267. Missing

The sled dog was startled and swayed wildly from side to side out of control.

The sled bounced more and more violently on the snow, and the little dumpling's body swayed uncontrollably back and forth, almost being thrown off several times.

While desperately gripping the reins to maintain control, Bai Qingzhong reached out to protect the little girl, saying, "Princess, hold on tight to the edge of the sled! Don't let go!"

However, the sled suddenly hit a rock hidden in the snow, and the sled lurched violently!

The little dumpling's body was instantly tossed into the air.

Bai Qingzhong reached out and grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back.

However, the inertia was too great, and Bai Qingzhong himself was pulled out of the sled!

To prevent the little dumpling from falling off, he had to let go of the reins and push the little dumpling into the sled with all his might.

"Princess! Hold on tight!" Bai Qingzhong's voice had barely faded when he lost his balance and fell straight onto the snow!

"Brother Bai!" the little dumpling screamed, trying to pull him away, but the sled dog ran wildly, dragging the sled forward!

She could only watch helplessly as Bai Qingzhong's figure receded into the distance until it disappeared from sight.

The sled sped faster and faster across the snow, the surrounding trees rushing past, and the little dumpling kept its eyes tightly shut, its heart filled with despair.

She lost Brother Bai, didn't know if Uncle Zhou and the others were alive or dead, and didn't know where Brother Xie was. Now she didn't even know where she was supposed to go...

-

The little princess was squatting in her bedroom, stuffing small cotton clothes and pastries wrapped in oil paper into her bundle.

She moved quickly, occasionally adjusting her boyish hair in front of the mirror.

She secretly asked a palace maid to help her comb her hair, thinking that disguising herself as a boy to leave the city would reduce trouble.

"Chaoyun, what are you doing hiding here?" A familiar voice rang out from behind.

The little princess's hand trembled, and when she turned around, she saw the little prince standing curiously at the door, his eyes full of doubt.

The little princess quickly hid the bundle behind her back, stood up, patted the hem of her clothes, and tried to appear calm: "N-nothing! I just... just tidying up some old clothes."

The little prince stared at the corner of the bundle peeking out from behind the little princess, then looked at the oil paper package on the ground, tilted his head and asked, "Do you need to bring pastries when you're sorting through old clothes? And what's with your hair? Why is it styled like a boy's?"

The little princess's heart skipped a beat when she was asked the question, and her eyes darted away: "Don't worry about it! I... I just thought it would be fun, so I tried combing it."

As she spoke, she backed away, trying to hide her bundle more carefully, but the young prince pressed closer: "Chaoyun, are you secretly up to something bad?"

The little princess panicked and instinctively retorted, "Who's doing anything bad! I'm going to Qiuhe City!"

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Why did you have to tell the truth?!

The young prince's eyes widened instantly in disbelief: "Qiuhe City? The Qiuhe City with the plague and bad people? Chaoyun, are you crazy? Father said it's very dangerous there!"

"Keep your voice down!" The little princess quickly stepped forward and covered his mouth. She looked around before lowering her voice and saying, "I'm just going with Little Moon to see Lord Xie. We'll be back soon. Please don't tell Father!"

"No! I'm going to tell Father!" The little prince pushed her away abruptly and ran out.

The little princess was so frightened that she quickly chased after him and grabbed his arm: "Don't go! Father will be furious if he finds out! We'll only be gone for a few days, I promise we'll come back safely!"

"I won't listen! I won't believe it! I'm going to tell Father!" The little prince shook off her and continued running forward.

The two dragged each other along as they ran away, passing by the Wenhua Hall, where they bumped into Qu Zijin.

Qu Zijin was knocked back a step by the two children and quickly steadied them, asking, "What's wrong with you two? Why are you so flustered?"

"Grand Tutor!" The little prince, as if grasping at a straw, broke free from the little princess's hand and ran to Qu Zijin, shouting, "Chaoyun is going to Qiuhe City secretly! She said she's not afraid of the plague there and wants to take Xiaoyue with her!"

Qu Zijin was greatly alarmed.

He quickly grabbed the little princess, his tone urgent and serious: "Your Highness, is this true? Do you know that Qiuhe City is still plagued by the plague, and I've heard that there are also rebellious officials causing trouble. How dangerous it is! You and Princess Fukang are both delicate children. How can you go to such a place?"

