Chapter 22
The Imperial Palace.
The Zichen Palace is far from the Ju'an Palace, so the speed at which news is updated is relatively slow.
After waiting for a whole afternoon, it was already dark. Emperor Chongzhao had no patience to wait any longer and went straight to Ju'an Palace.
Eunuch Yu hurriedly caught up from behind and brought the latest news: "Still haven't found it."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Keep looking."
He lifted his clothes and stepped over the threshold of the Ju'an Hall.
First time stepping into this place in three years.
It was a cold and deserted sight. Even though the situation had improved a lot compared to before, compared with the living conditions of other princes of similar age, it could still be described as "poor".
After all, the other little princes all had mothers to take care of them and were carefully raised in the harem, but Qu Dubian had none since he was born.
In the gaps between the floor tiles, you can still see traces of scattered weeds left after being cleared.
Emperor Chongzhao stood silently in the courtyard for a while. He had never seen the child's appearance. The closest he had ever seen was when he looked at the detailless portraits of children drawn on paper by Yi Twelve for him.
He entered the youngest son's bedroom.
The decorations here were old and few in number. On the desk were books on basic enlightenment and some practiced calligraphy. The bedding on the bed was still old. Ye Xiaoyuan felt that the new mattress was not as soft as the old one, so he asked someone to refill the cotton inside.
Eunuch Yu followed behind him.
Someone from the Astronomy Department once said that Your Majesty must not get too close to the little prince, otherwise the dragon energy will fuel the evil power, which will not only affect Concubine Yun's reincarnation, but will even cause unrest in the entire palace.
Of course, at this moment, no one dared to mention it.
In fact, according to His Majesty's previous temperament, even if the Seventh Prince was missing, he would probably just stay in the Purple Palace and wait for news.
But His Majesty didn't know what was wrong. Recently, he always paid more attention to matters involving the Seventh Prince. Now that I think about it, even the initial attention seems a bit abrupt.
He stole a glance at His Majesty.
Emperor Chongzhao sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, his palms on his forehead, his lips tightly pursed and pressed flat.
-
The princes' team of searching for someone also expanded. Originally, there were only four, five, and six princes, but later, the eldest prince and his three brothers also joined in. Whether they were sincere or not, they were all searching for someone honestly, and they didn't want the other party to find fault with them.
Ye Xiaoyuan and Wen Xiaochun searched together for the entire afternoon without stopping.
They searched even the six palaces of East Garden, since that was a place His Highness often went to, but they couldn't find it after searching everywhere.
As a group of guards hurried by, the voices of the two behind them could be heard.
"The higher-ups have just issued an order to search in various lotus ponds, muddy swamps, and other places. His Majesty has ordered people to guard the palace road leading to the Purple Palace, but the Seventh Prince is so young and has a fever, so there's no telling if he could accidentally fall in. It's hard to say, hard to say."
"Look for any gaps that are hard to notice. Didn't you hear what the Imperial Hospital said? Even if you find them now and they're still alive, I'm afraid they'll be burned to death."
"You said this matter is really... Well, you said, it seems that the recent events are all related to the Seventh Prince. Could it be that Concubine Yun's soul is restless and making trouble in the dark?"
"What are you talking about? The Seventh Prince is the child of Concubine Yun. If he really makes trouble, will he get sick?"
“…”
Ye Xiaoyuan's eyes turned red from the stimulation, and he punched the wall: "What bullshit are you talking about! Your Highness will be fine!"
Wen Xiaochun pulled him back: "Calm down, calm down. You need to rest. You won't be able to hold on for long like this."
Ye Xiaoyuan's face was pale and his hands were cold. He had been searching for an entire afternoon and was exhausted from the panic and fear. Wen Xiaochun stuffed a candy in his hand and pulled him to sit on a rock.
"Stop for a moment."
Ye Xiaoyuan took a deep breath and looked down at the blood oozing from the knuckles of his fist. In winter, the blood flowed slowly, and it seemed that it would coagulate in an instant just after it flowed out of the wound.
