After arriving back to the residence, Yamato dropped by another building where the soldiers and the maids resides led by Fang Baihe. The soldiers gathered in an empty hall, conversing lightly with their colleague with weapons still hung on their strong waist. The building were a peculiar wide and clean hall, with big door frame without a door fitting in, allowing people to freely go in and out.
Fang Baihe and Qiong Fu bid them farewell to head back to their own respective living quarter. Witnessing their figure gradually going further and eventually disappear, Baili Haoyue couldn't help but heaved a relieved sigh while plastering his confident smile once again.
Yamato scanned his surrounding, yet he couldn't spot a young stupid figure among all the watchful yet lax hard boiled soldiers, "Jian Yu, where's Zhang Ying?"
Upon being called, Jian Yu immediately approached and kneeled respectfully, "Answering to your highness, Zhang Ying is currently guarding her highness Qing Lian."
With eyes still swimming Yamato nodded, however he was still unable to spot the other young stupid figure,"Then where's An Xiao?"
Jian Yu displayed a stunned face with eyes widening and brows raised, he clearly forgot the existence of such a girl, "An.. Xiao.. She..." the man stalled while pondering, hesitating to answer, "She.. My deepest apologies your highness, this humble servant will accept punishment for his negligence upon the surveillance of An Xiao.. This humble servant doesn't know where she currently is.." Jian Yu stated nervously with cold palm. After all if anything happen to An Xiao's wellbeing, the one who would rage is none other than the merciless crown prince. The crown princess will only suffer along from the implication by the incompetent soldiers, however a resentment from a person with status is enough to send a new soldier like Jian Yu to the gallows.
Yamato eyed the nervous man and heaved a helpless sigh, "Stand up.. I won't punish you, instead.. Help me find her. Come follow me."
Not even hearing an irked voice, Jian Yu let out a slight relieved sigh and wiped his sweaty palm. However the soldier wondered regarding how did Ren Xiu managed to maintain the reverence from her people despite being clement towards discipline and punishment.
Yamato kneeled to Qing Youya's eye level and smiled warmly, "Your highness, are you not tired? You can go to your room first, i will assign some soldiers to guard your room so you can have a good rest."
"Is sister-in-law implying that I am weak and delicate?" Qing Youya who had been following close to Ren Xiu deliberately frown and pout.
From the beginning, Yamato sensed how the boy was kind of strange and mysterious. Although the boy seemed mild and often go along with the flow, he was undeniably indifferent inside because he didn't even try to conceal it. Thus, anything he go along with must have some kind of meaning or purpose. Sometimes he would express or cover up his purpose by deliberately acting cute like his original age, and it never failed to amuse Yamato.
"Of course not! But if not resting, then what would his highness like to do?" Yamato go along with him and mused happily.
"Can't i just follow you?"
".. But i'm just going to look and check on An Xiao for a bit." For a royalty to take care of such a peasant was simply preposterous, thus Yamato was actually thinking and making considerations for Qing Youya's dignity.
"It's alright, i can also check whether she behaves or not," Qing Youya beamed, implying the previous deal of marriage in case An Xiao causes some trouble.
Hearing such implication, Yamato couldn't help but burst out laughing and allowed the prince to tag along.
Yamato asked one of the maid they have brought, and she explained how she was too busy helping to prepare food and cleaning she basically has no time to pay attention to An Xiao. The other maids told him the same thing.
Even Xiao Ming emphasized, "Speaking of it.. She was with us when we came.. Later we got busy and.. When i realize, she was already nowhere.. Really, where did that vixen ran off to!? Causing trouble for my princess!"
An Xiao was a girl with an undeniably cute and lovely feature, however she was but a mere ordinary peasant without much presence to speak of. The moment someone took their eyes off of her, they could easily lost her figure before they even realize. Not only the maids, even the soldiers didn't catch a glimpse of her.
This is also the kind of moment which makes Yamato misses his modern world, because cellphone truly helps a lot. Without cellphone, what option is there beside walking around and exhaust oneself til they find the girl? Yamato quickly wake himself from the instant dreary brooding and turned to Jian yu, "Where do you think she is? Lavatory?"
"Answering to your highness, i don't think so.. She took too long since we last saw her," Jian Yu mused in a solemn manner.
"Ah such a bother, there's a woman slaughterer out there who have yet to be caught and yet she have the nerve to be lost in this place right now.." Yamato heaved a heavy sigh and propped his arms on his waist, he felt worried and disgruntled at the handful little mistress.
"A slaughterer!?" Jian Yu gasped.
"Yeah, a nasty one at that," Baili Haoyue added with a smirk.
"T-then -should we all split up and search??" it was the first time Yamato saw Jian Yu lost his composure.
"Pfft- no need to make such a big deal out of it, it wouldn't be funny if everyone is searching for her yet turns out she's just playing outside right?" Yamato glanced at Qing Youya, he has several concerns which he couldn't freely convey at the time, and he believed the little prince also know it.
