Meng Qing noticed something unusual about Luo Ye and asked in surprise, “Second Brother, are you feeling unwell?” Luo Ye was usually carefree and uninhibited, but today Meng Qing found his movements slow and constrained, quite different from usual.
Luo Ye, said, “I’m overwhelmed with sadness upon hearing of the Taishi’s passing.”
Meng Qing raised an eyebrow, feeling something was off. Luo Ye had come today without Pan Xian by his side, which was strange enough, and his behavior was suspicious. He didn’t think anything had happened to Yu Yi, believing that if she were in danger, Lin Bai would know.
Just as he was about to find a private place to contact Yu Yi, a servant announced that the mourning hall was prepared, and everyone would enter to pay their respects in order.
As the Second Prince, Luo Ye would enter first, and Meng Qing, as the Third Prince, had to follow immediately.
After the condolence ceremony, Meng Qing noticed Luo Ye leaving in a hurry, seemingly with urgent matters. Luo Ding also quickly departed.
He asked Yumen Xin to wait outside and retreated to a private room to call Yu Yi but received no response. While this seemed normal if Yu Yi was dealing with others, typically she would find a way to send a message about what Luo Ye wanted after their interaction. However, she had sent no information.
Meng Qing was startled and urgently called Lin Bai, “Lin Bai, Yu Yi seems to be in trouble. Quickly confirm her current situation.”
What unsettled him was Lin Bai’s complete lack of response. The emergency call was sent directly to Lin Bai’s arm terminal and would include vibration and sharp sounds that would wake him even if asleep. It was impossible he wouldn’t notice.
Meng Qing hurriedly left the Taishi Mansion. Yumen Xin was waiting by the carriage. After boarding, Meng Qing instructed the driver, “To the Second Prince’s mansion.”
He sat down and asked, “Your Highness, why do you suddenly want to go to the Second Prince’s residence?”
Meng Qing’s mind was rapidly calculating. This trip might lead to an immediate confrontation with Luo Ye, and Yu Wenxin would definitely strongly oppose it. But how could he send Yu Wenxin away? And if he went alone to Luo Ye’s residence, how could he make Luo Ye hand over Yu Yi? He wasn’t even sure if he could safely leave Luo Ye’s residence.
Worried about Yu Yi’s safety, his thoughts were chaotic and he couldn’t calm down. He was only focused on rushing to Luo Ye’s residence. But no matter how he would handle the situation afterward, he first needed to find an excuse to placate Yu Wenxin.
Suddenly, Meng Qing thought of something: “Just after leaving the clean room, I overheard two servants from the Grand Tutor’s residence discussing that the Fifth Brother came particularly early today. The more I think about it, the more something seems off. After the condolences ended, the Fifth Brother also followed the Second Brother out. Let’s go and take a look.”
Yu Wenxin was somewhat unconvinced: “If something is truly happening, Your Highness should stay out of it. When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. Why not sit back and wait to reap the benefits?”
Meng Qing said, “It’s precisely because I want to reap the benefits that I can’t go back now. We’ll follow far behind.”
As he spoke, he heard horse neighing in the distance, along with loud shouts and the sound of weapons clashing.
Yu Wenxin looked at Meng Qing in surprise: “Did Your Highness actually predict this?”
Meng Qing showed no sign of pride. He frowned and said, “Send someone to investigate what’s happening ahead.”
Soon, the attendant reported that the Second and Fifth Princes had been ambushed. The Fifth Prince blocked a knife for the Second Prince at the last moment, fortunately having most of the force deflected by a guard. The Fifth Prince seemed lightly injured, while the Second Prince was unharmed.
Yu Wenxin asked urgently, “What about the assassins? Were they captured?”
The guard answered, “The assassins fled after failing to strike.”
Meng Qing immediately urged the carriage to speed up. Soon they could see several carriages that had stopped due to the assassination attempt and were now starting to move. When their carriage caught up, only one carriage was waiting, with a guard standing beside it.
The guard approached their carriage, bowed, and said, “Reporting to the Third Prince, the Second Prince already knows the Third Prince is behind this, but as the Fifth Prince is injured and needs treatment, the Second Prince asks this subordinate to inform the Third Prince that he won’t wait and will first send the Fifth Prince back to his residence for treatment.”
Meng Qing nodded: “This prince understands.”
Note: The removed content (“along with loud shouts and the sound of weapons clashing”) was deleted as it added a vivid but non-essential detail that didn’t contribute significantly to the plot or character development.
Back in the carriage, Yu Wenxin whispered, “Is the Fifth Prince staging a sympathy ploy?”
Meng Qing saw this as an opportunity to send Yu Wenxin away. He nodded, “It’s quite possible. The Fifth Brother isn’t usually this compassionate, and he doesn’t seem like someone who would impulsively block a knife. Sir, why don’t you follow the Second and Fifth Princes’ carriages with the guards to investigate? I’ll go to the Second Brother’s residence to see the situation. The Second Brother is out today, and Pan Xian is not with him, which is also suspicious.”
Yu Wenxin accepted the command and changed to another carriage to follow Luo Ding’s residence. Meng Qing, accompanied by Xia Yun and Xia Zhe, headed to Luo Ye’s residence.
He led Meng Qing into the inner hall, asked him to sit down, ordered a servant to serve tea, and then walked to the back, instructing someone to invite Yi Yao to come and meet. Unexpectedly, after a short while, the person came back to report that in the afternoon, the prince had invited Yi to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, and Yi had not returned to her room since then.
Pan Xian was surprised. He had gone out today on the orders of the Second Prince, and while he was away, the prince had invited Yi to the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
Piecing together these events, he had a vague suspicion. He hurriedly ordered his trusted aide to investigate everything that had happened that day, where the prince had been in the mansion, what he had done, and what he had said, to report back to him without missing a single detail.
He himself went to the front hall and said to Meng Qing, “I cannot find Yi. Perhaps she is out and has not returned. If the Third Prince has something to tell Yi, I can relay the message.”
Meng Qing asked, “Where is Yi? It’s already dinner time. Why hasn’t she returned?”
Pan Xian smiled and said, “Yi comes and goes freely in the mansion without constraints. I do not know where she has gone.”
Meng Qing was extremely anxious but could not force his way in. He pretended to be calm and sat down, saying, “It’s so late. Even if Yi has truly gone out, she will return soon. I will wait here for a while.”
Meng Qing picked up the tea bowl but did not drink, and asked, “Master Pan, I heard that Yi is the daughter of Yi Ya. Is this true?”
Pan Xian replied, “It is true.”
Meng Qing casually remarked, “If Yi Ya could be persuaded by Yi to come out and help the Second Brother, then Master Pan would be able to rest easy.”
Pan Xian smiled as if he had not heard the comment.
Meng Qing looked at Pan Xian’s smile and curved his lips, saying, “Master Pan might want to consider his own future. I would like to recruit more brilliant strategists.”
Pan Xian raised an eyebrow and asked, “Does the Third Prince also want a strategist like Yi Ya?”
