Chapter 57 The Prince's Disappearance: Step by step, he was closing in on her...

Guanyin Pavilion is located halfway up the mountain, surrounded by lush trees, far away from the hustle and bustle and oppression of the palace.

For Fangru, these two days of peace and quiet were as precious as stolen time.

In the morning, she would stand quietly in the courtyard for a moment, listening to the distant and serene sound of the bell, feeling the crisp mountain air seep into her heart and soul, as if it could cleanse the stagnant air accumulated in her lungs.

During the day, she spent most of her time with Prince Cheng.

At first, it was just an instinct to seek emotional support and distract herself, but gradually, the child's pure dependence and closeness became a balm for her wounded heart.

She would meticulously check the prince's food, testing the temperature herself before carefully feeding him; she would use a soft cotton handkerchief, dipped in warm water, to gently wipe the child's delicate face and little hands; she would hold him and stroll gently under the sunlit corridor, humming a vague, gentle Jiangnan folk song from her memory.

Prince Cheng seemed particularly fond of her embrace, always unusually quiet in her arms. His big, dark eyes gazed intently at her, and he would reach out his chubby little hands to curiously grasp a strand of her hair, or utter a few indistinct syllables, as if responding to her tenderness.

This pure and unadulterated emotional exchange allowed a small crack to quietly open in Fangru's frozen heart, letting in a touch of warmth.

Looking at her child's innocent sleeping face, she would sometimes think in a daze how wonderful it would be if this pure land could be preserved forever within this deep palace.

However, tranquility is ultimately just an illusion.

A storm is brewing in the shadows, unseen by anyone.

Ever since the Empress Dowager secretly met with Master Wenyin that day, she has been shrouded in a cold gloom.

The master's assertion, "This child has no connection to the dragon lineage or the phoenix; forcibly detaining him would only disrupt the harmony of nature," struck her like a thunderbolt, shattering her last shred of hope and tenderness.

She sat alone in the meditation room for a long time, her fingertips icy cold, her heart churning with anger at being deceived and a deep sense of shame at the confusion of the royal bloodline.

"Your Highness," the trusted nanny entered silently, bringing her a fresh cup of hot tea, and whispered, "Now that the master has given his instructions, what's next..."

The Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with a cold and resolute determination: "Asking the Emperor will not yield any results. Since he dared to do such a thing, he must have made thorough preparations."

She twirled her prayer beads with unusual speed, revealing her extreme inner turmoil. "The Minister of Justice and the Vice Minister, they all have the same story, they must have already been thoroughly purged by him. But I don't believe there are truly impenetrable walls in this world!"

The old woman understood and whispered, "Zheng Yu has been operating in the imperial prison for many years, with numerous prison guards and clerks under his command. His Majesty may be able to silence the officials in charge, but he may not be able to silence everyone below. There will always be someone who speaks up for the sake of survival, or for some other reason..."

"Investigate!" The Empress Dowager's voice was not loud, but it carried a resolute force. "Use all reliable connections, bypass the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and start the investigation directly from the Imperial Prison! I want conclusive evidence, I want to see with my own eyes who used the bastard child of a death row inmate to taint the bloodline of my Great Xia royal family!"

This order, like a boulder thrown into deep water, will surely stir up hidden and turbulent undercurrents.

The Empress Dowager's dramatic change in mindset soon became apparent in the smallest details.

In the past, although she did not spoil him excessively, she would still see the Prince Shangcheng several times a day, tease him, and inquire about his daily life from his wet nurse.

But nowadays, she almost never summons people on her own initiative.

Occasionally, when she encountered the wet nurse carrying the prince for a walk in the courtyard, she would only glance at her indifferently, her gaze cold and distant, devoid of any of the warmth she once felt.

On one occasion, when the Prince Cheng staggered toward her and reached out his small hand to grab the hem of her magnificent robe, the Empress Dowager subconsciously took a half step back, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, as if avoiding something unclean.

How could such a subtle change escape the eyes of Consort Zhi, who was always watching the Empress Dowager and walking on thin ice?

That night, the moonlight was pale and desolate, casting dappled light and shadows through the carved wooden windows into the room.

Consort Zhi took Prince Cheng from his wet nurse's place back to her temporary meditation room.

She dismissed everyone around her and sat alone by the couch, holding the child.

Her fingers gently brushed across the child's soft cheek. This little face, which was growing bigger every day, bore a striking resemblance to Cheng'er's real father, a resemblance that chilled her to the bone.

