Chapter 329: Searching for Her
Threads of sandalwood wrapped around the silver armor on Xiyan's fingertips.
Following the ceremonial officer's instructions, she walked to the white jade railing, picked up a handful of white rice from the white jade plate, and scattered it to the bottom of the viewing platform.
In an instant, the roar of "Yuefu Shenmi" like a tsunami rose into the sky, mixed with the fragmented light of palace lanterns, and plunged the entire Jiangdu into a boiling atmosphere.
As the rice grains slipped through her fingers, Xiyan looked at the figures swarming like ants below the stage several feet away, and suddenly remembered herself many years ago when she had just entered the Regent's Palace as a cleaning maid and had peeked at the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival through the crack in the door.
At that time, she was just a humble maid, but now she stood on the high sky-watching platform, accepting the worship of thousands of people. At this moment, her heart was filled with emotion.
Suddenly, the fetus in my belly kicked vigorously, like a stone thrown into the lake of my heart, creating inexplicable ripples.
She subconsciously touched her belly, her eyes involuntarily sweeping across the bustling crowd below the stage.
Thousands of faces were surging in the dark light, but in the dark, she vaguely felt that an invading gaze passed through the several-meter-high platform and fell directly on her, causing her wrist to tremble and the rice on her fingertips to fall.
Her heartbeat suddenly became disordered. She knew it must be her own illusion. Otherwise, how could she have seen it from such a distance with so many people in the audience...
But she couldn't help it and looked in the direction, but she only saw a crowd of people.
It seems that I was worrying too much. Xiyan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved.
"Princess?" the maid Dieyu reminded softly.
Xiyan suddenly came back to her senses and found that she was still holding the last handful of Fumi in her hand, and she had never dropped it.
She quickly wiped away the rice in her hand and turned around to leave in a hurry.
But for some reason, that gaze entwined around her like a vine, and she seemed to clearly feel that the surging waves in those eyes were passing through the vast sea of people and locking onto her.
…
Xiao Nanyue was not the only one who was shocked to see Xiyan.
Under the observatory, in the shadow of the corner, Helian Feng's nails dug deeply into his palms.
Although that stunningly beautiful woman had changed her attire, her familiar cool temperament was still the same as the pretty lady in white clothes in his memory who captivated him at first sight.
At this moment, he almost forgot to breathe.
She was actually Princess Nan Zhao; she was actually still alive!
However, when she turned around inadvertently, the slight curve under her skirt was like an ice cone piercing her heart - she actually left Xiao Nanyue's child. Even though she was hurt and scarred by him, did she still love him?
The ecstasy that was boiling in his heart because she was alive instantly turned into ice.
He stared at her slightly bulging belly and suddenly remembered what his mother, Su Qinyao, had said:
"Catch her and she will be as powerful as a thousand troops," his knuckles made a slight sound in his sleeves.
For the first time in his life, he didn't want to listen to his mother's words, simply because, in this world, even if he, Helian Feng, had planned everything, the person he least wanted to hurt was her, Xiyan.
He wanted to catch her, but he only wanted to keep her by his side, to separate her from Xiao Nanyan forever, and to make her his own Xiyan...
Chu Jin, who was standing beside Helian Feng, suddenly stiffened his back.
When Xiyan's face appeared clearly on the platform, he didn't feel much emotion at first.
But then, a thought suddenly exploded in his mind:
Since Xiyan survived the disaster and became Princess Nanzhao, what about Manluo?
For months, he had sent people to search every river and seaport, but there was no trace of Manluo. Could it be that she had also come to Nanzhao with Xiyan?
This time when he came to Nanzhao, Helian Feng only told him that he was looking for an opportunity to assassinate Xiao Nanyan. He did not ask why Xiao Nanyan appeared in Nanzhao. In the past few months, he had lost Manluo and was like a walking corpse. Helping Helian Feng was just a friendship and a moral obligation.
Until he saw Xiyan, he suddenly thought that perhaps Helian Feng had already known that Xiyan was not dead.
Then is his Manluo, the mother of his child, in Nanzhao?
He suddenly looked up, his eyes sweeping across every face on the rooftop like an eagle, but he still couldn't find the purple shadow that was haunting him.
My heart finally sank little by little.
…
In fact, Manluo did not climb up to the observation tower.
Xie Zhan originally wanted her to watch the ceremony among the civil and military officials, but she found the atmosphere of the ceremony dull and preferred the hustle and bustle of the audience - the soft and sticky rice cakes, the sweet fragrance of the sugar paintings, and the sight of Xi Yan being worshipped by the people from below, all made her feel comfortable.
At this moment, she was holding the sugar-coated fruit she had just bought in one hand and eating it with great pleasure.
Seeing that the ceremony was still going on, the high priest would observe the changes in the phases of the moon, predict the fortunes for the coming year, and announce to the world the national destiny for the coming year... She found it boring.
At this moment, seeing Xi Yan retreat from the stage, she lost interest in watching the ceremony. She was about to slip back to the palace to take a hot bath, but when she turned around, she suddenly stopped -
In the crowd not far away, a dazzling red robe caught my eye.
But the man was tall and slender, with a very enchanting face, especially his red robe, which was shining brightly under the light, making him stand out like a crane among chickens.
Chu Jin? Why did he come to Nanzhao?
Manluo was struck by lightning. The candied fruit in her hand fell to the ground with a plop. She didn't even notice that the syrup had splashed on the hem of her skirt. She only felt that her heart was beating so wildly that it seemed like it was going to burst out of her chest.
What frightened her even more was that beside Chu Jin stood a handsome man in gorgeous clothes, as handsome as a fairy in a painting. It was the former Crown Prince, Helian Feng.
Helian Feng was accompanied by guards such as Mingying, Zou Yi, and Shihun.
Manluo was shocked: Helian Feng appeared in Nanzhao, he was obviously coming for Xiyan!
"We must report the news quickly!"
Manluo had an idea and quickly turned around and rushed into the crowd while no one was paying attention.
Chu Jin, who was not far away, suddenly felt an inexplicable tightening in his heart. He looked up blankly and caught a glimpse of a familiar purple shadow in the surging crowd.
The shadow flashed and disappeared into the crowd, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.
"It's her...it must be her!"
Chu Jin felt his blood boiling, and without even bothering to greet Helian Feng, he ran after him...
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