Chapter 87: Zhixi disappears, the prince goes crazy

As soon as the first ray of sunlight in the morning climbed up the green tiles of the villa, the little maid hurried to the main house with toiletries in her hand. At this time in the past, Yun Zhi would have gotten up and read, but today the door was ajar and it was eerily quiet inside.

"Miss?" the maid gently pushed the door open and called out, but no one answered. She poked her head inside and froze in her tracks. The room was neatly furnished. Yun Zhi's usual plain clothes were folded by the bed, and the unfinished book lay on the table. Even the tattered jade pendant she wore every day was gone. Only a thin, blank piece of paper lay on the table.

"Miss! Miss!" The maid panicked, dropping the copper basin in her hands with a clang, spilling water everywhere. She ran around the yard like a madman, searching every room and corner, even the woodshed and the well, but there was no sign of Yunzhi.

Yun Zhi seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving no clues behind. Only an empty yard and a lingering desolate atmosphere filled the yard.

When the news reached Prince Duan's mansion, Xiao Jin was sitting by his old bed in the west wing, clutching the hairpin Yun Zhi had once used. After a night of graying, his hair was now held together with a simple wooden hairpin. His face was as pale as paper, and the bloodshot under his eyes was even darker than usual. At the words "Yun Zhi is missing," his grip suddenly tightened, and the hairpin snapped in two. The sharp wooden thorn pierced his palm, oozing blood, yet he seemed oblivious.

"What did you say?" His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible. He suddenly looked up at the guard who delivered the message, his eyes full of disbelief, "Say it again!"

"Your Majesty," the guard trembled with fear at his gaze and stammered, "Miss Yun... Miss Yun disappeared from the villa! Everything in the house is still there, but she is gone, leaving only an empty note..."

"Impossible!" Xiao Jin stood up suddenly, overturning the coffee table beside him, smashing the teacup on it. "How could she disappear? She promised me that she would wait for me to atone for my sins! Didn't you look carefully enough? Look again! Even if you turn the entire capital upside down, you will find her!"

He paced frantically around the room like a wild animal out of control, roaring orders, "Pass on this king's order! Seal all the gates of the capital and don't let anyone in or out! Mobilize all the secret guards and imperial guards, divide them into ten teams, and search every house! Anyone who has seen Yun Zhi, bring them back to me! And Xie Heng! Capture Xie Heng immediately and ask him if he knows Yun Zhi's whereabouts!"

The guard didn't dare delay and quickly turned to pass on the message. Xiao Jin stared at the empty room, then suddenly rushed out, leaping onto his horse and galloping towards Yun Zhi's villa. The wind whistled in his ears, and blood from his palms dripped down the reins, staining the horse's mane red, but he was completely oblivious—he had only one thought: to find Yun Zhi, to confirm that she hadn't left, that she was still in the capital, where he could find her.

But when he rushed into the villa, saw the empty main house, the blank piece of paper on the table, and the maid's red eyes from crying, his last bit of hope was completely shattered.

"When did she disappear?" Xiao Jin grabbed the maid's wrist with such force that he almost broke her bones. His voice trembled with madness. "When was the last time you saw her last night? Did she tell him where she was going? Did she contact anyone?"

The maid was frightened by him and burst into tears. She spoke incoherently, "Yesterday, the young lady was reading in the yard and told me to go to bed first... When I came this morning, I found that the young lady was gone... The young lady didn't say where she was going, and she didn't see anyone..."

"Didn't say anything? Didn't see anyone?" Xiao Jin suddenly let go of her hand, and the maid fell to the ground with a "thud". He stumbled to the table and picked up the blank piece of paper, stroking the paper repeatedly with his fingertips, as if he could find traces of Yun Zhi on it. "Why did she leave? Why did she leave without saying goodbye? Does she still hate me? Did she go to find Xie Heng?"

His voice grew quieter, finally turning into a muttering, the madness in his eyes growing stronger. He suddenly snatched up the book on the table and slammed it to the ground, scattering the pages, still etched with Yun Zhi's faint annotations. He rushed over again, ripping off the plain dress folded at the head of the bed and hugging it tightly. The dress still clung to Yun Zhi's faint scent, yet he could no longer find her.

