Lin Fenghe, who was watching his uncle parade through the streets, turned to look at Yan Ping'er upon hearing this.
His handsome eyes widened instantly, looking terrified. "Yan, Yan Ping'er, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Lin Fenghe didn't react immediately and called Yan Ping'er by her full name.
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Yan Ping’er said very seriously. “I know this is a bit sudden, but after spending so much time together, I’ve come to like you quite a bit. So, let’s get married.”
Lin Fenghe's face contorted in shock at the audacious confession; his pupils practically trembled. It took him a long time to stammer out, "You, you, are you crazy?!"
After saying that, he disappeared into the crowd and ran away.
"Hey, Lin Fenghe, why are you running? I'm not bad either, are you afraid of getting hurt?" Yan Ping'er took off chasing after him, "Wait for me..."
Song Anxin and Sun Lixi were completely bewildered by Yan Ping'er's sudden and fierce actions, and then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha... Sister, I've never seen Fenghe so panicked and helpless before!" Sun Lixi covered her mouth and laughed uncontrollably.
Song Anxin was also laughing. Actually, she thought Ping'er and Feng He were quite a good match. Yan Ping'er was lively and cheerful with no ulterior motives, while Feng He was calm and usually quiet. When they were together, one of them was always making a fuss and the other was always laughing. Suddenly, she felt like she had found a match.
Song Anxin shook her head. The two of them were still young, so it was best not to interfere too much and let the two young people develop on their own.
As they spoke, the parade had already reached the front, and the crowd of onlookers surged forward. She began to speak:
"Ignore their commotion, let's go, let's follow them and see what Anbang has to say before we go back."
The successful candidates would parade from the main street of the capital to the place where the list of successful candidates was posted to see it. After seeing the list, they would parade back to the palace, where the emperor would hold a banquet for them with civil and military officials. Therefore, they did not have to wait for Song Anbang.
Sun Lixi didn't take the matter to heart. After all, Ping'er's personality was different from others. Perhaps she was just acting on a whim after hearing her words, but she would be extremely happy if it worked out. She liked Ping'er's personality very much, and she was very comfortable to be around.
She said okay, and the group followed the crowd forward.
Just then, a large crowd of people suddenly stirred and rushed forward, and Song Anxin and her companions were immediately separated by the crowd.
"Shuren! Madam Uncle!" Granny Wei and Qingfeng and Qingyun immediately split up and headed towards the two of them from the crowd.
"I'm here!" Song Anxin shouted back, trying to walk towards Granny Wei, Qingfeng, and Qingyun, but she was pushed further and further away by a group of people, and more and more people gathered around her until she was instantly buried in the crowd.
Then Song Anxin felt a sharp pain in her neck, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
As night fell, a carriage abruptly stopped in front of a mansion.
"Has my sister still not been found?"
As soon as Song Anbang got off the carriage, he hurriedly went over to ask Sun Lixi. There was supposed to be a poetry banquet in the palace that evening, but after receiving news from his elder sister's residence, he had no intention of staying to compose poems.
"How could Hui Shuren, a perfectly healthy person, just disappear on the street? Have you all searched carefully?"
Yan Shuping's eyes showed anxiety. He was naturally present at the palace banquet today. He stopped Song Anbang to bid farewell to the emperor and left in a hurry. After asking him, he learned that Hui Shuren had disappeared.
Sun Lixi stood at the entrance of the mansion, her face almost contorted with anxiety.
"Feng He and Ping'er, along with Qingfeng and Qingyun and all their servants, are still searching outside. I don't know how my sister disappeared. She said she was going to the front to see her husband and the list of successful candidates, and then suddenly a large crowd of people pushed us forward and separated us. At first, we could still see her, but as more and more people gathered, we couldn't see her anymore. We thought that perhaps she was pushed to the front of the street by the crowd, so we kept following the crowd to look for her. But by the time the successful candidates had finished their parade, the crowd had dispersed, and we still couldn't find her."
Without pausing for breath, she continued, "We thought that if our elder sister couldn't find us, she would go back to the manor on her own. So we went back to the manor immediately, only to find that our elder sister wasn't there at all. We thought that perhaps our elder sister was slower than us, and that she would come back soon. We waited for a long time but didn't see our elder sister return. Feng He and Ping'er couldn't wait any longer, so they immediately took some people out to look for her. Wei Pozi and I stayed in the manor to keep watch, but our elder sister still hasn't returned, and neither have Feng He, Ping'er, and the others who went out to look for her."
Granny Wei stood by anxiously wiping away tears, saying, "It's all my fault for not keeping a close eye on Shuren. Where has Shuren gone? I'm so worried!"
Song Anbang and Yan Shuping listened with furrowed brows and extremely grim expressions.
Just then, Lin Fenghe and Yan Ping'er rushed back with their men.
Song Anbang and his companions, who were standing at the entrance of the mansion, quickly went to greet them.
"Have you found your sister?"
"Is my mother back?"
Both sides asked the question simultaneously, and then there was silence.
“When my grandfather heard about this, he also gathered some soldiers to search outside,” Yan Ping’er said hopefully. “Maybe my grandfather and his men can find Aunt Anxin.”
Lin Fenghe's face was tense, and his eyes were slightly red: "We can't just leave it at that. My mother still hasn't been found. I'm afraid this matter won't be that simple."
Yan Shuping said, "I will return to the palace immediately to report this matter to the Emperor and request that he send troops to find Consort Hui."
“General Yan, I will go with you,” Song Anbang said immediately.
At night, the imperial garden of the palace was brightly lit, where the emperor, some officials, and newly appointed scholars held a poetry gathering.
At this moment, Eunuch Qi whispered something in the emperor's ear, and the emperor's expression changed immediately. He said, "Let them come up."
Yan Shuping led Song Anbang forward and knelt before the emperor.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The emperor's expression was stern and his tone slightly urgent: "No need for formalities, speak quickly, how did Consort Hui disappear?"
Yan Shuping recounted the events in detail, and the officials and students present naturally heard it as well. Their expressions were surprised, and they began to discuss it amongst themselves.
"What?! Hye-sook-in has disappeared! How could Hye-sook-in have disappeared?"
"....."
"If such a person as Hui Shuren were to suffer any misfortune, it would be a great loss to our Great Yin Dynasty!" said a newly appointed scholar.
The other newly appointed scholars also agreed. Hui Shuren's reputation had already spread among their students. Although Hui Shuren was a woman, her talent made them admire her greatly.
Minister of Revenue Qin said, "Huishu is exceptionally talented and has done many good things for the people of the northern frontier. Our dynasty must not lose such a fine court lady."
Some officials echoed this sentiment, acknowledging Hui Shuren's talent, which benefited the country and its people, bringing them considerable well-being.
The Crown Prince stepped forward and said, “Father, Consort Hui is not only Consort Hui in the court, but also Consort Hui in the people’s court. Consort Hui has made so many contributions to the people and our dynasty, and she must not meet with any misfortune. Your son begs that Your Majesty immediately send troops to find Consort Hui’s whereabouts.”
A group of newly appointed scholars and some officials immediately echoed, "We beg Your Majesty to send troops to search for Lady Huishu's whereabouts. Lady Huishu must not have met with any misfortune."
"Your Majesty, I am willing to take on the task of finding Consort Hui. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to lead troops to search the capital and its surroundings to find Consort Hui's whereabouts," Yan Shuping said loudly, kneeling below.
The eldest prince scoffed, "Do you really need to make such a big fuss? I think Hui Shu is quite capable. Nothing could possibly happen to her. Maybe she was just distracted by the excitement of the capital at night and forgot to go back."
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