The Prince Consort Is Brave!

Chapter 48: The Prince Consort Has Guts!

The letter was written in the same elegant, tiny script.

"If Your Majesty is reading this letter, it means you didn't heed my advice. Truly disappointing; I thought you'd be a bit smarter. Since you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, I have no other recourse.

The throne beneath you and the head on your shoulders, I will take them both!"

"And Liu Jinli, you'd best keep her alive. That way, I'll make your death quick. If you don't... well, it doesn't really matter. This idiotic feudal woman is always bossing me around, doing this and that. Damn, it's so annoying."

"Heh, heh heh!" Chu Lu laughed in anger. He tore the letter in his hand to shreds and said, "Good! How arrogant! I like it!"

—Someone this arrogant must feel great to chop down!

Chu Lu looked at Liu Jinli, not intending to kill her.

The reason he wouldn't kill her wasn't because he couldn't figure out if Cuihua's parting words were a genuine request for him to kill Liu Jinli, or if she was using reverse psychology to provoke him. It was because Liu Jinli still had some use for him right now.

"Do you know where Cuihua went after she left?" Chu Lu asked her.

"Mhm," Liu Jinli nodded. "Before she left, she said she was going to the Prince Consort's mansion."

"The Prince Consort's mansion?"

"Yes, Prince Consort Tang's mansion."

At this point, Xu Liniang explained in Chu Lu's mind.

"She's referring to Prince Consort Tang Zhiyin. He came from a humble background, participated in the imperial examinations, and was nominated. Later, due to his handsome appearance, my sister took a liking to him and chose him as the Prince Consort. The Prince Consort's mansion isn't in the imperial capital, but in Linyang. It's not too far, nor too close; it takes about five to six days to get there by horse."

"Is this Prince Consort closely related to Prince Qin's mansion?" Chu Lu inquired mentally.

"Just ordinary."

Chu Lu frowned slightly, feeling a sense of dissonance.

He looked at Liu Jinli again and asked, "Did she really tell you? That she was going to the Prince Consort's mansion?"

"Really, really!" Liu Jinli nodded repeatedly, afraid Chu Lu wouldn't believe her.

"Did she say why she was going?"

"No..."

"She wouldn't go to a place she's completely unfamiliar with without any reason, would she?" Chu Lu asked again. "Do you have any connection with the Prince Consort?"

"Well, I don't know. But..." Liu Jinli hesitated.

"But what? Speak plainly. Are you stalling because you want to be punished?"

Liu Jinli startled and quickly said, "No, no! I'm just not sure. Cuihua sometimes leaves by herself for a while, and when I ask her where she's going, she won't say. So I don't know if we have any connection."

"Is that so..."

Chu Lu narrowed his eyes, but he didn't interrogate her further. Instead, he handed the matter over to others and left.

"Chu Lu, should we go to the Prince Consort's mansion now?" Xu Liniang said. "My sister is a kind-hearted person, and the Prince Consort is obedient. They certainly won't be as forceful as your aunt. You can be patient then..."

"Don't rush. We might not go."

"Huh?"

"It's too strange," Chu Lu said. "Since Cuihua already guessed I might go to Prince Qin's mansion, why would she specifically tell Liu Jinli where she was going? Isn't that leaving a clue for me?"

"Huh? So it's a lie?" Xu Liniang said.

"It could be a lie, or it could be that she guessed we wouldn't believe her, so it's actually true. In any case, we need to investigate further." Chu Lu said, "She left in a hurry; she must have left some trace. Have people go question the servants in the mansion and see if there are any clues."

"Mm."

It had been a long day, and one unexpected truth after another had been uncovered.

Even Chu Lu felt a hint of fatigue. Moreover, interrogating servants wasn't something he needed to do himself; others could handle it.

So, after giving his instructions, he returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and lay down on the lounge chair. Chu Lu intended to take a nap, but he couldn't sleep. He decided to open the chat group instead.

Since Xu Liniang in Chu Lu's mind was also busy during the time he was killing people, live-streaming in the chat group, all the group members were well aware of the events. They were currently discussing it animatedly.

Hua Honglian: "Classic bloodbath... The difference in cultivation level doesn't stop Chu Lu at all."

Luo Qingdie: "It's not too bad. Surely fewer people died here than on my end?"

Zhu Shanlin: "I calculated it. Assuming 300 officials attend morning court each time, and further assuming each official's family, including parents, family members, and servants, averages 20 people. Whoa! Chu Lu killed 6,000 people in one day! That's quite a lot."

