Chapter 502: Kidnapped
If Emperor Defeng died, all weddings and funerals would be affected.
As the prince's in-laws, they are being watched by countless eyes. Even if they want to arrange the marriage during the mourning period, they will probably be criticized.
In this way, Ye Hanyi will be delayed for three years.
Ye Hanyi is already seventeen years old this year, which is considered an old maid compared to most women.
If I delay for another three years, I will really become an old maid.
Although the King of Southern Yunnan met the emperor several times, he did not dare to look directly at the emperor's words, nor could he guess the emperor's physical condition.
Now, after hearing Concubine Rou mention it, he felt a sense of urgency.
On the other side, Xiao Yanci was also reminding Ye Hanyi about this.
His words were also obscure, but since we were all smart people, we naturally understood them immediately.
Everyone caught up with the King of Southern Yunnan and Concubine Rou.
The King of Southern Yunnan looked at them and said, "Go back. There's no need to send them off."
After sending you thousands of miles away, we must eventually say goodbye, which only adds to the sadness.
The King of Southern Yunnan jumped on his horse, kicked the horse's belly and galloped forward, turning his back to them and waving from afar as a final farewell.
Ye Hanyi hugged Concubine Rou reluctantly and finally got on the horse.
Watching them disappear from her sight, Concubine Rou kept her gaze fixed on them for a long time.
Xiao Yanci did not urge him, but just waited quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, Concubine Rou turned around and said, "Let's go. It's time to return to the palace."
This short half day was already stolen by her.
The dream is over, it's time to return to reality.
…
The Lantern Festival is approaching, and the Eastern Palace has received many gifts over the years. After Lu Zhiran became pregnant, she was a little lazy to take care of even these mundane affairs, and they were all handled by Nanny Jin and Cui Fu.
Cui Fu brought a gift list from the Lu family.
Since Lu Guanxuan's death, Lu Zhiran has never returned to the Lu family.
The Lu family has always lived a closed-door life and was not affected by the turmoil when Xiao Yanlin ascended the throne.
Afterwards, the situation turned around and Xiao Yanci became the crown prince. The Lu family wisely did not visit him to curry favor with him, but only sent him a gift every New Year. When Lu Zhiran saw the gift list, she would also ask a few questions to the Lu family.
Cui Fu said, "Crown Princess, please take a look at this gift list from the Lu family."
Lu Zhiran heard something else. Is there something special about the gift list this time?
"Show it to me."
Lu Zhiran took the gift list, took a look at it and raised her eyebrows.
The handwriting is neat but a little childish, obviously written by a child.
"I'm afraid this gift list came from my younger brother."
The younger brother that Lu Zhiran was talking about was not Lu Juncheng, but Lu Yanxiu who was later adopted from the clan. Calculating the time, he should be nine years old this year.
It is rare for a nine-year-old child to be able to write such good handwriting.
The Lu family specially sent such a gift list as a gesture of goodwill, and also hoped to take this opportunity to remind her not to forget the existence of the Lu family.
She was not disgusted by such means, but rather admired them to some extent.
Lu Zhiran was pregnant, so it was impossible for her to go back to the Lu family in person. So she sent Nanny Jin back.
Nanny Jin quickly brought back the latest news from the Lu family.
"Aunt Zijuan is a resourceful woman. She has kept the Lu family's inner quarters in perfect order, and all the servants in the Lu residence are in awe of her. I personally met the young master. He is handsome, well-mannered, and well-cared for. Aunt Zijuan pays close attention to his food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and has hired a reputable tutor to educate him. I think the Lu family is a promising place, and the young master will definitely be able to support the Lu family in the future."
After hearing this, Lu Zhiran smiled and nodded.
"Zijuan has always been a smart person."
She only had one daughter, and she was just a concubine. In reality, her position in the Lu family was not legitimate, and only Lu Yanxiu could be their support in the future.
The better she treats Lu Yanxiu now, the more rewards he can give her in the future. In other words, she wants Lu Yanxiu to be successful more than anyone else.
Fortunately, Lu Yanxiu seems to be a talented person with great potential.
If the Lu family has promising younger generations, Lu Zhiran wouldn't mind helping them in the future.
Lu Zhiran quickly put the matter behind her.
But unexpectedly, a few days later, she received news from the Lu family again, and this time it was bad news.
"Crown Princess, something bad has happened to the Lu family. The young master and the third young lady have been abducted by kidnappers! Aunt Zijuan has come to seek help outside the mansion."
Lu Zhiran's face darkened. "Bring the person in."
Zijuan was brought in quickly. When she entered the door, she stumbled and almost fell.
Her clothes were dirty and wrinkled, her hair was messy, her face was full of anxiety, with traces of tears on her face, and her eyes were dark and blue. It was obvious that she did not get enough rest last night.
When she saw Lu Zhiran, she knelt down hurriedly, her voice trembling.
"Princess, please, save these two children!"
Lu Zhiran sat at the head of the table and said, "Don't cry yet. Tell me, what's going on?"
Zijuan wiped away her tears and choked up, saying, "Last night was the Lantern Festival, and there was no curfew on Yongning Street. Sister Chen had always wanted to watch the fireworks and guess lantern riddles, and the young master wanted to go too. I didn't want to spoil the child's fun, so I agreed."
"Unexpectedly, while we were watching a circus, someone on stage was performing a fire swallowing act, and an accident occurred. The streets were in chaos, and in the blink of an eye, the two children disappeared. I immediately ordered the servants to look for them and reported it to the authorities immediately. But after searching all night, there is no news at all..."
At the end of her speech, Zijuan couldn't help crying again.
Lu Xingchen is her only daughter, and Lu Yanxiu is her only support in the Lu family. Now the two children are missing together. If anything happens to them, it would be the end of her life.
Last night when Zijuan reported to the authorities, she brought up the identity of the Crown Princess's family, hoping that the officials would pay more attention.
But the final result still made her despair, so she no longer cared about anything else and went straight to the Eastern Palace for help.
Lu Zhiran asked again, "Has the Lu family offended anyone recently?"
Zijuan shook her head repeatedly. "Ever since the master passed away, the Lu family has lived their lives in seclusion, keeping a low profile and doing their duty. They don't even socialize. How could they have offended others? Princess, this isn't a case of enemies seeking revenge. They must have been abducted by kidnappers! When I went to report to the authorities last night, they had already received reports from many families, all of whom had lost their children."
Lu Zhiran's face became even gloomier. She had not expected that those human traffickers would be so bold as to commit crimes under the feet of the emperor.
"What time did the incident happen?"
"It's around the time between Youshi and Xushi."
Lu Zhiran's face turned a little ugly.
In the past, the city gates would be closed at the hour of You, but during the New Year holidays, there was no curfew in the city and the city gates would not be closed until the end of the hour of Xu.
Even if Zijuan reported the matter to the authorities immediately, the city gates might not be closed in time.
If the child is sent out of the city, it will be difficult to find him or her.
Lu Zhiran immediately called someone to pass a message to Xiao Yanci.
This matter is of great importance and requires the full efforts of the government to investigate.
In addition, she sent someone to pass a message to the business, ordering the business to immediately mobilize all its manpower and report any suspicious persons immediately.
Reward notices were also posted among the people, offering a reward of 100 taels of silver for anyone who found a child, regardless of whose family it was.
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