The wind blew fiercely, bending all the surrounding wild grass to one side. The rustling sound was irritating. Master Qingfeng’s wide robes and graying beard and hair were blown about, giving him an ethereal appearance. He turned his head toward Song Chuyi, then glanced at Song Yan, who was not far away watching Changgui and the others clean up around the pavilion. Rarely setting aside his usual carefree demeanor, he spoke with a serious expression. “Hesitation at the moment of decision will only bring disaster later. Not only does the Crown Prince offer no help whatsoever to the Grand Prince, but now because of the Grand Prince, he probably already hates you both to the bone. If he can reach out his hand again in the future like he did today, your situation will be dire indeed.”
Master Qingfeng knew that Song Chuyi actually understood all these principles—if she didn’t understand, she wouldn’t have appeared today at this obscure Qingxu Temple, deliberately leaving an opening for others to exploit. She wouldn’t have turned the tables, using Song Yan and herself as bait to draw out the Crown Prince’s men, and finally leaving one alive. He never worried about this young lady’s intelligence. What he worried about was that she might make the wrong decision because of Zhou Weizhao—after all, the Crown Prince was Zhou Weizhao’s biological father. Last time with the Yang Yunyong incident, Song Chuyi had already deliberately left the Crown Prince room to maneuver. But from the looks of it now, the Crown Prince hadn’t learned his lesson at all. Instead, he had intensified his efforts. If she continued to show mercy, the Crown Prince didn’t seem like someone who would appreciate the favor.
Song Yan’s profile was somewhat unclear in the sunlight. From Song Chuyi’s angle, she could only vaguely make out the blurred outline of his face. The smile on her face gradually faded, and for a moment, her beautiful pupils were filled with killing intent. After a long while, she lowered her head to look at the valley below, piled with chaotic massive boulders, and slowly narrowed her eyes. “Master’s reminder—I’ve taken it to heart. To strike a snake, you must strike its vital point. I’ll learn my lesson this time.”
Master Qingfeng nodded matter-of-factly, not considering himself an outsider. “That’s more like it. I don’t want my last disciple to meet with any mishap. If you don’t clear away these obstacles for him before he and I go to Shu, I doubt he’ll be able to go study there smoothly this time.”
This was sound reasoning. The Crown Prince was not someone who would let things go after one failed strike. When you tallied it up, the Song family really hadn’t wronged the Crown Prince in any way. His ruthless actions were entirely because Song Chuyi was going to marry Zhou Weizhao, and the Song family was about to become Zhou Weizhao’s support. With such a father, Song Chuyi felt cold to her very teeth. No matter how absurd Song Yi was, he had never contemplated taking her and Song Yan’s lives.
Song Chuyi was just about to respond when she heard Qing Ying call out to her with some surprise, then shout joyfully, “Miss! The Grand Prince has arrived!”
Zhou Weizhao?! Song Chuyi turned around in some astonishment to look below, just in time to see Zhou Weizhao standing in the distance, drenched in sweat, looking at her. She widened her eyes. After a long moment, she came back to herself and hurried several steps toward him.
She had never seen Zhou Weizhao in such a disheveled and distressed state before—not even in Yangquan, Jin region, or even Tianshui Town had Zhou Weizhao ever been this hurried and travel-worn. She knew Zhou Weizhao had rushed here too urgently. Her chest swelled with emotion and joy, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn’t help asking him, “Why did you come?”
Qing Zhuo stumbled forward, gasping for breath as he answered for Zhou Weizhao. “His Highness received a letter saying you were in danger. He rushed out from the city without stopping, then forced the priests at the temple to tell him your whereabouts and ran all the way up here.” He gasped for air, swallowing several times to ease the burning pain in his throat, and asked her hoarsely, “Are you alright?” After pausing, he glanced at his master, then looked around in confusion before belatedly realizing, “Wait—why does it seem like you came prepared, Sixth Miss?”
This question hit the mark. Han Feng rolled his eyes, feeling relieved in his heart. Regardless of whether Sixth Miss Song had known in advance that the Crown Prince would make this move, she was unharmed—and that was the greatest fortune. Otherwise, if something had happened to Sixth Miss Song, not only would the Grand Prince be heartbroken, but with the wedding approaching and the vassal princes about to enter the capital, this matter might become yet another point of attack against the Grand Prince by others.
Song Chuyi opened her mouth. Looking at the sweat covering Zhou Weizhao’s head, she actually felt her throat tighten. She looked at him, suddenly recalling his fate in her previous life, then thinking of the Crown Prince. For quite a while, she couldn’t speak a single word.
It was Zhou Weizhao who spoke first. He looked her over from top to bottom, confirming she wasn’t injured. Only then did his expression soften. “I received a letter and was worried.” He reached out to brush away the grass debris that had somehow gotten onto her hair, gently curving his lips in a smile. “So I came to see if you were alright.”
Song Chuyi walked side by side with him. All along the way, Zhou Weizhao looked at the dark red bloodstains mixed with dust and the chaotic scattered boulders. His brow furrowed tighter and tighter. By the time they reached the small pavilion where they could sit, the smile had completely disappeared from his face. After looking at Song Chuyi for a long while, he said, “I received a letter. The letter said my father had people go provoke Prince Gong to deal with you and me.” He deliberated for a moment. “The letter also said Prince Gong absolutely had no intention of dealing with the Song family or me. But just because he has no such intention doesn’t mean others will allow him not to. I thought about it—you’ve been going out less and less recently. If you missed this memorial service, it would probably be difficult for anyone to make a move against you afterward.”
Even at the end, he didn’t ask once whether she had deliberately set up a scheme to draw out the Crown Prince’s attack, or ask what she planned to do to the Crown Prince afterward. Song Chuyi felt pained and asked him softly, “Aren’t you sad at all?”
Zhou Weizhao pressed his lips together and looked deeply at her, just happening to meet her overly bright eyes filled with sorrow and heartache. He suddenly smiled. “I’m not sad. Something you’ve never possessed—discovering in the end that it doesn’t belong to you—isn’t really that hard to accept. Master said that if you don’t seek something, you won’t lose it. I’ve never sought his paternal love, so naturally I don’t feel abandoned either. I’m just worried about you.” He reached out to grasp her hand. “But fortunately, you’re alright.”
This was what mattered most. As for how the Crown Prince treated him and whether he regarded him as a son—those things really weren’t that important. He had known since he was five years old that his father was different from other people’s fathers.
Song Chuyi felt the sweat in his palm and looked up into his eyes. “The Crown Prince made a move against me and Ayan not because the Song family somehow offended him, but because of you—or because of the Crown Princess. But regardless of the reason, the Crown Prince had no intention of showing mercy. This time, he truly wanted mine and Ayan’s lives.”