Chapter 43
After Gu Yanling recovered her original appearance, she changed into her newly bought clothes, took the pen, ink, paper and inkstone that she had asked her second brother to prepare at the beginning, sat down at the table and began to write a letter.
This letter took a long time to write. Gu Yanling was not the irresponsible person. He was afraid that Xiao Xinghan would worry that something had happened to him if he left without any warning or saying goodbye.
After writing the letter, Gu Yanling put the jade pendant in her arms and left the inn still wearing a veil.
After going around the city for several times, he finally walked into a small alley, threw away his veil, and then went out in a swagger to buy a carriage and hired a driver.
The carriage slowly left Yangzhou City.
Gu Yanling thought that he had not been back to Yaowang Valley for a long time, so he took this opportunity to go back and live there for a while. After Yangzhou was calm, Xiao Xinghan would be far away in the capital, so it would not be too late for him to come back.
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Xiao Xinghan was still a little uncomfortable without Gu Yanling chattering in his ear. As the sky gradually darkened, he wondered why this guy hadn't come back after playing for so long.
Li Youfu had been busy preparing to return to Beijing for the past two days. When he heard the eunuch hurried over to say that the prince was calling him, he realized that Gu Yanling had not been in the mansion all day.
Normally, Gu Yanling would not come back so late when she went out to play.
Li Youfu knew his current position in His Highness' heart and was afraid of any mishap. "Why don't you send someone to find Master Yuanbao?"
Xiao Xinghan stepped into the west wing.
The little parrot jumped in the cage. "The young master is here! The young master is here!"
Li Youfu hunched over and followed behind Xiao Xinghan, saying with a smile, "This little parrot has been taught by Master Yuanbao to be really smart. Its tone is exactly like Master Yuanbao's."
Before Xiao Xinghan could say anything, he heard Chang Feng's voice in the yard.
"Where's the young master?"
Li Youfu left the west wing and said, "Commander Chang, the young master is over here."
Chang Feng came over with the letter, followed by someone. "Master, I just came back and saw this second brother coming to deliver a letter. He said that a young man named Yuanbao wanted him to give it to you."
Chang Feng was puzzled at the time. Why did Yuanbao write a letter to the young master for no reason? So he detained the second brother and brought him here.
Xiao Xinghan took the letter and saw that it was addressed to Sheng Yao personally. It was indeed Gu Yanling's handwriting, but it was sloppy and light, indicating that she was impatient and upset when she wrote the letter. Seeing this letter, Xiao Xinghan had a bad premonition in his heart. He quickly opened it, took out the letter and unfolded it——
Young Master:
After careful consideration, Yuanbao decided not to return to Beijing with the young master. Yuanbao was used to being free and did not like to be bound by rules. The young master came from a prominent family and the family probably could not tolerate Yuanbao's temperament.
Yuanbao himself was the only son in nine generations. Being someone's male favorite was already an insult to his ancestors. If he became someone's concubine, his ancestors would probably not rest in peace even in the underworld.
Yuanbao knew that his status was far inferior to that of the young master, and just as the story said, in order to avoid any future embarrassment and a weakening of feelings, they simply separated.
Young Master, there is no need to look for Yuanbao. Just treat this period of time as a beautiful dream shared by Yuanbao and Young Master. Dreams will eventually end. When Young Master returns to Beijing, I hope that Young Master will be well. Yuanbao does not expect Young Master to still remember him in the future, but Yuanbao will always think of Young Master. Even if he is not by Young Master's side in the future, he will pray for Young Master every day.
Keep the ingots.
Li Youfu stood aside and saw that the Crown Prince's face became increasingly grim as he read the letter. He had some guesses in his mind and hurriedly asked the second brother who was lowering his head behind Chang Feng, "Where is the young master who gave you the letter now?"
The second brother was only paid to run an errand and delivered a message. He said anxiously, "I don't know anything. The young master came over with a light gauze hat and asked me to get pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, as well as hot water for bathing. He also told me to wait until evening to get this letter from the table in the room and come to Chang Feng or Li Youfu according to the address and have them hand it to the young master. I really don't know where he went."
