Yi Shangyun strode out of the Yi Mansion gate.
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted overhead, and in an instant, bolts of lightning tore through the night sky, as if trying to illuminate the entire darkness.
Immediately afterwards, a torrential downpour, accompanied by strong winds, began with a sudden "whoosh..."
In the midst of the lightning and thunder, the flickering light and the raging wind and rain, she could still faintly hear shouts coming from behind her.
"Child, come back quickly... The rain outside is getting heavier, where are you going?"
"Miss, it's raining so hard! Please come back quickly! Where else can you go if you leave the Yi family? Please come back! Yan'er begs you!"
...
The cold rain soaked her small, delicate body in no time.
Despite the relentless wind and rain lashing and washing over her tear-streaked face, her trembling body swaying with the wind and rain, unnoticed by anyone.
In the torrential rain, she walked aimlessly, staggering along...
Only occasionally could one hear her weak, murmuring voice, as if she were half-awake, indicating that she still had a breath left.
"Would dying like this be the only way to find complete relief?"
The thought of dejection arose, and as soon as it was uttered, he immediately mustered almost all his strength to force himself to cheer up.
"No, I can't die yet. My child, my child. Don't be afraid, I will protect you, I will..."
But who knows where she'll go next? And where else could she go?
The world is vast, and though there are countless lights in the world, not a single one of them brings her warmth.
...
At this time.
A group of men dressed in black were riding at full speed through the empty alleys in the midst of a sudden storm, hurrying towards the west of the city.
This group of people was none other than Qin King Xuanyuan Han, who had been searching for Yi Shangyun ever since he heard the news of her return.
The sudden downpour was so heavy that it not only blinded people, but also caused a sharp pain when it hit their faces.
Ever since he left the Qin Prince's mansion, Cheng Liang, while riding his horse, glanced at his master beside him, whose face remained stern, and said with concern, "Your Highness, the rain is really too heavy. Why don't we find a place to take shelter first, and continue our journey when the rain has subsided a bit?"
Unexpectedly, the master remained motionless, his eyes unusually unblinking despite the wind and rain, his gaze fixed straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to his words.
Cheng Liang was unwilling to give up and tried to speak again.
"Your Highness, now that Miss Yi has returned to Western Qin, and I've heard that the Third Prince Mei Zhixuan is currently in charge of the court in Eastern Ning Kingdom, she probably won't be leaving anytime soon. Your Highness really doesn't need to be in such a hurry! You should take care of your health!"
Qi Liao Xuanyuan Han still ignored him, as if he were completely isolated in another world, and truly did not listen to a single word.
Seeing this, Cheng Liang had no choice but to give up and silently shut up. He raised his whip and lashed the horse's rump hard, roared "Giddy up!", and continued on his way.
After what seemed like an eternity, the wind finally stopped, and the rain stopped too.
Light raindrops dripped softly from the eaves, treetops, and delicate petals, quietly falling into the soil, instantly releasing the earth's fresh, earthy fragrance.
In the dead of night, when all was quiet and the whole world was shrouded in deep silence, a sudden commotion arose in front of the Yi family mansion in the quiet streets and alleys.
"Open the door, open the door quickly..." Immediately afterwards, a series of urgent knocks on the door caused a burst of barking from the surrounding dogs in the middle of the night.
After Yi Shangyun left, the living room of the Yi residence was brightly lit.
After carefully inspecting and confirming a pile of medicinal dregs, the head of the family, Yi Shangkun, slowly recited: "Amomum villosum, ginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala, Rehmannia glutinosa... It nourishes qi and blood and calms the fetus, and is used for those with insufficient qi and blood and restless fetal movement."
Before he could finish speaking, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the side, deeply overwhelmed and at a loss as to what to do about the shocking news he had just learned.
Seeing Yi Shangkun's stunned and unusual behavior, Aunt Lan stepped forward to his side, saying in a trembling voice, "Master, I swear to God, I really didn't know that girl Yun'er was pregnant. Otherwise, I would never have said that..."
Seeing that Yi Shangkun completely ignored her, she stopped talking and suddenly turned her gaze to the person who caused the incident. She found that the pile of medicine residue that Yi Shangyun had secretly dumped at night was now standing next to Nian Shi, who was sitting with Yi Shangkun, wiping away tears sadly. Yan'er was already crying her eyes out.
Aunt Lan glared at her and scolded, "You wretched girl! You're always by your young mistress's side, how come you didn't even tell her about such an important thing as her pregnancy? What are you up to?"
Seeing that Yan'er was already sobbing uncontrollably and unable to defend herself, Nian Shi, though also extremely worried at the time, had no choice but to speak up for her.
