The capital is too big, with tens of millions of people, it is impossible to find them.

After asking all the servants in the Qiu Mansion, they only found out that they might have left from the South Corner Gate at dawn, and they knew nothing else.

Pei Yuan personally led a team of people, went out from the South Gate, and searched for a hundred miles, but did not find even a strand of Baoning's hair.

Pei Yuan was already ill, but it was not obvious on weekdays. Now he was anxious and angry. His eyes were getting swollen day by day, and his face was getting paler. Wei Meng did not dare to let him go far away again, and persuaded him to stay in the capital and let him sleep.

Pei Yuan could not sleep, and he thought he must be sick. After leaving the room where Bao Ning and he used to live together, Pei Yuan felt uncomfortable wherever he sat. He couldn't stay there without her presence. But when he lay on the bed, his mind was full of Bao Ning's every frown and smile. When he closed his eyes, it was as if she was right next to him. When he opened his eyes, the room was dark and empty. He felt very uncomfortable, but he couldn't stay there.

Pei Yuan managed to sleep for half an hour and had a series of dreams. He couldn't tell which was a dream and which was reality. He felt like someone was blowing in his ear, warm and soft, like Bao Ning.

Pei Yuan smiled with his eyes closed, reached out to grab, and grabbed a handful of stiff hair.

Someone called out softly, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" The voice was rough and unpleasant, and it was a world away from Baoning.

Pei Yuan withdrew his hand in disappointment, rubbed his palm on his pants, and continued to sleep, hoping that the real Baoning would appear in his next dream.

Wei Meng looked at the few strands of his hair that had been pulled out, and felt his scalp numbing with pain. Pei Yuan was really crazy. If the young lady could not be found, Wei Meng had no doubt that Pei Yuan would die with this general's mansion.

Wei Meng pondered the news he had just received, which he didn't know whether it was good or bad, and he was not sure whether to tell Pei Yuan.

After thinking for a while, he pushed Pei Yuan to wake up: "Young General, someone just reported that the young master of the Ji family has been missing for two or three days."

Pei Yuan put his arm on his forehead and opened his eyes in a daze. He didn't hear clearly at first and asked hoarsely: "What?"

"On the morning when the young lady disappeared, the young master Ji went out and hasn't come back until now." Wei Meng said, "I wonder if there is any connection between the two?"

Pei Yuan sat up suddenly.

He slept too little in the past two days, and his temples were swollen and painful as if they were exploded.

He pressed his forehead hard, grabbed the clothes beside the pillow and put them on: "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

"At that time, I thought he went to the academy, and no one cared. I got suspicious when he didn't come back for several days." Wei Meng sighed, "Besides, it's useless to be suspicious. No one knows where Ji Ran went, and I still have no idea."

Pei Yuan paused.

There was no light in the room, it was pitch black, there was no moon, and the strong wind outside made the window crevices howl. Other than that, it was terribly quiet.

Wei Meng looked at Pei Yuan's dull face and didn't dare to speak.

Pei Yuan seemed to have relieved his strength, he exhaled heavily, didn't put on the clothes he was half wearing, and lay down on his back. He

finally saw a glimmer of hope, but it turned out to be a bubble. His heart was pounding just now. Joy came and disappeared suddenly. Pei Yuan pulled at his collar to breathe, his mind was confused.

Wei Meng felt distressed. He pursed his lips and wanted to persuade him: "Young general, why don't you just forget it? Wait a few days before looking for her again. Maybe the young lady will think it through and come back. She must be unhappy as a woman out there. When she suffers, she will miss you. Besides, your body can't take it if you keep running around, right?"

"Bullshit!" Pei Yuan glared and kicked Wei Meng's left shoulder, making him sit on the ground.

"You know she will suffer outside, but you still don't go to find her. A man like you will never be able to find a wife in his lifetime."

"You can't find one again." Wei Meng sat down with his legs crossed and spread his hands. "The world is so big, like a headless fly, it's useless for you to look for another ten years or half. By the time the time comes, the young lady may have married and had children, and married someone else..."

Pei Yuan was so angry that he gritted his teeth and grabbed the pillow of the bed and threw it at him: "Get out, get out!"

Wei Meng was hit on the right shoulder again. He rubbed it helplessly, stood up and walked out.

Pei Yuan listened to his heavy and dragging footsteps, and felt so sad that he could squeeze water out of his heart. He squinted his eyes and looked at the ceiling of the bed, his mind full of random thoughts. Almost in an instant, Pei Yuan suddenly remembered that Baoning seemed to have said something in his dream one night.

She said, "Ah-Ran, the big house you bought for my sister, my sister loves it so much."

He laughed at her at that time, saying that she was obsessed with money and could not forget to count money even in her dreams. Could it be that Ji Ran really bought her a house?

Pei Yuan's brain seemed to be hit, and he secretly cursed himself for being stupid. Such an important clue, he just remembered it now.

