Chapter 397 News

As dusk settled, the palace lanterns lit up one by one.

Jiang Huan, holding Xiao Zhao's hand, walked towards the Imperial Study.

Today marks the third day since Huo Yunxing went missing.

It was also the third day that Huo Lin had been in the Imperial Study without sleep or rest!

Thinking about this, Jiang Huan couldn't help but frown.

For three whole days, the lights in the Imperial Study burned brighter than the ever-burning lamps in the palace.

She had the imperial kitchen send her various nourishing soups, but eight out of ten times they were returned untouched. If this continued, before they could even find the person in Jiangnan, the emperor in the capital would be turned into an immortal by the soup.

"Your Highness, please slow down," Xiao Zhao whispered, sensing that her pace quickened. "Watch your step."

Jiang Huan took a deep breath, trying to calm her somewhat anxious mood.

She could understand Huo Lin's worries, but while she understood, she also genuinely felt sorry for him.

He's not eating or sleeping; is he planning to ascend to immortality and then appear in Huo Yunxing's dream so he can find his way back?

Thinking this, she looked down at the food box in her hand.

Hmph, I'm making him eat it no matter what today.

Jiang Huan, accompanied by Xiao Zhao, stormed into the Imperial Study.

Sure enough, Huo Lin was still hunched over his desk, staring at a huge map of Jiangnan, his brows furrowed.

His fingertips moved slowly along the crisscrossing waterways on the map, occasionally drawing a circle in red ink at a certain spot, his expression so focused that it seemed he wanted to see through the map.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't even raise his head, but said in a hoarse voice, "Put it down, I'll use it later."

Jiang Huan ignored him, walked straight to his side, and placed the bowl of porridge in front of him.

"A while and a while, do you want to wait until the porridge gets cold, or until dawn? Look at yourself now, you're more haggard than a refugee fleeing a war. If you keep going like this, you'll collapse before you even find the carefree king!"

Huo Lin then looked up from the map. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep for days. When he looked at Jiang Huan, his gaze was even unfocused for a moment before he refocused.

Upon discovering it was Jiang Huan, his brows furrowed even more, and his tone was weary and somewhat helpless: "Don't be angry, I'm fine. I'll rest after I've dealt with these matters."

Sigh, there are just so many things to deal with.

The situation in Jiangnan is complex. Although the epidemic has been brought under control, it has not been completely eradicated, and my uncle's whereabouts are still unknown. I cannot sleep soundly at night.

Although Huo Yunxing is a scoundrel who never behaves properly,... I don't want to lose this imperial uncle.

Hearing his anxiety, Jiang Huan felt both angry and heartbroken. She simply sat down on the soft couch next to him and crossed her arms.

“I’m not angry, I’m very rational. Here, I’ll stay here with you. You can approve the memorials if you want, or study the maps if you want. I’ll just sit here and watch.”

Huo Lin looked at her stubborn appearance and felt a headache coming on.

Everything is extremely urgent right now. Even if you knock me unconscious, I'll get back up.

[But she's pregnant and can't stay up all night with me; we need to find a way to let her go home and rest.]

Huo Lin tried to persuade him: "I understand. I'll go to my study to rest now, and you can go back to the palace to sleep too, okay?"

[Let's start with a delaying tactic!]

"Don't give me that!" Jiang Huan said firmly. "As soon as I leave, you'd better go back to your seat, okay? How many times have you said that these past few days? I'm not some pregnant woman who's stupid for three years; I'm not that easy to fool!"

Hmph, that's the good thing about mind-reading—it doesn't fool her.

She simply couldn't believe that Huo Lin could stay up all night with a clear conscience while she, a pregnant woman, sat there!

Let's see who can outlast whom!

Huo Lin was defeated by the persistence in her eyes, knowing there was no room for negotiation, and finally sighed.

He rubbed his throbbing temples hard and conceded, "Fine, fine, I really can't do anything with you."

He got up, walked to her side, and reached out to help her up.

"Let's go back to the palace and rest with me for a while."

Jiang Huan then revealed a triumphant smile, leaned against him, and was half-supported and half-carried back to her bedchamber.

After the palace maids helped the two of them to wash and dress briefly, they withdrew.

The candlelight inside the hall was dim, leaving only the two of them.

Huo Lin lay down as instructed, embraced Jiang Huan, and gently patted her back as if soothing a child.

"Go to sleep."

Jiang Huan leaned against Huo Lin's warm embrace, smelling the long-lost ambergris scent on his body. The worries and exhaustion of the past few days welled up in her heart, and her eyelids gradually became heavy.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, someone's voice came to her ears again.

[Hiss, calm down and think about it. The waterways of Jiangnan are intricate, and the secret guards have searched for three days without finding a single clue. Could it be that the Imperial Uncle has met with some misfortune?]

What's even more troublesome is that Princess Ayina will arrive in the capital in half a month. If I can't hand her over then, she'll probably tear the palace roof off.

[And then there's the Northern Army report... Sigh, so much to do...]

[Hmm? She seems to be asleep? May I get up now?]

Wait another fifteen minutes, until she's sound asleep...

Jiang Huan: ……

Goodness, I said I was going to sleep, but my mind was racing like a racetrack, never stopping for a moment.

You're still planning to sneak away after she falls asleep? Dream on!

Jiang Huan deliberately snuggled closer to him, uttering indistinct murmurs, but her arms tightened around him, as if she wouldn't let go even in her sleep.

Huo Lin's body stiffened, and he dared not move again. His thoughts also temporarily subsided, but his tense body told Jiang Huan that he was not sleepy at all.

In this eerie silence, extremely light footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, followed by Wang Degui's announcement, which was so low it was almost inaudible.

"Your Majesty, a secret report has arrived from Jiangnan."

Huo Lin's body tensed instantly, and he carefully tried to pull his arm out of Jiang Huan's grasp.

Now I have no choice but to go.

[Pray, pray she doesn't wake up, otherwise I'll worry again.]

Jiang Huan sighed inwardly.

She really wanted to stop them, but the matter was too important, and she didn't want to be so selfish.

She turned over, withdrew her arms from Huo Lin, and pretended to be fast asleep.

She didn't open her eyes until Huo Lin's footsteps disappeared into the palace. She was wide awake and listened carefully to the sounds outside.

A faint sound of papers turning could be heard, followed by Huo Lin's muffled voice, which was not clearly audible.

"...Found it? Where was it found? What are the injuries?"

Wang Degui's voice was even lower, and Jiang Huan could only hear a few words intermittently: "...rocks...unconscious..."

After a long while, Huo Lin finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"...It's good that the person is still alive...Spare no effort to treat them, send more experts to protect them, and keep the news under wraps."

"This servant understands."

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Huo Lin returned to the inner hall.

In the candlelight, his expression was even more somber than before, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Before Jiang Huan could close her eyes, she simply sat up straight and looked at his heavy expression, her heart sinking as well.

"Is the Carefree Prince... alright?"

Huo Lin walked to the bedside and sat down, holding her hand; his fingertips were icy cold. "I still woke you up."

He paused for a moment before continuing in a low voice, "The person has been found. He's still alive, but he's badly injured."

Jiang Huan's heart sank, and she gripped his hand tightly in return.

It's good that you're still alive; as long as you're alive, there's hope.

Huo Lin must be feeling extremely upset; his fingertips are so cold...

She didn't ask for any more details, afraid of touching on Huo Lin's sore spot. She simply leaned against Huo Lin silently, offering him unspoken comfort.

Silence fell upon the hall once more, but this time, amidst the heavy atmosphere, a faint glimmer of hope appeared.