kingnovel Chapter 463: The Holy Maiden of the Nation (1)
Chapter 463: The Holy Maiden of the Nation (1)
The eunuch in charge was so scared that he was sweating profusely. It turned out that the girl in the side hall was the prince's favorite. The prince had many concubines, but he had never seen him care about anyone so much.
The palace maids and eunuchs searched almost the entire side hall, but there was no sign of Yu Qingli anywhere. Tang Yi's face turned cold and he shouted sternly, "Go check around the palace gates immediately. Did anyone suspicious or anything suspicious happen last night?"
At the same time, the imperial doctors had already revived the unconscious guards and palace maids. When the guards and palace maids saw Tang Yi's angry face, they were all silent and prayed that they could save their lives.
Tang Yi looked around and said, "Tell me, all of you, how did so many of you get so bewitched?"
There was a moment of absolute silence, no one wanted to be the first to speak out. Tang Yi raised his eyebrows slightly and pointed a finger at one of the guards, "You tell me."
The guard hesitated for a moment, as if recalling something, before he said respectfully, "Last night, while on duty, I suddenly smelled a strange fragrance. Afterwards, I felt a little sleepy. I don't know what happened after that."
"Is this also the case with you all?"
The rest of the people nodded repeatedly. Their situations were roughly the same. They all passed out after smelling a strange fragrance.
"Okay! That's great!"
Tang Yi laughed out of anger. It seemed that Yu Qingli was even smarter and more clever than he had imagined. When he first entered the palace, he had clearly searched everything around her. He didn't know where she got the aphrodisiac incense from. It was really strange.
Not long after, the guards who had gone to various places at the palace gate to inquire came back, and their answers were that they had never seen Yu Qingli, and no one had left the palace last night.
It is really unbelievable that Yu Qingli disappeared for no reason. Could it be that she grew wings and flew away? If she really had such ability, why would she wait until yesterday? She should have escaped from here some time ago.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Tang Yi's face darkened. "I have my own way of dealing with this matter. I just don't believe that a little girl can escape!"
After Tang Yi finished speaking, he turned away with an angry look on his face. There were new speculations in the palace about the relationship between Yu Qingli and Tang Yi. Most people said that Tang Yi was unable to obtain Yu Qingli's love and secretly imprisoned her. However, for the women in Tang Yi's harem, this was undoubtedly good news. Their biggest enemy had disappeared, which was really cause for celebration.
However, it was obvious that Tang Yi did not intend to let Yu Qingli go. He immediately reported the matter to his father and asked for an imperial decree to search the whole city for Yu Qingli. The emperor, who knew Yu Qingli's true identity, also spared no effort to find this woman. Otherwise, once the matter was exposed, Dong Tang and Cang He would probably never be safe again.
So within a day, notices were posted all over the imperial city, searching for Yu Qingli.
At this moment, on the most prosperous street in the imperial city, two tall men, one in front and one behind, followed the crowd and stood in front of the bulletin board.
"Two female thieves have recently broken into the palace and stolen countless treasures. I hope anyone with information will assist the authorities in apprehending them. Anyone who actively reports and assists in their capture will receive a reward of 500 taels of silver. Anyone who personally captures the two female thieves will receive a reward of 1,000 taels of silver!"
"My goodness, what kind of female thief is this? How dare she steal things from the palace? Looking at the reward, the things those two stole must be more than this amount."
"That's right, but these two female thieves seem very powerful, but the notice doesn't even mention their names or characteristics. How can we catch them?"
"Are you stupid? Don't you see the portraits of these two women?"
"That's true. You know what, these two women are really beautiful. Look at the woman on the left. She doesn't look like a female thief at all. She looks more like a daughter of an official family."
"Stop talking nonsense! If this isn't a female thief, why would the government order this prank? This is right under the Emperor's feet, and this person stole something from the Imperial City!"
"..."
The onlookers were talking about it, and the men who had watched with everyone before were Murong Yanhui and Shadow Guard Changkong.
"Master, is this the person in this portrait..."
Changkong lowered his voice and asked quietly, what is the situation now? Could it be that Miss Yu has escaped from Dongtang Palace with Xiluo?
Murong Yanhui also suppressed his anger and responded softly. This was undoubtedly good news for them. Since the court had issued a search warrant, Lili and the others should not be in the palace at this time. But this was also bad news. Before, they at least had a target to look for, but now, they didn't know where to start.
"Master, since Miss Yu is not in the palace, where should we go now?"
"Don't worry, Changkong. Go to the largest inn in the Imperial City and book a room. We'll stay here first. Since the bounty notice was posted today, I'm afraid Lili and the others left not long ago. Judging from the current situation, Lili and the others should still be in the Imperial City."
"Yes!"
