That night.
Young Master Yi, who had come to the backyard alone for some fresh air, was captivated by the beautiful scenery of a pear orchard.
A gentle breeze suddenly arose, and the petals danced wildly like snow, obscuring the dark night sky.
He looked up indifferently at the pear blossoms that filled the courtyard, their beauty breathtaking. His captivating eyes were ethereal and clear, yet seemed to be shrouded in a wisp of misty confusion.
The faint sadness emanating from her brows, set against her features that seemed blessed by heaven, created a beauty that was just right, almost making one forget to breathe upon first sight.
Such a free and unrestrained person, who should have lived a carefree and happy life, unexpectedly became tainted by the dust of the mortal world and bound by worldly affairs...
After a long while, he suddenly parted his thin lips and sighed, "Her beauty is as serene as the moon shrouded in mist, her fragrance as cold as the wind. The peach blossoms merely illuminate the ground, ultimately mocked for their garish red."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud "clang" was heard, as if something had fallen from a branch beside him.
Young Master Yi moved to follow the sound and bent down to pick up a small cloth bag-like object from a pile of fallen flowers under a pear tree.
He walked to the side and shone the light of the dim candle, only then realizing that it was a sachet that a young woman would carry close to her body.
"How could such a private item fall from a tree?" Young Master Yi frowned slightly, looking around but seeing no movement.
He then held it in his hand, playing with it, and went back upstairs to the second floor.
Just as he went upstairs, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure flashing past around the corner. He quickly stopped and muttered to himself, "Isn't that Xuan Yuanhan's deputy general? What's he doing here?"
Following Cheng Liang from a distance, until he saw him enter a private room in the last corner, Yi Sanshao finally understood and figured that his annoying master must be inside.
Seeing that no one was around, Young Master Yi followed and pressed his ear against the door to listen for a while. He exclaimed in surprise, "The Princess of Western Qin has disappeared?"
He then gave a disdainful snort towards the room and strode into his private room.
Seeing that he kept saying he wanted to leave after returning from outside but remained seated, intently examining something in his hand, Mei Zhixuan casually asked:
"What's that thing you're holding? Is it that pretty? Didn't you say you were going back to the inn? Why have you been sitting there without moving?"
Young Master Yi stared intently at the object in his hand, examining it closely: "This looks like a young lady's sachet, but it doesn't look like an ordinary young lady's sachet. I still can't figure it out."
Mei Zhixuan, who was refilling tea, suddenly stopped what he was doing upon hearing this. He looked up in surprise and asked, "A young lady's sachet?"
He squinted and looked closely, and saw that what he was holding was indeed a sachet. He thought to himself, "Even when it turns to mud and dust, its fragrance remains. But for whom? Fallen into mud and crushed into dust, only its fragrance remains."
Suddenly, he snorted coldly and said to him with a displeased look, "Young Master Yi, you were only gone for a short while, how come you brought back such a young lady's private personal items?"
But Young Master Yi remained lost in thought, not even looking up, and continued, "In that case, it's no exaggeration for me to call you a little lecher and playboy! So promiscuous, yet you claim to be devoted only to my sister? I've truly misjudged you!"
"What are you talking about? I just picked up this sachet in the pear orchard in the backyard. My heart for you, Young Master Yi, is as clear as day."
At this point, Young Master Yi suddenly raised his head, glanced at him sideways, and confidently defended himself.
"Found it? Why would you pick up a young lady's sachet for no reason?"
Just as Mei Zhixuan was looking at it with disdain again, still somewhat doubtful, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the embroidered pattern on the front of the sachet and suddenly felt that it looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
So, she anxiously stretched out a hand to Young Master Yi and said, "Quick, let me see, why does this sachet look so familiar?"
It turns out that this is a butterfly-shaped sachet. Embroidered on the front of the sachet is a brightly colored and lifelike butterfly with white veins on its wings. The color combination is dreamlike and radiant, showing off its graceful butterfly.
Mei Zhixuan had always been particularly fond of the divine butterfly. This divine butterfly was extremely rare in the world, and few people had ever seen it. In the Western Qin Kingdom, he vividly remembered the first time someone recognized this butterfly.
It was a few days before King Xuanyuan Han's wedding. On the day he personally visited Xuanyuan Yue, the image of the butterfly sachet that Xuanyuan Yue wore at her waist, which was exactly the same as this one, immediately came to mind.
After a long while, Mei Zhixuan snapped out of his deep reverie and murmured in bewilderment, "This butterfly sachet...could it...be hers..."
"You really recognize this sachet? Whose is it?" Young Master Yi, who was standing beside him, heard his voice faintly and stood up to ask curiously.
However, Mei Zhixuan seemed to have no time to pay attention to Yi Sanshao. With his large, powerful hands, he felt something inside the sachet and ripped it open.
Upon taking it out, Mei Zhixuan was instantly stunned: "This is... the palace token of Fenghua Palace where the Princess of Xiqin resides."
