Inside the Eldest Princess’s Manor.
Xiao Rong was giving instructions to Suhexiang, “Hand over the tasks on your plate to Yu Qing. Pick about ten skilled operatives yourself and set off for Bianyang Pass immediately. Strive to go and return as quickly as possible.”
She was dispatching Suhexiang to investigate the matter regarding the younger brother Xie Ning had mentioned.
Knowing the gravity of this affair, Suhexiang dared not be careless: “Rest assured, Your Highness. The reason General Xie’s family traveled slowly was that they were burdened with dependents and heavy luggage. Moving light and traveling day and night, a round trip will take me just over a month.”
Xiao Rong sighed, “I can only entrust this matter to you; I would not feel at ease with anyone else. It will be a hard journey for you, but upon your return, I shall bestow a generous reward.”
Suhexiang accepted her orders and took her leave, brushing past Yu Qing, the internal house steward of the Princess’s Manor, at the doorway: “Sister Yu, what a coincidence—I happened to be looking for you.”
Yu Qing was walking in a hurried rush, nodding slightly: “Wait for me a moment; I have urgent news to report to Her Highness.”
“What is it?”
Pausing for a brief instant, Yu Qing pulled Suhexiang along, “Just come with me.”
Xiao Rong had just dispatched Suhexiang to handle the task when she turned around to see Suhexiang back again. Before she could ask, she heard Yu Qing speak, “Your Highness, an incident has occurred outside!”
It was customary for the city to grow somewhat disorderly around the Lunar New Year—thievery, swindling, and street brawls increased in frequency. However, none of this concerned royal nobles like Xiao Rong; even notorious bandits would not easily dare to cross their threshold. Nevertheless, prominent families cherished their lives even more, keeping an eye on the turmoil outside during the New Year period and stationing additional personnel just in case. Thus, upon hearing Yu Qing’s words, Xiao Rong did not pay it too much mind: “Where has a disturbance broken out?”
Yu Qing reported, “General Xie and Miss Xie both seem to have mistakenly wandered into Wild Boar Forest east of the city!”
Xiao Rong snapped her head up abruptly, “What?”
Yu Qing reported in detail, “At noon, men from the City Patrol saw Miss Xie riding alone toward the east of the city, eventually heading out of the city gates. According to the City Patrol, Miss Xie acted in a panicked frenzy, choosing only small trails once outside the city, and vanished from sight before long. Since today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, young noble scions frequently venture out of the city to visit relatives or enjoy themselves, and plenty of unruly types love seeking thrills in desolate places. None of this falls under the City Patrol’s jurisdiction, so seeing Miss Xie specifically picking small paths, the patrol men paid it no mind.”
“However, by the afternoon, General Xie also rode alone toward the east of the city, inspecting horse hoofprints as he traveled. Only then did the duty officer sense something amiss and step forward to inquire. Yet General Xie offered no explanation, merely giving a few casual excuses. The duty officer failed to get any answers but felt it was strange nonetheless. Keeping a mindful eye, he sent men to pay extra attention to General Xie’s movements—who could have known that after leaving the city, General Xie actually tracked the hoofprints straight toward Wild Boar Forest!”
“They intended to stop him, but by the time the patrol officers returned to report and went back to search for him, his figure was already nowhere to be found!”
“Thus, the duty officer hurriedly reported upward to City Patrol Commander Wang Zhan. Commander Wang immediately brought in the noon duty officer to piece things together, dispatched men to track Miss Xie’s riding trail, and deduced that Miss Xie is highly likely to have mistakenly wandered into Wild Boar Forest as well!”
“Presumably, having just arrived in the capital, they were unaware of the situation regarding Wild Boar Forest. Furthermore, it being the New Year, there were virtually no people outside the city while the interior was plagued with minor disruptions. Short-staffed, the City Patrol stationed no guards at Wild Boar Forest. Through this twist of bad luck, both father and daughter ended up mistakenly entering one after another. Right now, the City Patrol is in complete chaos, and Commander Wang has personally led a team into Wild Boar Forest to search for them.”
Xiao Rong raised her head, happening to catch the evening clouds after sunset blanketing the sky in crimson, “It is almost the hour of the Dog.” She stared blankly, asking softly once more, “Is it known at what exact hour the father and daughter of the Xie family entered Wild Boar Forest?”
