Chapter 222 She reluctantly took the blame.
Xie Yunqi laughed good-naturedly: "Hehe, didn't I just say the stone was dirty? I'm apologizing to him so he won't eat me."
She burst into giggles, she was really laughing so hard at her fifth brother, how could there be such an adorable fifth brother?
Sheng Sheng, clutching the stone's little paws, smiled and deliberately lowered her voice to make it sound rough, pretending that the stone was speaking.
"Alright, alright, this stone tiger is magnanimous and forgives you, human."
Xie Yunqi replied earnestly, "Thank you so much, I am truly grateful."
Li Jin was stunned by the brother and sister's oblivious playfulness.
Isn't it said that the palace is the most fickle place? How come the Fifth Prince and the Second Princess seem to have a good relationship?
Surprised, Li Jin sighed.
This is how ordinary siblings get along; if they didn't have a good relationship, they wouldn't go into the mountains alone to play.
The group waited for a while, but instead of Old Cat and Old Fish returning, Xie Yunchuan arrived first, accompanied by a squad of Imperial Guards.
Xie Yunchuan's face was expressionless, but Sheng Sheng immediately discerned two things.
First, Li Manyan and Li Manyun did not return to the hunting grounds; they were still lost in some corner of the mountain.
Second, that is—when Sister Yan Yan went missing, Brother was really, really, really worried!
The little dumpling was thinking four words at that moment: I knew it!
Oh no, this is a very serious time. How can she be distracted at a time like this!
The little dumpling silently berated himself, then jumped up and exclaimed, "Brother, Sister Yan Yan and her brother got separated!"
Xie Yunchuan was a ruthless man of few words, and he immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to search the entire mountain.
Li Jin was startled, not expecting that even Xie Yunchuan would be alarmed.
With the Imperial Guards getting involved, the situation suddenly became serious.
Before the Imperial Guards arrived, it could be said that they had accidentally gotten separated, but now that the Imperial Guards have started searching the mountains, it's not just a simple matter of getting separated.
Li Jin was a little worried that things would get out of hand and have a bad impact. It wasn't that he was afraid of being scolded; he didn't care if he got scolded a few times. People's safety was the most important thing.
However, if Li Manyan and the other girl were really just temporarily separated from him, and now that the Imperial Guards are searching the mountains in such a large-scale operation, with all the young masters and ladies from various mansions in the mountains, he is afraid that bad rumors about the two of them will spread.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, my sister was only temporarily separated from us. The Imperial Guards..."
Xie Yunchuan gave him a cold look, and finally his expressionless face showed some emotion.
After a moment, Xie Yunchuan adjusted his expression, stared at him, and said calmly, "I don't know what kind of person Miss Li is, but I have heard a little about Miss Li. Given her personality, this situation would never have occurred if something hadn't happened."
Although Xie Yunchuan's voice was calm, it was very firm. Everyone knew that Li Manyan was not one to act impulsively, but everyone was still hesitant about whether there were other possibilities.
Only Xie Yunchuan firmly stated that she would not allow this situation to occur.
Li Manyan is by no means someone who doesn't know what's important. She wouldn't get separated from her brother just because she's playing around, let alone take her younger sister with her.
Li Jin felt a chill run down his spine when Xie Yunchuan looked at him. Xie Yunqi and Shengsheng had been so calm and approachable that he had momentarily forgotten their identities.
Even now, Xie Yunchuan made no attempt to conceal his aura, and Li Jincai truly felt the unique nobility and imposing presence of the royal family.
Since Xie Yunchuan has already led the Imperial Guards to search the mountains, it's no longer Sheng Sheng's place.
Sheng Sheng and Xie Yunqi quietly played with the stones on the side, waiting for news from the Imperial Guards.
Just now, Sheng Sheng sent Chunhua and Qiuyue to inquire about news from passersby, and now the Imperial Guards are conducting a large-scale search of the mountains, so everyone else immediately knew what had happened here.
Li Jin is now not only worried about the safety of her two younger sisters, but also about their reputations.
Although Xie Yunchuan would definitely find the person faster by bringing the Imperial Guards directly, it would be misunderstood if word got out that the Second Prince was personally leading the Imperial Guards to find the person.
People in the capital are so idle that they can make up stories when they don't exist. Li Jin was also afraid of being sabotaged by people with ulterior motives.
Moreover, Xie Yunchuan arrived very quickly; Li Jin had never heard of the Second Prince being so enthusiastic before.
Li Jin had some doubts. Could it be that the Second Prince really had feelings for one of his sisters...?
Xie Yunchuan's tone remained completely calm: "In the hunting grounds, Miss Li accidentally went missing. Should I not immediately lead people to search for her, or wait until something bad happens before trying to fix things? Besides, Miss Li is a good friend of Shengsheng, so I naturally have to pay even more attention to her."
Li Jin realized: Oh! So it's because of the Second Princess. She just mentioned that she and Sister Yan are very close. I see. His Highness truly dotes on the Second Princess!
Sheng Sheng: "..."
He seemed to want to say something but hesitated, raising his hand and then lowering it, lowering it and then raising it again.
Xie Yunqi asked curiously, "Little sister, what's wrong?"
He chuckled twice, "Haha, it's nothing, it's nothing."
He puffed out his cheeks and muttered to himself.
Alright, considering that Sister Yan Yan might be in danger right now, she'll reluctantly take the blame.
Who can blame her for being such a kind-hearted girl?
I'll say it again: without her, half the family would fall apart!
At this very moment, inside a secluded little cave in the mountains.
The entrance to the cave was covered by a thick layer of weeds and branches, and you wouldn't really notice that there was a small cave there if you didn't look closely.
Li Manyun's maidservant hid tremblingly behind the coverings, nervously watching the passersby at the cave entrance.
Looking further into the cave, they found Li Manyan and Li Manyun, who had disappeared for some time, along with Li Manyan's maid, in a small cave that could only accommodate two or three people.
The only difference between the three is that Li Manyun is conscious, while Li Manyan and her maid are unconscious.
Li Manyan lay on the dusty and muddy ground with her eyes tightly closed, and the soil under her head even showed a hint of red.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the blood flowing from the back of her head had stained the soil red!
The maidservant, who was also unconscious, had a wound on the back of her head.
Li Manyun's eyes were gloomy, filled with a gnashing hatred as she stared intently at the unconscious Li Manyan.
If Li Jin were here, he would be utterly astonished to see the look in Li Manyun's eyes at this moment.
The reason was simple: in his eyes, Li Manyun, though occasionally a little willful, was always a kind and upright person.
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