Young Master Yi, who had also curiously approached, instantly widened his captivating eyes and said almost in unison, "It's the palace plaque of Fenghua Palace in the Western Qin Imperial Palace."
"How did the palace plaque of Princess Fenghua Palace of Western Qin end up on a tree branch?"
For a moment, the two stared at each other, both lost in deep confusion.
Suddenly, Young Master Yi noticed with lightning speed that there seemed to be some faint markings on the back of the palace token: "Look, there are words on it?"
"Help!" Mei Zhixuan strode to a bright candle and uttered the two words.
"Could it be... that the missing Princess of Western Qin visited the Four Seas Tea House?" Only then did Young Master Yi recall the news he had overheard next door when he went upstairs. He immediately realized what was happening and stared blankly at Mei Zhixuan's face.
"What did you say? The princess of Western Qin has disappeared. When did this happen?" Mei Zhixuan exclaimed in shock.
Upon seeing this, Young Master Yi paused for a moment, then leaned closer to Mei Zhixuan and said mysteriously, "By the way, let me tell you something. Prince Qin, Xuanyuan Han, is also in this teahouse, right next door."
Mei Zhixuan was shocked: "The King of Qin is also next door?"
Young Master Yi nodded: "Just now I saw his deputy general go in, so I followed him to his door. His deputy general said that it seems the princess of Western Qin is missing and they are searching everywhere. I wonder if there is any secret in this palace plaque with the distress signal engraved on it?"
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Mei Zhixuan said angrily.
Young Master Yi said innocently, "I was going to say that right away, but then I remembered that you're not the type to be interested in such personal matters! Besides, if something really happened to that Princess of Western Qin, wouldn't you regain your freedom?"
However, a cold glint suddenly flashed in Mei Zhixuan's eyes, as if he were deep in thought, and he coldly asked, "How exactly did you obtain this sachet?"
Young Master Yi suddenly sensed the atmosphere becoming tense, so he hurriedly recalled, "Just now I went to the backyard to get some fresh air, and on my way back I passed a quiet pear orchard, and for some reason this palace plaque suddenly fell from the branch..."
Upon hearing Yi Sanshao's words, Mei Zhixuan frowned and asked in confusion, "Falling down from the branch?"
After a moment's thought, Mei Zhixuan grabbed Yi Sanshao and rushed out the door, saying, "Where did you find this? Take me there right now!"
"Didn't you say you didn't like that Western Qin princess? Why are you so nervous now?" Young Master Yi asked, puzzled, as he was being dragged along.
Mei Zhixuan shouted angrily, "Enough nonsense, get out of here!"
And at that moment, right next door.
Xuanyuan Han couldn't help but take out the sapphire blue sachet again, holding it in his palm and gazing at it countless times, muttering to himself:
"Where are you? Why can I smell your scent here? It turns out that, without my knowledge, you and your scent have already seeped into my bones, accompanying me no matter when or where, never leaving me."
He was constantly restless because of this; his heart and eyes were filled with her every smile and frown.
Just as he was about to get up and take a walk, Cheng Liang suddenly walked in, holding something that looked like a badge in his hand. He stepped forward and approached him mysteriously, saying, "Your Highness, I am incompetent and still have not found any information about the princess, but I have found this. Please take a look at this waist badge."
"This is..."
Just as Xuanyuan Han seemed to have forgotten where he had seen the pattern on the waist tag before, Cheng Liang spoke up to remind him:
"Your Highness has forgotten? This pattern of warm-weather, cold-resistant pasture grass, which is only abundant among northern nomadic peoples, also appeared on the tea canisters in Tuoba Ze's tea room when we were at Cha Wanjiao Pavilion."
"You mean this is..." Xuan Yuanhan suddenly realized what was happening, staring blankly at Cheng Liang's face, and Cheng Liang nodded to him.
"Where did you get this waist tag?" Xuan Yuanhan took it, examined it carefully for a while, and then asked.
"It fell from a woman. I called to her, but she kept her head down and kept walking without turning around. Later, I chased her all the way to the street, but the woman suddenly disappeared without a trace," Cheng Liang said, looking puzzled.
Xuanyuan Han looked at the waist token in his hand, got up and silently walked to the window to think for a moment, then said, "Could it be that she deliberately left this waist token for you? What is she trying to imply? This must be related to Tuoba Ze. In other words, this woman must have news about Yun'er."
Upon realizing this, Xuan Yuanhan's eyes lit up, and he quickly turned around to ask for confirmation: "At that time, did she know your identity?"
"At that time, I met Grand Tutor Wen in the main hall, and Grand Tutor Wen introduced me to several officials..."
Following Xuan Yuanhan's words, Cheng Liang recalled for a moment and immediately remembered: "That's right, at that time, the woman seemed to be not far from me. I always felt that someone was watching me from the shadows, and I even glanced at her."
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han immediately ordered: "Quickly order men to search for this woman with all their might. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find her for me."
"Yes. That princess..."
"Let's go take a look."
The two then strolled out of the private room together...
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