Liu Ruyue: "Reincarnated Bai Qi!"

Chu Lu: "..."

Chu Lu: "Was it that many? I feel like I didn't even kill that many."

As soon as Chu Lu spoke, everyone replied, indicating that the kid had finally come online.

Zhu Shanlin: "Chu Lu, Chu Lu, what does 'transmigrated' mean? Why did you ask that?"

Chu Lu was startled subconsciously, then realized that Xu Liniang had probably live-streamed the details of his interrogation of Liu Jinli to the group.

So he replied, "Simply put, I suspect that Cuihua, like me, is from another world. For some reason, she came to this world, which is why I asked if she had transmigrated."

Zhu Shanlin: "Ah? Is that so? But how did you find out?"

Before Chu Lu could answer, Luo Qingdie said, "Is it because her personality suddenly changed so drastically? So you guessed someone might have taken over her body. After all, Chu Lu did the same thing, so you naturally made the connection?"

Zhu Shanlin: "So that's how it is!"

Hua Honglian: "But if that's the case, could there be another chat group, and another World-Crossing Talisman?"

Luo Qingdie: "Eh, eh, eh."

Zhu Shanlin: "It's a bit far-fetched, but it doesn't seem entirely impossible."

Liu Ruyue: "Shocked!"

Hua Honglian: "Then Xu Liniang, should we not have killed her? Maybe we could have become friends."

Xu Liniang: "Whether to kill or not isn't up to me to decide..."

Chu Lu didn't clarify when he saw their misunderstanding.

After all, it's not bad to keep a few secrets to himself, right?

As for the subsequent discussion, Chu Lu said, "It's not up to me to say, this is a mission issued by the chat group. Besides, there's no need to rush, we don't even know where she is."

Hua Honglian: "That's true, the immediate priority is to find her."

After that, they became excited again, enthusiastically discussing how to find Cuihua.

Unfortunately, the suggestions given were so absurd that Chu Lu simply treated them as a collection of jokes.

An hour passed like this, and the interrogation by the prince's mansion servants finally ended. Someone submitted the confessions.

Chu Lu had also rested enough. He closed the chat group and picked up the confessions.

Among the confessions was a portrait made based on verbal descriptions. Chu Lu glanced at it and found it to be quite beautiful, thinking, As expected of a female lead from a female fiction novel.

Then he read the confessions.

The confessions were very detailed, describing Cuihua's various daily trivialities in the prince's mansion with great precision. From the words, the image of a witty, resourceful, and somewhat mysterious woman emerged... roughly.

After all, Chu Lu wasn't sure if deliberately splashing water on a concubine who was smug about her pregnancy as she crossed a stone bridge, causing her to slip and fall, resulting in a miscarriage, could be considered clever...

However, he didn't care. He flipped the confessions to the most crucial part—the section detailing Cuihua's whereabouts.

Chu Lu's brows immediately furrowed.

It wasn't mentioned. The confessions didn't mention it.

When most people heard the question, they seemed bewildered. They didn't even know Cuihua had already left.

Chu Lu thought for a moment and guessed that Cuihua probably left secretly in the middle of the night.

At that time, he was conducting a major purge in the city, and everyone was hiding indoors, afraid to go out. The soldiers responsible for guarding the city gates had also been redeployed to monitor the ministers' residences. This gave her an opportunity, and no one noticed her.

"This is troublesome," Chu Lu said, a headache forming.

Without concrete evidence, he would have to go and see for himself.

But the problem was, who would go?

Would Chu Lu go himself? But if this was a feint to lure the tiger away from its mountain, then the imperial capital would be left vulnerable after he left.

If he sent someone else... the other party might be a transmigrator. If the native women from the female fiction novels went, they would most likely be played like a fiddle.

Or, he could send a letter, asking the Prince Consort to come to the imperial capital voluntarily?

That wasn't reliable either. Even if the Prince Consort was willing, it would take more than ten days for a round trip. Moreover, she might not be able to catch Cuihua. If she wasn't willing, it would be a complete waste of time.

Speed is of the essence in warfare. Without knowing Cuihua's objective, the more time wasted, the more dangerous it would be.

Chu Lu pondered for a moment and finally decided to go himself.

If it wasn't a trap, that would be for the best.

If it was a trap, then it wouldn't matter. He could just see what tricks she was up to.

In any case, Chu Lu was confident that no matter what tricks Cuihua played, he could cut off her head with a single sword.

Regardless, his own strength was Chu Lu's greatest confidence and reliance.

Leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Chu Lu instructed his subordinates to find a reliable general to form a temporary team to accompany him to the Prince Consort's mansion.

