As the two walked slowly, lost in thought, a voice suddenly came from behind them: "Your Highness, Prince Qin, please wait!"
Xuanyuan Han then turned around and followed the sound. Cheng Liang, who was beside him, whispered first, "Your Highness, it is the Empress."
The palace gardens were filled with dense willow shade, clear lake water, and vibrant spring colors.
A gust of wind blew, and he felt refreshed. Xuan Yuanhan suddenly came to his senses and saw a dignified figure walking towards him from the other end of the corridor. He bowed and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty. What brings Your Majesty here?"
The Empress approached him with a hurried air and said with a plain face, "Prince Qin, there is no need for formalities. I have been waiting for you here for quite some time."
"Oh, does Your Majesty have something important to discuss with me?" Xuan Yuanhan raised his eyes slightly and asked.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The princess has gone missing!" the empress said in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han immediately raised his head and looked at the Empress in surprise, asking, "What? Yue'er is missing? What happened? When did this happen?"
The Empress frowned, tilted her head to think for a moment, and said anxiously, "It was discovered this morning."
As she spoke, the Empress glanced back slightly and then angrily said, "You damned servants, why don't you quickly tell His Highness Prince Qin the whole story of the princess's disappearance? If you don't find the princess, even if you die a thousand or ten thousand times, it won't make up for it in the slightest."
Immediately, several eunuchs stepped forward and knelt down before Xuan Yuanhan with a thud, bowing their heads deeply. Only the eunuch who seemed to be the leader knelt down and trembled as he reported, "Your Majesty the Empress, spare us! Your Highness Prince Qin, spare us! Her Highness the Princess... no, we servants simply couldn't persuade her. The Princess insisted on changing into our palace clothes and sneaking out of the palace. We servants really couldn't do anything about it..."
Seeing that the eunuchs were already quite frightened by the Empress's words and were rambling incoherently, Xuan Yuanhan immediately shouted at them in a cold voice, "Shut up! What exactly happened? Explain yourself clearly."
Upon hearing the King of Qin's furious outburst, the young eunuch composed himself and recalled, "This is what happened: Before dawn today, I was preparing to leave the palace to go to the Sihai Tea House to purchase new tea and tea utensils to replenish the needs of the various palaces. Unexpectedly, the princess suddenly arrived and said that she wanted to secretly go to the Sihai Tea House to verify the quality and price of the tea used in the palace. She forbade me to tell anyone about this, saying that if I did not, I would be accused of embezzlement and bribery. I am but a lowly person, and I have no way to defend myself against this false accusation. I had no choice but to agree to her request."
The Empress glared fiercely at the few eunuchs who were prostrate on the ground, not daring to lift their heads even slightly, their thin bodies trembling uncontrollably. Then she turned to Xuan Yuanhan and said earnestly:
"I presume the King of Qin is already aware that the envoy from Dongning will soon arrive in Western Qin with all the gifts and documents to discuss the specifics of the marriage alliance between our two countries. I intended to speak with the princess this morning, but I discovered that this girl hasn't changed her old habits; she's always finding ways to run out of the palace. She always claims she's going to the Prince's residence to see the Imperial Uncle, and now she probably doesn't know you've returned. That's why she's set her sights on the servants again. With the wedding just around the corner, what if something happens to her outside the palace?"
Xuanyuan Han finally understood what had happened. After a moment's thought, he asked, seemingly puzzled, "Sihai Tea House? Cheng Liang, have you ever heard of this place?"
Cheng Liang thought for a moment and replied, "I've heard a little about it. I heard that this tea shop used to be a restaurant, but business was getting worse and worse. Now, in just a month or so, I've heard that it has suddenly become the largest tea merchant in all of Western Qin. It is said to be very popular with high-ranking officials and nobles, especially many ladies from famous families. It seems that the tea used by the Princess Consort at Shaohua Pavilion is also supplied by this Sihai Tea Shop."
"Oh? How come I didn't know that such a prominent figure had emerged in the capital? Then I'll go and see for myself who this person really is?"
Xuanyuan Han spoke with apparent interest, then replied to the Empress, "Don't worry, Your Majesty! Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and Yue'er has always been clever and quick-witted. Under the Emperor's nose, she should be safe. With me here, I will definitely bring Yue'er back to Your Majesty safely."
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Your Majesty," the Queen said gratefully.
Xuanyuan Han nodded slightly and was about to turn and leave when a thought flashed through his mind. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still blurted out, "By the way, Your Majesty ordered me to do my best to search for the whereabouts of the Guardian who has been missing for a long time, but the relevant information we have obtained is too little. I wonder how much Your Majesty knows about the Guardian of Western Qin?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress was initially taken aback. She hadn't expected that after so many years, Emperor Jing would still be so suspicious and convinced that the Guardian was still alive. She then regained her composure and said to Xuan Yuanhan, "I don't actually know much about the Guardian. It's just that it seems every generation of Guardians is born with a phoenix mark, which is said to be an exclusive mark of the descendants of the vampires. I wonder if that's true or not? I've only heard about it from others; I've never seen it with my own eyes."
