The word "again" reveals too many secrets.
Wu Hui and Shang, who were sitting in front of the low table, looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
Wushuang looked in the direction of the sound and realized that there were more than just her and Chu Yao in the tent.
The two sisters, along with their respective maids, were all present.
Then I recalled what she had just said...
This is truly a situation where even jumping into the Yellow River ten times wouldn't clear my name.
Wushuang was both embarrassed and annoyed. She jumped up, clutching her blanket, and quickly chose to change the subject over arguing: "I'm so hungry! We hunted a lot of game today. Let's go eat roast pork quickly, and we can also spread fresh honey on our hands because Brother Bo picked a beehive from the tree..."
Speaking of Wang Hongbo reminds me of Chu Wan.
At that time, Yunmo ran into the woods out of control, and then she was entangled by Gesang, almost losing her innocence. Under such dangerous circumstances, she naturally couldn't spare any attention to Chu Wan. She wondered how Chu Wan was doing now and whether she had returned to the camp safely.
“Chu Yao…” Wu Shuang stopped flailing her legs, clutching the blanket and looking at Chu Yao helplessly and guiltily, “Wanwan, she…”
Chu Yao must have trusted her to allow Chu Wan to go hunting with her and Brother Bo without any attendants. Regardless of the reason for getting separated from Chu Wan, she still lost her and betrayed his trust.
"It's alright." Chu Yao rubbed Wu Shuang's head. "I learned from Wu Hui that He Yao and the Gesang siblings conspired to harm you, so they arranged for many spies to keep watch outside the woods. They saw Wanwan and Wang Hongbo meet up together."
It's truly unparalleled luck.
Emperor Deqing originally planned to go out for three days, but he was getting old and felt unwell halfway through the trip, so he changed his plans and returned to the camp.
Therefore, Chu Yao learned about He Yao and others' conspiracy from Lu An in the afternoon.
He could certainly strike first and help Wushuang avoid this disaster. However, that alone wouldn't teach the instigators a lesson; he would still have to constantly guard against their next move. [80] It's said that you can be a thief for a thousand years, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand years, so he arranged for a thorough surveillance of Wushuang, He Yao, and the Gesang siblings, ready to react only after they made their move. This way, he could ensure Wushuang's safety while also preventing them from harming anyone else.
As for her younger sister Chu Wan, she is not their target; all they need to do is ensure that someone accompanies her back to the camp.
Although Chu Yao had never quite liked Wang Hongbo, he was a trusted adopted son personally raised by Jun Shu, and his character and abilities were reliable. Therefore, Chu Yao had instructed beforehand that if Chu Wan could find Wang Hongbo herself, the people keeping watch on him would no longer need to be involved. If they were too conspicuous and made a big fuss, it might alert He Yao and the others, causing them to change their actions, and they might not be able to gain the upper hand next time. This was to ensure everything went smoothly.
Upon hearing this, Wushuang felt relieved. With Brother Bo taking care of her, Chu Wan would surely be safe and sound.
"Have they come back yet?" Wushuang patted her little belly. She had tried to change the subject earlier, but now she really felt her stomach rumbling with hunger. "All the game we hunted is with Brother Bo..."
Before she could finish speaking, the curtain was lifted, and a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old with an oval face walked in, led by Yuanxiao.
Wushuang recognized her as Liu'er, Chu Wan's maid, and thought that Chu Wan had sent her to call for someone. However, Liu'er's eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked anxious and uneasy. She even forgot to greet Wushuang and her sister and quickly came to Chu Yao and said, "Your Highness, it's terrible! The little princess has not returned yet."
From the moment it got dark, Liu'er sent her maid to the Jun family to inquire whether Chu Wan had returned to the camp, or if she hadn't gone back to her own tent because she was with Wu Shuang. However, each time the maid returned, she said that neither the young princess nor the third young lady of the Jun family had returned. Liu'er grew increasingly worried, so she simply had the maid wait outside the Jun family's tent for news.