The little princess was startled by Qu Zijin's tone, but still stubbornly insisted, "I just want to go and see. We'll be careful, nothing will happen..."

"Nonsense!" Qu Zijin interrupted her, and sternly ordered the palace maid behind him, "Quickly! Keep a close watch on Her Highness the Princess, and immediately report to His Majesty!"

The palace maids quickly stepped forward and surrounded the little princess.

The little princess was both anxious and angry. If she told her father, not only would she be unable to leave, but Little Moon's side would also be discovered, and their entire plan would be ruined!

However, her struggles were futile. She was picked up by a palace maid and taken directly to the imperial study.

-

Qu Zijin hurriedly left the palace and headed straight for the residence of the Marquis of Beiding.

The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, feeling that the two children were really going too far!

What if the little dumpling really goes to Qiuhe City with the princess and something happens to him?

Moreover, the situation in Qiuhe City is currently unclear. If the two children go there, it would be like lambs to the slaughter!

Upon arriving at the Marquis of Beiding's residence, the servants greeted Qu Zijin with, "Grand Tutor Qu, what brings you here?"

"Where is Princess Fukang?" Qu Zijin asked anxiously. "Is she in the manor?"

The servant hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully, "Miss went to the outskirts of the city to enjoy the snow early this morning with Young Master Bai. She said she wanted to try out Young Master Bai's new sled, and she hasn't returned yet."

Qu Zijin's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

Although the area outside the city is not as dangerous as Qiuhe City, the snowstorm has not stopped yet. What if something unexpected happens?

Moreover, the princess was still thinking about going to Qiuhe City. Fukang County was mainly persuaded by the princess and actually ran away secretly. The consequences would be unimaginable!

He immediately turned back, got into the carriage, and headed out of the city, repeatedly praying that nothing bad would happen.

Once outside the city, a faint cry for help could be heard from the distant snowfield.

Qu Zijin's heart tightened, and he quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

Several injured figures were seen carrying a child, struggling to move through the snow.

Some of them looked familiar; they were actually attendants from the Marquis of Beiding's residence!

Qu Zijin got off the carriage and ran over quickly.

When the attendants saw Qu Zijin, they grasped at a straw. One of them, Uncle Zhou, despite the wound on his arm, rushed forward for help: "Grand Tutor Qu! Something terrible has happened!"

Qu Zijin knew without a doubt that something terrible had happened. He looked at Bai Qingzhong, who was being protected in the middle. He saw that Bai Qingzhong's face was pale, his legs were wrapped with blood-soaked bandages, and there was a bruise on his forehead. He was so weak that he could not even stand up.

"What's going on? Where is the county princess? Where is Princess Fukang?" he asked first.

Mentioning the little dumpling, Bai Qingzhong's tears instantly fell, and he panicked: "The county princess... the county princess was taken away by the sled dogs! When the assassins caught up, the sled bounced violently, and I accidentally fell off and passed out. When I woke up, I could no longer find her..."

Old Zhou quickly added, "Those assassins were the Prince of Zhennan's men, but they were disguised as commoners! Lord Xie's attendants said that the Prince of Zhennan had rebelled, Lord Xie was seriously injured and missing, and Qiuhe City had also been occupied by them!"

"We fought our way back and forth until we reached the edge of the village, at which point the assassins dared not pursue us."

"We rushed off to find the county magistrate and Young Master Bai, only to find an assassin preparing to attack Young Master Bai."

"We risked our lives to protect Young Master Bai, but Princess Fukang has disappeared without a trace..."

Qu Zijin's face turned ashen; he was both shocked and anxious.

The Prince of Zhennan has rebelled, Xie Wenling has disappeared, and now even the little dumpling has vanished!

Any one of these events could cause a huge uproar.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Take Young Master Bai to my carriage first, and I'll have someone send you back to the capital. I'll go find Princess Fukang now and make sure she's brought back safely!"

He looked around and saw several villagers leading sleds by in the distance. He quickly went up and paid for the sleds.

Then, Qu Zijin, accompanied by two attendants, boarded a sled and quickly chased after Bai Qingzhong in the direction he had pointed.