My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 201 Siege

Old Madam Chu, who was grieving, stood up abruptly upon hearing this.

With a cold expression, she said, word by word, "What you say makes sense. My Yaoyao is alone in the Prince Jing's mansion now, and there are only a hundred guards left in the mansion. What use are these hundred guards in a critical moment?"

"I'm taking the guards from the manor with me." She bowed to her old friends. "Once things have calmed down, I'll invite you all to my manor for a small gathering."

Now she's taking people to Prince Jing's residence.

Everyone knew how much she valued Wen Shuyao, and upon hearing this, no one showed any dissatisfaction. Instead, they actively offered her advice and suggestions.

After discussion among the group, Old Madam Chu finally led two hundred guards to Prince Jing's residence.

"What brings you here!"

Wen Shuyao was very surprised to hear that Old Madam Chu had come, and she quickly came out to greet her.

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Chu frowned and said irritably, "If I hadn't come, wouldn't you have had to bear all the pressure alone?"

"He only left you a hundred guards?" Old Madam Chu looked around, her face turning even uglier.

Wen Shuyao tugged at Old Madam Chu's sleeve and secretly made a five with her fingers.

Seeing this, Old Madam Chu's expression softened slightly: "That's more like it."

"These two hundred people are now in your care," said Madam Chu, pointing to Si Qing. "They are our Chu family's guards, who came here specifically to protect Yao Yao."

Upon hearing Madam Chu's words, Si Qing nodded immediately: "I will take care of it right away and make sure they are settled properly."

"You must ensure the Princess's safety," Old Madam Chu reminded her, her eyes narrowed. "Things haven't been peaceful in the capital these past few days!"

Especially now that Xie Jinghan and General Chu have just left the capital, those monsters and demons are probably itching to come out.

Si Qing's expression was very serious: "Before leaving, His Highness had already instructed his subordinates, and his subordinates had already arranged manpower to ensure that the outside world's disturbances would not affect the Princess, and that no one with malicious intentions would be allowed to enter the Prince's residence!"

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out outside the door.

These people were very agitated, and their voices were so loud that they almost overturned the Prince Jing's mansion.

"Kill the vixen!"

"Kill the vixen!"

"Make peace with the Northern Barbarians!"

These sounds made Si Qing's nerves tense.

—These people actually showed up after all!

The prince and princess were absolutely right; they really did take action!

Wen Shuyao quickly gave Si Qing a wink, and Si Qing nodded, then led dozens of guards out.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Old Madam Chu frowned and said, "Was this something you planned all along?"

"How could you not discuss such a big matter with the family?" Old Madam Chu was very dissatisfied.

When General Chu returned, he had not told her what had happened in the palace. She only knew that Wen Shuyao had killed the Northern Di princess.

If she hadn't insisted on presenting her headdress to the Empress to apologize, General Chu wouldn't have revealed the truth, and she wouldn't have known that it was all a trap they had set to lure the snake out of its hole.

Seeing Wen Shuyao and Si Qing today, she realized that these troublemakers might have been expected by Wen Shuyao, or perhaps they were arranged by Wen Shuyao.

Old Madam Chu's eyes were full of suspicion, and Wen Shuyao dared not hide anything, so she quickly explained her and Xie Jinghan's plan to each other.

Seeing that Madam Chu was still not satisfied, she added, "This plan was only conceived before we left, and I haven't had a chance to tell you yet."

"That's why I told you as soon as you arrived." As Wen Shuyao spoke, she fawned over Old Madam Chu by massaging her shoulders. "Don't worry, it's all part of our plan."

"Leaving the capital..." Old Madam Chu frowned, "But what about Prince Xin..."

“The commotion outside Prince Jing’s residence today will surely make Prince Xin lower his guard.” Wen Shuyao was very confident. “Prince Xin has been unable to have any children for many years, and he is very indulgent towards Wen Yitong, his only bloodline. Half of the people who caused trouble today were instigated by her, and the other half were deliberately indulged by us.”

“If it’s just a small request like killing me, Prince Xin won’t refuse Wen Yitong. He will definitely help Wen Yitong,” Wen Shuyao calmly analyzed. “And I can take this opportunity to leave the capital with my grandmother and go to Quanshui Manor.”

"Behind Quanshui Village lies Yanshan Mountain. Even if the flames of war reach Quanshui Village, we can hide in the mountains. Yanshan Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles. Prince Xin's troops are reserved for forcing the emperor to abdicate, and they certainly won't waste them on us."

Listening to Wen Shuyao's analysis, Old Madam Chu couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

"Your mother is not as good as you."

If Chu Wanqing had been like Wen Shuyao back then, she probably wouldn't have ended up like this.

Upon hearing Old Madam Chu mention her mother, Wen Shuyao lowered her eyes.

She had a thousand words in her heart, but she didn't know whether she should tell them to Old Madam Chu.

Seeing the hesitation on her face, Old Madam Chu paused and asked, "Yaoyao, is there anything else you want to say?"

"It's about my mother's death." Wen Shuyao pondered for a moment, then decided to tell the whole story. "Both the prince and I believe that my mother's death back then might be related to Prince Xin."

“Prince Xin is Zhang’s lover,” Wen Shuyao blurted out abruptly. “He’s the man you saw meeting with Zhang last time.”

“I had Aunt Hua inquire with Duke Wen beforehand, and from him I learned that my mother’s death was related to Prince Xin.” Wen Shuyao’s voice became extremely heavy as she said this. “Do you think it’s possible that my mother discovered Prince Xin’s secret, which is why she was silenced?”

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Chu's expression stiffened. She stood there blankly, unsure of what to say.

Wen Shuyao added, "Moreover, I also suspect that my mother was poisoned by Zhang, probably by Yixianhong."

Every word she uttered plunged Old Madam Chu into even greater shock.

But after the initial shock, Old Madam Chu looked at Wen Shuyao with eyes full of pity: "Yaoyao, why didn't you tell the family about such a big thing?"

"You investigated all this all by yourself..." She gently stroked Wen Shuyao's cheek and whispered, "You must have put in a lot of effort, right?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao's eyes welled up with tears, and she shook her head under the gaze of Old Madam Chu: "Your Highness has helped me a great deal."

"Don't worry, I didn't put in too much effort," she replied. "These clues were discovered by accident."

There's no need to mention the troubles we went through in our past lives in this one.

Even so, Madam Chu was aware of the hardships Wen Shuyao had endured along the way.

After a moment, she sighed: "I know you want to avenge your mother."

"But it seems we'll have to wait a few more days."