"His Highness Prince Jing," Hua Yun Dan uttered only three words.
Li Chen Xi's body stiffened. "Yun Dan, are you saying...?"
"Guard Ning, you may withdraw if there's nothing else," Hua Yun Dan said, waving her hand.
Xue Zi Ning retreated.
"Yun Dan, could this be a trap?" Li Chen Xi still felt uneasy.
"Even if it is, we must go. Otherwise, we may never know the Emperor's whereabouts. Is there any news from Cheng Fei?"
Li Chen Xi shook her head. "No, that kid Cheng Fei has vanished into thin air. Yun Dan, do you think His Majesty is..."
"He won't be. His Majesty will be fine," Hua Yun Dan said.
"Yun Dan, why are you so sure?"
"His Majesty's existence benefits every faction. Prince Jing wants to eliminate His Majesty and use His Majesty's disappearance to frame someone else."
Upon hearing this, Li Chen Xi said, "So, His Majesty is safe then?"
Hua Yun Dan replied, "Not entirely. One can only hope that the ones who kidnapped His Majesty share my line of thinking."
Li Chen Xi felt a mix of amusement and exasperation, realizing that Hua Yun Dan's reasoning was mere speculation.
With Hua Yun Dan's approval, Xue Zi Ning led her men back to the imperial palace. As she escorted Hua Yun Dan and Li Chen Xi to the palace entrance, she stopped. "Prime Minister Hua, Official Li, I shall escort you this far. The rest of the way, this eunuch will guide you." Da Feng Xiao Shuo Wang
Hearing this, Ping An glanced at her. "Guard Ning, won't you accompany us to see His Highness Prince Jing?"
"I have other matters to attend to. I shall take my leave!" With that, she turned and departed.
Hua Yun Dan watched her retreating figure, her gaze deep.
"Yun Dan, what are you looking at?" Li Chen Xi asked, seeing Hua Yun Dan standing still.
Hua Yun Dan replied, "Don't you think she resembles someone?"
Li Chen Xi started. "Who?"
Hua Yun Dan shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's go inside!"
Seeing Hua Yun Dan and Li Chen Xi enter the palace, she finally relaxed. She didn't return to the Prince's mansion but headed straight for Mr. Li's residence. Her only concern now was Hua Yun Jin.
Mr. Li's residence was located southeast of the imperial palace, not too far from the Prince's mansion. She didn't ride a horse or a carriage, as there were too many potential targets. At this time, caution was paramount.
She used her qinggong to reach Mr. Li's residence. Perched on the wall, she surveyed the courtyard. Mr. Li's mansion wasn't large, with only five rooms in total. One of the rooms bore a plaque that read "Han Guang She," which she presumed was Mr. Li's study.
She leaped down and headed towards the study.
However, as soon as she landed, she heard voices from not far away, which sounded like a woman's voice.
She sprang onto the nearest tree. Just as she steadied herself, a figure hurried towards her.
It was indeed a woman, dressed in a pale orchid gown and adorned with a gold hairpin and tassels. Although her face was unclear, she must have been breathtakingly beautiful.
"Cousin, cousin..." The woman, seeing no one in the courtyard, tried to enter the study. Unfortunately, the study door was locked, and despite her efforts, she couldn't push it open due to lack of strength.
At this moment, two people rushed up behind the woman. One was a maid, judging by her attire, and the other appeared to be a young scholar.
The young scholar stopped the woman as she tried to ram the door again. "Miss Cousin, the master is not in the study. Please return to your room and wait patiently. I will inform you when the master returns, alright?"
The woman shook her head. "No, that won't do. If cousin isn't here, you get out of the way quickly. I want to see who is here. Why is the door locked in broad daylight?"
The young scholar replied, "Miss Cousin, the study contains the master's important items, which is why it is locked."
The woman scoffed. "Don't lie to me. I saw cousin bringing food to the study last night."
The young scholar responded, "Miss Cousin, the master has a habit of eating late-night snacks. It's normal for him to bring food to the study."
"Normal? But he already ate. Get out of my way quickly, or cousin won't forgive you when he returns!" the woman said angrily.
"Miss Cousin, even if the master returns, whether you complain or not, you can have the master punish me. But now, you cannot enter." The young scholar stood firm before the door, unmoving, like a wall.
"Ru Yi, why aren't you helping me move him away? Today, your mistress absolutely must go in. I want to see what kind of vixen has bewitched my cousin, the one he keeps hidden away!" The woman then had the maid grab the young scholar, while she continued to push at the door.
Xue Zi Ning furrowed her brow slightly. With no time to think, she used the opportunity of no one noticing to fly onto the roof. She removed a few tiles and peered inside. She didn't believe Mr. Li would keep a mistress hidden away. Perhaps there was something unsavory he was hiding.
Due to the closed door, the interior was dimly lit, preventing her from seeing clearly. She had no choice but to fly down and enter the room.
She found it to be just an ordinary study. On the desk lay calligraphy written by Mr. Li himself, his strokes bold yet understated.
She reached out to pick up a piece of paper. It read: "If two hearts can endure a long separation, why should they fret about being together day and night?"
Her heart ached. She hadn't expected the seemingly cold Mr. Li to have such tender sentiments.
Suddenly, a chill emanated from the room. She instinctively stepped back, and a figure appeared by the desk.
A large cloak concealed his entire body, including his face. Only his eyes, visible through the cloak, radiated an icy aura.
"Li... Mr. Li..." She placed the paper back down.
Mr. Li didn't even look at her. He reached out, his voice slightly displeased. "Give it to me."
She quickly returned the paper. "I..."
With a clang, a beam of light shot through. She instinctively covered her eyes, but was suddenly pulled forward by a force. She instinctively struck out, but was no match for the opponent. When she finally saw the person clearly, she asked, "Mr. Li, what are you...?"
Before she could finish speaking, her official cap was suddenly removed, and her dark tresses cascantly cascaded down.
She froze and tried to retrieve her cap, but was held down. A voice whispered in her ear, "Cooperate with me."
Before she could react, a piercing scream echoed, "Vixen! How dare you seduce my cousin?"
*Vixen?* Xue Zi Ning found it amusing. She looked towards the source of the voice and saw a face that was once innocent and lovely, now twisted with rage.
"Luan Luan, don't talk nonsense."
Lin Luan Luan said aggrievedly, "Cousin, you... you're actually helping the vixen?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Zi Ning slung an arm around someone's arm, feeling the person's body stiffen. She inwardly sneered. *Cooperate? Very well, I'll cooperate fully.* "Brother Li, who is this? Disturbing our good time, why don't you escort her out?"