Chapter 192: Four Kingdoms Pay Tribute

Li Shi was shoved down until her bottom hit the ground; she reached out and pulled Jun Jun Zhihao, who was hiding behind her, crying so miserably that her voice nearly shattered the roof.

"Master, even a maid dares to act this way; you must take charge for Hao'er."

Seeing a maid dare to bring up the shameful deeds his son and daughter had committed struck Jun Xiang Junzheng right in the heart.

A surge of anger shot straight to his brain like a spark, his blood churning violently, his face turning so red it was about to smoke.

Yet this maid was sent by the Crown Prince to protect Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, so he dared not offend her lightly; the ball of rage in his heart was like a popped balloon, deflating with a "puff."

He smiled with skin but not flesh, addressing Guazi:

"Miss, do not speak recklessly; as long as you hand my son over, I will let today's matter pass."

Li Shi climbed to her feet, brushed off her bottom, looking exactly like a hen just out of the coop, and shouted at the top of her lungs:

"Stop wasting words with her. Search inside for me; I don't believe my son can vanish into thin air!"

Li Shi's shrill voice echoed at the entrance of the Jun Manor; her eyes were bloodshot as she reached up to adjust the slightly disheveled headscarf on her head.

The Retainers exchanged glances; what kind of joke was this? Were the many guards at the gate eating grass? But the master had spoken, so they dared not disobey; helplessly, they gritted their teeth and charged into the house.

The guards at the gate immediately stepped forward to block them.

"How dare you! Whoever dares to cause trouble, beware that swords and blades have no eyes."

They did not care about verbal sparring, but if someone tried to harm Lady Lady Qingping, and the Lady came to any harm, they would have to take the blame; this duty allowed them no room for carelessness.

The guards' voices made Li Shi's eardrums ache; she felt some fear and instinctively stepped back half a pace.

But thinking of her only son, she gritted her teeth, a flash of determination crossing her eyes; she simply threw a tantrum, grabbed a guard's thigh, and wailed:

"The Emperor's Dragon and Tiger Guards are beating people! Do you have any sense of justice? Why won't you let me find my son?"

Li Shi cried with snot and tears streaming down, looking as if she had truly suffered a grievance beyond measure.

The guard, worn out by Li Shi's clinging, had no temper left; he shook his leg but could not shake off this "sticky candy," so he helplessly looked up at the sky, cursing inwardly.

Just then, a clear, cold voice rang out; Seeing Jun Jun Zijin spoke:

"General, let her in."

If she did not see for herself, how could she give up?

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin turned her head slightly, glancing at Li Shi and Jun Xiang Junzheng; the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile that did not reach her eyes, instead making people feel a chill.

Li Shi hurriedly climbed to her feet, signaled the Retainers, and they rushed into the Jun Manor in a swarm.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's voice rang out again:

"Remember, if you damage any objects in my manor, you will suffer for it."

Li Shi and Jun Xiang Junzheng exchanged a glance; though unwilling in their hearts, they dared not be too brazen, so they slowed their pace with the Retainers.

Jun Xiang Junzheng followed behind; as he passed Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, he glared fiercely at her, his gaze almost piercing Seeing Jun Jun Zijin through; he threatened in a low voice:

"If I discover you are involved in Jun Zhihao's disappearance, just wait and see!"

This threat, though spoken in a low voice, was filled with chilling killing intent.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin remained calm, her gaze clear as water.

"Second Uncle, do not speak recklessly; if no one is found when they search, how will you explain yourself?"

Her voice remained clear and cold, yet carried a hint of mockery.

Jun Xiang Junzheng snorted coldly, gave no answer, and strode into the manor.

Inside the Jun Manor, all was quiet and peaceful; the flowers in the garden were vibrant and dripping with dew.

As soon as they entered the manor, Li Shi began shouting orders, directing the Retainers to flip over this and search that.

Those Retainers, driven dizzy by her, moved with surprising speed, turning a perfectly fine courtyard into chaos.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin ordered servants to bring chairs and tables and place them under the sun, then brought tea and Guazi.

She lightly brushed her robes, sat there quietly basking in the winter sun, drinking tea and cracking melon seeds while watching the commotion, looking utterly elegant and at ease.

Jun Xiang Junzheng watched Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's calm demeanor from afar; his confidence grew weaker and weaker.

He gritted his teeth inwardly, thinking:

"This Li Shi is useless for success but good at causing failure; it seems we will not find him this time, having needlessly provoked that ancestor; life will be even harder from now on."

Indeed, Li Shi directed the Retainers to search everywhere; courtyards, rooms, wood sheds, stables—any place where someone could hide was not spared, yet after searching every corner, there was no trace of Jun Jun Zhihao.

Li Shi panicked, shouting Jun Jun Zhihao's name like a madwoman, but only empty echoes answered.

Finally, the shouting turned into muttering; her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

"Jun Zhihao, where exactly are you? Do not scare your mother... Impossible; Jun Zhidie clearly said Jun Zhihao came here..."

As the sky grew dark, not even a hair of Jun Jun Zhihao had been found.

Jun Xiang Junzheng stood aside, dejected and crestfallen.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin sat by the table, gently swirling the teacup in her hand; her eyes held a touch of mockery and amusement as she spoke with a half-smile:

"You two, now that matters have come to this, what more do you have to say? How shall this account be settled for falsely slandering this Princess?"

Jun Xiang Junzheng looked utterly dejected, clearly lacking confidence, but still forced himself to speak:

"Even if Jun Zhihao is not here, Jun Zhidie said he came to find you, so you must be involved; you had better tell us everything you know."

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin slowly sat down, lifted the teacup from the table, and took a light sip.

"Since Second Uncle does not believe me, I have nothing more to say. However, I advise Second Uncle to calm down first and think carefully whether Jun Jun Zhihao discovered some terrible secret of someone else; perhaps there are other hidden circumstances."

Li Shi, nearly driven mad, clenched her teeth, her eyes flashing with ferocity:

"Do not be so smug; this matter is not over! Jun Zhihao was certainly hidden by you; I will find the evidence and leave you no room to deny it!"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin let out a cold laugh; this time she would not even call him Second Uncle:

"Then I will wait for Lady Li to produce evidence; however, before that, please, Master Jun and Lady Li, do not come to my Jun Manor to cause trouble again, or do not blame me for being impolite."

"Guazi, see them out!"

Having spoken, she flicked her sleeves, rose, and departed.

Hmph, Jun Jun Zhihao was burned to nothing — where would you find evidence? Besides, she merely punished a petty thief who climbed over the wall at midnight intending to commit violence. What "Jun Jun Zhihao" is there to speak of?

And so, Xiang Xiang Junzheng and his wife searched the whole world for news of Jun Jun Zhihao. But Jun Jun Zhihao was as if he had evaporated into thin air, vanishing without a trace.

Jun Jun Zhidie, who knew the inside story, could not fathom why things had come to this, and spent every day in such dread she could barely keep herself together.

Over at the Jun residence, the search for their son threw everything into chaos, and in the blink of an eye the New Year was upon them. The tributary envoys from the Southern Kingdom, Shu Capital, Eastern Zhou, and the Northern Kingdom all entered the capital of Emperor Tianqi Kingdom one after another over these few days.