Chapter 33 Ah Wu, where are you?
The words "Madam is missing" were like a sharp icicle, instantly piercing Lu Yuan's eardrums.
Behind the desk, his body suddenly froze.
His fingertips were still on the brocade, holding the position of untying it.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
He raised his head, his gaze shooting sharply at the guard like an arrow.
"What did you say? Say it again."
The sunlight streaming in from the window fell on his handsome face, drawing a clear line down his high nose bridge and illuminating the lower half of his face.
His upper face was hidden in shadow and could not be seen clearly.
The wind rustled the trees outside the window, and the swaying branches and leaves shattered the sunlight.
Despite it being summer, Xu Ming felt a bone-chilling cold, as if he were in a frozen wasteland. He held his breath and huddled to the side, too afraid to move.
The guard's face turned ashen, and he knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling.
"Reporting to Your Excellency... The maids in the Madam's courtyard have come to report that Madam has not returned since she went out this morning... We have searched every part of the mansion, but... we cannot find any trace of Madam..."
Outside, the sun hung obliquely on the western horizon. The sunlight had lost its heat, carrying a hint of the orange-red of the setting sun.
It was almost sunset.
Lu Yuan frowned, his fingers slowly tightening. Beneath his palm, the brocade wrapping was crumpled, revealing a corner of the document. Lu Yuan didn't notice this.
His gaze was fixed on the kneeling guard.
"Why are you only reporting this now?"
The guard stammered, "I've already informed the old lady, and she said..."
The old lady initially said that it was unnecessary to concern herself with it. However, after much deliberation, the guard still came to the east courtyard.
Lu Yuan waved his hand to stop the guard from speaking and asked, "Where are the people who were with the lady?"
"The carriage had already returned to the manor... The coachman said that the lady got off the carriage near the embroidery shop in the south of the city, saying she was going to select some silk thread and forbade anyone to follow her... After that... she never returned..."
Chengnan Embroidery Workshop?
If he remembered correctly, the owner behind this Chengnan Embroidery Workshop was the Prince Ning's Mansion.
Lu Yuan's face suddenly darkened.
Images flashed through her mind of her standing with Song Yan at the Ning Prince's residence, chatting and laughing, and of her silent distance when facing him...
Did she go see Song Yan again?!
She was so... impatient!
He was a master strategist who controlled everything throughout his life, but in the end, he was used by his own wife!
Just to meet Song Yan.
He was actually soft-hearted towards her, and even felt guilty for planting the separation curse on her, trying every possible way to make amends... Now it all seems utterly ridiculous.
Anger, jealousy, and other unfamiliar emotions he couldn't quite understand surged through his chest, battering his already crumbling reason.
"Bang!"
Lu Yuan suddenly swept his sleeve, knocking the unopened brocade wrapping and a priceless ornament off the table to the ground.
Xu Ming and his guards trembled with fear.
Outside the window, several sparrows that were playing happily on the treetops suddenly flapped their wings in alarm and flew away.
"Oh……"
Lu Yuan chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in his laughter.
"Good...very good."
Lu Yuan stood up, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the setting sun, enveloping the entire study and making it feel oppressive.
This version of Lu Yuan reminded Xu Ming of the time when he deposed Lu Yuan and established a new emperor, and when he purged the court in blood.
Xu Ming forced a smile and explained, "Prime Minister, perhaps the Madam simply..." went to find the Princess.
Lu Yuan's eyes were bloodshot, but his tone was frighteningly calm.
"Xu Ming".
"Your subordinate is here!"
Lu Yuan walked to the window.
As the sun sets, the waning rays, barely visible behind the western mountains, dwindle and gather their light, like a dying phoenix.
"Send men to keep a close watch on the Ning Prince's residence. Report any unusual activity immediately. You personally lead the men there and make sure to bring the lady back."
"Your subordinate obeys."
After Xu Ming and the guards left, the study returned to its deathly silence.
Lu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the sky gradually be covered by a dark black.
Dusk completely swallowed the last ray of light, and the study was unlit, Lu Yuan's figure almost blending into the darkness.
The lantern under the eaves swayed in the evening breeze, casting undulating light and shadow on his sharply defined profile.
