The people sent out hadn't gone far before they ran into Tang Qingwan, who was rushing over with her own group.
"Cousin." Cui Yunfeng's face was covered in tears, and Cui Yunchu was leaning against her, already unconscious.
Tang Qingwan's steps paused for a moment. Her heart felt as though it had been fiercely gripped, and she dared not step forward.
Cui Yunchu had always been extremely vain and flamboyant, but right now, she was in a terribly wretched state. She looked like a broken doll, collapsed there without a sound.
Tang Qingwan's breathing quickened, and she could barely stand steady.
The Crown Prince was also looking quite haggard, but he immediately stepped forward to support Tang Qingwan.
"Cousin," Cui Yunfeng shook her head, "Big Sister isn't dead, she isn't. She... her body is so hot. I can't wake her up, woo woo woo~"
Hearing this, Tang Qingwan let out a breath and tightly closed her eyes. "A doctor, where is the doctor?"
She called out anxiously. Immediately, several people walked out from the back of the crowd, stepping forward to take Cui Yunchu's pulse and feed her medicine.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness Prince An, Miss Tang, Second Miss Cui," the doctor greeted them one by one before saying, "Second Miss Cui is severely injured and is running a high fever. She needs to be taken back to the manor as soon as possible so she can be treated properly."
Hearing this, Tang Qingwan and Cui Yunfeng immediately arranged for someone to carry Cui Yunchu up the mountain on their back.
Torches illuminated the entire bottom of the cliff. Up on the cliff, one could even faintly see a dense crowd of people moving about.
A man stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes lowered as he watched the torches slowly moving upwards. His handsome face was cold and devoid of any emotion.
A guard beside him reminded him in a low voice, "Master, you are injured. We should return to the manor first."
Shen Xiabai did not speak. After about two quarters of an hour had passed and the silhouettes of the people at the bottom of the cliff gradually became visible, he indifferently withdrew his gaze.
"She is indeed lucky to be alive. The ancestors of the Cui family must be protecting her."
With those words, he turned and left the place.
The carriage traveled quickly and steadily, returning to the Shen Manor at top speed. It was already late at night. As soon as the guard helped Shen Xiabai out of the carriage, they ran into Shen Zilan, who had just returned from outside.
Shen Zilan was startled when he saw Shen Xiabai's carriage. It was dark, and he didn't dare to look up. "Youngest Uncle, have you finished your errands?"
Shen Xiabai didn't speak. He just stared at him fixedly for a moment before stepping into the manor.
Shen Zilan watched his uncle's departing figure, feeling a bit bewildered. "I came back so late at night, and Youngest Uncle didn't even scold me?"
A servant boy beside him replied, "I noticed that the Second Master was limping a little. Perhaps his duties have been too intense these past few days, and he is too exhausted to reprimand you, Young Master."
"You have a point," Shen Zilan nodded in agreement.
The guard standing nearby felt the veins on his forehead throbbing as he listened. He quickly glanced up at the whispering master and servant in front of him.
In Shen Xiabai's courtyard, after he had washed up and changed his clothes, the guard immediately called for a doctor to treat his wounds.
Shen Xiabai's body was covered in scratches from branches. There was hardly a patch of good skin left on his entire back, causing the guard beside him to gasp in shock.
He had fallen onto a tree first and then bounced against the stone wall. He was also lucky; otherwise, what they brought back today would probably just be a puddle of mush.
"Send someone to check if there was anything wrong with that carriage from the Cui family," Shen Xiabai frowned and ordered.
That woman Cui Yunchu's words could not be trusted.
Normally, the horses used to pull carriages in the manor would never suddenly go mad. Therefore, it was highly likely that someone had tampered with the horse.
The guard's expression turned serious. "Master, do you mean that the Cui and Tang families are trying to harm you?"
"Not necessarily. We will only know after investigating. It is also possible that someone wanted to harm the person inside the carriage."
He just couldn't figure out who would have a grudge against a woman like Cui Yunchu.
Could it be that her sharp tongue had offended someone? But she was, after all, a daughter of the Cui family. Who would be so bold?
Shen Xiabai's words gave the guard a hint. "Master, do you think it could be that First Miss Cui pestered the Crown Prince and Prince An so much that they got annoyed and decided to deal with her?"
Shen Xiabai knitted his brows.
It wasn't impossible, but it was unlikely. After all, the Crown Prince and Prince An had deep relationships with the other two young ladies of the Tang and Cui families.
The guard quickly added, "Based on what we know about the two Highnesses, the Crown Prince might not do it, but Prince An... that's hard to say."
He was someone who never played by the rules. Any extraordinary person or event happening around him would seem perfectly normal.
The crazier the matter was, if you pinned it on him, you'd likely be right.
"Investigate it first before we jump to conclusions."
...
As the group brought Cui Yunchu up from the bottom of the cliff, someone immediately jogged over to Tang Qingwan and the Crown Prince to report, "Miss, something has happened."
The newcomer was a servant from the Tang Manor.
Tang Qingwan was already physically and mentally exhausted. Hearing this, she felt a splitting headache and immediately asked, "Did something happen to my father?"
The servant shook his head. "It's... about you, Miss."
As he spoke, the servant glanced at the Crown Prince before continuing, "A message just came from the capital saying that many extremely unfavorable rumors about you have suddenly started spreading in the city."
Hearing this, Tang Qingwan was stunned for a moment, and then she looked at the Crown Prince.
Finally, she said, "Right now, Eldest Miss's health is the most important thing. As long as it's not a matter of life and death, everything else can wait."
"But..." The servant was a bit hesitant but was still sent away by Tang Qingwan.
Tang Qingwan turned her eyes to the Crown Prince and said, "It's truly strange. I've been here searching for Yunchu all this time. Why would rumors about me suddenly arise in the capital?"
The Crown Prince seemed to have thought of something, his expression turning gloomy. "Don't worry, I will handle everything."
After saying that, he ordered his men to rush back to the capital immediately to investigate the matter from beginning to end—what exactly the rumors were and how they had started.
On the other side, Cui Yunfeng said, "Cousin, Big Sister has the doctor attending to her, so she should be fine. If you have urgent matters, you should hurry back."
In just a few days, it would be her grand wedding ceremony with the Crown Prince, and with the Liu family glaring like a tiger watching its prey, there were bound to be constant twists and turns. Thinking of this, Cui Yunfeng only felt annoyed.
