The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class

Chapter 205

Zong Wenxiu had witnessed the entire process of He Zheng being sent away by his younger brother, and the explanation given to his aunt was completely different. He suspected that his brother might want to spend some alone time with their aunt, but he couldn’t understand why he had also called him and their mother along. As a result, he remained mostly silent throughout the journey, afraid of disturbing the two of them.

Little did he know, this was exactly the opposite of what the little troublemaker had in mind. The younger brother gritted his teeth and whispered, “Brother, say something!”

“Huh? Say what?” Zong Wenxiu was utterly confused.

The little troublemaker frantically hinted, “Just talk to your mother! Look at how beautiful the lake is, how pretty the lanterns are, how exquisite the boats are. Aren’t these all things you can talk about?”

The chatterbox couldn’t comprehend how there could be nothing to say.

Zong Wenxiu frowned, thinking to himself, “What’s there to say? It’s all right there to see...”

But under pressure from his brother, he reluctantly opened his mouth and said, “Mother, don’t you think these lanterns are beautiful?”

The little troublemaker quickly followed suit, ready to say something similar to Xu Wan. But just then, several women dressed in green robes suddenly appeared on the lake, gliding across the water and causing ripples.

The little troublemaker widened his eyes in amazement and exclaimed, “Mother, look! There’s a performance! They all know martial arts!”

Xu Wan followed his gaze and saw the green-robed women, their figures graceful and elegant. Despite the cold winter weather, they wore light clothing and danced gracefully in the center of the lake, earning applause and cheers from the onlookers.

“Bravo!” The little troublemaker clapped even more enthusiastically.

He called out excitedly, occasionally stealing glances at Xu Wan. He was happy that she didn’t react strangely when he called her “mother,” but also a little disappointed that she didn’t seem to have heard him clearly. The little troublemaker began planning his next attempt to address her properly...

The performance on the lake grew livelier. The green-robed women leaped onto various boats, dancing as if they were flying. One of them even landed on their boat, smiling and dancing in front of the little troublemaker and the others.

The little troublemaker excitedly waved at her. The dancer moved closer, and soon the two of them were dancing together on the boat. The little troublemaker, ever the show-off, wasn’t the least bit shy in front of the crowd. Instead, he enthusiastically matched her moves, jumping and bouncing around.

Xu Wan couldn’t help but laugh at the little attention-seeker.

“Bravo! Well done!” The cheers from the crowd grew louder, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch.

But then, the green-robed dancer grabbed the little troublemaker’s hand, gave him a sweet smile, and suddenly flew away with him, leaving him screaming, “Do we have to fly this high, sister? You could’ve warned me!”

Xu Wan realized something was wrong and immediately shouted, “Stop! Where are you taking him?”

Cui Liu and Buyan sprang into action, but the green-robed women from the surrounding boats closed in, engaging them in a fight. It was clear that this was a premeditated kidnapping.

The Crown Princess clenched her hands and looked toward the palace gates. “Jin Cheng is an innocent victim in this. They’re targeting His Highness.”

Xu Wan looked at her in shock.

Kidnapping Jin Cheng was a move against the Crown Prince.

What exactly was the relationship between the Crown Prince and Jin Cheng?

The Crown Princess reassured her, “There’s no need to involve the Marquis Manor. They won’t be able to handle this. Leave it to His Highness. He knows what to do.”

Xu Wan nodded and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

When the Crown Prince arrived, the doors of the abandoned temple were wide open. The area was surrounded by his guards, not even a bird could escape.

“Release Jin Cheng,” the Crown Prince said, his face pale, to the green-robed woman.

The green-robed woman replied, “Your Highness, if you want to save this child, you’ll have to come in yourself.”

The woman showed no fear, even leaving the temple doors open for him to see. Aside from the little troublemaker, whom she held at knifepoint, the temple was empty.

The Crown Prince stepped forward to enter.

His guards tried to stop him. “Your Highness, you mustn’t. There could be an ambush inside.”

The Crown Prince waved them off, signaling for them to wait at the entrance.

Inside the temple, Zong Jincheng watched as the Crown Prince walked in. Behind him were only people from the Eastern Palace. His mother and the Marquis Manor’s people were nowhere to be seen, not even the authorities.

What’s going on? Wasn’t this a kidnapping?

Weren’t they after money?

Why wasn’t it his family coming to ransom him, but the Crown Prince instead?

What did she want with the Crown Prince coming in alone? Was she planning to harm him? Was she using him to get to the Crown Prince?

Zong Jincheng, who hadn’t been afraid before, suddenly grew anxious. He tried to move, but the knife pressed closer to his neck, sending a chill down his throat.

The green-robed woman coldly warned, “Don’t move, kid. Or I can’t guarantee you won’t get hurt.”