Chapter 39 After a ridiculous and foolish day, they...

After a ridiculous and foolish day, they finally fell into a deep sleep.

When Zhao Linzhang woke up, Shen Yunrong was not by his side. Recalling the exquisite taste that had penetrated to the bone, he got up to see where that charming woman, as beautiful as a river in spring, had gone.

But she wasn't in the room. He called to Steward Tan, "Where is she?"

"Your Highness, Miss Shen says she wants to visit Madam Shen!"

He seemed to have heard her mention it, but why was she in such a hurry, before he even woke up?

Even though he couldn't leave the palace, he could still escort her to the palace gate.

"Did you arrange for someone to take her?"

"Yes, Liu Hu will escort Miss Chen there!"

Although she was very disappointed, Zhao Linzhang didn't show it on her face. She probably wanted to see her mother as soon as possible, which is only natural.

Why did I feel a bittersweet feeling in my heart? The traces of our recent lovemaking were still there; she had held him so tightly, making him believe that he was the man she loved most.

She left without saying goodbye, supposedly to see her mother, but Zhao Linzhang was still hurt.

Zhao Linzhang was sullen all day until Liu Hu rushed in: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Miss Shen has gone missing!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Linzhang instinctively felt it was absurd. Liu Hu would never dare to joke with him like this. He immediately stood up, a bad premonition washing over him. He grabbed Liu Hu's collar and demanded, "What do you mean she's missing!"

"I escorted Miss Shen back, but on the way, she said she wanted to buy some pastries and asked me to wait for her at the entrance of Xinghuazhai. I waited for most of the day but she didn't come out. When I went in to look for her, I found out that Xinghuazhai had a back door. They said that Miss Shen left through the back door!" Liu Hu was extremely annoyed. He should have gone to buy the pastries for Miss Shen himself.

"She's gone!" Zhao Linzhang felt like he was experiencing both ice and fire. It was as if only a day had passed since last night and this morning, and they had been so affectionate.

How could Shen Yunrong bear to leave him? Could it all be a smokescreen?

"I've searched the entire street, but I can't find the girl anywhere!" Liu Hu returned anxiously to report.

As if he had just remembered something, Zhao Linzhang stumbled and ran to Shen Yunrong's room. The door was tightly closed. He pushed the door open and went in. On her dressing table, there was the gilded box that he had given her the night before, with a letter underneath it.

Zhao Linzhang moved forward step by step in disbelief, his hands trembling as he pulled out the letter.

He looked around, feeling as if he were dreaming, imagining that the mischievous girl would jump out and laugh at him for being fooled.

But there was no one there, the room was spotless, and the letter in my hand felt as heavy as a hundred pounds.

He opened the letter with trembling hands. It was her handwriting, and she wrote it in a quick glance. She said she was leaving so as not to make things difficult for him. She told him to forget her, listen to the Empress Dowager, and marry a princess of equal social standing.

Zhao Linzhang put down the letter, smiled self-deprecatingly, and said, "Forget her, forget her. How could she, how dare she, tell him to forget her after spending a night with me?"

This time, he slowly realized that all her attempts to seduce him last night were actually a ploy to leave him.

Zhao Linzhang smiled and smiled, but his heart ached so much that even breathing was painful!

How could she be so cruel as to slap him so hard when he thought he was the happiest man in the world?

"Order all the guards in the palace to go out and search for the person! Prepare a horse for me!"

"Your Highness, you are still under house arrest and cannot go out!" Steward Tan stopped the man who was on the verge of madness!

"Confine yourself! Today, not even my head can stop me!" Zhao Linzhang slapped away Steward Tan's hand that was blocking his way.

Well done! Zhao Linzhang has lived for so many days and has never been made to cry and laugh by a woman before.

More than anything, I felt a sharp, throbbing pain in my heart, the pain of being betrayed and abandoned.

The guards quickly gathered at the entrance of the Prince's mansion. Zhao Linzhang, dressed in a black brocade robe, had a deep and somber expression, like a dark cloud pressing down on him: "You will split into four groups and must find her. Do not harm her!"

Zhao Linzhang mounted his horse; his only thought now was to find the person.

Steward Tan called out behind him, but Zhao Linzhang didn't stop. He lashed the horse with his whip, and the horse, in pain, reared up and galloped away, with the guards following closely behind.

Zhao Linzhang went straight to the small courtyard where Madam Shen lived. Shen Yunrong didn't want him and her daughter anymore, but she would never abandon her mother.

Upon seeing Zhao Linzhang galloping towards them, the guards had not yet bowed when the man on horseback asked urgently, "Has Miss Chen arrived yet?"

"Your Highness, Miss Shen came for a while, but she has already left!"

"Leave? When will she leave?"

"They've been gone for almost half an hour!"

Zhao Linzhang closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath: She actually didn't even want her mother anymore, how much she hated him!

"Call Xiao Qiu out!" They didn't want to disturb Madam Shen.

Xiao Qiu walked up to Zhao Linzhang curiously and bowed: "Your Highness!"

"Did Miss Shen say anything when she returned?"

"The young lady told me to take good care of the lady, and that she would visit her often when she had time!"

"Didn't they say anything else?"

"That's all!" Xiao Qiu didn't know what was wrong with them today, they were all saying strange things.

Miss Shen suddenly pleaded with her to take good care of Madam Shen, which was exactly what she should do.

"Did you see which direction she left in?"

"Miss Chen is traveling in a carriage heading southwest!"

