Wen Yuxi shook his head. "No need. If he dares to come, he must have made thorough preparations. Moreover, if what he says is true, then he must not know Jingzhou well, so we cannot alert him. As long as His Majesty is rescued, what does it matter if he is friend or foe?" Shen Yunxuan nodded. "Since that's the case, what are your plans?"
"I plan to take a few people to Jingzhou tonight," Wen Yuxi said.
Shen Yunxuan was startled. "If you go to Jingzhou, who will be in charge here?"
Wen Yuxi looked at him, his gaze somewhat deep. Shen Yunxuan frowned and instinctively retreated. "Wen Yuxi, you... what are you thinking of doing?"
Wen Yuxi frowned upon hearing this. "Are you misunderstanding? What could I possibly be thinking of doing? Of course, you will be in charge of the capital."
"Wen Yuxi, you..."
"His Majesty will return soon, and then you will be free."
Shen Yunxuan gritted his teeth upon hearing this. "Then you must hurry."
"Don't worry," Wen Yuxi said. After discussing some plans and defenses with Shen Yunxuan, he left with peace of mind.
Shen Yunxuan watched Wen Yuxi's departing back, resting his hand on his forehead and hoping that the Empress would be alright.
"Guards." Shen Yunxuan called out towards the outside.
A moment later, a person entered. It was his personal guard, Shen Fei. "My lord, what is your command?"
"Go and escort Madam into the palace," Shen Yunxuan said.
Shen Fei nodded. "Yes, this subordinate will go and escort Madam now."
After Shen Fei left, Shen Yunxuan inexplicably felt a sense of unease in his heart, a feeling he couldn't quite articulate, making him feel very uncomfortable.
As evening approached and Shen Fei had not returned to report, Shen Yunxuan could no longer sit still. He took the Imperial Guard token left to him by Wen Yuxi and, with a troop of Imperial Guards led by Commander Wei, headed towards the Shen manor.
The entrance to the Shen manor was unusually quiet. Just as Shen Yunxuan was about to step forward and push the door open, he was stopped by an Imperial Guard. "Lord Shen, allow this subordinate to knock."
Shen Yunxuan nodded. The guard first knocked on the main door of the Shen manor. There was no response, and no one opened the door.
"Lord Shen, why not climb over the wall directly?" a guard suggested.
Shen Yunxuan nodded, and then he and the others entered the Shen manor's courtyard by climbing over the wall. The courtyard was empty. Even the maids, usually seen around, were gone. The Shen manor was now completely silent, as if no one had ever lived there.
Shen Yunxuan was startled. Forgetting everything else, he rushed towards Madam Shen's room, with the Imperial Guards following closely behind him.
The room was empty. Shen Yunxuan walked in step by step, his hand slamming down on the table. The force was so great that it shook the teapot on the table, causing it to fall to the ground.
"Lord Shen, this tea is still hot."
An Imperial Guard suddenly spoke. Shen Yunxuan lowered his head and looked at the broken teapot on the floor.
The autumn wind was cold. The large door was open, and the chilly autumn breeze blew in, causing the tea flowing on the ground to emit some steam.
Shen Yunxuan squatted down and touched the tea on the ground. It was still warm. This could only mean one thing: when she left, the tea had just been freshly brewed.
"Lord Shen..."
"Go and chase them! They haven't gone far..." Shen Yunxuan roared in a low voice.
The Imperial Guards did not dare to delay. A small group was dispatched to search outside, while the rest followed Shen Yunxuan.
Shen Yunxuan slumped onto a chair, wondering who had kidnapped Madam Zhou.
Madam Zhou had no enemies; who would do this to her? And for what purpose?
"My lord, Lord Shi Lang requests an audience!"
Shen Yunxuan nodded. "Let him in."
Soon, Shi Lang entered and asked in a low voice, "Lord Shen, I heard that Madam Shen..."
"Yes, she has been kidnapped," Shen Yunxuan said.
Shi Lang frowned upon hearing this. "My lord, my wife said that Madam Shen is pregnant."
Shen Yunxuan trembled. "Lord Shi, what did you say?"
He stood up, almost grabbing Shi Lang's collar, and asked each word slowly.
Shi Lang replied, "It was just after my lord heard of Madam Shen's disappearance that my wife told me. My wife is also very worried about Madam Shen. If Madam Shen is pregnant, my lord must make preparations for tonight."
Shen Yunxuan's gaze froze, his expression stiffening. There was a hidden meaning in Shi Lang's words.
However, he could not refute it. At this moment, with Madam Zhou being kidnapped, it was likely that someone had been targeting him, Shen Yunxuan, for a long time. This plan was executed after Wen Yuxi's departure.
At this point, Shen Yunxuan calmed down. He had to remain calm. Besides rescuing Madam Zhou, the safety of the capital was in his hands, which was why Shi Lang was asking him this.
"Lord Shi, I have already made preparations," he gritted out the words.
Shi Lang looked at him and said slowly, "Does my lord know what these preparations entail?"
"This official... knows," Shen Yunxuan said softly.
Upon hearing this, Shi Lang suddenly knelt down and bowed his head. "This subordinate thanks you, Lord Shen, on behalf of the people of the capital."
Shen Yunxuan looked up towards the distance. He had sacrificed Madam Zhou and their child. Would Madam Zhou hate him?
"My lord, someone has delivered a letter," an Imperial Guard hurried in and handed a letter to Shen Yunxuan.
Shen Yunxuan took it and opened the letter. It only had a few words: "If you want your wife, meet me at Sui Xin Restaurant in the city at midnight!"
"My lord..."
Shen Yunxuan handed the letter to Shi Lang. Shi Lang took it, his gaze deepening. "My lord..."
"I will go," Shen Yunxuan said.
"My lord..."
"Lord Shi, after I leave, the capital will be entrusted to you," Shen Yunxuan said calmly to Shi Lang.
Shi Lang nodded. "My lord, rest assured, this subordinate will not disappoint you."
"Mother, where have we arrived?" Xue Xingyue opened her eyes and looked at herself in the carriage, unable to resist asking her mother.
Xue Zining held Xue Xingyue in her arms and said, "We have already arrived in Jingzhou. We will stay here tonight and continue our journey tomorrow." If they continued like this, they would reach the capital in about three to five days.
She wondered how Wen Yuxi and Shen Yunxuan were doing.
However, along the way, she saw that the people were living in peace and contentment, and she knew that Wen Yuxi had succeeded.
The carriage stopped in front of an inn. Xue Jingyun had booked a room, and Xue Zining carried the two children into the room.
As soon as they had settled, they heard a knock on the door. Xue Zining placed the two children on the bed and then went to open the door. Outside was a waiter carrying food. The waiter smiled and said, "Madam, your husband asked me to bring the food over. Please..."
"Just give it to me," Xue Zining took it and closed the door.
"Mother, I'm hungry." Xue Xingyue climbed down from the bed and was about to go to the stool, but she was too young, and the stool was too high for her to climb onto.
"Mother, carry me up." Xue Xingyue's face was puffed out in anger. Seeing Xingchen easily climb onto the stool, she was unhappy.