Princess, something terrible has happened! The prince consort has attempted suicide again!

What the hell!

Zhao Changning is at the Tang residence!

Zhang Xiaomeng was startled.

If I leave now, won't she see me?

Zhang Xiaomeng was helpless and waved his hand awkwardly, "Never mind, Her Highness is of noble status, how could I possibly be worthy of her?"

"Don't worry, Sister Changning is easygoing and not as scary as you think."

Seeing that Tang Wan insisted on taking him to see Zhao Changning, Zhang Xiaomeng quickly changed his mind, "Actually, it's fine to wait a few more days. You go and entertain the princess, don't worry about me."

Tang Wan was delighted upon hearing this, but outwardly remained reserved and said, "Then Wan'er will not disturb Young Master Lü any longer."

Actually, Zhao Changning had already left; they still needed to go find Zhang Xiaomeng.

After searching for two days, they still found nothing.

These past two days, Tang Wan has been constantly running towards Zhang Xiaomeng's place.

Making trouble out of nothing, making conversation where there is none.

Tang Wenyuan also cooperated with his daughter, deliberately avoiding seeing her.

Another day passed, and Zhang Xiaomeng asked again, "Has your father not returned yet?"

Tang Wan shook her head and replied, "Please wait patiently, Young Master Lü. As soon as my father returns, Wan'er will definitely inform you immediately."

Zhang Xiaomeng, however, was no longer in a hurry.

In three days, it will be my wedding day with Zhao Changning.

It would be better to hide in the Tang residence and wait until the wedding date is over; perhaps then the engagement will be null and void.

At that point, Zhao Changning would have no reason to send anyone to protect him, and once he left the Tang residence, it would be even easier for him to die.

So Zhang Xiaomeng stayed at home, basking in the sun when he had nothing to do, and occasionally showing off his poetry and songs in front of Tang Wan. His days were incredibly leisurely.

At that moment, Zhao Qiandong was reviewing memorials in the imperial study when Zhao Changning suddenly burst in.

The eunuchs and guards couldn't stop them.

Seeing his daughter's angry expression, Zhao Qiandong seemed to guess why she had come. He put down the memorial and looked displeased.

"Changning, you're becoming more and more unruly."

Zhao Changning's face was grim. Disregarding royal etiquette, he stared directly at Zhao Qiandong and questioned, "Father, why did you force me to marry Zhang Ling?"

Zhao Qiandong spoke calmly, "You know why I did this."

Zhao Changning naturally understood the implications.

They had previously arranged a marriage for Zhang Xiaomeng, but he has since disappeared.

With the wedding date fast approaching, everyone is waiting to attend the wedding banquet, and even several neighboring countries have sent envoys to offer their congratulations.

If it is cancelled now, the royal family will lose all its dignity, and Dongling Kingdom will become a laughing stock among other countries.

A few days ago, the matriarch of the Yongwu Marquis's mansion personally submitted a memorial stating that Zhang Xiaomeng had been disobedient and had been expelled from the family, and that Zhang Ling should be made the heir of the Yongwu Marquis's mansion.

In order for the wedding to proceed as planned, Zhao Qiandong not only granted permission but also allowed Zhang Ling to replace Zhang Xiaomeng and marry Zhao Changning.

This will perfectly solve all the problems.

"Ning'er, as a royal princess, you must prioritize the greater good," Zhao Qiandong patiently advised.

"Your son will find Zhang Xiaomeng, and will only ever acknowledge him as his consort!"

"Nonsense!"

Zhao Qiandong rebuked him sternly.

"His whereabouts are still unknown; he may have already been murdered. Your search will be futile. I order you to cease your search and await your marriage!"

"No! He's not dead yet."

The two were bound together by a life-and-death bond, and Zhao Changning knew very well that Zhang Xiaomeng was still alive.

She said firmly, "Your subject will definitely find him!"

Seeing his daughter's resolute attitude, Zhao Qiandong frowned and conceded, saying, "I'll give you two more days. If you still can't find her by then, you must come back and get married."

Zhao Changning did not accept the order, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Zhao Qiandong rubbed his temples and sighed helplessly.

That day, Tang Wan came to see Zhang Xiaomeng again, but she didn't have her usual smile and didn't seem happy.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaomeng asked, "What's wrong? Who offended you?"

