Chapter 23 - 1#

Letting Go - Xiao Cuan Will Never Let Go!#

—Where is Yanzhi?

Not only was Xiao Cuan stunned, even Xie Yi was stunned.

He turned his head and looked at the old man in disbelief.

What was going on? This shouldn’t be.

Xie Yi knew Yanzhi had escaped, and he also guessed that His Majesty would not let it rest and would definitely send someone to find him.

So before going to bed last night, he specifically instructed the old man not to sleep too soundly at night and to pay more attention to the movements outside.

And he himself sat before the desk, draped in his outer robe, reading books all night, keeping watch for Yanzhi.

If Yanzhi had packed up and left, they should both have noticed.

But now, Yanzhi was indeed not in the room; he had vanished into thin air.

Amidst the shock, Xie Yi also felt a sigh of relief, and the stone hanging in his heart lowered slightly.

Regardless of when or how he left, as long as he left, it was good.

Xie Yi withdrew his gaze and looked at Xiao Cuan again.

The farmstead was simple, the room was small, and there weren’t many furnishings or decorations in the room.

There was only a small couch, a small desk, and a wooden box for miscellaneous items.

One could see everything at a glance.

Xiao Cuan stood outside the door, his gaze gloomy. After scanning the entire room, he still didn’t give up, stepped over the threshold, and walked in.

Xie Yi hurriedly followed him, leaning on the door: “Your Majesty!”

Xiao Cuan ignored him, just strode to the desk and overturned it with a sweep of his hand.

Seeing that no one was hidden under the desk, he went straight to the wooden box and flipped open the lid.

In the box were only some old scrolls and waste paper; no one was hidden there either.

That only left the small couch.

Xiao Cuan turned his head, his gaze staring firmly at the couch, and slowly approached.

The couch was not large. A mattress was spread flat on the couch, and two quilts were stacked neatly.

Not to mention hiding someone, there wasn’t even a trace of anyone having slept on the couch, so—

Xiao Cuan suddenly squatted down, his eyes suddenly lighting up with a hunting-like brilliance as he looked under the bed!

Yanzhi!

Yanzhi must be hiding under the bed!

Yanzhi must be like a little cat, clutching his small hands, curling his body, hiding pitifully under the bed!

Yanzhi’s face and body must be covered in dust, with only a pair of sparkling eyes.

He didn’t mind Yanzhi hiding in Xie Yi’s house, nor did he mind Yanzhi getting himself dirty.

He would pick Yanzhi up and pat off the dust, take him back for a bath, and finally hold him in his arms and have a good sleep.

Everything would be over!

He wouldn’t mind! He only wanted Yanzhi to return!

But in the next moment, the dust under the bed dissipated.

Xiao Cuan quietly gazed into the darkness under the bed. His face darkened inch by inch, and the light in his eyes also dimmed inch by inch.

Not there.

Yanzhi wasn’t here.

Seeing Xiao Cuan’s confident look just now, for a moment, Xie Yi also thought Yanzhi was hiding under the bed.

His heart rose to his throat, but soon settled back.

Good, good.

But Xiao Cuan still didn’t give up.

He knelt on one knee before the couch, one hand pressing firmly on the couch, veins bulging on the back of his hand, almost crushing the couch.

He refused to stand up, his eyes still staring firmly under the bed, as if he wanted to find a tiny Yanzhi from the corners of the walls and the gaps between the bricks.

Xiao Cuan’s face was ashen, and he didn’t speak. The personal guards beside him also remained silent.

Xie Yi naturally didn’t dare to speak without permission either, and could only lower his head and wait in silence to see when the search would end.

In an instant, the room was in a dead silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Cuan finally spoke coldly, his voice low and raspy: “Where is he?”

Xie Yi regained his senses and hurriedly bowed and answered: “If Your Majesty is talking about Young Master Yanzhi, this commoner truly doesn’t know. Ever since leaving the palace last month, this commoner and Young Master Yanzhi haven’t seen each other again…”

Xiao Cuan interrupted him heavily: “Didn’t you say just now that this was your… wife’s room?”

Xiao Cuan gritted his teeth, the word “wife” squeezed out from between his teeth.

“Where is your wife now?”

“This commoner…”

Xie Yi was just in a moment of anxiety and casually told a lie to stop Xiao Cuan from entering.

Now…

How could he produce a wife out of thin air?

Xie Yi thought for a moment and said again: “This commoner’s father has arranged a marriage for this commoner. This commoner specifically cleared out this room to wait for his wife to move in. This commoner spoke wrongly in a moment of haste; please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Xie Yi bowed and lowered his head even more, his posture humble.

He finally said: “This commoner indeed hasn’t seen Young Master Yanzhi; please judge clearly, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Cuan remained silent for a long time, as if trying to distinguish the truth.

It’s true that Yanzhi knew Xie Yi, but he didn’t know where Xie Yi’s home was, let alone that Xie Yi was recovering at the estate.

Even he had to send someone to the military camp to inquire for a long time and ride a horse for half a day to get here.

Perhaps Yanzhi really didn’t come here.

Xiao Cuan finally convinced himself, pressing on the couch, and was about to stand up.

Suddenly, he frowned and looked at the couch.

Wait!

Xiao Cuan’s gaze was fixed. He reached out and snatched the quilt from the couch, held it before him, and sniffed forcefully.

It was Yanzhi! This was Yanzhi’s scent!

Fragrant and soft, as if marinated in the flavor of cream puffs.

Although the scent was faint, he still smelled it!

