Transmigrated As My Former Uncle's Sweetheart

Her reply stumped Long Xuan and Chu Jiu. "These chains look ordinary, but why can't they be broken?"

They were completely baffled.

If the chains could not be broken, were they supposed to take the Empress back to Great Shang in such a state?

What if the locksmiths in the imperial capital were unable to remove them too? Would the Empress have to wear them forever?

"Royal Uncle has tremendous internal strength. I believe he can break them," Long Xuan said after a long silence, though he sounded a little hesitant.

Lu Liangwei thought for a while, then said, "We can't be sure of that right now. What if he can't break them either?"

"Have you thought of something, Your Highness?" Having served her for so long, Chu Jiu could tell from her reply that she had already thought of an idea.

"We'll flush him out!" Lu Liangwei answered slowly and surely, her alluring eyes narrowing.

Chu Jiu and Long Xuan exchanged glances. "You want to use yourself as bait to lure Long Chi out?"

Lu Liangwei nodded. "Yes. It seems that we'll need Long Chi's key to remove these chains."

Chu Jiu found it somewhat risky. They were in a foreign kingdom, after all, and they did not want the Empress to put herself in any more danger when they had gone through so much trouble to find her.

"Maybe we should go back to Great Shang first before making any plans." After hesitating for a moment, she offered this suggestion.

Long Xuan felt it was a risky idea too, but if the Empress were to return to Great Shang in those chains, it would break Royal Uncle's heart.

Besides, he had to help the Empress get revenge on Long Chi for kidnapping her, no matter what.

"I agree with the Empress's idea." He did not side with Chu Jiu this time.

Chu Jiu frowned and glared at him. "But it's just too dangerous. Can you bear the consequences if anything happens to Her Highness?"

"I can't, but we can't run back to Great Shang like losers. We have to remove these chains before going back. Besides, we have to help Her Highness get revenge, don't we?"

Chu Jiu wanted to protest, but Lu Liangwei interrupted their argument firmly. "That's settled, then. I have to remove these chains!"

Chu Jiu was still against the idea, but seeing how confident Lu Liangwei was, she decided to relent.

"As you wish, Your Highness!"

…

Once Lu Liangwei finished cleaning up, Chu Jiu came in with food.

"Your Highness, I've ordered supper for you. Please have some food."

"All right." With her long hair falling over her shoulders, Lu Liangwei sat down at the table.

Chu Jiu handed her a pair of chopsticks.

Lu Liangwei took them and began to eat while asking Long Xuan and Chu Jiu about their journey to the Yan Kingdom.

They told her that, shortly after they had first arrived at the Yan Kingdom's checkpoint, they returned once more to the West Water Frontier. They got themselves merchant travel passes, and only then did they manage to pass through the checkpoint smoothly.

After passing through the Yan Kingdom's checkpoint, they searched all the way to the capital city.

The capital city was the kingdom's seat of government, after all, so they ordered most members of their search party to keep watch outside the city gates and only brought a few people and minimal luggage into the capital city.

To make their search more convenient, they rented a house as their temporary lodging.

Never did they expect to find Lu Liangwei on the first night.

Lu Liangwei was touched to hear Chu Jiu's story. "I really owe it to you this time."

Chu Jiu shook her head, a smile appearing on her frigid face. "Nothing's too much trouble as long as you're safe, Your Highness. The Emperor would kill us if we still couldn't find you."

She made it sound like a joke, but it was the truth.

If they had been unable to find the Empress in the Yan Kingdom, they would have been too ashamed to face the Emperor.

Death was the least of their worries—failing the Emperor and Empress was worse.

"Is the Emperor all right?" Lu Liangwei abruptly lost her appetite at the mention of the Emperor, and she put her chopsticks down.

After hesitating for a while, Chu Jiu answered, "The day the Emperor returned to the palace with Princess Ji'er, he was so excited to take her to you, but when he heard that you'd disappeared, he coughed up blood and passed out on the spot. He was in a coma for three full days." She paused, unable to bring herself to describe the Emperor's miserable state.