Chapter 26 Searching
On the day the princess disappeared, the snow outside the capital had not yet melted, leaving two wheel tracks. Even though someone tried to cover it up, Lin Xiao could still tell at a glance that the wheel tracks were unusual.
It was the Lunar New Year holiday, and with the capital city under strict security measures, no one would have the leisure to leave. If anyone did, they would likely be either wealthy individuals or ordinary people coming to the capital to buy New Year's goods.
The carriages of wealthy families were made of the finest materials and were extremely heavy, leaving deep tracks on the snow. Even lighter carriages suitable for ordinary people, burdened with the need to purchase New Year's goods and carrying family members, became heavier, leaving two deep tracks on the road.
But strangely enough, among these tire tracks, there appeared a very light and shallow mark, which was unusual in itself.
The princess disappeared very quickly that day, so it must have been pre-arranged. If she was taken away by carriage, there certainly wouldn't have been many people on board.
Why would someone with nothing to hide cover up perfectly good tire tracks? It's impossible to say there's nothing fishy going on.
This could very well be the clue to the princess's disappearance.
Lin Xiao followed the wheel tracks and walked further and further, the tracks became more and more obvious. It seemed that they thought no one could find this place, so the attempts to cover them up became more and more perfunctory, until finally, they didn't even bother to cover them up anymore, and they were just exposed openly.
If it were an ordinary guard, they would be stumped at the very first step. The world is vast and people are bustling about. How could they possibly find the exact wheel track where the princess disappeared among so many wheel tracks? If she was missing, then she was missing. They could only use other clumsy methods to search for her.
But Lin Xiao was not a guard, but a secret guard.
This was a task he often performed when he was serving the emperor. Every place he passed by would leave a trace, so finding these traces was not difficult for him.
He followed the tire tracks to a small mountain village, where smoke curled from chimneys, celebrating the joyous New Year.
Lin Xiao did not reveal himself presumptuously, but secretly searched every household in the village. He did not find any trace of the princess, but instead discovered something else: the number of able-bodied men in the village was somewhat unusual.
It was supposed to be the busiest time of the year, but this small village was mostly filled with women, children, and the elderly.
They appeared to be married with children, but their husbands were nowhere to be seen... The outskirts of the capital were notorious for bandits, and this was probably where the families of those bandits lived.
Lin Xiao frowned deeply.
The princess was probably kidnapped by those bandits; the wheel tracks disappeared after entering this small mountain village.
Lin Xiao did find the carriage, but it didn't belong to any one family. Instead, it was owned by several families. When the carriage wasn't in use, these families would rent it out for other villagers to use.
In this small village, people use that carriage almost every day, and the clues go cold here again.
I wonder how the princess is doing now.
Lin Xiao suppressed his anxiety and continued to painstakingly search for her whereabouts.
However, the carriage was used by too many different people, and he gained nothing.
Without hesitation, Lin Xiao arrested a family that owned a carriage and interrogated them, but he didn't get any useful information.
These people know nothing.
The villagers only knew that their family members would go out to do business every winter and bring back a large sum of money every spring. They had no idea what they were doing.
As for who used the carriage on New Year's Eve, they did say that it was borrowed from Wang Ergou's family in the west of the village.
This was an expected clue.
Fearing that he might alert them, Lin Xiao silenced them and headed to Wang Ergou's house in the west of the village.
There are four people in Wang Ergou's family: an elderly couple, a young woman, and a teenager.
Lin Xiao secretly observed the family and found that they were no different from other families.
They seemed unaware of this, but if they were unaware, why would they rent a carriage the day before New Year's Eve and use it for the entire night?
They must have been in contact with the bandits.
If that's the case, then Lin Xiao can no longer act as rashly as before, capturing people for questioning. If the bandits hiding in the mountains discover something is wrong, the princess may be in danger.
He could only monitor them secretly, trying to find out how the family could contact the bandits.
However, this family, like other families, worked from sunrise to sunset every day. Because it was the New Year, they often visited relatives and friends and did not notice anything amiss.
The situation has reached a stalemate once again.
Lin Xiao had considered informing the General's Mansion about what was happening here, but he didn't trust them. The relationships in the capital were incredibly complex, and the news of the princess falling into the hands of bandits absolutely could not be spread; otherwise, her reputation would be ruined.
It means he's not currently in the Dark Guard camp. Otherwise, he could simply order his Dark Guards to search the nearby mountain valleys, and given their speed, they could get results in three days.
I wonder how the princess is doing now.
She'll probably cry from fear.
As the days passed and the family still hadn't made contact with the bandits, Lin Xiao gradually became impatient.
We can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, the princess's situation will only become more dangerous. This matter must not be spread. If we want to find the princess as soon as possible, we must return to the capital and inform His Majesty so that he can order people to search the mountain.
Relying on him alone was ultimately a bit of a stretch.
As for what would happen to him if His Majesty found out about this... Lin Xiao clenched his fists; he couldn't care less about that now.
It was at this moment that a turning point appeared.
"Auntie, why are you leaving so early today? Are you going to town?"
"Yes, that's right. My child is sick, and I want to go to town to get some medicine so he can get better soon and put my mind at ease."
"Your dog is sick again? Sigh, this winter is really tough."
