The place was far away, and Qiu Shen kept peeking out, saying, "Your Highness, I'm afraid it will be dark by the time we arrive, and we'll have to spend the night outside."
"It's alright. Maybe by tomorrow morning we can find Dongbai and take her back with us." Ye Qingxue also looked outside and saw that the sky was beginning to set.
Spring, summer, and autumn all pursed their lips, feeling both expectant and nervous. They were nervous about their hopes being dashed, so they dared not have too much hope.
Granny Xing felt the same way as them, but being older, she was calmer. Despite her nervous anticipation, she didn't forget to take care of Ye Qingxue's food and drink.
During the journey, Ye Qingxue was pregnant and in her late stages, so she needed to use the restroom more often than others.
This caused even more time to be wasted.
When they arrived at the market called Wanliu Market, it was already almost dark. Zhan Shuang had already led his men to search every household in the market again, and came to see Ye Qingxue with sweat dripping down his face.
"We haven't found it yet, but my subordinates have already arranged for others to spread out from Wanliu Market to other villages."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work. Qiu Shen, give Zhan Shuang some silver so he can treat his men to a good meal; they've really been working hard lately."
Zhan Shuang quickly replied, "These are all things this subordinate should do!"
Qiu Shen handed him a bag of silver. “The Crown Princess is right. Your men deserve a good meal. This is the Crown Princess’s thoughtfulness.”
Zhan Shuang then accepted the gift and thanked him.
We can't eat now, of course. We've finally found some traces of Dongbai, and now is the crucial time to find people.
The Crown Princess rewarded him with this silver to let him and his men know that if they did a good job, they would be rewarded with good food and money, so they would naturally work even harder.
So after Zhan Shuang received the silver, he only asked someone to buy some food to temporarily fill his stomach, and then continued to search from house to house.
As autumn deepened, they went to find an inn. They would be staying in Wanliu Town tonight, hoping to receive news of Dongbai early tomorrow morning so they could take Dongbai home with them.
In Wanliu Town, at night, Ye Qingxue was unfamiliar with the place and the people. Even though she really wanted to go out and find Dongbai and try her luck, she held back for the sake of the child in her womb.
Chunxiaqiu and Granny Xing were serving her in her room, while the remaining nannies and maids were in the rooms on the left and right, and there were also many guards secretly protecting her on the outside.
Her current environment can be considered safe.
It was late at night, and she, along with Chunxia, Qiuxing, and Granny Xing, were all worried about Dongbai and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Qiu Shen simply sat up and said, "How about I find two guards to come with me out for a stroll and try my luck?"
Granny Xing disagreed: "It's already so late. Even if Dongbai is really nearby, she must be asleep by now. Where are you going to try your luck? You might cause trouble and make the Crown Princess even more worried."
Qiu Shen pursed her lips, feeling that Granny Xing made sense, and decided not to go, but she really couldn't sit still or sleep.
She said, "I'm going up to the roof to get some fresh air and keep an eye on you. You guys go to sleep."
Ye Qingxue felt the same way she did, like an ant on a hot pan. She understood her perfectly, so when she suggested going to the rooftop for some fresh air, she didn't stop her.
Not long after Qiu Shen went out, Ye Qingxue heard her go up to the roof.
The room gradually quieted down, and after another half an hour or so, they all couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep.
It was hot. June nights are hot, and there were so many people in one room. Ye Qingxue was eventually woken up by the heat, her back covered in sweat.
Granny Xing and Chunqian and Xialu were asleep on the couch next to her, probably exhausted from a long day, so Ye Qingxue slowly got out of bed to pour herself some water.
There was a breeze outside, carrying the faint sound of weeping. Ye Qingxue initially thought she had misheard, until Qiu Shen suddenly appeared at her window.
"Your Highness, I heard someone crying. Did you hear it?"
Ye Qingxue nodded, it seemed that she was not hallucinating.
Qiu Shen said, "Could it be Dong Bai crying? Is it possible that she's been arrested and is being beaten and scolded day and night to make her obey so they can sell her later..."
Ye Qingxue covered her mouth: "You jinx, don't talk nonsense. Take four guards and sneak over there to check the situation! Remember, no matter what the situation is, you must not alert them!"
Qiu Shen agreed.
She returned about an hour later, and when she appeared before Ye Qingxue, Ye Qingxue was astonished to find that her face was practically deathly pale.
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