Ch. 56 - Someone: The young prince has been kidnapped!

The night was gloomy, with cold wind and rain.

The floor of the inn's lobby was wet and once again crowded with local officials from Guiguang, but this time the person sitting in the main seat and giving orders was different.

Zhong Yansheng had already changed into a light, narrow-sleeved shirt. His cheeks were still slightly flushed from the cold he had caught. He coughed softly, and his eyes fell on Governor Wei who was kneeling in the middle.

The latter's face was pale, the wound on his arm was so deep that the bone was visible, and blood had soaked half of his robe. When Zhong Yansheng came over, the doctor had just changed the bandage for Governor Wei, and there were still spots of blood on the ground.

"…After His Royal Highness Prince Ding and his men had finished scouting the terrain, on the way back to the posthouse, bandits suddenly appeared. Because we were outnumbered, and it was dark, I was protected by General Zhang and fled at all costs. Only then did I realize that His Royal Highness Prince Ding did not follow. When the reinforcements arrived, only the bandit's corpses were left on the ground, and His Royal Highness Prince Ding was gone."

Governor Wei was staggering, his face full of shame, and he lowered his head deeply: "After the robbery, those bandits would at least stay quiet for half a month. I never thought that they would ambush in the deep forest and attack the government officials!"

Zhang Zongbing, who was standing beside him, said angrily, "The bandits must have known that the imperial court had sent people to wipe them out, so they became desperate and jumped over the wall!"

Other local officials nodded in agreement: "The bandits are really despicable. I have already sent more people to search for His Royal Highness Prince Ding in the forest. His Royal Highness Prince Ding is very brave and will definitely be fine!"

There was a commotion below and no one dared to take responsibility. Even if Prince Ding was a great threat to His Majesty the Emperor, His Majesty the Emperor had not given any indication, and there was no reason to take action against Prince Ding. If Prince Ding really died because of going out with them, then they would definitely be operated on.

Zhong Yansheng's head was throbbing and hurting badly.

He imitated Xiao Nong's usual behavior and knocked the teacup handed to him by Yun Cheng onto the table neither lightly nor heavily.

With a "bang", the noise below disappeared instantly, and all eyes fell on Zhong Yansheng.

"Your Highness Prince Ding decided to go to Chunfeng Valley to investigate on a whim." Zhong Yansheng's voice was a little hoarse, but because of the hoarseness, it lost its usual softness and became a bit more awe-inspiring. "Why did the bandits set up an ambush in advance?"

This question hit the nail on the head, and the atmosphere in the entire hall froze.

The reason why the bandits were able to ambush in advance was naturally because... someone leaked Xiao Nong's whereabouts.

Apart from Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong's men, only a few officials who were meeting with him in the post station knew Xiao Nong's whereabouts.

Governor Wei and his companions turned pale: "Your Highness, please be discerning! We would never dare to collude with the bandits and murder His Highness Prince Ding!"

Each of them was trying to explain themselves anxiously, but Zhong Yansheng just stared at them, his face even paler than the injured Governor Wei, and said nothing.

After hearing the news that Xiao Nong was missing, his mind was blank for a long time, until his fingers that were holding the little tit wood carving began to hurt, he suddenly came to his senses, tried to calm down, and told everyone to go to the lobby and wait for instructions.

When Xiao Nong is not around, Zhong Yansheng is the one with the most say.

On the way to the lobby, Zhong Yansheng ran into Yun Cheng and Lou Qingtang who were rushing over. The two had been watching over medicine for Zhong Yansheng in the kitchen, and came over immediately after hearing the news.

Zhong Yansheng sent away Huo Shuang who was following behind him, and only then did he learn from Lou Qingtang that Xiao Nong had only taken twenty out of the five hundred black-armored soldiers, and the rest stayed in the inn.

To protect him.

When Lou Qingtang hurriedly informed him of the news, his expression was complicated: "The order given by His Highness before he left was that when he was away, the remaining Black Armored Army would obey His Highness' orders."

Not sure if it was because of illness or something else, but Zhong Yansheng's eyes were hot and red uncontrollably.

