Chapter 157: Captured

Inside the Crown Prince's residence, a burly man knelt on one knee, pressing his head so low it seemed he wished to bury it into the earth. His voice trembled slightly with timidity, "Reporting to Your Highness, still no abnormalities have been discovered."

"No abnormalities?" A cold snort came from inside the study as Xiao Shengjie slowly turned to face the man. His eyes narrowed, carrying a sinister and scrutinizing intent.

The room fell into a heavy silence. The kneeling man felt as though a thousand needles were suspended right above his head, making him too terrified to look up.

After a moment, Xiao Shengjie flicked his sleeve and put his hands behind his back, his voice freezing, "Since there are no abnormalities, you don't need to investigate further. Chu Junhan has drawn attention to himself time and time again, probably trying to figure out how many secret agents I have planted. Hah, just a little trick to flush out the snake from its hole—how could I ever play along with your game?"

With that, a wicked smirk curled across the young man's lips, resembling a man-eating demon that struck terror into anyone who beheld it.

"Your Highness is wise!" The man let out a breath of relief, lifting his head as if a massive burden had been taken off his shoulders.

Over the past few days, not only had he found absolutely nothing while tailing Chu Junhan, but he had also repeatedly suffered punishment. It was truly frustrating, and he lived in constant dread that if he failed to uncover any useful information, he would lose his head.

"How are the arrangements I ordered you to make?" Xiao Shengjie glanced sideways at the kneeling man, a fierce glint in his eyes.

The man pursed his lips, harboring a trace of guilt, and replied cautiously, "Returning to Your Highness, this subordinate has already made the arrangements. We will surely make Du Yong unable to escape, even with wings."

"Very well," Xiao Shengjie hooked his lips into a satisfied, cold smile, his voice chilling and his eyes brimming with murderous intent. "Once the deed is done, kill everyone who knows about this matter, lest they ruin my grand plan."

The man shivered, swallowed hard, and said, "This subordinate obeys."

With those words, the man quickly backed out of the study. Being in Xiao Shengjie's presence always kept him on tenterhooks, like walking on thin ice.

…………

On the way back to the estate, Chu Junhan hummed a little tune while Tang Chen listened quietly beside her.

She planned to pull out the *Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo River* the moment she returned to her room and compare it with Fang Meng's melody. Next on the agenda would be a visit to Uncle Du.

However, before they even reached the General's residence, they bumped straight into a flustered Yun逸.

Yun逸 crashed directly into Tang Chen's chest, letting out an "Ouch!" Afterwards, he rubbed his forehead without even looking up to see who it was, lowering his head and muttering, "Sorry! Sorry!" With that, he tried to turn and run off.

Tang Chen rubbed his sore shoulder, grabbed Yun逸, and couldn't help looking the young lad up and down with suspicion, asking, "Feiyang, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Looking for the pretty..." The young lad struggled as if to bolt forward, but before he could finish his sentence, he jerked his head back. Seeing the person beside him who had been humming the tune in a trance, he grabbed her wrists and cried out, "Pretty older brother, something terrible has happened!"

Chu Junhan snapped out of her daze, pacifying the young lad who stood nearly as tall as herself, and gently patted his hands. "What has happened?"

"Shuangjiang... Shuangjiang has been taken away by Liu Yan'er!" Yun逸's small face was flushed with excitement, his eyes filled with panic.

"Where is Wei Ziyuan?" Chu Junhan asked with doubt. According to Lord Jiuling's habitual behavior over the years, he would never easily allow Liu Yan'er to take his people. Could this be a trap he had laid out?

Yun逸 shook his head, looking up at the young man with a pleading gaze. "I don't know. Not long after the pretty older brother left, he left as well, leaving only Shuangjiang behind to clean his rooms."

"Why would Liu Yan'er want to seize Shuangjiang?"

"Miss Liu came looking for you. I already told her you weren't in, but she insisted on waiting by the entrance. When Shuangjiang stepped outside, she was dragged away under the pretext of having bumped into Miss Liu."