Mu Xing, upon hearing Lu Wanqing’s words, was unwilling to go back. He had finally managed to get out and was determined to find his father and mother. He looked at the steamed bun in Lu Wanqing’s hand and swallowed, “Sister, I want a bun.”
Lu Wanqing was taken aback. She touched her cheek, thinking what a silly thing to do! She quickly handed the bun to Mu Xing and began to eat her own. The two, one big and one small, walked towards the carriage while eating and talking.
Lu Wanqing got into the carriage and pulled Mu Xing up.
“Sister, do you know where there is fighting?”
Mu Xing took a sip of water that Lu Wanqing handed him and asked with concern. Lu Wanqing was stunned. She didn’t know if there was any fighting recently. She didn’t care about such things. What she cared about was whether Wan Feng’s cold poison had acted up.
Her current outing was to prepare an antidote for him. She, Lu Wanqing, a traditional Chinese medicine physician who had transmigrated from modern times, was now only interested in researching antidotes for cold poison. As for where there was fighting in ancient times, she was not interested at all.
“I don’t know. What do you want to do by finding a place where there is fighting?”
“I’m looking for my parents,” Mu Xing said after he had eaten his fill and had taken off his boots, curling up on the soft couch of the carriage to rest.
Lu Wanqing was surprised. She didn’t expect the child to have such a bitter fate. Both his parents had gone to join the army! Leaving such a young child to be captured by others was truly pitiful. However, were the children of soldiers living too well to be wearing such fine silk and brocade?
“I don’t know where there is fighting, but you can come back to the Lu Mansion with me. My brothers should know.”
Lu Wanqing shrugged her shoulders and turned to suggest this to young Mu Xing, but he had already fallen asleep.
Lu Wanqing sighed helplessly. It seemed she really had to take this little fellow home. She wondered if her brother would complain again.
From picking up stray cats and dogs to heal them, to picking up people to heal them now, it was fortunate that Mu Xing was not sick; this was the greatest gain. Lu Wanqing smiled triumphantly, reached out and hugged Mu Xing’s body, and the two snuggled together to sleep.
The Imperial Palace in the capital.
Yongyuan Hall was silent and desolate. The Emperor sat high above, his cultivation emitting a chilling aura. Beside him sat Prince Yan, Feng Lie. The Emperor had summoned him to the palace early in the morning. It turned out that the Empress had gone out of the palace to look for the Crown Prince. In fact, the news had arrived yesterday that the Crown Prince had gone south. The Emperor must have been busy yesterday and forgot to inform the Empress. The Empress, unable to wait, had left the palace.
“These foolish servants, they don’t even know when someone leaves.”
Feng Xie sat on the high seat, furious. The eunuchs and palace maids kneeling in the hall dared not make a sound, barely breathing.
A wrong move would result in their heads rolling. How could they have known that the Empress had gone out of the palace? Even the Empress’s closest lady-in-waiting, Zui’er, did not know that her mistress had left the palace.
“Your Majesty, if the Empress wants to leave, how can these people possibly stop her? Moreover, the Empress has Ri Ying and Zhao Jiu by her side. These two will not let the Empress get into trouble.”
Feng Xie raised an eyebrow. He knew that Liu’er would not be alright. But he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. It seemed he had to go out of the palace.
Feng Xie’s gaze swept deeply towards Feng Lie. Feng Lie immediately shivered. When would this sort of thing end? He frantically shook his head, but it was as if the Emperor hadn’t seen it. He waved his hand, ordering the eunuchs and palace maids to retreat.
“You may leave.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and bowed as they withdrew. Only the Emperor and Prince Yan remained in the magnificent hall. Feng Lie’s expression was extremely unpleasant. He stood up and spoke hurriedly, “Your Majesty, I believe the Empress will be fine. Your Majesty does not need to go out of the palace to find her.”
“But I am not at ease about her. You know Feng Luo has not been apprehended yet, and Lou Si Jing is still out there. If I don’t go out, I will surely be restless. If Liu’er is in danger outside, can you be at ease?” Feng Xie’s piercing gaze fixed on Feng Lie. He knew that in Feng Lie’s heart, Liu’er would always hold a place. Their innocent youthful days, even if he was jealous, still lingered.
As expected, upon hearing Feng Xie’s words, Feng Lie’s head drooped like a frostbitten eggplant. In fact, he was also worried about Liu’er being outside. His Imperial Brother always exploited this particular mindset of his, which was truly infuriating. After a long silence with a darkened face, he grunted.
“Only this once, and no more.” He had forgotten that he seemed to have said this once before. Feng Xie smiled triumphantly. A cold glint flashed in his deep pupils. Ri Ying and Zhao Jiu, those two, don’t think I’ll let you off.
“Alright,” Feng Xie nodded and turned to change his clothes, preparing to leave the palace to find Liu’er. Feng Lie sighed helplessly from behind, “Your Majesty will definitely go to Yelán City in Jiangnan, because the Crown Prince is currently in the hands of the eldest daughter of the Lu family, one of the five great families of Jiangnan.”
“Got it,” Feng Xie threw back a sentence from afar, and had already disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, Liu Liu, who had left the capital, sent a pigeon message ordering the Seven Stars Tower and the leader of the martial arts alliance, Zhan Yun, to immediately begin searching for the Crown Prince’s whereabouts. In just three days, they discovered that Mu Xing was currently in the hands of the eldest daughter of the Lu family in Yelán City. She couldn’t understand how that boy ended up in the hands of the eldest daughter of the Lu family. Wasn’t he out with Ye Nu? She wondered if that woman had harmed Mu Xing. A trace of worry flashed in Liu Liu’s eyes.
Ri Ying said respectfully, “Your Majesty, please do not worry. As long as the Crown Prince is safe, it is fine. We will now head to Yelán City immediately, and I believe we will see the Crown Prince soon. Your Majesty, please rest assured.”
“Good, let’s set off. Head to Yelán City immediately.”
The carriage sped south like an arrow released from a bowstring. In Yelán City, Jiangnan, some clues suddenly flashed through Liu Liu’s mind. Wuyang seemed to be in Yelán City.
She heard that her husband’s family, the Yun family, was one of the five great families in Yelán City. The Lu family was also one of the five great families, as was the Luo family.
As for the other two families, she was not very clear. These aristocratic families were all scholarly households that never interacted with the government but engaged in trade. The businesses in Jiangnan were dominated by these five great families.
Liu Liu closed her eyes, thinking of Wuyang. Why didn’t the princess come? Did she not know that the Empress Dowager missed her dearly in the palace? It seemed she had her reasons.
Yelán City.
It was prosperous and lively, completely different from the capital, with the charm of a water town. The crowded streets were filled with scholars and beauties, and the roadside vendors sold delicate handicrafts from Jiangnan, as well as Jiangnan specialties.
Mu Xing was awakened by the noise. He rubbed his eyes and lifted the curtain to look outside. “How lively it is!” He turned to look at Lu Wanqing behind him, “Sister, is this place your home?”
“Yes, my home is right here. We’ll be there soon, don’t be anxious,” Lu Wanqing suddenly felt a sense of urgency because she missed Wan Feng. She wondered if he missed her.
This was truly strange for her, to develop feelings for someone she had only known for a few days. However, Wan Feng was special. He was like a wisp of floating cloud in the sky, distant and lingering, indifferent, completely uninterested in external affairs.
His only pursuit was playing the flute, and his flute music was very melodious, carrying hidden emotions. Wan Qing always thought that perhaps there was a woman hidden in his heart, but seeing his solitude, she couldn’t help but want to approach him and comfort him.