Jiang Yueli was just thinking irritably about going to find her mother. Otherwise, being so short, she couldn’t see anything at all.
The next moment, her body suddenly lifted into the air as someone picked her up from behind.
Jiang Yueli cried out in surprise and was about to struggle and fight back. But when she turned around, she realized it was the handsome little boy from earlier.
“I’ll carry you over to that stone pedestal so you can see,” the young boy said, pointing to a stone platform over a meter tall not far away.
Jiang Yueli’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled and nodded.
“Thank you, little brother.”
Her shallow dimples appeared as she smiled brightly. The boy seemed a little embarrassed and said with a red face, “No need to thank me. My name is Fu Qingchen. I accidentally bumped into you earlier, and I saw you dropped some things, so I brought them back to return to you.”
As he spoke, Fu Qingchen handed the items he was holding to her.
Jiang Yueli glanced at them and saw that they were indeed her belongings. She quickly took them and thanked him again.
“They really are mine. Thank you, little brother.”
She had forgotten to put the handkerchief back into her space after using it, so she had casually tucked it into her sleeve. She didn’t expect it to fall out when she fell earlier.
As for the jade pendant, her mother had tied it onto her and told her to wear it properly and not lose it. She had originally kept it in her space, but whenever her mother couldn’t see it, she would ask about it. Eventually, Jiang Yueli simply wore it.
Who would have thought the string was so poorly tied? It fell off with just a light tug, which was rather troublesome.
“No need to thank me,” Fu Qingchen said. “Miss Jiang, you’re still so young, yet you came out alone. Why isn’t there a servant accompanying you? What if you ran into bad people?”
Fu Qingchen was genuinely worried about the little girl. She was so tiny and looked as delicate as a porcelain doll. If a human trafficker set their sights on her, she would be in serious danger.
Jiang Yueli suddenly remembered that she was now only a three-year-old child. Going out alone really was unsafe.
But how did this boy know her identity? Was it because of the jade pendant earlier?
That must be it. After all, the character “Jiang” was engraved on it.
“I heard that my father came back, so I rushed out in a hurry and forgot to bring any maids with me. But my mother and aunt will arrive soon. Could you help me look for my mother later?”
Seeing how warm-hearted the boy seemed, Jiang Yueli didn’t want to refuse his kindness. She simply asked him to help find her mother later so that her mother wouldn’t worry if she couldn’t find her.
Besides, with so many people here, a small child like her could easily attract someone with ill intentions.
Fu Qingchen had the same thought, so he immediately told the servant beside him to go help find her family. He himself planned to stay here with the little girl and wait. The area here was relatively open and less crowded.
The servant frowned in hesitation.
“Young master…”
Had he forgotten that he himself was only seven years old? The two of them together might be even more dangerous.
Seeing the servant’s worried expression, Fu Qingchen waved his hand.
“Yuanbao, go ahead. We’ll wait here and won’t wander around.”
Although Fu Qingchen was young, he carried himself with extraordinary composure. Even at such a young age, he already displayed maturity and steadiness beyond his years. That was why his family felt comfortable letting him go out on his own.
Yuanbao glanced at his young master. Though still worried, he knew his master’s personality well. Once he made a decision, he rarely changed it.
He regretted not bringing a few more people today. After hesitating for a moment, Yuanbao reminded his young master several more times before hurrying off, hoping to find someone quickly and return soon.
Jiang Yueli stood on the large stone pedestal, standing on tiptoe as she looked toward the city gate.
Fu Qingchen stood below her, looking up slightly, as if afraid that she might accidentally fall off the platform.
“They’re here! The Zhenyuan General has entered the city!”
“Look! The one at the front riding the tall horse—that’s the Zhenyuan General!”
“Wow, the Zhenyuan General is so handsome!”
“The Zhenyuan General!”
Mounted soldiers rode through the city gate amid waves of shouting and discussion.
The sound of hooves striking the stone pavement echoed in rhythmic clatter, each beat seeming to strike directly against people’s hearts.
At the very front rode a man in silver armor on a tall horse, imposing and heroic.
He was her father.
Compared to the first time she had seen him, Jiang Shi’an now appeared even more composed and restrained. The aura of killing intent around him was unmistakable—something only forged through countless battles, walking through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
“Father!”
Jiang Yueli called out loudly toward Jiang Shi’an.
Having such a father filled her with pride. The Zhenbei Army had returned victorious this time, and her father would surely receive rewards.
Although she didn’t care about those things, they were honors her father had earned with his life—glory belonging to the Jiang family.
But Jiang Yueli’s voice was swallowed by the crowd.
Jiang Shi’an rode slowly forward on his tall horse, completely unaware that his precious daughter was standing in a corner.
Instead, he noticed his wife near a carriage not far away.
He didn’t have time to speak much with her because he still needed to enter the palace to report to the emperor.
Shen Nanzhi waved to him, trying to tell him that their precious daughter was missing. But the scene was far too chaotic. Jiang Shi’an couldn’t hear what she was saying.
With no other choice, Shen Nanzhi could only begin searching for the child with the servants and her sister-in-law Hu Shi.
Fortunately, after Jiang Shi’an left, the gathered crowd gradually dispersed.
Yuanbao also managed to find Shen Nanzhi, who was anxiously searching.
When Shen Nanzhi heard that her precious daughter had been with the young master from Prime Minister Fu’s family, she finally let out a breath of relief.
After Yuanbao explained everything that had happened, Shen Nanzhi thanked him repeatedly and followed him to look for the two children.
But when they arrived at the stone pedestal, Yuanbao froze.
“Where are they?”
He looked around but couldn’t see either of the children.
Shen Nanzhi grew anxious.
“Are you sure they were here?”
Yuanbao nodded repeatedly, stamping his foot in worry.
“They said they would wait here. Something must have happened to them!”
Shen Nanzhi panicked.
“Could they have gone back home themselves? The crowd dispersed, so maybe they couldn’t wait for you and decided to leave first.”
She could only hope for that possibility.
Her precious daughter had always been clever. Surely nothing had happened.
But Yuanbao shook his head.
“My young master is very steady. If he said he would wait here, he definitely wouldn’t leave. Something must have happened. I need to return and report to the Prime Minister immediately so he can send people to search.”
He continued anxiously.
“Please have the general’s residence send people to search as well. If you receive any news, please inform us. If we find anything, we’ll also notify you immediately.”
After saying that, Yuanbao hurried away.
Shen Nanzhi staggered slightly, nearly losing her balance.
“Madam!”
The maid Huan Cui supported her and tried to comfort her.
“Madam, don’t worry. Let’s hurry back and send people to search. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it will be for the young miss.”
Huan Cui had watched Jiang Yueli grow up. The little girl was precocious and extremely lovable. From the maids and servants in the residence to the elders, everyone adored her.
Naturally, none of them wanted anything to happen to her.
Shen Nanzhi clenched her fists and steadied herself.
“Let’s go. We’ll return first.”
As soon as she returned to the general’s residence, Shen Nanzhi quickly sent someone to call back her sister-in-law Hu Shi.
She also dispatched someone to the palace to inform Jiang Shi’an that their daughter had gone missing.
The Zhenyuan General’s residence had private soldiers—about a thousand of them. Even though the number wasn’t large, in the capital it was already considered a special privilege.
With Jiang Shi’an absent, Shen Nanzhi still had enough authority to mobilize these soldiers.
After sending them out, she also had someone report the matter to the local authorities and asked the Jingzhao Prefecture officials to assist in the search.
At the same time, they immediately began checking the people and vehicles entering and leaving through the city gates.