Chapter 55 Summer is Gone! Aren't you supposed to be the best in the world?! How come you can't even...

This was the first time Li Changling had issued a wide-ranging order to the members of Bu Xi Zhou, solely to find Ban Sheng and Jiang Wan's whereabouts as soon as possible. Although Bu Xi Zhou was led by him, it had only been a few months since its organization was established, and he didn't know how many forces besides Yangzhou and Mingzhou were still under his command.

The following afternoon, someone finally brought news of Bansheng. Li Changling and Shen Minghuai rode swiftly to Yuyao and intercepted him at the post station. Bansheng seemed to have known they would come looking for him. He grabbed some hay with his right arm and fed it to the horse. When he turned around, Li Changling was shocked to find that Bansheng's left arm was missing.

"Where is Wang Yan?!"

Half-sounding, he continued feeding him grass, "Give me his right arm in exchange, and I'll tell you."

Shen Minghuai said coldly, "If you have the guts, then come and take it."

“I have lost all my martial arts skills and a broken arm. I am a cripple now, and I have nothing left to lose. But—” Ban Sheng glanced at Shen Minghuai, “If you had come any later, I don’t know if that woman would have survived.”

"Half a sound!" Li Changling shouted angrily.

Shen Minghuai gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into his palms, and said in a deep voice, "Do you really have nothing left to lose?" He then held up the tattered sachet and walked up to Ban Sheng, "Do you recognize it?"

"What did you do to her!" Ban Sheng snatched the sachet away, his eyes wide with anger.

Shen Minghuai said indifferently, "If my aunt knew of her existence, it wouldn't be as simple as losing a sachet."

"A bunch of beasts!"

Li Changling stepped closer, staring at his missing left arm. "Since you also have a sister, you should know how I feel. You should also understand that when people are extremely angry, they are capable of anything."

Ban Sheng suddenly lowered his head and laughed, saying loudly, "What prestigious sects? They're all hypocrites! What harm is there in telling you? Even if you return to the capital, you can't save her. Because Jiang Wan is just working for that person."

"It really is Jiang Wan..." Li Changling unconsciously tightened his grip on the sword sheath.

Shen Minghuai glanced at Li Changling, then leaped onto his horse. "Jingxin is in Consort Shu's hands."

Li Changling frowned and pulled the rope, "If Jingxin is in her hands, why not overturn your father's case?"

"Because his surname is Qian (meaning money)."

The steed galloped swiftly, burying the world of martial arts in dust, heading towards the bustling world of mortals. As evening fell, thousands of lanterns were hung, and the sounds of sheng and yu instruments lingered in the inner courtyard, while wind chimes rang out from under the eaves.

Amidst the resounding drums and music, the person seated in the main seat coughed twice. Upon seeing this, Consort Shu was about to rise when Emperor Yue stopped her.

"It's alright. The crabs are fresh, why don't you eat some, my dear consort?"

Consort Shu replied, "Crabs are cold in nature, so I dare not eat too many. I'm afraid it will harm my health and prevent me from serving Your Majesty at all times."

The Emperor of Yue did not press the matter further, but instead said to Shen Dingchen, "Duke, there is no need for formalities; this is a family banquet."

Shen Dingchen then took a couple of sips as ordered and offered a toast to Emperor Yue.

"I remember today is Minghuai's birthday, why is he nowhere to be seen?"

Shen Dingchen replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, it's not that this old minister has protected him too well. He said he wanted to go out and gain experience on his own. I don't know where he lost his heart, and he hasn't returned yet."

The Yue emperor told him not to stand on ceremony and to drink freely.

"You've really been a handful. But isn't it time for your coming-of-age ceremony? I've prepared a small gift for you; since he's not here, you can keep it for him."

Shen Dingchen rose and thanked him, saying, "It is truly my son's good fortune to receive Your Majesty's concern."

Qian Xu said unhappily, "Although my third and fourth brothers and I are Father's children, we are not as good as Ming Huai, who is far away in Jiangnan and still receives Father's care."