"Southwest!" Zhao Linzhang remembered there was a ferry crossing there. A cluster of anxious flames surged in his eyes. If she took a boat from the ferry crossing, it would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack!

"Quick, catch up with her!" We must find her before she boards the boat.

In the past, he could have comforted himself by letting go, but now that they had been so close, and in those moments of mutual affection, he could feel that she did have feelings for him, he couldn't accept her being so heartless as to leave.

Zhao Linzhang cracked his whip on the horse's back, and the white horse galloped off, with the guards following closely behind. Instantly, a cloud of dust rose up on the road.

Shen Yunrong just wanted to calm herself down. She packed two pieces of clothing, took some loose silver and banknotes, glanced at her mother, and then wandered aimlessly, asking the coachman to take her wherever he wanted, stopping wherever he could to rest.

Little did she know that the driver was a regular at this ferry crossing, where a boat went directly to Qingling City. The moment she stepped onto the boat, she regretted it. Even if she were to become Zhao Linzhang's concubine, there would be a whole bunch of girls lining up to fight over her, just like the two sisters in the backyard, who dreamed of becoming Zhao Linzhang's woman.

She could also stay by her daughter and mother's side, but the thought that soon, a woman with a more legitimate status than her would stand beside Zhao Linzhang, and that he would do the same intimate things with her as they did, sent a chill down Shen Yunrong's spine. She wouldn't be able to bear it. Rather than being heartbroken and desperate for him later, it was better to leave when she loved him the most.

A gentle breeze caressed my face, and the water rippled softly, shimmering like gold in the sunlight.

This is a merchant ship that travels to and from Qingling City. A round trip takes about a month. Most of the merchants carry large boxes and small packages of goods on board. It is quite unusual for Shen Yunrong to be traveling to such a far place with only a small bundle.

However, businessmen are afraid of getting into trouble, so they would only glance at her at most.

There were two local thugs who looked like local bullies. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with the joy of seeing a fat sheep.

They approached Shen Yunrong, grinning, "Young lady, are you alone? Where are you going?"

Shen Yunrong looked up at them: "My husband and I came together, and he's about to board the ship!"

Only then did she realize that it was too dangerous for a woman alone to board this boat. Before the boat sailed away, she stood up and said, "Excuse me, please make way. My husband is calling me!"

She doesn't want the boat fare anymore; all she wants now is to get off the boat.

"What do you mean by this, young lady? We brothers are not bad people!" Abducting a woman is a capital offense. On one hand, they were reluctant to let go of such a fat sheep, but on the other hand, they were afraid that she and her husband might really be coming out together.

After all, what man would be willing to let his beloved wife travel alone on a boat?

Taking advantage of the brief lull, Shen Yunrong quickly jumped off the boat. The commotion attracted the attention of those on and off the boat, who then turned away to go about their own business.

It is said that the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty were all established by Prince Zhuang. That living Yama was extremely strict in punishing petty thieves. If caught, they would be severely punished, even if they didn't die. Their ferry crossing was located in the suburbs of the capital, right under Prince Zhuang's nose.

With so many eyes watching them and the boat about to depart, the two thugs dared not chase after it any further.

When Zhao Linzhang and his group arrived, the boat had already set sail. He jumped onto a small boat on the shore, took out a silver ingot, and said, "Boatman, hurry up and catch up with the boat ahead."

The boatman had never seen such a large sum of silver before, and with guards in official robes behind Zhao Linzhang, he immediately bowed and said, "Sir, please sit down. I'll row the boat right away!"

The small boat, as nimble as a fish in the river, quickly caught up with the merchant ship. Liu Hu shouted, "King Zhuang is here! Stop the boat!"

The boatman cautiously stopped and went to the deck to respectfully welcome the prince.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!" The boatman racked his brains, trying to recall everyone on the boat, but couldn't think of anyone who had offended the government officials.

"Search!" Zhao Linzhang waved his hand, and the guards behind him carefully searched each passenger.

"Your Highness, no!"

The boatman's legs trembled. He didn't know who the prince was looking for, and he was the most law-abiding person.

"I ask you, did you see a young woman board the ship alone today?"

"Miss, yes, yes, yes! That girl got off the boat before it even set sail!" The boatman remembered the girl well; she was not only beautiful but also generous, and she never came to ask him for her fare back.

Thinking of this, he hurriedly took out the silver the girl had given him: "Your Highness, this is the boat fare paid by the girl. I dare not embezzle it!"

"Since she gave it to you, keep it!" Zhao Linzhang jumped off the boat in disappointment.

The entire ship was trembling with fear. This was the legendary Prince Zhuang, whose eyes were sharp as knives, his thin lips were tightly pressed together, and he exuded a sinister and murderous aura.

Those two thugs were trembling the most, but luckily they weren't that bold and didn't mess with anyone they shouldn't have.

Only this ship is setting sail today. Since she boarded the ship, why would she change her mind? He has no intention of investigating the reason why she disembarked.

Once ashore, he quickly divided his guards into two groups: "Liu Hu, you take them to ask them carefully. Xiao Zheng, you and the others come with me!"

"Yes!" After receiving the order, Liu Hu slowly went from person to person at the ferry crossing, asking questions one by one.

Zhao Linzhang mounted his horse and began searching the surrounding area, not missing any direction she might have gone. After more than half an hour, no one had seen where the girl had gone.

Upon seeing Wanglong Mountain in the distance, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Xiao Zheng, let's go up the mountain!"