Lynn raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes. If he had been a little faster, he might have been able to stop Wu Jianfeng from kidnapping Xi Xizhi.
Lynn was filled with deep self-blame, but he did not become despondent because of it. After His Majesty gave his instructions, he immediately led a large group of eunuchs to search for the person.
If anything were to happen to Miss Xi, His Majesty's wrath... would be unbearable for anyone.
After meeting up with Wu Jianfeng, An Yunyi returned to Liuyun Palace and witnessed the scene. She then naturally followed him there, silently watching everything. In her heart, she cursed Wu Jianfeng for his incompetence, allowing Lin En to escape and even informing her elder brother, the Emperor.
However... even if things really come to light, she has a way to shift all the blame onto Wu Jianfeng, thus protecting herself.
The thought that she wouldn't have to marry into the Huiying Kingdom after tonight filled her with joy, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
Dongfang Youyu, who happened to be closest to her, caught the smile and looked at her a few more times, puzzled.
An Honghan was so angry that he flicked his dragon robe and strode forward.
The Imperial Guards, Imperial Attendants, eunuchs, and palace maids were all dispatched to search for the person. Every corner of the palace was thoroughly searched, and no room was overlooked.
As An Honghan walked past An Yunyi, he suddenly remembered the ultimate purpose of the banquet. He glanced around but did not see Duan Yufei in the crowd.
"Where did Prince Duan go?" An Honghan asked An Yunyi, as he was one of the few people who saw An Yunyi and Duan Yufei leave Liuyun Palace together.
An Yunyi felt a little guilty when she met her brother's sharp eyes. She tried her best to make her expression look normal. "Your Majesty, just now, I went to the pavilion with Prince Duan for a couple of drinks. He was very happy tonight and accidentally drank a few too many and got drunk. I saw that he was unsteady on his feet, so I sent someone to take him back to his palace."
An Yunyi was afraid that her brother would see through her disguise, so she clenched her small hands tightly inside her sleeves, but there was no sign of nervousness on her face.
After a long pause, An Honghan nodded to her and strode away from her.
An Yunyi breathed a sigh of relief, and her little hand gradually loosened its grip.
Her seemingly flawless disguise fell into Dongfang Youyu's eyes.
Dongfang Youyu looked at her thoughtfully, feeling that tonight's events were inextricably linked to the Fourteenth Princess.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because An Yunyi turned to face him directly. "Is there something on my face? Why is Your Highness looking at me like that?"
"No." Dongfang Youyu smiled back, his face gentle. "Tonight will be busy. I'd better go back to my palace to rest so as not to cause His Majesty any trouble. Fourteenth Princess, you should also go back early. Tonight is not going to be peaceful."
After saying that, Dongfang Youyu and she stepped aside and left with his guards.
The palace covers a vast area, and it's not something that can be searched out casually. Even with a large number of people sent out, and after searching for an entire night, they only managed to search about 80% of the palace.
The remaining 20% of the palaces belonged to imperial concubines and princesses, or princes and crown princes who were temporarily visiting Fengze Kingdom. Investigating the palaces of these people was much more difficult than investigating the previous 80%.
These people hold the highest social status. If you are not careful and offend them, the powerless palace maids and eunuchs will not be able to gain a foothold in the palace.
Inside the Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, you haven't slept a wink all night, why don't you go and get some sleep?" Lynn had been busy all night, constantly directing the eunuchs to disperse and search for the missing person.
As dawn broke, he ran back to the Imperial Study, intending to help An Honghan change clothes, wash up, and have his meal.
He had run through almost a quarter of the palace that night, and now even lifting his legs makes them ache terribly.
"You didn't sleep either?" His eyes were still cold, but he didn't feel tired from not sleeping all night. An Honghan's mind was full of thoughts about Wu Jianfeng's purpose in kidnapping Xi Xizhi and where they would be hiding.
He knew that Wu Jianfeng had been resentful ever since he was demoted and was looking for an opportunity to take revenge.
Unexpectedly, he would choose such an opportunity and even vent his anger on Xi Xizhi. It has to be said that he has touched An Honghan's sore spot.
Even she herself couldn't bear to hit or scold this little thing, yet someone dared to have bad intentions towards her. It can only be said that Wu Jianfeng was tired of living.
"How can this servant compare to Your Majesty? Your Majesty, you still have to attend the morning court session later." Lin En was surprised that An Honghan had not punished him at all after last night, after all, he knew His Majesty's temperament very well.
Seeing Lynn's confusion, An Hong said coldly, "It's not that I don't want to punish you, but that someone doesn't want me to punish you."
The person An Honghan was talking about...
Lynn knew without even thinking that it was Xi Xizhi.
Feeling increasingly ashamed, Lynn lowered his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not punishing me."
"There will be no morning court session today." Standing up, An Honghan walked out of the imperial study.
No more morning court sessions?
Lynn watched His Majesty's departing figure in disbelief. This was the first time His Majesty had skipped the morning court session for personal matters.
The entire palace was filled with hurried figures; no one had forgotten His Majesty's words: "Wu Jianfeng's whereabouts must be found before dawn! Otherwise... you will all come back with your heads."
As dawn broke, everyone's hearts were in their throats, hoping to find Wu Jianfeng and Xi Xizhi as soon as possible.
An Honghan watched as squads of guards moved through the palace, feeling extremely displeased.
This group is so inefficient! Three hours have passed and they still haven't found anyone!
"Why don't you go in?" An Honghan asked as he walked over to a group of imperial guards who had stopped in front of a palace in the distance.
The Imperial Guards immediately knelt down and saluted.
"Your Majesty, this is the Fourteenth Princess's palace. The palace maids say she is still sleeping." They were afraid of waking the Fourteenth Princess and angering her.
The Fourteenth Princess was the most favored and beloved daughter of the family. Moreover, there was a difference between men and women. Upon hearing that the Fourteenth Princess was still sleeping, the guards dared not rush in.
"Disregarding my orders, if you all want your heads, I can grant them." An Honghan's eyes turned icy cold in an instant, looking at the guards in front of him as if they were dead objects.
Surrounded by a chilling aura, all the guards were too frightened to even breathe.
"What are you standing there for? Go inside and search for me! If you waste any more time, what I just said will definitely come true." An Honghan kicked open the palace door and walked in.
The guards were already terrified and were sweating profusely. They lowered their heads and rushed into the palace, starting to search each room one by one.
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