latelenovela Chapter 78 078 The Missing Young Prince
Chapter 78 078 The Missing Young Prince
Chapter 78 078 The Missing Young Prince
Marquis Anshi was in a bad mood because he did not see Chunyu Yang on this trip. After the carriage slowly arrived at the Marquis's residence, he told Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran that he had something to do and went to the study, and then strode away.
Ye Pianran helped Gongsun Yuan down from the carriage. Just then, Steward Ye was having someone carry the lacquered red wooden box containing the jade carving back to the storeroom. As the box passed by Ye Pianran, a faint sound suddenly came from inside the box.
"Wait." Ye Pianran called out reflexively, stopping the servants carrying the box in their tracks, and asked, "Is this box empty?"
Butler Ye said, "This box originally contained a jade horse, but now that the horse has been delivered to the Prince's mansion, it is naturally empty."
"Put the box down and open it so I can see it," Ye Pianran said, frowning.
Butler Ye had no other choice but to have the servants put the box down and open the front lid of the wooden box.
To everyone's astonishment, the wooden box, which had been empty, now contained a beautifully sculpted baby. The baby's eyes were as bright and clear as the finest black jade, her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and her lips were pink and tender—she was simply breathtakingly beautiful.
Seeing the lid suddenly opened, his eyes widened slightly, a hint of panic flashing across them. He then forced himself to remain calm and sneered, "No fun at all, caught so quickly."
The crowd looked at each other, stunned by the scene and unsure how to react.
Gongsun Yuan was the first to come to her senses. Looking at the little child in the box, she hesitated and said, "I heard that there is a young prince in the Third Prince's mansion. Could this be...?"
No way? How did the Third Prince's young master end up in their trunk? Doesn't anyone in the Prince's mansion keep an eye on him?
The little boy's eyes darted around, and he noticed that the scenery here was completely different from that of the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion. He immediately smiled with delight. He climbed out of the box, put his hands behind his back, raised his chin slightly, and said, "Thank you for bringing this young master out of the manor. Farewell."
Everyone in the Marquis of Anshi's mansion: "..."
So, did this young prince deliberately sneak into the box while they weren't paying attention, intending to escape from the palace?
Ye Pianran found it both amusing and helpless. She grabbed the little boy by the collar as he tried to squeeze through the crowd and said, "Since the young master has arrived at the Marquis's residence, why don't you come in, sit down, have some tea, and have some snacks?"
Unable to struggle, the young prince puffed up his rosy cheeks in anger. Just as he was about to turn around and glare at the person holding him, he looked into a pair of shimmering, gentle eyes.
It was a look he had never seen before, without awe or caution. When she looked at him, he no longer seemed like the noble prince of the Northern Martial King's Mansion who could not be easily offended, but just a naughty and unruly child who caused him endless headaches.
His initial momentum vanished instantly. The young prince hung his head, his cheeks slightly flushed, and stammered, "Okay, alright."
Releasing his hand, Ye Pianran naturally straightened his collar, then smiled and said, "Young Master, please."
Puffing out his chest, the young prince put his hands behind his back, putting on an imposing air, and strode towards the Marquis's residence. Ye Pianran gave Steward Ye a wink, and Steward Ye understood immediately, turning around to send someone to the Northern Martial Prince's residence to inform them of the young prince's departure.
The young prince took a few steps forward and, noticing that Ye Pianran hadn't followed, turned around with great displeasure and asked in a childish voice, "Why aren't you leaving?"
Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan exchanged a smile and stepped forward, saying, "Coming right away."
Extending his hand, the young prince said with a stern face, "I don't know the way, you have to hold my hand."
Looking at his pretentious mature appearance, Ye Pianran inexplicably thought of Ye Yankang and couldn't help but feel a bit of affection for him as a result.
"Then I'll be rude," she said softly, gently taking the young prince's soft hand in hers.
On the other side, at the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion, upon learning of the young prince's disappearance, Steward Zhong immediately dispatched two groups of guards to search carefully both inside and outside the mansion. He also sent someone on horseback to the martial arts arena to inform Chunyu Yang of the matter. Only then did he turn around to look at the pale-faced woman behind him, her face streaked with tears, and said in a deep voice:
"Stop crying, what exactly happened?"
This woman was named Mu Qiu, and she was a maidservant who accompanied the late Princess Zhan Yinghong of Beiwu. After the princess's death, Chunyu Yang originally intended to send her away from the manor, but she insisted on staying to take care of the young prince, claiming that she wanted to repay the princess's kindness. Seeing that she was indeed devoted to taking care of the young prince, Chunyu Yang tacitly allowed her to remain and even gave her the title of concubine. Therefore, everyone in the manor called her "Madam Mu".
“Today, as usual, the young master wanted us to play hide-and-seek with him. I thought he would hide in the prince's study as usual, but when I went to look for him, I couldn't find him anywhere,” Mu Qiu said, sobbing. “Then I thought he might have run to the front yard, so I went to look for him there, but I still couldn't find him. That's when I realized that the young master might have secretly run out of the manor…”
Zhongping knew that the young master liked to play hide-and-seek, so he couldn't blame her for not watching him properly. He could only say, "The young master is not familiar with the roads outside the manor, so he shouldn't have run far. Just find him as soon as possible."
