This question silenced everyone present, and no one could guess who the masked man was.
At this moment, Fan Tiancheng and Daya came to Leng Yu and Luo Lan with silver in their hands.
"Prince Yu, Princess Yu, this is the silver that the man in black gave us. We've spent some of it these past few days, and we still have seventy-five taels left. We're giving it all to you now. Please have mercy and don't punish us. We didn't know An An was from Prince Yu's mansion. If we had known, we wouldn't have dared to keep her at home."
Although Daya felt sorry for the money, she also knew that life was more important than money.
She bit her lip and said in a trembling voice:
"We...we didn't mistreat the Second Young Lady. My mother is old and couldn't keep an eye on her, so she ran away. Oh, and she even gave her copper coins. Regarding this matter...I beg Prince Yu and Princess Yu to spare our lives and forgive our sin of ignorance."
"Please, Lord Yu, Princess Yu, spare my life..."
Looking at the two people kneeling on the ground, Leng Yu glanced at Luo Lan. Seeing that she was looking at them expressionlessly with empty eyes, not knowing what she was thinking, he replied coldly:
"Ignorance is not a crime. This matter cannot be blamed on you. Just take this silver!"
Leaving only these simple words, he took Luo Lan's shoulder and comforted her softly:
"Lan'er, as long as An'an is still alive, we can find her. Let's go!"
Luo Lan leaned in his arms, nodded weakly, and murmured,
"It's getting dark, and she's so young. What will she do if she can't find a place to stay? Will she get cold? Will she get hungry? Will she...will she run into bad people again?"
At this point, she had already begun to sob uncontrollably. Leng Yu held her tightly with one hand and took her to the horse. After he and Luo Lan sat firmly, he turned around and instructed Zhang Yuan and the others:
"Without further delay, let's head straight to Yancheng and reunite with Ayu and Ahou."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Xiao Lingzi and others responded, they quickly got on their horses, ready to follow Leng Yu at any time.
Leng Yu looked ahead, his eyes sank slightly, one hand around Luo Lan's waist, the other hand tightened the horse's reins, and he shouted "Gee!", and the horse raised its front hooves and galloped away quickly in the direction of Yancheng.
Covered in dust and fatigue, they arrived in Yancheng an hour later. When they met up with Ayu and Ahou, it was already completely dark. Ayu, Ahou, and all the officials of Yancheng were waiting at the city gate to welcome Prince Yu and Princess Yu.
As soon as he arrived at the city gate, Luo Lan couldn't wait to step forward and ask:
"Any news about An An?"
Ayu shook his head.
"When we arrived, it was already late. Lord Zhang from the government office sent officials to search the streets of the city, but they couldn't find An An. We thought she might have found a place to stay, so we'll continue the search tomorrow morning."
Listening to Ayu's words, although Luo Lan's hand was held tightly by Leng Yu, his body trembled unconsciously.
Leng Yu saw that she was a little agitated and hurriedly comforted her:
"Don't worry, my lady. We know her approximate location, which is much easier than searching for a needle in a haystack. Let Ah Hong and Ah Cai take you to the inn to rest. I will discuss tomorrow's search plan with Lord Zhang, and then we will go out and look for her on the streets."
"good……"
During this period of time, Luo Lan had already felt weak all over. In addition, she got up early today and traveled all day, so she really wanted to rest for a while.
Acai and Ahong helped Luo Lan onto the carriage and, under the guidance of Yancheng officials, headed towards the inn that had been arranged long ago.
As soon as they arrived at the gate of the inn, the maid who had been waiting there hurriedly stepped forward and asked:
"Princess, the bath water is ready. Please take a bath before going to bed."
"Um."
After Luo Lan nodded, he was supported by Acai and Ahong and walked upstairs.
Yancheng Posthouse is a place in Yancheng that specifically receives officials from the capital and those traveling to and from the capital. Today, upon learning that Prince Yu and Princess Yu were coming, Lord Zhang immediately ordered everyone to leave, so it was very quiet here.
The bath water was quickly prepared. After helping Luo Lan change clothes, Acai and Ahong left.
Sitting in the bathtub, feeling the warm water lapping against his body, Luo Lan tiredly closed his eyes, breathed a sigh of relief, and quietly thought about the past...
But as soon as she closed her eyes, all she could think of was An An. Either An An was shivering in the cold, huddled in a corner, dressed in rags. Or An An was being chased by bad guys, running around in a panic. Or she was being torn apart by wild beasts, covered in blood...
She paddled her fingers in the water a few times before suddenly opening her eyes...
It turned out that she had just fallen asleep, and all the terrible scenes happened in her dream.
She gently raised her hand and wiped away the sweat and tears from her forehead.
An An was born with a miserable life, and now she didn't know where she was. She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and muttered softly,
"God, please bless An An to come back to me safely. I'm really worried about her. I don't know where she is now, whether she has eaten, whether she has a place to sleep, whether her face is dirty, whether her hair is combed, whether her clothes are washed, or whether her shoes are still on her feet..."
As she uttered these words, she covered her face with her hands and sobbed...
Yuhongyuan.
This seems to be a standard building in every city.
Although it was already midnight, the place was still bustling with activity. Some men, either alone or in groups of two or three, would be pulled into the house by the women waiting at the door as soon as they arrived. When they came out with empty pockets, they would all have satisfied expressions on their faces.
Sister Hong was busy back and forth in the main hall, watching the men coming in and out, welcoming and seeing off, her tone ambiguous and full of joy.
At this time, a maid came hurriedly and whispered in her ear,
"Sister Hong, that girl tried to jump out of the window but was stopped. Now she keeps crying. What should we do?"
Sister Hong rolled her eyes, flicked her handkerchief and snorted coldly.
"Humph! You've entered my Yuhongyuan and you still want to escape? You're just dreaming. Let's go and take a look."
After she finished speaking, she swung the handkerchief in her hand, greeted the men passing by with a charming smile, and walked upstairs with her graceful figure.
At this time, An An was curled up in the corner of a dark room, staring at the door with a look of fear.
The torture of the past ten days has made this originally clever little girl become cautious.
Thinking of the scene of stepping into the back door of Yuhongyuan, she was terrified...
"Sister Hong, where is this? Why are there so many people here?"
An An looked timidly at the women in bright clothes and heavy makeup, and a feeling of fear surged in her heart.
Sister Hong rolled her eyes and signaled the person behind her to close the door while comforting her.
"This is a dance studio. These sisters are all learning to dance. You can also learn from them. I guarantee you will grow up to be a great beauty in the future."
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