"Zhi'er... come back..." Xiao Jin squatted on the ground, holding his clothes. His shoulders trembled violently. Tears mixed with blood from his palms dripped onto his plain clothes, leaving a dark red mark. "I know I was wrong... I shouldn't have forced you... Please come back, okay? I won't force you again... I just want you by my side. Even if you don't forgive me, even if you beat and scold me every day, I'm willing..."

His cries echoed in the empty yard, as shrill as a wounded beast, making people tremble in their hearts.

From that day on, Xiao Jin went completely crazy.

He ordered the entire capital sealed off, the gates tightly shut, preventing even a bird from escaping. Countless guards and secret agents crisscrossed the streets and alleys of the capital, searching every household. Anyone who had even the slightest contact with Yun Zhi was brought before him for questioning. Teahouses, inns, clinics, even the dilapidated temples on the outskirts of the city were turned upside down, but not a single trace of Yun Zhi was found.

He himself rode his horse, galloping around the capital day and night. From Yunzhi's villa to the former residence of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, from the palace walls outside the imperial palace to the villas on the outskirts of the city, he ran over and over again to every place Yunzhi might go. When he was hungry, he would gnaw on some dry food, when he was thirsty, he would drink some cold water, and when he felt sleepy, he would lie on his horse's back and take a nap. In just a few days, he was emaciated, his eyes sunken, and his brocade robe was stained with dust and blood. He looked like a beggar, and there was no trace of the Prince Duan.

Once, he saw the back of a woman in plain clothes on the street corner. She looked very much like Yun Zhi. He immediately rushed over like crazy, grabbed the woman's wrist, and roared, "Zhi'er! You are finally back!" But when the woman turned her head and revealed a strange face, the light in his eyes instantly went out. It was as if all his strength was drained away. He staggered backward and almost fell.

"I'm sorry... I recognized the wrong person..." He muttered, turned around and rode his horse again, galloping aimlessly, repeating "Zhi'er"'s name over and over in his mouth, his voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

The common people were terrified of him. Seeing him approaching, they shut their doors and windows, avoiding him as much as possible. Some said Prince Duan was mad, abandoning even the kingdom for a woman. Some said Miss Yunzhi must have been forced away by Prince Duan, otherwise why would she leave without saying goodbye? Others said Miss Yunzhi might have already left the capital and would never return.

When Xiao Jin heard these words, they only drove him even crazier. He ordered an intensified search, even digging deep underground, turning over every inch of the capital, but still found nothing.

Ten days passed like this, and Xiao Jin could barely hold on. He sat on the threshold of Yunzhi's villa, holding her plain clothes in his arms, his hair draped loosely over his shoulders, his face covered in stubble, his eyes as hollow as two dry wells. He hadn't eaten in three days, his lips cracked and bleeding, and he barely had the strength to speak, yet he kept whispering, "Zhi'er."

At this moment, a secret guard hurried over, holding a folded piece of paper in his hand. His voice trembled slightly, "Your Highness, someone found this letter under the stone lions at the city gate. They said it was for you."

Xiao Jin suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly gleaming with a strong light. He struggled to his feet, snatched the note, and unfolded it with trembling fingers. There was only one line of words on the paper, written in elegant handwriting, yet filled with cold determination:

"Tomorrow at noon, on the palace walls, all grudges will be settled."

There was no signature, no extra words, but Xiao Jin recognized it at a glance. It was Yun Zhi's handwriting!

His heart began to beat wildly, a mixture of ecstasy at finding Yun Zhi and the panic brought on by the words "we're done with each other." He clutched the note tightly, his knuckles turning white, the bloodshot in his eyes flaring again, and his voice brimming with frantic anticipation: "Zhi'er... you're finally willing to see me... we're done with each other... I'll do whatever you ask me to do! Just don't leave me again!"

He turned abruptly, jumped on his horse, and galloped towards the palace. The sound of horse hooves echoed in the empty streets, like a ray of hope, yet also carrying an ominous omen—no one knew whether this meeting within the palace walls would be the end of a feud or the beginning of another tragedy.