The anxiety of the past few days, the Empress Dowager's obvious coldness, and the fear of her future fate entwined her heart like poisonous vines, tightening their grip more and more.

"If... if you were truly His Majesty's child, how wonderful that would be..." she murmured, her eyes gradually becoming empty and desperate. "Because you have the blood of that lowly condemned prisoner flowing in your veins... your mother was despised by the Empress Dowager and treated as a pawn that His Majesty could discard at any time... the lives of my son and I are tied to this lie, teetering on the brink of collapse..."

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, and her arms tightened involuntarily. The child felt uncomfortable from being held so tightly and struggled slightly, letting out a soft whimper.

Instead of awakening her maternal instincts, the voice acted like a key, instantly unlocking the cage that imprisoned the beast within her heart.

Why? Why should she have to endure all of this? Why should this bastard child become a stain and shackle on her life?

If it weren't for him... if it weren't for him, His Majesty might have been attracted to her because of her beauty, and the Empress Dowager might not have despised her so much...

A crazy and dark thought struck her reason like lightning!

She suddenly stood up, a hint of almost insane ruthlessness flashing in her eyes. She raised the soft, small body in her arms high, about to slam it hard onto the cold, hard ground!

"Wow!" The child cried out in pain from the sudden impact.

That loud, vibrant cry was like a bucket of ice water, suddenly extinguishing the raging flame in Consort Zhi's heart.

She trembled violently, looking at the little face that was red from crying, tears streaming down her face, filled with helplessness and fear.

What...what is she doing?

"No...no..." She seemed to wake up suddenly, overwhelmed by a huge fear.

She hurriedly pulled the child back into her arms from the ground, so tightly that the child almost suffocated, as if she wanted to completely crush the terrible thought that had arisen in that instant.

"I'm sorry, my son, I'm so sorry... Mother has gone mad... Mother has gone mad..."

She buried her face in the crook of her child's small shoulder, sobbing in suppressed despair, tears quickly soaking the child's clothes. "Mother can't live without you... You are my only support... Without you, I really can't live..."

She tried to comfort the frightened child in a jumbled and incoherent manner, as if she were desperately trying to convince herself.

However, the murderous intent that surged forth in that instant was like a cold, venomous snake that had already burrowed into her heart, coiled itself around, and could no longer be driven away.

The next morning, before the mountain mist had dissipated, Fangru walked along the damp bluestone path to the courtyard where Consort Zhi was temporarily residing to receive the prince.

As soon as the child saw her, he opened his little arms and rushed into her arms like a fledgling bird returning to its nest, his little head pressed tightly against her neck, with an unusual sense of attachment and grievance.

Fangru felt a tenderness in her heart, gently patted his back, and hummed a soft tune.

However, just as her fingertips were casually combing through the child's soft hair, she suddenly touched an unusual, slightly raised lump on the back of his head. The sensation was clear and abrupt, making her heart tighten instantly.

She discreetly moved the child slightly away, examining him carefully in the morning light streaming through the window. It was a lump of moderate size, with even a barely noticeable bluish-purple tinge around the edges.

"What's going on?" Fangru immediately turned to the wet nurse standing to the side, trying to keep her voice steady, but she couldn't hide her tension.

The wet nurse trembled almost imperceptibly, her eyes darting down in panic, unable to meet her gaze. She stammered, "Your Highness... this servant... this servant doesn't know either. Perhaps... perhaps His Highness accidentally rolled over and bumped his head on the edge of the bed while playing last night..."

This explanation is far too weak.

Fangru's heart sank.

She hugged the child tighter, and whispered in his ear, her breath slightly rapid with nervousness: "Cheng'er, be good, tell me, how did this happen? Does it still hurt?"

Prince Cheng raised his large, wet eyes, tears still clinging to his long eyelashes. His small mouth trembled, as if stirred by the fear and grievances of the previous night, and he mumbled an accusation with a heavy nasal tone: "Mother... Mother dropped me... It hurts..."

As she spoke, her small body trembled slightly from sobbing.

The words "My mother threw me" pierced Fangru's eardrums, making her feel cold all over.

Consort Zhi? She actually had feelings for her child... even if he wasn't her own, how could she not feel any pity for him, having been with him day and night?

Or perhaps the Empress Dowager's change in attitude had terrified her to the point of losing her mind?

