Chapter 43: Something is Wrong

Xiao Youlan felt as if he had caught a glimpse of her, but when he blinked, there was nothing there.

Shu Yu came over, drenched in sweat, "Your Highness, we've searched the entire city, but there's nothing! We've practically turned Fengdu upside down!"

He couldn't fathom it, "Where could such a young girl possibly hide?"

Xiao Youlan's lips were pressed into a tight line, his expression unimaginably stern.

Shu Yu ventured a bold guess: "Do you think the Emperor or the Empress Dowager hid her? I heard they recently selected a few fine candidates from noble families to be your Crown Princess, and they even planned to have Doukou teach them how to please you..."

Xiao Youlan was stunned and looked at him.

Shu Yu was taken aback, "Your Highness, you didn't know about this?"

Of course, Xiao Youlan did not know.

Shu Yu sighed, "It seems Doukou must have found out. She loves you and doesn't want you to have other women, but she couldn't bear to watch you fall out with the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, so she had to endure it in silence. In the end, desperate to do something for you and for your love, she went to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She must have wanted to become your Crown Princess and stay with you forever. But the Emperor and the Empress Dowager felt her status was too low, refused to agree, and hid her away."

The more he spoke, the more Shu Yu felt he had found the truth, his voice choking with emotion, "Otherwise, how could a grown person just vanish into thin air? She isn't some Assassin or Hidden Guard; she's just a weak woman!"

Xiao Youlan's gaze turned icy as he turned his horse around.

Shu Yu wiped away his tears and asked, "Your Highness, where to?"

Xiao Youlan's expression was gloomy, "To the palace!"

Elsewhere.

Nan Xueyin successfully entered the Dali Temple Prison.

This place primarily held criminal officials from the central government, as well as high-profile criminals brought to Fengdu from other regions; after Wang Yong arrived in the capital, he was imprisoned here.

Because the criminals sent here held high ranks before being stripped of their titles, the treatment here was quite good compared to other prisons.

Nan Xueyin did not know where Wang Yong was being held, and after the handover, she discovered that the area she was responsible for did not include the cell where Wang Yong was kept.

Thinking about it carefully, it was not strange; Zhou Lü's position was low, and he was just an ordinary jailer. High-profile criminals like Wang Yong were naturally left to be guarded by higher-ranking jailers.

Nan Xueyin was not in a hurry; after the patrol ended, the jailers gathered together to gossip.

As the men gathered, someone first mentioned that a few new courtesans had arrived at the flower house in the last two days, each one fairer and more tender than the last. He heard one was sixteen and still a virgin, and in two days, her first night would be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Another said he had hired a tutor for his son, hoping he would study hard to bring honor to the family name so he wouldn't have to work as hard as he did.

"The tuition alone cost a large sum of silver; after paying the tutor, the silver I've painstakingly saved all these years has gone to waste."

One man slapped his thigh, "That money was well spent, you should be happy! Unlike me, I've saved money but have nowhere to spend it! My useless wife has given birth to three, all daughters; I'm afraid the Li family line will end with me."

Another teased, "I've had two children, both sons. How about I sleep with your wife for a night, and if a son is born, he's yours?"

The group laughed boisterously together.

Nan Xueyin laughed along and casually remarked, "As long as your son studies hard, the money won't be wasted, but you must keep a close eye on him so he doesn't go astray. If you two were to reunite in a place like this, that would truly be the end of you."

The group nodded with a laugh, "Zhou Lü is right!"

Soon, a man with a square face sighed, "Isn't that exactly what happened to the one brought in two days ago? Everyone called him a young prodigy and praised his filial piety. Who knew that a man like that would embezzle such a massive amount of silver, even enraging the Emperor."

Nan Xueyin said nothing.

The square-faced man said to her, "You weren't there at the time. They say the silver he embezzled was stacked neatly in his home, filling ten whole rooms, and he slept on a bed made of silver every night."

Nan Xueyin looked astonished, "That is truly strange! What kind of god-like person is he?"

The square-faced man pointed in a direction, "He had already risen to the rank of Assistant Governor of Lianzhou; if this hadn't happened, who knows what the future might have held..."

"A bunch of idiots!"

The head jailer walked up and scolded them irritably, "Are state criminals something you can discuss so casually? Do you not want your heads anymore?!"

The group looked sheepish and scattered.

Nan Xueyin retreated into the shadows and glanced in the direction the man had just pointed.

That was a corridor, and there were many more cells extending further inside.

So, Wang Yong was being held there.

The sky grew dark, and it was nearing the time for the jailers to change shifts.

At this time, there was one final patrol.

This was also Nan Xueyin's only golden opportunity to silence him.

Nan Xueyin slowed her pace, and after the other jailers went off to their respective patrols, she strode toward the direction of Wang Yong's cell.

There were two people patrolling this area: the head jailer and his deputy.

Nan Xueyin approached silently from behind them and knocked them both unconscious.

She fished the keys from the head jailer and searched cell by cell.

Finally, in the innermost cell, Nan Xueyin saw Wang Yong sitting listlessly on the bed, his face ashen.

She had once seen this former Assistant Governor of Lianzhou while she was by Xiao Mingyu's side; he had once gifted Xiao Mingyu an incredibly beautiful woman with a pair of peach-blossom eyes full of affection, whose every look and smile tugged at the heartstrings.

That time, Xiao Mingyu did not leave his room for two days and two nights.

Nan Xueyin had seen with her own eyes how that woman spoke to Xiao Mingyu, and she had later borrowed much of that woman's style when she was seducing the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace.

"You... are you here to save me?"

As Nan Xueyin opened the cell door, she heard Wang Yong ask in a trembling voice.

She did not answer, turned the lock, and pushed the cell door open.

Wang Yong watched her approach him step by step, suddenly realized something, and revealed a look of terror, "No! You cannot kill me! I gave so many benefits, Duan..."

Before he could finish the words "Prince Duan," Nan Xueyin had already closed the distance and cleanly snapped his neck.

Wang Yong collapsed onto the bed, his eyes wide open in helplessness, staring at the ceiling.

Nan Xueyin ensured he was truly dead, then dragged the two jailers inside, placed the keys back on the head jailer, closed the cell door, and retreated.

As she walked out of the corridor, she unexpectedly ran into the square-faced man from earlier.

"Why are you coming from that side?" the man asked.

Nan Xueyin replied unhurriedly, "The head said there was a problem and called me over to help."

The square-faced man was puzzled, "The boss actually asked you for help?"

"Hey, just making things difficult on purpose. He heard us talking about that Assistant Governor business and is dissatisfied with me."

The square-faced man was half-doubting.

Nan Xueyin walked toward the door, "I won't talk to you anymore, I'm starving, I'm heading back first!"

The square-faced man was not reassured; instead, he walked toward the corridor to confirm the situation.

There were still many people around, so Nan Xueyin could not make a move on him, as that would cause a commotion; she could only quicken her pace and blend into the group of prison guards heading out.

The most urgent task was to leave Dali Temple Prison quickly; according to the plan, Xiao Mingyu and Wu Zhui would be waiting outside to provide immediate support.

Nan Xueyin soon exited the main gate, however, she quickly realized something was wrong—

Outside the gate, apart from the regular guards of Dali Temple Prison, the rest were all Crown Prince's personal guards; there was absolutely no one there to provide support.

There was no time to think deeply; Nan Xueyin walked quickly into the night, she had to leave this place first!

Suddenly, the prison guard boss behind her shouted urgently, "That kid Zhou Shuai is suspicious! Quick! Catch him and bring him back!"