The Fifth Prince…… Xue Yan.
Jun Huailang was shocked and a chill ran down his back. That book… the book he had read after dying. In that book, Xue Yan once said some words that Jun Huailang had not understood. But now, what happened today coincided with the sentences he’d read.
Halfway through the book, Xue Yan had recklessly imprisoned the Empress Dowager in a secret room. Jun Linghuan resisted in every possible way and cried, “You can’t lock me up, someone will find me!”
Xue Yan’s amber eyes were coldly mocking as he sneered, “This emperor[1] can hide you[2] so well that no one in the whole world can find you. Empress Dowager, you already know this from experience.”
Hearing this, Jun Linghuan seemed to recall some terrible experience. She trembled from head to toe and could not speak. Yet Xue Yan leaned closer to her ear and laughed softly. “Do you recall? If I want you to be lost, no one will be able to find you, not even in the palace.”
At that time, Jun Huailang never knew his sister had gone missing before. He was anxious to see what happened next, so he didn’t take those words to heart. But they matched with what happened today……
Jun Huailang felt as if he had turned into ice, his whole body was chilled.
This sentence that he couldn’t understand and had casually flipped past, could it have referred to today? Xue Yan causing Jun Linghuan to go missing, creating animosity between them, and disgracing her in the future…… all of that was most likely because of what happened today.
Jun Huailang’s spine was cold all over and he felt immense guilt in his heart. He…… despite reliving his life, he still had not been able to change anything. He was letting everything that happened in his last life repeat again, and letting his little sister follow the same path. She would once again become entangled with Xue Yan……
Jun Huailang abruptly got up, almost overturning his table but he didn’t care. He grabbed the eunuch and walked out quickly. “Where did the Little Miss go missing? Take me there immediately!”
The little eunuch had really frightened him.
When the other nobles heard about this, they were all concerned too. But the palace was heavily guarded and there were servants everywhere. Even if a child was lost, there was probably no danger. No one was worried like Jun Huailang was.
The little eunuch was shocked so he stammered, “The imperial garden– the west corner gate of the imperial garden! My Lord, don’t worry, this servant will take you there……”
Jun Xiaowu and Xue Yunhuan hurriedly got up and followed. Although Jun Xiaowu looked confused, he still tried to calm down Jun Huailang. “Never fear, Linghuan is so young, she couldn’t have gone far. There are many people in the palace, she won’t be easily misplaced.”
Jun Huailang only ran faster. His throat was stuck and he couldn’t make a sound. He just shook his head.
The palace was heavily guarded, it wasn’t easy for nobles to go missing. Jun Linghuan was sitting at Consort Shu’s side so it would not have been easy for her to get away on her own. But it was precisely because of this that Jun Huailang was scared. If Xue Yan was involved in such an impossible event, it could not be explained away with common sense.
Jun Huailang’s mind was full of chaos. He thought of the execution of his whole family and the miserable rain[3] in Chang’an during the previous life. He also thought of all the things in the book. His heart felt suffocated and his eyes reddened.
Jun Xiaowu and Xue Yunhuan were frightened by his appearance.
Xue Yunhuan never knew Jun Huailang could run this fast. As he hastily followed, he panted, “Huailang, don’t worry! I just asked. They searched all the nearby wells and lakes first, and also sent people to guard them. Linghuan-meimei[4] won’t be in danger!”
He hurriedly nudged Jun Xiaowu with his elbow.
Jun Xiaowu promptly said, “That’s right! Ge, relax. Meimei won’t wander around, she probably just lost her way. We’ll find her in less than fifteen minutes……”
Jun Huailang did not speak at all as they rushed to the west corner gate of the imperial garden.
The west corner gate was very small. The narrow path in front of it was already filled with people. Since the matter involved a prince and the young lady of a ducal family, the Emperor and Empress, who had just gone to rest, were here. They sat in carved armchairs temporarily placed by the roadside, and palace maids bore canopies and feather fans behind them.
When Jun Huailang arrived, he saw the Emperor reprimanding Xue Yan. Consort Shu stood alongside, crying anxiously. His parents were also standing nearby and couldn’t hide their worry. But in front of the Emperor, they had to abide by etiquette and could not speak freely.
