"By the way, where is Yun'er? Why didn't she come back with you? Didn't you say you were sure you could bring her back safely this time?"
Upon hearing Xuan Yuan Yue's voice, everyone's gaze immediately turned to Cheng Liang.
"Miss Yi..." Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang pursed his lips, revealing a troubled expression. He muttered something under his breath and immediately looked around.
Heaven knows how conflicted Cheng Liang felt at that moment, facing so many people with hopeful and expectant eyes.
Yi Shangyun had been incredibly kind to each of them, and they were like sisters to her. Yet now she had suffered such a tragic accident. How could he bear to tell them that after falling off the cliff, not even her remains remained? It was too cruel.
However, what worried and frightened him most at this moment was not this group of people. Rather, it was his master, Prince Xuanyuan Han of Qin, who was lying unconscious on his bed, hovering on the edge of death and fighting desperately against the Grim Reaper.
What will he do when he wakes up? Everything that has happened recently has once again proven his master's determination for that girl.
Over the years, his master had never cared about a woman, but now…
Thinking of this, Cheng Liang suddenly wished that Xuan Yuanhan would lie there forever and never wake up. That way, at least there wouldn't be a moment when the world collapses.
But in an instant, he cut off his thoughts, yet remained deeply lost in his own contemplation. When his master awoke and realized that he had lost the girl before he even had a chance to obtain her, how could his master possibly accept it all?
Suddenly, Cheng Liang felt as if the air around him had frozen, and he couldn't breathe. He seemed to have no other choice and desperately hoped that someone would come to help him!
While Cheng Liang stood there stunned for a long time, not knowing how to answer everyone, Xuan Yuan Yue looked at Cheng Liang for a long time, then looked back at the scars on Xuan Yuan Han's arm. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a bad premonition suddenly swept through her heart. She then seriously questioned Cheng Liang again.
"What do you mean? When has General Cheng ever hesitated? What's wrong with Yun'er? Speak up! Could it be... that Yun'er..."
"Your Highness, it's all my fault for being incompetent and failing to protect Your Highness and Miss Yi..." Cheng Liang finally couldn't suppress his guilt any longer and bowed to interrupt her increasingly troubled thoughts.
But what followed was like a bolt from the blue, crashing down on Xuan Yuan Yue's head.
Cheng Liang gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and took a deep breath. At that moment, everyone's hearts seemed to leap into their throats, eagerly anticipating what was to come. Cheng Liang said, "Miss Yi, she may have... has already met with misfortune... and passed away."
"What?" Xuan Yuan Yue was shocked and seemed to suddenly feel her vision go black before she fainted.
Upon seeing this, "Royal Sister" Xuanyuan Hao quickly stepped forward and helped her up.
"Your Highness!" The crowd followed suit, shouting in unison, and then rushed forward in alarm, surrounding the two of them.
In an instant, chaos erupted around Xuan Yuanhan's bedside.
Just then, suddenly, Xuan Yuanhan's incoherent murmurs could be heard in his unconscious state:
"Don't jump, don't jump, don't jump! Come back to me, come back to me! I won't let you die! Come back, come back..."
"Don't touch her. I will not allow anyone to touch her. No one but me can like her."
"Hold on tight, no matter what, don't let go. I will not let go, nor will I allow you to."
"Don't leave me! I won't allow you to leave me! No, no..."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang strode forward to take care of Xuan Yuanhan, only to see that two lines of tears had quietly streamed down Xuan Yuanhan's face.
Cheng Liang felt extremely distressed, frowning and saying sadly, "It's all my fault. I failed to protect Your Highness. Why, why, why..."
At this moment, Cheng Liang felt extremely guilty.
"Yun'er... what exactly happened to her? Why did the general say she might have met with misfortune? What does that mean? And Uncle Qin, what happened to him in this state? You must report all of this to me, word by word, clearly and thoroughly." After a long while, Xuan Yuan Yue finally slowly woke up and asked sadly.
Therefore, Cheng Liang gave a detailed account of the Wanjiao Pavilion incident, especially the parts concerning Xuan Yuanhan and Yi Shangyun...
After listening to Cheng Liang's report, Xuan Yuan Yue's eyes widened in shock.
She stood up, astonished, and said, "What? You mean Yun'er... she's the only one who's disappeared without a trace, leaving only a blood-red rock on the lake shore?"
"Your Highness, yes, your subordinate and Young Master Yi have searched the entire lakeshore, but have not found any trace of Miss Yi," Cheng Liang replied with a sigh.
