It was late at night when Tuoba Ze returned to his residence in the western suburbs.
Red lanterns were already hanging high in front of the door and in the courtyard.
Upon entering, the guard beside him pondered deeply the entire way, but still couldn't figure it out.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he asked Tuoba Ze himself for an answer: "Does the Crown Prince really intend to give Princess Yongle three thousand fine horses?"
Tuoba Ze placed his hands behind his back and landed lightly on the corridor.
At this moment, she seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood, and said leisurely, "Does she even deserve to discuss horse trading with this prince? She even dares to dream of competing for a place in the world. It's just wishful thinking."
The guard was even more confused: "Then why did the eldest prince praise Princess Yongle? What was the purpose of this...?"
After a moment's thought, Tuoba Ze said, "Initially, I did consider using her, but now..."
After a pause, Tuoba Ze said thoughtfully, "Now I have better leverage. However, I still need to keep her calm and don't want any unnecessary complications."
“A better bargaining chip?” the guard repeated his words.
He then asked, "What exactly is the better bargaining chip that the First Prince mentioned?"
Tuoba Ze stopped abruptly, turned to the side, patted the guard on the shoulder, and said, "You'll find out soon enough! Don't worry, she's just a woman; she won't get anything from me!"
Just then, the maid Zhu'er rushed towards the two of them.
Upon arriving before Tuoba Ze, she gasped for breath and exclaimed in panic, "Your Highness, you're finally back! Something terrible has happened!"
Tuoba Ze asked, "What's the matter that you're so panicked?"
Zhu'er swallowed hard before saying, "Miss, Miss left early this morning and hasn't returned yet."
Tuoba Ze was shocked: "What?"
After a moment's thought, he asked, "What about Young Master Yi?"
Pearl shook her head desperately, feeling that her mouth couldn't keep up with the rhythm, but she had no choice but to keep speaking intermittently.
"easy……"
"Young Master Yi..."
"he……"
"He hasn't come back yet!"
"They went out together this morning, after the eldest prince."
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze was furious.
"Damn Prince Nan'an!"
"I, this prince, will definitely skin you alive!"
He then ordered everyone around him: "Hurry up and go find it. If you can't find it, none of you will live."
In an instant, the courtyard was filled with chaotic footsteps.
The Imperial City of Western Qin.
Not far from the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city, in a secluded courtyard.
In a dark corner of the backyard, there was a messy little woodshed, from which a faint candlelight shone.
The northwest wind was still howling at night, and on the only dilapidated window, some yellowed and darkened edges of the window paper still remained, fluttering in the wind and making rustling sounds.
The cold night wind blew in, chilling to the bone.
In the dead of winter, a pair of slender, delicate hands suddenly appeared in mid-air.
He splashed a ladle of ice water over the head of the woman who was lying in the corner, her hands and feet tightly bound.
really.
A jolt instantly swept through her body, completely waking the woman who had fallen into a deep coma.
The woman slowly opened her eyes and immediately felt a wave of discomfort wash over her.
She instinctively frowned and gasped.
Only when his vision gradually cleared did he finally see the face of the person standing in front of him.
Having been hungry all day and then subjected to further torment, she managed to say with great difficulty, "Mei Xiyuan, it really is you!"
Seeing that the woman had finally opened her eyes, Mei Xiyuan, holding a warm hand warmer in her arms, smiled.
Instead of greeting her in a sarcastic tone, "My dear sister, it's been so long!"
She was clearly implying something. Putting aside the past, what affection did they have for each other?
Today, I followed him and overheard such a significant secret in the restaurant.
It seemed that she was definitely not going to let her off this time, and Yi Shangyun let out a contemptuous laugh.
"Sister... Hmph..."
He paused, then added, "What's the point of us seeing each other or not?"
Mei Xiyuan never dreamed that one day, Yi Shangyun would actually come to her door.
At that moment, all the resentment that had accumulated in her heart for many years was finally ignited.
She still tried her best to endure it.
"We were sisters after all, so it's only right that we meet again. You went to great lengths to take everything that originally belonged to me; shouldn't you settle accounts with me for that?"
Everything was as expected. As for the things I did after arriving in this space that I shouldn't have done, I couldn't change them.
She wanted to offer some explanation, so she said, "Robbed? If I said that none of the things you think I stole from you were things I wanted, would you believe me?"
Mei Xiyuan sneered for a while after hearing this, then slowly stepped forward.
He crouched down, his gaze shooting towards her like an arrow, and questioned her repeatedly.
"What did you say?"
"Is there nothing you want?"
"The pride of being the most noble princess of the wealthy and powerful Dongning Kingdom..."
"A husband that all women in the world envy..."
"And then there's the Emperor and Empress's favor..."
"you say……"
"You don't want any of these?"
Do you think I'll believe it?
