Time flew by and it was almost dawn.
Dozens of guards from the Prince's Palace appeared in unison and gathered at the entrance of Chenghua Hall.
Cheng Liang asked everyone in front of him urgently and anxiously, "How is it? Have you found it?"
The guards looked at each other, and then, without prior agreement, shook their heads at him.
Clearly, after searching the entire Prince's mansion for quite some time, Cheng Liang also failed to find the man dressed as a guard as described by Xuan Yuanhan.
"All of you, get out of here!" Helpless, he could only wave his hand and dismiss the crowd.
Finally, crestfallen, he steeled himself and went alone into Chenghua Hall to report back.
As soon as Xuanyuan Han saw Cheng Liang's figure appear in the hall, he hurriedly stood up, took two steps toward him, and stared intently into his eyes.
He asked again, "So? Did you find it?"
Cheng Liang also slowly shook his head: "Your Highness, after investigation... none of the guards have sores on their faces. Later, we checked everyone in the mansion carefully one by one, and still... we couldn't find that person."
In an instant, the string that had been tightly stretched in Xuan Yuanhan's mind seemed to snap completely.
Suddenly, he stumbled, and his body swayed as if he was about to fall.
"Your Highness..." Cheng Liang exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this, and hurriedly stepped forward to support him.
Xuanyuan Han slowly sat down.
Cheng Liang spoke up to persuade her, "Because of the sudden passing of the Princess Consort, the Dowager Consort has already fallen ill from the grief. Your Highness, you must not fall ill at this time!"
Once he regained some consciousness, Xuan Yuanhan slammed his hand heavily on the table in front of him.
He said angrily, "This is outrageous! Who is this person? How dare they deceive me like this! How dare they steal what I cherish most, that bracelet, which was the last thing Yun'er left me!"
Cheng Liang thought about it carefully and analyzed, "To be able to come and go freely under the noses of the guards of the Prince of Qin's mansion without anyone noticing, this person must be exceptionally skilled. He must be quite familiar with all parts of the mansion. Perhaps he has even trespassed into the mansion before?"
"A person who can enter and leave my Prince Qin's mansion without anyone noticing... has once trespassed into the mansion..." Following Cheng Liang's thoughts, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly thought of such a person.
"Could it be..."
Hearing Xuan Yuanhan mutter to himself as if deep in thought, Cheng Liang asked anxiously, "Has Your Highness already thought of someone suspicious?"
Xuan Yuanhan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The Prince's mansion is full of rare and precious treasures, but why did that person only steal Yun'er's bracelet?"
"Today, the Prince's Palace is holding a funeral. This man must have learned of this news and, like me, deeply misses Yun'er. He stole that bracelet to remember her by seeing it!"
Hearing Xuan Yuanhan's words, Cheng Liang hurriedly searched his memory.
"This person..."
"Could it be..."
Xuanyuan Han: "Third Young Master Yi!"
Cheng Liang: "Young Master Yi!"
Unexpectedly, Cheng Liang and Xuan Yuanhan said the name almost at the same time.
Suddenly, Xuanyuan Han clenched one hand, making a cracking sound, and said, "This person is truly a persistent ghost!"
He immediately ordered: "Order men to search the entire area immediately, and we must find Young Master Yi for me."
Cheng Liang accepted the order: "Yes! I will make the arrangements immediately."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly remembered something and stopped in his tracks.
Seemingly still somewhat hesitant, he finally spoke, "Your Highness, are you aware that Miss Lu also entered the manor tonight with Lu Xian and his son Lu Tianlin..."
Recalling when Lu Xian and Lu Tianlin came to Chenghua Palace to see him earlier, they really didn't mention Lu Tianjiao at all.
Xuan Yuanhan thought for a moment and said, "Lu Xian couldn't possibly be unaware of what Lu Tianjiao did in the Prince's mansion. But she is, after all, his only daughter. Madam Lu passed away early, and Lu Xian was preoccupied with his research at the academy, neglecting her upbringing. He can't bear to abandon her; he always feels he owes this daughter a debt in this lifetime..."
After a moment of silence, Xuan Yuanhan seemed to have made up his mind, and said to Cheng Liang, "Parents all over the world have the same heart. I understand Lu Xian's meaning! As long as Lu Tianjiao stops causing trouble and stops aiding and abetting evil and stirring up trouble, I can forgive her and accept her again!"
Having received instructions from his master, Cheng Liang became better at knowing how to handle things appropriately.
"Understood!"
Only then did Cheng Liang turn around and stride away from Chenghua Palace.
The room was silent.
Looking out the window, I saw that it was almost dawn.
So much happened that night.
Everything happened so suddenly that it caught him completely off guard, and it made him tense up every nerve in his body.
Despite being physically and mentally exhausted, I still couldn't fall asleep.
Staring blankly out the window, one could still faintly see the candlelight shining from the Yunshui Pavilion.
But in this lifetime, I will never see that warm figure again.
