Chapter 181: He Returns, She Disappears

The secret report was sent by Flying Eagle to Quan Quan Aoyu, but was intercepted by Quan Quan Tianyi.

Flying Eagle had never before made the mistake of having a secret report intercepted, but this time, because of Jun Jun Zijin's disappearance, his anxious heart cost him his usual standard.

Quan Quan Tianyi let out a sinister, cackling laugh.

"Someone come."

Quan Quan Tianyi's voice, carrying a trace of coquettish charm, echoed through the spacious study, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

A guard immediately pushed the door open and entered, dropping to one knee:

"What are Your Highness's orders?"

Quan Quan Tianyi's gaze slithered back and forth over the shadow guard like a venomous snake, sweeping across the guard with ill intent.

The guard's heart skipped a beat; he kept his head lowered and waited quietly for orders.

"Keep a close eye on movements over there, intercept every single secret letter for this prince."

Hmph! Want to send a message to Quan Quan Aoyu? Not a chance. This prince wants to see what reaction that sixth brother will have when he returns and finds the person he's been pining for has already been dead for who knows how many days.

Actually, Prince Yi's method of intercepting secret letters really is a bit incomprehensible—Quan Quan Aoyu was already returning to the capital, so whether he intercepted the letters or not really didn't mean much.

But he just did it anyway, as if some twisted psychology was at work. Who can understand the motives of a twisted mind?

"Yes!"

The guard accepted the order and turned to leave.

The guard had just turned when Quan Quan Tianyi called him back.

"Hold on! Send word to the Noble Consort, let her be happy too."

"Yes!"

The guard accepted the order and retreated as if a ghost were chasing him, rushing off in a frenzy—faster than a rabbit, vanishing in an instant.

Ever since Quan Quan Tianyi had his manhood kicked to ruin by Zhou Zhou Yiniang, his face had been gloomy day after day, dark enough to drip water, looking exactly like someone in his household had died and not been buried, a lingering ghost refusing to depart, as if haunted.

When unhappy he went to the rear courtyard to torment them; when happy he also went to the rear courtyard for a round of torment, tormenting the women there until they were crying for their fathers and mothers, wailing endlessly.

Recently, some bizarre rumors about Quan Quan Tianyi began to quietly spread through the rear courtyard.

They said Prince Yi had recently been secretly playing "dress-up" in his room—applying powder, dabbing on lip rouge, the very picture of a male "butterfly."

Once the shadow guard left, Quan Quan Tianyi hurried toward the rear courtyard. Before long, chaos erupted in Prince Yi Wang Fu's rear courtyard—moaning, pleading, shrieks… the tormenting went on for half the night, his concubines left so battered and dizzy they were utterly miserable.

Meanwhile, on Jingcheng's official road, a cloud of dust rose as Quan Quan Aoyu, returning triumphant from his northern campaign, rode a vigorous black horse, leaving his army behind as he galloped toward Jingcheng at full speed.

Flying Eagle spurred his horse to meet him, riding out ten li, and before he even reached Quan Quan Aoyu, he dismounted, threw himself before Quan Quan Aoyu's horse, and prostrated himself.

"Your subordinate Flying Eagle pays respects to the Crown Prince."

Quan Quan Aoyu looked at Flying Eagle with an icy gaze, but said nothing.

Flying Eagle kept his head pressed deep to the ground; in the dead of winter, beads of sweat actually rolled down from his head.

"Your secret letter was intercepted by Quan Quan Tianyi. I received word this time."

After a long pause, Quan Quan Aoyu finally spoke coolly, going straight for Flying Eagle's failure.

Flying Eagle's body trembled slightly, his forehead pressed to the ground, kicking up a little dust.

"Your Highness, your subordinate was anxious over the matter of his master and was momentarily careless. I willingly accept punishment."

Quan Quan Aoyu gave a cold snort through his nose.

"I'll spare you this time, but if there is a next time, I will not let you off lightly."

Quan Quan Aoyu's hawk-like eyes fixed tightly on Flying Eagle, and he asked again:

"I ask you—where is your master?"