Since the Imperial Guards weren't all with him fighting for a day and a night, it wasn't difficult to find a group of soldiers in good spirits.

After counting the numbers, Chu Lu left the imperial city and headed straight for Linyang.

In fact, in terms of speed and efficiency, Chu Lu traveling alone would have been much faster.

After all, people need sleep, and horses need sleep, but Chu Lu didn't. He could go for three to five days without sleep.

The reason for bringing this team of soldiers was mainly to reassure the people in the imperial capital.

Otherwise, if the Emperor left the imperial capital alone without any notice, the capital would immediately fall into panic, and rumors would spread.

In fact, the next day, Su Muyun woke up to find Chu Lu gone, her heart turning cold with fear.

Minister Zhao, upon arriving at the morning court and finding the imperial seat empty, nearly fainted.

If it weren't for Xiao Lizi promptly explaining the situation, they would have gone mad.

Even so, they were half mad, all expressing their desire to go and chase after Chu Lu.

It was Xiao Lizi who held them back tightly, convincing them to trust Chu Lu. Only then did the commotion subside.

Two days later, as the sun began to set, the army halted and set up camp.

Chu Lu, being the Emperor, certainly didn't need to lift a finger. In no time, a tent noticeably larger than the others was ready.

The soldiers secretly observed Chu Lu, their eyes filled with surprise.

It wasn't surprise at his accommodations, of course, but at her stamina.

These past two days had been an extremely high-intensity forced march over uneven terrain. The horses were so exhausted they were practically foaming at the mouth, let alone the soldiers. Everyone felt like their bones were about to fall apart.

Yet Chu Lu, who by all rights should have been pampered and spoiled, showed no signs of fatigue. In fact, every time they stopped, a hint of dissatisfaction crossed her face.

This earned the soldiers immense admiration.

By the time they had set up camp and finished dinner, night had fallen.

Most of the soldiers retreated to their tents to rest, while a small contingent patrolled the perimeter.

Chu Lu was also resting lightly inside her tent.

At midnight, the moon was bright and the stars were clear. The surroundings were utterly silent, save for the occasional chirping of insects.

Suddenly, a patrolling soldier frowned.

She faintly heard some sounds – the crunch of leaves underfoot, the rustle of branches being pushed aside. It was the sound of someone moving through the woods, approaching!

The soldiers were startled and immediately returned to sound the alarm.

A loud bugle call echoed through the entire camp, waking everyone instantly.

The enemies in the darkness, realizing they had been discovered, no longer concealed themselves and surged forward like a tide.

"Enemy attack! Follow me to battle!" a general shouted.

Chu Lu stood aside, observing the scene before her, not rushing to act.

The situation was too chaotic. A mass of people were gathered together, making it impossible to even discern where the enemy was.

Though Chu Lu was capable of fighting, she knew nothing about troop deployment or strategy. At this moment, she couldn't offer any assistance.

It was better, therefore, to simply watch and leave everything to her subordinate generals.

As for the general of the Imperial Guards, even though Chu Lu didn't know her name, she clearly possessed some skill. The situation quickly became clear, and a counterattack began.

Seeing that the time was right, Chu Lu finally drew her sword and entered the fray, unleashing her fury.

Her strength was immense, making her unrivaled on the battlefield. She easily tore through the enemy's lines, then fought her way through them seven times, killing relentlessly.

Under Chu Lu's leadership, the soldiers' morale soared, and they advanced as if no one could stop them.

Soon, this sudden ambush came to an end.

Most of the enemies were killed, and their leaders were all captured alive.

Inside the tent...

Chu Lu looked at the bound leaders before her with curiosity.

Their clothing and appearance suggested they were bandits, but bandits wouldn't dare attack an army that looked so formidable.

"Who are you people?" Chu Lu asked. "Don't play tough. You're prisoners now, so if you confess honestly, you might get a better outcome."

One of the leaders grunted, "We are subordinates of the Prince Consort. We received her orders to ambush and kill the Emperor passing through here."

Upon hearing this, Chu Lu's expression became exceptionally complex.

What in the world is this person talking about?

"You're Tang Prince Consort's subordinates?" Chu Lu pressed. "You, all of you, that whole group?"

The leader nodded.

Chu Lu: "???"

Holy crap, is Tang Zhiyin that powerful? As Prince Consort, she actually has private soldiers? And she dares to ambush me! And these guys are pretty brave too. Telling them to kill the Emperor, and they actually came! Wait, could this group be the trap Cuihua prepared?