Hu Yonghao had not expected that even after stopping Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu, he would be praised by Mu Changxi.
He lowered his head a little sheepishly. Mu Changxi didn't say much more, merely strolling towards the estate, "Let's go. The longer we delay, the greater the danger to Prince Wen."
Hu Yonghao indeed followed behind them. Seeing Mu Changxi naturally take Song Chaoyu's hand, he felt a pang of emotion, thinking that the rumors in the capital about the Chang King's Consort being an unvirtuous woman were all false.
They proceeded towards Ping An Zhuang. Every scene they passed evoked a sense of familiarity in Song Chaoyu.
She remembered everything here from the rare occasions she and Mu Changxi had visited in the past.
Unlike the changing seasons in the capital, these estates seemed to have remained unchanged, forever retaining their original appearance from memory.
Hu Hongyao, being in charge of the guards, was very clear about the situation within the estate.
He informed Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu that there were many wells in the estate, but only two were dry.
The first was in the ancestral hall at the end of the estate, but that dry well had long since been filled in, so Prince Wen should not be there.
The other dry well was located at the foot of the hill behind the estate.
That dry well had not been used for many years, and very few people in the estate knew of its existence.
Even Hu Yonghao had discovered it only once while patrolling the estate, leading a team to investigate meticulously, only to find that there was indeed a dry well in that location.
Therefore, if Prince Wen was truly there, Hu Yonghao could basically confirm that he had a "spy" among his subordinates! And this person was very likely among those who had investigated with Hu Yonghao at the time.
If this were the case, their "target" would be significantly narrowed down.
As they spoke, they had already entered the depths of Ping An Zhuang.
The estate was currently in the midst of the busy farming season, and most of the villagers had gone to the orchards.
Only the old, weak, women, and children remained in the estate. They seemed to have a good relationship with Hu Yonghao, and wherever he passed, someone would greet him.
Song Chaoyu thought of the estate where they had lived before, and missed Little Monkey and Little Peach even more.
Hu Yonghao led them all the way to the small hill at the very back of the estate. It was deserted here, with no villagers, and even the sounds from the estate could not be heard.
Hu Yonghao pointed to a patch of bushes, "That dry well is behind the bushes. Your Highness, shall we go and take a look?"
"Zing—"
However, as soon as Hu Yonghao finished speaking, Mu Changxi drew the soft sword from his waist and pressed it against Hu Yonghao's throat!
His action startled Hu Yonghao, who stood frozen, not daring to move, "Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?"
But Song Chaoyu also noticed that Hu Yonghao's right hand had already rested on the hilt of the sword at his side.
Mu Changxi said nothing. Even Song Chaoyu felt that things were going too smoothly, "Commander Hu, don't you think your attitude towards us is inconsistent? On one hand, you sternly refused us at first. On the other hand, you acted as if you deeply admired His Highness and were willing to let him in. The sudden shift in your demeanor, and your earnest attempt to appear as a loyal minister, do you think we would believe this would proceed so smoothly?"
Sometimes, when things are too smooth, it makes one feel suspicious.
Song Chaoyu had no concrete evidence, but she had felt from the beginning that Hu Yonghao was not right.
If nothing had happened to them after following Hu Yonghao this far, then the dry well must be problematic.
Hu Yonghao had never imagined that his meticulous disguise would be seen through by Mu Changxi!
His brows furrowed deeply, "Your Highness, the Consort has judged your subordinate to be problematic based solely on her feelings. I fear I cannot accept this."
He was truly unwilling to admit defeat until he saw the truth.
Mu Changxi sneered, "Do you truly think I don't know whose person you are?"
Mu Changxi gestured for Song Chaoyu to step forward. Song Chaoyu understood his intention and pulled Hu Yonghao's hand backward—
Hu Yonghao instinctively struggled.
However, Mu Changxi's soft sword dug deeper into Hu Yonghao's neck!
Blood instantly gushed from Hu Yonghao's neck.
In pain, he stopped struggling and could only allow Song Chaoyu to disarm him of the long sword at his waist and cast it aside.
Mu Changxi's voice rang out again, "You are the Empress's person, aren't you?"
The Empress? The Crown Prince's birth mother?!
This was something Song Chaoyu had not expected. Why would the Empress's people be working against them?
After all, they had always supported the Crown Prince!
Upon hearing this, Hu Yonghao merely snorted and turned his face away.
Mu Changxi subtly moved the soft sword in his hand, forcing Hu Yonghao to face the direction of Ping An Zhuang's entrance.
His eyes were icy, "Don't wait any longer. From the moment you came with us, the people outside have been surrounded by the Eastern Palace guards. No one will come to save you."
"This is impossible!"
Hu Yonghao could not believe it. He looked at Mu Changxi in disbelief, "How is this possible?! Eastern Palace guards? The Crown Prince actually gave you command of the Eastern Palace guards?! But the Empress is the Crown Prince's mother!"
So the Crown Prince already knew the Empress's intentions?
Mu Changxi lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the dry well, "If you don't believe me, I can naturally wait here."
"Why?!"
Hu Yonghao looked at Mu Changxi with utter confusion, "Why would the Crown Prince favor you?!"
"I also want to ask, why?"
Mu Changxi's eyes held a hint of pain, "Why does the Empress treat me like this? I have always been devoted to the Crown Prince—"
"Hmph, who knows?"
At this point, Hu Yonghao had nothing left to hide.
He cast a cold glance at Mu Changxi and revealed the Empress's intention, "Now you are devoted to the Crown Prince, but who knows what will happen in the future? Moreover, your legs have recovered, and you helped His Majesty quell Mu Hansu's rebellion. It is not impossible for you to surpass the Crown Prince in the future! There can only be one Crown Prince in the Great Yue Dynasty. The Empress is merely taking precautions early!"
Heartbreak.
At this moment, Song Chaoyu felt nothing but this emotion.
She believed that Mu Changxi's heartbreak would be even greater than hers.
Mu Changxi sneered, as if he had long grown accustomed to the coldness of palace relationships, "So the Empress intends to eliminate me before things are settled? And to achieve this, she is willing to exchange with Mu Hansu and lure me to this place, is that right?"
"Exactly!"
Hu Yonghao raised his head, seemingly believing that the Empress had done nothing wrong, "For the Crown Prince, the Empress can do anything!"
Therefore, it was logical that the South Prefecture tribute shrimp, which others could not obtain, was sent from the Empress's hands to the imperial prison.