Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 506: Dead End

"Do the first lady and the third lady know where the second lady went?"

After listening to the butler’s words, Prince Huai furrowed his brow and asked.

The butler shook his head.

Prince Huai’s face darkened, but with priorities in mind, he composed himself, looked at the butler, and said, "Where is Fusheng?"

The butler was about to answer when footsteps sounded from outside. Seeing the door ajar, someone walked in directly. Upon seeing Prince Huai awake, the person’s face first lit up with joy, but quickly turned serious, and he greeted with a bow, "Your Highness."

Prince Huai nodded, just about to inquire about the next steps after Fengzhou, when Diwu Fusheng spoke somewhat urgently, "Your Highness, I discovered the reason General Chu Ce was ambushed and suffered a great defeat."

Although everything had already happened and knowing the reason was futile, Prince Huai still frowned and asked, "What was the reason?"

"I suspect the Xiao Family betrayed us before General Chu Ce began his sortie..." Although the doctor had warned Prince Huai to rest and not be agitated after diagnosing him, the gravity of this matter made Diwu Fusheng feel the need to tell him.

"What..."

Prince Huai, upon hearing this, fixed his blood-shot gaze tightly onto Diwu Fusheng, and said coldly, "Why do you suspect?"

He had been betrayed by trusted people twice already.

Once by the Xiao Family, once by the Li Family.

Due to the incidents with Li Mingfan and Li Mingzhong, Prince Huai no longer trusted the Li Family.

If the Xiao Family had also betrayed him, then he...

"After discovering the second lady’s disappearance, I immediately launched an investigation. Initially, I thought she had been kidnapped, but after Your Highness left Jing County with the Personal Guard Battalion, the only people who came to the mansion were from the Xiao Family. Then, I sent people to the Xiao residence and found it empty..." Diwu Fusheng elaborated on the investigation process and finally said:

"After some inquiries, we found that the direction the Xiao family’s convoy went was toward Huai State. Furthermore, after I described the second lady’s features, someone mentioned seeing her in the Xiao family’s convoy..."

"At such a critical time, what is the Xiao Family doing heading to Huai State and bringing the second lady along? It’s evident they have ulterior motives. Coupled with our swift defeat in the Yi County battle, I can’t help but suspect the Xiao Family betrayed us beforehand."

After listening to Diwu Fusheng’s analysis, Prince Huai’s face turned extremely grim.

Reflecting more deeply on Fusheng’s analysis.

He felt deeply humiliated because he suspected that Madam Xiao had already betrayed him when she was captured by Chen Mo in Huai State.

Chen Mo releasing her was just a deliberate act.

And he increasingly believed his intuition was correct.

The Xiao Family and the Li Family have indeed betrayed him differently.

Just like when Xiao Yunxi and Madam Hui were captured by Chen Mo in Huai State.

These are all similarities.

Once suspicion arises, it becomes uncontrollable.

He just wondered why Madam Hui and Madam Gan didn’t escape together this time?

Were they afraid their group would become too conspicuous?

"Bring Second Young Master here?" Prince Huai said through gritted teeth.

The "Second Young Master" he referred to was his and Madam Xiao’s son.

Previously, to compete for the position of Crown Prince, he became a Deputy General in the Personal Guard Battalion.

When going to receive reinforcements last night, Prince Huai took him along.

Just as the butler was about to go and bring the person.

A personal soldier clad in armor hurriedly walked in from outside, carrying an urgent expression, and saluted, "Your Highness, bad news, word has come from the front that the Xiao Family allied with the Chen Army before December 3rd, allowing the Chen Army to learn about our military movements in advance."

Several hours have passed since the end of the Yi battle, and unlike Chen Army intentionally blocking the news, the day’s events have gradually come to light.

The soldier’s words left Prince Huai dumbfounded.

If it was just speculation earlier, the soldier’s words almost confirmed it.

Prince Huai immediately felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Yet it was not over. Shortly after the soldier finished speaking, a staff officer from Prince Huai’s mansion came over. Seeing the door open, he came straight in, noticed Prince Huai was awake with so many people present, and revealed the news:

"Your Highness, news has come from the north. They say Chen Mo led troops to capture Haiyan Pass in Jin Xia, rescuing over ten thousand people of the Great Song. Moreover, it is said that before taking Haiyan Pass, Chen Mo stated, ’If the bandits can come, I can go as well.’

"Pfft..." Hearing this, Prince Huai could no longer hold back. His previously pale face turned a strange flush, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and a large mouthful of blood spurted onto the bed before his eyes went black, losing consciousness.

And this time, Prince Huai was unconscious for a day and a night.

Initially, he thought the current situation couldn’t get worse.

Yet indeed, it got worse.

The court’s proclamation condemning Prince Huai as a traitor had already reached Fengzhou.

The proclamation stated that not only was Prince Huai disloyal and plotting rebellion, but he had no sense of patriotism. While Chen Mo was defending the nation against Jin Xia with all his might, Prince Huai attacked Chen Mo from behind, making him a villain all heroes in the world should jointly denounce.

...

Elsewhere.

In a mountain range bordering Huai State and Fengzhou.

To avoid encountering Prince Huai, the Xiao Family did not take the route the Huai army used in their attack on Yi County.

Instead, they deliberately took a much longer detour, even choosing mountain routes.

The Xiao Family people, exhausted from their journey, stopped to rest and eat the dry rations they brought along.

Madam Xiao looked with concern at her elderly father and said, "Father, if I leave, what will happen to Ze’Er?"

Ze’Er, is Madam Xiao’s son, the Second Young Master of Prince Huai’s mansion.

"Even a tiger won’t devour its own cubs. The Second Young Master is Prince Huai’s biological son, sharing his blood, but you are different. To the Wang family, you’re ultimately an outsider. The affair in Yi County will surely be exposed; if we don’t leave now, we won’t get away at all." Madam Xiao’s father said.

"But... but what if the prince does lash out at Ze’Er?" Madam Xiao said, her voice tinged with tears.

"He won’t." Although Father Xiao couldn’t guarantee this, he could only offer comfort.

To this, Madam Xiao could only hope that Prince Huai would consider familial bonds and refrain from harming his own son.

Seeing Madam Xiao’s low spirits, to prevent her from affecting the convoy, he added another word of comfort, "It’s alright, you see, when Li Mingfan and Li Mingzhong defected, apart from being placed under house arrest, nothing happened to Chu Shou and Madam Hui."

As he spoke, Father Xiao suddenly thought of something, glancing around to ensure no one was looking their way, and whispered, "Be honest with your father, during the time you were captured by Chen Mo at Wuguan, did he ever...touch you?"