Everyone who leaves the Yao residence, even the maids and servants in charge of purchasing, will be closely watched to prevent Yao Yuzhi from being disguised and taken out of the city.
Not to mention that if Yao Yuzhi herself went out in a carriage, she would definitely be followed the whole way and would never be able to step out of the city gate.
However, Yao Yuzhi has never considered escaping, nor has she done anything that could cause misunderstanding. Wei Chi's sudden addition of sentries seems rather strange.
After much deliberation, Yao Yuzhi could only come up with one possibility.
"Is your prince... coming to the capital?"
This was actually a veiled question; what he really meant was, "Is your prince going to turn against the court and completely break ties?"
Only under such circumstances would the person in the palace worry that the King of Qin might send someone to rescue him, lest he be captured and held hostage in the future, affecting his attack on the capital.
The tighter guarding was likely due to the fear of a rescue attempt; otherwise, Yao Yuzhi couldn't think of any other reason.
Chen Miao shook her head: "We have never received such news, and if the prince really wanted to come, there would be no way that the news would be leaked so easily. We didn't even know before His Majesty's people found out."
So it's definitely not what Yao Yuzhi thought.
But if it wasn't a falling out with the court, nor was it Yao Yuzhi's own attempt to escape, then why did he suddenly make such a big move?
Puzzled, Chen Miao wrote a letter after leaving Yao Yuzhi's room, detailing the recent events, and then secretly entrusted it to others remaining in the capital to deliver.
Now that the Yao residence is surrounded like an iron barrel, he is afraid that if he or Chen Tian go out to deliver a message, something might happen in the courtyard, so he does not dare to leave the capital easily.
Wei Hong had already left Shangchuan to secretly persuade the generals near Hutou Village. His whereabouts were kept secret, and even his own people did not know where he was.
The messenger only realized that Cui Hao was no longer there when he was about to enter Shangchuan territory, so he turned back and headed towards the border, heading straight for Cui Hao's location, intending to deliver the letter to him.
…………
Wounded soldiers were sent away in batches, and then another batch arrived, seemingly without end.
At first, Yao Youqing was afraid and dared not approach, but later she was able to take it calmly and even helped out when there were not enough people.
She had studied medicine with Li Tai and his wife for a few days. Although she was not good at pulse diagnosis, she could still do some simple bandaging and identify common herbs.
Another batch of wounded soldiers arrived that day. After working hard, she was covered in blood, but she didn't have time to change. When she finally had a chance to rest for a while, she went outside to get some fresh air.
When Zhou Mama saw that her clothes were stained with blood, she said, "Your Highness, shall I help you to the carriage to change your clothes?"
Yao Youqing shook her head: "If we change it, it might get dirty again later. Let's just wait until we get back to the manor to decide."
These ladies from noble families and noble households had to change their clothes immediately if they got even a little dirty when they went out, otherwise they would lose face and dignity.
But in this situation, who cares about such things?
She looked at the people coming and going on the street. Everyone was in a hurry, and the leisure of the past was gone. Even though the shops were still operating as usual, and there were still people singing on the stage of the teahouse and tavern, many things were different from before.
Looking around now, only those young, ignorant children can still cry or laugh over a sugar figurine or a clay doll.
"I really hope this war can end soon..."
She murmured.
If the war ends, there will be no more homeless refugees, no more bloodshed and wounded soldiers, and the people will be able to return to their peaceful and tranquil lives.
Liancheng followed behind her, listening to her soft whispers, his gaze sweeping across the street before he lowered his eyes and head.
A battle between Wei Hong and the Emperor of Liang is inevitable; they just lack a plausible pretext.
Wei Chi lacked an excuse to send troops to Shuozhou, while Wei Hong lacked an excuse to attack Wei Chi.
They were both waiting, waiting to find a solid weakness in each other, to strike a fatal blow and give the other no chance to breathe.
