Chapter 168, the Hundred and Sixty-Eighths Traces...
Chapter 168 Traces
"Where are they?" The emperor's gaze fell on her commander of the secret guards. "Three years have passed, and we still can't find a trace of them?"
The commander of the secret guards knelt on one knee, cold sweat streaming down her forehead. "I have failed in my duties."
"Three years, three years, three years!" As he spoke, the emperor was about to lose his temper. "Whether it's the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Great Liao Dynasty, the Western Regions, or even those barbaric little countries, we've searched everywhere. Why can't we find him? Tell me!"
"I am guilty."
"You..." The emperor was so angry that she wanted to throw the inkstone beside her, but then she remembered that it was quite expensive and she had kept it there to maintain appearances, so she held back. "Keep looking. If you can't find the person, keep looking."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The head of the secret guards stepped back and then disappeared from the imperial study.
The emperor leaned back in his chair, pressed his hand to his forehead, and let out a long sigh.
"Your Majesty," Zhuge Zhengwo could only speak up when he saw the emperor's expression. "We couldn't find Linghao back then, perhaps the young master went with Linghao, which is why we still can't find him? Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou said that they did see Linghao, and perhaps she was the one who took him away."
“That’s what they say, but what if it’s not?” The emperor was extremely annoyed. “What if Ah Hao came back to say goodbye, and she can’t take Ah Yu with her? In that case, Ah Yu will definitely…” She swallowed the possibility that had crossed her mind.
In her view, the reason Ling Hao couldn't take Gongzi Yu with her when she disappeared must be because she couldn't take him with her. After all, that light was really strange, probably beyond human control, and Gongzi Yu's subsequent madness proved this point.
If there were even the slightest possibility of control, he would have gone to find her long ago, instead of living a life of madness. Ling Hao disappeared for three years and then returned, but her visit was fleeting. Who can guarantee that she came back to take Gongzi Yu away? Perhaps she just came back to say goodbye?
It was this farewell that led to his disappearance from the world. He lived a life of madness because he still held onto hope for Linghao's return. If all hope were gone, could he still live?
Furthermore, the footprints on the summit of Mount Hua proved that someone had indeed jumped down, and the footprints had been examined by experts from the Ministry of Justice, confirming that they were indeed Gongzi Yu's. All these signs proved that he was the one who jumped from the summit of Mount Hua.
But they couldn't find him anywhere on Mount Hua. No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find a body, or even a piece of clothing. This gave the emperor a glimmer of hope. Perhaps he had simply jumped off the mountain and then changed his mind, using his light-footed skills to escape, which was why there was no body or other traces. The emperor refused to accept that Gongzi Yu would commit suicide and remained convinced that he was still alive.
Since he was still alive, they sent people to search for him. But three years had passed, and they still couldn't find even a trace of Gongzi Yu. Just like when they searched for Ling Hao, they couldn't find him, not even a trace. The emperor's initial expectation had turned to disappointment; she was beginning to lose heart. Perhaps he was truly dead.
"Let's have someone search Mount Hua again," the emperor said, blinking. "At least find some fragment of his clothes or something else." Mount Hua is so treacherous; perhaps he's hiding somewhere in a small corner, which is why they haven't been able to find him.
Zhuge Zhengwo's lips moved, but he couldn't utter the words he wanted to say. Go back to Mount Hua to search again—what were they looking for? The body of Gongzi Yu. But three years have passed; if it really was true back then… now probably only withered bones remain.
Without clothes and accessories, it would be difficult to tell whose skeleton it was. Thinking of this, Zhuge Zheng also felt very sad. He was, after all, Gongzi Yu's elder, and seeing him vanish without a trace, as if he had completely disappeared from the world, how could he not be heartbroken?
"Let me have some peace and quiet," the emperor sighed.
"Yes." Zhuge Zhengwo left the Imperial Study.
The emperor stared blankly at the memorials on the table. After only a moment, she sighed, picked up her imperial brush, and began to write comments in vermilion ink. She was the emperor, the ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty, responsible for the entire Great Zhou Dynasty and its people. She did not have time to wallow in sorrow.
However, the emperor couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with his birth chart, that he couldn't even keep such a beloved younger brother.
"Squeak." The door to the Imperial Study was pushed open a little, and a tiny little thing lay on the threshold, kicking its short legs to move its body from outside the door to inside. The little thing then used its short legs to paddle and probe the ground, and only when its toes touched the ground did it stand up.
The little one glanced at the emperor, then skipped over to her legs and clung to her. "Mother," she cried, her voice still sweet and sticky, her voice soft and endearing.
The emperor had heard the commotion long ago, but had pretended not to. Now that the little one was clinging to her, she couldn't ignore it any longer. She looked down at her daughter, who was stuck to her feet, and asked with a smile, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I miss... Mother." The little one spoke quite clearly, but she tended to utter one or two words at a time. But that's normal; if she wanted to speak accurately, she had to speak slowly.
