The Imperial Guards were divided into four teams and went to the southeast, northwest and southwest to conduct a thorough inspection.
An Honghan and Xi Xizhi strolled around, a cool breeze blowing in their faces, carrying a slight chill.
The weather is gradually turning to autumn, and Xi Xizhi can't help but feel cheerful as she breathes in the fresh air.
If it weren't for Old Man Xu's troubles, Xi Xizhi might have stayed here longer to enjoy the scenery.
Besides An Honghan's Imperial Guards, Dongfang Youyu also brought his own team, but it was small, only a few dozen people, who were the guards who escorted him on his mission.
"Any news?" Dongfang Youyu asked immediately upon seeing the Imperial Guard Commander return.
However, the Imperial Guards were known for their strict training. In their hearts, An Honghan was their only master, and they would never listen to anyone else.
Perhaps realizing his overstepping his bounds, Dongfang Youyu awkwardly stopped himself from asking the next question.
An Honghan didn't care about all that, and only said coldly, "Didn't you hear His Highness the Crown Prince ask you a question? If you don't answer, wouldn't it make my Fengze Kingdom seem impolite?"
An Honghan's thoughts have always been unpredictable. The leader of the Imperial Guards was also a pragmatic person. When he heard His Majesty's unfriendly tone, he immediately changed his attitude and bowed to Dongfang Youyu in a gesture of goodwill.
"I was rude just now. It was probably windy, and I didn't hear Your Highness's question clearly." He paused, then continued to answer the previous question: "The entire mountain has been searched by the Imperial Guards, but nothing unusual has been found."
He then looked at An Honghan and asked respectfully, "Your Majesty, shall we continue the search?"
The lack of results left everyone somewhat disheartened.
An Honghan did not answer, but turned to look at Dongfang Youyu, as if waiting for him to make a decision.
Dongfang Youyu naturally wanted to continue the search. Because Xu Guoshi was both a teacher and a friend to him, how could he not be worried about Xu Guoshi's sudden disappearance?
With a furrowed brow, he was about to ask An Honghan to continue the search when a clear, childlike voice called out before he could.
"Why don't you look for him? I believe Old Man Xu is here." For some reason, Xi Xizhi had a premonition that Old Man Xu definitely hadn't come down the mountain.
Xi Xizhi released An Honghan's hand and pointed to the bottom of the cliff, "Have you searched down there?"
These words immediately alerted and surprised everyone.
The Imperial Guard commander exclaimed in disbelief, "Miss Xi, are you joking? This cliff may not be high, but anyone who falls off will certainly die."
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Dongfang Youyu's forehead as he walked to the edge of the cliff and stared intently at the bottom of the precipice.
This cliff is probably tens of meters high, and the bottom is covered with sharp, thorny rocks. If a person falls down and hits the rocks, it is indeed impossible for them to survive.
"How did Miss Xi come to the idea that Imperial Preceptor Xu was down there?" the Imperial Guard Commander asked.
Why? Xi Xizhi couldn't explain it either; it was just her intuition.
Besides, the Imperial Guards have searched everywhere, except for the bottom of the cliff. If a search is to be conducted, it is certainly better to search more thoroughly.
Just as Xi Xizhi was about to speak up to persuade him, An Honghan, who was standing next to her, seemed to have discovered something. "Look at those tree branches on the edge of the cliff."
Following the direction An Honghan pointed, Xi Xizhi clearly saw a tattered strip of cloth hanging on a tree branch.
Upon discovering the clue, Imperial Guards immediately went to the edge of the cliff and retrieved the tattered cloth.
Because the tree branch was hanging on the cliff face, reaching for the strip of cloth was somewhat dangerous. However, fortunately, every member of the Imperial Guard was highly skilled in martial arts, so that little difficulty was nothing to them.
After retrieving it, the commander of the Imperial Guards wanted to present the item to An Honghan.
An Honghan raised his eyes to stop him, "Don't show it to me, take it to His Highness the Crown Prince."
The Imperial Guards followed An Honghan's instructions and then handed the strip of cloth to Dongfang Youyu.
As soon as Dongfang Youyu reached out to take it, his expression turned serious.
"Is it Old Xu's?" Xi Xizhi leaned closer to take a look. Could she really tell something from just a tattered strip of cloth? Aren't the fabrics of everyone's clothes pretty much the same?
What Xi Xizhi didn't know was that the Imperial Preceptor Xu always preferred to wear clothes made of one type of material. The material looked ordinary, but it was exceptionally comfortable to the touch.
The tattered cloth in his hand was the kind of fabric that Master Xu loved to wear.
How many coincidences are there in the world?
"Let His Highness the Crown Prince make the decision, after all, he is more familiar with Grand Preceptor Xu." An Honghan picked up a strand of silver hair by the child's ear and played with it. Looking at the diamond-shaped red mark in the middle of her forehead, he really wanted to reach out and touch it, but remembering that he couldn't just touch it there, he suppressed his thoughts.
Dongfang Youyu examined it repeatedly for a long time. "This is the fabric that the Imperial Advisor often uses, and this strip of cloth carries a faint fragrance of Biluochun tea. It should be correct."
He knew the Imperial Preceptor's lifestyle well. Imperial Preceptor Xu had many hobbies, one of which was tea tasting.
This person also had a quirk: he didn't like drinking other teas, and only loved Biluochun.
So anyone who gets close to him can always smell the aroma of tea on him.
Xi Xizhi suddenly realized why the smell seemed so familiar!
Back when Old Man Xu was still in the palace, didn't he treat her to Biluochun tea once?
Thinking of the fine tea, Xi Xizhi felt a little hungry again.
He thought to himself that once the matter was settled, he would definitely ask An Honghan for some tea leaves and brew himself a cup.
"Go down and search." An Honghan gave the order, and the Imperial Guards immediately began searching down the cliff from the small path beside the forest.
Xi Xizhi didn't want to be idle either, so she volunteered, "I'll go too."
An Honghan frowned, wanting to stop her, but Xi Xizhi showed an expression that she absolutely had to go.
Dongfang Youyu, of course, had no objections. Having finally received news of the Imperial Advisor, he was determined to go and investigate.
The path to the bottom of the cliff is very rugged. Although many couples usually come to Broken Heart Cliff, no one goes to the bottom of the cliff. So the path is full of thorns, which means that the Imperial Guards have to use their swords to cut through the weeds in order to move forward.
An Honghan was afraid the child would fall, so he held her hand the whole time and protected her as she walked, so that the child would not lose her footing and something might happen.
An Honghan made no attempt to conceal his protectiveness towards the child, making it perfectly clear to everyone.
Dongfang Youyu sighed inwardly. It was unbelievable that the supposedly cold-blooded and ruthless emperor could have such a meticulous side; even if word got out, no one would believe it…
After walking for about half an incense stick's time, An Honghan and the others finally arrived at the bottom of the cliff.
The bottom of the cliff is covered with jagged rocks, and the ground is covered with gray stones. All the green plants around seem to have disappeared, as if you have entered a barren area.
Xi Xizhi had just steadied herself when she suddenly heard a soft rustling sound. She quickly turned her head to the side and saw a white shadow flash past her eyes.
She could see it very clearly; it was a small, agile animal with long, pointed ears and a very fluffy tail.
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