The East Market, the busiest street in the imperial city of Dongning Kingdom, is a bustling hub of commerce and pedestrians, a scene of prosperity everywhere.
On a bright night, the lights of thousands of homes cast an orange glow, making the vast East Market appear lively and open. Crowds thronged and strolled through it, as if stepping into an ancient and prosperous painting.
With the Lantern Festival approaching, colorful lanterns are hung everywhere, and people are also making huge lantern wheels, lantern trees, and lantern pillars. The whole city is ablaze with lights, making it very lively and bustling.
Accompanied by Yan'er, Yi Shangyun disguised herself as a shop owner's maid and successfully sneaked out.
At this moment, the master and servant were like birds that had returned to the forest, their faces full of novelty and joy as they strolled happily through the brightly lit streets and alleys, bustling with traffic and people.
The streets were lined with shops and countless taverns. The pedestrians and street vendors all exuded a festive atmosphere.
Looking at the novel scene before her, Yan'er seemed to find it difficult to even take another step.
Strolling along, stopping frequently to admire the various novelties on the street, he exclaimed in surprise, "I've long heard that the markets of Dongning Kingdom are more bustling and novel than any other country on the Lingkong Continent. Seeing them today, I can confirm that they truly live up to their reputation and are extraordinary."
Upon seeing this, Yi Shangyun silently marveled, "This is my motherland. The land is magnificent, with beautiful mountains and clear waters. The people seem prosperous, the country is peaceful and the people live in contentment. This is the happy country that my father and mother built with all their life's blood and sweat."
Suddenly she stopped and looked back at the path she had just come from, murmuring to herself, "Did Mother also remember these beautiful scenes? Did Mother also leave her footprints on the path she just walked?"
But then, as if struck by a sudden thought, her smile vanished, replaced by a look of deep worry, a stark contrast to her earlier expression: "Will this city, in the near future, remain so vibrant and happy forever?"
Upon realizing this, after a moment's thought, she suddenly slowed down and began to walk. As she walked, she couldn't help but secretly slip one hand into her sleeve and casually began to caress the seven-colored gold and jade bracelet that she had lost and found hidden under her sleeve.
Just as she turned around, a tall and spacious carriage sped past them, and pedestrians on the road quickly moved to both sides of the road, making way for a wide path.
A gentle evening breeze lifted the carriage curtains, revealing a distinguished gentleman sitting upright inside, his black hair half-upright and dressed in a black brocade robe.
He gently placed his two large, well-defined hands on his knees, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.
Suddenly, a young man driving in front turned around and looked carefully at the back of Yi Shangyun as she passed by. He then hurriedly reported to the master in the carriage, "Master, that woman just now looks exactly like Miss Yi."
"Yun'er!" Upon hearing the voice, the person inside the carriage suddenly opened their eyes, then nervously flung open the carriage curtain and hurriedly questioned the man driving the carriage.
"Whoa!" The man quickly reined in his horse and stopped.
After the carriage stopped, the man stepped down without hesitation and said only, "Let me go and take a look!"
With that, he quickly squeezed into the crowd in front of him: "Excuse me, could you please make way?"
The master, sitting in the carriage, was extremely anxious. He waited for a long time, but the man did not return. So he got up, lifted the carriage curtain, and jumped out of the carriage himself, following the man's back.
Both of them stared blankly at the sea of people before them, unable to find a trace of him.
After the crowd around him had gradually dispersed with the flow of people, the man scratched his head, seemingly puzzled, and said with a mixture of dejection and doubt, "Your Majesty, perhaps I was mistaken just now. Thinking about it, so many days have passed, yet we still haven't found even a trace of Miss Yi. If she were truly still alive, given how kind Your Majesty was to her, I believe she would have tried everything to return to Your Majesty's side, or at least sent a message to let us know she's safe. But now… I fear she… may already be in grave danger!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the guard met the piercing gaze of the King of Dongning, who had been disguised and had come to search for Yi Shangyun for days. Terrified, the guard quickly lowered his head, clasped his hands in apology, and said, "I deserve to die! I know my mistake! I will immediately arrange for more guards to search the entire city for Miss Yi. I will make sure they find her alive or dead..."
Upon hearing this, the King of Dongning glared at him even more fiercely and asked questioningly, "Hmm?"
She choked him back down, preventing him from saying the rest of his words.
The guard suddenly realized that he had been saying some unlucky things, and he apologized repeatedly, saying, "Pah, pah, pah, I deserve to die! I will do everything in my power to find Miss Yi!"
