The man addressed as the Third Prince by the guards was none other than Mei Zhixuan, the third prince of the wealthy Dongning Kingdom on the Lingkong Continent, and the third brother of Princess Mei Xiyuan of Yongle, who was to be married to Prince Xuanyuan Han of the Western Qin Kingdom soon.
His trip to the Western Qin Kingdom was ostensibly a marriage escort, but his true purpose was to find the only daughter of the late Empress of the Eastern Ning Kingdom, who had suddenly passed away many years ago and was left behind in the Western Qin Kingdom—the most esteemed legitimate princess of the Eastern Ning Kingdom. He also sought to uncover the true cause of the Empress's death and, more importantly, to use the opportunity to thoroughly investigate the true state of the Western Qin Kingdom so that he could later launch a rebellion.
The Eastern Ning Kingdom is located in the easternmost coastal region of the Lingkong Continent. Due to the long battle lines with the Western Qin Kingdom located in the far northwest, it is feared that they will run out of manpower. Therefore, without a foolproof plan that fully understands both sides, it is crucial not to act rashly.
At this moment, Mei Zhixuan thought to himself, "My stepmother is meticulous and has superb medical skills. Why would she risk her life to rush to the distant Western Qin Kingdom when she was about to give birth? And why was she killed and fell into the abyss? Who was chasing her? What happened during this time? Is the newborn baby girl alive or dead? Who are that couple? Where should we look for them now? Are they from the Western Qin Kingdom? Or have they already fled Western Qin out of fear? Now all the clues have obviously gone cold..."
After thinking for a long time, he suddenly raised his head, as if he had suddenly discovered some secret.
"Oh right, how could I have forgotten, there's also the exclusive phoenix mark of the Empress Dowager's clan."
When he was a child, he played with his mother, Mei Xiyuan, and once accidentally discovered a pink phoenix mark on his stepmother's body, which made them both very curious.
Mei Xiyuan then asked her stepmother, who only told them that this was a unique mark on the women of their clan, and that all women born of their bloodline possessed this phoenix mark, which they were born with. But in this vast sea of people, it was truly like finding a needle in a haystack, how could they possibly find it...?
He had finally remembered a new clue, but the chances were slim. He frowned again, waved his hand to signal the guards to leave, and was left alone in the large, silent room, still standing silently and alone with his back turned.
In the candlelight, his shadow stretched long and thin, mirroring his complex and sorrowful state of mind. The Empress Dowager was not his biological mother, yet she was the kindest person to him in the world. His birth mother had died in childbirth, and the Empress Dowager had given his young heart so much comfort and the maternal love he had lacked.
She was such a gentle woman, embodying almost all the virtues of women in the world, and she cared for him as if he were her own daughter. Before he could even fulfill his filial duty, she suddenly passed away in a foreign land. Even his poor younger sister, who lost her mother at birth, is still missing and her fate is unknown.
He had felt guilty all these years, and he was always worried that something might happen to the baby girl. At this moment, his eyes were glazed over, and he murmured, "You must not have anything happen to you. You are the only bloodline left in this world by the Empress Dowager."
Meanwhile, not far from him, in a glass bottle, butterflies of light were gracefully dancing, their wings emitting twinkling light in the night. Their colors shifted constantly, sometimes deep blue, sometimes azure, and sometimes light blue, elegant and beautiful.
The glass bottle lid was not sealed, and these divine butterflies were so free and unrestrained, as if they were returning to their nests in pairs.
As Mei Zhixuan gazed at the butterflies, he said with a hopeful expression, "When will you be able to return home safely like these butterflies?"
Then, all that was seen was him lower his head and let out a series of long sighs. How helpless must he have felt to make such a gentle and warm man utter such sighs...
Inside the Prince Qin's mansion in the east of the city, the lights were also bright, illuminating the inside and outside of the mansion as if it were daytime.
Cheng Liang rushed to Chenghua Palace because he was told that his mother-in-law's daughter-in-law had just regained her memory and had basically remembered everything.
This is indeed a good thing for everyone after so long, but even more exciting news has come out.
With his wedding imminent, Xuanyuan Han showed absolutely no interest in anything. It was, after all, a politically arranged marriage, and he didn't care who his bride was, whether he liked her, or whether she was beautiful or ugly; it was all as if it were someone else's business.
Knowing that the King of Qin's mother had passed away and there was no one to manage his affairs, the palace naturally sent special people to handle things, ensuring that everything was taken care of and that he received all the respect due to a royal family. It seemed that he really didn't need to personally inquire about anything, since it wasn't part of his plans anyway, and he was able to leave things to them to handle.
Right now, he was in the Chenghua Palace, reviewing the secret letters on his desk. They were all reports from spies who had infiltrated various countries, detailing the progress of their plans. Seeing that everything was going smoothly, he could finally relax and wait for the right opportunity to arrive.
But at this moment, he unknowingly fell into another deep thought: "I wonder if that fearless girl is feeling better?" Unconsciously, the scene of him picking her up that day appeared in his mind.
This was the first time in his life that he had ever held a woman in his arms. She was so gentle and soft that one felt an urge to cherish and protect her the moment one saw her. Even his deceased mother had never received such treatment from him.