“According to the City Patrol’s deduction, Miss Xie was roughly around the hour of the Snake, while General Xie was roughly after the hour of the Horse. From that moment to now, it has been roughly…” Yu Qing’s voice paused, “roughly over two hours. I fear”
“I fear they are more likely dead than alive…” The Eldest Princess’s voice grew even fainter, gazing vacantly at the brilliant sunset glow, her thoughts unknown.
Neither Yu Qing nor Suhexiang dared to utter a sound.
Xiao Rong lapsed into silence for a moment. Seeing Suhexiang still standing there, she waved her hand with slight irritability, “Go about whatever business you ought to be managing! Even if the sky falls, the City Patrol will hold it up what does it have to do with us?”
Suhexiang and Yu Qing exchanged a glance. Seeing that the Eldest Princess appeared genuinely unbothered—already picking up a piece of fine jade to play with once again—they put their minds at ease and took their leave together.
“True enough, even if the sky falls, it is the City Patrol’s affair, having nothing to do with us,” Suhexiang said, yet she turned back with lingering unease, stealing a quiet glance at the Eldest Princess. She could not help lowering her voice to Yu Qing, “Her Highness treated that Miss Xie with great warmth last night; I was originally worried Her Highness would be anxious, but now it seems I was overthinking.”
Yu Qing said, “Her Highness has always treated people with warmth. That Miss Xie had just arrived in the capital and specifically requested Her Highness to guide her way—are the people trying to curry favor with our princess ever few? It is hardly anything extraordinary. Though they met once, in the end, it was merely a chance encounter. Perhaps our princess harbors a touch of concern, but being truly anxious is hardly possible!”
Suhexiang nodded, “I hope so. It’s just…” She recalled the matter of the Eldest Princess’s nightmare earlier whatever she had dreamed of, she had actually woken up crying out Xie Ning’s name thinking of this, she looked back toward the Eldest Princess’s bedchamber once more. Shaking her head to dispel her strange thoughts, she muttered to herself, “How can a mere dream be taken seriously!”
Seeing her lost in thought, Yu Qing asked, “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Suhexiang thought to herself that proper business was what mattered most, “I need to take a long journey, taking a month at the minimum. During this time, I must ask Steward Yu to help look after the medicinal herbs in my room.”
“Set your mind at rest; I will certainly arrange everything properly for you!”
Just as Yu Qing escorted Suhexiang out of the manor, she heard a maidservant calling out, “Steward Yu! Her Highness is looking for you!”
Xiao Rong had tossed aside the fine jade and was now staring blankly while holding a storybook, unable to digest a single word, her mind tangled in sheer disquiet.
The four words “more likely dead than alive” kept floating out from her mind, accompanied by the recurring scene from her nightmare.
She did not even need to close her eyes to see the scene of Xie Ning leaping off the Gate of Supreme Peace replaying over and over in her brain.
“The Gate of Supreme Peace… why is it the Gate of Supreme Peace again!” Xiao Rong tossed aside the storybook in exasperated frustration, summoning Yu Qing in her disquiet, “Dispatch someone to the General’s Manor to inquire about the situation, and ask the City Patrol if they have found anyone!”
However, the moment Yu Qing accepted the command and sent out personnel, the maidservants came rushing back to report, “Steward Yu, Her Highness is anxiously asking how the situation is progressing!”
Yu Qing: …
Only now did Yu Qing realize something was amiss. The Eldest Princess had always kept her emotions hidden beneath a calm demeanor—why was she acting so abnormal tonight? She sighed quietly in her heart. It was unfortunate that Suhexiang had just left; otherwise, Suhexiang could have helped burn some incense to soothe the princess’s mind. Returning to the main hall once more, she spoke with steady composure, “Reporting to Your Highness, the subordinate I dispatched just left and has not yet returned; we need to wait a brief moment.”
Xiao Rong also realized her emotions were out of order. Closing her eyes slightly, she dismissed Yu Qing once more, thinking to herself: If something happened to the father and daughter of the Xie family, the ones who should be anxious are Imperial Father and the Crown Prince—why am I losing my composure instead?
If the Crown Prince lost this marital alliance as a result, it would be equivalent to losing a powerful asset like Xie Yuanshan, which should be a cause for celebration for the Eldest Princess. Once the position of Zhenyuan General fell vacant, one could play a few maneuvers regarding the candidate to fill it. From the big picture, the Eldest Princess Xiao Rong should be feeling joyous at this very moment.
Yet Xiao Rong could not bring herself to smile. She merely remained silent.
Endure, the Eldest Princess told herself, stay calm.
Emotions could run wild, but one must not let emotions dictate actions.