They will remain deadlocked until they find an excuse, but if the deadlock lasts too long, it will not benefit either of them. Instead, it will allow Nan Yan and Da Jin to gain an advantage.
So Liancheng estimated that it wouldn't drag on for too long, but in the end, who would win and who would lose...
Liancheng looked up again at Yao Youqing's back, lost in thought.
If Wei Hong wins, everything will be as Yao Youqing wishes, and things will return to normal.
If Wei Chi wins... she, the former princess, will likely not have a good ending.
Given the Emperor of Liang's past habit of colluding with enemy states to send people to kidnap her, she might have been imprisoned in the palace and become his plaything.
Judging from the current situation, if Wei Chi gains the upper hand, Wei Hong will have little chance of winning under the attack from three sides.
Liancheng's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a dark look flashed across his face.
He was a little slower and lagged behind Yao Youqing by a few steps. He didn't catch up with her and Zhou's mother when they turned a corner. Only after they turned did he see a young child standing in front of Yao Youqing, talking to her.
The child was very young, about four or five years old. When Yao Youqing spoke to him, she lowered her head, and no one paid attention, so no one saw him slip a note into Yao Youqing's hand.
Yao Youqing was puzzled and wanted to ask the child something, but the child seemed to be watching from behind and turned around and ran away.
Madam Zhou frowned and asked, "Your Highness, what is written on this?"
Yao Youqing shook her head and opened the note in front of her. The words that came into view made both of them freeze at the same time, standing there motionless for a long time.
Footsteps approached from behind, startling Yao Youqing. She turned around and saw that it was the mute Ashu following her. She breathed a sigh of relief and nervously swallowed before saying to Zhou Mama, "Zhou Mama, I'm tired. I'd like to go home early today."
Mother Zhou quickly agreed and helped her walk towards the carriage.
Just as they were about to reach the carriage, Yao Youqing accidentally twisted her ankle next to a stone block. She squatted down for a moment before being helped by Zhou Mama to continue walking forward and get into the carriage.
Liancheng followed behind them and vaguely saw Yao Youqing seemingly take something from under the stone block, like a letter, but he wasn't sure.
He was puzzled but didn't dare to ask, so he went back with the car, thinking he would have his men investigate what had happened to the child earlier.
…………
Yao Youqing didn't take out the letter the whole way. It wasn't until she returned to the manor and was alone in the room with Zhou Mama that she opened the letter with trembling hands. Next to the letter was the note that the child had just given her, which read: "If you want Lord Yao to be safe, don't make a fuss. Go to the stone block in front of the carriage and get the letter yourself."
It seems that the messenger couldn't deliver the letter to her in person, so he came up with this method.
Yao Youqing didn't know who wrote the letter, but after opening it and glancing at it, she knew who had sent it.
"His Majesty actually... actually sent you to the capital to testify against the prince?"
Mrs. Zhou looked horrified, but dared not speak loudly; her lips trembled as she spoke.
This letter was not written by Wei Chi himself, but the contents must have been his personal instructions.
The first half of the letter recounted the many hardships and frustrations he had faced since ascending the throne. Only in the second half did he begin to write about how the Prince of Qin had formed cliques, amassed a large army, and become too powerful. He had previously sent troops to attack Hengshui without cause, which displeased the Great Jin and led to frequent battles on the border of Shangchuan. This also attracted the Southern Yan, which wanted to get a share of the spoils, which resulted in the current situation where the entire Shuozhou was besieged.
It was also said that the King of Qin was arrogant, conceited, suspicious, and unwilling to let the imperial army come to his aid, insisting on fighting the enemy alone, thus plunging the people of Shuozhou into danger.
If she, as the Queen Consort of Qin, were willing to personally testify against the King of Qin, then the court could legitimately strip him of his title and military power.
At that time, the King of Qin will no longer command the army, and the court will send people to Shuozhou. The war will soon be over, and she will be able to return to the capital to reunite with her father.
