Feng Yexuan offered no response to Chu Qianli’s words.
Chu Qianli was not foolish enough to expect any pity from him.
Since she was merely a pawn, no one would care about her.
Pushed to the forefront, with countless people holding knives, their blades aimed at her neck, eager to sever her head.
Whether she could survive depended solely on her own efforts.
Hadn’t she always navigated through fire and water like this?
What was there to fear?
The chill in her heart stemmed from the fact that this time, the one who had thrust her into the inferno was the man who had once sworn to protect her with his life.
A man’s words were like a deceiving ghost!
After a circuit around the city gates, the identity of Miss Li was thoroughly presented to everyone.
The procession only left the city gates, heading towards the moat.
The imperial city’s moat was divided into two sections. One section served the interior, directly leading to the imperial palace.
The other section faced the exterior, leading out of the city. It was the most vital river for the city’s residents, bar none.
A month prior, the embankment of the moat outside the city had collapsed on a large scale during a torrential rain.
The immense water flow had submerged several nearby villages.
The accident had come too suddenly, the water unprecedentedly fierce. In a single night, several villages had lost over a thousand lives.
Rumors began to circulate in the streets and alleys, claiming that someone in the royal family was unfilial, thus enraging the heavens.
They said this was heaven’s punishment.
As for who was unfilial, no one dared to say.
However, the greatest offense for the unfilial was to have no descendants.
The people knew very well who in the royal family should have had heirs but had none to this day.
This folk rhyme was clearly a satire and a rebuke of the Emperor.
Belief in ghosts and spirits was the easiest way to destabilize the populace.
And today, the Emperor bringing Miss Li here, under the guidance of the National Preceptor, to pacify the souls and appease the spirits, was an extremely important event for their Southern Ming.
The collapsed section of the moat outside the city was now surrounded by layers upon layers of royal guards.
The Emperor and Miss Li’s procession was protected by royal guards all the way, making any issues impossible.
Yet, precisely today, a problem had arisen.
“The National Preceptor is missing?”
Feng Yexuan’s dark eyes deepened.
In an instant, those around him felt an aura of profound coldness.
And the pressure, emanating from his powerful internal energy, made it difficult to breathe.
Although he remained expressionless, the pressure he exuded hinted at his underlying distress.
Xiao Shunzi was flustered, “Your Majesty, the National Preceptor’s entourage has not yet departed. Everyone cannot find him…”
“Isn’t he at Lingjiu Hall? How can he be missing?”
For over a decade, the National Preceptor had never left Lingjiu Hall, except to perform rituals. How could he be missing?
“Your Majesty, the National Preceptor… he is truly gone!”
The National Preceptor’s entourage always traveled separately from the Emperor.
Therefore, the Emperor only received the news of the National Preceptor’s disappearance at this moment.
Xiao Shunzi quickly added, “The guards dared not force their way into Lingjiu Hall, but who among the palace servants of Lingjiu Hall would dare to lie? That is a crime punishable by death!”
“It is said that the National Preceptor locked himself in Lingjiu Hall five days ago, instructing that no one should disturb him. For these five days, no one has dared to approach.”
“How can no one dare to approach? Can the National Preceptor not eat or drink?” Chu Qianli couldn’t help but ask.
Xiao Shunzi whispered, “Miss Li, you may not know, but the National Preceptor’s living habits are different from ordinary people. He does not consume things of the mundane world.”
However, a scene suddenly flashed in Chu Qianli’s mind.
Feng Yexuan, understanding her so well, immediately pulled up her wrist. “Do you know where the National Preceptor is?”