"I'm worried about Sister Changning."

Tang Wan sat down in front of Zhang Xiaomeng, looking worried.

"She's getting married soon, you should be happy for her," Zhang Xiaomeng said casually.

"You don't know, the fate of the young master Zhang she admires is unknown. For the sake of the imperial dignity, the Emperor has arranged for the second son of the Marquis of Yongwu to marry in her place. Sister Changning has caused a scene in the Imperial Study because of this and hasn't slept for several days, searching everywhere for young master Zhang. I'm worried that her health can't take it."

Zhang Xiaomeng didn't expect that Zhang Ling would actually succeed.

Although he was unhappy, he didn't intend to stop it, otherwise all his efforts to hide these past few days would have been for nothing.

"Young Master Lü, why don't we go find Young Master Zhang too?" Tang Wan suddenly suggested, wanting to help her good friend.

Zhang Xiaomeng shook his head and refused, saying, "I'm used to being lazy and don't want to get involved in royal disputes."

joke!

Zhao Changning is now frantically searching for him, so going out would be like walking into a trap.

Let's just stay here and wait until after the wedding.

Tang Wan had figured out Zhang Xiaomeng's personality over the past few days and knew that she couldn't persuade him, so she didn't insist. She stood up and said, "Young Master Lü, Sister Changning treats me like her own sister. Now that she is in trouble, Wan'er cannot sit idly by. Wan'er wants to do her part and will not bother Young Master Lü any longer."

Having said that, he turned and left.

Zhang Xiaomeng didn't stop him and continued to lie flat.

Just as he was getting drowsy from the warm sun, Yue'er suddenly rushed over.

"Something terrible has happened! Miss...she's in trouble!"

Zhang Xiaomeng sat up abruptly from the recliner and quickly asked, "What's wrong with her?"

Moon, panting heavily, said, "Miss took me to find Young Master Zhang, but Chen Wenxuan stopped us on the way and forced Miss to attend some poetry gathering. Miss is worried that something might happen, so she told me to come back and ask Young Master Lü for help. Please, Young Master Lü, help my Miss."

Zhang Xiaomeng frowned, hesitating.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but he was afraid that he would be caught by Zhao Changning's men if he went out.

"Young Master Lü, Chen Wenxuan has always coveted my young lady and will definitely harm her. I beg you."

Yue'er knelt down with a thud and kowtowed in prayer.

Zhang Xiaomeng helped her up and said, "You can ask the guards in the mansion to rescue her; it will be more effective than me going."

"Young Master Lü, you may not know this, but this time it involves not only Chen Wenxuan, but also an envoy from a neighboring country. If we take guards and forcibly demand his release, it may escalate the situation and affect diplomatic relations between our two countries."

There was one more thing Yue'er didn't mention, which was that Tang Wan specifically instructed that only Zhang Xiaomeng should help her.

She wanted to take this opportunity to see if Zhang Xiaomeng cared about her.

Zhang Xiaomeng was unaware of Tang Wan's thoughts. Considering his old grudge with Chen Wenxuan and Tang Wan's safety, he finally nodded in agreement after Yue'er's repeated pleas.

However, before going, he found a veil to cover his face.

Yue'er led him straight to the restaurant.

Along the way, seeing soldiers patrolling the streets, Zhang Xiaomeng was so frightened that he dared not look up and pulled his veiled hat down even further.

at this time.

Inside a restaurant, scholars and literati gathered.

Tang Wan was among them.

Beside her stood a dashing man in white, none other than Chen Wenxuan.

Tang Wan asked coldly, "Chen Wenxuan, what exactly do you want?"

"Sister Tang Wan, as I mentioned before, this is a gathering of friends through poetry. These two are friends from the Nanzhao Kingdom and would like to get to know you."

Two people of different races sat in front of them. Their clothing and appearance differed slightly from those of the Dongling Kingdom, but both possessed extraordinary bearing.

The woman's appearance was in no way inferior to Tang Wan's, and she also exuded a scholarly air.

She rose and gave a slight bow, her demeanor elegant.

"Miss Tang, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Liu Qingrou. I have long heard that Miss Tang and Princess Changning are known as the two beauties of Dongling, one in literature and the other in martial arts. I am not very talented, but I also know a little about poetry and songs. I am honored to have come to your country and would like to ask Miss Tang for some guidance."