Xiao Xinghan clutched the letter, veins visible on the back of his hand. He said expressionlessly, "Send someone to seal the city gate immediately."
Chang Feng: "Is Yuanbao gone?"
Li Youfu was extremely anxious: "Oh, what's going on? Let's find the person first."
Xiao Xinghan entered the inner room of the west wing, opened the drawer, and took out the painting he had made for Gu Yanling before. Gu Yanling was very happy at the time and said that his painting was really like the real thing.
"Take this portrait and ask the people guarding the city today if they have seen anyone leave."
Seeing the icy cold expression on His Highness's face, Chang Feng hurriedly took the portrait and, not daring to delay, left the mansion in a hurry with a group of people.
Xiao Xinghan glanced through the drawers one by one. Gu Yanling didn't take any of the things he gave her. She placed the night pearl on the bedside, and the coiled dragon jade pendant was casually thrown on the dressing table.
Gu Yanling didn't take the medicine powder for self-defense. Xiao Xinghan had a good memory and found that two bottles and jars were missing, but there was some extra medicine oil.
Li Youfu followed Xiao Xinghan's gaze and knelt on the ground. "These are the medicinal oils Young Master Yuanbao made for Your Highness a few days ago. He even told me to massage the oil on Your Highness's forehead if he felt tired. Damn you, I didn't think much about it. Damn you, if I had paid attention, I wouldn't have let Young Master Yuanbao leave like that. Damn you."
Xiao Xinghan was originally a little angry about Gu Yanling's departure, but when he saw that he didn't take anything with him when he left, but only took the jade pendant, his expression eased a little.
It was also his carelessness in this matter. He had clearly noticed that the other party had something on his mind a few days ago, but he did not try to comfort him and let him let his imagination run wild.
In Xiao Xinghan's opinion, Gu Yanling was not unwilling to go back to Beijing with him, but she was worried that she would get tired of him in the future as described in the storybook.
Gu Yanling wasn't the same type of person as the servant. Xiao Xinghan knew him well after spending so much time with him. He was a sincere and frank person who dared to love and hate without any sense of hierarchy. He probably thought it was better to break up while the relationship was at its peak than to let it go that far.
Li Youfu knelt on the ground and saw His Highness sitting on a stool, holding the letter, with his eyes lowered and silent.
Li Youfu also sighed in his heart. He was about to leave for Beijing the next day, and this happened.
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The way back to Yaowang Valley is exactly the opposite of the direction to the capital.
Gu Yanling sat in the carriage, eating the snacks he bought with boredom, but soon put them down, opened the window, and saw that it was getting dark. He thought that Xiao Xinghan had received the letter he had asked someone to deliver.
Gu Yanling wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and thought about what he wrote in the letter with his chin in his hand. He was not stupid, and he couldn't tell the truth to Xiao Xinghan, "I approached you just to ask you to punish the dog official. I don't really like you, and I have never thought about going back to Beijing with you." The dog official and Hu Jiawei got the punishment they deserved, and he had accomplished his mission and naturally had to leave.
This is too bad!
If Xiao Xinghan saw these words, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood. With his petty personality, he probably wouldn't even set off for Beijing tomorrow. He would probably turn Yangzhou City upside down just to find him and settle the score.
He racked his brains to write that letter, which was very touching and sincere. He was bound to make Xiao Xinghan feel that he left because he loved him too much. This way, the other party would be touched and feel guilty about him, and would not be so angry about his departure. When he couldn't find him and returned to Beijing, he would occasionally think of him and would probably feel sorry for him.
For some reason, Gu Yanling did not feel proud of her own intelligence and talent, but just sighed.
The carriage stopped at an inn in the small town. Gu Yanling was very familiar with the road from Yangzhou to Yaowang Valley. The waiter in the inn had not seen Gu Yanling for a long time, but he still recognized him. After all, such a beautiful appearance was hard to forget.
"Sir, please come in. It's been a while since we last met."
Gu Yanling threw him a silver ingot and said, "Prepare some wine and food, and feed the horses outside with some fodder."
"Okay, I'll get ready right away."
