"Stop him, quickly stop him," the Second Prince roared, feeling that his men were all useless. They usually had formidable martial arts, but why were they so ineffective at this crucial moment?
What the Second Prince didn't know was that while they were intent on protecting him, they also had their own hidden agendas. They could see that the two individuals wanted to seek justice from the Emperor, and it was clear that those from the Crown Prince's side were already making way.
As long as they could reach the Emperor and clarify the situation, their crimes would be absolved. Although the Second Prince was in a hurry, they had been together all along. Since the Second Prince hadn't sent anyone to carry out the deed, their lives were saved. However, those who knew the truth, with their mouths agape but unable to speak, could only try their best to stop the pursuers as the Second Prince commanded.
Unfortunately, they had the will but lacked the strength. If not for the sheer number of their opponents and their bows and arrows, Wu Caiwei would have feared them not at all and would have quickly left them behind.
The Emperor, who had been chatting with the Third Prince, saw two figures from afar. His brows unconsciously furrowed. Everyone had left on horseback, so why were these two returning on foot, as if pursued by assassins? As they drew closer and he recognized who they were, the Emperor abruptly stood up. He glanced at the person opposite him and then at his son, who had been sitting beside him all along. He was certain that the son conversing with him was the genuine article. So, who was the person opposite him, and who were the individuals dressed in the same attire as his royal guards?
The Third Prince's mouth fell open as well. He recognized one of the individuals as Wu Caiwei, and the other was dressed identically to himself, with the same face and even the same way of walking. If he hadn't been sitting there experiencing it firsthand, he truly wouldn't have believed that such a person could exist in the world.
At this moment, he finally understood Wu Caiwei's well-intentioned advice: why she had urged him to stay close to the Emperor. If he hadn't followed his father, anything outrageous that the other person did outside would be blamed on him, leaving him with no way to defend himself.
Faced with this unexpected situation, the guards, fearing for the Emperor's safety, quickly formed a shield in front of him. Wu Caiwei, however, brought the other person to a kneeling position some distance away.
After a moment's hesitation, the Emperor confirmed that the individuals posed no threat. He then pushed aside those in front of him, stepped forward, and looked at them with a puzzled expression. "Who are you? Why do you look exactly like my son?"
Wu Caiwei could clearly feel the person beside her trembling all over, indicating the extent of the harm he had suffered in the past. However, this made her very confused. Based on her understanding of him, it shouldn't be like this. Even the emotions left by the original owner shouldn't have been able to control his thoughts, yet he had clearly and truly integrated into them.
The other person took a deep breath to compose himself, then respectfully kowtowed to the Emperor. He raised his head, his face filled with grief and indignation. "Reporting to Your Majesty, my name is Li Shengxu. I come from a farming family on the outskirts of the capital. My father was the village chief. From childhood, he sent my brothers and me to attend a private school for several years. Although we didn't take the imperial examinations, I could recognize basic characters. To make a living, I worked as a shopkeeper in a small business in the capital. I will never forget that day..."
Although many years had passed, the memory of that day was still vivid in his mind. He had gone to work as usual. Not long after entering the shop, he saw a richly dressed young master enter their establishment with several guards, walking with an air of arrogance. At the time, the shop assistants hadn't arrived yet, so he quickly stepped forward to greet the newcomer and introduce the shop's merchandise. To his surprise, the other party's attention was not on the goods at all. Instead, he was scrutinizing Li Shengxu from head to toe. Li Shengxu immediately felt that the gaze was ill-intentioned. However, in the capital, where the wealthy were numerous, he couldn't afford to offend anyone. He could only suppress his anger and maintain a calm smile as he interacted with the visitor.
"You are called Li Shengxu? You bear a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine. I would like to offer you a position with me, with a salary ten times what you earn here. What do you think?" The young master's expression was somewhat dismissive. Li Shengxu didn't take it to heart; after all, there were many wealthy families in the capital, and visitors to their shop sometimes displayed such attitudes. However, he didn't mind. As long as he did his job well and sold more items, his employer would give him more silver at the end of the year to prepare for the New Year's goods, which was what mattered to him.
This was the first time he had met this young master, and the other party was offering ten times his salary to poach him. He didn't believe he was more capable than others, nor did he think he was particularly lucky. He only felt that the young master had ulterior motives, and it was a trap he shouldn't fall into. Thus, he decisively shook his head. The other party immediately showed a displeased expression, as if Li Shengxu was unappreciative.
However, he didn't say anything more at the time and turned to leave. Li Shengxu respectfully escorted the young master to the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he turned back. Such wealthy families, although they had stared at him for a bit longer, would quickly forget him. After all, there were many interesting people in the city, and he wasn't particularly handsome or unique. He believed he would soon be forgotten. He didn't tell anyone about this incident. But a few days later, his fiancée, Liu Qingqing, disappeared.
Upon hearing the news, he immediately requested leave from his employer and began searching in the vicinity, trying to imagine where she might have gone. However, all his efforts were in vain. The Liu family had already given up, thinking that a young girl spending a night alone outside would either be kidnapped or deceived. Where could she be found in this vast world?
Although he had no leads, he never let go of the matter. Two days later, unable to bear it any longer, he returned to the shop, disheveled and distracted while working.
He had initially thought it was just an accident. However, on his way home from work that day, he encountered the young master again. The young master looked at him with a playful gaze. "I didn't expect your fiancée to be such a spirited one. I invited her to be with me, but she refused, thinking only of you. I wonder if you still remember her."
Li Shengxu froze for a moment, then quickly stepped forward. Before he could reach the young master, he was pinned to the ground by the guards behind him. At that moment, he felt utterly helpless and choked out, "What have you done to her?"
"Nothing much. What kind of woman do I want in the capital that I don't have? I wouldn't force a village girl who is unwilling. However, whether she can return alive depends on your performance."
"What do you really want? With your status as a noble young master, how can you lack people around you? Why do you insist on me working for you?" This was something Li Shengxu couldn't comprehend. The moment he saw the young master, he knew his intentions.