I'm dizzy
Chen Run chuckled and said, "It seems Princess Xiao will also be coming with me. Come here, take Princess Xiao away!"
Xiao Yiqing panicked at this point and hurriedly warned him, "How dare you! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is?"
Chen Run didn't give her another glance, but simply ordered, "Aren't you going to take them away?!"
Xiao Yiqing was forcibly dragged out amidst immense shame, indignation, and anger.
"Did everyone bring them?" Chen Run was both flustered and anxious when he didn't see Jiang Yan appear.
"Reporting to Lord Chen, everyone from the Prince's residence is here."
Are they all here? What about Ruyi? Where is his Ruyi?
"Liu Ruyi, does anyone know where she is?"
Whether they were too terrified to understand what he was saying or for some other reason, no one reacted.
Chen Run calmly added, "I'll let him go as long as someone can tell me where she is."
At that moment, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "The people of Pear Blossom Residence know!" Then, as if by prior arrangement, everyone immediately moved away from the people of Pear Blossom Residence.
Chen Run narrowed his eyes and walked to Fuqu's side.
Fuqu was still a little girl, but she was already so frightened that she didn't know which way was up.
Chen Run softened his voice slightly and asked, "Where is your master?"
Fuqu's eyes were unfocused as she slowly looked up at him. Perhaps even she herself didn't know what she was saying.
"The master has disappeared."
Upon hearing this, Chen Run's heart clenched, and in his haste, he immediately gripped Fu Qu's shoulders tightly. He wanted Fu Qu to make eye contact with him to answer his question, but Fu Qu was terrified and just stared blankly ahead.
Chen Run's voice suddenly rose in anger, his eyes sweeping over the others as he asked, "Where exactly is he?"
Everyone was so frightened that they bent over even more.
Seeing this, Chen Run chuckled softly: "Not going to talk? Don't know? Have you thought it through? Talk and I'll let you go. Don't talk, and none of you will be allowed to leave this Prince Duan's mansion."
This frightened everyone even more.
A cook in the crowd, her face ashen, said, "The cooks at Pear Blossom Residence said that Consort Liu disappeared yesterday."
"Yesterday?"
"I only heard about it; I don't know the specifics."
Chen Run's eyes suddenly turned cold and hard. He glanced at the isolated people from Pear Blossom Residence and said, "People of Pear Blossom Residence, tell us everything you know, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
Only then did everyone except Fuqu truly become afraid.
They hurriedly knelt on the ground, kowtowing and weeping as they spoke in a cacophony of voices.
"This servant does not know. Mistress was not at Pear Blossom Residence all day yesterday."
"The orioles that served their master have also disappeared."
"My lord, please don't blame me. I'm just a servant, and I wouldn't dare to interfere in my master's affairs!"
...
Chen Run heard nothing but that they were saying "Liu Ruyi" was missing.
When Liu Ruyi disappeared, it felt to Chen Run as if his own heart had been lost, and he suddenly felt unsteady on his feet.
Qingfeng had appeared beside him without him noticing. He quickly helped him up and whispered, "Young Master, why don't I help you back to rest first? We can discuss the rest later."
Chen Run pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "All members of the Duan Prince's Mansion shall remain at the Duan Prince's Mansion. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without exception." Then, he was slowly helped away by Qingfeng.
Jiang Yan was like a headless fly, completely clueless about where to go. She asked Huang Ying, who was also leaving the capital for the first time and was completely lost. So they asked the villagers along the way. From them, they learned that to the north of the capital, across the Rouge River (which is actually a village, not a river), there was a town called Yongfeng Town. It was a beautiful place nestled against the mountains and by the water, with simple and honest folk, making it a suitable place to live for a long time. They also said that many nobles from the capital had built manors there to cultivate their minds and find peace.
Upon hearing this news, Jiang Yan immediately abandoned her plan to go to Yongfeng Town. However, on the way, she discussed it with Huang Ying and decided to go to Yongfeng Town first and make other arrangements after finding out Shangguan Zeyu's whereabouts.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying were carrying a lot of gold and silver valuables. Fearing they would encounter bad people on their way, they found a kind-looking farmer, fabricated some tragic stories about their experiences, and gave him their "only" gold hairpin, asking him to take them to Yongfeng Town.
The farmers were simple-minded and kind-hearted. Upon hearing their tragic story, how could they possibly accept their gold hairpins? They refused to accept them and insisted on sending them to Yongfeng Town.
Jiang Yan couldn't argue with the farmer, so she gave in, thinking she would force him to accept it when they arrived at their destination.