"You and the third prince are always hanging around in front of me, how could I not know what you're like every day?" The Yue Emperor's gaze fell on Qian Yao, who was furthest away. "As for the fourth prince, he finally managed to attend this Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet—cough cough—"

"Father!"

The princes all rose to their feet. Qian Jing, the most anxious, was the first to ask, "Should we fetch the imperial physician?"

Emperor Yue waved his hand, "I am old, and I will have to rely on you brothers working together in the future."

Qian Yao raised his cup to offer tea, saying, "Father is in the prime of his life, and his health is only temporarily ailing. We only hope to share your burdens and help you recover quickly."

"The fourth brother is very thoughtful."

Emperor Yue then asked Qian Xu, "Has your wedding date with Lady Shang been set?"

Qian Xu smiled formally and said, "Our horoscopes have been matched, and we are preparing to choose an auspicious day for the betrothal ceremony."

Qian Jing joked, "Although the Shang family is not a prestigious clan, the Minister of Personnel is still a second-rank official. Why would Fifth Brother want to make his wife a concubine? Could it be that the principal wife has already been chosen?"

Qian Xu smiled at him, his eyes remaining still. "Thank you for your concern, Third Brother. There is no such thing as a candidate for the principal wife. It is just that Madam Shang feels that her family is not good enough to be the principal wife. I have also tried to persuade her to stay. Unlike Fourth Brother, who has been married for a long time and does not need to be troubled."

Qian Jing then switched to another person to tease, "Yes, when it comes to marriage, it's always important to be well-matched in terms of social status. Fourth Brother didn't even choose carefully before rushing into marriage."

Qian Yao didn't want to get involved in their verbal dispute, but some people just wanted to stir things up even more.

"My marriage was also approved by the Emperor. What does Third Brother mean by this?"

Qian Jingmang smiled and dismissed it, "Brother, I meant well, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Let's get Xu'er's wedding settled first," Emperor Yue said, rubbing his temples. "I don't have the energy for all this lately."

Consort Shu said softly, "I will keep a close eye on things and will not trouble Your Majesty any further."

"I am at ease with you in charge."

Emperor Yue suddenly brought it up again, "Recently, some people in the northern border have been making trouble. Fourth Prince, you should discuss with the Privy Councilor to prevent the situation in the northern border from changing."

Qian Yao stood up to accept the order, but the Yue Emperor, tired of the food, turned to leave, only to stop abruptly.

"I remember your mother loved eating crabs the most, send some to Yiyao Palace."

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty."

The bright moon hung high in the sky. Though the people had dispersed, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments continued, spreading throughout the imperial streets and alleys, making the entire capital city bustling all night. Inside Yunqi Residence, Sangxing and Juantao, who had just finished dinner, were making small cakes in the courtyard.

"Only the lady in the manor loves to eat these little cakes. Since she's not here, who are we making them for?" Juan Tao kneaded the dough into a ball.

"Perhaps my wife will be back in a few days."

Sang Xing wrapped the red bean paste into the dough, pressed it into a mold to make three cakes, and was playing with Juan Tao when she looked up and saw a man standing at the entrance of Yunqi Residence.

"My lord." The two quickly bowed.

Wang Zhen nodded slightly, did not enter the courtyard, and left after watching for a while. Just as they were putting the small cakes into the steamer, Xue Mei suddenly came to the door, saying that the mistress wanted to eat small cakes and asked the two of them to steam some and send them to Lan Gao Courtyard.

Sang Xing slowly looked up, but saw neither clouds nor the moon. "If my lady were here, she would definitely go to Fengle Tower to admire the moon."

Juan Tao leaned on Sang Xing's shoulder and said, "Sister Sang Xing, I miss my wife too."

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the sound of white doves flapping their wings broke the morning tranquility of the Prince's mansion. Liu'er, carrying a bamboo tube stained red at the bottom, hurried to Wang Zhen's room. She didn't know what was written on the note, but Wang Zhen clutched it tightly and quickly left the courtyard. Liu'er had never seen her husband with such a panicked expression.

An hour later, Wang Zhen emerged from Wang Fuzhi's study and left the residence by carriage. Letters flew out of the capital, traveling south along the way until they reached Hangzhou.