Mu Qiu's eyes were filled with worry and heartache: "Since the young prince was born, he has never left the palace, not even for a moment. He is still so young. If anything happens to him, I will not be able to die in peace..."
"What are you saying? With the Princess Consort's protection, the young prince will certainly be safe," Butler Zhong said, frowning.
The two waited anxiously inside the Prince's mansion, but instead of receiving news of the young prince, they were greeted by the return of Chunyu Yang and Chunyu Shan.
Chunyu Yang was usually very cold and serious, but now, with his face grim, he was even more intimidating. He strode into the main hall, looked at Mu Qiu, who was crying with tears streaming down her face, and asked in a cold voice, "What happened?"
Mu Qiu did not cry and complain to Chunyu Yang as she had done before. Instead, she took all the blame upon herself: "It's all my fault. I failed to take good care of the young prince. Your Highness, please punish me..."
Chunyu Yang then turned his gaze to Steward Zhong and asked, "Have you sent anyone to look for them?"
Steward Zhong hurriedly said, "We have already sent people to search everywhere inside and outside the mansion, and we are now waiting for news. The young master has never left the mansion, so he shouldn't have gone far."
“Sigh, Third Brother, what have I been telling you? Xuan’er is starting to understand things, and his temper is getting wild. Without a mistress to keep an eye on him, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later,” Chunyu Shan sighed.
Upon hearing this, Mu Qiu's expression turned extremely awkward. She even couldn't help but suspect that the Sixth Prince's words were meant for her...
“Xuan’er’s departure has nothing to do with this matter,” Chunyu Yang said calmly. “It’s because I recently asked him to start studying military strategy books, but he found them obscure and difficult to understand, and he’s been throwing a tantrum at me.”
"Xuan'er is so young, and you're already letting him read military books?" Chunyu Shan almost rolled his eyes. His third brother was good in every way, except he was too indifferent to matters of the heart, his mind entirely devoted to his Xuanjia Army. Now that the world was at peace and there was no need to lead troops into battle, if not now to settle down on his life's most important matter, when would he ever get another chance? Could it be that his third brother had some kind of hidden ailment in that area?
Chunyu Shan couldn't help but look at Chunyu Yang with a strange gaze.
At this moment, a soldier rushed in from outside the mansion and knelt before Chunyu Yang, saying, "Your Highness, someone from the Marquis of Anshi's mansion has come to say that the young prince is currently a guest at the Marquis's mansion. Once the young prince is tired of playing, he will be safely returned to the Prince's mansion. Please put your mind at ease, Your Highness!"
"That's it!" Butler Zhong suddenly realized, "Just now, Lord Anshi, along with his wife and young lady, visited the Prince at the Prince's residence. Perhaps when they left, the young master secretly followed them!"
Hearing that his son was at the Marquis of Anshi's residence, Chunyu Yang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Not to mention that the people in the Marquis's residence would definitely not make things difficult for Xuan'er, Ye Cangqiong was also in the residence at this time, and with his skills, he would definitely be able to protect Xuan'er.
but……
"You just said that Lady Anshihou has also come?" Chunyu Yang asked thoughtfully.
“That’s right,” Butler Zhong replied.
Since she can leave the manor, the poison in the Lady of the Marquis's body must have been completely cured. What method did Ye Pianran use to cure her mother? I wonder if she still has the antidote?
With a slight shift in his gaze, Chunyu Yang said, "Zhongping, prepare a slightly larger carriage. I will personally go to the Marquis's residence to bring the young master back."
When Chunyu Shan heard that people from the Marquis of Anshi's residence had just arrived, his attention was completely drawn to them. Upon hearing Chunyu Yang's words, he immediately said, "I haven't seen Xuan'er for a long time, Third Brother, why don't I go with you?"
Seeing Xuan'er? Perhaps his true intentions lie elsewhere? Chunyu Yang didn't say whether he would allow it or not, but turned and walked out of the mansion. Chunyu Shan smiled brightly and quickly followed after him.
The main hall suddenly became empty, and Mu Qiu stood there dejectedly, his heart filled with disbelief.
She had been married into the Prince's mansion with the former princess for seven years. During these seven years, Chunyu Yang had always been cold and aloof, showing no human warmth whatsoever. According to his personality, he should have been relieved to know that the young prince was safe and sound. But now he was going to the Marquis's mansion to bring the prince back in person!
She had heard people mention the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Anshi's family before; it was said that she was a rare beauty.
Could it be that, as the Sixth Prince said, the Prince's mansion is about to have a new mistress? Did Marquis Anshi bring his wife and daughter here just for this?
Biting her lower lip hard, Mu Qiu's panic was gradually replaced by resentment.
Over the years, she had dutifully cared for the young prince, never overstepping her bounds in any way. She had always believed that as long as she tried hard enough, the prince would eventually be moved by her, but who knew that such a blunder would occur today! If the prince truly intends to marry another princess to care for the young prince, then she… will have no reason to remain in the prince's residence!