Chapter 65 Jiangnan Hug
The next day, the sky was turning pale, and wisps of smoke rose from the city. The vendors who had come to the market in the morning were already pushing their carts on the streets, whispering to each other about what had happened in the city last night.
Everyone knew that Prince Rong'an had a little princess, but this little princess disappeared inexplicably in the city of Si'an Prefecture, causing the soldiers in the city to be in turmoil all night long, all looking for this legendary little princess.
On the roadside, the three girls got off the carriage one by one, and Luo Qingling walked slowly behind the two sisters.
Last night's incident had happened so suddenly that Luo Qingling hadn't had time to put on her outer garment. Fortunately, the two sisters who had rescued her were of similar age, so she borrowed a blue gauze dress from them. After the three of them rested in their room for the night, Luo Qingling followed the sisters into the city in a carriage early this morning.
"Sister, should we send Madam Luo back to the governor's mansion first?" the younger sister asked, looking up.
"Of course! Madam Luo has been away for a night, and her family must be very worried. We must send her back as soon as possible." The elder sister replied, then turned and looked at Luo Qingling with a smile, "Madam Luo is a cousin of the governor's family?"
Luo Qingling shook her head, unwilling to reveal her identity. She simply said, "No, I just came to Si'an Prefecture with my cousin to visit relatives and temporarily stayed at the Governor's Mansion."
Fortunately, the two sisters did not know what kind of person was allowed to stay at the governor's mansion, so they just thought that the governor was showing some mercy and letting them stay for two days.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way—"
Soldiers and horses were galloping ahead, and the long swords on the waists of the men on horseback were sharp. I didn't know what had happened.
Luo Qingling pulled the two sisters aside and dodged. The officers and soldiers rushed past the three of them without lingering their gaze on the people on the roadside, and ran straight out of the city.
"Sister, why are they in such a hurry?" asked the younger sister.
Before my sister could reply, the candy vendor behind the three of them chimed in, "Are you three ladies from the city? Last night, the princess disappeared in the city, and the prince ordered them to dig deep to find her. And now, they haven't found her yet even at dawn!"
"This princess is in great danger..." the vendor said as he pulled out a candy string and handed it to Luo Qingling. "Here, young lady, would you like a candy string?"
Luo Qingling waved his hands and thought to himself: There is only one prince in this world now, Qin Yanheng. Besides, Qin Yanheng is not yet engaged, so where did this missing princess and prince come from?
"Excuse me, Your Excellency, who is this prince?" Luo Qingling pressed on.
"Well, my lady, have you been out in the suburbs for too long and lost your way?" the vendor said quietly, glancing around. "Of course it's the famous Prince Rong An!"
Prince Rong'an...Qin Yanheng?
Luo Qingling's eyes widened, not knowing how to respond. She had only disappeared for one night, so when did Qin Yanheng finally get a princess? Could it be that he had secretly received the imperial edict while she was away last night?
Seeing Luo Qingling's increasingly puzzled expression, the vendor assumed she didn't know who this Prince Rong'an was. He straightened his back and said confidently, "My lady, you don't know, but when Prince Rong'an was seeking a princess, he went to great lengths to get her into the palace. He went through a lot of trouble to get her into the palace. I heard that the princess was incredibly beautiful, like a fairy from heaven..."
Okay, another person who tells nonsense stories based on hearsay.
Luo Qingling cleaned his ears and pulled the two sisters forward, ignoring the voice of the vendor calling behind them.
There was a crowd of people not far away, and no one knew what they were looking at. Luo Qingling didn't want to pay any attention to it, but then he heard a loud shout from the crowd.
"That's Prince Rong An!"
Qin Yanheng?
Luo Qingling hurriedly pushed through the crowd and rushed to the front. Perhaps because of her haste, she stumbled forward a few steps and nearly fell to the ground. Before she could look up, the familiar pair of black boots suddenly came into view.
"Qin——"
The fresh scent of wood hit her face, and Luo Qingling was suddenly hugged in someone's arms. The strong and powerful hands were restraining her and rubbing her into his arms.
The warm breath sprinkled on the top of the head, and Qin Yanheng's clear voice came from above. Luo Qingling buried her face in his chest, feeling the vibration of his chest when he spoke.
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you all night," Qin Yanheng said in a low voice, a little tired. "I went from house to house looking for you, but everyone said they hadn't seen a young lady in a gauze dress. My heart sank."
"I'm sorry, Luo Qingling. I didn't protect you well. I should have told you earlier that there were monsters that could transform into our appearances. It's all my fault..."
Qin Yanheng buried his head in Luo Qingling's neck, his voice low, his breath spraying all over her skin, causing a tingling sensation. Luo Qingling couldn't help but tremble her shoulders, wanting to push him away, but the head buried in his shoulder shook, and his hands held her tightly in his arms.
"Young Prince, I'm fine. There are a lot of people here, please let me go first..." Luo Qingling pulled a face out of his arms, pouted and raised her head and said.
"Alright," Qin Yanheng calmed down, and said with a smile, "I've found an inn. Our rooms are next to each other. I'll see which monster dares to kidnap you!"
Frost Inn.
Qin Yanheng leaned against the door with his arms folded across his chest, looking at Luo Qingling who was dressing in the room with her back to him, and he couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.
On the dressing table, Luo Qingling picked up a golden hairpin and inserted it into her hair. She looked through the bronze mirror at the young man by the door and asked, "Your Highness, are you saying that a monster is impersonating you and me?"
"But what's the point of kidnapping me?"