The fatigue just now was swept away, and Pei Yuan's eyes lit up. He felt a surge of energy in his heart again, jumped off the bed and ran out.

Wei Meng heard the voice behind him and turned back in surprise. He was frightened by the strange light in Pei Yuan's eyes: "Young general, you..."

Pei Yuan didn't have time to explain to him, and only said: "Prepare the horses, follow me to the Duke's Mansion after dawn!"

Pei Yuan went in almost on time. He couldn't wait to hand in the visiting card according to the rules and wait for Duke Rong's approval, so he went directly through the back door.

In the kitchen, the nanny went out to buy vegetables and would open the back door. Pei Yuan's sharp eyes saw that as soon as the back door opened a crack, Pei Yuan immediately got in and knocked the nanny's vegetable basket to the ground.

The nanny was so frightened that she was trembling. Just when she wanted to scream, Wei Meng smiled and blocked her mouth with a silver coin: "The one who just came in was the fourth prince, our aunt. There was an emergency. Please give her a favor and pretend you didn't see it."

The nanny patted her chest in fear and left happily with the silver coin.

Xu had just stood up and was being helped to dress up. She didn't believe it when someone told her that the aunt was here. She pushed open the window a little and saw a tall figure standing outside the yard. Xu hurriedly washed and dressed and went to see him.

Pei Yuan stuffed the gift he had prepared into her hand and called her "Auntie" in a flattering way.

The word "Auntie" sounded particularly strange and awkward. Pei Yuan then remembered that Baoning had been married to him for half a year, and he had not officially met her family yet.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan felt even more guilty, and his fists at his sides clenched.

Xu was flattered.

She had only met Pei Yuan twice. The first time, he was still sitting in a wheelchair. He looked indifferent. He was handsome, but not easy to get close to. He stayed in the room with Bao Ning for more than two hours, and he didn't say a word to her during that time.

After Baoning left, Xu was still talking to the maids in the room, saying that Pei Yuan had a bad temper. He was also a prince. Although he was down and out, he was not removed from the jade plate. After all, he was a noble status. She was afraid that Baoning would be bullied.

Now this lady suddenly came to visit and prepared a generous gift. Xu was dizzy.

But she was only happy for a while, and she immediately reacted: "Why didn't Baoning come with you?"

Pei Yuan's mouth was bitter, and he lied: "She had a cold and was sleeping at home. She said she would come to see you in a few days."

Xu definitely didn't believe that he came to visit for no reason. Pei Yuan made an excuse and continued to make up: "Baoning said it was your birthday today, so I brought a gift to see."

"Oh..." Xu was puzzled. Her birthday was in the second half of the year. How could Baoning remember it wrong?

Xu felt that Pei Yuan was lying. But she was still a little uncomfortable with Pei Yuan, and she was too embarrassed to care about it. She smiled and welcomed him into the house: "Since you are here, sit down for a while and have breakfast before leaving."

When she heard what she said, Pei Yuan immediately realized that Xu didn't know that Bao Ning had run away.

Pei Yuan felt disappointed and forced a smile: "No, I'll just come to see you and leave."

When he said this, Xu was relieved. She really didn't want to keep Pei Yuan. On the one hand, keeping a foreign man in the house would cause gossip, and on the other hand, although Pei Yuan smiled at her now, his facial muscles were still stiff, which was scary. Xu thought that living with such a aunt, her soft and delicate Bao Ning must have suffered.

Pei Yuan did not think deeply about Xu's slight dissatisfaction with him. He was anxious in his heart, but he had to pretend to be casual and asked: "Where is Ji Yan?"

Xu said: "He went to the academy. He said that there would be an exam in a few days and he didn't have time to come back, so he stayed there."

The academy had already checked and there was no such person. Ji Yan and his mother lied. Pei Yuan endured the anger in his heart and asked again: "I heard that Ji Yan has made a lot of progress and can buy a house for himself. I don't know where he is?"

Xu shook her head: "He has grown up. I don't know these things and I didn't ask. I only know that he is very close to his second brother-in-law, Chongyuan Hou's second son Jia Xian. You can go and ask him."

Finally, there was a direction. Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, bowed his hands in thanks, and then took his leave, not even paying attention to Xu's reply, and turned around to run to the Chongyuan Marquis's Mansion.

Xu looked at her maid in confusion and sighed, "This girl..."

She didn't dare to say anything bad about Pei Yuan, so she clapped her hands together and sighed again, "My Baoning..."

...

Pei Yuan led a small team of people and galloped on horseback. A quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the gate of the Chongyuan Marquis's Mansion. They did the same thing and entered through the back door and went straight to the second room.

Jia Xian was still wearing his underwear. He was startled to see the Fourth Prince looking for him. After hearing Pei Yuan's question, he showed an embarrassment: "Well, Ji Ran bought the manor with his own money, and I don't know where he bought it."