As he pondered, a slight smile appeared on his lips, and his vacant eyes blinked twice, revealing a smile he had never seen before, a smile that was exceptionally beautiful.
Cheng Liang looked at Xuan Yuanhan, who was grinning foolishly, from afar. He knew without a doubt that his master was thinking about that girl again.
With a sly smile playing on his lips, he quietly approached Xuan Yuanhan's desk and began to gaze at his master, completely unaware of his presence.
Half a day later, he finally noticed that Cheng Liang was standing by his desk. He immediately stopped grinning, took a deep breath, snorted, and resumed his usual cold expression.
Cheng Liang knew that asking more questions would be pointless; Xuan Yuanhan would definitely not admit anything. Let's see how long he can endure it. Judging from the current situation, he's already embracing her. Hmph...
After a moment of smug conjecture, he slowly began to report, "Your Highness, the mother-in-law's daughter-in-law has regained consciousness." Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan immediately raised his eyes and looked at Cheng Liang in a daze.
Cheng Liang continued his report earnestly: "According to her recollection, she was tricked after leaving home and ended up at Wanjiao Pavilion, a brothel in the city. Wanjiao Pavilion was the one who poisoned her, but also regularly gave her the antidote. However, Wanjiao Pavilion only confined her to her room and never made her entertain customers, so we don't know what their intentions are yet."
Xuanyuan Han frowned slightly upon hearing this, also puzzled. Cheng Liang had heard of Wanjiao Pavilion, and he said, "Wanjiao Pavilion is the most famous brothel in Western Qin. Many princes and ministers linger here, and they cultivate many beautiful women to present to ministers of various countries in exchange for fame and fortune. Everyone gets what they want, and it is quite a mixed bag."
"Could Wanjiao Pavilion be a stronghold of spies from Beilie?" Xuan Yuanhan suddenly remembered that Yi Shangyun had told him before that the type of poison that his mother-in-law's daughter-in-law had been poisoned with was from the northern nomadic tribes. Upon hearing Cheng Liang's words, he immediately thought of the Beilie Kingdom.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang suddenly understood, raised his eyes, and said, "Your Highness, I have a plan."
Xuan Yuanhan looked at him, and Cheng Liang continued, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Why not let the mother-in-law's daughter-in-law return to Wanjiao Pavilion? I'll have people secretly strengthen her protection. A place of this scale must have a major conspiracy. Let her help us lure out these people behind the scenes. Since her husband's disappearance is related to the Northern Lie Kingdom, whether she wants to find him or seek revenge, she will definitely be willing to do it. Maybe we can really find her husband through this."
"This is a good plan, but if she is unwilling, find a suitable person to do it and don't make things difficult for her," Xuan Yuanhan instructed Cheng Liang. Cheng Liang understood and withdrew to carry out the matter immediately.
"Wife, this is no small matter. You could lose your life in a place like that if you're not careful."
"Mother, don't worry, Yu Niang will be extra careful. For Ling'er's father, and for our family to be reunited as soon as possible, Yu Niang is willing to do anything, even at the cost of her own life. Besides, Mother, maybe Ling'er's father is still alive, then Yu Niang will do even more. Please rest assured and let Yu Niang go."
After receiving permission from Xuan Yuanhan, Cheng Liang took his leave and hurriedly told his mother-in-law and her family about their plan. Unexpectedly, Yu Niang agreed immediately, but her mother-in-law was very reluctant to part with her.
With her son gone and her daughter-in-law finally able to return alive, she naturally didn't want to risk the family being separated again, or Ling'er losing her mother once more.
But after hearing her daughter-in-law's words, she began to believe with conviction that her son was still alive, and this temptation inevitably made her, as a mother, waver.
In the end, the mother-in-law reluctantly agreed to Yu Niang's request with tears in her eyes, and the three of them hugged each other tightly and cried bitterly.
We must part again. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, or when we will meet again?
The next day at daybreak, Zhang Mama, acting on the orders of Prince Qin Xuanyuan Han, cooperated with the entire Prince's mansion to stage a good show - a self-inflicted injury ruse.
Zhang Mama was originally a nanny who served the late emperor. After the Dowager Consort entered the palace and gained the emperor's favor, the late emperor bestowed Zhang Mama upon her. From then on, she stayed by the Dowager Consort's side without leaving her side, serving her wholeheartedly and loyally.
Even after the Empress Dowager passed away, she was unwilling to leave the Prince's Mansion. She always felt that the Prince's Mansion was her whole life, and she had spent her whole life here, so how could she bear to leave?
Thus, Granny Zhang was the oldest person in the Prince Qin's mansion, and also the most respected person by everyone in the entire mansion. Having lived in the palace for decades, she was well aware of the various schemes and plots of the concubines.
Early in the morning, the streets were bustling with people, each hurrying on their own way.
At this moment, everyone was drawn to the shouts and curses coming from the back gate of the Qin Prince's Mansion. Instantly, a large crowd of onlookers gathered at the back gate of the Qin Prince's Mansion.
A woman with a beautiful face and a great figure, but with disheveled hair, was dragged out of the house by two servants from the Prince of Qin's residence and thrown to the ground outside...
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