She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and said, "Now that things have come to this, why are you blaming her? She only just discovered this and came to report it. Tonight was supposed to be a happy night for the whole family to reunite. If you hadn't always disliked Yun'er, how could this have happened tonight?"
Thinking of the torrential rain that had just poured down and how Yun had rushed out, Madam Nian couldn't help but cover her mouth and sob again: "With such heavy rain at night, I don't know where Yun could have gone? I hope nothing bad has happened to her!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Lan angrily said, "You..."
But before he could speak, he suddenly realized that given his status in the Yi family, he disdained to explain himself to her, so he said, "I can't be bothered with you!"
She then turned to the head of the family, Yi Shangkun, and continued to whine, "Master, you have to believe me, I really don't know anything about this..."
Meanwhile, the question that Yi Shangkun kept thinking about was: whose child was in Yi Shangyun's womb?
Judging from the dosage of the medication, the fetus is almost three months along, and considering the timeline, this should have happened in Dongning Kingdom. So, what exactly happened to Yi Shangyun during her time in Dongning Kingdom?
Suddenly snapping back to his senses, he saw Aunt Lan nagging incessantly in his ear, which greatly annoyed him. Yi Shangkun then raised his voice angrily to everyone present, "Stop arguing! Can't you give me some peace and quiet? Shut up, all of you!"
Instantly, the room fell silent, completely still.
Yi Shangkun thought for a moment, then slowly looked at Yan'er's face and asked seriously, "Yan'er, let me ask you, His Highness Prince Qin took you to Dongning some time ago, saying he was taking care of Miss. Where did Miss stay during that time? And with whom did she stay?"
Yan'er sniffed and recalled, "Miss lives in a secluded courtyard in the Dongning Imperial City, where she lives with His Highness Prince Qin."
"Living with His Highness the Prince of Qin?" Everyone present looked at her in unison.
Upon seeing this, Yan'er hurriedly waved her hands and explained, "No, no, no... it's not what you think. That courtyard was arranged by His Highness Prince Qin long ago after he arrived in Dongning. Although His Highness and Miss live in the same courtyard, they both acted with affection but kept their relationship within the bounds of propriety, and never overstepped their bounds in the slightest."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.
Yi Shangkun continued his analysis: "If it's not His Highness Prince Qin, then who else could it be?"
At this moment, Yan'er suddenly thought of something and said, "That's right, the reason why His Highness Prince Qin's plan was exposed was entirely because of Young Master Yi."
"Young Master Yi?" the crowd asked in confusion.
Yan'er explained, "That's right, he is the Valley Master of Baicao Valley, the true master of Baicao Hall, and also the Crown Prince of Nan'an."
"So it was him! I had long suspected he was no ordinary person. It turns out he is actually the Crown Prince of Nan'an!" Yi Shangkun's words revealed a hint of respect.
Yan'er continued, "He has long admired Miss, but has never won her heart. So, he conspired with Mei Zhixuan, the Third Prince of Dongning, to put His Highness Prince Qin to death, so that Miss would have no choice but to give up His Highness Prince Qin and become his Crown Princess! He is utterly despicable and shameless!"
Yi Shangkun thought for a moment and asked, "Then, Miss, what does she mean?"
Yan'er said, "Of course, Miss only likes His Highness Prince Qin. His Highness Prince Qin is the most outstanding man in the entire Western Qin, no, His Highness is the most outstanding man in the entire Lingkong Continent. No one can compare to him."
After much discussion and investigation, it seems that the father of the child in Yi Shangyun's womb is still not definitively determined.
Yi Shangkun was once again at a loss: "I know Yun'er's character best. From childhood to adulthood, no one can force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. But according to what Yan'er just said, this person... doesn't seem like the King of Qin..."
Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door, followed by a cry of alarm: "Master, something terrible has happened..."
"What happened?" Upon seeing this, Yi Shangkun stood up and asked in surprise.
"Master, something terrible has happened! Someone has come to the door looking for the young lady!" a servant reported as he entered.
"Who is it? Who came looking for the young lady?" Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun felt uneasy and hurriedly asked.
"Yes...yes...it's His Highness Prince Qin." The servant was clearly frightened and stammered.
"The King of Qin?!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun felt as if he had been jolted awake from a dream. He could hardly believe his ears and staggered towards the door.
By the dim light of the lanterns carried by the servants in the mansion, Yi Shangkun took three steps at a time. As soon as he reached the door and saw who it was, he hurriedly stepped over the threshold and knelt down before the noble figure who was like a god of the night, bowing respectfully and saying, "Your Highness, Prince Qin, may you live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"
Instantly, almost everyone in the Yi family, numbering several dozen, followed him out and knelt before him, shouting in unison, "Your Highness Prince Qin, long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King!"
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