"Is he...is he looking at us like we're all idiots?"
It is clear that the imperial court refused to send a single soldier to aid Shuozhou and has been hindering the efforts from behind, yet now it is turning right and wrong upside down and shifting all the blame onto the prince.
Yao Youqing's face turned deathly pale, her gaze fixed on the latter half of the letter, especially the last few sentences.
The Grand Tutor deeply misses his sister Yao, and grows increasingly thin from worrying that she is not doing well in Shangchuan. I feel the same way.
She completely ignored the last three words, but the sentence before them gripped her heart.
"He is threatening me."
She said in a trembling voice, her eyes reddening.
Wei Chi knew her too well; he knew she was worried about her father and couldn't bear the prolonged war and the resulting bloodshed.
He used both threats and inducements to get her to return to the capital on her own initiative, so that he wouldn't have to go to great lengths to send someone to bring her back.
Mrs. Zhou suddenly realized: "No wonder...no wonder he went to so much trouble to try and kidnap you last time! So that's what he was planning!"
Previously, Wei Chi colluded with the Southern Yan and the Great Jin to lure the enemy away from their mountain stronghold, and attempted to kidnap Yao Youqing while Wei Hong was away.
At the time, Wei Hong and others thought he had lost his mind. How could a ruler of a country do such a thing for the sake of personal feelings?
It turns out that he wasn't just after his personal feelings for his children, but also to get rid of the thorn in his side.
Even though Yao Youqing was betrothed to Wei Hong by the late emperor, and even though Wei Hong had a long-standing feud with her father, once she married him, she would be the Princess Consort of Qin. This status was recorded in the imperial register, and no one could change it.
With the Queen of Qin personally testifying that the King of Qin had amassed an army and repeatedly left his fiefdom without permission, what could be more compelling testimony?
Even without other evidence, what does it matter? Her identity and the words she spoke in front of the entire court are enough.
Chapter 99 Bachelor
As spring warmed, Yao Youqing felt a chill run through her body because of the letter in her hand.
The chill spread from her fingertips to her arms, then permeated her entire body, reaching straight into her heart and lungs.
Looking at her trembling fingers, Zhou's mother reached out and took their hand.
"Your Highness, the Prince has sent people to protect the Master in the capital! He'll be fine!"
Yao Youqing shook his head: "His Majesty is the ruler of a country and the master of Daliang. Even if he cannot send someone to break into the house to murder my father without a reason, he can find an excuse to summon him to the palace."
"Once you enter the palace... your life or death will be entirely up to him."
Even though Wei Hong's men could protect Yao Yuzhi at the Yao residence, they could not prevent Wei Chi from summoning him to the palace, nor could they accompany him into the palace.
Yao Yuzhi is quite old, and her health has been poor ever since her daughter got married. She also has a limp, which is common knowledge in the capital.
Even if Wei Chi really kills him then, he can just make up some excuse, like he died of illness or accidentally fell and injured himself, and no one can say anything about it.
There was no one left in the Yao family; no relatives would stand up for him.
Even if Yao Yuzhi was a veteran of three reigns and had many old friends, no one would question the emperor for his sake without evidence.
Of course, he wouldn't do anything to Yao Youqing until she went to the capital.
If Yao Yuzhi were really dead, he would no longer be able to threaten her.
Tears welled up in Yao Youqing's eyes. She put down the letter and leaned weakly into Zhou's mother's arms.
“Mother Zhou, my father… devoted his whole life to the imperial court, and he never slackened his efforts even when my mother and brothers passed away.”
"But...is this all he got in return for his loyalty, his dedication, and his decades of hard work and diligence?"
In return, the late emperor planned to marry off his only daughter to a distant place before his death.
In return, His Majesty is now using his life to threaten his daughter?
Tears welled up in Zhou's mother's eyes as she reached out and gently patted her shoulder and back, but she didn't know how to comfort her.