Thinking of this, Zhan Tianhong suddenly had an impulse to keep her confined to the capital.
"It can be done, just spread the news," Yun Shu replied.
Zhan Tianhong's worried heart settled upon hearing this, but his gaze remained fixed on Yun Shu, never leaving her.
He continued to watch her even after she had left his sight.
It wasn't until a palace attendant reminded him from behind that he realized he had lost focus.
"Let's go to the Imperial Study," Zhan Tianhong stood up, his gaze sweeping over the freshly brewed tea on the table. She hadn't drunk a single sip. From her arrival at the Imperial Garden to her departure, she had barely eaten or drunk anything.
She was guarding against him.
A sharp pain struck Zhan Tianhong's heart as he murmured, "Even if I betray the world, I will never harm you."
"Does Your Majesty have any commands? Your servant... Your servant didn't hear clearly, please forgive Your Majesty." The palace attendant, realizing he hadn't heard Zhan Tianhong's words, immediately knelt down fearfully.
Zhan Tianhong collected his thoughts and replied, "It's nothing."
Seeing that Zhan Tianhong was not angry, the attendant breathed a sigh of relief. He had been truly frightened. Recently, both the palace staff and the court officials had come to realize one thing: the Emperor was not the same as before, and one could no longer be as careless in his presence as in the beginning.
Sometimes, a single look from the Emperor could instill fear.
Even the Emperor had begun to purge those with ill intentions.
The palace attendants who served frequently around the Emperor had become extremely cautious, afraid of making any mistakes.
Sensing the attendants' wariness, Zhan Tianhong's expression turned profound and unfathomable, "Am I that terrifying?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, your servants fear Your Majesty's imperial presence, not Your Majesty himself," the attendant replied tremblingly.
Upon hearing the attendant's answer, Zhan Tianhong chuckled, "Fear my imperial presence?"
He suddenly burst into loud laughter.
His laughter echoed outwards.
The palace attendants who heard it were startled to their core.
What was wrong with the Emperor?
The palace staff working in the Imperial Garden all fell to their knees in shock.
Zhan Tianhong caught sight of the kneeling attendants from the corner of his eye. A few months ago, he would have been delighted. But now, despite his laughter, his eyes held no trace of mirth.
...
Yun Shu, having left the palace, returned to the Yun Estate by carriage.
As soon as she arrived, she saw Xie Jin approaching her, dressed in red.
Yun Shu was somewhat surprised to see Xie Jin.
Since Zhan Tianye had left a letter and disappeared, Xie Jin had not been seen. Qiu Lu had sent people to search for Xie Jin, but he was not in the capital. Subsequently, Qiu Lu had ordered another search for him.
There had been no news for several days, yet Xie Jin had come to find her today.
"You must believe me, King Ye would never leave without a reason! Leaving a cryptic letter is not his style! He must have encountered some danger. Others may not understand him, but I do. He has never liked any woman before; you are the first woman he has ever loved, the one he truly holds in his heart. You have three adorable sons. He even gave up the throne he once desired most, just to be with you and your children. How could he leave so silently? He must be in trouble!"
Xie Jin hurried over, desperately defending Zhan Tianye to Yun Shu.
With Zhan Tianye absent, he couldn't let Yun Shu misunderstand him!
Yun Shu's expression remained unchanged upon hearing Xie Jin's words. She said calmly, "I know, he might have encountered some danger."
"So, we must find him now, and save him! I just read the letter left by King Ye. The letter is too brief, but the simpler it is, the more it indicates he is facing difficulties! I've already sent people to investigate, and they should find King Ye's whereabouts! Leave this matter to me!" Xie Jin patted his chest, declaring with conviction.
The spies he had secretly cultivated over the years would surely be useful at this critical juncture.
"Young Master Xie, your subordinate has been investigating for several days, but the Prince left no clues when he departed the capital. Finding him will not be easy," Qiu Lu approached, and though he didn't want to pour cold water on Xie Jin's enthusiasm, he had to state his thoughts.
He had thought Young Master Xie might know something. To his surprise, Xie Jin had returned, but he was as clueless about the Prince's departure as anyone else.
He was even confidently claiming to have news of the Prince.
Xie Jin was unperturbed. "Others can't find him, but I can! I know you are eager to rendezvous with General Yun and the others. You go ahead, and leave finding King Ye to me. If I find any trace, I will send a carrier pigeon."
He believed in Zhan Tianye.
Given Zhan Tianye's personality, he would never abandon the happiness he was so close to achieving!
Only a fool would do such a thing.
Yun Shu and their three children were the apple of Zhan Tianye's eye; he wouldn't abandon them.
However, he also knew that King Ye hadn't handled this matter well. How could he be so reckless? This was not something King Ye would do, unless he discovered that someone or something was endangering Yun Shu and the three children, otherwise, he would not have left so quietly.
Yun Shu looked at the confident Xie Jin and nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Yun Shu didn't blame Zhan Tianye at all, Xie Jin felt a sense of unease. Could it be that Yun Shu was angry?
"Uh, you must believe in King Ye. Please don't do as the letter says and wait for him. I believe King Ye will resolve these troubles soon," Xie Jin, still concerned, spoke up for Zhan Tianye once more.
Qiu Lu seized the opportunity to add, "Yes, your subordinate agrees with Young Master Xie. His Highness must have been entangled in some troublesome matter! His Highness will return to Second Miss Yun's side soon!"
"Can you all shut up? I only believe what I see. What I see is that King Ye has betrayed his trust. Even if he encountered problems, wouldn't he face them together with his master? By choosing to face them alone, it means he doesn't care about his master! Moreover, the message in that letter clearly indicates that he has wronged his master!" Jing Heng could no longer bear it.
Did King Ye think his master could be summoned and dismissed at will?
He was underestimating his master too much!
Upon hearing Jing Heng's words, Xie Jin and Qiu Lu exchanged a glance.
Qiu Lu knew that without finding the Prince, nothing he said would matter.
Xie Jin opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but felt it would be futile. He could only look at Yun Shu with utmost sincerity and say, "Miss Yun, you wait for my news! I will definitely not disappoint you!"
"Alright," Yun Shu responded with a simple "Alright."
Then she said to Jing Heng and the others, "Is everything packed? Let's get on our way."
"It's all packed!"
"Good, let's go."
After watching Yun Shu and the others depart, Xie Jin murmured, "I refuse to believe I can't find King Ye!"