Half an hour later, Xu Ming returned in a hurry.
"Your Excellency, the search of the embroidery workshop and surrounding streets in the south of the city has been completed, but no trace of the Madam has been found. News from inside the Prince Ning's residence indicates that Song Yan has remained in the residence all day and has not gone out."
That last sentence made Lu Yuan slowly turn around.
"Always?"
"Yes, from this morning until now."
That's impossible.
The coldness in Lu Yuan's eyes froze into ice.
If Song Yan hasn't left all day, where did Ming Wu go? How could such a weak woman have escaped the search without Song Yan's help?
In Lin'an, besides the Ming family, the only other people she knew were from the Ning Prince's Mansion. And the Ming family clearly lacked the ability, and dared not.
"shadow."
As the words fell, a dark figure silently descended. It was the commander of the Dark Guards, Shadow.
"Go find the lady, and don't let the area outside the city go undetected."
"yes."
A gentle breeze swept by, and the shadows vanished without a trace.
Xu Ming lowered his head in shame: "It is my incompetence, my..."
Lu Yuan interrupted him: "Prepare the horses. We're going to the Prince of Ning's residence."
-
The Prince Ning's mansion was silent in the darkness, devoid of the daytime hustle and bustle. Only the hanging red lanterns retained a few traces of the lively scene from the birthday banquet.
Without waiting to be informed, Lu Yuan went straight to the flower hall.
Song Yan was playing chess alone, a cup of tea beside him steaming. When he saw Lu Yuan arrive late at night, Song Yan was taken aback at first, then smiled and got up to greet him.
"Why are you here so late, cousin?"
His expression showed no sign of anything amiss.
Lu Yuan glanced at it indifferently, then sat down opposite Song Yan. He picked up a white jade chess piece from the pottery jar and placed it on the chessboard.
"Does Prince Ning not know the purpose of my visit?"
Song Yan sat down and picked up a black piece. Just as he was about to place it, he heard Lu Yuan's question, and his smile faded slightly.
"Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."
Lu Yuan's slender fingers caressed the smooth white jade chess piece, his face revealing no emotion. Seeing that Lu Yuan had no intention of speaking, Song Yan could only suppress his doubts and place his black piece.
The two played a few rounds of chess.
The white pieces completely wiped out the black pieces.
Song Yan lost.
Lu Yuan habitually picked up the white pieces on the chessboard one by one and put them into the pottery jar.
He asked casually, "My wife went missing today at the embroidery shop in the south of the city. Has Prince Ning seen her?"
As he said this, his deep eyes coldly stared at Song Yan, not missing a single expression on his face.
Song Yan was still thinking about the chess game he had just played when he heard this and was greatly surprised. He hurriedly said...
"My cousin's wife is missing? She's such a frail woman..."
He realized he had said something inappropriate halfway through his sentence and quickly stopped talking.
Lu Yuan's fingers tightened slightly as he twirled the chess piece, and he asked, seemingly unintentionally, "Prince Ning seems to care a great deal about his wife?"
Song Yan's pupils contracted slightly, and he forced a smile, saying, "Cousin, you've misunderstood. We're relatives, so it's only natural for us to care about each other."
Lu Yuan gave a faint "hmm," neither saying he believed it nor disbelieved it. He simply picked up the last white jade chess piece and placed it into the pottery jar.
"The Embroidery Workshop in the south of the city is, after all, property of the Prince Ning's mansion. If your wife disappeared there, who does the Prince Ning think could be responsible?"
Song Yan realized that Lu Yuan suspected him.
Anger suddenly flared up and couldn't be extinguished.
How could he possibly harm Mingwu?
"What does Your Excellency mean by this? Are you perhaps doubting me?"
Anger caused Song Yan to lose his composure.
“Although the embroidery workshop bears the name of the Prince of Ning’s mansion, its daily operations are never handled by me. If my cousin-in-law really encountered danger nearby…” Song Yan paused, then looked directly at Lu Yuan, “Prime Minister Lu should first investigate who he has offended recently.”
Everyone knows that Lu Yuan wields immense power in the court and has offended countless people over the years; even more people want him dead.
It must be him who dragged Miss Ming into this mess.
Lu Yuan's brows furrowed suddenly, and he said firmly, "She will be fine."
