Chapter 63: Yun Xiangye Disappears
On Suzaku Street.
After finishing his official business for the day in the Censorate, Gu Yan went to Xiaoyao Pavilion with Lin Yu, the son of Prime Minister Lin, and Zhao Rui, Prince of Xiang.
Halfway through the journey, Zhao Rui smiled and greeted Princess Nan'an who was coming from a distance: "Sister Nan'an, Xiao Ruru."
In the distance, Xiao Jingru heard Zhao Rui's voice and ran into his arms with a smile on her face: "Brother."
Gu Yan saw that his sister was even closer to Zhao Rui, but he was not jealous. After all, he was quite unfamiliar with this sister who was only one year older than his daughter.
Gu Yan looked at Princess Nan'an in front of him and asked, "Why is Jingru following you?"
Princess Nan'an said, "I just passed by Jinxiu Street and saw Jingru and Nuonuo playing in a shop. When I went in, I found out that Yun Xiangye and a man were alone in the yard, leaving the two children to play in the shop on the street."
Gu Yan listened to Princess Nan'an's words and explained for Yun Xiangye, "That was not another man, but her cousin Su Zhan."
Zhao Rui said, "Su Zhan? Brother Su Zhan from Su's Dental Clinic? He is actually my cousin's wife's cousin? He was the one who found this Xiaoyao Pavilion shop for me."
Gu Yan nodded and said, "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Princess Nan'an covered her hand and took a breath of cold air.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Rui asked hurriedly. Princess Nan'an said, "Thank you for your concern, cousin. Nuonuo bit me just now. It's nothing serious. It just hurts a little bit because of the sudden impact."
Gu Yan frowned and said, "Nuonuo? Bit you? No way?"
Princess Nan'an smiled and said, "Cousin Yan, Nuonuo is still young, it's okay if she bites me, I'll just apply some medicine when I go back."
Gu Yan still couldn't believe that his soft and well-behaved little daughter would bite someone, "Did Nuonuo really bite you?"
Little Jingru said proudly at the side: "Nuonuo bit it!"
Gu Yanzhi frowned and said to Princess Nan'an, "I will definitely teach Nuonuo a lesson when I return."
After saying that, Gu Yan took Xiao Jingru from Zhao Rui's arms and went back to the princess's mansion.
Princess Nan'an said, "Cousin Yan, Nuonuo is still young after all, you don't have to scold her. A bite from this child won't hurt."
Gu Yan said, "I will send Jingru back home first, and I will bring Nuonuo to apologize to you another day."
--
Yun Xiangye accompanied Nuonuo to buy candied haws on the street before returning to the princess's mansion.
As soon as she returned to Qingfeng Garden, Yun Xiangye saw Gu Yan with a gloomy face in the house.
Gu Yan saw the two of them come in, looked at the little Nuonuo in Yun Xiangye's arms and scolded: "Nuonuo, you bit Aunt Nan'an today? How could you bite someone?"
When Nuonuo heard Gu Yan's reprimand, she threw herself into Yun Xiangye's arms, unwilling to pay attention to Gu Yan.
Yun Xiangye frowned and asked, "How did you know?"
Gu Yan said: "I just ran into Nan'an on the road and saw the tooth marks on her hand. After asking, I found out that it was Nuonuo who bit her."
"Nuonuo! Why are you so rude and impolite?"
Gu Yan couldn't help but speak more sternly, "Come with me to apologize to Aunt Nan An."
Yun Xiangye frowned and looked at Gu Yan. She heard Nuonuo sobbing softly in her arms. She said with heartache: "Nuonuo is the best. Nuonuo, don't cry."
"Yun Xiangye, how can you be so indulgent to Nuonuo? She knows how to bite people when she is only two years old!"
Yun Xiangye raised her eyes and looked at Gu Yan. She was very angry with Nan'an just now, but now she was not angry at all because she didn't want to be angry anymore.
Yun Xiangye did not argue with Gu Yan, but just coaxed Nuonuo in her arms softly.
Gu Yan frowned slightly and said, "Xiangye, you can't indulge Nuonuo like this. It's wrong to bite people."
Yun Xiangye coaxed the crying Nuonuo, looked at Gu Yan with disappointment, then picked up Nuonuo and walked out of Qingfeng Garden.
Gu Yan was filled with anger and did not chase after him.
Yun Xiangye indulged Nuonuo too much. Nuonuo even bit someone, but she still indulged her.
Yun Xiangye carried Nuonuo and left the Princess's Mansion. She looked at Nanny Cao and the maids following behind her and said, "Run'er, just follow me. You don't have to follow me."
Nanny Cao said, "Crown Prince's Consort..."
Yun Xiangye said: "You all stay."
As Yun Xiangye spoke, she carried Nuonuo to Zhuque Street, which was not far from the princess's mansion, and kept buying small toys for Nuonuo to make her happy.
It was almost dusk when we arrived at Su's Dental Clinic on West Street.
Su Zhan was stunned when he saw Yun Xiangye coming over, "Cousin? What's wrong with you?"
Yun Xiangye smiled at Su Zhan and said, "Cousin, can you allow Nuonuo and I to stay with you for a few days? Once we find a suitable official ship to return to Jiangnan, I will not bother you anymore..."
Su Zhan said, "Stop bothering me. I just planned to go back to Luoyang tomorrow to celebrate the Lantern Festival with my parents."
Yun Xiangye smiled and said, "I haven't seen my aunt for a long time, it's been eight years, and my aunt has never seen Nuonuo either. Why don't we set off for Luoyang now?"
Su Zhan said with some difficulty: "You will go to Luoyang with me? Prince Ning's place..."