After Wen Xiaochun pulled him to sit down, he stood up and said, "I'm going somewhere."
Ye Xiaoyuan paused for a moment, keenly sensing something from his tone.
He looked up.
Wen Xiaochun's eyes were still lowered as usual, and even the small scar at the corner of his eye had lost its aggressiveness. But at this moment, the pitch-black night sprinkled on him generously, and because of the upward angle, he faintly revealed a sense of depression.
Ye Xiaoyuan opened his mouth, but did not try to stop him like last time. He just said, "I know your temper. I just want to say one thing: don't be too radical."
Wen Xiaochun said softly, "Don't worry, I'll save it."
He turned around and quickly disappeared into the darkness, and soon appeared in the dining room.
The palace servants here were also called away to find someone, leaving only a few on duty. Wen Xiaochun easily sneaked in, took out his steward's key, found a manure cart, and pushed open the warehouse door.
-
The garden near the Ju'an Temple.
Qu Dubian didn't walk far. He was so young that he didn't have the physical strength and was not familiar with the road conditions. He was most familiar with the garden.
His hiding place was in the rockery in the garden.
There was a tiny gap here, narrow outside and wide inside. He got in and leaned inside, so others could not easily find him. The rockery looked seamless at first glance, and it was near the Ju'an Hall, so it was dark under the lamp.
A dream planted the seed that the Astronomical Observatory was the star of disaster, mainly to increase his presence in his stepfather's eyes so that life could be a little better, and it would be best if everyone could live in peace.
If the Stargazer hadn't come to provoke him again, he wouldn't have let the second dream accuse the Stargazer in such a tragic and direct way.
In fact, it is very simple to analyze the logic behind how Guanxingsi gained the trust of his cheap father.
They were just using the established fact that they would definitely kill Concubine Yun in the future to ensure the accuracy of the initial prophecy of the evil fetus and gain trust.
He is now using his own medicine to return the favor.
Using the established fact that he would definitely have a fever, he edited the prophecy in the second dream in advance, allowing the suspicion in his cheap father's heart to take root and shift the balance.
The note left behind was to stimulate the "fatherly love" that might exist in the stepfather's heart.
The plan was perfect, the only flaw was——
The simulator simulated a level two fever, and after the actual value dropped to zero, although he no longer felt uncomfortable, his body was still somewhat affected.
He had originally planned to show up once the note reached his cheap father's hands.
Unexpectedly, after hiding here for a while, this body fell asleep and when I woke up, it was pitch dark.
Checked the simulator time.
7:30 in the evening.
Qu Watanabe yawned slightly, still a little sleepy but not uncomfortable, "Will it always be like this in the future?"
Simulator: [The simulator will block the host's uncomfortable feelings, but when sick, the body will have an instinctive protective reaction. The host is young and weak, without internal strength, and cannot completely restrain the body's instincts.]
Qu Watanabe understood.
He is too green.
But if he continues like this, he will improve his physical fitness while getting sick frequently. Perhaps he will become Lin Daiyu with the physique of Lu Zhishen. Uh, Lu Zhishen with the physique of Lin Daiyu... ?
Qu Duanbian was about to climb out when he remembered something and asked, "Is there anyone around now?"
The simulator is not responding.
have to.
Let him go out and look for it himself.
After crawling out from the crevice between the rocks, the surroundings were unexpectedly quiet.
Those who were looking for someone went to farther places, so this place seemed deserted, especially at night, with the crescent moon in the sky, it was desolate and bleak.
The cold wind blew over the tops of the dead trees in the garden, making rustling sounds as if ghosts were descending.
Qu Dubian cleared his throat and prepared to pretend crying, but when he opened his mouth, "Cough——" Not to mention crying, the little breath he managed to squeeze out was inaudible unless you listened carefully.
