young master and explain the content of the conversation just now ."
He stepped aside to make way, and raised his hand politely to lead the way, as if he was really guiding the newly arrived guests: "Mr. Yu, Miss Mu, please follow me this way."
Perhaps it was God's blessing that Shen Hanyan woke up on the third day after Mu Lingsu sent the golden medicine. Su Tijia, who got the news, had just come out of the small garden where Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu were imprisoned, and the spy was reporting to him about Shen Qingyu's movements.
"It seems that the Mu family's medical skills are well-deserved." Su Tijia was overjoyed and wanted to turn around to thank Mu Lingsu, but when he thought that Shen Qingyu had already entered Dunhuang City and would be heading for Yumen Pass soon, all these red tape were unnecessary.
He turned around and asked the spy beside him: "You just said how many days it would take them to reach Yumen Pass?"
The spy replied, "Your Majesty, there are still about three days left."
Sutijia nodded: "Miss Shen is fine now, we should set off." He turned back to the small garden, opened the room that was locked for Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu, and asked Yu Linzhi with a smile: "Brother, if you are willing, you can go back to Kushan with me. I will treat you as a distinguished guest and give you a promotion. What do you think?"
Yu Linzhi's Qi Sea had been sealed by him a long time ago, so he couldn't even use his luck to use hidden weapons. He could only sit aside and watch Sutiga.
When he and Mu Lingsu were discovered by the housekeeper that day, they were quickly restricted from moving, and all their personal belongings were taken away. His true qi was also sealed, and he could not use his power to escape. Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu were imprisoned for three days, and they only met Su Tijia today.
It was not until three days ago that he found out that Sutijia was actually a bastard prince of the Kushan Empire who had usurped the throne and became king. He wanted to use firearms to seize the twelve states west of Dunhuang, so he decided to kidnap Shen Hanyan.
It seems that Sutijia is determined to obtain the Twelve States of Dunhuang. He is afraid that he cannot win by head-on, so he brings Shen Hanyan along as a double insurance.
"Forget it. I have never been interested in fame, wealth and power. Your Majesty doesn't have to worry about us." Yu Linzhi didn't know whether Shen Hanyan was out of danger, so he didn't dare to anger Su Tijia.
Sutija laughed out loud: "Brother, you are a young talent, how come you are so indifferent to fame and fortune!"
In his opinion, Yu Linzhi was like a turtle in a jar at this moment, and his life and death were all decided by him. For the first time in so many years, he overwhelmed Yu Linzhi's arrogance. When he was learning martial arts in Tang Sect under an assumed name, no matter how hard he tried, he could not surpass Yu Linzhi and get a compliment from the head master.
Mu Lingsu was concerned about Shen Hanyan's safety. She wanted to ask when Su Tijia came in for the first time, but she felt that the time was not right. In the past three days, Su Tijia's housekeeper came here every day and talked to Yu Linzhi, but did not mention Shen Hanyan. As a doctor, Mu Lingsu was instinctively worried about Shen Hanyan's injury. Moreover, if Shen Hanyan had died a long time ago and Su Tijia kept it a secret, the consequences would be serious .
She and Yu Linzhi had just fallen in love, and it would be a great pity if they both died like this.
She had never been so afraid of death before. Perhaps it was because she had someone she loved that she wanted to do her best to live one more day with him in this world. Because this world had nothing to do with her, but after having Yu Linzhi, everything became lovely, and everything made her nostalgic.
"You and I are not of the same mind, so why force ourselves to merge?" Yu Linzhi took the teacup and poured a cup of tea for Mu Lingsu, saying leisurely, "If I join you, I will only ruin your hegemony."
Sutijia was still full of confidence. He snatched the cup that Yu Linzhi was about to pass to Mu Lingsu, drank the tea in it, and said, "So what? Shen Hanyan can't follow you back to the Central Plains. I want to leave her outside the pass and go back to Kushan with me. She will be my empress in the future, the one and only queen of Kushan."
When Mu Lingsu heard the news, she was shocked: "You want to make Shen Hanyan your queen? You are forcibly abducting the princess. I'm afraid there will be endless troubles. You really don't want to live."
"It's just the orphan left by the prince who died in battle. What's there to be afraid of?" Su Tijia recalled the scene when he saw Shen Hanyan waking up in her room just now, and he was more certain in his heart. He must get Shen Hanyan. Now he is talking to the court represented by Shen Qingyu, just because Shen Hanyan is still a girl, and he wants to make her face acceptable so that she can marry him legitimately.
Su Tijia didn't want to talk about Shen Hanyan anymore, so he said to Yu and Mu, "We'll leave soon and go to Yumen Pass. Shen Qingyu is waiting for us there, Mr. Yu and Miss Mu, let's go together."
Yu Linzhi had always believed that Sutijia was a wise and intelligent person, but he had never thought that he would be so stupid as to take the initiative to confront Shen Qingyu and others head-on. Although Yumen Pass is a border pass, its control can extend hundreds of miles outside the pass. If Sutijia leads his men to confront Shen Qingyu, I am afraid that there will be countless casualties. At that time, the situation will be difficult to predict.
Sutijia's move is tantamount to letting everyone die with him. I don't know whether he became obsessed because of Shen Hanyan or he trusted his own abilities too much.
Sutija didn't know whether this news shocked the couple in front of him. After waiting for a while and seeing that they didn't react at all, he continued, "Let's go together, brother."
"If you act crazy like this now, you will only bring disaster upon yourself." Yu Linzhi didn't want to say too much, so he took Mu Lingsu's hand and walked out the door first.
Su Tijia had someone arrange a carriage for them, and they followed Shen Hanyan's carriage, galloping towards Yumen Pass.
"Is he crazy? He actually wants to confront Shen Qingyu head-on." Mu Lingsu was worried and had to snuggle in Yu Linzhi's arms. At first, she went to Suzhou just to treat Yu Linzhi's illness. Unexpectedly, in just one month, Yu Linzhi's illness led to a dispute between the two countries.
She also had no idea that this trip outside the Great Wall would lead to her marriage with Yu Linzhi.
Yu Linzhi was too lazy to pay attention to Su Tijia's intentions. He was thinking about his father and worried about how to ensure Mu Lingsu's safety if a conflict arose. Now the direction of things was completely out of control. Shen Qingyu was obsessed with ensuring Shen Hanyan's safety. He was likely to be confused and act impulsively.
"I'm just afraid that His Royal Highness Prince Yi Yang..." Before Yu Linzhi finished his words, he heard a female voice coming from outside.
"Don't go forward! Prince Yi Yang brought all the manpower and equipment of the artillery team and announced that if Princess Yongjia gets hurt, everyone will die together!"
Mu Lingsu thought the voice sounded familiar, and was about to lift the car curtain, but Yu Linzhi had already taken action. He saw who it was and asked, " How could Tang Rudai know Su Tijia?"