"What?" Princess Ningde exclaimed in shock at the news.
It was almost unbelievable.
They knew very well that the Night King was Prince Jin, and Prince Jin was the Night King. If the Night King appeared, it meant that Zhan Tianye was giving up the identity of Prince Jin!
"Let's go. We'll go see the Night King's Consort now and clarify some things," Zhen Lin urged anxiously.
Princess Ningde shook her head, lost in thought. "No, no hurry. Some things have already happened, and seeing the Night King's Consort won't help. First, let's confirm if His Highness Prince Jin is in the palace. And is the Night King at the General's mansion really the Night King we think he is."
Despite her disbelief, Princess Ningde quickly calmed down.
Zhen Lin frowned and sat down, his face etched with worry.
A brief silence fell between the siblings.
After a moment of quiet, Zhen Lin spoke, "Ningde, some things are already beyond our control. If it truly is the Night King, then this matter has surpassed your control, and even the Emperor's. Perhaps things are not as simple as you previously thought. You need to have a backup plan. Don't continue to be enemies with the Night King's Consort. It's not too late to turn back now."
Princess Ningde's face had lost all color.
The events had unfolded too suddenly.
So quickly that she didn't even have a chance to react.
It was all so sudden.
"I don't understand. He clearly lost his memory and became Prince Jin. Why does he still trust Yun Shu so much? If the Night King at the General's mansion is indeed him, then he has truly abandoned everything he has now. That would require immense courage! And how much trust must he have in Yun Shu?" Princess Ningde bit her lip tightly.
She possessed a sharp mind that many admired. Since childhood, she had been able to achieve anything she set her mind to, and understand it all.
However, this was the first time.
A sharp pain pierced her chest.
Zhen Lin poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards Princess Ningde. "Ningde, have some tea first."
Princess Ningde took it and drank a few sips. The warm liquid slid down her throat and into her stomach, a wave of warmth washing over her, making her eyes suddenly well up with tears. "Brother... I've become a laughingstock. Perhaps Yun Shu is laughing at me right now."
"No, she won't laugh at you," Zhen Lin said with conviction.
Even though that woman was someone he could never obtain, he knew for a fact that she was not the kind of person Ningde described.
If Ningde hadn't been so insistent, perhaps they could have become friends.
Princess Ningde suddenly felt the tea in her mouth turn bitter. "You're right, she won't laugh at me. But do you think she'll let me go? The moment I decided to lead assassins from the Palace of Killings to surround her, we became adversaries, not friends. If she were still Ning Ruan, just Ning Ruan, I could be her bosom friend now, her only friend. But she is the Night King's Consort!"
"This identity as the Night King's Consort alone dictates that we can only be in opposition."
"If you sincerely apologize and help them when they need it, I believe the Night King's Consort will reconcile with you," Zhen Lin urged.
Princess Ningde gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I can't. Help them? That would be like stabbing myself in the heart. How could I possibly help them! Right now, I wish with all my might that the so-called Night King in the General's mansion is not the Night King!"
"Ningde, he is definitely the Night King. The news wouldn't have spread so quickly if it weren't. Someone deliberately orchestrated this to catch you all off guard," Zhen Lin said helplessly.
Princess Ningde bit her lip tightly.
The siblings fell silent once more.
At the same time, the Emperor was also shocked and enraged.
Upon hearing the news, the Emperor immediately ordered someone to summon Prince Jin.
However, the palace attendant returned not long after.
"Your Majesty, Prince Jin... His Highness Prince Jin is not in the palace," the attendant reported in a panic.
None of them had expected Prince Jin to be absent!
Then, upon inquiry, they were told that Prince Jin had not left the palace. No one had seen him since last night.
Therefore, Prince Jin was missing!
The Emperor was about to pound the table in anger, but a recurring pain in his chest forced him to suppress his overwhelming rage.
Yet, his words were chilling enough to freeze anyone.
"Go, send people to search for him! I want to see him today!" the Emperor commanded angrily.
Had they truly been too late?
When they hesitated whether to replace Yun Shu with one of their three sons, Zhan Tianye had already left?
The identity of Prince Jin, which countless people coveted, was simply abandoned by him?
He would rather return to being the Night King, forever unable to become emperor?
The palace attendant, trembling, accepted the order and hurried off to search.
In less than two hours, the entire imperial palace had been searched, every conceivable hiding place, yet Prince Jin was nowhere to be found.
Suddenly.
Rumors began to spread throughout the palace.
They said Prince Jin had disappeared without a trace, perhaps he had been abducted.
However, regardless of the rumors, at this moment, in every corner of the imperial palace, the Prince Jin who had amazed everyone had vanished!
His whereabouts were unknown.
Before nightfall, the Emperor summoned several imperial physicians again. It was said that the physicians worked tirelessly, prescribing numerous medications, each ingredient incredibly precious, likely only affordable by the Emperor.
Meanwhile, within the General's mansion, another person was experiencing torment.
Upon hearing the news, Li De immediately returned from outside. As soon as he entered, he asked the servants where the Night King was.
Then, he anxiously went to see the Night King.
The servants in the mansion were astonished at Li De's flustered demeanor.
What was happening to the General?
Wasn't it normal for the Night King of the Eastern Ning Kingdom to arrive? The Night King's Consort had arrived earlier, and now he was simply coming to the General's mansion to reunite with the Night King's Consort.
From the General's appearance, he seemed to be very wary of that Night King?
In their eyes, in the capital, the only person the General feared was His Majesty the Emperor; others were insignificant.
Rumors began to circulate throughout the mansion.
They said that this Night King from the Eastern Ning Kingdom was definitely not someone easy to get along with.
Those who had just met the Night King nodded in agreement, describing the Night King's powerful aura as terrifying, as if one's life could be lost at any moment.
While the servants were chattering, Li De had already met Zhan Tianye.
Li De stared intently at Zhan Tianye, who was wearing a mask, trying to find any flaw, or to see through the mask, but the silver mask completely concealed his face, making it impossible to see his full features.