Xue Jingyun sat in his study, having not rested for a day and a night. He dared not, nor could he, rest. His A Ning was still missing, and he had to find her as soon as possible.
"Your Highness, the Snow King requests your presence," Xue Li entered and said in a low voice.
Xue Jingyun did not look up. "I will not see him."
Xue Li did not leave.
He looked up and saw Xue Li hesitating to speak. He could not help but say, "Speak your mind..."
"The Duke of An paid a visit to the Snow King."
He nodded. "Very well, I understand. You may withdraw!"
Xue Li walked out. Xue Feng stepped forward and asked softly, "Your Highness, you haven't slept all night."
Xue Li sighed. "The Empress is missing, and His Highness has lost his heart. He is merely forcing himself to continue. Do you have any news from your end?"
Xue Feng shook his head. "No. Moreover, that physician was not one of the resident doctors at Minghuitang, but someone who volunteered. He had cured many people in the past, and we intended to hire him as a doctor at Minghuitang after this matter was concluded, but we never expected such a thing to happen."
"Does His Highness know about it?" Xue Li asked.
Xue Feng nodded. "Yes. The Empress has vanished without a trace. His Highness must be extremely anxious. For now, we can only wait for Xue Yan to wake up and see if there are any useful clues."
Xue Li nodded. "That is all we can do."
"Is there any news from Princess Xue Ling?"
Xue Li shook his head. "It is certain that Xue Ling provided the whereabouts of the Empress and His Highness, but after that, it had nothing to do with Princess Xue Ling. In fact, she was just a scapegoat."
Xue Feng was stunned. He understood the meaning of Xue Li's words. It seemed Xue Ling was merely a wife to confuse His Highness.
"Xue Jingyun, come out here..." a furious roar came from outside.
Xue Li and Xue Feng exchanged a look and went to the door. Outside, the Duke of An was hurriedly ascending the steps. Seeing Xue Li and Xue Feng blocking the doorway, he arrogantly said, "Get out of the way, I want to see Xue Jingyun."
Xue Li said coldly, "Duke of An, I apologize, but our殿下 is busy and cannot see anyone."
"Who do you think you are, to speak to me? Get out of the way..."
"We are indeed nothing, then what is the Duke of An who speaks to us?" Xue Feng replied unceremoniously.
The Duke of An jumped with anger. "You... you dare to insult me? Insulting a court official, you are finished."
"My life and death are decided by my殿下, Duke of An, you do not have this right," Xue Feng said coldly.
"Snow King, look at this! Even your subordinates do not respect me. No wonder my Xue Ling was taken away. They clearly have no regard for me as an uncle..." The Duke of An was furious.
The Snow King alighted from his carriage behind them and came to the door. He looked at Xue Feng and said, "Make way."
Xue Feng bowed. "Your Highness, I apologize, but our殿下 is not seeing anyone right now."
"Brother, look, even the people around him have this attitude. How can Xue Ling be well? Brother, I don't care. I want Xue Ling to come home. I haven't even told my wife about this, otherwise, it wouldn't just be me coming here alone."
The Snow King thought of the Duke of An's wife, that shrew, and couldn't help but shiver. He said coldly, "Go and announce that I wish to see him."
"Brother, why are you being so polite? He is your son. Why do you need to announce it?" the Duke of An said.
The Snow King felt that the Duke of An's words were very true. He said coldly, "You all move aside."
Xue Feng could block the Duke of An, but he could not block the Snow King. He could only step aside and signal Xue Li to go and inform His Highness.
Upon entering, the Duke of An shouted in the courtyard, "Xue Ling, Xue Ling, where are you? Don't be afraid, Daddy is here..."
After shouting for a long time without a response from Xue Ling, the Duke of An became extremely anxious.
"Father, why are you here?"
The Snow King looked at the man in front of him, somewhat stunned. How had his once extraordinarily talented son become like this, so exhausted?
"Jingyun, what's wrong with you?" the Snow King couldn't help but ask.
Xue Jingyun looked coldly at the Duke of An. The Duke of An also felt a chilling aura. He turned and saw those eyes, clear and cold as frost, with a residual hint of murderous intent like blood.
The Duke of An couldn't help but take a step back. "You..."
He quickly hid behind the Snow King in fear. The Snow King sighed. If it weren't for the circumstances, he knew his son would absolutely not have done something like this.
"Jingyun, tell your father what happened."
"Father doesn't need to know," Xue Jingyun said coldly.
The Snow King was amused by this. "I don't need to know? You've turned Xue City upside down, and if I don't know, I don't know what you intend to do!"
Xue Jingyun looked at him and after a pause said, "A Ning is missing."
The Snow King trembled. "You... you said the Empress... is missing?"
Xue Jingyun nodded, cast a cold glance at the Duke of An, and said coldly, "Xue Ling gave my whereabouts and A Ning's to a mysterious person. A Ning is missing."
The Duke of An behind the Snow King's heart trembled. How could he not know who they were talking about?
The Empress, the Empress Changning who unified the world.
Xue Ling, you... you are truly... how can you expect me to save you?
However, he still wanted to try. He whispered behind the Snow King, "Brother, Xue Ling is innocent and easily manipulated. These actions were not her intention!"
"Jingyun, you must have found out what you needed to investigate. Why don't you release Xue Ling? She's just a young girl, she must be terrified being held captive by you."
"If A Ning is unharmed, then she will be unharmed. Otherwise..." Xue Jingyun did not finish, but everyone knew that if the Empress met with misfortune, Xue Ling would not live.
"Brother..."
The Snow King glanced at the Duke of An and said, "You pray that the Empress is alright, otherwise, you..."
The Snow King did not finish.
The Duke of An trembled. He understood the chilling intent in the Snow King's words. If the Empress met with misfortune, his position as Duke of An would also be at stake.
"Your Highness, Xue Yan has woken up," Xue Song rushed in.
Xue Jingyun said urgently, "Take me to see Xue Yan."
On the bed, Xue Yan was crying tears of regret. Although Xue Song felt distressed for her, he knew that the Prince must be even more anxious than he was.
"Your Highness, it is my fault. I did not protect His Majesty..." Xue Yan was filled with remorse. How could she have let His Majesty be lost alone?
"It is not your responsibility. They were premeditated. You should recuperate well," Xue Jingyun said indifferently.
He stood up and said to Xue Song, "Take good care of her."
Xue Song nodded. "Your Highness, please don't worry. His Majesty is blessed by heaven and will surely be alright."
Xue Jingyun did not speak and walked towards the exit. Just as he was about to reach the door, Xue Yan suddenly said, "Your Highness, His Majesty was with Feng Yuan. Yes, it was Feng Yuan."
Xue Jingyun trembled and turned back. "Feng Yuan?"
Xue Yan nodded. "Yes, it was the former Mo Yuan. He submitted to His Majesty, and His Majesty bestowed upon him the name Feng Yuan."