At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, someone in a household on the west side of the village got up early. A little yellow dog wagged its tail and followed its owner up and down the hill, full of eagerness.
The puppy's enthusiastic barking woke up the neighbors next door, and also woke up Lin Xiao, who was hiding in the tree. He opened his bloodshot eyes, listened to the voices coming from below, and his brows furrowed heavily.
He had been keeping an eye on them recently. He had just seen the child yesterday. The child was wandering around the village with other children his age, climbing trees on the mountain and fishing in the river. How could he suddenly fall ill overnight?
Are children really that fragile?
Lin Xiao slipped into her house and immediately saw a boy, about seven or eight years old, lying sprawled on the bed.
He reached out and felt the child's pulse. Startled by the sudden cold, the child opened his eyes abruptly. Lin Xiao frowned slightly and directly pressed the child's acupoint, causing the child to fall asleep again in an instant.
Lin Xiao withdrew his hand.
The child is perfectly fine, not sick at all... Wait a minute!
In an instant, Lin Xiao realized that the woman had another purpose and chased after the carriage.
He saw the woman enter a pharmacy, take out a prescription, and fill out the prescription. The apprentice at the pharmacy worked quickly, and when he took out several very familiar-looking herbs, Lin Xiao's pupils contracted, and he could no longer hold his breath.
This isn't medicine for treating colds; it's clearly medicine for treating palpitations!
"Cough cough..."
Shen Panyan lay on the bed, her face as pale as paper. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, she would probably look like a dead person.
"The medicine hasn't been brought yet?"
"Don't worry, Miss Qiu. I've already given the order, and you should be able to get the medicine around tomorrow."
"Hurry up and get the men below to hurry. If she dies, and the higher-ups come after us, we'll all be in deep trouble!"
"Don't be angry, Miss Qiu, we all understand."
"You'd better understand!"
Qiu Shuang snorted coldly and left, suppressing her anger.
Having served Shen Panyan for many years, no one knew better than her how dangerous Shen Panyan's heart palpitations were. If it weren't for the exquisite medical skills of the imperial physicians, she would probably have died long ago.
Now, in this desolate mountain valley, there are no imperial physicians to treat her illness, and you can't even find two literate people. They're all just a bunch of brutes. Don't let her die while you're taking care of her.
She has failed several times already, and if she fails again this time, the Empress will certainly not tolerate her any longer.
Qiu Shuang had no choice but to write down the prescriptions that Shen Panyan used most often and send them to those brutes.
Because Shen Panyan's heart palpitations recurred, Qiu Shuang didn't keep a close watch on her as strictly as before, and naturally didn't know that the heart palpitations were actually something she was faking.
Shen Panyan was chronically ill, and no one knew better than her how to feign illness.
In the past, when she didn't want to listen to Qiu Shuang nagging in her ear, she would pretend to have a relapse of her heart palpitations.
She had this problem all along, and even if the imperial physician were called over, he wouldn't be able to tell that she was faking it. Therefore, this trick worked for her time and time again and never failed.
And now, she naturally hasn't failed either.
Watching Qiu Shuang's departing figure, Shen Panyan's eyelashes trembled as she closed them, concealing a hint of joy rising in her heart.
Feigning illness proved effective.
The Empress went to such great lengths to capture her; she certainly didn't want her dead. If she just pretended to have a relapse of her heart palpitations, Qiu Shuang would definitely get anxious and send someone out to get her medicine.
I wonder if Lin Xiao has discovered this clue.
She is now trapped in this room and unable to go out. After thinking it over, this clumsy method is the only one she can think of to send a message.
I hope Lin Xiao can find himself soon.
She was really scared!
Lin Xiao, where are you right now?
Shen Panyan's eyelashes trembled, and a single tear fell.
She really missed him.
Shen Panyan gripped the dagger hidden in the bedding tightly, as if only in this way could she feel at ease.
As the night deepened, Shen Panyan watched as a sliver of moonlight shone through the white windowpane, unable to fall asleep for a long time, her body trembling slightly beneath the covers.
She's scared!
Since the third day she was locked up, every night she would hear rustling sounds outside the window. Not only that, but she could also vaguely see a tall figure walking back and forth outside, which looked like a man.
Someone is eyeing her!
Upon realizing this, Shen Panyan was overwhelmed with panic and fear, her face turned deathly pale, and she was unable to sleep, hence her pale complexion.
Fortunately, the doors and windows of the house were sealed shut, so she couldn't get out and the people outside couldn't get in. No matter how unwilling the people outside were, they had no choice but to leave.
Shen Panyan, however, remained anxious and waited until dawn before daring to go to sleep.
Tonight, that person came again...
Shen Panyan scooted deeper into the bed.
She had mentioned this to Qiushuang, but Qiushuang said that she had misread it; the rooms near her house were all empty and no one lived there, and that she had hallucinated.
Qiu Shuang won't help her.
She's just a prisoner now.
Shen Panyan gripped the dagger tightly, as if only in this way could she gain a sliver of courage and peace of mind.
It's alright, he can't get in. The room is sealed off on all sides, there's no way he can get in. Just then, a knocking sound came from the window.
That person is removing the wooden strips from her window!
Shen Panyan froze on the spot, fear almost overflowing from her eyes, and tears suddenly rolled down her cheeks.
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