Outside the window, a tranquil winter night unfolds with a bright moon and sparse stars. It seems that tomorrow, New Year's Eve, will surely be a beautiful day.
But tonight, some are happy while others are sad...
To be precise, apart from Yi Shangyun, who was filled with worries and unable to sleep all night because of the appearance of a mysterious old Taoist priest who seemed to have fallen from the sky in the evening and said many things that made her heart surge but she could not quite understand, everyone else seemed to be happy.
Tuoba Ze was overjoyed as he saw the dawn of his long-planned conspiracy about to succeed;
Xuanyuan Han and Yi Junhao overcame numerous hardships and dangers, and were overjoyed because they found the divine herb that could cure their beloved's leg ailment;
Zisu and Baizhi were overjoyed that their master had returned safely because Xuanyuan Han had appeared at the crucial moment.
The envoy who traveled to Dongning to negotiate the marriage between Xuanyuan Yue and Mei Zhixuan, the third prince of Dongning, will soon return home. Therefore, in the Western Qin palace, Xuanyuan Yue is now waiting with great joy.
In Wanjiao Pavilion, Yu Niang met Tuoba Ze, a wealthy merchant from the Northern Lie, which brought her one step closer to finding her husband. She was filled with joy and anticipation.
Even Mei Xiyuan and Lu Tianjiao were delighted to have reached a consensus on forming an alliance to fight the enemy together;
Meanwhile, in a secluded and quiet house in the southeast of the Western Qin Kingdom, Mei Zhixuan, the third prince of the Eastern Ning Kingdom, was leaning slightly over the desk in front of him, pinching his brow with one hand, as if he was resting with his eyes closed, or as if he was thinking about something.
He wore an elegant brocade robe, had black hair and a jade crown, and his facial features were extremely perfect, exuding an air of nobility.
After completing their mission of escorting Mei Xiyuan to her wedding, they did not actually return to Dongning. Instead, they pretended to leave the city but turned back halfway and quietly settled down here.
At that moment, a guard suddenly entered and reported, "Your Highness, a message from the King via carrier pigeon."
Mei Zhixuan immediately looked up, reached out a hand with distinct knuckles to take the letter and open it, but as he read it, his brows inadvertently furrowed.
"But what happened in Dongning?" the guard asked, noticing his displeasure.
Mei Zhixuan quickly finished reading the letter. As he got up, he burned it with the help of the candle on his desk, saying with some worry, "It's not Dongning, it's Xiqin."
“Western Qin? But we are in Western Qin right now. Besides, the princess hasn’t sent any valuable news about Western Qin yet. We’ve already found out that the poisoning of the Crown Prince of Western Qin was instigated by the eldest prince of Northern Lie, Tuoba Ze, and we’ve already sent people to keep an eye on him.”
After a brief silence, Mei Zhixuan spoke up, saying, "The Western Qin Kingdom sent an envoy to discuss another marriage alliance with the Emperor."
The guard asked in bewilderment, "Another marriage alliance? Didn't we just marry our princess to Western Qin? Is it really necessary? And this time it's..."
“Last time, we voluntarily sacrificed Princess Yongle, using her as a pawn and a spy to infiltrate Western Qin, to transmit information and undermine them. But this time… it is Western Qin that is offering their princess to us for a marriage alliance.” Mei Zhixuan’s words seemed somewhat displeased.
"Could it be that our plan has been discovered by Western Qin, and now the Emperor of Western Qin is going to deal with Dongning in the same way?!" the guard worried.
"Historically, the purposes of marriage alliances have mostly been the same, something everyone knows in their hearts, only the final outcomes differ. However... this time, the Western Qin Kingdom specifically specified their marriage partner... as this prince." After Mei Zhixuan finished speaking, a somewhat somber look appeared on his face.
The guard was delighted to hear this. "This is a good thing! Your Highness has been working hard for the country and sharing the burdens of the monarch for many years. You are well past the age of twenty, and it is time for you to have a concubine by your side. Look at the Second Prince, he already has a large number of wives and concubines. He even uses this to show off to Your Highness, which is really infuriating."
At this point, the guard paused, glanced furtively at his master, and timidly approached him, whispering, "Your Highness, even the servants under the Second Prince are secretly saying, 'Could it be that Your Highness has some unspeakable secret?' We are particularly angry for Your Highness."
"You scoundrels! How dare you talk about your master behind his back like that!" Mei Zhixuan slammed his hand on the desk in front of him and roared. The guard was so frightened that he immediately stepped back and lowered his head.
However, he continued sternly, "How could I, the prince, be a dissolute and wasteful person like the second prince? What kind of person is this, spending his prime years indulging in beauty and pleasure all day long?"
“Your Highness is right, but Your Highness cannot remain unmarried for life. Even Princess Yongle, who is two years younger than Your Highness, has already married,” the guard said with concern.
At this moment, Mei Zhixuan's tone gradually returned to gentleness, but with a hint of sorrow as he said, "This prince has yet to find out the true reason for the death of his stepmother, nor has he found out any news about her only daughter who has fallen into poverty. How can I have the mind to care about such matters of love and affection?"
After saying that, he sighed deeply, clearly annoyed.
