Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 498 - 437: Reunion, Kidnapping the Person Back_2

Chapter 498: Chapter 437: Reunion, Kidnapping the Person Back_2

Li Lao-San and He Lao-Si knew very well that there was no way for them to run now, and the twenty thousand taels of Silver they dreamed of had vanished like smoke. At this moment, they feared even keeping their pathetic lives intact wouldn’t be easy.

"Your Highness, we humble ones..."

Li Lao-San was about to bring up the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion in a bid to plead for leniency for himself and He Lao-Si, when he noticed a man of elegant nobility stepping off the carriage opposite them.

The man’s presence was commanding, his dignity beyond words.

There was no doubt—this man must be the Crown Prince.

It was said that the Crown Prince was Emperor Liang’s only son who did not possess Martial Arts. Emperor Liang revered strength, and so this son was not well-favored by him.

The only reason he ascended to the position of Crown Prince was because he had given Emperor Liang an Imperial Grandson who was the Guardian Qilin.

Originally, they thought he must be an ordinary individual. Yet the moment this man appeared, the two of them could barely breathe.

Lu Zhaoyan ignored the two and walked right past them, stopping in front of the carriage.

Li Lao-San, a shrewd man, immediately knelt on the ground and became a footstool for Lu Zhaoyan.

Lu Zhaoyan stepped onto his back and boarded the carriage.

He Lao-Si thought to himself: This Crown Prince is completely different from the rumors... What’s with that dangerous aura around him?

The interior of the carriage still carried her lingering fragrance and the faint milk scent of a child.

Earlier, he saw her leaving with a two-year-old little girl.

Her voice had changed somewhat from back then; it had lost its coquettish tone and gained a hint of depth. But her timbre and manner of speech were exactly the same as in his memories.

Could it be her?

Or was he imagining things?

"Your Highness, shall these two be executed on the spot?"

Outside the carriage, an Imperial Guard awaited Lu Zhaoyan’s instructions.

Li Lao-San and He Lao-Si shuddered violently.

Executed on the spot?

Did they hear that right?

Where was the benevolent and kind-hearted Crown Prince they were told about? Why was his reaction so ruthless from the very start?

Inside the carriage, Lu Zhaoyan sat down and raised his hand lightly.

The Imperial Guard sheathed his blade and stepped back, glaring daggers at the two men as if awaiting the Crown Prince’s slightest command to slit their throats.

Each of the two could feel their hair standing on end.

Lu Zhaoyan asked, "Are you from the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion?"

Li Lao-San replied honestly, "Your Highness, we are not. We were merely acting on the Pavilion Master’s orders to rescue the Third Mistress from Witch Mountain."

Lu Zhaoyan said, "Isn’t Gongsun Changle at Lingshan?"

Li Lao-San replied awkwardly, "That’s false information. The Third Mistress was actually imprisoned at Witch Mountain by the Liu Family. It was after many difficulties that we managed to bring her back to the Imperial City. Your Highness, we implore you to spare our lives in light of our efforts."

Lu Zhaoyan asked again, "At the Liu Family of Witch Mountain, were there any other women?"

"Other women?" Li Lao-San was momentarily confused, unsure what the Crown Prince meant by this.

But it was not his place to question. He could only answer as truthfully as possible: "To reply to Your Highness, the Liu Family of Witch Mountain is filled with women. I do not know which one Your Highness wishes to inquire about."

Lu Zhaoyan asked, "Who were they?"

A thoroughly bewildered Li Lao-San answered, "Ah, well... The Goddess, the Goddess’s daughter, the Goddess’s maid... Your Highness, although we are Miaojiang people, we do not live in Witch Mountain and know little about the Liu Family of Witch Mountain. This is all we’ve heard."

Lu Zhaoyan did not press further about the Liu Family and instead asked Li Lao-San, "Did you see what she looked like?"

Li Lao-San replied, "The Third Mistress always wore a veil, so we never saw her true face."

He Lao-Si suddenly leaned toward Li Lao-San and whispered, "Third Brother, the more I listen, the more something feels wrong. We’ve never seen her face. Could we have grabbed the wrong person? Otherwise, why would she run as soon as she saw the Crown Prince?"

Li Lao-San’s body trembled.

No way.

Could they really have made a mistake?

"What else did she say?"

Lu Zhaoyan asked.

Li Lao-San decided not to mention their suspicions about possibly capturing the wrong person. After all, it was just a guess without evidence. What if they were right?

He replied, "The Third Mistress said she wouldn’t go to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. Instead, she asked us to escort her to the Crown Prince Mansion and promised us two thousand taels of reward."

Had they known better, they wouldn’t have been greedy. Wouldn’t sending her to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion for the lesser one thousand taels have sufficed?

Now, look at what happened—they wouldn’t even get a single coin!

"Your Highness!"

One of the Imperial Guards who had gone to track someone returned to the alley.

Lu Zhaoyan slid open the carriage window, and the guard whispered something to him. Lu Zhaoyan nodded, "Understood."

Li Lao-San and He Lao-Si exchanged nervous glances.

Did they... find her?

Would they now face being skinned alive or gutted?

Lu Zhaoyan looked at the trembling Li Lao-San and He Lao-Si and said, "Take them to the Crown Prince Mansion."

Li Lao-San collapsed to his knees, sobbing, "Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare—"

Lu Zhaoyan said, "Give them their reward."

Li Lao-San: "..."