0p0 Chapter 264 Alone
Chapter 264 Alone
She was very worried about Mao Mao, and even though she was heavily pregnant and there was a possibility of danger, she was determined to save Mao Mao.
Moreover, the letter mentioned that she should come after lunch, not in the evening, which shows that the other party knew that Wei Jianning was not at the Crown Prince's residence at this time. Even if she sent someone to inform him, there wouldn't be enough time by the time he returned.
It seems she will be traveling alone this time.
She gently stroked her lower abdomen and murmured to herself:
"My child, come with me today to rescue your Uncle Mao Mao. You must stay safe and sound in my belly."
She took a deep breath, changed into some simple clothes, tied on her cloak, and stepped out the door.
Seeing this, Ah Qi quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"Master, where are you going?"
"I feel a bit stuffy, I'm going out for a walk."
"Then I will accompany you."
"No need. My elder brother isn't in the manor. Please keep an eye on Tang Jun. I'll be back in a bit."
"But the Crown Prince ordered me and Xiangxiu to stay by your side at all times."
"I won't go far, I'll just wander around the alleyway at the back gate, and I'll be back in a bit."
Seeing her resolute attitude, Ah Qi had no choice but to nod in agreement, but she still gave her some instructions:
"Then you'd better come back soon."
"I see."
After dealing with Ah Qi, she headed straight for the back gate of the Crown Prince's residence.
Jingyi Garden
Zhu Fangfei sat in the main hall of Jingyi Garden, looking at Xiaoru and Xiaoyuan standing in front of her, and asked them sternly:
"Tell me, what's going on?"
Xiaoru and Xiaoyuan shook their heads together.
"Miss, this really has nothing to do with us."
"Aren't you going to tell the truth?"
Xiaoru looked at her with a troubled expression.
“What truth are you asking us to tell, Miss? Last night, we took turns keeping watch outside the door. When we got sleepy in the middle of the night, we went to sleep in the side room. We didn’t go out at all. Besides, we have no grudge against that child. Why would we kidnap him?”
Xiaoyuan nodded in agreement, looking quite aggrieved.
"That's right, miss, why would we kidnap that child? You've wronged us, we didn't do anything."
"Of all the Crown Prince's residence, you two are the prime suspects. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
Xiaoru and Xiaoyuan shook their heads together.
"I don't know, this really has nothing to do with us."
Zhu Fangfei glared at them impatiently.
"Go down!"
Xiaoru and Xiaoyuan exchanged a glance, then turned and left.
Zhu Fangfei lay on the bed fully clothed, her brows slightly furrowed. Although this matter had nothing to do with them, she was still good friends with Mao Mao. He was missing, and as his friend, she couldn't just sit here and wait to die.
Thinking of this, she sat up in bed and quickly went out the door.
Xiaoru and Xiaoyuan tried to follow, but she stopped them.
She turned and glared at them, angrily rebuking them:
"Stop right there, and nobody follow me."
"Miss, where are you going?"
"It's none of your business. Anyone who follows me will be sent back to the Grand Commandant's mansion."
Upon hearing her words, Xiaoru and Xiaoyuan both stopped in their tracks, not daring to approach.
She then quickly left Jingyi Garden and headed towards the main courtyard.
On the way, she ran into Ah Qi and hurried over to ask him what was wrong.
"Has Mao Mao been found?"
Ah Qi shook his head.
"We've searched inside and outside the mansion, but we can't find it."
"And what about the Crown Princess?"
She said it was stuffy inside and wanted to go for a walk.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Fangfei seemed to realize something and pressed for an answer:
"Where did she go?"
Ah Qi pointed to the back door.
"There's a small market at the entrance of the alley outside the back gate."
Zhu Fangfei didn't have time to respond and quickly ran towards the back door.
After arriving at the main street alone, Lan Zhi found a donkey cart by the roadside, negotiated a price, and headed straight for the east of the city.
After arriving at the grove east of the city, she sent the donkey cart she had come from back home. Alone and heavily pregnant, she stood in the grove, looking around. Suddenly, an arrow flew past her eyes.
Clutching her stomach with one hand, she dodged the arrow in a flash and shouted urgently:
"Who goes there? Where's Mao Mao?"
She looked around nervously, trying to find the origin of the arrow, also fearing that danger might strike at any moment.
Suddenly, a cry for help came from beside me.
"Sister...I'm here...help me..."
After listening carefully, she confirmed that it was Mao Mao's voice.
"Momo, Momo, where are you?"
She followed the sound, calling out as she went.
"Mao Mao, where are you?"
"Sister, save me, sister..."
Mao Mao's voice became clearer and clearer, and she became more and more anxious.
But her current physical condition doesn't allow her to walk quickly; she can only walk and call out at the same time.
As she approached, a cliff appeared ahead. Startled, she stopped in her tracks and looked down to see Mao Mao dangling in mid-air by a rope as thick as a finger, his face covered in blood…
"Mao Mao..."
She looked at him anxiously, and Mao Mao, hearing her call, also looked up.
When he saw Lan Zhi clearly, he immediately mustered all his strength and cried out:
"Sister, was I dreaming? Was it really you calling me?"
It turned out that, in his dazed state, Mao Mao heard Lan Zhi calling his name. He thought he was dreaming, but unexpectedly, his sister actually appeared before his eyes.
However, he immediately realized something and shook his head vigorously.
"Sister, you need to leave quickly, it's dangerous here, don't come any closer."
As Lan Zhi searched for a place to get down, she instructed him:
"Don't be afraid, Mao Mao, your sister is here to save you."
"Sister, don't come down! Those bad people are just trying to use me to hurt you. Don't fall for their tricks! Don't come down! Don't come down!"
"Hahaha……"
Before Mao Mao could finish speaking, a loud, earth-shattering laugh suddenly erupted from behind.
Lan Zhi turned around and saw two men in black standing behind her, only their eyes visible. One of them was holding a bow and arrow, aiming at the rope that tied Mao Mao to.
She shook her head and angrily rebuked:
"What are you going to do?"
"Hmph! I'll give you two choices: either you die and jump off here, or he dies, and the arrow in his hand hits that rope, and this child will plummet off the cliff, his brains splattered and his flesh mangled. You choose!"
The other party's words were cruel, making Lan Zhi grit her teeth in hatred.
The cliff is so high that either she or Mao Mao would surely die if they fell.
"Sister, don't worry about me, just leave here, don't worry about me."
She turned around, looked at the almost dying Mao Mao, and burst into tears of heartache.
"Mao Mao, I promised your mother I would take good care of you, and I won't break my promise."
The man in black threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha! Alright, since you want to protect him, then jump off here. I guarantee I won't hurt a hair on his head and will make sure he gets to the Crown Prince's residence safely."
Lan Zhi clenched her fists hidden in her sleeves, glared at the two men in black, and angrily questioned them.
"Fine, I can jump from here, but you have to let me know who wants me dead?"
"Hmph! Lots of people want you dead. Go ask the King of Hell yourself!"
At this point, the man in black impatiently shouted, "I'm counting down from five now. If you don't jump, this arrow will hit that rope..."
Clearly, the man in black wanted to resolve this battle, which he had already won without losing a single soldier, as quickly as possible.
At this moment, Lan Zhi was also trying hard to think of a way to break the curse.
She had just looked around and saw that there were only the two men in black there, which meant they knew killing her, a pregnant woman, would be a piece of cake.