The King of Dongning let out a long sigh of relief, finally shifting his gaze from his face to the ever-growing sea of people before him. He silently thought to himself, "Am I destined to be forever separated from her, to lose this hidden gem?"
I don't know how much time passed, but the moon had already risen above the treetops.
Yi Shangyun and her servant walked out of a long-established pharmacy, both with smiles on their faces, seemingly quite satisfied with the gifts they had found.
Yan'er, supporting Yi Shangyun's arm, praised happily, "I believe His Highness Prince Qin will be quite satisfied with this gift from my young lady."
Yi Shangyun, however, remained serious and dismissive: "How do you know? His Highness has been well-traveled and knowledgeable since childhood. What new and strange things hasn't he seen! My little trinkets are nothing but trivial skills, not worth mentioning. They are just a small token of my appreciation!"
Yan'er secretly glanced at Yi Shangyun's expression. He seemed a little worried that her gift might be too insignificant, so she chuckled to herself and pretended to explain, "Of course I know, Your Highness Prince Qin. He is fond of my young lady, so whatever my young lady gives him, His Highness will cherish it as a treasure, something unique in the world."
Although Yi Shangyun said she didn't care, she had taken every word Yan'er said to heart. When she suddenly realized what she had said, she blushed shyly and said, "Yan'er, if you continue to talk such nonsense in public, I'll tear your mouth apart..."
As she spoke, Yi Shangyun reached out to grab Yan'er's face, but Yan'er quickly grabbed her hands and begged for mercy: "Miss, spare me! Miss, spare me!"
"Girl"
Just as the master and servant were laughing and arguing in the street, they suddenly heard a familiar voice in their ears.
So, Yi Shangyun turned around and looked in the direction of the voice. Suddenly, a bright red brocade robe appeared in the bustling crowd. His black hair was half tied up, his face was handsome, and his whole person exuded arrogance and unrestrainedness. He also had an endlessly bewitching, slender peach blossom eye.
It was as if the appearance of this person would bring the most beautiful spring in the world, and even the surrounding air became warm and cozy.
Yi Shangyun stared at him from head to toe for a long time, and finally asked in astonishment, "You are... Third Young Master? How did you come to Dongning?"
The alluring man in red smiled as he stepped forward and approached her, stopping softly before saying, "Little girl, it's been a long time!"
The two stared at each other for a long time before Yi Shangyun finally uttered a dazed "Long time no see!"
So the two of them walked together, recounting in detail the many things that had happened in the past years...
When Yi Sanshao recalled the past, he said angrily, "If it weren't for me, Prince Qin Xuanyuan Han probably wouldn't have woken up so quickly. I treated him like that without holding a grudge, yet he still secretly kept it from me that he knew about you. He even pulled a fast one, making me almost think that he was still in the Prince Qin's mansion being guarded by the Yan family sent by Emperor Jing."
After hearing what Young Master Yi said, Yi Shangyun realized that Xuan Yuanhan had silently carried so much burden for her sake, and she felt even more heartbroken.
Young Master Yi's words still echoed in her ears, but she stared blankly at his mouth opening and closing, having already heard nothing: "Back in Beilie, it was all my fault for being careless and blinded by greed that I believed that despicable man Mei Zhixuan's offer to form an alliance with him. I was the one who found you first. I saw you unconscious in the rain and was about to take you home when that bastard Mei Zhixuan tricked me halfway there, causing me to lose you. Now that I see you're alright, I'm relieved."
After finishing speaking, Young Master Yi stopped and looked into Yi Shangyun's eyes with a smile, seemingly relieved.
He paused, then added, "Girl, tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. How about we watch the fireworks together?"
Yi Shangyun listened intently, seemingly hesitant. Seeing this, Young Master Yi quickly feigned pitifulness: "Look, I came all this way to find you all by myself, just to ask you to watch fireworks. Can't you even grant me such a small New Year's wish?"
After much deliberation, Yi Shangyun finally gritted her teeth and said, "Alright then."
Upon hearing this, Young Master Yi was immediately overjoyed: "Yes, girl, it's settled then. We'll meet at the Vermilion Bird Bridge at this time tomorrow!"
Yi Shangyun's smile clearly carried a hint of helplessness. He looked up and saw that the sky was getting darker and darker, so he said goodbye and said, "Third Young Master, we have been out for quite some time. It's time to go back now!"
Upon hearing the sound, Yan'er, who had been silently following behind the two not far away, hurried forward and walked to Yi Shangyun's side.
Just as the two were about to turn and leave, Young Master Yi suddenly called out, stopping them in their tracks...
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