"..." Qu Duanbian couldn't believe that the unpleasant crow-like sound came from him. He covered his mouth and remained silent for a moment. He adjusted the true value to 10% and suddenly felt a dull pain in his throat.
After thinking about it, he realized that fever also has a progression. He only experienced the dizziness, chills, and weakness in the first half. He submitted his "paper" before he experienced the redness and swelling of his throat.
It is normal to deduct the lifespan value before completing the process.
Qu Watanabe reset the true value to zero again. He couldn’t shout anymore and could only hope to meet someone as soon as possible.
He walked out of the rockery and leaned on a stone with one hand to slow down.
I'm hungry. So hungry.
After walking a few steps, the simulator reminded:
[B12 is 50 meters away from the host.]
[B12 is 32 meters away from the host.]
[B12 is 15 meters away from the host.]
The simulator broadcast very quickly. Obviously, Yi Twelve had discovered him and was approaching him quickly. Qu Watanabe immediately squatted on a rock, waiting for Yi Twelve to carry him away.
[B12 is 5 meters away from the host.]
[B12 is 3 meters away from the host.]
Qu Dubian waited patiently for a full forty-five seconds, but no one showed up.
he:"……"
Confused.
Qu Dubian stood up and looked around. He was only three meters away and he was not blind, so he couldn't see where the man was hiding.
After waiting for more than ten seconds, Qu Duanbian sighed, finally stood up and began to walk out of the garden. Because it was dark, he tripped over the gravel road several times and almost fell.
Usually Ye Banban carried him along this path, but now it was her turn to walk alone, and it really hurt her feet.
And to be honest, when it snows, the snow melts and then freezes again, so even gravel roads are not slip-proof.
Tsk, Yi Twelve must be a stupid secret guard. He already knew he was here, why didn't he report it? According to his speed, it would be much faster than letting him walk here by himself.
He still had time to think about this and that, and Yi Twelve didn't even dare to blink.
Without orders, the secret guards could not show up in public. It was not that he did not want to report quickly, but the young prince's current condition did not look good.
I just sat on the rockery for a long time in a daze, looking around blankly, as if I couldn't even remember this small garden I often visited - a typical case of fever and confusion.
It was a thin and weak little ball. If it weren’t for his good night vision, he might not have been able to spot it.
He immediately planned to leave to inform the team that was looking for someone.
But soon, the little prince stood up shakily, staggering every three or two steps, which was frightening to watch. The key point was that there was a lotus pond next to this path. Although there was a layer of ice, it might crack if a child rolled down there.
She already had a fever, and if she accidentally fell into the lotus pond while he was away, she would probably have already gone to hell by the time she was found.
There is no way to leave in this situation.
Yi Twelve stared intently and prepared to go out to look for someone as soon as the little prince walked out of the path.
However, the path was circular and it was dark at night, so Qu Dubian did not see the branch at the end and walked back around the circle.
B Twelve: “…”
-
Maybe because his legs are short, Qu Watanabe always feels that this path has no end.
His feet really hurt! !
Qu Dubian stopped and sat down to rest.
A minute later, he heard an almost inaudible sigh, as if it was an illusion.
Qu Dubian raised his eyes slightly, and saw a piece of pure black clothes in front of him. The cuffs were tied tightly and embroidered with a cold orchid. Then, he was picked up by this person. Perhaps the word "endurance" would be more appropriate.
There was a whistling sound of wind in his ears, his head was pressed against his chest by Yi Shier, and he listened to the vague vibrating sound coming from inside his chest.
"Don't be afraid. I will take you to see His Majesty."
Qu Watanabe was patted on the back soothingly a few times.
"Hold on a little longer, little prince."
Qu Watanabe temporarily put aside the second half of his plan after meeting his cheap father. He tightly grasped Yi Twelve's shoulders, feeling the leap, the force, and the cold air current in the air.
Qu Watanabe's eyes slowly widened.
This is the first time I’ve witnessed Qinggong with my own eyes. It’s so cool!
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