It was raining so heavily and they suddenly attacked. How is Xiao Nong doing?

Is he injured and that's why he didn't come back? What if he...

Zhong Yansheng didn't dare to think further. He had to force himself to think about other things before he could calm down and carefully consider the suspicious points of Xiao Nong's attack.

Even Wei the governor and Zhang the general were able to break out of the encirclement, so how could Xiao Nong, who had been through hundreds of battles, not be able to get out? Unless all the bandits were targeting him.

But the bandits didn't sound violent. During normal robberies, they wouldn't hurt anyone unless necessary. So why did they attack Xiao Nong?

Unless the person who attacked Xiao Nong was not a bandit, but an assassin.

There are too many people who want to kill Xiao Nong, but it is not easy to do it in the capital. The ship is full of black-armored soldiers, so Chunfeng Valley is the best time.

Who sent them? The old emperor, Prince De, Prince An, or someone else who had a grudge against Xiao Nong?

...Whether it is the hundreds of officials in the court or the many aristocratic families in the capital, there are only a handful of people who have no grudge against Xiao Nong. His Royal Highness Prince Ding has offended so many people that he can't count them with both hands, and anyone could send someone to take action against him.

Zhong Yansheng was speechless for a moment, and the fingertips that were grabbing the hem of his clothes turned slightly white.

Does Xiao Nong know that a bunch of people are staring at his head?

Did he deliberately bring only such a few people out in order to lure out the assassin, but some accident happened and caused them to get separated and not return?

His Royal Highness Prince Ding was invincible... He didn't believe that Xiao Nong would be defeated by a bunch of rats.

Zhong Yansheng gritted his teeth, suppressed his panic, and forced himself to think things through. He felt that it would be best to detain the most suspicious officials in the post station first.

"Whether they dare or dare not is not up to me, nor is it up to you to say a few words... Come on, the adults will stay in the lobby of the inn tonight, and no one is allowed to say a word to them."

While Zhong Yansheng was speaking, he couldn't help but cough heavily, and continued with a hoarse voice: "Anyone who violates this will be killed without mercy."

There was no expression on that beautiful face, as white as paper. It was not known whether it was because he had been with Xiao Nong for too long, but he actually had a momentary overlap with Xiao Nong. In the slightly dim lobby, there was a kind of strange and beautiful beauty.

No one was surprised to hear such words from Xiao Nong, but when these iron-blooded words came out of the mouth of the gentle little prince, it made people feel a chill down their spine.

Governor Wei couldn't help swallowing.

This little prince is very young and doesn't seem to have a good temper. It's obvious that he's not very good at making decisions and is a gentle and easy-to-control person. People didn't take him seriously at first, but who knew that this young man actually has another face.

Presumably, he lay dormant on purpose when Prince Ding was present?

Governor Wei was puzzled and in so much pain that he didn't have the energy to exchange glances with others. He just lowered his head with a pale face and responded.

Only Zhong Yansheng knew that his hands hidden under his sleeves were trembling slightly, his heartbeat was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and his back was covered in cold sweat.

He must find Xiao Nong as soon as possible. Something must have happened, otherwise Xiao Nong would have sent someone to report to him that he was safe.

Zhong Yansheng glanced at Huo Shuang and others who were standing silently on one side of the lobby and gritted their teeth.

Xiao Nong was missing, so it was normal for him to go looking for Xiao Nong, but he couldn't just bring the Black Armored Army to look for Xiao Nong, otherwise he would definitely be reported to the old emperor. For some unknown reason, the old emperor couldn't stand his close relationship with Xiao Nong.

"Time is running out. Send out 300 Black Armor Guards to follow me to search the mountain for His Royal Highness Prince Ding. Send out 2,000 people from the Fifth Army Camp to stand by near Spring Breeze Valley." Zhong Yansheng said, "The rest of you will stay at the posthouse. Report any news immediately."

As soon as these words came out, everyone's faces changed. Whether it was the lineage of Prince Ding who stayed in the hall, or Huo Shuang and others and local officials, they all spoke out in opposition: "Your Highness wants to go in person? Absolutely not!"

