...Perhaps, when the heartache reaches its extreme, there are no other feelings left? Yun Zhuo reached out, grasped Ye Qingxue's hand, and pulled her out of the water.
"You wait up here, I'll go down and take a look. The lotus pond isn't that big, the water isn't deep, I should be able to find him," Yun Zhuo said.
Ye Qingxue grabbed his hand in return, stopping him. Yun Zhuo looked at her; under the scorching sun, she was soaked to the bone and shivered violently, but she held his hand tightly.
Chunqian had already grabbed an outer garment and ran over. Yunzhuo unfolded it with one hand and wrapped it around Ye Qingxue, whose lips were pale and eyes were unfocused.
“Xiao Bao went to find the fish food himself, and then ran over to feed the fish. The nanny fell while chasing after him. He jumped into the water by himself; he was leaving,” Ye Qingxue said.
Yun Zhuo gripped her hand tightly, feeling her trembling all over, and quickly hugged her.
Then, in a deep voice, he ordered, "Find the little prince even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"
It's just a small lotus pond. How could Xiao Bao possibly escape underground after jumping in?
Zhuang Xin, along with his guards, plunged into the lotus pond one after another to search for the person.
Yun Zhuo held Ye Qingxue in his arms while staring intently at the surface of the pool.
As time passed, his brows furrowed more and more. The lotus pond wasn't very big, and so many people had been in there for so long, yet they still couldn't find a single child? This was truly strange and bizarre!
He issued a second order: "Seal off all entrances and exits of the Crown Prince's residence, and forbid anyone from entering or leaving until the young prince is found!"
At this moment, Yun Zhuo believed more than any ghost story that there was a traitor in the Crown Prince's residence who had kidnapped the child the moment he jumped into the water.
Is he the emperor, or Prince Xuan?
An hour later, not only the lotus pond, but every corner of the entire Crown Prince's residence had been searched, and even the tops of the trees had been checked, but there was still no trace of Xiao Bao.
Ye Qingxue had changed into clean clothes and dried her hair. She sat quietly on the steps in the courtyard, hugging her knees, saying nothing, just watching the figures moving around in front of her, reporting the situation to Yun Zhuo.
The atmosphere in the entire Crown Prince's residence was extremely tense, as if a bowstring had been drawn taut, and everyone was trembling with fear.
The sun began to slant westward from its zenith, and the shadows on the ground gradually lengthened, but there was still no sign of Xiaobao.
Yun Zhuo had Zhuang Xin and Zhan Shuang summon everyone to investigate any spies within the manor. Now, everyone in the manor was here, and not a single one was missing.
Yun Zhuo stood on the steps, looking down at the people in the courtyard. There were guards, servants, sweepers, kitchen servants, and personal attendants from each courtyard. They were all here.
Yun Zhuo's eyes were bloodshot, and he exuded murderous intent as he said, "Mr. Chu, Zhuang Xin, Zhan Shuang, investigate! Investigate them one by one! Find out who took the little prince out of the manor, and their entire family will be punished, not a single one will be spared!"
Those who were less timid almost collapsed to their knees.
The atmosphere was somber, and a green leaf in the courtyard slowly, slowly fell to the ground.
Just then, Qiu Shen came running up from outside the crowd, panting, with Bai Qi beside her. Bai Qi was also panting.
Its fur was wet and dripping water. After glancing at Ye Qingxue, it drooped its head and walked to Ye Qingxue's side.
Qiu Shen said, "...I found it by the lotus pond and brought it here."
Yun Zhuo looked at Bai Qi, his brows slowly furrowing, deeper and deeper, could it be...?
Ye Qingxue, who had been sitting on the steps with a blank expression, had a slight twitch in her eyes when she saw Bai Qi approach. Finally, her gaze fell on Bai Qi.
She lifted Bai Qi's head, cradled its chin, looked into its eyes, and said in a hoarse voice filled with disbelief, "After Xiao Bao went into the water, was it you who took Xiao Bao out of the water?"
Only Bai Qi's speed is faster than a human's.
Bai Qi couldn't speak, but its eyes were full of guilt and fear, and it let out a pitiful howl.
Ye Qingxue almost couldn't catch her breath. She kicked it down the steps. Bai Qi rolled twice on the ground, got up, shook off its wet fur, and approached Ye Qingxue again.
"I am your master! Who allowed you to take him out! Where did you take him?!" Ye Qingxue stood up abruptly, her voice hoarse and strained: "Take me to him!"
Bai Qi let out another pitiful howl, then turned and walked towards the side gate by the lotus pond. Ye Qingxue and Yun Zhuo immediately followed.
Once they reached the street, Bai Qi stopped walking, its meaning clear: it would end its mission by dropping the child off there.
Looking at the bustling street, with no sign of Xiaobao, Ye Qingxue laughed in anger. Searching for Xiaobao under these circumstances was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"You're sending him to his death!" Ye Qingxue spat out a mouthful of blood, wanting to kill Bai Qi for the first time.
The palm was already about to strike its head, but Bai Qi did not dodge. He just lowered his head in guilt, and Ye Qingxue's hand stopped abruptly.
Dongbai rushed over and grabbed her wrist: "Your Highness, it was Bai Qi who brought Xiaobao here in the past, and now it is taking him away. Perhaps it is fate?"
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