The Fifth Prince… Xue Yan.
Jun Huailang froze, and immediately afterward, waves of coldness spread up his back.
That book… the book he had read after his death.
In that book, Xue Yan had once said some things he could not understand. But now, what had happened today actually overlapped with those incomprehensible sentences from the book.
In the book, when the story had reached its midpoint, Xue Yan had acted recklessly and imprisoned the dignified Empress Dowager in a secret chamber. Jun Linghuan had resisted in every possible way, crying as she said to Xue Yan, “You can’t keep me locked up. Someone will definitely find me!”
But Xue Yan had merely sneered. A cold, mocking smile had appeared in his amber eyes. “If I can hide you away, naturally I can make it so that no one in the entire world can find you. Empress Dowager, you have experienced this before.”
Upon hearing this, Jun Linghuan seemed to recall some terrifying experience. Her entire body trembled, and she could not speak.
Xue Yan, meanwhile, had leaned close to her ear and whispered with a low laugh, “Remember now? As long as I want to make you disappear, no one will be able to find you, even within the palace.”
At the time, because Jun Huailang had never known that his younger sister had once been made to disappear, and because he had been eager to see what happened next, he had not taken those words to heart. But now, with what had happened today…
Jun Huailang felt as though he had fallen into an icy abyss. His entire body went cold.
Wasn’t this incomprehensible sentence he had casually skipped over precisely referring to what had happened today? Xue Yan had made Jun Linghuan disappear, formed a grudge with her, and later humiliated her… It was very likely all because of what had happened today.
The chill traveled all the way down Jun Huailang’s spine, and a deep sense of guilt welled up inside him.
It was him… He had lived another life, yet he had still failed to take care of every detail. He had allowed the events of his previous life to happen all over again, letting his younger sister walk the same old path as in her previous life and become entangled with Xue Yan once more…
He suddenly rose to his feet, nearly overturning the table in front of him. But he had no time to care about that. He grabbed the little eunuch and strode outside.
“Where did Miss Jun disappear? Quickly, take me there!”
The little eunuch was genuinely startled by him.
The other nobles had all become anxious upon hearing what had happened. But the palace was heavily guarded and filled with palace attendants everywhere. Even if a child went missing, there should not be any danger. Thus, not a single one of them was as tense as this man.
The little eunuch was frightened by him and began stammering. “The Imperial Garden… the western corner gate of the Imperial Garden! Your Highness, please don’t worry. This servant will take you there right away…”
Jun Xiaowu and Xue Yunhuan hurriedly followed as well.
Although Jun Xiaowu looked flustered, he still tried to reassure Jun Huailang. “Don’t be afraid, Brother. Linghuan is still such a little child. She can’t have gone far. There are so many people in the palace. They won’t easily let her disappear.”
Jun Huailang only continued striding quickly forward. His throat was tight, and he could not make a sound. He merely shook his head with difficulty.
The palace was heavily guarded, and it was not easy for a noble person to go missing. Jun Linghuan had been kept by Consort Shu at her side and would not easily go out alone.
But precisely because of this, Jun Huailang was afraid.
If something that should have been impossible had anything to do with Xue Yan, then it could no longer be explained by common sense.
Jun Huailang’s mind was in chaos the entire way there. At one moment, he thought of the bitter wind and rain in Chang’an when his entire family had been executed in his previous life; at another, he thought of everything in that book. The pain in his chest was so intense that it forced his eyes red.
Jun Xiaowu and Xue Yunhuan were frightened by the look on his face.
Xue Yunhuan had never realized that Jun Huailang could walk so quickly. He hurried to keep up with him, panting as he said, “Huailang, don’t worry! I asked just now. They immediately searched all the wells and ponds nearby and sent people to guard them as well. Linghuan won’t be in any danger!”
As he spoke, he hurriedly nudged Jun Xiaowu with his elbow.
Jun Xiaowu quickly said, “That’s right! Brother, don’t worry. Our sister wouldn’t run around. She probably just got lost. They’ll probably find her within fifteen minutes…”
But Jun Huailang remained silent from beginning to end. He hurried onward until he finally reached the western corner gate of the Imperial Garden.
The western corner gate was very small. By now, the narrow palace road in front of it was already crowded with people.
Since the matter involved a prince and the eldest daughter of a duke’s household, the Emperor and Empress, who had gone to rest in the rear hall earlier, were here as well. They sat in carved, circular-backed chairs temporarily placed along the roadside, with palace maids behind them holding ornate canopies and feather fans.
When Jun Huailang arrived, he saw the Emperor reprimanding Xue Yan.
Consort Shu stood to the side, anxiously crying. His parents were also standing nearby. Their worried expressions could not be concealed, yet they had no choice but to strictly observe the proper relationship between sovereign and subjects and did not dare speak recklessly.