Luo Qingling really couldn't understand it. She was just a woman from the border. What else on her body was worth being kidnapped except the Golden Dragon Sword? Could it be that this monster really came for the Golden Dragon Sword?
Hearing this, Qin Yanheng blinked, not knowing where to start.
Abducting Luo Qingling is incredibly significant! A golden jade marriage stone that strayed into the human world is a treasure from the immortal realm, and naturally highly sought after in this mortal world of mixed creatures. If a monster combined with one of them and absorbed enough immortal energy, it could potentially save thousands of years of cultivation.
But then again, the monster in the hot spring the night before said that the illusion worked because he was moved, and now Luo Qingling can be easily deceived by the monster, could it be... Qin Yanheng looked Luo Qingling up and down, left and right, pursed his lips and smiled without saying a word.
Could it be that Luo Qingling had also fallen for him? Otherwise, how could the mountain demon's poor illusions have deceived such a clever Luo Qingling?
Thinking of this, Qin Yanheng's mood became better. He looked at Luo Qingling through the bronze mirror and asked tentatively: "Do you know that the golden jade marriage stone——"
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Xuanying rushed over from outside and interrupted Qin Yanheng. He put his hands on his knees and panted, "Your Highness, I have sent people to search the entire Si'an Prefecture according to your instructions, and there is no trace of demonic aura."
“…”
Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted. Qin Yanheng no longer had the mood to ask any more questions. He waved his hand to send Xuanying away, then stood up and warned Luo Qingling: "The monster that caused the incident has not been caught yet. You and I must pay attention to everyone around us, including him."
After saying this, Qin Yanheng turned and left.
Luo Qingling wanted to call him and explain to him the inexplicable disappearance of the Golden Dragon Sword, but when she turned around, the man was no longer at the door. She blinked and had to give up.
The next morning.
Qin Yanheng's trip south this time was to inspect the people, and since it was an inspection, he naturally had to visit the various prefectures and county governments. He had been temporarily delayed two days ago due to Luo Qingling's disappearance. Now that Luo Qingling had returned safely, Qin Yanheng naturally had to pretend to inspect the city.
Look, Governor Su came to Fengshuang Inn where the two nobles were staying early in the morning in a carriage. He was waiting in the lobby in his official uniform. When he saw Qin Yanheng, Governor Su hurried forward to pay his respects.
"Your humble servant greets Prince Rong'an," Governor Su bowed deeply. "Your Highness, would you like to visit the mine on the outskirts of the city today? We in Si'an Prefecture have relied on mining for many years. If we lose this mine, the people of this entire city will be starving!"
Qin Yanheng nodded casually. He caught a glimpse of Luo Qingling around the corner and smiled warmly at her. "Madam Luo, would you like something to eat? We've prepared it for you in the carriage."
Hearing this, Luo Qingling shook her head, then walked downstairs and stood naturally beside Qin Yanheng. Even she herself did not realize how "misunderstood" her behavior was.
However, Qin Yanheng, who was always casual, noticed Luo Qingling's habitual little movements. He turned his face to the side and secretly curled the corners of his mouth.
He said she liked him! Otherwise, how could she be disturbed by the monster's illusion, and how could she stand beside him so naturally, as if they were one.
Due to the presence of Governor Su, Qin Yanheng did not say much. He raised his hand to signal everyone to follow the Su Mansion's carriage and head immediately to the mine on the outskirts of the city.
In the carriage of the Su Mansion, Xier was applying the peeling lipstick on Su Lu Ning. She looked around and nodded with satisfaction.
"How is it?" Su Luning picked up the bronze mirror with one hand and looked at himself, then turned his head to ask Xier, "Prince Rong'an is going to the mine today, and my father specially asked me to come with him and dress up!"
Xier smiled and held Su Luning's shoulders, saying firmly, "My wife is so beautiful!"
Hearing this, Su Luning put down the bronze mirror in his hand and snorted softly, "All men in this world have the same rhetoric, such as the one and only love of this life. I don't believe that Prince Rong An will only marry one woman in his life. He is just young. When he is a few years older, he will understand the benefits of having a backyard!"
"My lady is right. When you enter Prince Rong'an's backyard in the future, please don't forget me." Xier hugged Su Lu Ning affectionately.
The master and servant both had smiles on their faces, looking as if they knew nothing about the world.
The carriage slowly stopped. Su Luning knew they had arrived at the mine. She hurriedly patted Xier and said, "Quick, help me tidy my clothes. I'm going to see Prince Rong'an!"
Outside the carriage.
Everyone stopped in front of a half-dug mine. Qin Yanheng sat on his high horse and looked inside. It was pitch black in the depths and the scene inside the cave could not be seen clearly. Only the temporary wooden ladder outside the mine extended into the darkness.
"Follow me in and take a look."
Qin Yanheng dismounted and was about to go in with Xuanying and others, but he heard a female voice behind him. The voice was sticky and very familiar.
"Prince Rong'an, wait a minute," Su Luning stepped forward with Xi'er's support, bowed slightly to Qin Yanheng, and smiled. "Compared to my father, I am more familiar with this mine. Let me take Prince Rong'an down to investigate."
So annoying.
Qin Yanheng looked displeased. He looked up at Luo Qingling who was standing under a tree not far away, and an idea came to his mind.
Since Su Lu Ning still refuses to give up, don't blame him for being cruel and making her completely disappointed in him.
Seeing that Luo Qingling didn't react, Qin Yanheng nodded and smiled, then raised his hand to signal Su Luning to walk in front. The latter just thought that Qin Yanheng had heard it and didn't doubt it.
The two walked towards the wooden ladder of the mine, one in front and one behind.
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