Half a day later, he said at length, "That poor child, please don't let anything happen to him. He is the only bloodline left in this world by the Empress Dowager."
The guard quickly comforted her, saying, "The Empress Dowager is kind-hearted and compassionate. More than a decade ago, during the malaria epidemic that ravaged Dongning and nearly wiped it out, she saved the lives of countless suffering people. As a result, she rose from a pitiful commoner with no relatives to the Emperor's favor and eventually became Empress Dowager. With Heaven's protection and the Empress Dowager's blessing, I believe the Princess will be alright. Your Highness, please rest assured, we will definitely find her."
Hearing the guard's words, he seemed less nervous, and his brows gradually relaxed. He then asked, "Hmm... I hope so. Have you found out where the couple went afterward?"
"It's been too long, and the incident happened in the middle of nowhere, making it difficult to find anyone who knows anything about it. However, we won't give up; we're still searching." The guard said somewhat helplessly, but without despair.
Suddenly, Mei Zhixuan raised his eyes and said, "Actually, this prince is suspicious of someone."
"Your Highness means that the legitimate princess has appeared, and she is really alive?!" the guard exclaimed in shock.
Mei Zhixuan asked him, "Do you still remember when we went to the Prince of Qin's mansion the day before Yongle's wedding?"
"Of course I remember. The princess suffered terribly from the change in environment. Your Highness went there to help the princess find a trustworthy female physician from the King of Qin." The guard had a deep impression of the situation.
However, Mei Zhixuan disagreed, saying, "Actually, I have long heard of the brave and mighty reputation of the King of Qin of Western Qin, so I wanted to see it for myself. Unexpectedly, he has indeed shown a rare composure, calmness, and noble demeanor at such a young age. It seems that with the King of Qin in Western Qin, he is not as easy to deal with as we imagined."
The guard felt that his master was boosting the enemy's arrogance while diminishing his own, so he said unwillingly, "Your Highness is overthinking it. Members of the royal family are born with an air of nobility, so this is nothing to worry about. But I don't understand what this has to do with the matter of the legitimate princess?"
Mei Zhixuan blinked, his eyes suddenly softening with tenderness, and then slowly asked, "Did you notice a veiled woman in the main hall at that time?"
The guard scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I have never dared to look a woman in the eye. Your Highness, please speak your mind."
Mei Zhixuan glanced at him and smiled slightly, a charming curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. He said, "I also accidentally caught that woman's gaze. At the time, I felt that the gaze seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember it. But recently, for some reason, I keep remembering that gaze."
Before he could finish speaking, the guard hurriedly interrupted, "Your Highness, have you perhaps fallen in love with that woman at first sight?!"
"Shut up!" Mei Zhixuan shouted sternly, and the guard quickly shrank back and shut his mouth.
Mei Zhixuan continued, "I finally remembered recently that the look in her eyes was exactly like that of my stepmother... no... it was exactly the same look, kind and gentle, with a pair of phoenix eyes as gentle as water. Now that I think about it, even her figure and temperament are very similar to that of my stepmother when she was still a commoner, equally beautiful and refined."
Mei Zhixuan became more and more excited and certain as he spoke, so he hurriedly said, "Quickly send someone to contact Yongle and tell her to find that woman as soon as possible. Tell her that this prince wants to see that woman in person."
As he spoke, he strode to the desk, wrote a secret letter, and handed it to the guard.
The guard was overjoyed to see Mei Zhixuan so certain, and for a moment he asked dumbly, "But how could the princess know what kind of woman His Highness wanted her to find?"
Mei Zhixuan glared at him and said, "Didn't I say she was wearing a veil? Why would a woman in this world wear a veil and refuse to show her true face if she was perfectly healthy? Especially in front of the King of Western Qin. Oh right... I remember now, isn't she the female physician who treated Yongle? I think she was by the side of that Western Qin princess."
Before Mei Zhixuan could finish speaking, the guard hurriedly said, "I remember now! I was also overjoyed by Your Highness's words, which is why I lost my composure. I'll make the arrangements right away. This is wonderful! After all these years, we finally have news of the legitimate princess! This is wonderful!"
The guard retreated with great joy, while Mei Zhixuan's heart was also filled with turmoil.
Seventeen years have passed. The only daughter left by his stepmother is now seventeen, while the veiled woman is only seventeen or eighteen. The more he thinks about it, the more excited he becomes, and the more he longs to see her.
He couldn't help but turn his head to a specially made glass bottle on the wooden shelf beside him, and slowly walked over.
Inside the glass bottle, several divine butterflies are gracefully dancing, their wings still emitting twinkling light in the cold winter night, sometimes deep blue, sometimes azure, sometimes light blue, constantly changing, elegant and beautiful.
In the dim candlelight, his gentle and clear eyes were fixed on his handsome face, a crescent-shaped curve at the corner of his mouth, a soft light reflecting between his brows, which was very warm. He murmured to the divine butterfly in the glass bottle, "Royal sister, I have been looking for you for too long, please come home quickly!"
The divine butterflies seemed to understand his whisper, and instantly turned their heads toward him, then fluttered their shimmering wings with all their might, dancing gracefully...
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