"The Phoenix Mark... Thank you for telling me, Your Majesty. Then I shall take my leave. Take care, Your Majesty!" Xuan Yuanhan pondered for a while before bidding her farewell.
"Your Highness, please be careful in everything you do. And please make sure to send Yue'er back to the palace safely as soon as possible. If the Emperor finds out, he will certainly not let her off easily," the Empress urged again.
"Your Majesty, I understand. I will leave the palace immediately to take care of it." Xuan Yuanhan replied as he turned and strode away.
As soon as they stepped out of the palace gates, Xuanyuan Han asked his adjutant, "Cheng Liang, did you hear what the Empress said just now?"
Cheng Liang had already pondered the Empress's words all the way, and naturally understood the purpose of his master's question. So he blurted out, "This subordinate has been thinking about it all the way. So, Your Highness means that we should... examine Miss Yi?"
Xuanyuan Han did not answer him directly. He simply leaped onto his horse and said coldly, "No matter what, we have to find the person first."
"To Sihai Tea House?" Cheng Liang asked, mounting his horse as he listened.
"Yes, let's go have some tea. Giddy up!"
With the crack of a whip, the two of them galloped off one after the other on the wide streets of the imperial city.
Meanwhile, in the central market of the imperial city under the emperor's feet, merchants gathered in droves, and the scene was bustling with activity.
Xuan Yuan Yue, dressed in a brocade white robe, with his black hair tied up, one hand behind his back and the other gently waving a plum blossom folding fan, was strolling happily through the bustling market, looking every bit the elegant young gentleman.
Although she was completely absorbed in the dazzling array of trinkets, delicacies, and performances lining the streets, she still occasionally reminded the maidservant, who was also dressed as a follower, to hurry up:
"Jinlan, hurry up! We finally got out of the palace, aren't you happy? Why are you still looking so wilted like a frostbitten eggplant?"
Jinlan, who was practically dragged out of the palace gate by Xuanyuan Yue, couldn't muster any interest no matter what she said or how she tried to amuse her.
At this moment, she was pouting, listless, and stammering, "Young...Young Master, you've really screwed me over this time. Why did you suddenly change your mind? Didn't we already agree to come out with the purchasing eunuch? Why are we the only two of us now? What if we two women encounter bad people?"
Xuanyuan Yue didn't even turn her head or glance at her. She just snorted and said, "Under the Emperor's nose, who dares to act presumptuously?"
Jinlan looked at the various people coming and going around her, and was so scared that she almost cried: "Young master, let's go back. Ever since I left the palace, I have been restless and uneasy. My eyelids have been twitching. We have never been to an unfamiliar place before. I have a feeling that something is going to happen. I am really scared."
Listening to her endless chatter, Xuan Yuan Yue finally lost her patience and couldn't help but turn around and glare at her angrily, threateningly saying, "Coward, go back yourself if you want! I finally escaped from that suffocating birdcage, and I don't want to fly back and lock myself up again so soon. In any case, I'm going to have my fill this time!"
As he spoke, he squeezed into a large crowd that seemed to be gathered together watching something exciting.
"Princess...Young Master, don't run away! Wait for me! This is the most bustling market in the capital. Don't get separated from me!" Seeing this, Jinlan could no longer think straight and hurriedly chased after him.
It turned out that the people surrounding them were a variety show troupe. In the middle of the crowd, a beautiful young woman was performing the skill of swallowing knives. Xuan Yuan Yue was watching intently with wide eyes when Jin Lan suddenly looked up and glanced around. She then quickly patted Xuan Yuan Yue's back and exclaimed, "Young Master, look! Isn't this the Sihai Tea House we've been looking for?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly turned around and looked in the direction Jin Lan was pointing. She saw a rectangular plaque hanging above the doorway facing the street, with the four imposing characters "Si Hai Tea House" carved on it in black with gold lettering. It was dignified and magnificent, truly remarkable. Xuan Yuan Yue was stunned.
Just then, a skinny, shifty-eyed figure suddenly appeared beside her and, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, carefully and easily snatched the money pouch from Xuan Yuan Yue's body and quietly slipped away, without the two of them realizing it.
“‘Nine dragons soar across the four seas among the rocks, and the tea is of the highest quality,’ quite an boast! Come, follow me inside and take a look.”
After a while, Xuan Yuan Yue muttered to herself as she snapped open her folding fan and leisurely walked into the teahouse...
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