"How can His Highness the Eleventh Prince take such a risk? The bandits even dared to attack His Highness Prince Ding. If something happens to the young prince, how will we explain it to His Majesty?"

"Your Highness, His Royal Highness Prince Ding certainly doesn't want you to go out in person!"

Yuncheng objected: "Master, you are still ill, what if..."

Zhong Yansheng raised his hand to stop them from talking, his gentle features revealing a bit of sharpness: "This is an order, not a discussion. Prepare the horses!"

He was not sure who the traitor was. Could it be the detained officials in the lobby, or the people in the three camps, or even the Black Armor Guards... Anyone might want to kill Xiao Nong, but he wouldn't.

Zhong Yansheng had a vague premonition that Xiao Nong really needed him right now.

Everyone paused for a while, then took back their words. Huo Shuang wanted to object, but Zhong Yansheng had already stood up and left.

The heavy rain had stopped, and the night after the rain was particularly cold. Yun Cheng knew how stubborn Zhong Yansheng was after he made up his mind. He silently handed the warm clothes he was holding to Zhong Yansheng, feeling a little sad.

He couldn't ride a horse, so he could only wait in the inn.

"Master, you must be careful." Yun Cheng felt uncomfortable, "I'll be waiting for you at the inn."

During the few months that he and the young master were separated, the young master had grown so much that he was almost able to stand on his own.

Lou Qingtang remained silent the whole time, and when he saw that Zhong Yansheng was going to go in person, he frowned but did not object.

He naturally guessed some of what Zhong Yansheng could think of, and had a bad feeling.

There was heavy rain and thunder outside before... The last time Xiao Nong was caught in a heavy rain, his headache became particularly severe.

If this time the headache was caused prematurely by the unexpected rain, then perhaps only Zhong Yansheng could solve it by going there in person.

Seeing that no one was talking, he suddenly stepped forward and bowed to Zhong Yansheng: "When I came here, I hired a team of escorts. Now the young prince is in need of people. Why don't I take the escorts with me and go with the young prince to look for His Royal Highness Prince Ding?"

No one was surprised when Lou Qingtang spoke up. After all, he had lost so many goods and was counting on His Royal Highness Prince Ding, who had the best chance of successfully suppressing the bandits, to help him get the goods back.

Moreover, he is a well-known righteous businessman.

Zhong Yansheng nodded silently to Lou Qingtang.

Lou Qingtang took out two more medicine bottles and handed them to Zhong Yansheng: "My ancestors were all doctors, and I occasionally study medicine. This is a pill I made specially for you. It is very effective in suppressing colds, but after taking it, you will feel sleepy and weak. The other bottle is medicine for injuries. If you don't mind, you can give it a try, Your Highness."

Huo Shuang stepped forward and tried to separate him: "How could the young prince use such a medicine of unknown origin casually..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhong Yansheng had already taken over: "Okay, thank you, Mr. Lou."

Huo Shuang choked: "Your Highness, the ingredients of this medicine are unknown. What if something happens to you after taking it?"

"Then Mr. Lou should not live either."

Lou Qingtang: "..."

The little beauty learned bad things from the man named Xiao.

Zhong Yansheng took a deep breath and said, "Okay, the rain has stopped, it's time to set off."

When getting on the horse, Zhong Yansheng swallowed a pill given by Lou Qingtang.

Even if you can't remember many things, the memory will come back once you taste the familiar flavor.

Zhong Yansheng had tasted this extremely bitter taste.

It was the taste that was stuffed into his mouth a long time ago when he jumped into the river and was rescued onto the pleasure boat by Xiao Nong.

Zhong Yansheng didn't like the bitter taste, so he always spit out the pills after they were stuffed into his mouth. After several times, he annoyed the person who was already impatient to feed him the pills, and he rolled his lips and tried to push the tip of his tongue into his mouth.

Those vague memories came flooding back, and Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but touch his lips which were dry from being burned.

Although not very gentle, Xiao Nong was very patient with him.