However, in the very next second, Xiao Rong’s closed eyes snapped open.
Involuntarily, the scene of her first meeting with Xie Ning yesterday surfaced before her eyes, interwoven with fragments from her nightmare. The words “Gate of Supreme Peace” seemed to hold some sort of curse, leaving Xiao Rong utterly unable to settle down.
She could no longer sit tight without taking action.
Yet she possessed no justification to act either.
Officially, this matter should be handled by the City Patrol; privately, news should have reached the Crown Prince’s ears long ago, calling for the Crown Prince’s men to make moves.
As the Eldest Princess, Xiao Rong held no standing to meddle either officially or privately. Furthermore, Xiao Rong understood clearly that if she meddled at this moment, she might even draw trouble upon herself.
Weighing the pros and cons on both sides, she saw the interests and risks with absolute clarity—the best course of action was to feign ignorance.
Yet an unsuppressible voice kept clamoring from the depths of her heart: “Go take a look, just take a single look. Merely passing by to take a look hardly counts as meddling, right?”
Xiao Rong tried her best to suppress this foolish, restless thought.
Until Yu Qing arrived once more to report, “Your Highness!”
“Speak!”
“Inside the General’s Manor, the General’s wife lies unconscious. Over at Wild Boar Forest”
The moment Yu Qing paused, Xiao Rong’s heart skipped a heavy beat, “Finish it!”
“Yes!” Yu Qing lowered her voice, “Inside Wild Boar Forest, General Xie’s corpse was discovered…”
A violent surge leaped within Xiao Rong’s heart; she suddenly felt unable to catch her breath, as if shrouded by a nightmare in an instant. Her hands and feet turned limp, and only after a long moment did she find her voice, “Xie what about Xie Ning”
Yu Qing said, “Miss Xie’s corpse has not been found yet; only Miss Xie’s horse was located. The City Patrol’s sentiment is… Miss Xie’s body is frail and small, and given that even General Xie suffered a gruesome death, Miss Xie might… might have been devoured without a trace left behind”
The moment the phrase “devoured without a trace left behind” left her lips, Xiao Rong suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy, nearly collapsing onto the floor.
“Your Highness!” Yu Qing and the maidservants rushed forward to support her.
Xiao Rong broke into a cold sweat, muttering, “How could that be”
She thought to herself: How could a person as peculiar as Xie Ning be eaten by wild boars just like that? Could her nightmare truly be a omen foretelling Xie Ning’s death?
But what relation did Xie Ning have to her? On what grounds was she the one to foretell Xie Ning’s fate?
She still remembered Xie Ning’s burning gaze. She had never seen such eyes before—stubborn, passionate, imbued with relentless persistence. It was a gaze brimming with power, capable of inspiring even an outsider like Xiao Rong and leaving a deep imprint in her heart. Even when her own long sword was pressed against Xie Ning’s throat, she had not seen a single shred of fear in Xie Ning.
How could such a remarkable person die so casually in the jaws of wild boars?
Accidents… accidents certainly existed. For instance, General Xie, who was unaware of the situation, entered Wild Boar Forest alone and met a point of no return.
But would Xie Ning die from an accident?
The more Xiao Rong pondered, the more unbelievable it felt. She also recalled Xie Ning saying that she did not wish to become the Crown Princess, adding that she had her own way to resolve it. In that case, what was Xie Ning’s solution?
An absurd thought suddenly surged in Xiao Rong’s mind, yet the more she thought about it, the clearer this thought became!
The Eldest Princess finally calmed down slowly.
She remembered the words she had spoken: If Xie Ning encountered difficulties, she would certainly lend a helping hand.
And now, Xiao Rong was going to verify her suspicion. If if her suspicion proved true, she might even fulfill her promise in the process.
“Come, fetch my cloak.” Xiao Rong had already restored her composure, instructing the servants to prepare warm attire for venturing outdoors.
Yu Qing was deeply shocked, “Your Highness, chaos reigns outside right now; you absolutely must not venture out alone!”
“It matters not; I am not heading to Wild Boar Forest,” Xiao Rong said offhandedly, “I am taking a trip to the villa. Have our men follow from a distance, and do not step forward unless summoned.”
The sunset glow had already dispersed, and the night curtain gradually pulled across the sky. The sparse flakes of snow had now transformed into large, fluttering sheets falling to the ground.
Donning a windproof conical hat and putting on a thick winter coat, Xiao Rong wrapped herself up tightly and stepped into the wind and snow.