If it weren't for her appearance, perhaps what she said would indeed belong only to her.
But since things had come to this point, Yi Shangyun no longer wanted to explain further to her, so she asked her directly, "Now that I'm in your hands, what do you plan to do with me?"
Mei Xiyuan stood up, raised her head slightly, and said, "Don't be in a hurry, my dear sister! What you took from me, I will take back a thousand times over."
She paused, then continued, "But right now, in just a few days, King Xuanyuan Han of Qin will be marrying a new concubine. What I have experienced, I will make you experience it all."
After saying this, Mei Xiyuan ordered the guards: "You all keep a close watch on her for me! If she escapes or dies, I will tear you all to pieces..."
Stepping out of the woodshed, Mei Xiyuan made a firm decision.
"Yi Shangyun, you'll have to suffer this. I'll remember every single thing that happened to you in the past, and I will personally destroy you completely."
The Qin Prince's Mansion, on the same night, was just like that.
After choosing a direction and chasing for a long distance, Xuan Yuanhan had to admit that he had made a mistake, thinking that Yi Shangyun would definitely escape in a different direction.
So they quickly turned back and continued searching in another direction for a long time. Finally, they received news again, but they still couldn't find her again.
In the end, he lost her again.
Back in Chenghua Palace, he slammed his fist heavily on the table in front of him in frustration: "Yun'er, where did you run off to?"
Thinking of how unusually she treated him today, repeatedly pushing him away, Xuan Yuanhan felt a pang of heartache.
But he was puzzled, so he started talking to himself.
"You are clearly my queen."
"But why did you push me away, pretending not to recognize me?"
"Everything about you hasn't changed at all."
"What exactly has happened to you these past few days?"
"Why are you treating me like this?"
In an instant, everything that had happened in the restaurant that day flashed before his eyes again, as if he had hesitated once more.
"No, that look in his eyes..."
"Could she really not be Yun'er...?"
But as soon as the thought arose, he quickly dismissed it.
"No!"
"she is!"
"She is Yun'er!"
"She is the princess whom this dynasty has longed for and yearned for."
"But how did I manage to lose you again!"
"No, I cannot wait here any longer as I have before."
"I will come find you right away!"
"I will go find it myself!"
"Yun'er..."
"You wait and see..."
"Wait..."
Just as Xuanyuan Han stood up again, intending to leave the main hall.
Cheng Liang, the deputy general who had just returned to the mansion, hurried toward Chenghua Hall.
They almost bumped right into each other, nearly knocking over the extremely anxious Xuan Yuanhan.
Seeing that Xuanyuan Han was about to leave, he asked, "It's so late, Your Highness, where are you going?"
Upon seeing him, Xuanyuan Han excitedly grabbed Cheng Liang's arm and repeatedly affirmed him.
It's her!
"It really is her!"
"I have finally found her!"
Cheng Liangdun stared at him, then thought for a moment. Could the person who could make Xuan Yuanhan act so out of character for so long really be…?
"she?"
"Who is Your Highness referring to?"
"Could it be... Her Highness the Princess?"
Xuan Yuanhan could hardly believe what had happened that day, and was so excited that he could hardly speak.
He nodded as he spoke haltingly.
"right!"
It's her!
"It's her!"
"She's really alive! She's still alive!"
"I knew she wouldn't leave me like that!"
But as she spoke, her emotions gradually calmed down, and her face became full of sadness.
"But……"
"I've lost her again..."
"I was so stupid! I never expected her to choose to escape the way she came!"
It is true that those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly.
After listening to Xuan Yuanhan's explanation, Cheng Liang finally understood something.
So he asked him, "So, Your Highness, where was the last place the Princess Consort was last seen, as you found out today?"
Xuanyuan Han slowly recalled, "I realized I had gone the wrong way, so I went back to the restaurant and inquired in another direction. The last person to see Yun'er said that she seemed to have been taken away by a woman. Because it was too far away, I couldn't see clearly, so it was just a suspicion..."
"Woman..." Cheng Liang listened, pondering.
Suddenly, he slowly spoke, "Could it be Young Master Yi..."
Hearing the murmured sound he made, Xuanyuan Han asked, "Who are you talking about?"
Cheng Liang then reported to him, "Your Highness, Young Master Yi has been found!"
Xuanyuan Han asked anxiously, "Where is he now?"
Cheng Liang reported, "It's at Baicaotang."
Xuanyuan Han then fell into deep thought.
Cheng Liang spoke into his ear, "Young Master Yi and the Princess Consort suddenly appeared in almost the same place on the same day. This can hardly be a coincidence. I suspect that what the passerby saw might actually be..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xuanyuan Han had already stepped out the threshold and called to Cheng Liang, "Let's go!"
Cheng Liang asked, "Where are we going?"
Xuan Yuanhan said in a deep voice, "Bai Cao Tang!"
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