“Consort Shu asked you to look after Linghuan, how could you do this?” Jun Huailang could hear the Emperor’s furious voice from several zhang[5] away. “You said you lost her in the plum blossom forest outside the west corner gate, yet she can’t be found anywhere nearby!”
From far away, Jun Huailang saw Xue Yan kneeling on the small path outside the gate.
Everyone was standing, only he knelt. The path was paved with limestone and covered with packed snow. Vibrant palace lanterns illuminated the area as brightly as if it were day and stretched Xue Yan’s shadow longer.
At that moment, Xue Yan raised his head and met Jun Huailang’s eyes. Those eyes were lifeless. They were pale in color but filled with an endless black mist, so dark and cold that Jun Huailang’s heart trembled. His mind froze in a moment of clarity. He suddenly remembered a few days ago, when Xue Yan had stroked Jun Linghuan’s hair and told her that he was also her gege.[6] His expression then had not been like this.
Naturally…… In this life, many things were changed. How could Xue Yan follow the same wrong path[7] and repeat the things from the previous life……
At that moment, he saw Xue Yan break eye contact and lower his eyes. It was like a candle flame, suddenly extinguished.
Beside him, Jun Xiaowu also became flustered when he saw all the fuss. Especially when he heard Emperor Qingping say that within a perimeter of ten zhang, no one could be found, he immediately became anxious. He stepped forward, disregarding Jun Huailang. He even forgot to salute the Emperor and Empress as he grabbed Xue Yan by the collar and lifted him up. “Where did you leave my sister? Why can’t anyone find her?”
Xue Yan calmly met his eyes. Those young eyes that had smiled at Jun Huailang earlier now burned with anger and anxiety.
Xue Yan didn’t seem to see it. In his eyes, it was still the eyes of Jun Huailang that he’d met earlier.
Jun Huailang loved his sister dearly, Xue Yan already knew this. He came in a hurry, his eyes were reddened, and he looked anxious. Xue Yan could see the tears in his eyes from this distance.
He will hate me, Xue Yan thought calmly. Just like everyone else.
Xue Yan felt a burst of pain in his heart for no reason, as if a hand was squeezing it. He couldn’t breathe. This feeling was very strange. He never thought that he, undisturbed in the face of the whole world’s malice, could not bear the hatred of this one person. He hastily avoided Jun Huailang’s frantic gaze. At the same time, he gave into despair and thought, just let him hate me. Sooner or later it would have come to this.
Sure enough, he was grabbed at the collar by that person’s younger brother and forced to meet his angry eyes. Emperor Qingping and the others did not reprimand Jun Xiaowu at all for his disrespect, they all indulged and humored him.
Xue Yan was silent.
He seemed to be waiting. Like a prisoner with a death sentence waiting for the knife to fall, he was waiting for Jun Huailang to do something.
He closed his eyes.
At that moment, a hand reached out and grabbed Jun Xiaowu’s wrist. The hand was pale, and blue veins were vaguely visible on the back of the hand. It was a distinctly frail and slender hand. The bones seemed fragile enough to break if grasped, but there was an indescribable strength. This small move stopped Jun Xiaowu’s actions.
“……Ge?” Jun Xiaowu looked at him with disbelief.
Jun Huailang’s face was wooden and the rim of his eyes were red. His lips were tightly pursed and his cheeks were slightly sunken as if he was enduring something terrible. After a moment of silence, he forced some meager words through his lips.
“Find Linghuan first,” he said hoarsely. “Ask the reason after we’ve found her.”
Those words seemed to exhaust all the strength in his body. After speaking, he released Jun Xiaowu’s hand without waiting for a response and turned away. From beginning to end, he did not even look at Xue Yan.
Jun Huailang turned to Emperor Qingping, knelt, and said, “This subject dares be discourteous and request — please send more people to search the uninhabited corners. Once Linghuan is found, then the cause can be discerned and dealt with.”
Emperor Qingping paused and sighed. “Ling Fu, do as the Heir says, have all the idle Imperial Guards come search. Even if they must dig everywhere, little Miss Jun must be found,” he ordered.
Ling Fu promptly left to carry out the order.
Emperor Qingping looked at Jun Huailang again and said, “I know you two are worried about your sister. You need not worry, I would never let anything happen to Linghuan in the palace.”
Jun Huailang kowtowed again and pleaded, “Please allow this servant to search with the guards.”
Notes: