According to what the emperor said, the secret guards began to search from the village near the cave.

After all, the women who would go to the mountains to collect firewood would definitely not be the ladies from wealthy families in Beijing, but most of them would be women from the countryside.

So the secret guards started searching from the villages near the mountain.

So at the beginning, the secret guard went in the wrong direction.

However, even if the secret guards found the right direction, they would probably not be able to find her. After all, Xu Jinyi had not come down the mountain in the past two years.

No matter how she looks, I'm afraid even her own father wouldn't recognize her.

So the secret guards had to report back every day under tremendous pressure and were looked down upon by the emperor.

As the days went by, they became less and less patient with each other, and for the first time they felt that these secret guards were useless.

The secret guard was also complaining in his heart. He didn't expect that this task would be so difficult.

Even the person behind the attack was found and dealt with, but it was so hard to find a mere young woman.

Youfu sent the secret guard off with a sad face, and he almost knelt down to beg the secret guard to look for the person carefully.

The more time he couldn't find anyone, the more miserable his life became.

Even in the middle of summer, one could feel the chill emanating from the emperor even when standing next to him.

The secret guard and Eunuch Youfu looked at each other, feeling the same way, and sympathized with each other for half a second.

I almost burst into tears.

Xu Jinyi ran out of the cave, drenched, and returned to the room behind the temple shivering.

"Yiyi, why don't you pounce on the hero? He was clearly attracted to you just now?" Xiaoqi asked in confusion in his mind.

"Men don't often cherish things that come too easily. What I want this time is for him to remember me and think of me even more when he returns."

"When they find out that I'm a concubine, my goal will be achieved."

"Besides, losing your virginity now is not a good thing. You will definitely be examined when you enter the palace for selection, and it will be difficult to explain then."

As time went by, the emperor's temper became more and more violent, and even the ministers in the court could feel it.

The longer the time dragged on, the smaller the chance of finding the person, which made the emperor more and more annoyed.

There is no wall that is impenetrable, and the news that the emperor was looking for a country girl in a high-profile manner gradually spread.

The people in the harem were talking about it, wanting to know what kind of woman it was that could make the emperor so obsessed and worried.

They all went to the Empress Dowager and reported that the Emperor had not set foot there for three months.

After the Empress Dowager sent her people away, she called a nanny and took a bunch of portraits of the concubines to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The emperor was so absorbed in thinking about the woman that he didn't even notice the ink stains from his brush on the memorial.

Youfu, who was standing by, looked up at the roof and pretended not to see it.

The master has been in a daze like this for a long time, and he doesn't know when the woman will be found.

The woman's palm-sized face, charming almond eyes, and exquisite figure kept flashing in his mind, and the emperor felt empty inside.

At this time, the Queen Mother walked in.

Youfu quickly knelt down and saluted: "May the Empress Dowager be blessed with good health."

The emperor's thoughts were interrupted. He put down his brush and walked over. "Why is my mother here?"

The Queen Mother's face turned cold: "How could I not come? Now you are almost abandoning the harem and guarding that portrait every day, like a madman."

"Go to the harem and listen to the concubines' cries of grief. Your Majesty, tell me what you think."

"Tomorrow those beauties will enter the palace. Do you still remember what you promised me?"

The emperor sighed heavily and was even more averse to the selection of concubines than before.

Thinking of the promise he had made to the Queen Mother, his expression became awkward, and he said coldly: "Mother, let's just drop the matter of selecting a concubine. I have no interest in this matter."

The Queen Mother was slightly furious upon hearing this, and was extremely annoyed: "That woman is so obsessed with you that you even ignore the issue of having children?"

"Emperor, I won't live long. My greatest wish is to see your child born. If you can have a son or daughter, I will die without regrets."

"Mother, you're talking nonsense again. I know how to handle this matter, so don't worry about it."

In an instant, the emperor made up his mind.

He would no longer force himself to have children, nor would he force himself to sleep with women he didn't like.

Once he finds the woman he's been dreaming about, he and she will choose an heir from the royal family to train.

It is best if he is younger and has good character, because he not only needs to consider whether he is suitable to be the emperor.

The most important thing is not to have any other thoughts.

He is much older than the little woman. If he dies first in the future and can no longer protect her, he must pave the way for her.

Therefore, the new emperor must have good character and respect and protect young women.

To ensure the little woman's future after he leaves.

It can be said that the emperor was ruined for life at first sight by Xu Jinyi.

In such a short time, everything was planned.

The Queen Mother was surprised by his decision: "You actually want to adopt a child? Weren't you very adamant and opposed to it before?"

"You are still young, so keep working hard. When you really have no other options, it won't be too late to adopt someone else."

"Besides, if you adopt someone younger, it will take time, effort, and energy to raise him. And there's no guarantee of his character..."

"Emperor, I still hope you will continue to work hard for another two years. It just so happens that this group of concubines are ready. I have already notified everyone that they will enter the palace tomorrow."

The Queen Mother dissuaded him in a low voice.

"After all, my child has my own blood. It's not too late to try for another two years before adopting him."

"Tomorrow's concubines, your Majesty will find some excuses to dismiss them one by one. I'm afraid these concubines and ministers will be happy to see this result."

"Just say that my injury hasn't healed yet and that you can take charge. We'll discuss the adoption later."

"I've placed the portraits here. Your Majesty, please take a look when you have time. Perhaps one or two of these ladies will catch your eye. Besides, some of the better-looking ladies in this group are quite good-looking."

The Queen Mother motioned for the maid to put down all the portraits, then continued, "Today is the fifteenth day. If the Emperor hasn't eaten yet, he should go to the Queen's Palace."

Before the emperor could refuse, the empress dowager continued, "It's all right with the other concubines, but you have to give the empress some face. Besides, I don't want to deal with a bunch of your concubines every day."

Since the Empress Dowager said so, the Emperor had no choice but to agree.

After the Queen Mother left, the Emperor frowned as he looked at the scrolls piled on the table and said, "Take them away."

In the end, none of these scrolls were opened and they were piled up in the corner untouched, with no one paying attention to them.

But he didn't know that he missed the opportunity to discover the beauty.

At this time, Xu Jinyi had been taken back to the Marquis' Mansion.

The Marquis also had a portrait drawn quickly to depict Xu Jinyi's appearance and bribed people in the Empress Dowager's palace to replace Xu Yurou's information.

If he opened the portraits of these beauties at this time, he would find that the woman he was thinking about was one of them.