Li Guang nodded and said:

“Sister is right. Mr. Fang’s illness is indeed related to me. He didn’t go back to Beijing for the New Year this year. He was feeling restless in the academy during the first month of the lunar year, so he came out to sketch. I had nothing to do that day, so I lay on the back of an ox, herding the ox while reading a book.”

I never imagined that this cow would bring me into Mr. Fang's view, which is how I came to meet him.

"I never expected that you would meet in this way. Perhaps it is God's arrangement. I just saw that painting. I never thought that the cowherd in the painting would be you."

But who could have imagined that this cowherd was actually a young prince of our Great Northern Dynasty? What kind of world is this?

As Li Xue spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, and Li Guang quickly comforted her.

"Sister, don't be sad. I'm doing very well now. I'm safe and secure. Didn't you say, 'Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are destined for them, and they must first be tested and tempered...' This is God testing me. You should be happy, not crying."

Li Xue wiped away her tears, smiled, and said:

"I was moved by the deep bond between you and your teacher. I can imagine how excited Mr. Fang must have been when he met you."

“That’s exactly right. When my mentor saw me, he was completely paralyzed. I had to support him the whole time to keep him from falling.”

Li Xue nodded and said excitedly, "Come on, let's go take another look at that painting."

Li Xue stayed at the farm for more than an hour. Seeing that it was getting late, she left. She did not go to the inn, but went directly to Zhao Xian's house.

The area where Zhao Xian lived was very crowded due to the production of workshops and factories. Most of the people there were laborers, and some were merchants who came to buy goods wholesale.

Wang Xing and Lü Liang, whom Li Xue brought, were both dressed as servants. One was sweeping garbage at the door, and the other was chopping wood in front of the woodpile. Although they both appeared to be working, they were actually paying close attention to their surroundings.

Li Xue was very satisfied; this was exactly the effect she wanted. The two figures looked inconspicuous, but they provided excellent protection.

Upon seeing the princess return, a servant quickly went inside to announce her arrival, and Zhao Xian soon came out to greet her.

"Princess, have you seen Xiao Hei?" Zhao Xian asked.

"I saw it. Little Black has grown quite a bit and is quite cute. It's a pity that it's being kept in check by the little fox, so it doesn't dare to act recklessly. It's quite interesting."

"That's right. This is a case of one thing subduing another. Even if Little Black grows into a giant, it will still be under the control of the little fox. In this way, Li Guang will have an easier time. He doesn't have to worry about Little Black; the little fox will take care of it for him."

As they talked, the two went inside. After Li Xue sat down, someone brought her tea.

After sitting for a while, Zhao Xian heard a commotion outside and heard someone crying. He couldn't help but frown.

"What's going on outside? Go out and see!" Li Xue said.

Zhao Xian nodded, and the two quickly went outside. Upon seeing the scene outside, Zhao Xian was stunned.

At the door, Yang Ruotong's mother, Sun, collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Yang Ruotong was terrified to see her mother like this and hugged Sun in her arms, while Li Chun'e comforted her from the side.

Zhao Xian quickly went over and helped Sun up.

Someone handed over a chair, and the group helped Sun sit down.

"Mother, what happened? Tell me quickly," Zhao Xian asked.

"Xian'er, Yang Hong is in trouble, please save him quickly."

"Mother, don't rush, tell me slowly." Zhao Xian took the bowl of sweet soup that Qin Shiyu brought over and handed it to Madam Sun.

Mrs. Sun took the sugar water and drank it in large gulps.

After finishing a bowl of sweet soup, Mrs. Sun calmed herself down and slowly began to recount what had happened at home.

It turned out that Yang Hong's parents had been hoping that he could come home for the Chinese New Year, but they waited until New Year's Eve without seeing him. They could only pin their hopes on the first month of the lunar calendar, hoping that he would come back during that month.

The elderly couple waited and waited until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, but still did not see Yang Hong. They were completely disappointed and figured that Yang Hong would not be coming back.

The elderly couple had no other choice, so Sun went to find Xiao Kui to inquire about Yang Hong's whereabouts.

Xiao Kui said he hadn't seen Yang Hong for a long time and guessed that Yang Hong was afraid to go home to avoid his debts. He planned to find Yang Hong after the first month of the lunar calendar and make him return the money he owed.

Seeing this, Madam Sun was dumbfounded. It turned out that Xiao Kui also didn't know Yang Hong's whereabouts. She had no choice but to say:

“More than three months ago, someone saw Yang Hong in Yingkou Town and even appeared at your dock. Doesn’t Manager Xiao know that?”

Sun's words made Xiao Kui seem a little flustered, but he quickly calmed down and asked Sun a question in return.

"Who said I saw Yang Hong at the dock? I haven't seen him. I've been looking for Yang Hong all along."

"Tell me who saw Yang Hong, I'll go ask them and ask them to help find him."

Although Sun was a rural woman, she was not stupid. From Xiao Kui's expression, she knew that there must be something hidden, and Yang Hong's disappearance must be related to Xiao Kui.

Now Xiao Kui is asking him to reveal who saw Yang Hong at the dock, and he definitely can't say, because doing so would harm the person in question.

Thinking of this, Madam Sun said, "I heard it from an old farmer selling vegetables when I went to the market in town a few months ago."

"Do you know who this old farmer is? Tell me quickly."

“I don’t know this old farmer at all. I only know that he is from the town and that he often carries sacks at the dock.”

Because I was so eager to find Yang Hong, I asked everyone I met. To my surprise, he said he had seen it, and that it happened just a few days ago.

I also asked him how he knew Yang Hong, and he said that Yang Hong used to frequently visit Manager Xiao in town, so he knew him.

In a moment of quick thinking, Sun fabricated a story, which unexpectedly fooled Xiao Kui.

Seeing that Mrs. Sun did not recognize the old farmer, Xiao Kui immediately felt relieved and told Mrs. Sun:

"I don't care where Yang Hong is hiding, I will find him and he must return my money."

Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of Xiao Kui, Sun Shi already knew that Xiao Kui must know Yang Hong's whereabouts. However, Xiao Kui was ruthless and capable of anything.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Sun panicked and rushed home to discuss countermeasures with her husband.

Last time, I told Ms. Sun that I saw Yang Hong in Yingkou Town, but it turned out to be Aunt Cui from the village. She said her husband saw him at the dock.

Later, when Sun asked Old Man Cui, he changed his story and said he hadn't seen him. After Sun pressed him for an answer, he could only say that he might have been seeing things and had mistaken someone else for Yang Hong.

They all live in the same village, how could Old Man Cui be wrong? There must be something going on.