Hearing Ling Chuchu's name, Ling Qingwan couldn't help but become interested.
"What is she doing in the palace?" Ling Qingwan pretended to be indifferent.
She didn't remember Ling Chuchu having any acquaintances in the palace. Especially after the incident with the baby poison, Ling Qingwan became even more wary of Ling Chuchu.
"I don't know." An Yi shook her head. "But most likely he went to see my eldest cousin."
Ling Qingwan frowned.
She originally thought that Ling Chuchu entered the palace for Song Zhiqing, but she didn't expect that she was going to find Song Zhicheng.
"Speaking of this, I heard from Gillian that Ling Chuchu has been visiting my eldest cousin a lot recently. Gillian has seen him several times. We all think that Ling Chuchu is afraid that she can't hook up with the crown prince, so she turned to my eldest cousin."
Having said that, An Yi also became interested and started chatting about this matter with Ling Qingwan.
"That shouldn't be the case. Ling Chuchu is engaged to the Crown Prince. Even though the Ling family has fallen into poverty, the Crown Prince has not cancelled the engagement. Doesn't this mean that he has feelings for Ling Chuchu? Under such circumstances, there is no way Ling Chuchu would go and befriend the Crown Prince again."
Ling Qingwan looked puzzled and tried to tempt An Yi to continue.
There was no way, she didn't want to lie to An Yi. But Ling Qingwan didn't want An Yi to get involved.
"What's impossible? I've said it before, Ling Chuchu is not a good person." An Yi snorted coldly. She still hadn't forgotten the last time she was caused by Ling Chuchu to fall into the lake, and the princess went to ask for an explanation, but Ling Chuchu turned the tables on her.
"After all, these are just speculations and there is no basis for them. Don't think too much about it." Ling Qingwan advised An Yi in a gentle voice.
What I'm afraid of is that Ling Chuchu is no longer the same person she was before, and will really harm An Yi.
"I didn't think much about it." An Yi looked proud. "She can't get close to my cousin anyway. As for the prince, he will see Ling Chuchu's true face sooner or later."
If Ling Chuchu really married one of the Song Zhicheng brothers, An Yi would have to call her the emperor's sister-in-law. According to An Yi's temper, how could she say that
Ling Qingwan smiled and started chatting with An Yi about other things.
Now Ling Chuchu is no longer the same as before, she is just an arrogant and domineering rich girl. Even though An Yi's status is more noble than hers, in terms of scheming and calculation, An Yi is far inferior to Ling Chuchu.
In order to protect An Yi, the best way is to keep An Yi away from Ling Chuchu. Ling Chuchu probably puts most of her thoughts on her. As long as An Yi doesn't have a big argument with Ling Chuchu, Ling Chuchu won't have to take action. Ling Qingwan thought carefully.
After An Yi left, Ling Qingwan went to the general's mansion.
Ling Chuchu and Song Zhicheng were close, which might be an extremely important clue. It was related to state affairs, and Ling Qingwan couldn't handle it alone, so she could only ask Shen Chengzhou for help.
General's Mansion.
Shen Chengzhou felt a little relieved when he learned that Wei Xun had led his troops to Suiyang. But he couldn't feel at ease until Ling Xiao was found.
"I don't know if the Seventh Prince has found Xiao'er's whereabouts." Shen Chengzhou sighed helplessly.
It has been exactly seven days since Ling Xiao disappeared. During these seven days, Shen Chengzhou had no idea where Ling Xiao was, whether he was injured, or who was around him.
"The Seventh Prince is extremely capable, and he has been good friends with the Crown Prince since childhood. With the tacit understanding between the two, he will definitely be able to find the Crown Prince quickly." Song Tian comforted Shen Chengzhou.
Without a real person, how could Shen Chengzhou believe in the tacit understanding between people? Song Tian's consolation was completely ineffective.
"Spread the word to Suiyang. If Xiao'er is not found in a few days, I will go there myself." Shen Chengzhou instructed Song Tian.
"Okay." Song Tian was surprised, then agreed.
Shen Chengzhou had retired from the army and returned to the countryside. He usually only participated in the affairs of the court and had not been to the battlefield for several years. Unexpectedly, he went to the battlefield again to find his own grandson.
"Also, this matter must not be leaked out, especially don't let Wanwan know." Shen Chengzhou reminded him again and again, fearing that Song Tian might make mistakes.
"I understand." Song Tian nodded in agreement.
Shen Chengzhou waved his hand and told Song Tian to leave. As soon as he opened the door, Song Tian froze in his tracks.
"Miss!"
Shen Chengzhou was startled when he heard the sound. He rushed to the door quickly, but by then, Ling Qingwan had already blacked out and fainted.
By the time Ling Qingwan woke up, two hours had passed.
"Wanwan, you're awake!"
Shen Chengzhou had been waiting outside the door. When he heard the cough, he hurried in.
"Grandpa, what happened to my brother? Why are you all looking for him?" Ling Qingwan's face was pale. She held Shen Chengzhou's hand tightly and asked hurriedly.
"Your brother is fine, don't worry." Shen Chengzhou couldn't bear to see Ling Qingwan so anxious and wanted to conceal the matter.
"How can it be okay? I heard everything." Ling Qingwan was anxious, tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke.
"Grandfather, I beg you, please tell me. What happened to my brother?" Ling Qingwan choked up. The less Shen Chengzhou said, the more she thought about it.
As a last resort, Shen Chengzhou finally told Ling Qingwan about Ling Xiao's disappearance.
"Originally, Xiao'er should have arrived in Suiyang seven days ago. However, due to the continuous heavy rain in Suiyang, the only mountain road into the city was blocked, so he had no choice but to wait at the post station. On the day when the mountain road was open to traffic, Xiao'er was chased by a group of people."
"However, Xiao'er's body has not been found yet, so he should not have been killed. Moreover, he has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and he followed the Seventh Prince to lead troops into battle when he was twelve or thirteen years old. Ordinary people are no match for him at all."
Shen Chengzhou was afraid that Ling Qingwan would be worried and scared, and feel uncomfortable, so he hurried to comfort her.
Ling Qingwan shook her head repeatedly.
"You also said that it was a group of people. When my brother left, he only took Qingfeng and a horse with him. He was outnumbered and could not defeat them at all."
Tears kept falling down her cheeks as if they had broken off a string. Ling Qingwan didn't even have the strength to wipe them away. She sat on the bed shivering, her heart piercing like a knife, the pain making her feel worse than death.
"Don't worry, just listen. I have already sent more people to look for Xiao'er. The Seventh Prince has also arrived in Suiyang. With so many people, we will be able to find Xiao'er."
Shen Chengzhou felt very uncomfortable when he saw Ling Qingwan like this. Especially when Xiao'er disappeared, he couldn't even take care of his own mood.
But he couldn't cry. If he cried, Ling Qingwan would see him, and she would feel even more uneasy.
"I want to go, too."
Ling Qingwan suddenly spoke.
"What?" Shen Chengzhou was surprised. He thought he had heard it wrong.
"Grandfather, I'm going to Suiyang, maybe I can help." Ling Qingwan said to Shen Chengzhou.
Her eyes were firm, and she didn't seem to be joking at all. Shen Chengzhou also knew that Ling Qingwan never lied. His granddaughter had the same stubborn personality as himself.
"You are a girl..."
"I am also my brother's sister."