He gazed at it from afar for an unknown amount of time before finally turning his gaze away.
He then slowly took out and opened the bamboo tube containing the sealing wax seal that Yi Shangyun had sent back to the guard of the Prince's Mansion and personally handed to him.
Suddenly, his deep eyes widened as he stared intently at the secret letter, his gaze falling intently on the words.
"Princess Yongle has returned to Dongning and is inciting her subordinates to urge her brother Mei Zhixuan to attack Western Qin. Your Highness is advised to prepare a countermeasure as soon as possible!"
Damn it!
Then, in an instant, an extremely cold and fierce aura appeared between his brows.
At this time.
Lu Tianjiao's letter was quickly delivered to Tuoba Ze.
Since forming an alliance with Mei Xiyuan, Tuoba Ze has gone so far as to personally order his men to escort her all the way back to her mother country, Dongning.
Several months have passed since then.
Tuoba Ze had been unable to sleep for many nights, and tonight was no exception.
He sat heavily preoccupied by a dim candlelight, muttering to himself, "Judging by the time, news should have come back by now. What happened? Could it be that that bitch went back on her word after promising me something?"
At this thought, he could no longer suppress his anxiety and slammed his fist heavily on the table in front of him.
Yang Sheng became increasingly agitated: "If this woman dares to break her promise, I, the prince, will definitely chase her all the way to Dongning and make her wish she were dead."
Just then, a guard hurried in and announced, "Your Highness, a letter has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, his lips twitched, revealing a sly smile. He changed his expression and said, "Hmph... I knew you wouldn't dare."
As he spoke, he snatched the letter from the guard's hand and eagerly unfolded it to read it.
Although it wasn't the news he was hoping for, this news seemed to interest him even more.
The letter contained only a few words: "Funeral arrangements are being made at the Prince of Qin's residence..."
However, having only seen these first few words, Tuoba Ze, who still did not know what had happened, couldn't help but ask the guard in surprise.
"Is the Prince of Qin's residence holding a funeral?"
What funeral is taking place at the Prince of Qin's residence?
The guard, also answering based on hearsay, replied, "I heard that the Princess Consort of Qin has passed away!"
As soon as the guard finished speaking, Tuoba Ze could hardly believe his ears, so he repeatedly asked him to confirm.
"What?"
"who?"
"Who died?"
Say it again.
"Who did you say died?"
The guard answered again with certainty: "It was the Princess Consort of Qin. The Princess Consort of Qin has passed away!"
In the quiet of the night.
With a thud, Tuoba Ze slumped heavily onto the table, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.
Then, a series of incredulous murmurs rang out.
"How is this possible?"
"That's impossible!"
"That's absolutely impossible!"
"Who is King Xuanyuan Han of Qin? He protects that woman as if she were his own life. Even if he lost his own life, how could it be that she died?"
"No, no..." Seemingly unable to accept it, and unwilling to accept it, Tuoba Ze hurriedly read through the letter word by word again...
"The Qin Prince's mansion's act of staging a funeral is a ruse, a ploy to escape unscathed. It's best to eliminate them quickly!"
At this moment, it seemed as if he had finally understood something, so he continued to ask the guard, "When Lu Tianjiao gave you this letter, did he say anything else?"
The guard thought for a moment and said, "Oh, right, Miss Lu also instructed me to have someone secretly follow the person who left the Prince Qin's residence at night."
"The act of feigning mourning is a ruse, a classic case of escaping unscathed..."
"Could it be... that person is...?"
Suddenly, Tuoba Ze seemed to finally understand that the person Lu Tianjiao was talking about was Yi Shangyun, who had not died.
He then hurriedly pressed the guard for more information: "Do you know where that man is now?"
The guard said, "Those who went with him overheard the conversation between the man and the coachman; it seems they were going to the grasslands!"
"Yishangyun is going to the grasslands!"
What was she doing on the grassland?
Upon hearing this, for some reason, Tuoba Ze suddenly felt an unusual pain in his chest.
Without thinking, he placed one hand on it and pressed it firmly.
The pain came so suddenly and was so unbearable for him.
This sudden news really surprised me.
But right now, news of Mei Xiyuan, whom he has been waiting for here for a long time, is probably on its way.
With this thought in mind, he asked again, "Still haven't you found the Second Prince?"
The guard shook his head and said, "Since the old king passed away, the second prince has been living alone and has no attendants with him."
After much internal struggle, Tuoba Ze finally made up his mind: "Set off immediately and go back!"
Upon hearing this, the guard's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "Perhaps news from Dongning Kingdom is coming soon."
However, Tuoba Ze said with certainty, "This woman, this time... she must be mine, and no one can take her away from me again."
The next morning.
Upon hearing the news of Yi Shangyun's passing, Consort Chun was unable to accept this heavy blow and fell ill, becoming bedridden.
Lu Xian then personally led his siblings and Xuan Yuanhan to Zihexuan to visit them.
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