Outside a secluded village in Xinyu County.
A sparse grove of trees.
Su Mian leaned against a tree, dejected.
"This is the last village in this town. If I still can't find Miss, and the clues run out, Thirteen, do you think Miss is really still alive?"
She would have believed it with absolute certainty two years ago, but now that certainty seemed to be dissipating with each passing day of disappointment.
However, the Prince was very confident that Miss was still alive.
Perhaps he dared not think about it, or perhaps he was punishing himself.
If it were the Miss of the past, how happy she would be to see the Prince's deep affection!
This place bordered Donglin County, a world away from the separate estate where Miss disappeared. Could she really have ended up here?
It didn't seem very logical, yet she couldn't abandon even the slightest clue.
Su Mian received no response from Thirteen. She turned to look and saw Thirteen standing not far away. Opposite him was a field of rapeseed flowers, blooming vibrantly, their fragrance filling the air.
What time was it, and he still had the mood to admire flowers!
If he weren't so foolish, Miss and the young princess wouldn't have been abducted!
It wasn't her Miss, so no need to rush, right!
Su Mian ran over angrily. Hearing the commotion, Thirteen turned his head, and his backside was kicked hard. He then clutched his pants and fell to the ground.
"Look, look, look, can you tell anything from the flowers!"
No, they were flowers to begin with. She was so angry she spoke without thinking.
Thirteen got up. "You woman, is it necessary? Can't I even have time to pee?"
Fortunately, he had pulled up his pants quickly, otherwise, wouldn't he have been rubbing against the ground!
He had lost the Princess and the young princess, so he was in the wrong. He hadn't dared to retort over the past few years when this woman scolded him, but that didn't mean he had no temper.
He had dignity too, alright?
"You, you're shameless!" Su Mian's face turned red with anger again.
He couldn't even walk further away to pee!
"Doctor Qu's medical skills are truly excellent. This tumor had been growing on my back for over ten years, and I'd taken so much medicine with no effect. She removed it in just half an hour, and I didn't feel any pain at all. Fortunately, I met her. She said that if it had continued to press on my cervical spine for a few more years, I might have become paralyzed!"
"Really? That's wonderful. I hope she can cure me this time too, so I can get pregnant soon."
Two women chatted as they walked past on the nearby path.
Su Mian was trembling with excitement.
"Did you hear that? Doctor Qu, that's my Miss! She's still alive, she's alive!"
Su Mian finally couldn't hold back her tears and burst into sobs.
Thirteen looked at Su Mian, who had lost all composure, and muttered, "Don't get happy too soon. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. There are many people named Qu. It's not like there haven't been false alarms before..."
Su Mian didn't have the energy to scold him this time.
This time was truly different. Miss had inherited her father's true skills and was very adept at cutting and excising poisonous sores. It was correct, she was sure of it, this was her Miss.
"Heaven bless us."
North Flow Village, Shuilo Town, Xinyu County.
When Feng Shihao arrived after receiving the news, he saw Thirteen with his head hanging low, waiting outside a thatched hut.
"Where is Madam?"
Is she inside?
Thirteen opened his mouth, truly not knowing how to tell his master. Seeing how anxious his master was, his hair was almost all gone.
Feng Shihao didn't notice Thirteen's hesitant expression. He had already heard Su Mian coaxing a child from inside.
Clutching his wildly beating heart, he felt a sense of fear.
Two years. Was it really her inside? If it was her, why hadn't she come back to find him?
"Nan Xing, no."
Only when she heard that voice that haunted her dreams, gentle, resilient, and calming, did she...
Back then, he had trouble sleeping and would often wake up in the middle of the night. She used this voice to coax him to sleep.
And this familiar medicinal fragrance.
It was her!
Feng Shihao rushed in.
The thatched hut was small and cramped inside, with three adults and one child.
The child had a pair of single-phoenix eyes, similar to his own, and was nestled beside a woman with her face covered.
Su Mian stood with her head bowed, her face full of guilt.
The woman with her face covered leaned close to a man.
An old acquaintance, Du Ling.
His mind seemed to roar, and a thought flashed through it, but he deliberately suppressed it.
"Linglong."
Qu Linglong seemed a little scared, leaning closer to Du Ling, her hand also reaching towards her belly.
Feng Shihao's gaze followed her movement and he then noticed that her belly was indeed bulging.
His phoenix eyes suddenly showed confusion.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, this commoner is afraid I cannot return with you."
Her voice was as soft and light as in his memory, but her words were as ruthless as ice water.
"You said before that if this commoner found a good home, you would fulfill it."
"Now, this commoner has found it."
She linked her arm with Du Ling's.
Feng Shihao still looked at Du Ling in confusion. Du Ling did not look at him, nor did he refute. Instead, he lowered his head to look at the woman beside him.
Nan Xing nestled between them, looking at the stranger before him with innocent eyes.
A family of three.
Or, soon to be four.
Feng Shihao's face turned instantly pale.
"You said..." he stammered, his lips trembling.
"It is this commoner's fault. Thinking back now, Your Highness was just a dream I fantasized about in my youth. When the dream became reality, I realized it wasn't as beautiful as I imagined. Your Highness, please grant us our wish. After being with him, I realized that he is the one this commoner wants."
"As for Nan Xing, Your Highness can take him. We originally intended to send him to you by the end of the year."
Inside the entire thatched hut, the silence was so profound that a needle drop could be heard.
Su Mian's head was almost buried in her chest.
Thirteen murmured outside: "It is all this subordinate's fault. It is this subordinate's fault for not guarding properly. If Madam had not met with misfortune, she would still be the Princess of the Prince's manor..."
Feng Shihao fled in a panic.
Actually, he was very timid.
He could have cursed her, beaten Du Ling to death, broken them up, aborted their child, and taken her back.
He could have denounced her for her broken promises and fickle heart.
But he did none of that.
He just fled.
"You said... you clearly said you wouldn't dislike me..."
He didn't understand. Back then, everything she said was so sincere, and he had believed it all.
How could she have changed so suddenly?
No, perhaps it wasn't sudden.
She was disappointed in him.
When she needed someone the most, he was never by her side.
Thirteen followed behind, reporting dutifully, "Master, this subordinate has checked. There are three pillows on the bed inside. They are indeed living together."
"Thirteen."
Feng Shihao looked blankly at the distant cooking smoke.
"Sometimes, I really want to kill you."
Inside the thatched hut, Qu Linglong slumped onto a chair, utterly exhausted, the light in her eyes gradually extinguishing.
Du Ling's eyes hid his heartache as he looked at this strong yet fragile woman.
"He will return."
Du Ling could see that the current Feng Shihao was different from before. His love was so obvious now, he wouldn't give up easily.
Qu Linglong shook her head. "I know him. He is a proud person, he won't return..."
This might be their last meeting.
Your Highness... Zhong Liang...
Su Mian, not understanding, couldn't help but cry.
"Miss, the Prince has searched almost the entire Jing Kingdom for you. He doesn't eat properly, his stomach ailment has relapsed, and each time he's in so much pain that he breaks out in a cold sweat..."
Don't say it, Su Mian, don't say it, don't say it...
Qu Linglong's lips trembled, and her body slid down.