“Consort Shu asked you to help look after Linghuan, and this is how you did it?” The Emperor’s furious voice could be heard even from several dozen feet away. “You say she disappeared in the plum blossom grove outside the western corner gate, but why can’t anyone find her within dozens of yards?”
From a distance, Jun Huailang saw Xue Yan kneeling on the path outside the western corner gate.
Everyone was standing. Only he was kneeling.
The path was paved with bluestone, covered entirely in accumulated snow. The brilliant palace lanterns illuminated the area as brightly as daylight, casting his shadow especially long.
Just then, Xue Yan raised his head, and his gaze collided with Jun Huailang’s.
Those eyes were utterly lifeless. They were clearly an extremely pale shade, yet they contained bottomless black mist, dark and cold, so cold that Jun Huailang shuddered deep within his heart.
And it also brought sudden clarity to his mind.
He suddenly remembered that some days ago, when Xue Yan had stroked the top of Jun Linghuan’s head and told her that he was also her older brother, his expression had not been like this.
Originally… many things were different in this life. How could Xue Yan possibly repeat the same actions from his previous life?
Just then, he saw Xue Yan give him a faint glance before lowering his eyes again.
Like a tiny flame, suddenly extinguished.
Beside him, Jun Xiaowu became panicked as well upon seeing the commotion. Especially after hearing the Qingping Emperor say that no one could be found within dozens of yards, he immediately became frantic.
Without paying attention to Jun Huailang, he rushed forward several steps. He even forgot to salute the Emperor and Empress and grabbed Xue Yan by the collar, lifting him up.
“Where exactly did you leave my sister? How can she still not have been found?”
Xue Yan quietly raised his eyes and met his gaze.
The young eyes no longer held the cheerful warmth they had shown when looking at Jun Huailang moments ago. Flames of anger and anxiety flickered within them.
But Xue Yan seemed not to see them.
In his eyes, there remained only the eyes of Jun Huailang that he had met when he looked up just now.
He had always doted on his younger sister. Xue Yan had known this for a long time.
He had hurried here, his gaze flustered and anxious, his eyes even red. From far away, Xue Yan could see the glimmer of tears in them.
He will hate me.
Xue Yan thought calmly.
Just like everyone else.
For no apparent reason, Xue Yan’s heart suddenly ached. It felt as though a hand had seized his heart, making it impossible for him to breathe.
This feeling was very unfamiliar.
He had never imagined that he, who could calmly face all malice, would be unable to bear the hatred of a single person.
At that moment, as if trying to escape, he hurriedly shifted his gaze away from Jun Huailang’s.
At the same time, he thought in self-abandonment: Let him hate me, then. It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway.
Sure enough, he was grabbed by that person’s younger brother by the collar, facing the furious gaze of his younger brother.
The Qingping Emperor and the others were standing nearby, yet not one of them reprimanded Jun Xiaowu for his disrespect. They indulged him, silently permitting his actions.
Xue Yan remained silent.
He seemed to be waiting, like a condemned prisoner awaiting the execution order from the supervising official, waiting for Jun Huailang to do something.
He closed his eyes.
Just then, a hand reached over and grasped Jun Xiaowu’s wrist.
That hand was almost translucently white, with faint blue veins visible on the back.
It was clearly a slender, delicate hand, the knuckles faintly visible beneath the skin as though they would snap with a single squeeze. Yet there was an indescribable strength in it, effortlessly deflecting Jun Xiaowu’s force and stopping his movement.
“…Brother?”
Jun Xiaowu looked at him in disbelief.
Jun Huailang’s face was expressionless. His eyes were still red, his lips tightly pressed together, the muscles in his cheeks slightly drawn taut. It was obvious that he was desperately restraining something.
After a moment of silence, he managed to speak, his thin lips uttering a single sentence.
“Find Linghuan first.” His voice was somewhat hoarse. “Once we find Linghuan, then ask what happened.”
Those words seemed to have exhausted all the strength in his body.
After saying them, without waiting for Jun Xiaowu to respond, he released his hand and turned around.
From beginning to end, he did not look at Xue Yan even once.
Then Jun Huailang walked toward the Qingping Emperor, knelt, and bowed as he saluted.
“I was discourteous. I ask Your Majesty to send more men to search every deserted corner. Once Linghuan is found and the reason is made clear, then determine the appropriate punishment.”
The Qingping Emperor paused, then sighed and ordered, “Lingfu, do as the Heir has said. Gather all the idle Imperial Guards and send them out to search everywhere. Be sure to turn the place upside down if necessary. We must find Miss Jun.”
Lingfu hurriedly accepted the order and went to carry it out.
The Qingping Emperor then looked at Jun Huailang.
“I know that you two brothers are worried about your sister. There is no need to be anxious. I will absolutely not allow anything to happen to Linghuan in the palace.”
Jun Huailang bowed his head and knocked it against the ground again.
“I also ask Your Majesty to permit me to search together with the guards.”
He knelt prostrate on the ground as he made his request.