Besides, everyone in the palace was in danger at this time. Everyone knew that the prince's most beloved woman was missing, and she disappeared from the palace. Anyone who had met Yu Qingli before was very worried that they would be the target of anger because of this.
In Feifeng Palace, Queen Dong Tang sat on the main seat with a gentle smile, while Tang Yi and Princess Xingluo sat below. Tang Yi looked thoughtful, and Princess Xingluo's smile seemed a little forced.
The Empress of Dong Tang's gaze flickered between the two for a moment, her smile deepening. "Yier, rumors are circulating throughout the palace that you favored a woman of unknown origin. I haven't been feeling well these days, so I haven't asked you about it. Now that you've come here, why don't you tell me what's going on?"
Tang Yi explained: "It's not a favor at all. That woman has a special status and I have a lot of use for her. But in the end..."
"So you suspect that I let her go on purpose?" Princess Xingluo took over the conversation aggrievedly.
Tang Yi frowned and said impatiently, "I didn't say that. I just asked you a few questions. Why are you so excited?"
"How can I not be excited? Ask your mother to reason with you. There are so many concubines in the palace, why did you come to me alone to ask about this? If not suspicion, what else could it be?"
"Who let Yu Qingli get the sleeping incense from your palace earlier..."
"That's because she said she couldn't sleep all night and was very uncomfortable, so she took some from my palace to use. If I refuse to give her even this little thing, won't I be called petty? Your Highness came to question me without any reason. Does that mean that in your heart, I am so untrustworthy?"
"Don't be unreasonable. I was just anxious for a moment!"
"It's just a lost prisoner. Why should Your Highness be so anxious? Or were all those things Your Highness said to me before just empty words? Just to deceive me?"
"Xingluo! You..."
"Alright, cut the smack down, Yi'er. You're a man, how could you be so ungracious as to compete with Xing Luo in a verbal duel?"
After the Queen of Dong Tang scolded him, Tang Yi dared not say anything more. He still respected his mother very much, but Yu Qingli's disappearance was indeed strange in every way, which made her suspicious. The only person in the palace who was close to Yu Qingli was Princess Xingluo. Although he did not believe that Xingluo would help an outsider, various evidences made him believe it.
"Mother, please calm down. I know I was wrong."
"If you know you're wrong, you must correct it. Xingluo and you have been childhood sweethearts, and she has helped you a lot in the past. Mother knows that you have her in your heart, so you should not let her down."
"That's what the queen said!"
"As for that missing woman, she's lost, whether she ran away or disappeared. Since she can't be found, I don't think there's any need to look for her anymore. This means she had no fate with this palace. Yi'er, why are you so obsessed with her?"
"Mother, it's not what you think. I feel towards Yu Qingli..."
The Queen of Dong Tang waved her hand, as if she had no intention of listening any further. She had always been in poor health and felt tired after sitting for a long time. Today, she had already been very concerned about the affairs of Tang Yi and Princess Xingluo.
Seeing this, Tang Yi and Princess Xingluo did not dare to disturb them any further. They just bowed and quietly retreated.
After leaving the Feifeng Palace, Princess Xingluo left angrily without even saying goodbye to Tang Yi. Tang Yi felt a pang of sadness. How could this woman he loved so much not understand his ambitions? Thinking about it now, he actually envied Murong Yanhui. A woman who dared to disguise herself as a man and go to the battlefield to fight alongside him was truly rare.
Having lost Yu Qingli as a bargaining chip, Tang Yi found it hard to imagine how much chance he had of winning the war between him and Murong Yanhui. He knew Murong Yanhui very well, and he knew himself even better. Therefore, Tang Yi became more determined to find Yu Qingli.
Before Tang Yi returned to his palace, a eunuch came to report that the emperor had summoned him.
Tang Yi suppressed his anxiety and followed the eunuch into the inner hall. The Emperor of Dong Tang was standing in the hall with a happy look on his face. Next to him stood a Taoist priest in a green robe with a frail figure and a thin face.
"Yier, you've arrived just in time. Come and meet the Imperial Master."
Tang Yi was stunned, then a little puzzled. This Imperial Master never left his house, often cultivating in the mountains. Why was he suddenly in the palace today? Could it be that something big was about to happen in the court?
Tang Yi thought this in his heart, but he did not dare to neglect his expression. He respectfully saluted the Taoist in green robes and said, "Greetings, Imperial Master."
"Your Highness is too polite. I came here today to report a piece of good news to Your Majesty."
"It's already a great joy that the Imperial Master can come to the palace. What other joyful things does the Imperial Master have to say?"
"Your Majesty, you are too polite. Recently, the Dragon God appeared in my dream, saying that the Holy Maiden who protects the country has appeared. This woman's destiny is beyond the ordinary, and she has the potential to reverse the will of heaven."
"What do you mean?"