Flying Eagle's voice carried a sobbing tone:

"Your Highness, your subordinate and Swallow have searched the entire Jingcheng, not a single trace! Your subordinate came to meet you; Swallow is still searching."

"What crime is that?"

"Your Highness, your subordinate deserves death a thousand times over and cannot escape blame; I willingly accept death."

Having said this, he steeled his heart, gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and was about to slit his own throat.

Suddenly his wrist went numb, and with a clang, the long sword dropped to the ground.

Flying Eagle was stunned, then overjoyed, and raised his head to look at Quan Quan Aoyu.

"Your subordinate thanks Your Highness for the mercy of not killing me."

Quan Quan Aoyu didn't even snort, and urged his horse forward at speed. Flying Eagle hurried to follow.

Quan Quan Aoyu was frantic with worry over Jun Jun Zijin's safety, and upon entering Jingcheng he headed straight for Jun Fu.

Without waiting for anyone to announce him, he used his lightness skill to fly directly to the Proud Snow Courtyard.

He searched frantically through every bit of rubble, his fingernails bending back, but he did not stop.

Those hands, which had once held the noble jade seal and wielded a sharp treasured sword, now only sought to find a single trace of Jun Jun Zijin, groping madly through the broken walls and ruins.

But he turned that charred house completely upside down, and still found nothing at all.

"Dandan, Jun Jun Zijin, where on earth are you?"

Quan Quan Aoyu broke down. He clenched his fists. The usually incomparably noble Crown Prince now had disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes. He stood at the place where Jun Jun Zijin had vanished, muttering to himself.

Quan Quan Tianyi had intercepted Flying Eagle's secret letter—this matter was almost certainly connected to him.

"Quan Quan Tianyi, if she is harmed in the slightest, don't blame me for disregarding brotherly affection. I will take your life."

Quan Quan Aoyu's grim face radiated a death-like coldness. He forced out the words almost one by one through gritted teeth.

"Someone come!"

Bai Yu appeared, and upon seeing Quan Quan Aoyu's state, couldn't help but shiver. He asked cautiously:

"Master, what are your orders."

"Mobilize immediately every available manpower—even if it means turning Jingcheng upside down for me—we must find Jun Jun Zijin."

"Yes!"

————————

At this moment, within the Imperial Palace, with its carved beams and painted pillars, gold and jade gleaming, the atmosphere was so oppressive it left one breathless.

The sky outside the window grew increasingly gloomy, with leaden clouds hanging low; the Emperor and Empress sat facing each other, their demeanors solemn.

The Empress held a delicate Bai Yu tea cup in her hands; the tea had long lost its heat, yet she felt it not in the slightest.

"What is to be done? The Jun family residence caught fire, Jun Jun Zijin has gone missing, and there is still not a single clue. Quan Quan Aoyu is about to return to Jingcheng; if he learns of this, I fear..."

The Empress sighed softly.

"Your Majesty, we must first find Jun Jun Zijin."

The Emperor's brows knitted tightly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

Hearing this, he sighed lightly, raised a hand to rub the space between his brows, and said in a deep voice:

"I have already sent people to search; they are scouring inside and outside Jingcheng meticulously. We must find her and bring her back."

Though he spoke thus, the exhaustion and worry in his eyes could not be concealed.

Of course, he knew that girl could not be lost; the Emperor Tianqi First Hospital had only just opened, and the Crown Princes of two nations, coming for the smallpox vaccine, would arrive in Jingcheng within days; every matter was tied to the nation's fate.

And Quan Quan Aoyu was about to return... When Quan Quan Aoyu departed for war, he had promised to look after that girl; now that the girl was lost, how could he explain this to his son?

Just then, a small eunuch ran over in haste, "Your Majesty, Empress, the Crown Prince has returned."

A flash of joy simultaneously appeared in the eyes of the Emperor and Empress.

The Empress's face instantly bloomed with a smile, sweeping away her earlier look of worry.

Only then did a hurried yet familiar sound of footsteps come from outside the hall.

The Empress's figure stiffened; she instinctively rose to her feet, her gaze fixed tightly on the hall door.