After Xiao Yi left, she sat there and sobbed uncontrollably. She sat alone for a long time, until her legs lost all feeling. She couldn't remember what happened afterwards in a daze. The only thing that was clear was He Hui's worried eyes and warm hands. Half asleep and half awake, he carried her firmly on his back and walked slowly and steadily. Zhao Pei lay on his slightly thin back, but felt inexplicably at ease. Perhaps until now, the only one who stayed with her, besides Hanzhen Ziye Ruhua, was him—He Hui, who met her by chance but left a deep impression on her.
The morning sun shone through the window lattice onto the curtains beside the window, and the shadows kept changing. Zhao Pei's eyes were a little swollen, and her mind was still not very clear. She lifted the curtains and saw Ziye.
"Where's Zhen'er?" Zhao Pei rubbed his head and stood up.
"The young lady has been locking herself in her room and not seeing anyone." Ziye replied, and after hesitating for a while, he continued, "The young lady hasn't eaten since yesterday... What should I do?"
Zhao Pei silently picked up the ivory hairpin that Ziye had prepared in front of the dressing mirror and gestured with her hair several times, then said calmly, "It's okay, leave her alone. She will figure it out. Ziye, where's Ruhua?"
Ziye smiled and said, "Not yet awake."
Zhao Pei pouted, half mocking and half relieved: "Ruhua is already over 30 years old, she will eventually have her own child. Let her rest, and make some supplements for her when you are free."
Ziye nodded, and Zhaopei suddenly turned around and looked at her with a smile, a little ambiguous: "Ziye, what about you?"
"Huh?" Ziye was stunned and didn't react.
"Ziye is not young anymore... I think when Hanzhen was your age, she was already fifteen. Ziye, tell me if you have met someone you like. If so, I will make the decision." Zhao Pei looked at her with a smile, "What do you think of He Hui? He is still unmarried."
Ziye's cheeks slightly blushed when he heard this. He lowered his head and murmured, "Princess, please stop trying to match us up. Ziye only wants to serve you well by himself. He doesn't want anything else. If it weren't for you, Ziye would have died long ago."
Seeing her like this, Zhao Pei was speechless and didn't know what to say. She smiled awkwardly and sat down to comb her hair. He Hui's voice came from outside the door: "Princess, can I come in?"
Ziye lowered her head, feeling a little unnatural. It was obvious that what she had just said had touched her heart. Zhaopei smiled at her teasingly and said loudly, "Come in."
The door was pushed open with a bang, and He Hui came in and immediately closed the door again. His face was solemn, which made Zhao Pei worried.
He took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Zhao Pei: "Princess, the owner of the East Gate Inn just came to deliver a letter in person, saying that someone from the capital gave it to you. It seems to be someone from... the Xu Mansion."
"Xu Mansion"! These two words made Zhao Pei tremble all over. She didn't want to take the letter and opened it in a panic. Her hands were shaking as she read it anxiously.
Suddenly, her face was wet and she burst into tears. He Hui, who was standing beside her, glanced at her and frowned. Zhao Pei suddenly looked up at He Hui and Zi Ye, and murmured excitedly: "Brother is still alive, he is still alive."
“But the prince had already received news a long time ago that… all the people in the Xu Mansion had been… Is this a trick?” He Hui was a little unsure.
Zhao Pei read it carefully again: "This handwriting is indeed my brother's. He said he is living in the East Gate Inn now. I should go and take a look."
Ziye immediately asked back: "Since the eldest young master has come to Jingzhou, why didn't he come to the palace, but let you, the princess, go out to meet him. This is inevitably a bit strange." He Hui nodded repeatedly. Zhao Pei looked at the two of them singing the same tune, and said seriously with a smile on her face: "No matter what, I still have to go. Ziye, you come with me." After that, she began to prepare her clothes.
He Hui stepped forward and said, "I'll go too."
Zhao Pei glanced at him and said, "No, Ziye and I will be enough. Three people will attract too much attention. Also... the prince cannot know about this for the time being."
He Hui wanted to say something, but he knew Zhao Pei's personality. Once she made up her mind and made a decision, no one could persuade her.
》》》》》》》》》
People were coming and going in front of the East Gate Inn. Zhao Pei and Zi Ye stood at the door, not saying whether to go in or leave. The waiter was waiting at the door, not knowing whether to go up to greet them or just ignore them.
Zhao Pei held the letter tightly in her hand, on which was written No. 18, Upper House.
After hesitating for a while, she finally stepped forward. The servant quickly came up to greet her and said with a smile, "Are you two guests here to have a meal or stay at the hotel?"
"We are here to look for someone. Do you know where the guest in Room 18 of Tianzifang came from?" Zhao Pei walked up to him and asked, but her eyes were always on the guests in the store.
"Oh, you mean number 18. I can take you there." He walked ahead with a flattering smile on his face. Zhao Pei and Zi Ye looked at each other and followed.
The servant walked around and stopped at the door of a very secluded guest room. He bowed and said with a smile, "This is the room. The guest should still be there. You can go in by yourself." Zhao Pei smiled faintly and told Ziye to give him some spare money.
Zhao Pei knocked on the door, but no one answered. Zi Ye asked carefully, "Is he not here?"
The door was not locked, and Zhao Pei's men pushed hard and it opened with a creak.
The room was neatly furnished, with incense burning on the table. Zhao Pei walked in slowly but saw no one, so she asked, "Brother? Is that you?" Zi Ye pulled her in tightly, and Zhao Pei suddenly felt something was wrong, as if... she had walked into a hunter's net... but it was too late.
She felt a sharp pain in her neck, and the next moment she fell into darkness and lost consciousness.
》》》》》》》》》》》
It was already late at night, but the lights in the study were still on. Only Chen Baxian and Xiao Yi were in the room. Xiao Yi frowned and said nothing as he looked at the documents on the table, while Chen Baxian said angrily, "I don't know what's wrong with Wang Sengbian. He just refuses to send troops. He said it was because the military pay was not in place? I think he is just stalling for time."
Having said this, Xiao Yi suddenly looked up, with an indiscernible light flickering in his deep eyes.
"Wang Sengbian..." He kept repeating the man's name, and suddenly he chuckled. He tapped the table and said, "Pass on my order. Remove his military rank and put him in jail."
Chen Baxian raised a barely perceptible smile and bowed, saying, "I will obey your orders."
As they were talking, they heard hurried footsteps outside the door. Before they could report, they saw Ruhua and He Hui kneeling on the ground. He Hui's voice was trembling, and he said anxiously and self-blamingly: "My Lord, the princess... is missing. I suspect... she was kidnapped."
After hearing this, Xiao Yi frowned and clenched his fist unconsciously. (To be continued)