"You should search carefully."

After Xi Jing finished speaking, he simply got off the bed, sat at the table, and began to read the bamboo slips. He would only go to sleep after the palace maids found the wooden pillow.

The incense burner on the table emitted a strong herbal scent, but Xi Jing did not have anyone remove the herbs from it. He found that the smell did stop his coughing, and he gradually got used to the strong and pungent odor.

The palace maids in Xijing's bedchamber searched the entire room, inside and out, but couldn't find the nanmu pillow.

The head maid of the palace, covered in sweat, knelt before Xi Jing and stammered, "At that time, the Queen was fumigating her body with medicine in the palace, so I brought in the pillows and bedding that were drying outside."

"Let's use the medicinal fumigation on the Queen as well."

"At that time, the servant put all these quilts and pillows on the bed."

"But, this servant doesn't know how this wooden pillow disappeared..."

"Perhaps the Queen wanted to add herbs to the King's pillow and took it away? This servant is not sure either..." The maid spoke incoherently, very puzzled as to why the pillow had disappeared into thin air.

"Perhaps, this servant should go to the Queen's bedchamber and ask her?"

The palace maid tentatively asked Xi Jing a question, not daring to raise her head, for fear that Xi Jing would be angry and take her life out on her.

It wasn't until then that Xi Jing listened to the palace maid's words and, after thinking it over, realized something was amiss.

"Send someone to Yun Duoduo's bedchamber and tell her to come here!"

The palace maid was startled to see Xi Jing's angry expression, wondering why the king was so furious over a wooden pillow, and hurriedly went to call for help.

Xi Jing tossed the book aside; he had no interest in reading it now, his mind filled with Yun Duoduo's mischievous expression.

[I knew it! Why would she be so kind as to give me medicinal fumigation?]

So, they were up to something here all along!

[This little thing has been full of mischief since she was a child, and she talks a lot of nonsense. Maybe everything she said before was a lie to me.]

Thinking of this, Xi Jing frowned and shook his head.

"Maybe she really did take the pillow away and use it for fumigation?" he murmured.

"Yes, there weren't enough herbs in the bedroom, so she took the pillows away to fumigate them. After the fumigation was finished, she would return the pillows."

Thinking about this, Xi Jing wasn't so angry anymore.

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of water.

After all, no one except him knew about the defense plan, which was hidden in his pillow.

[Besides, there's no way that little thing could tell that the drawing on the pillow was a defense map, right?]

Xi Jing muttered to himself, thinking back and forth. The eunuchs and maids in the palace dared not utter a word or even breathe loudly.

...

An hour later, the people sent by Xi Jing arrived at the bedroom where Yun Duoduo had lived, but there was no sign of Yun Duoduo anywhere.

I searched inside and out, but couldn't find any trace of Yun Duoduo.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen is not in the bedchamber..."

The messenger returned to Xijing's bedchamber and hurriedly reported the news.

"Not in the bedchamber?"

"Have you searched inside and out? What about other places?" Xi Jing's body stiffened, and that bad feeling returned.

"Your Majesty, I have searched the entire palace, but I have not found the Queen."

"Did you see my wooden pillow in her bedchamber?"

"No, I didn't see the King's wooden pillow..."

Xi Jing couldn't catch his breath and started coughing violently.

The palace maid quickly brought over a cup of tea. At that moment, the palace maid seemed to understand that the Queen had taken the King's wooden pillow and run away.

But why did the Queen take away the King's wooden pillow?

Could it be that they took the king's personal belongings to keep as a keepsake?

But if the Queen truly couldn't bear to leave the King, why did she leave?

The palace maid racked her brains, but still couldn't understand why Yun Duoduo would do such a thing.

After catching his breath, Xi Jing roared, "So, it escaped from my grasp again?!"

The eunuchs and palace maids didn't understand what Xi Jing meant by "ran away again."

A deep sense of frustration welled up in Xi Jing's heart. She had been defeated by this little girl time and time again, and she felt very bad.

"Summon all the guards at the palace gates who have seen her!"

Xi Jing roared angrily.

He still couldn't believe it; could this person really just disappear into thin air?

Although there are many entrances and exits to the palace, the guards on duty at the gates will definitely see her if she wants to go out.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The guard beside Xi Jing immediately obeyed the order, took one person out, and summoned all the guards guarding the palace gates, side gates, and back gates.

Another hour passed, and the courtyard of Xijing's palace was filled with a dark mass of people kneeling on the ground.

Xi Jing was dressed in a bright red robe, his face gloomy, looking like the King of Hell who had come from the underworld to claim lives.

He was feeling very depressed. Originally, this was his time to get his beauty sleep. His daily routine was very regular, and he was someone who went to bed early and got up early and never stayed up late. He firmly believed that this was why his appearance could always remain at the top of the handsome men list.

[This is ridiculous! You've kept me from sleeping!]

"Tell me, how were you guarding the area?!"

Xi Jing looked at the person kneeling on the ground and asked in an annoyed tone.

"Such a living person, just vanished into thin air like that?" Xi Jing was so angry that he saw stars.

The guards trembled all over, their faces filled with terror, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

They all knew that Xi Jing had once cut off the heads of his relatives and friends and hung them on the city wall, letting the blood flow freely and be exposed to the sun.

"Hmph, not saying a word, huh?"

Xi Jing snorted coldly, looking at the people kneeling on the ground: "Guards! Drag all these people away and tear them apart by five horses!"

[Torn apart by five horses, executed by dismemberment...]

This is like tearing a living person's body apart; how much suffering must one endure?!

The guards were so frightened they almost wet themselves, and cried out in fear and anxiety, "Your Majesty, spare our lives!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I saw it!"

A guard suddenly looked up at Xi Jing as if he were a lifeline; his trousers were already wet, and tears streamed down his face in fear.

"I was on duty at the side gate. After seeing the king, I think I went up the back mountain." The guard said timidly, pointing his finger in the direction of the back mountain.

"The back mountain?"

"Who's on guard at the back of the mountain?" Xi Jing asked, narrowing his eyes as he glanced at the people kneeling on the ground.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it was I who was on duty."

The guard was crying; he hadn't expected to be betrayed by his colleague, and it seemed he wouldn't survive the night.

"Did she go to the back mountain?"

Xi Jing looked at the man and asked.