The entire prince's mansion, except for Feng Yexuan's Wuzhou Yuan and Feng Jinrui's Yujing Ge, had been thoroughly searched.
There was no news of Fu Ning.
They had even searched the back mountain.
There was no trace of Fu Ning in the back mountain either.
Where could a living person have gone?
Feng Yexuan stayed in the study for a long time.
He felt a desire to escape.
He had never felt this way in all these years.
He just didn't want to leave the study, as if by staying, he wouldn't have to encounter certain people.
But he didn't know why he was avoiding her.
She was the one he longed for day and night...
"Your Highness, all places have been searched."
Leng Ji returned to report after the day's search: "Your Highness, there is absolutely no trace of Fu Ning's escape in the back mountain. I suspect Fu Ning is still in the prince's mansion."
Of course, Leng Ji only dared to say this after Jing Ri had left.
"There are only two courtyards in the prince's mansion that have not been searched: Your Highness's Wuzhou Yuan and Fourteenth Prince's Yujing Ge."
"What about that girl?" Feng Yexuan suddenly asked.
Leng Ji thought for a moment before realizing who he was referring to.
Leng Ji quickly replied, "An hour ago, after Miss Xiao Yao woke up, she returned to the West Wing on her own."
Feng Yexuan stood up.
Leng Ji looked surprised: "Your Highness, are you going to see Miss Xiao Yao?"
"Why should I go see her?" Feng Yexuan frowned.
In the middle of the night, going to see a girl, it wasn't as if they had a certain kind of relationship!
Leng Ji was speechless. Didn't His Highness ask about her first?
After he inquired about Miss Xiao Yao, he was about to leave, so Leng Ji naturally assumed His Highness wanted to see Xiao Yao.
"Your Highness, then you..."
"What's the situation with Li'er?" Feng Yexuan strode out of the study.
"She came twice, and I sent her away both times."
His Highness had said he wanted to be alone tonight, so Leng Ji did not let Chu Qianli in.
Chu Qianli seemed to have only come to inquire about the news. Knowing that Feng Yexuan had been in the study and hadn't come out, she didn't insist on meeting him and turned to leave.
"Your Highness, there are some things I don't know if I should say or not."
"If you don't want to say it, then shut up." Feng Yexuan walked out of the study and stood in the corridor, unsure of where to step.
Suddenly, he lost his direction.
"Your Highness," Leng Ji was the type of person who had to speak his mind.
If he wasn't allowed to speak, he would suffer internal injuries.
"Doesn't Your Highness find this matter very strange?"
Although His Highness had said not to suspect the Empress, the Empress was indeed very suspicious.
"Your Highness, given the relationship between the Empress and Fu Ning, even if... even if Fu Ning was a spy, judging by the Empress's character, she would at most capture her."
In the past, although Chu Qianli acted decisively and with a firm hand, that was only towards enemies.
For someone like Fu Ning... even if she were an enemy, having been so friendly before, in Chu Qianli's mind, she wasn't an absolute enemy.
She couldn't be so heartless.
But the current Empress... to kill without mercy, her heart was truly too ruthless.
"Li'er endured countless hardships, and every step she took was forged in blood."
Feng Yexuan looked up at the dark sky above.
These words seemed to be for convincing Leng Ji, and also for convincing himself.
"At this point, she can only force herself to be ruthless. If she isn't ruthless enough, she will be the one who gets hurt."
"Your Highness..."
"Unless you think Li'er is the perpetrator in this matter."
These words made Leng Ji's heart tremble. How could he dare to say another word?
How could he suspect the Empress? She was their future Xuan Princess Consort!
She and His Highness had finally reached this point after overcoming all obstacles and experiencing life and death.
Suspecting Chu Qianli was no different from suspecting the relationship between His Highness and her!
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
Seeing His Highness stride away, Leng Ji could only follow. However, this direction... the West Wing?
The one living in the West Wing... was Miss Xiao Yao!