Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 367: Changsheng Gets Kidnapped

Branches swayed, sending fruits tumbling to the ground.

Chu Changsheng used these fruits of varying shades to create a garden scene painting.

"Still missing some deep red fruits," she frowned, her delicate brows knitting together. "There aren't enough red fruits."

Chu Hongyu leaned in: "There are many camphor trees growing outside our backyard wall too. I'll pick some fruits for you."

"Brother, you can't even distinguish between light red, deep red, and watery red," Chu Changsheng said, washing her hands and standing up. "You should stay in the backyard to entertain the guests. I'll go pick the fruits myself."

Xie Xian smiled with pursed lips: "Changsheng, I'll go with you."

"Neither of you can climb trees. I'll help," Xie Shiyun volunteered. Truth was, he felt out of place staying here and preferred to find something to do.

Meng Shen instructed the servants in the courtyard: "All of you, follow them closely. Be careful not to let the Little Commandery Princess fall or get hurt."

Chu Changsheng was accompanied by two personal maids and a martial arts-trained maid sent by the Yun family, specifically assigned to protect Changsheng.

Five or six servants clustered around the young masters as they headed toward the outer wall of the backyard.

There was a side gate here. The maid had the matron open the side gate first, stepped out to check that there were no suspicious people around, then allowed the children to come out.

Chu Changsheng looked up at the tall trees, her eyes brimming with laughter: "Look, that whole cluster is red."

Xie Shiyun rubbed his hands together, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to climb up the trunk when the maid quickly said: "This tree is too tall. Let this servant do it."

With one leap, she jumped onto a branch, then continued upward, soon reaching the deep red fruits.

Just as she was picking the fruits, something unexpected happened.

A sharp gust of wind suddenly came from above her.

She looked up and actually saw a person dressed in green concealed among the leaves. If not for being this close, she would never have noticed.

The green-clad person drew a long sword from their sleeve, thrusting toward the maid's face.

The maid quickly dodged, but her arm was slashed.

She immediately reacted, shouting loudly: "Quick, take the Commandery Princess back to the manor!"

Then she turned sideways, raised her left leg, and kicked fiercely, simultaneously drawing the sword at her waist and thrusting unhesitatingly toward the opponent's heart.

Just as her sword was mere inches from the opponent's neck, another sharp gust came from behind.

It turned out there was another person hidden in the tree shadows.

The maid had no time to dodge, was struck in the back, and fell from the great tree, hitting the ground hard.

The children under the tree were already frozen in terror.

The accompanying servant immediately picked up Chu Changsheng, also grabbing Xie Xian and Xie Shiyun, and hurried toward the Prince of Pacifying the West Manor's back door, shouting while running: "Help! Assassins!"

The Prince of Pacifying the West Manor had Manor soldiers and hidden guards stationed all around, protecting the entire manor. As soon as the incident occurred, the Manor soldiers had already received the news.

All the assassins hidden in the shadows emerged.

Not just one or two.

But dozens, nearly a hundred.

Dressed in various colored clothes, hidden in trees, bushes, under eaves...

The servant carrying the three children hadn't even run inside the manor gates when assassins stabbed him in the back.

The assassins' eyes swept over the three children, then they decided to go all the way, grabbing all three children and throwing them over their shoulders.

"Quick, stop them!"Manor soldiers and shadow guards swiftly gave chase, but as soon as they reached the alley's entrance, another wave of assassins attacked, blocking their path.

The prince's banquet continued uninterrupted.

Amidst the clinking of wine cups, Cheng Xu rushed in with a frantic expression: "Your Highness... Crown Prince, it's terrible! The young mistress has been abducted!"

"What!" Chu Yi shot to his feet and immediately followed Cheng Xu toward the rear courtyard, his voice icy. "Mobilize eight thousand elite troops at once! Seal off the capital and conduct a thorough search!"

Yun Chu also received the news. As she walked from the banquet hall, her steps were unsteady.

She could hardly believe that someone would dare to abduct Changsheng right at the prince's manor's back gate. Who could possess such audacity!

"The manor soldiers who directly confronted the assassins reported that they weren't speaking the Great Jin language, and their appearances differed from our people," Cheng Xu said gravely. "I suspect they might be spies from another kingdom..."

Chu Yi's voice was frigid: "Where are those manor soldiers now?"

The manor soldier was severely injured, stabbed in the abdomen, but still clinging to life. He did his best to imitate the assassins' speech patterns.

"They're from the Eastern Tomb Kingdom!" Yun Chu's eyes held a terrifying coldness.

She only knew that over a decade later, the Eastern Tomb Kingdom would invade Great Jin, but she hadn't realized their people had infiltrated the capital this early.

That group committed every atrocity—burning, killing, and plundering. She dreaded to imagine what torments Changsheng might endure in their hands...

"They came prepared," Chu Yi gently grasped Yun Chu's hand. "Chu'er, return to care for Jue Ge'er. I will bring Changsheng home completely unharmed."

Yun Chu met his gaze: "When Changsheng is frightened, the person she most wants to see is her mother. I'm going with you."

The capital instantly went on high alert.

All four city gates were closed, and every route out of the city was blocked.

The common people, unaware of what had happened, didn't dare linger on the streets and hurried home to lock their doors. Soon, however, searching soldiers arrived, inspecting every building inside and out...

In an inconspicuous courtyard, a carriage pulled in.

Three unconscious children were thrown out from the carriage.

The people in the courtyard conversed in a language unintelligible to Great Jin citizens.

"Damn it! Why did they seal the capital so quickly? Getting out of the city has become a major problem!"

"Wasn't it said this young mistress isn't the legitimate daughter and isn't valued by Prince Pingxi? Why are they deploying so many troops to lock down the capital?"We've been lurking in the capital this long and planned for so much time—let's not panic now. We can wait for the heat to die down before leaving the city."

"With so many people in the capital needing to eat, they can't keep the gates closed forever. We'll bide our time. Bringing this young mistress back will earn us great merit."

"Though not the legitimate daughter, she's still the biological daughter of the newly appointed Crown Prince—the future Eldest Princess. Tsk tsk, she'll become our Eastern Tomb Kingdom's greatest future weapon!"

"..."

As dusk gradually fell.

Chu Changsheng felt a splitting headache as she slowly opened her eyes. Complete darkness met her gaze, and she suddenly remembered—she had been picking red berries behind the prince's manor when assassins appeared. One had struck her hard on the back of the neck, and she'd lost consciousness.

So now... was she in the assassins' hands?

As her eyes adjusted to the dark environment, she gradually began to make out shapes.

She saw two other figures lying beside her and whispered urgently: "Xian, wake up! Shi Yun..."Xie Xian and Xie Shiyun rubbed the back of their necks, slowly opening their eyes. It took them a long while to adjust to the light.

"Where is this..." Xie Xian's voice was filled with fear. "Did the bad people capture us? What do they want with us? Are we going to die..."