Yun Xiangye said: "Don't mention him."
Su Zhan listened to Yun Xiangye's tone and said, "Fortunately, there is no curfew before the 18th of the first lunar month, so we can still leave the city. I will have someone prepare an extra spacious carriage."
Su Zhan was in the pawnbroker business, and he found a spacious carriage which moved very quickly.
Su Zhan also ordered people to bring up a box of clothes, "These clothes were originally prepared for my sister. You can keep them for the journey. It will take at least two days to get from Chang'an to Luoyang."
Yun Xiangye nodded and said, "Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, cousin."
After Yun Xiangye got on the carriage, she played with the small sandbag in front of them with Nuonuo, and Nuonuo was amused and giggled.
Yun Xiangye smiled and touched Nuonuo's head, "Nuonuo, don't be mean to daddy from now on. Mommy won't let you suffer any injustice."
Nuonuo threw herself into Yun Xiangye's arms, "Hello, mother."
Yun Xiangye chuckled and said, "Then Nuonuo kisses mother."
"Oh!"
--
In Qingfeng Garden.
Seeing that it was getting dark and Yun Xiangye and Nuonuo had not returned to their room, Gu Yan frowned.
When he was about to go out to look for Yun Xiangye, he met Xiao Jingru who came to Qingfeng Garden with a toy.
"Brother, I'm here to look for Nuonuo."
"Today, Nuonuo protected her mother and bit Sister Nan'an who bullied her mother. She was very brave. This pony is a reward for Nuonuo."
Gu Yan frowned and looked at the three-year-old girl in front of him, "Did your sister Nan'an bully your sister-in-law?"
Xiao Jingru nodded and said, "Well, sister Nan'an bullied my sister-in-law, so I taught Xiao Nuonuo to bite sister Nan'an to protect her mother. Xiao Nuonuo is awesome!"
Gu Yan looked at Xiao Jingru unhappily, "How could you teach Nuonuo to bite people randomly?"
Little Jingru was not afraid of Gu Yan. She looked up and defended herself, "I taught Nuonuo to bite the people who bullied her mother! I didn't bite randomly!"
Gu Yan felt that it was a bit childish to argue about the right and wrong of biting with a three-year-old girl who had just learned to speak, so it would be more important to find Yun Xiangye.
Gu Yan walked out of the courtyard and saw that Nanny Cao, who was supposed to be with Nuonuo, was actually in the courtyard. He frowned and looked at Nanny Cao: "Why aren't you with Nuonuo?"
Nanny Cao said, "Just now in the afternoon, the Crown Prince's Consort went out and didn't let me follow her. Now it's already 12 o'clock, and the Crown Prince's Consort and Nuonuo haven't returned yet..."
Gu Yan looked at the crescent moon in the sky, and hurried to the main gate of the princess's mansion and asked the guard in front of him: "When did the Crown Prince's Consort leave the princess's mansion?"
"She left around 5:50 pm, and she never returned to the Princess's Mansion after she left."
Gu Yan frowned and ordered the head guard of the Princess Mansion at the door: "Gather the guards in the mansion and go to the street to look for the Crown Prince's Consort and the Little Princess. She didn't take the Princess Mansion's carriage. Go ask the carriage company. Remember not to let anyone know that you are going to look for the Crown Prince's Consort and the Little Princess."
The captain of the guards looked at Gu Yan in surprise.
Gu Yan said: "Especially my mother must not know about this."
The chief guard bowed and said, "Yes, I will send someone to look for the Crown Prince's wife and the young princess right away."
When Gu Yan saw the horse Qing Ming brought, he jumped on the horse and headed towards Su's shop on West Street.
When Gu Yan arrived at the door of Su's Dental Clinic, it was already closed.
Gu Yan motioned to Qing Ming to go forward and knock on the door. After a long time, a doorman came to open the door.
"Prince Ning, my master is not here. If you have anything to say, please come back after the Lantern Festival."
Gu Yan frowned: "Your master is not here?"
The doorman said, "My master left Chang'an City after noon with his wife after visiting the shops."
Gu Yan suddenly became worried. Su Zhan was not at Su's Dental Clinic...
It’s so late, where will Yun Xiangye and Nuonuo go?
Gu Yan asked the doorman, "Has a woman wearing a rabbit fur cloak lined with lake green satin come here since noon?"
The doorman said, "She came here and left after learning that our master had left Chang'an City."
Gu Yan frowned even more and asked hurriedly, "Which direction did she go?"
The doorman pointed in a direction and said, "Over there."
Gu Yan hurriedly rode on horseback to chase after him.
Although the Lantern Festival in Chang'an City is on the Lantern Festival, it is only because the Lantern Festival on the Lantern Festival is the most lively, with parades of dazzling lanterns from various prefectures. At this moment, both sides of Chang'an Street are also lined with various lanterns.
Although there were not as many tourists as during the Lantern Festival, riding horses was not allowed and they had to dismount and look for the place.
Gu Yan anxiously searched among the crowd for a long time, until late at night, when pedestrians gradually dispersed. Occasionally, he could only meet a few drunk men wandering the street in pubs and brothels.
Gu Yan returned to the princess's mansion and asked the chief guard in front of the gatehouse, "Has the Crown Prince's Consort come back?"
The chief guard shook his head and said, "No, our people have searched the inner city and found no trace of the Crown Prince's Consort."
Gu Yan frowned. How could Yun Xiangye, Nuonuo and her maid Run'er, three such obvious people, completely disappear?
Gu Yan was extremely anxious, so he mounted his horse and headed for the East Palace.
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