But because they were a little far away, Qi Yuan couldn't see the expression on her face.
Noticing Qi Yuan looking back, Xu Lingyi quickly turned around.
She clenched her hands tightly under her sleeves so that she would not be too frightened and arouse suspicion when Qi Yuan turned around.
"Your Highness, could it be that Wu Zhaoyi has taken a fancy to you? We've been walking for quite a while, and Wu Zhaoyi is still staring at you, Your Highness."
Eunuch Wang has always been by Qi Yuan's side and has seen many young women fall in love with the prince at first sight.
The late emperor had chosen a fiancée for Your Majesty and she had already expressed her feelings to the prince in private.
At that time, Qi Yun had not yet ascended the throne. This person came to the palace and said that she was willing to be the prince's concubine.
Eunuch Wang felt as if thunder was rumbling in the sky.
Is the past going to repeat itself now?
Qi Yuan ignored him and said, "Go see the Queen Mother."
Qi Yuan didn't care what Concubine Wu thought.
She was not the one he was looking for.
To him, he was just an irrelevant stranger.
He would not give any glances to any woman other than Xu Lingyi.
In the Empress Dowager's palace.
"Yuan'er."
The former queen, now the Grand Empress Dowager, immediately stepped forward when she saw Qi Yuan coming.
The Empress Dowager was worried because she hadn't seen him for many days. She was worried that he was drinking all day and that he was in poor health.
She knew that her son was not having a good life.
"Mother."
"I heard from Yuner that you want to leave Beijing to find the princess?"
She had learned about this from Qi Yun, but she couldn't accept it at all.
Qi Yuan nodded, "This time I came to the palace to say goodbye to you. Although I will not be in the capital in the future, I am fortunate to have Yun'er to fulfill my filial duties on my behalf."
The Queen Mother clenched her palms, her eyes red, "How can this be the same? Yoona is Yoona, and you are you. One is a son, and the other is a grandson."
Although she treated Qi Yun as her own grandson, in her heart, the most important person was Qi Yuan, because he was her biological son.
"My Queen Mother is already very old, and I don't know how much longer she can live. If something happens to her, and you are not in the capital, then even she will have trouble seeing you for the last time."
"If this is true, I'm afraid my mother will die with regrets."
What she said was a bit harsh.
Seeing that Qi Yuan was also feeling unwell, the Empress Dowager felt as if her heart was stabbed, but she did not regret what she said.
"Yuan'er, do you still remember how old your mother is this year?"
"Next year, Queen Mother will be sixty-seven. How many people today can live to her age?"
She now lives one day at a time and dares not think about tomorrow.
Qi Yuan's face became more serious and he didn't speak for a long time.
"Mother, I have consulted the imperial physician, and he says you are in good health."
Qi Yuan clenched his fist lightly and said, "Even if I leave the capital, I will always pay attention to the letters coming from the capital. Even if you really have something to do, I will rush to the capital overnight."
"No."
The Grand Empress Dowager shook her head, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "In your heart, is the Queen Mother less important than the Princess?"
"Even though Mother has said so much, you still insist on leaving the capital. Yuan'er, do you care about her that much?"
It was impossible for her not to feel any resentment towards Xu Lingyi.
It was only because she knew that her son liked Xu Lingyi that she never expressed any of her resentment in front of others.
"Her disappearance was clearly planned by her. She lied to the housekeeper and said she was going to the palace so that she wouldn't be discovered immediately. After discovering her disappearance, you immediately sealed off the capital and all the surrounding checkpoints."
"But you still can't find her, which means she is actively avoiding you."
The Empress Dowager originally did not want to expose this.
"This woman has abandoned you, what else do you have to cling to? Mother never objected to you looking for her before, but now you have greatly disappointed her."
Qi Yuan clenched his fists and knelt on the ground, "Mother, I am unfilial."
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's face became even uglier. She stretched out her trembling finger and pointed it at Qi Yuan, then put it down again.
"That's all."
She said this, but she was obviously very angry.
"Go away. I don't want to see you, this evil creature, ever again."
"Mother, I will come back to see you every six months. If I still haven't found her after a year, I will not leave the capital again."
"Will you give up looking for her after a year?" The Empress Dowager held a glimmer of hope in her heart.
Now she only hopes that Qi Yuan can get over it as soon as possible and marry another woman.
Instead of wasting all his time on Xu Lingyi.
"No, I will keep looking."
But he would not leave Beijing anymore. It was his responsibility to raise his mother, who had given birth to him.
The Empress Dowager said nothing more. "Well, then let's just agree on one year."
She reluctantly accepted this result, at least it was much better than Qi Yuan never returning to Beijing.
"What will you do if you can't find her, Yuan'er? People need to look forward. You should be mentally prepared and let go."
Qi Yuan's face was solemn, and his fierce eyes narrowed slightly. "Mother, we will find it sooner or later."
He spoke with conviction.
The Grand Empress Dowager was speechless. "What good will it do to find her? Since she wants to leave on her own initiative, it means her heart is no longer with you. Can you keep her?"
"Why can't I stay?"
Qi Yuan's voice was filled with cruelty, "As long as I find her, I will never let her leave again in this life."
"I will lock her up and punish her severely. She won't be able to go anywhere and won't dare to escape."
Just stay by his side.
He will never make the same mistake twice.
The Empress Dowager stopped talking and finally sighed heavily.
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