These words sounded as if Song Yan was cursing Ming Wu and wishing for her to get into trouble. Song Yan felt a lump in his throat, unable to swallow it.
Outside the flower hall, the bamboo shadows swayed, resembling lurking beasts in the dim light.
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Lu Yuan lost his desire for idle chatter and got up to leave.
Song Yan panicked and hurriedly asked.
"Should I send someone..." Realizing that his words were a bit abrupt, he explained, "My cousin's wife always cares about my younger sister. If something happens to her, I certainly can't stand idly by."
Lu Yuan stopped and looked down at Song Yan.
"No need for Prince Ning to worry, I will find my wife myself."
Song Yan's smile froze for a moment.
He knew that Lu Yuan was asserting his sovereignty and, more importantly, warning him.
Song Yan knew he had no grounds for complaint, but the thought of Ming Wu, such a beautiful woman, marrying Lu Yuan yet not being treated well, still lingered.
They are still...missing.
She's a frail woman, if...
The mere thought of Mingwu possibly getting into trouble sent shivers down Song Yan's spine.
It turns out that he really did have special feelings for her.
She needs the female household registration document.
He should have realized long ago that she truly intended to leave Lu Yuan.
He should help her.
There was both the joy of her no longer loving Lu Yuan and the regret of realizing too late that he hadn't been able to help her.
Just as Lu Yuan was about to step out the door, Song Yan finally said this.
"Prime Minister Lu has lost his wife; perhaps your fate has run its course."
Lu Yuan suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Song Yan with a gloomy gaze. Song Yan did not back down either, straightening his back to meet his gaze.
The atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.
Invisible swordplay clashed fiercely in the stillness, as if even the air itself had stopped moving.
A moment later, Lu Yuan suddenly twitched the corner of his mouth and smiled. But the smile was icy and chilling, not reaching his eyes at all.
"She is the Prime Minister's wife."
His voice was not loud, but it carried a resolute declaration.
"It was so before, it is so now, and it can only be so in the future. I hope Prince Ning will keep this in mind."
Having said that, Lu Yuan turned around and strode into the thick night outside the door, his black cloak billowing and rustling in the wind.
Xu Ming, who was waiting outside the door, immediately greeted him: "Prime Minister, are you going back to your residence?"
"Issue the order to mobilize the Imperial Guards, impose martial law throughout the city, and conduct a full-scale search. Also, dispatch a team of secret guards to keep a close watch on Song Yan for twelve hours a day."
He turned his head slightly, and the final command fell coldly with the night wind.
"If he makes any unusual moves—"
"Kill without mercy."
-
That night, the tranquility of Lin'an was shattered by the rapid sound of horses' hooves.
Lu Yuan personally led his men, acting like madmen. They searched every corner, both those Ming Wu might and might not have gone.
From quiet alleyways to dilapidated docks after the hustle and bustle, from closed shops to abandoned mansions.
The entire city of Lin'an was gripped by fear and unease.
Those who were Lu Yuan's former political enemies were especially on high alert, fearing that a large number of imperial guards would storm in at any moment.
Lu Yuan's eyes were bloodshot, his tightly pursed lips were like sharp blades, and the murderous aura emanating from him terrified all his followers.
He dared not stop, dared not think.
Every time hope was ignited and then ruthlessly extinguished, it felt like a knife being stabbed into his heart.
As time went by, the worry in Lu Yuan's eyes grew stronger.
Finally, a faint glimmer of blue appeared on the horizon, dispelling the darkness.
Lu Yuan reined in his horse and stopped in the middle of an empty street. The morning light stretched his tall but weary figure very long.
He gazed at the expanding patch of light, but his heart felt icy cold.
Ah Wu, where are you?
If there was anger before, now there is only fear.
I'm afraid something really happened to her, I'm afraid she...
He even wished that she had been hidden away by Song Yan.
Just then, a fast horse galloped by, and Xu Ming almost tumbled off the horse.
"Prime Minister, there's news about the Madam... the Madam has been found!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Sorry for the long hiatus. I was busy looking for a school, caught a cold, and had a toothache – one thing after another. Updates will resume from now on. Thank you to all the readers who are still sticking with me.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