Just as her mind was in turmoil, filled with doubt and uncertainty, a cheerful voice rang out from behind her: "Oh, Consort Shen, you've arrived quite early today."

Fangru turned around and saw Consort Zhi walking gracefully towards her, her makeup exquisite and her clothes gorgeous, as if nothing had happened last night.

She took the child from Fangru's arms with an effortless grace, her arm holding him with an irresistible force.

Prince Cheng seemed to flinch slightly, his little hand still clutching Fangru's clothes.

Consort Zhi acted as if she hadn't seen him, smiling as she tapped the child's nose with her fingertip. Her tone was affectionate, yet tinged with a barely perceptible stiffness: "Yesterday I took him to the woods behind the mountain to see the rabbits. This little rascal ran too fast and tripped and fell. He cried for quite a while, which broke my heart. Isn't that right, my son?"

As she spoke, she glanced at the wet nurse with a casual look, the warning in her eyes making the wet nurse turn pale instantly and lower her head even further.

Crown Prince Cheng was enveloped by his mother's seemingly gentle but actually oppressive gaze. His little mouth moved, but in the end he could only bury his face in his mother's shoulder, sobbing and daring not to say anything more.

Fangru's doubts grew wildly like vines, but the Imperial Concubine spoke with absolute certainty and remained calm. Fangru had no evidence, and if she were to forcefully question her now, it would likely bring disaster upon herself.

She could only suppress her surging unease and anger as she watched the Imperial Concubine gracefully turn and leave, holding the child.

Time slipped by anxiously, and before we knew it, the sun was setting.

Fangru was lost in thought in her room, pondering the injury on Prince Cheng's head and Consort Zhi's unusual behavior, when the door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang"!

Consort Zhi returned, her face frosty, her eyes sharp as knives, piercing straight at her!

"Shen Fangru!" Consort Zhi's voice rose in anger, "How dare you! Where have you hidden Prince Cheng?!"

Fangru was startled by this sudden accusation and stood up in astonishment, saying, "Your Highness, what makes you say this? Didn't you personally come to take the prince away this afternoon? Many palace servants can testify to that!"

"Don't try to deny it!" Consort Zhi stepped forward, her finger almost poking Fangru's face, and said sternly, "When did I come to fetch him? It was clearly you who took the prince out this afternoon and hasn't returned yet! You must be the one who kidnapped the prince because of past grudges and has no intention of doing anything wrong! Hand over the prince now! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The arguing soon alerted the Empress Dowager.

Upon hearing that the eldest prince had gone missing, the Empress Dowager's leisurely posture as she twirled her prayer beads vanished instantly, her face turning so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

Her sharp gaze swept between Fangru and Consort Zhi, her mind clear as day. Regardless of the child's bloodline, he was still nominally the eldest prince. If something happened to him in Guanyin Pavilion, right under her nose, she would have no way to explain it to the emperor! What would the court and the public say? The dignity of the royal family would be completely destroyed!

"Shut up, all of you!" the Empress Dowager commanded in a deep voice, her imposing presence instantly silencing all the noise.

She ignored all explanations and immediately ordered: "Seal off Guanyin Pavilion! No one is allowed to enter or leave! Search the place thoroughly, inside and out, dig three feet into the ground, find the prince!"

The search order spread like ripples, and a large number of guards, eunuchs, and even some palace staff were urgently mobilized, carrying torches and calling out the prince's name, rushing towards the dark forests surrounding Guanyin Pavilion.

The Guanyin Pavilion, which was originally heavily guarded due to its remote location, suddenly had many loopholes and gaps in its internal defenses.

Fangru returned to her slightly messy meditation room, leaning against the cold door, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

The disappearance of Prince Cheng is too suspicious, and Consort Zhi's accusations that distort the truth are even more vicious!

She walked to the window and looked at the shadowy figures and flickering torches outside. An idea popped into her head uncontrollably: the defenses were weak and people were filled with fear. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to escape this place of trouble and that mad emperor?

This idea has an alluring, seductive power.

If she could slip into the night amidst the chaos, perhaps she could escape this suffocating cage and find boundless freedom...

However, this fleeting thought was quickly suppressed by the heavier reality.

If she leaves, what will happen to her father, who is in the imperial court?

Emperor Zhou Ling is so paranoid and insane, he will surely take his anger out on her father, and the entire Shen family will be wiped out... She dared not imagine it.

Moreover, that child, Prince Cheng... with the injury on his head, we don't know where he is right now, whether he's alive or dead.