An old farmer drove an ox-drawn cart, carrying Jiang Yan and Huang Ying, chatting and laughing as they headed towards Yongfeng Town.
In the modern society in which Jiang Yan lives, the countryside is no longer the countryside in the traditional sense.
In that rural area, there were no crops or green trees to be seen; all that could be seen were planned concrete areas and concrete buildings. She hadn't seen the scents of crops, flowers, or soil, nor the bees and butterflies for a very, very long time.
As for Huang Ying, ever since she could remember, she had lived in the deep courtyard of the Liu family mansion. The farthest she ever went each day was the vegetable and cloth shops outside the mansion. How could she have ever seen the scenery outside the city? So when she saw this free and easy life, she was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes.
As Jiang Yan gazed at the distant, layered mountains and floating white clouds, a thought suddenly occurred to her: if she really couldn't return to modern society, or if it would take her a very long time to return, then she should buy a house for herself in a quiet village nestled by mountains and water, where the people were simple and honest.
Then, we'll have orioles, and a few chicks—a rooster and a hen. The rooster will be slaughtered for the festival, and the hens will be kept to lay eggs. We'll also raise two cats, a male and a female, and watch them be affectionate, taking care of their chicks.
She also wants to raise a dog, no, at least two dogs, then a cow, a few sheep, and geese and ducks.
She also wants to grow flowers and plants; she wants to turn her home into a small zoo and a small flower market.
Jiang Yan was completely immersed in her imagined life, and Huang Ying, just like her, was also immersed in her own world, smiling relaxedly and peacefully.
Chen Run ordered a search of the entire capital, but they couldn't find Jiang Yan. Overwhelmed with anxiety, he fainted.
This was the second day after he fainted.
As soon as he began to stir slightly, he asked anxiously, "Did you find it?"
Qingfeng: "Reporting to Young Master, we have not found it yet."
Chen Run suddenly started coughing violently, as if he were coughing up his lungs. Qingfeng quickly helped him sit up and patted his back.
"Why... why haven't we found it yet?" Chen Run finished speaking in one breath, then coughed violently for a long time before finally stopping.
Qingfeng was very worried about him: "Young Master, you must take care of your health and not get so excited."
But Chen Run used all his strength to grip Qingfeng's sleeve tightly, saying, "We must find her!!!"
His eyes were bloodshot, gleaming with an unusual light, and carrying an unyielding weariness and haggardness.
Qingfeng couldn't bear to see him like this, so he looked away and said, "Don't worry, Master, I will definitely find Miss Liu."
Chen Run's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly. He released his hands from Qingfeng's sleeves, slowly lay down again, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "If there's no one in the city, then let's look outside the city. If she left the capital, she certainly hasn't gone far yet."
Qingfeng looked at him with concern and said, "Young master, please take care. I will go find Miss Liu right away."
"We have to be quick!"
Qingfeng paused for a moment, then nodded.
Jiang Yan rode in the old man's ox-drawn cart for two days before finally arriving at the legendary Yongfeng Town.
The old man still refused to accept the gold hairpin Jiang Yan gave him. Helpless, Jiang Yan bought the old man a lot of rice, flour, oil, and cloth, and only then did the old man reluctantly accept it.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying searched for a very long time before finally finding a satisfactory place to stay by the river.
The houses are stilt houses, built of wood, and well-ventilated, so even though there is a river below them, the houses are not necessarily damp. Moreover, because the houses are much taller than ordinary houses, the view of the scenery in the distance is excellent.
The woman renting the house said that the owner was a businessman who only came to stay for a few days in early spring. She told Jiang Yan and her family to stay without worry and not to be evicted.
Jiang Yan loved this house very much; it was practically her dream lover's home. So, as soon as she stepped inside, she ran around like a madwoman, running from room to room, having a great time.
The oriole was just as excited and happy as she was, but she was more restrained and less active. She simply smiled and quietly watched her run around happily.
"What a beautiful view!" As evening approached, the setting sun shone through the large window in the center of the living room, overlooking the water, casting a golden, orange-yellow veil over the dark brown wooden floor, creating an ethereal scene.
Jiang Yan bent over, pressed her face against the window, stared wide-eyed at the setting sun sinking below the horizon, lost in thought.
The oriole ran over and stood beside her, its eyes wide open, trying its best to make the sunset appear as round as possible.
The autumn wind is not yet very cold, and the trees have not all shed their green coats. As far as the eye can see, the trees are red, white, brown, or golden, reflecting the red and yellow hues of the river surface, creating a breathtaking ink painting.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying were so engrossed in watching that they seemed to have forgotten the passage of time.
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