Gu Yanling entered the upper room of the inn and lay listlessly on the table. When the wine and food were served, he had no appetite. Even the roast duck that he used to like to eat made him feel nauseous when he smelled it. However, he didn't think much about it and just thought it was because of the carriage ride. So he ate a few bites and went to bed to rest.
He slept well that night, but Xiao Xinghan did not sleep at all.
Chang Feng returned and reported, "Your Highness, I took the portrait to the city gate guards yesterday and asked them, but they didn't see Yuanbao leaving the city."
But he sent people to search the city all night yesterday but couldn't find anyone.
"The owner of the clothing store said that Yuanbao went to buy some clothes, took the veil with him, and went back to the inn. Yuanbao must have left the inn while they weren't paying attention. The innkeeper and the waiter didn't notice when he left. This is the veil I found in the alley."
Xiao Xinghan glanced at the veil and said, "Send more people to search every restaurant, inn, and wine shop in the city. If they can't find it, search every house."
Chang Feng: "Yes."
Xiao Xinghan: "Be careful when searching so that no one hurts him."
Before Chang Feng could say anything, Xiao Xinghan said, "Go search Nanfeng Pavilion as well."
Li Youfu knew that he would not be able to return to the capital if he could not find the person for a while. "Your Highness, please take a rest. Since he has not left the city, he must still be in the city. You should also take care of yourself."
How could Xiao Xinghan sleep?
Li Youfu didn't dare to persuade him anymore and prayed in his heart that the ancestor could be found quickly.
Gu Yanling was not in a hurry to travel. She slept until noon, had her meal, and then left the inn and got back on the carriage.
The carriage moved slowly, and soon he felt sleepy again. Although the carriage he bought was comfortable, it was not as spacious as Xiao Xinghan's carriage, which had soft couches inside for people to rest on. He lifted the curtain and said, "Uncle, why don't you hurry up? The shaking is making me sleepy."
The uncle driving the car laughed and said, "Sir, this road is not easy to drive on. If you go faster, it will be bumpy and it will be even more uncomfortable to sit on."
Gu Yanling thought to himself that he should have ridden a horse earlier. The carriage was too slow. Although riding a horse was faster, it was exposed to the wind and sun, and he was delicate and couldn't bear the hardship. After all, Yaowang Valley was far away, and if he really rode a horse, his legs would probably be rubbed raw.
"Well, now that the road is flat, you should hurry up. We have to stay in the next town tonight."
"Don't worry, sir. I know what I'm doing."
Gu Yanling poured herself a cup of tea to refresh herself, and took out a storybook from her bag to read. Before leaving, she bought a bunch of miscellaneous storybooks to keep for fun on the road.
Gu Yanling put it down before she had even read two pages. Her eyelids were too heavy and she dozed off leaning against the car.
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Recently, the news that the judge was looking for someone spread throughout the entire Yangzhou city, and everyone knew about it.
Yingxia knelt on the ground and said, "I really don't know where Master Su has gone. I haven't seen him for a long time. The last time he came was the day after he and you took shelter from the rain. He just came to talk to me for a few words and then left."
Li Youfu gave Yingxia some silver and asked him to leave. His Highness had almost ordered people to search the entire Yangzhou City for a while, but still couldn't find the person. It was as if the other party had disappeared from the face of the earth. Li Youfu was also anxious.
After all, the master was in a bad mood, and the life of a servant was like walking on thin ice.
Chang Feng hurriedly brought someone back: "Master, I did as you said and found Yuanbao... Yuanbao——"
Chang Feng spoke hesitantly and looked at the person he brought back. "You speak."
The people he brought back knelt on the ground and said, "Sir, I really don't know what happened. Someone came to me and gave me money, asking me to leave Yangzhou temporarily and come back after a while. I don't know anything. I really don't know anything at all. Please spare my life."
Xiao Xinghan's face turned pale. He went from being apologetic and sympathetic at first to searching anxiously for half a month, only to find out that the other party's identity was fake.
Good, very good.
Gu Yanling sat in the carriage slowly for half a month before finally arriving at Yaowang Valley. She had no idea that Xiao Xinghan had not returned to the capital yet. In order to find him, she had turned Yangzhou City upside down.
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