After rebirth, I cried and criticized the prince

Chapter 156 Crafty

Princess Mengnan woke up in Yuan Mansion. When she woke up, only Yixige and Helan Xuenuo were by her side. She touched her belly and grabbed Yixige's hands and asked nervously, "Where is the child? How is the child?"

Yixige choked up and said, "Princess, the child is fine. Thanks to Miss Helan for hiring a doctor, the fetus was saved. But the doctor said that if there are any more setbacks, I'm afraid the child will..."

"Just what?"

"The doctor said that if the fetus is disturbed again, even a god won't be able to save the child!" Yixige became more and more afraid as he spoke. He held Princess Mengnan's hand tightly and said, "Princess, let's go back to Mengnan. There's nothing to be afraid of when we get back to Mengnan!"

Princess Mengnan's face grew increasingly pale. She kept rubbing her belly, her heart filled with fear, and her voice trembled. "Isig, I am now the princess of a royal palace. If I return like this, how will I explain this to the two kingdoms? What will my father do?"

"You can go back." Helan's words immediately drew the two's attention to her, their eyes filled with hunger.

Helan cleared his throat. "Instead of staying here, why not go back? The Second Prince wants to kill you, Gu Shicheng won't protect you, and there's a concubine in the mansion who's eyeing you covetously. How many lives do you think you can escape?"

"What can you do?"

"Today you asked me why I saved you? Actually, I have selfish motives! Since Gu Shicheng can't protect you, and the Second Prince wants to kill you, if he ascends the throne in the future, you will still die! It's better to pretend to be dead now, return to Mengnan, take good care of the fetus, and come back in order! As for my selfish motives... I saved the princess's life twice, and the princess should repay me! I hope that after the princess returns to Mengnan, she will bring back the Mengnan troops within 30 days. Then there will be a fierce battle in the palace. I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. Yuan Xu and I are from the Third Prince's faction. You're only pretending to join the Second Prince now. Our target is the Second Prince, and he wants to kill you. Killing you means he doesn't value Mengnan, and when he ascends the throne, he'll most likely order the capture of Mengnan. I hope you think this through! Your best option is to choose the Third Prince. As long as you bring the Mengnan troops back on time and help the Third Prince ascend the throne, you'll be considered a meritorious official. Whoever Gu Shicheng chooses will be his own decision, not yours. As long as the Third Prince ascends the throne smoothly, Donglai will form a 100-year alliance with Mengnan to ensure its prosperity."

"Aren't you afraid that I won't come back?"

"Whether Princess Mengnan lives or dies depends entirely on the two of us, and we don't want the princess to put Mengnan in an unjust position."

"Alright! You Donglai people are indeed full of tricks. I'll agree to your request, but... do you have any way to make me fake my death?"

"I've already had Yuan Xu burn the carriage and throw the two assassins' bodies into the fire. One of the palace guards is still breathing. When he wakes up, how will he distinguish anything? They've all been burned to ash."

"But... will my father want me to go back?" Princess Mengnan felt worried for some reason. She had never doubted her father's love for her before, but after she was sent to Donglai for marriage, she began to doubt... doubt that her father didn't love her at all.

"Yes, princess. Emperor Mengnan will definitely want you to go back. If he knew that you encountered such a dangerous situation in Donglai today, he would probably regret sending you to Donglai." The scene of Helan's previous life emerged in his mind. After Princess Mengnan died, Emperor Mengnan was heartbroken and personally welcomed the princess's body back to the country. He was extremely sad, but for the sake of his people and his sons, he did not dare to break off diplomatic relations with Donglai. Even after that, Mengnan was still razed to the ground by the order of the then emperor Gu Yanli.

"Okay, I will go back. I will bring the Mengnan troops back within thirty days. Then please make sure to fulfill your promise and save the people of Mengnan from the harm of war."

"must."

The carriage to leave Donglai State had already been prepared, and everything had been arranged. Princess Mengnan was still in a state of confusion as she boarded the carriage. She had once thought she had chosen the most handsome man, a man who would treat her well, have children with her, and live a happy life. But she had never expected... at this point, she wondered if this husband was also involved in the assassination. In her heart, she preferred that he had nothing to do with it, but according to Helan, it made sense. Gu Shicheng had never considered protecting her, which made it so easy for Qi Didi to ally with the Second Prince to kill her.

No matter how unwilling she was, she had to leave. Staying here would only lead to death.

Yuan Xu sent elite soldiers to escort her away.

When the news of Princess Mengnan's death was brought back to the palace, Gu Shicheng guessed that the second prince was involved. He felt unhappy, but his face remained calm. He only had the burned body buried and did not let the news of the princess' death leak out for the time being.

But somehow, the news seemed to be unable to be concealed. The next day, the streets and alleys were full of news of the princess's death, and some people even claimed to have seen the princess's tombstone.

When the news reached the Second Prince's residence, the Second Prince was playing chess with Yuan Xu. When one of his subordinates whispered to him, he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

After the white piece fell, Yuan Xu asked, "Second Prince, what's the good news?"

"There's no happy event, but I heard something horrific happened yesterday."

"Your Highness, could it be that Princess Mengnan was kidnapped and burned to death by assassins?"

"No one knows me better than you. We both know this: Prince Ding'an had two military tokens and the support of Mengnan. But with Princess Mengnan's death, that power is gone! My father asked him to marry Princess Mengnan with the intention of passing the throne to him. He and I aren't exactly on the same page. In the end, I'm afraid it'll either be me who eats him or him who eats me. Now that Princess Mengnan is dead, he can no longer rely on his connections with Mengnan, and he might even have made an enemy for nothing. Which is a good thing, anyway? What do you think, General Yuan?"

"Your Highness, I am a martial artist, and I only think about devoting myself to the cause until my death. I know very little about the affairs of the court, and I only hope to do my best to help Your Highness fulfill his long-cherished wish. However, I have also heard some of the rumors circulating in the court and the public recently."

"What rumor?" The second prince perked up and placed a black piece.

"Many officials in the court and the country only follow Prince Ding'an's lead and regard him as the best candidate for the crown prince!"

"Nonsense!" The Second Prince was a little exasperated and lost all interest in playing chess. Yuan Xu calmly made his move as a white piece, and he followed suit with another to outflank him. "Prince Ding'an is ambitious and should not be underestimated! I don't have many reliable people around me, and you, General Yuan, are one of them! I can speak clearly with you today because I truly consider you one of my own. Prince Ding'an cannot be touched now, so I can only use him until I ascend the throne and deal with him properly."

"Your Highness is wise."

"The winner is the king, the loser is the enemy. Victory depends on everyone, and even more so, the assistance of your two mansions. As long as the Yuan and Helan mansions give me their full support, I believe this round will be won."

Yuan Xu's eyes fell on one part of the chessboard, but the chess piece landed on another. The Second Prince placed a black piece. Yuan Xu bowed and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on your victory!"