"Stay with your mother, be a good girl, okay?" the emperor asked again.
"Okay~" the little one agreed.
The emperor reached out and picked up his daughter, letting her sit on his lap. She held her in one arm and reviewed memorials with the other.
The little one placed her two chubby hands on the table, peering intently. Although she didn't understand yet, she still wanted to watch. Her chubby little face was full of seriousness, as if she could understand it all.
The emperor thought to himself that she was quite composed, which was good, since the throne would eventually be passed to her, and things were not bad as they were now.
This little one's nickname was Liu Jin, because she weighed six jin (approximately 3 kg) at birth. At the time, the emperor wanted to give her a nickname first, hoping it would make her easier to raise. He felt that nicknames like Tie Dan (Iron Egg) or Tie Niu (Iron Girl) were not worthy of his daughter, so he named her Liu Jin, which is a homophone for Liu Jin (six jin).
The emperor suffered greatly during the birth of Liujin. However, the child was healthy, so it was all worthwhile. After all, she truly had the throne to inherit, and continuing the family line was essential. As for the child's father, she didn't know, but it must have been someone in the harem.
However, this is not important. All she needs to know is that Liu Jin is her biological daughter. Who Liu Jin's father is is completely irrelevant. Liu Jin is to inherit the throne given to her, the empire of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and will bear her surname. Why should she need to know who her biological father is?
It's better not to know; that way, her biological father's family can stop dreaming. That's what the emperor thought, and that's what he did.
Liu Jin never asked who her biological father was; she called everyone in the harem "Little Father." While she might not understand now, under the emperor's influence, she wouldn't care in the future.
Holding Liu Jin, the emperor seemed somewhat dazed. If only A Yu were still here, he would probably like Liu Jin.
"Thump!"
The Emperor looked down and saw that Liu Jin was already asleep on the table. She couldn't help but smile, put down her imperial brush, and got up to carry her to the back. Behind the screen in the Imperial Study was a soft couch where the little one often slept; this was just one of many times.
The next morning, Liu Jin woke up and didn't see the emperor, but she didn't mind, knowing her mother must be busy. Served by the palace servants, Liu Jin washed up, ate breakfast, and then toddled off to play in the Imperial Garden.
She's still young; her main task is to play.
Liu Jin ran incredibly fast, laughing as the palace servants chased after her. She didn't know that the servants weren't unable to catch her; rather, they knew she enjoyed this game and were playing along. The servants also knew that she was always protected by secret guards and wouldn't be allowed to get hurt; otherwise, they wouldn't dare do this.
"Thump!" Liu Jin bumped into something, the force almost sending her flying backward, but she was caught and picked up. "Who are you?" she asked, looking at the man holding her. He seemed both unfamiliar and familiar.
"What do you think?" the man asked with a smile.
"I don't know." Liu Jin swung his short legs. "Get down."
"Don't bully her." A woman walked over and took Liu Jin from the man's arms. She weighed Liu Jin in her hand. "She's quite heavy."
Liu Jin puffed out his cheeks and said, "You're bad, you're talking about me, you're bad."
"Oh my, you're so cute!" The woman smiled and touched Liu Jin's forehead with her own. "I never imagined that you would have such a lovely daughter."
"Are you... a relative?" This person was her sister's daughter, and she called her mother "sister," meaning she was a relative. Little Liu Jin thought to herself.
"Yes, they're relatives without blood ties," the woman said with a smile. "Do you understand?"
"I understand!" Actually, Liu Jin didn't understand, but the little boy was proud and didn't want to admit he didn't. Anyway, he could ask his mother if he didn't understand something, and his mother would definitely know.
On the other side, the palace servants, who had been frozen in place for a long time, finally reacted, "A ghost...a ghost!"
"Quickly, save His Highness!"
"Your Highness!"
"You evil spirit, do not harm my prince!"
A period of chaos and turmoil ensued.
Ling Hao blinked, then looked at the person beside her, "Ayu, when did you die?"
Gongzi Yu raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps three years ago?" They inquired about the time after they returned, and indeed, three years had passed since the day he jumped off the cliff. To be honest, these three years are quite a subtle timeframe.
"Wow, really, wow." Ling Hao couldn't think of any words to describe it for a moment, so he could only say dryly.
Come to think of it, how come it's three years again? She goes back for three days, and when she comes back it's three years; they go back for six years, and when they come back it's still three years, and so on and so forth. It's really strange, are they just destined to be with three years?
After an incense stick had burned, the emperor held his daughter, looking at the two people in front of him with a stern face.
“Sister, we’re hungry,” Gongzi Yu said matter-of-factly.
The emperor laughed in exasperation, "Hungry? Then go hungry. Tell me when you're about to starve to death."
"Oh," Gongzi Yu replied.
emperor:"……"
I got even angrier.
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Author's Note: [Sunglasses]
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