Pei Yuan had heard about Jia Xian's character, that he loved money like his life, and that he would bend over backwards for the sake of money.

He gritted his teeth, almost going crazy with this series of anger, but he couldn't use force, so he called Wei Meng to come over and write him an IOU: "If you tell me how big Ji Ran's manor is, I will return three to you!"

Jia Xian pretended to hesitate for a while, and told Pei Yuan a direction: "I heard it's in Lihu."

Pei Yuan's heart, which had been worried for three days, finally relaxed for a moment, and he rushed to Lihu without stopping. Lihu is nearly 200 miles away from the capital. It is a very prosperous town, close to the mountains and the water. Its name comes from a lake called Lihu near the town. To get there from the capital, you have to pass through a high mountain called Yanshuang Mountain. Fortunately, there is a narrow canyon in the mountain, and on weekdays, people and horses can pass through the canyon.

As luck would have it, when Pei Yuan and his party just arrived at the foot of Yanshuang Mountain, dry thunder struck in the sky.

Wei Meng was worried about Pei Yuan's poison. Only Wei Meng and Bao Ning knew about Pei Yuan's poison. Leeches can detoxify and save lives, but when it rains, bones will still ache, and life is worse than death. Although it is not raining now, it is not certain when it will rain. What should Pei Yuan do then?

Wei Meng wanted to persuade him to go back.

Pei Yuan waved his hand to stop him from speaking. He was about to rush into the valley holding the reins when the sentry in front came to report in horror: "Young general, there are rocks struck by lightning ahead, blocking the intersection!"

"Then clear them away!"

said the sentry, "We can't clear them away. Rocks are rolling on top of each other. The road ahead is blocked. It will take at least three days to open a way out."

Pei Yuan's face was gloomy. He stared at the intersection ahead for a long time. Suddenly, he turned over and dismounted: "Leave the horse here, and take the mountain road!"

...

In the house, Baoning was squatting beside the brazier making honey-roasted sweet potatoes. Ah Mian and Ah Huang were afraid of the heat, so they lay lazily in the corner, glancing in the direction of Baoning from time to time, smelling the sweet scent of sweet potatoes.

After roasting one, Bao Ning wrapped it in oil paper and stuffed it into Ji Yan's arms: "Take it, go back to your room, eat it and go to sleep. Also, you should hurry home tomorrow and don't delay your studies."

"Sister, you won't go back to the general's mansion with that man again, right?" Ji Yan held the paper bag in her hand and tested it carefully, "Look, isn't it nice here, comfortable and safe. I know you like cats and dogs, so I asked someone to buy you one for self-defense." Ji Yan has

grown tall and strong, but he still looks like a teenager in his heart: "If that person doesn't know what's good for him and comes back to bother you, you can let the dog bite him."

Bao Ning laughed. Ji Yan's hostility towards Pei Yuan has been going on for a long time. She didn't know how to persuade him, and she was too lazy to persuade him.

Baoning asked, "Foreign? Is it the brown puppy with curly hair, small stature, and pea-like eyes?"

"That kind of puppy is boring." Ji Yan said with some pride, "I asked my second brother-in-law to get it from Tibet. It's a mastiff! Sister, have you heard of it?"

Baoning shook her head.

Ji Yan said, "The mastiff is very strong, with claws as thick as your thighs. It is extremely fierce and can hunt wolves!"

Baoning was amazed. She looked back at Ah Huang, who was sleeping with his head tilted, and couldn't imagine what the mastiff Ji Yan was talking about looked like.

"I estimate it will be delivered tomorrow." Ji Ran stood up and patted the folds on her robe. "Sister, you have a good rest. I'm leaving first."

Bao Ning saw him out and went back to the house to continue roasting sweet potatoes, but she was a little absent-minded.

When she was talking to Ji Ran just now, she heard thunder outside, and suddenly thought of Pei Yuan. She was worried in her heart, if it rained later, would Pei Yuan be in good health?

Bao Ning thought she

was worrying too much. Judging from Pei Yuan's tone that day, was it necessary for her to worry about this and that? She was afraid that her leaving would play into Pei Yuan's hands. He was looking for a beautiful bride everywhere, and now he was hiding in the gentle countryside, who knew how happy he was.

Bao Ning bit the sweet potato resentfully.

It was cloudy and windy outside. Baoning locked the door with a sweet potato in his mouth, washed his hands, and went to bed.

...

Around midnight, Pei Yuan finally arrived. His eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes were torn by the branches. If it weren't for his fierce aura, he would have looked like a beggar.

After asking around a servant about Baoning's courtyard, Pei Yuan immediately gave the order to send soldiers to surround the courtyard!

Author's words: Baoning's family: Favorability -1-1-1-1-1

Brother: See if I can't buy a Tibetan mastiff to bite you to death