He always thought that Xiao Nong was unable to move around easily at that time, so he kindly pulled him out of the river, but he was still forced to sleep by him.

That night...did he misunderstand, was Xiao Nong also willing?

Zhong Yansheng felt that he had one more question he wanted to ask Xiao Nong.

The cool night breeze blew across his hot cheeks, and the stinging feeling in his face swept away the drowsiness in his mind. Zhong Yansheng came back to his senses, pursed his lips, waved his whip, and was surrounded by a group of people, riding his horse towards Chunfeng Valley.

Chunfeng Valley was not too far from the posthouse. In the hazy night, a narrow path was squeezed out between the steep mountains on both sides, like some huge monster with its mouth open ready to eat people, silently staring at the people who were rushing towards them with torches and lanterns.

Huo Shuang was Zhong Yansheng's deputy general. He followed orders to mobilize the soldiers of the Five Army Camps stationed outside the post station. Following Zhong Yansheng were the guards led by Wanzhou and the Black Armor Army.

The person who had brought the news earlier led the way and led everyone into a forest outside the alley: "Your Highness, the bandits appeared from here."

The forest was quiet at night. Except for this small piece of light, everywhere else was pitch black, as if someone was staring at them in the dark.

It would be a lie for Zhong Yansheng to say he was not afraid. He mustered up his courage and, with the help of the light of the torch, he was able to see the surrounding scene clearly.

The nearby bushes had signs of being trampled by horses, and the wet ground was covered with a mess of horse hoof prints and footprints, as well as a series of bloodstains and a knife that someone had dropped, indicating that a fight had taken place.

Because it had rained, the footprints were not so clear, but they could be vaguely seen extending into the depths of the forest, and there was a large area of crushed grass along the way.

Besides the smell of mud after the rain, there seemed to be a faint smell of blood floating around.

The corpses on the ground were piled together by several soldiers guarding the place. They took off the clothes on their faces. Due to blood loss, the faces of the corpses were deathly pale. Some had broken neck tendons, and some had their eyes wide open, as if they died with their eyes open. It was tragic and bloody.

Zhong Yansheng had lived for more than a decade and had never even seen a dead chicken. The bloodiest scene he had seen was when Xiao Nong tied Meng Qiping to the stage. He still felt nauseous when he thought about it.

He felt a chill on his back and was afraid to look at the dead body. He clenched the dagger Xiao Nong gave him in his right hand and quickly glanced at the corpses on the ground. Seeing that there were no familiar faces and no one wearing the clothes of the Black Armor Guards, he breathed a sigh of relief.

If Zhan Rong, or the secret guards he had seen in the palace, appeared there, he would definitely be very sad.

No one noticed Zhong Yansheng's cowardly look. In the inn, Zhong Yansheng's performance was already very impressive: "Your Highness, the officers and soldiers sent earlier have already searched along the way into the mountains. I don't know if the bandits are still lying in ambush nearby. The forest is dangerous, and your highness is not feeling well. How about waiting outside for news?"

Just a glance at it made Zhong Yansheng's stomach churn. His face turned pale, and he swallowed hard several times before he finally suppressed the urge to vomit. "Mr. Lou's medicine is very effective. I feel much better now."

Not good at all.

"The barbarians are entrenched outside the border of Mobei, eyeing our Great Yong covetously. Uncle has a special status, and we cannot afford any mistakes." Zhong Yansheng said solemnly, "Bring your men with me into the mountains, and we must find Uncle tonight."

He really wanted to see Xiao Nong immediately.

Several generals from the Five Army Camps who followed were stunned. They didn't expect that Zhong Yansheng was considering this aspect. Prince Ding has been guarding the border for many years and it has become an invisible wall. The barbarians run away when they see the Black Armored Army. If Xiao Nong really gets into trouble here and the news leaks out, the consequences will be immeasurable.

I didn't expect that the young prince would have such a broad vision and consider so many things.

Everyone looked solemn and followed the order: "Yes!"

After giving the order, Zhong Yansheng rode his horse to separate the branches and headed deep into the forest.