Holding the quilt, Xiao Cuan turned his head, his gaze like an arrow, pinning onto Xie Yi.

He almost let Xie Yi deceive him!

“Where is he?!”

Xiao Cuan let out a roar. He instinctively wanted to slam the bedding onto the ground, but just before letting go, he wrapped the bedding up instead.

He couldn’t bear to put down the bedding. He rushed forward in one stride, holding the quilt with one hand and grabbing Xie Yi’s collar with the other, almost lifting him from the ground.

“Where is he? Where is Yanzhi? Where has Yanzhi gone?!”

“May Your Majesty appease your anger, this commoner truly doesn’t know…”

“You don’t know, right? Fine!”

Xiao Cuan grabbed Xie Yi’s collar, gave him a heavy swing, and threw him to the personal guards.

“Throw him into the heavenly prison! Torture him! Beat him until he knows!”

After Xiao Cuan finished these words, he rolled the bedding into a ball, held it firmly, and strode outside.

“The rest of you! Search the mountain with me!”

Xie Yi was restrained by two personal guards and was about to be taken away when the old man, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, that young master last night is a close friend of my young master!”

Xiao Cuan stopped his steps and turned his head again, his gaze at him becoming even more gloomy.

—What nonsense are you talking again? What close friend?

Nonsense!

Xie Yi also hurriedly shouted: “Grandfather, don’t talk nonsense.”

The old man, however, was neither humble nor arrogant. He walked in front of Xie Yi, gave him a steady look, and continued: “That young master was carrying a small package and brought a small dog. He traveled over mountains and rivers and visited late at night. His clothes, shoes, and socks were all wet from the snow.”

“It was my young master who brought a brazier for him to keep warm.”

“It was my young master who ordered me to boil hot water for him to wash.”

“It was my young master who ordered me to cook meat and vegetables for him to eat.”

“If not for my young master, I’m afraid that young master would have frozen and starved to death in the deep mountains last night!”

“Since Your Majesty brought people to find him, this shows that Your Majesty still cares a little about the young master in your heart.”

“If that’s the case, my young master is the young master’s savior. The young master still feels grateful toward my young master, yet Your Majesty not only doesn’t treat him with courtesy, but instead calls for killing and intends to extract a confession through torture.”

“The young master is a kind-hearted person. If he finds out in the future that my young master suffered physical pain because of saving him, he would probably be so overcome with guilt that he’d die of a broken heart…”

—“Nonsense!”

Xiao Cuan let out an angry shout, interrupting his words.

Yanzhi wouldn’t die of a broken heart!

He was just taking Xie Yi back for torture, not taking his life.

As long as Xie Yi told him Yanzhi’s whereabouts, couldn’t he save his life?

If Xie Yi himself refused to speak even at the cost of his life, and suffered the consequences, how could he be blamed?

Yanzhi, that heartless little bad dog, wouldn’t die of a broken heart!

Xiao Cuan pointed at the old man and said sternly: “Take him back together! Beat them together!”

From beginning to end, Xiao Cuan didn’t look back or look at them once.

After giving the order, he was about to leave.

But just then, a sudden thunder erupted behind him—

“I have the deed of manumission given by Young Master Yanzhi himself right here!”

Xiao Cuan turned his head suddenly, and Xie Yi also looked up in disbelief.

Xiao Cuan rushed forward in one stride, snatched the deed of manumission from the old man’s high-held hand, and looked down at it.

Now there is a criminal slave Yanzhi, with an ugly appearance…

Yes, it was the deed of manumission he personally wrote years ago, with the imperial seal on it.

Xiao Cuan stared fixedly at the deed of manumission in his hand, and was actually stunned for a moment.

So Yanzhi really did come here last night.

So…

The old man finally said: “The young master and my young master are good friends. He knew that one day Your Majesty would definitely find this place, so before departing, he specifically handed the deed of manumission to this old servant. Those words just now were also taught to this old servant by the young master.”

“He felt grateful for my young master’s help and support, and specifically asked this old servant to bring a message to Your Majesty—”

Xiao Cuan looked up, his eyes blood-red: “What did he say?”

“The young master said he has served Your Majesty for ten years and has always been loyal and dedicated to Your Majesty. Even if there is no merit, there is still hard work.”

“He is willing to exchange ten years of hard work for his only friend’s peaceful life.”

So Yanzhi had already guessed it.

So Yanzhi had already thought it through, calculated it, and planned it!

Xiao Cuan said nothing and turned to leave.

The personal guards behind him couldn’t make up their minds, hesitated for a moment, and finally still held up Xie Yi and the old man and followed.

Xiao Cuan walked out of the estate and was about to flip onto his horse. Seeing that they were still following, his face turned even darker.

“What are you still carrying them for? Put them back!”

“…Yes.”

The personal guards then reacted, held Xie Yi and the old man up, and carried them back.

One was placed by the door, and the other in the courtyard, exactly where they stood when they first appeared, not a hair’s breadth difference.

“Pardon the offense.”

Xie Yi and the old man looked at each other, both still a bit dazed.

They… were let go just like that?

Xiao Cuan was on his horse, clutching the reins with both hands, holding the bedding in his arms, just as he used to hold Yanzhi.

He looked down from above, his face taut, his breathing heavy, his chest rising and falling.

Clearly in a state of extreme anger and fury, yet he couldn’t flare up anymore. He just gave one last glare at Xie Yi and that old servant, then turned his head away, unwilling to look anymore.

What could he do? What else could he do?