A day later, Bai Baidao sent someone to report that his men had searched every possible place in the capital, but had not found any trace of Wang Yan. Four days later, the carrier pigeons that had flown south returned to their cages one after another, and Cheng Pan went back and forth again and again, but there was still no trace of Wang Yan and Jiang Wan.

Seeing that Wang Fuzhi had been preoccupied with many thoughts lately, Li brought a bowl of Golden Jade Soup to his study. This soup was made by stewing yam and chestnut slices with mutton broth, and it was said to have spleen-strengthening effects.

Wang Fuzhi was caught off guard by his wife's sudden concern. The table was covered with scattered notes, but fortunately, Li simply gathered them together and did not ask any questions.

"My wife has been unwell lately, why are you still worrying about me?"

Li nestled quietly in his arms. "The autumn examinations have just ended, and Yiheng hasn't even had a chance to rest before starting to help you with your affairs. Once this busy period is over, you two should both take a break."

Wang Fu sat back in his chair, tapping his brow. "Recently, reviewing the Northern Army's accounts has been quite a challenge."

Li placed her hands beside Wang Fuzhi's eyebrows and gently massaged acupoints, saying, "No matter how busy you are, you must eat on time. Don't ruin your health."

Wang Fuzhi immediately agreed, "The lunch that Madam sends is different every day. If I don't eat it right away, those envious people will come and snatch it away."

"That's good." Madam Li tightened her grip a bit. "Why haven't I heard a letter from Aying for half a month?"

Wang Fuzhi suddenly opened his eyes and touched the hand of the person next to him. "Don't you know her? She must have encountered something fun and couldn't care about anything else. With Lanzhi with her, you and I can rest assured."

Li did not press the matter further, but from that day on, she prepared nourishing meals for them every night in different ways. Today is the ninth day, and Liu'er brought a plate of Guanghan cake into the house.

"Knowing that the day of the results announcement was approaching, the mistress specially made Guanghan cake for her young master."

Wang Zhen had only turned one of the books piled up beside him, and the rolled-up pages were beginning to close.

"Guanghan cake...Aying also loves to eat it."

"Brother, you must prepare well. I will definitely come back to see the results in person on the day they are announced."

The scene of the day they parted flashed before his eyes. Wang Zhen opened the crumpled letter again. Not long ago, he had been wishing him success in the imperial examination. How could there be no news for half a month now?

The rain began to fall softly, scattering the osmanthus blossoms across the courtyard. Wang Zhen rose early, wearing an extra robe, and followed the fragrance of the flowers to Yunqi Residence. Green leaves climbed, and golden osmanthus petals drifted down. A carpet of fallen blossoms reflected the changing scenery; the sun was rising, but summer was already far away.

The chief and deputy envoys, carrying crimson silk, bundles of silk, grain, pearls, gold, and silver, knocked on the doors of merchants. Today, the King of Wei was accepting tribute, and the area within a five-mile radius of the merchants' residence was packed with onlookers. This joyous occasion spread throughout the entire capital before noon.

"Your Highness summoned me here today just to watch this spectacle?" Wang Zhen had no interest in chatting with him.

Qian Yao turned around and said, "My men have discovered Jiang Wan's whereabouts outside the city. Judging by the dates, she should be arriving in the capital today."

Wang Zhen disregarded all etiquette, turned around and left Qiongju Lane, heading straight for the south of the city.

The next day, the front hall of Li's incense shop was bustling with customers, but the sound of falling leaves could be clearly heard in the backyard. Two muddy footprints appeared silently by the osmanthus tree.

"Any news?"

Hearing the door open, Wang Zhen suddenly stood up. After seeing the person's face, he rushed forward and grabbed his collar. "Where's A-Ying?! I trusted you so much! If it weren't for you, my sister wouldn't have disappeared!"

Li Changling stretched out his hands and advised, "Yiheng, calm down first. Blaming won't solve the problem."

"And you!" Wang Zhen's long-suppressed emotions finally found an outlet. "Aren't you supposed to be the best in the world? How come you can't even protect one person?"