Liu'er was personally chosen by Consort Jing for Chu Wan. Clever and quick-witted, she immediately suspected something had happened when she heard that the third daughter of the Jun family had been carried back by her own prince, while the young princess Chu Wan and the Jun family's adopted son, Wang Hongbo, who had gone on the trip with her, were nowhere to be seen. Although Chu Wan might not be in any serious danger, it wouldn't look good if word got out that the young girl wasn't home in the middle of the night. Knowing she couldn't delay, Liu'er immediately ran to Chu Yao for help.
Upon hearing this, Wushuang jumped out of bed, hurriedly put on her little leather boots, and was about to run outside: "Let's go find Wanwan quickly."
We are referring, of course, to her and Chu Yao.
Chu Yao was also worried because his younger sister hadn't returned so late, but he was a man of the world and didn't panic. He pulled Wushuang aside and said, "I'll go. You should rest for a while. She's with Wang Hongbo, nothing serious will happen. At most, she might have gotten lost."
Wu Shuang, however, was not happy. Ignoring Chu Yao's objections, she jogged and followed him out of the tent.
Chu Yao's horse was still parked in front of the tent, but Yun Mo had already been led back to the stable by the Jun family's guards. Wu Shuang was about to instruct the guards to prepare the horse when she saw Chu Yao say with a stern face, "You coming along will not only be of no help, but will also cause trouble. I will have to take care of you, which will definitely delay the search for people."
Wushuang felt very wronged, her lips drooped, and her brows furrowed: "I'm very good at riding horses, I don't need you to take care of me."
"But what if something unexpected happens? You didn't expect what would happen when you left home this morning, did you?"
Chu Yao refused to budge.
He still had a backup plan for dealing with He Yao and the others; success or failure hinged on tonight. Therefore, he also needed to guard against a counterattack. Taking Wushuang out of the camp at this time, wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, would be tantamount to giving his opponents an easy advantage. Chu Yao wouldn't do something so foolish.
“Listen to me, I’m worried about Gesang’s side retaliating. Go back to your tent and stay with Wu Hui and the others. I’ve transferred a team from Lingguang Guard to keep watch over them.” Chu Yao made it clear.
Wushuang was reasonable enough that she stopped insisting after hearing what Chu Yao said. She just reminded him, "You should be careful too. I heard that there are still soldiers from the Northern Frontier brought by the Grand Princess stationed outside the camp."
"Yes, don't worry, I'll bring guards with me," Chu Yao said.
Wushuang was slightly relieved and watched Chu Yao ride away before obediently returning to her tent.
In the cold, windy woods, Chu Wan suddenly fell off her horse.
The ground was covered with withered leaves, so it didn't hurt too much, but it startled her and she couldn't help but scream "Ouch!"
Wang Hongbo was concentrating on identifying the road when he heard the sound. He immediately turned around, held up a torch in his left hand, and peered forward. He saw Chu Wan curled up pitifully on the withered leaves, motionless, looking like a lifeless kitten.
He dismounted, flung the reins of the two horses in his right hand, and strode forward: "Wanwan?"
Chu Wan gave a weak hum to indicate that she had heard.
"Where are you hurt?" Wang Hongbo asked.
Chu Wan was neither too old nor too young, and was at a very awkward age. It was inconvenient for him to help check her injuries, so he had to let her do it herself.
"I'm fine," Chu Wan said. "I just didn't have enough strength in my legs to hold onto the horse, and then I fell off."
Actually, her buttocks were constantly rubbing against the saddle, and she felt a sharp, grating pain, but she was too embarrassed to tell Wang Hongbo, a man, about such a private place.
Wang Hongbo coughed lightly, concealing his barely suppressed laughter. Spending the entire day on horseback was indeed extremely arduous for Chu Wan, who was just learning to ride; it was remarkable that she had managed to persevere until now without any problems.
However, this little princess was so interesting that even her coquettishness was cuter than others. Wang Hongbo asked with a smile, "Then why don't we rest here for a while?"
"Hmm." Chu Wan's voice was soft as she agreed at first, but then she immediately changed her mind and said, "No, we still need to find Shuangshuang. I'll just lie down for a little while longer and I'll regain my strength."
After saying that, she counted to ten in a low voice. Sure enough, she propped herself up with her little hands, stood up, grabbed the saddle, and prepared to mount the horse.