Chapter 62: Furious Wrath

Gu Qingcheng quickly took a few more steps forward, calling out loudly, "Your Highness, why do you speak such words to break my heart?"

"You ought to know that my heart has always been with Your Highness!"

"Your heart is with this prince?"

Huo Yucheng reacted as if he had heard some absurd joke, his face filled with utter derision.

"Hasn't Grand Tutor Gu and Miss Gu always placed their bets wherever the profit lies?"

"For the past two or three years, seeing that my health was failing, didn't Grand Tutor Gu long ago choose a wise master and throw his support behind the Prince of Duan?"

"Could it be that, hearing of my recovery, you've suddenly developed new thoughts and targets?"

"Actually, there's no need for that."

"I was never interested in you before, and I have even less interest in you now."

"I kindly ask Miss Gu to keep her distance from me."

"Otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Gu Qingcheng's face was tracked with tears as she sobbed softly. Her eyes were slightly reddened, and her slender frame swayed gently, giving her the appearance of someone utterly devastated.

This only made her look all the more poignant and pitiful, stirring deep sympathy in others.

"Your Highness, my grandfather was once your esteemed mentor who taught you your lessons. How can you so groundlessly slander and belittle him?"

"As a towering giant in the literary world, my grandfather has dedicated his entire life to teaching and nurturing others, his disciples filling the world, diligent and tireless without rest."

"His moral character is lofty, akin to a verdant pine and cypress remaining evergreen through the four seasons; his talent is like dazzling stars, brilliant and eye-catching, admired, praised, and revered by all under heaven. He has numerous retainers at his gates and brilliant talents gathered around him, with followers spread across every corner of the Great Qin court..."

A flash of suppressed anger crossed Huo Yucheng's face, and before Gu Qingcheng could finish, he cut her off.

He said coldly, "Are you implying that your grandfather holds immense sway in the court, and that this Great Qin court is practically monopolized by your Gu family?"

Such words were nothing short of treasonous!

How could Gu Qingcheng dare to answer that?

She was so terrified that she even forgot to cry, staring at Huo Yucheng with a look of utter disbelief.

Huo Yucheng cast a cold, indifferent glance at her. "Do not pursue this prince any further. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind paying a visit to the Prince of Duan's residence to have a proper chat with him about what you've done today."

"Tell me, if the Prince of Duan learns of your declaration that your heart is with this prince, will he grow furious with you and henceforth cast you aside like a worn-out shoe?"

"You..."

"Must you be so merciless? You will regret this!"

"In consideration of your grandfather's past mentorship, I will not haggle over this with you today. Otherwise, based on your reckless and fatal words alone, I could strip the Gu family of a layer of skin!"

"I spare you today just to repay that past sentiment."

"In the future, do not ever bring up that shred of kindness again, or else you had better weigh your actions carefully..."

With that, Huo Yucheng turned and walked away on his own.

He left behind Gu Qingcheng, who wore an expression of profound loss and longing.

She was overcome with grief and sorrow.

She and the Crown Prince had grown up together since childhood, and she had always believed their bond was deep enough to take things a step further.

However, the Crown Prince's health was extremely poor, and he lacked the favor of Emperor Wu of Qin.

Her grandfather had seen this crystal clear.

As early as three years ago, he had wavered in his allegiance, switching camps to the Prince of Duan, harboring delusions of merit in founding a new regime so that the Gu family could produce an empress and elevate themselves to even greater heights...

Persuaded by her grandfather, she too had hidden the romantic inclinations in her heart.

Only then had she turned her gaze toward the Prince of Duan.

Yet today, the moment she heard the Crown Prince's health had greatly improved, she had rushed over immediately.

On one hand, she wanted to test the truth of the rumors.

On the other, she still harbored fantasies regarding Huo Yucheng.

Never had she imagined things would turn out like this.

Instead, they had broken all pretense and fallen out completely.

With no other choice, she could only trudge back home in deep dejection.

*****

As the Prince of Chang and the Prince of Duan returned to the Prince of Chang's palace,

they saw two men kneeling in the courtyard inside the hall, their bodies trembling like chaff in the wind.

Though it was still somewhat chilly in the second month of spring, sweat was pouring off them in torrents.

A thick, suffocating wave of fear and despair gnawed at every inch of their skin.

When they caught sight of the Prince of Chang and the Prince of Duan approaching, the two men stiffened, and their trembling grew even more violent.

The Prince of Chang turned to his head steward and demanded, "What is the meaning of this?"

The steward stepped closer, cupping a hand over his ear to shield his words, and whispered softly, "Wei Zixing and those men have vanished. It was discovered late last night by the person who went to deliver food to the mountain cave."

"They simply couldn't believe Wei Zixing was capable of escaping, especially considering he was secured with such thick iron chains. Yet somehow, someone possessed the extraordinary ability to rescue the prisoner right under our noses without a sound."

"What makes it even more baffling is that no one else knew the location of that cave. Who could have pinpointed it so accurately, severed the chains, and smuggled them out? We simply cannot figure it out."

"Not only are the people gone, but the gold and silver bullion stored inside has vanished as well. They searched the treasury area repeatedly, yet found no trace of dragging chests. Those treasures vanished into thin air, untraceable."

"Last night, our men combed the cave and the surrounding forests thoroughly under the cover of darkness, but came up empty-handed."

"This morning, these men came directly here. His Highness happened to be out, and they have been kneeling here for over an hour already."

Hearing this report, the Prince of Chang was so enraged that his eyes split at the corners. Clenching his fists tightly, he strode over to the two kneeling men and unleashed a vicious kick directly at one of them.

He put his full strength into the blow, sending the man flying over a dozen meters through the air before he crashed heavily onto the ground in an arc.

The man instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood and passed out cold.

The remaining middle-aged man turned pale with terror, kowtowing frantically for mercy. "Your Highness, this humble subject is willing to redeem my crimes with meritorious service. Spare my life, Your Highness!..."

With bloodshot eyes, the Prince of Chang glared fixedly at the middle-aged man and cursed furiously, "Even if I were to take your worthless dog's life with a single blade, it would still be letting you off too easily..."

"Do you have any idea how badly you've ruined this prince's grand plans!"

"I give you three days. You must find them! Send all available men out to comb the dense forests. You must bring them back—alive if they breathe, or dead if they don't..."

Pressing his forehead against the ground, the man vowed earnestly, "Rest assured, Your Highness, I will exhaust every possible means to find them..."

The Prince of Duan stepped forward and patted the Prince of Chang reassuringly on the shoulder. "The most crucial thing right now is to figure out a way to remedy this situation."

"We must under no circumstances let Wei Zixing be found by the Crown Prince or the Emperor. If he is discovered, our subsequent troubles will be immeasurable!"

"Assuming the Emperor and the Crown Prince do not yet have Wei Zixing in their custody, it means he has merely escaped the cave, and we still have a chance to intercept him."

Hearing this, the Prince of Chang gradually regained his composure.

His expression smoothed out as he pondered for a moment and said, "Elder brother, you take charge of keeping watch on the Emperor and the Crown Prince's side."

"I will immediately dispatch more men and personally lead a team to search the dense forests for Wei Zixing. He must not be allowed to return safely."