Cheng Yi lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with hostility, his lips clenched, unsure of what to say.
Nalan Mingzhu, panting, came running over, supported by her maid. Ranlayobu quickly stepped forward to support her: "Mingzhu, what brings you here?"
“Let her in,” Nalan Mingzhu said, pointing to Di Jinghan. “We’ll talk inside. This isn’t the place to talk. The fewer people who know about Azi’s affairs, the better.” She deliberately lowered her voice.
Ranlayobu nodded, gently patted Nalan Mingzhu's hand, and looked at Di Jinghan: "This distinguished guest may come into the village with us; the others must remain here."
Di Jinghan immediately agreed: "Okay, my Ning Hui will come in with me too."
Just as Ranlayob was about to refuse, Nalan Mingzhu spoke up first: "Okay, just the two of you."
"Cheng Er, you and Chief Sun will stay outside the stronghold and strengthen vigilance. Without orders, you must not act rashly. I will be right back."
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."
When Cheng Yi brought Di Jinghan to see Di Jingcheng, who was covered in wounds and looked utterly miserable, she rushed to the bedside in disbelief, choked up, and raised her hand to touch him, but in the end, afraid of hurting him, she didn't dare to do so.
He turned angrily to Cheng Yi, tears streaming down his face: "What happened? How did my brother get injured like this? How did you protect him? And where is my sister-in-law?!"
Cheng Yi turned his head away in unbearable pain, remaining silent for a long while. Di Jinghan stepped forward, grabbed his collar tightly, and roared, "Tell this princess!"
Cheng Yi suppressed the choking emotions in his heart and softly recounted Di Jingcheng's ordeal. After finishing, he turned away and silently lowered his head.
Di Jinghan buried his face in Ning Hui's arms and wept bitterly. When had his elder brother ever suffered such torment? How could his sister-in-law be so heartless?
"By the way, where is my sister-in-law?"
Cheng Yi shook his head, not wanting to say anything more. Finally, he made a solemn decision, his eyes filled with determination: "Princess, the Emperor is seriously injured and unconscious. We should take him back to the Imperial Physician for treatment. The people here are not trustworthy."
Di Jinghan hesitated, staring blankly at the unconscious Di Jingcheng. She couldn't just listen to Cheng Yi's side of the story, especially since she didn't know where her sister-in-law was. She had to find her sister-in-law and ask her for clarification!
If they forcibly take him away against his elder brother's wishes, given his feelings for his sister-in-law, such a separation would cause him unbearable pain and he would also take his anger out on everyone.
She held Ning Hui's hand tightly: "Chengyi, you take care of my brother. I'm going to find my sister-in-law."
Di Jinghan went downstairs in a swift and decisive manner. Ranlayobu and Nalan Mingzhu were waiting downstairs, along with several maids.
"Clan leader, madam, please allow me to meet my sister-in-law," Di Jinghan said politely. She still had to be more reserved on someone else's turf.
Nalan Mingzhu and her husband exchanged a glance: "You go see the elders first, I'll take her with me."
Ranlayob sighed and turned to leave.
"Princess, this way please." Nalan Mingzhu's manners were impeccable.
Di Jinghan sized up Nalan Mingzhu in front of him. This person didn't seem to be from here. His sister-in-law had told him that her mother was from the Central Plains, so it seemed that this was the one in front of him.
"Is the lady from the Central Plains?"
Nalan Mingzhu nodded slightly: "The Princess has discerning eyes."
Inside the wooden house, Qinghe had just fed Azi her medicine when Yimeng gently placed her back on the bed. They then heard voices outside; the old man was intently grinding medicinal herbs at a low table. They glanced at the wide-open door.
“Father, this is the eldest princess of the Central Plains, who is also Emperor Jingcheng’s younger sister,” Nalan Mingzhu introduced.
The old gentleman rose and nodded slightly in greeting. Di Jinghan smiled at him; this was the grandfather of the Empress Dowager.
The old man led them into the inner room: "Azi was greatly weakened this time and was depressed. She woke up groggily once this morning and then fell into a deep sleep again."
Upon hearing this, Di Jinghan felt sorry for his sister-in-law, wondering how things had come to this. What had happened in just half a month?
Upon seeing the newcomer, Qinghe hurriedly went to greet her, her face beaming with joy: "Princess! This servant greets the Princess!"
"Qinghe, there's no need for such formalities. How is my sister-in-law?" Di Jinghan felt as if his heart was breaking. What on earth was going on?
Seeing that she was getting emotional, Nalan Mingzhu poured her a glass of water: "Princess, please sit down and talk."
"Father, you go ahead and do your work. I'll take care of things here."
After the old man left, Nalan Mingzhu told Di Jinghan what had happened. Di Jinghan stood up excitedly, his face covered in tears.
She knew it! How could the Empress Dowager be a heartless person? She was already struggling to take care of herself, how could she possibly disobey her elders?
She stepped forward and grasped Nalan Mingzhu's hands: "Thank you for telling me all this."
Nalan Mingzhu gently shook her head: "Princess, there is no need to be sad. Their lives are not in danger. This ordeal will surely strengthen their bond. Azi is my daughter, and I feel sorry for her too, but we have seen the Emperor's feelings for Azi. He will certainly not do anything to separate the lovers again."
Di Jinghan blinked: "Okay, thank you."
"Qinghe, you stay here and take good care of your sister-in-law. I'm going to check on my brother!"
"Princess, please rest assured."
After seeing Azi and hearing Nalan Mingzhu's words, Di Jinghan felt much more at ease. When she and Ning Hui returned to Di Jingcheng's room, they opened the door and found that Di Jingcheng and Chengyi were no longer on the bed.
She felt her heart was about to jump out of her throat. Remembering what Cheng Yi had just said, could it be that he had taken her brother away? She quickly pulled Ning Hui toward the entrance of the village, but they got lost in the village. Fortunately, they met a kind girl who led them to the entrance.
Although they couldn't understand each other's language, they communicated smoothly through gestures. The girl escorted them there, her face beaming, and said in broken Chinese, "My name is Ana, Yunduo!"
Di Jinghan was somewhat surprised, then smiled happily: "Jinghan!"
Emperor Jinghan was concerned about his elder brother, so he hurriedly left the village. Cheng Er and Chief Sun led their men to camp on the mountainside, where they could hear the voice of the Princess in the distance.
"Cheng Er! Chief Sun!"
The two quickly went down to greet her: "Your Highness, we pay our respects to Your Highness!"
Di Jinghan and Ning Hui stopped, panting, and stepped forward to grab Cheng Er's sleeve: "Did you see Cheng Yi bring the Emperor out!"
The two exchanged a puzzled look and said in unison, "No!"
"Princess! What happened?" Cheng Er felt that things were not simple.
"Cheng Yi has disappeared with his elder brother... with his elder brother!"
Prefect Liu ran down the mountain, stumbling and falling several times, and had just gotten up when he heard Di Jinghan's words. He was instantly terrified, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground—the Emperor had disappeared!
The Emperor has disappeared!
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