A voice suddenly sounded from behind: "The situation at the border has been settled now, and there won't be any disturbances easily. Your Highness is so anxious to find His Highness Prince Ding, are you really worried that there will be chaos at the border?"

Zhong Yansheng turned around and saw that annoying Wan Zhou again, looking at him with suspicion in his eyes.

He said with a wooden face, "Really? Since you are so confident, if there is a riot at the border, I will ask His Majesty to send you to quell the riot on your behalf."

Wanzhou: “…”

Zhong Yansheng was extremely anxious, so he turned a corner on his horse and was in no mood to pay any more attention to him.

A group of government soldiers had already come in to search. There were a lot of footprints on the ground. Every few meters there was a lit torch with a red ribbon next to it, indicating that the area had been searched.

Zhong Yansheng looked at the boundless mountains and forests in the night and fell into a state of panic and confusion.

How is Xiao Nong doing now?

How to find Xiao Nong?

Red ribbons representing the search were hung everywhere. The mountain path became narrower and narrower as one went deeper into the mountain. Gradually, it was impossible to ride horses. Everyone had to get off their horses and walk on the muddy mountain path. Their clothes were splashed with mud.

The others were fine, but the few black-armored guards protecting him looked at Zhong Yansheng with some embarrassment.

The prince asked them to protect the little prince and obey his orders, but they did not expect Zhong Yansheng to come in person.

At this moment, Zhong Yansheng's trouser legs were covered in mud. The clean little prince really shouldn't appear in such a place.

The black-armored soldiers protecting the surroundings were silent and alert. Suddenly, a black-armored guard looked towards a certain place in the deep forest, drew out his knife with a swish, and blocked a flying arrow: "Who is it!"

Everyone was startled, and drew their swords: "Protect His Highness!"

The next moment, a bright flash of a knife appeared in the dark forest, and a group of people ambushed on the roadside and attacked with knives.

There really is an assassin lurking near Chunfeng Valley, and his target is very clear, it's Zhong Yansheng!

Zhong Yansheng noticed that the clothes they were wearing were exactly the same as those on the pile of corpses outside the forest. Obviously, they were the same group of people who attacked Xiao Nong.

Who wants Xiao Nong's life and his life at the same time?

A possibility popped into Zhong Yansheng's mind, and he clenched the dagger tightly. Amid the roars and the flashing of swords, he hid fearfully behind the guards and black-armored guards and did not run around.

At times like this, it's easier to get caught if you run around in panic.

There weren't many assassins in this group, and they only dared to charge head-on because of the darkness and the forest. Each of the black-armored guards was as strong as ten. Even in unfamiliar terrain, their combat power was stronger than that of ordinary soldiers, and they could be dealt with in a short while...

As this thought popped up in Zhong Yansheng's mind, another group of people appeared out of the corner of his eye!

It was obvious that these people were not working for the same person. There was an embroidered pattern on their sleeves compared to the previous group. After they appeared, they rushed towards the Black Armored Guards without hesitation, and their target was still Zhong Yansheng.

Two groups of people?

Zhong Yansheng was stunned for a moment, and after a brief moment of fear, he quickly calmed down.

He brought with him four hundred black-armored guards, as well as soldiers from the five military camps and the Wanzhou guards from the Jinyiwei. Even if these two groups of assassins attacked together, they could not get close to him due to the heavy protection of the black-armored guards.

It just takes some effort to deal with these people.

Just as he finished his thought, a soldier shouted in panic: "This is weird! Why are there more and more people coming the more we fight?!"

Zhong Yansheng followed in panic: "..."

It wasn't him who called!

Suddenly, another group of people rushed out from behind the crowd!

Different from the first two groups of people, these people's face coverings were gray. They obviously had not expected that two teams of assassins had appeared. After a moment of surprise, they rushed in without hesitation, creating quite a mess.

Unexpectedly, a third group of people appeared. Even the black-armored guards were stunned. They immediately made a decision: "Send the signal! Fight and retreat, and protect His Highness from leaving the forest!"

