The long line of people looked completely unharmed; the soldiers didn't even have bandages on them, and they were all in excellent health, showing no signs of having been in a battle.
Just as they reached the location where Zhong Muyu was hiding, someone suddenly rode up on horseback from afar.
"Lord Zheng! Please wait a moment!"
General Zheng, who was leading the group, realized that it was a messenger from the palace.
The man, looking disheveled, dismounted before the army. His horse neighed and collapsed, dying of exhaustion.
The messenger, as if seeing a savior, took out a secret letter from his pocket and handed it to General Zheng. The letter contained few words, but after reading it, General Zheng's expression instantly turned serious.
"What does Your Majesty mean by this?"
"Your Excellency, Princess Consort Ling went missing a few days ago. Not long after she disappeared, Ling Qing made a move, sending a group of elite troops heading northwest. His Majesty was afraid they would find out about the situation and come to rescue her, so he specifically ordered Your Excellency to stay in Licheng for a few more days to annihilate them in one fell swoop."
General Zheng relaxed: "What's there to worry about? Lu Ziyuan is already dead according to plan. Their coming is useless. In my opinion, we should return to the capital as soon as possible and then raid the Prince of Ling's mansion."
Upon hearing that Lu Ziyuan was dead, Zhong Muyu broke out in a cold sweat. She couldn't hear what they said after that. She only saw General Zheng reluctantly retreat back to Licheng.
After they all left, Zaochun comforted her, "Your Highness, please don't overthink things. The Prince is a lucky man and will not die."
Zhong Muyu looked at her pale face. Chengfeng and Zhiyu had also gone with Lu Ziyuan. If something happened to Lu Ziyuan, the guards would be in grave danger as well. Zaochun looked like she was about to cry, and she was not much better off than Zhong Muyu.
Cao Lin also comforted them: "Without seeing the body, nothing is certain. We've come all this way, we can't just give up like this."
Zhong Muyu said in a low voice, "You're right, we can't jump to conclusions yet. The most important thing right now is to go into the city and find out what's going on. We'll disguise ourselves and sneak into Licheng later, just in case Lu Ziyuan really..."
Zhong Muyu shook his head, trying to shake the bad outcome out of his mind, and then said firmly, "If they really die, we'll make those people pay with their lives!"
After they finished speaking, the group returned to the camp. Zhong Muyu instructed them to organize their equipment, some of them went to the battlefield to scout, while Zhong Muyu and his group disguised themselves and entered the city, and the rest stayed behind.
Zhong Muyu took out several ordinary clothes from her spatial storage, and together with Cao Lin, who was disguised as a traveling merchant selling small groceries, they arrived at the city gate.
The guards didn't give them any trouble; after verifying their identities, they let them in.
Even in broad daylight, Licheng was very deserted, with only a few merchants on the streets and most houses with their doors tightly closed.
Zhong Muyu said, "I had heard that the northwestern border was frequently plagued by war and was desolate and impoverished, but I did not expect that even such a large city was like this."
Cao Lin explained, "The land here is barren and extremely cold, so it's impossible to grow much food. Those who could leave have left, and only those who couldn't have stayed. It's fortunate that Yuan Qi sent troops to garrison here, otherwise we wouldn't even be able to keep a city."
The group found an inn to stay in. After so many tiring days, Zaochun was determined to let Zhong Muyu get a good rest. While they were there, Cao Lin went to gather information.
At noon, Cao Lin, who had returned, took the food from Xiao Er's hands and gave it to Zhong Muyu.
After Zhong Muyu and Zaochun sat down, Zaochun greeted him, "Cao Lin, sit down and eat with us too."
"As a subordinate, how can I dine with the princess? I'll eat outside."
Zhong Muyu said, "The situation is urgent right now, so we don't need to worry about formalities. You can take this opportunity to tell me what you've found out."
"Well... okay."
Cao Lin glanced outside warily, and after confirming that there were no suspicious people, he closed the door and came in.
"Your Highness, according to the innkeeper, the prince went missing four days ago. As soon as the prince disappeared, General Zheng immediately sent people to search for him. They searched for two days and two nights without success, so they packed their things to leave."
Zhong Muyu asked again carefully, "Are you sure it's a disappearance, and not something else?"
"He is missing. After the war, everyone will count the bodies to make it easier to transport them back to their hometowns. If the prince is really in trouble, they won't pretend to look for him for a couple of days. They will definitely return to the capital to report as soon as possible."
"That's true. It's good that he's missing. As long as we can't find his body, there's hope. It seems we need to speed things up. This place is cold and barren. If he's seriously injured, he probably won't last long."
Upon hearing that Lu Ziyuan was missing, Zhong Muyu's tense mood eased a little. At this moment, she couldn't wait to go find him.
Early Spring was very worried: "But Your Highness, you are pregnant and have traveled a long distance. You really can't overwork yourself. Let us handle these matters. You should stay at the inn and rest well."
"I'm really worried about not being able to find Lu Ziyuan..."
Cao Lin also advised her, "Zao Chun is right, you really can't keep working so hard. Just trust us."
Seeing their insistence, Zhong Muyu agreed to let them rest for one day. If they couldn't find it today, she would continue searching tomorrow.
After resting, Zhong Muyu quickly fell asleep due to physical exhaustion, and in her hazy state, she seemed to drift into a dream.
The illusory dream gradually materialized into the shape of a thorny jungle, as if some message was trying to contact her.
Despite the energy drain from her dream manipulation, Zhong Muyu couldn't care less at this moment. She focused her power and tried her best to find information about Lu Ziyuan.
Because of the deep connection they had established in their dreams, it's not impossible to find him as long as he's alive and asleep.
Zhong Muyu fought her way through the jungle of her dream, but ultimately her body was too exhausted and weak. The mist of the dream suddenly dissipated, waking her up.
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, Zhong Muyu gasped for breath. It was already dark when Zao Chun came in and lit a candle. She saw Zhong Muyu, who was covered in sweat and panting heavily.
She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Zhong Muyu's forehead: "Your Highness, did you have a nightmare?"
"It's not a nightmare, I just want to find him as soon as possible."
"I am the same way. Chengfeng is also missing. I am worried about him all the time, but no matter how worried I am, I must take care of myself first."
Zhong Muyu grabbed her hand: "Of course I understand. By the way, has Cao Lin returned?"
"He came back once, but it seems he didn't find anything. Others have also sent back messages one after another. In short, there's no use in rushing this matter."
Zhong Muyu nodded, trying to calm herself down. She tidied her hair. It seemed she would have to take everyone with her to look for it tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
