The moment Qingyi woke up at Xiangguo Temple, she knew something terrible had happened. So she returned to the capital as fast as she could and told Shen Jinchen about it.
Upon hearing the report from the maid in green, Shen Jinchen hurriedly dropped the scroll in his hand to the ground.
He was wary of what Yan Taizu might be up to, but he never expected that the other party would use Jun Jianchou's name to lure her out.
"Prime Minister, will the princess be alright? How can I save her?"
During this time, Qingyi and Cenxi had developed feelings for each other. She really didn't want anything to happen to Cenxi, but she was powerless to protect her.
"I! I don't know either..."
At this moment, Shen Jinchen's eyes were filled with panic and confusion. He didn't know what the consequences of losing Cen Xi would be. His mind was buzzing, and he couldn't think straight at all.
"You, you don't know? How are we supposed to rescue the princess?"
Seeing such a powerful man now panicking like a small animal, Qingyi felt even more flustered.
Shen Jinchen slumped in his chair and calmed himself for a long while before calling out to the outside:
"Fengqin, come in!"
Hearing his young master's trembling voice, Feng Qin slipped into the house.
"Release them! Release the guiding butterflies! Find the princess!"
Shen Jinchen crushed the armrest of the wooden chair in one hand, and said tremblingly.
"Ah, why are we looking for the princess? Did she run away?"
Feng Qin was stunned for a moment, then filled in some blanks in her mind, and finally asked in a stammering voice.
"She's been kidnapped! Find her! Find her quickly, hurry up!"
Shen Jinchen looked at Feng Qin with a worried expression.
If it weren't for the impending major battle in the capital, Shen Jinchen would probably not be sitting in his residence right now.
"What you mean, young master, is..."
Fengqin couldn't continue what she was saying.
It was obvious that Emperor Taizu wanted to kill their mistress. He had tried to do so several times before, but had failed. This time, the other party must have made thorough preparations.
"Go! What are you waiting for?!"
Shen Jinchen first rummaged through everything on the table and roared.
"Yes, yes, I'll go right away."
Feng Qin glanced at her young master's almost crazed eyes, gave a hasty bow, and ran away.
At the same time, knowing that a major battle was about to take place in the capital, Jun Jianchou also appeared in the capital with Liu Jiuyi.
His original plan was to quietly find a corner in the capital to observe everything that happened, in preparation for his next move.
However, he failed to see Cen Xi at the princess's residence twice, which made him panic. After following Shen Jinchen for a while, he learned that Cen Xi had been missing for two days.
Jun Jianchou could no longer hide and immediately revealed himself in front of Shen Jinchen.
"Cen Xi, where did you go? Why don't you go find him yourself?"
"Jun Jianchou, I have a favor to ask of you. I am currently unable to leave, and only you can save Cen Xi. Please leave the capital immediately and go to find her. She must have been kidnapped by Emperor Yan Taizu."
Upon seeing him appear, Shen Jinchen grasped at his shoulder as if he had found a lifeline and pleaded for his help in an extremely sincere tone.
"You lost her, how did you protect her?"
Jun Jianchou used all his strength to shake off Shen Jinchen's hand, and immediately punched him in the face.
"Please, you must find her. If she dies, what use is it for me to guard this empire?"
Regardless of Jun Jianchou's anger, Shen Jinchen suddenly knelt down and looked at Jun Jianchou with pleading eyes. For the past two days, he had been asking his subordinates every hour if there was any news, but unfortunately, all his questions had been ignored.
He wanted to leave the capital to find her, but the war report came unexpectedly. The kings of various vassal states had gathered their troops and were heading straight for the capital from eight directions. If he left, the capital would surely fall.
Then the persistence of the Beiming royal family for generations, and the hopes of those families who had hidden themselves, would all be destroyed in an instant.
He could not betray Cen Xi, nor could he betray the responsibilities on his shoulders and the soldiers and officials who had followed him for so long.
So it's really, really hard.
“Shen Jinchen, you made your own choice this time. Whether she comes back or not, you can’t force her, because you don’t have the ability to protect her, or even the determination to go find her.”
Jun Jianchou glanced at the man who had fallen to the ground, coldly finished saying what he wanted to say, and then strode away.
"This is the Guiding Butterfly. It can use the blood of a loved one and forbidden magic to find that person's soul. Take it with you..."
Shen Jinchen was no longer able to argue with Jun Jianchou's words. He only hoped that someone could find Cen Xi and confirm her safety.
How could he have any relatives?
Hearing Shen Jinchen say this, Jun Jianchou turned back, took the guiding butterfly that Shen Jinchen handed over, and asked coldly.
“This little butterfly has already drunk the blood of that emperor in the palace. I have already cast a spell on it. You can just take it away.”
Shen Jinchen looked at Jun Jianchou with hopeful eyes. Right now, the only person who could truly care for Cen Xi was the one in front of him, so he could only place his hopes on him.
"Fine! Don't think that just because I accepted your gifts, I'll send Cen Xi back. If she doesn't want to come back, I'll definitely take her far away."
Jun Jianchou glanced at the little butterfly in his hand, uttered these words, and then flew out of the princess's residence.
Zhu Yanniang had just arrived in the capital today, originally intending to chat with Cen Xi and vent her frustrations.
To his surprise, he witnessed this scene as soon as he entered the manor. Before he could even speak to Shen Jinchen, he used his light-footed skill to flash off in the direction where Jun Jianchou had disappeared.
Upon arriving at Jun Jianchou's temporary residence in the capital, Zhu Yanniang nearly bumped into him.
Where are you taking Jiuyi?
“Send him to his father. Cen Xi is in trouble. I can’t take Liu Jiuyi to find Cen Xi.”
Jun Jianchou's reply was concise and to the point; he didn't even glance at Zhu Yanniang before turning and leaving.
“If you’re in such a hurry, then you should go find Cen Xi first. I’ll take this boy to the princess’s residence.”
Zhu Yanniang glanced at the man with the affectionate expression on his face and said to him with a smile.
"Alright, once we rescue Cen Xi, we'll definitely have her throw a big banquet to entertain us."
Jun Jianchou forced a smile, handed Liu Jiuyi to Zhu Yanniang, and left.
When Zhu Yanniang first saw Jun Jianchou smile, she was momentarily dazzled.
"Stop being a fangirl. My master is handsome, and it's not like you've just seen him for the first time. What happened to my mother?"
Liu Jiuyi broke free from Zhu Yanniang's embrace, rolled her eyes, and then asked in a serious tone.
“Your mother has been kidnapped, but she shouldn’t be in any immediate danger. I’ll take you to the princess’s residence to reunite with Xiaoyu first.”
“Okay, I haven’t met my new dad yet, so I’ll go meet him.”
Liu Jiuyi knew that this was a critical time, so she readily agreed.
"Good lad, it wasn't for nothing that Cen Xi doted on you so much back then."
Zhu Yanniang tapped him on the forehead and then led him away.
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