This time, Zhong Yansheng didn't dare to think about it anymore and just followed them to move the pit.

However, as soon as the signal fireworks were released, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the side and rear!

Wan Zhou finally couldn't hold on any longer, shook off the blood on his knife, and cursed: "Damn it! How many groups of people are hiding in this forest? How did you check these useless people in Baoqing Mansion!"

For the first time, Zhong Yansheng felt that his scolding was right.

However, the situation did not deteriorate. These several groups of assassins appeared out of nowhere. It was unknown whether they were competing for Zhong Yansheng's head, or they had grudges against each other, or some of them just came to stir up trouble. When several groups of people collided with each other, the scene instantly became extremely bloody and chaotic. They were all bloodthirsty and no one paid attention to killing the target first.

The formation protecting him became a little chaotic. Zhong Yansheng looked at the chaotic scene, crouched and quietly retreated. Halfway back, his waist suddenly tightened, and his mouth was covered by a big hand.

Someone grabbed him by the waist and pulled him backwards. Before he could even shout, he was dragged directly into the bushes.

For a moment, Zhong Yansheng felt horrified, his hair stood at the end. Without thinking, he pulled out the dagger from his sleeve and was about to stab him. But halfway through, his hand on his waist tightened again.

Zhong Yansheng was stunned and turned around holding the dagger.

The field of vision was dim, and he could not see the appearance of the person behind him, but he could smell the rusty and bloody smell and the faint bitter and cold fragrance on him.

"Elder brother?"

Zhong Yansheng pulled his mouth free from his palm and called out vaguely. His heart started pounding again, a different kind of rapidity from when he was nervous and scared.

The person behind him said nothing and almost lifted him up. Zhong Yansheng hesitated for a moment and then stood still without moving.

The summer forests were lush’ and the mountain paths were intricate, but the person holding him seemed to be able to see at night. He walked lightly and calmly, quickly retreating from the place where the firelight and the sounds of fighting were intertwined. Someone had already discovered that Zhong Yansheng had been taken away, and there were continuous shouts of shock and anger: "The young prince has been kidnapped!"

The rustling of branches and leaves passed by his ears, interlaced with the sound of heavy breathing. Zhong Yansheng smelled the increasingly strong smell of blood on him, and his heart tightened: "Brother, are you injured? Is it serious? I brought the medicine that Doctor Lou gave me."

Still no response.

Noticing that they seemed to be heading deeper into the forest, Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but ask again after a while: "Brother, where are you taking me? Aren't we going down the mountain?"

The person behind him still didn't say anything. Instead, he covered his mouth as if he was annoyed by the noise. He walked through countless deep forest paths and finally grabbed him and dived into a cave hidden behind dense branches and leaves.

Then Zhong Yansheng felt lighter and was gently placed on the ground.

Zhong Yansheng had a feeling that Xiao Nong's condition seemed not right. After he was finally put down, he immediately took out the fire starter he was carrying at his waist, and with a click, he lit up the surroundings.

This was probably a cave where a hunter had stayed while hunting in the mountains. It wasn't very deep, and there was a layer of straw on the ground, and a pile of firewood that had long been extinguished.

The pair of eyes so close to him were indeed the familiar deep blue color.

Zhong Yansheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Brother, you..."

He was interrupted by someone covering his mouth again when he was halfway through his words.

That handsome face was half bright and half dark in the firelight, and there was no familiar smile in his eyes. Instead, it was covered with a thin layer of red blood mist, appearing chaotic and manic. He covered his mouth and lowered his head. His tall nose rubbed the thin skin on his neck. After closing his eyes and taking a deep sniff, he tilted his head, raised his eyes, and stared at him with an elusive smile.

Zhong Yansheng was frightened by his somewhat frivolous action and froze all over, slowly realizing the danger.

The look in his eyes is not right.

The person in front of him looked at him, and slowly emerging from his eyes was a kind of purely bestial greed and evil desire.

It was unlike the way Xiao Nong usually looked at him.

It was more like a wild beast that had just brought its prey back to its cave and was thinking about where to start.

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