Chapter 174 Just an empty shell

Pei Yanzhi's voice was hoarse: "When she left...did she leave any message?"

Pei Xingjian pondered for a moment and said, "About half a month after you left, she moved to Yongning Lane. Later, due to the tense defense situation, my son was stationed outside most of the time and did not stay in the mansion for long."

After saying that, she lowered her head in shame, "If my son had noticed it sooner, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Pei Yanzhi said calmly, "Even if you had found out earlier, you couldn't have stopped her."

"I've already sent people to look for it, and I believe we'll get news back soon."

Several more days passed, and Wu Yang brought back devastating news.

Three months ago, Ji Shu first took the main road, and later switched to the waterway.

After boarding, it was discovered that she did not stay on the ship the whole time, but disembarked halfway through the journey.

In this case, with the world so vast and the sea of ​​people so large, where should we begin to search?

Later, Pei Yanzhi learned that Ji Shu had not taken Lian'er and Chang Wu away, so he ordered Wu Yang to bring the two of them over.

After a year apart, Lian'er had transformed from a young lady into a mature woman in charge of the household, now sporting a married woman's hairstyle.

The two exchanged greetings, and Pei Yanzhi asked, "After I left, did she come again?"

Lian'er and Chang Wu exchanged a glance, slowly shook their heads, and relayed what their wife had instructed them to say.

"My lady said that if you ask about it, my lord, we should give you this letter."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lian'er took out a letter from her sleeve. On the plain white letter was the character "Shu". The handwriting was not beautiful, but it was clear at a glance that it was hers.

He looked at the thin sheet of paper and felt a pang of pain in his heart. This was the reply he had been looking forward to every month a year ago, but now it had returned to him in this form.

Pei Yanzhi took it with trembling hands. He slowly opened it, and the handwriting made his eyes throb: Pei Yanzhi, I'm leaving. Maybe you will hate me a lot after I leave, or maybe you won't.

Many times I've wondered what kind of person you really are, but eventually I let it go.

Don't make things difficult for others, and don't look for me again. Even if you find me again, I will still try my best to escape. There are countless women in the world, so don't be fixated on me.

Every word fell into his heart like a poisoned needle, piercing his chest and making it hard to breathe.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he repeated those words in a low voice, "Let each other go... what a fine 'let each other go'..."

The crimson in his eyes surged, almost swallowed by deathly silence. Chang Wu lowered his head and remained silent, while only Lian'er slightly raised her head.

She felt a tightness in her chest at just one glance, and when she caught a glimpse of tears in the Lord's eyes, she hurriedly lowered her head and dared not look any further.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that his wife's letter was truly going to be the death of the lord.

After a long while, he folded the letter in his hand and put it in his pocket, his voice low and hoarse: "Did she say... where she was going?"

Lian'er and Chang Wu were unaware of this; they only learned of it from the servants of the Pei household after the lady left.

"At the time, I only saw that the lady looked gloomy, but she did not tell us where she was going."

After hearing this, Pei Yanzhi stood by the window for a long time, until Lian'er felt uneasy. Then he murmured, "I understand. You may go back now."

...

After some time, Pei Yanzhi dispatched countless men to search along the route where she disembarked.

But the master and servant seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

Pei Yanzhi sat alone in her study, thinking about the dream she had that day. In the dream, she said that she was not originally from this world, and that she had just returned to her own world.

A strange sense of emptiness suddenly overwhelmed him. His staff below the steps were chattering amongst themselves, but he couldn't hear a single word they were saying.

In just one month, Pei Yanzhi looked haggard and lost a lot of weight.

Gongsun Li advised, "My lord, everything is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt. Your ascension to the throne cannot be postponed any longer. The world cannot be without a ruler."

The other advisors echoed the sentiment, strongly urging him to comply, as they had also heard what their lord had been busy with these days.

But how can this hard-won empire remain without a monarch for long?

To put it bluntly, the entire world cannot be compared to a woman, even if she is the matriarch.

Seeing the loneliness in her lord's eyes, Gongsun Li continued, "The fate of the former officials left behind in Hanzhong, as well as the appeasement of various forces, all require your decision, my lord."

Pei Yanzhi sat in the main seat, listening to their reports and looking at the mountain of memorials piled up on his desk.

He slowly closed his eyes and said, "The enthronement ceremony will be held as scheduled, and the capital will be moved to Luoyang the day after tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, not only Gongsun Li, but everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

He then gave instructions on several important matters, and only then did the group acknowledge his orders and leave.

The noisy sounds inside finally quieted down. Pei Yanzhi got up and walked to the window. The night was as quiet as ever.

But with that person missing from the mansion, he always felt a void in his heart, a sense of unease.

But he knew in his heart that there were still many people and many things waiting for him to deal with. After a moment of silence, he got up and slowly walked towards the West Garden.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he pushed open the door, and the room was just as it had been when he returned that day.

Without his orders, no one dared to come in and clean up. The room was a mess, with the screens and shelves he had chopped up lying on the floor.

He looked around, then walked to the canopy bed that could accommodate three or four people. On this bed, the two of them had spent countless chaotic nights.

He picked up the pillow, only to suddenly see the dagger and thumb ring hidden underneath—things he had given her.

She took the items absentmindedly, but didn't take anything with her. Then, as if she had thought of something, she quickly walked to the dressing table.

She opened the layers of the makeup box, and sure enough, it was filled with the jewelry he had given her.

Even the jade hairpin given to her in Connecticut, a token symbolizing the mistress of Yanzhou, lies quietly inside.

Pei Yanzhi clenched her fists suddenly. She was truly heartless; she hadn't taken the child or any of her belongings.

She was so eager to sever ties with him, while he was still searching for her day and night.

He slumped into the chair, looking dejected. Even if he found it, what difference would it make?

What exactly did he love about this ruthless and heartless woman?

He bit down hard on the flesh of his cheek, the smell of blood filling the air, his hatred reaching its peak.

After that day, Pei Yanzhi instructed Wu Yang: "Withdraw all the men searching for her. There's no need to look anymore!"

Wu Yang looked up at his lord and saw him staring straight in the direction of the West Garden, his eyes seemingly veiled by an unreadable mist.

He felt no sorrow or joy, no resentment, as if nothing in the world concerned him, leaving only his physical body in this world.