"How could this be? Impossible! Yun'er, she's so kind, she couldn't possibly be dead. You must be mistaken. How can you prove that the blood was Yun'er's and not someone else's? It couldn't have been Yun'er's, it couldn't have been!" Xuan Yuan Yue roared hoarsely, as if the louder she shouted, the more it proved her suspicions were correct, that Yun'er was definitely alive.
No matter what others said, she couldn't believe that this woman with such a tragic fate could miraculously wake up again after being in a coma for a year. As the saying goes, "Those who survive a great calamity are bound to have good fortune in the future." How could she possibly suffer so many misfortunes one after another?
Xuan Yuan Yue muttered to herself, "From such a high cliff, the three of them fell together, and two of them returned alive, but Yun didn't return. This is impossible, absolutely impossible, there must be some mistake, there must be."
Upon realizing this, she quickly made arrangements, "Now that things have come to this, how about this? General Cheng will take Uncle Qin and depart immediately at dawn tomorrow to return to the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city for medical treatment and recuperation. I will personally stay in the south of the city and continue searching for Yun'er's whereabouts along the river. I refuse to believe that Yun'er's fate is like this. I believe she is still alive. I think he must feel the same way as me."
As she spoke, Xuan Yuan Yue looked sadly at Xuan Yuan Han on the couch.
“Yes, just as my elder sister said, Yun’er must still be alive. She must have been swept downstream by the lake water. I, the Crown Prince, will also stay with my elder sister to search for Yun’er.” Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhao glanced at Xuan Yuanhan and volunteered.
Upon seeing Xuan Yuan Yue and Xuan Yuan Hao's determination, Cheng Liang felt a mix of sorrow and joy. If that girl knew that so many people cared about her, she would be overjoyed. He also wished that everything that had happened today was just a dream, and that nothing would change when he woke up.
However… Cheng Liang finally spoke up, “Absolutely not! The princess and the crown prince are of noble birth; how can they remain alone in the south of the city, so far from the palace, for so long? If the emperor questions them, the princess and the crown prince will have no reason to stay here. We can't very well tell the emperor that the two princes are only looking for Miss Yi; if the emperor is furious, it might implicate the entire Yi family. Besides, the envoy who went to Dongning to negotiate the princess's marriage will be returning soon. The emperor will surely want to discuss this with the princess, and she certainly cannot stay here. If Miss Yi is indeed still alive, this Biyue Lake has many branches; searching for her will likely take more than ten days or half a month. For now, let's leave it to the local officials in the south of the city to handle. Once the princes are feeling a little better, then…”
"So what? Yun'er risked her life to fight against Father Emperor for my sake. Now that her life is in danger, how can I only care about myself? I don't trust anyone to handle this matter." Before Cheng Liang could finish speaking, Xuan Yuan Yue interrupted him with righteous indignation.
“Since the princess knows that this hard-won opportunity was obtained by Miss Yi with her own life, how can the princess bear to waste it so carelessly? If so, wouldn’t all of Miss Yi’s efforts be in vain? If this opportunity is missed, it will never come again. Could it be that the princess really wants to return and marry into the Northern Lie Kingdom?” Cheng Liang calmly and sincerely analyzed and persuaded Xuan Yuan Yue.
"But...but this princess cannot abandon Yun'er..."
Xuan Yuan Yue still couldn't believe that Yi Shang Yun had really left her. Clearly, with Xuan Yuan Han's protection and care for Yi Shang Yun, her good days seemed to have just begun.
In the night sky, thunder rumbled continuously, its sound echoing through the heavens and earth. Bolts of lightning flashed intermittently, as if trying to rip the entire night sky apart. The torrential rain seemed to indicate that someone had collapsed.
“Princess, look at this stormy night outside the window. With such terrible weather, even if Miss Yi didn’t die from falling off the cliff, I’m afraid tonight will be…” Cheng Liang seemed to be staring out the window in a daze as he spoke, as if he dared not continue thinking about it.
"Alright, you don't need to say anything more. I've made my decision, and we'll proceed according to it. There's no need for further argument. I will bear all the consequences myself," Xuan Yuan Yue said through gritted teeth.
Upon hearing this, the air in the room seemed to tense up instantly. Everyone's hearts were hanging in suspense, and they were even more anxious because of the wind and rain outside the window. They all prayed silently, "God, it's just that when it rains, it pours. Please have mercy and protect that poor girl. She's already had enough misfortune."
Just as everyone was arguing about what to do, Yu Niang and Lan Xiang's eyes suddenly met...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com