That tearful cry of "Mother threw me!" and those tearful eyes, filled with dependence and grievance, were etched into her heart like a brand.

She still remembers the warmth of his soft little hands gripping the hem of her clothes, and the way he gradually relaxed and slept in her arms.

A strong sense of worry and responsibility welled up within her.

She couldn't just walk away and ignore the potential dangers the child might face.

Gritting her teeth, Fang made up her mind.

She quickly changed into a dark dress that was easy to move in, and as night fell and the search team created chaos on the outskirts, she quietly slipped out of the meditation room, avoiding the main paths. Relying on her memory from the daytime, she plunged into the deep, mysterious forest behind the Guanyin Pavilion, which appeared as if a giant beast was lurking in the moonlight.

The moonlight is exceptionally bright tonight, its clear light like a ribbon, scattering through the woods and barely outlining the tree branches and the indistinct path beneath our feet.

She carried no lantern, relying only on the faint moonlight, and walked forward with uneven steps. Under her feet were thick layers of fallen leaves that had accumulated for who knows how many years, which were soft and made a rustling sound when she stepped on them.

The forest was eerily silent, save for the mournful whistling of the night wind through the treetops and the faint shouts of the search party in the distance. The sounds were ethereal and distant, which only served to accentuate the desolation of the place.

She moved forward cautiously, calling out in a low voice into the dark woods around her, "Prince Cheng... Cheng'er... where are you? Answer me if you hear me..."

I don't know how long I walked, but my legs were already sore and weak. The forest was getting denser, and the moonlight was cut into fragments by the layers of tree canopy, making the surrounding light darken.

An invisible fear began to creep into her heart like vines.

Just then, a long, mournful, and wild wolf howl came from the depths of the mountains and forests without warning, clearly piercing the silent night sky!

Fangru felt as if her blood had frozen instantly, and her scalp tingled!

The voice was so close, carrying the ferocity of a predator, that all her courage crumbled in an instant!

She could no longer care about searching. She turned around abruptly and, driven by her survival instinct, stumbled and ran wildly in the direction she had come from!

Fear gave her strength, but it also robbed her of her reason.

She fled in panic, unaware that sharp branches had torn her sleeves and cheeks.

She ran desperately, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, her rapid breathing and footsteps sounding exceptionally clear in the silent forest.

She felt the wolf's howl was ever-present, as if its eerie green eyes and sharp white teeth would pounce out of the darkness at any moment!

Just as she rushed through a particularly dense thicket of bushes, and her feet seemed to step onto a path half-covered by weeds, which looked like it had been trodden by hunters, a sudden, excruciating pain shot through her right ankle!

An irresistible, immense force suddenly pulled her forward!

"Ugh!" she cried out in pain, crashing heavily onto the cold, hard ground, the smell of dust and withered leaves hitting her face.

She turned around in horror, and by the moonlight filtering through the leaves, she could see what was imprisoning her.

A cold, rusty yet exceptionally sturdy iron trap, like the sharp teeth of a wild beast, gripped her slender right ankle tightly!

Fresh blood was gushing from the flesh pierced by the serrated edges, quickly soaking her socks and the surrounding dirt. Waves of excruciating pain washed over her, making her vision go black.

She endured the dizziness and excruciating pain, and tried to pry open the iron trap with trembling hands. Her fingernails turned white from the force, but the trap did not budge. Instead, it clamped down even deeper because of her futile struggle, almost crushing her bones!

Despair, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed her.

Just as she was losing consciousness due to the excruciating pain and fear, she suddenly raised her head.

A dozen meters away, under the shadow of a dense thicket of bushes, two eerie green lights shone like will-o'-the-wisps.

Immediately afterwards, a gray-black, agile, and massive figure slowly strode out.

The moonlight outlined its streamlined silhouette and hunched shoulders, its bared, white teeth reflecting a cold light in the moonlight, and a low, hungry growl emanated from its throat.

It was a fully grown, fierce-looking wild wolf.

It stopped, its eerie green eyes fixed on Fangru, who lay motionless on the ground. Its gaze was cold and cruel, filled with the patience and greed of someone scrutinizing their prey.

It lowered its forequarters slightly, assuming a posture ready to attack.

Fangru's breathing suddenly stopped; immense fear gripped her, and even the excruciating pain in her ankle was forgotten in that instant.

She watched helplessly as the wolf, step by step, steadily and deadly, approached her...