Agreeing to casually search together and not make a fuss out of it, Yamato, Qing youya, Baili Haoyue, and Jian Yu walked around the residence. After making sure that An Xiao were not in or around the hall, they made the rounds of the first and second building. The first building were awfully quiet and as expected they didn't find her there, she also wasn't in the pier pavilion nor the flower garden. They happen to meet Zhang Ying in front of Qing Lian's room on the second building.
Meanwhile the general were asking his subordinate whether he saw the little mistress, Yamato entered his own room out of convenience.
"Ah! Jiejie! Welcome back!" upon seeing Ren Xiu's arrival, Xiao Yun immediately leapt from the bed and trotted up towards the woman.
Yamato stroked the boy's head and cut into the point, "Xiao Meng, have you seen An Xiao?"
The maidservant immediately scrunched her brows, "That slutty fox? No, i don't, what about her princess?"
"It's nothing.. Moreover, ah'Yun! I'm going for more stroll! Want to go with jiejie?"
"I can!?"
"You can! Have you ate?"
"I have.. Meng Jie gave me delicious food! Oh -Yun wants to go with jiejie please!"
"I see, good for you, don't forget to say thank you alright. Now come," Yamato held the little boy's skinny hand and directed his maid, "Xiao Meng, i'm out for a while. If anyone asks for me, just say i'm sleeping, or you can just join the other maid in the hall alright?"
"This humble servant understood princess, please have a save trip," and she bowed while Yamato exited the room.
They concluded that An Xiao was indeed not inside the residence, thus forced them to search outside.
***
An Xiao was an independent, brave, and tough young woman. She had lived her life as an orphan, definitely not free of hardship and any kind of impediment. Despite that, she was also sincere, soft, and kind, as her heart would be moved by every events around her. She was able to bear up against any trouble which came along with pains, she was used to it, the experience come from time to time. However she was afterall just a young woman, her small figure and soft heart were not especially designed to withstand constant and continuous anguish.
Being used to enduring pain, her heart gradually became strong, with a clear standing and confidence. However it didn't change the fact that she originally has a heart as soft as a little bird.
Ever since the moment her life began to entangle with Qing Rui, she knew things wouldn't be as simple anymore. Their standing, their situation, their thoughts, their interests, their ambition, nothing matched, they were completely incompatible. Yet even though everything was nothing but incongruous, Qing Rui was too charming to run away from. An Xiao was incapable to break away from such addicting temptation, she refused a toast only to drink a forfeit. In the end she could only concede, and submit herself away to be drifted and drowned by the man's love and care. While being fully aware that Qing Rui already has a legal main noble wife.
The man assured her regarding the wife time and time again, all for the sake of annihilating her jealousy and anxiety. She knew how much her lover ignored and disdained his wife, and she gradually became aware of her rancorous self. She became aware that she was nothing proud and noble like what she thought she were. For snatching and hogging a husband's love all for herself, was but a normal trait of a self-centered, greedy, and jealous woman.
For a high and mighty crown prince to like an ordinary medicine peddler who wasn't even exceptionally beautiful, was originally improbable. And if there was a reason for it to happen, would be none other than him seeking an individual different from those in his surrounding, to give him a breath of fresh air. She became apprehensive at the thought, afraid if Qing Rui were to realize just how normal and ugly she was. At the thought of being abandoned and shunned by Qing Rui, An Xiao flinched in dread.
From the moment An Xiao catch a glimpse of Ren Xiu waking up from nap up on the tree, the dread has been haunting her. And ever since the journey began, everyone had been doing nothing but challenging her ailing confidence. The constant verbal abuse she received for days was enough to exhaust her mental and confidence, causing her mind and heart to became depressingly fatigued. Though a little bird could bear against a gust of wind, it could not withstand a gale of storm.
An Xiao slipped away while everyone were busy, in fact she would like to help if only at least one person didn't ignore her existence. Yet she was treated like an air when they were busy, and treated like a trash when they were free. In a depressed mental state while enduring her tears to pour, she went out and wandered around in search for a quiet place to calm herself down and take a rest. She passed through the bustling city, the market, and before she knew it, she have arrived in a forest. The forest was abnormally too tranquil and eerie, even the rustling sound of animals were rare to catch. Even if some ghost suddenly popped out, it wouldn't be a surprise. An Xiao was deep within it, for she couldn't find any trace of civilization all around.
However for an independent peddler like An Xiao, walking alone through a forest were not a rare or new occasion. Rather than feeling lost and scared, in fact she felt calmer instead and continued to stroll til she reached a river.
She sat under a tree and leaned back to the trunk, staring blankly at the flowing and sparkling water of the river. Finally being alone, she let her restraint loose and sobbed quietly. She bent her legs and buried her wet face in it, she looked very pitiful.
However something resonated. Just across her beyond the river, a figure was in a pose exactly like her. The other thing that was uncannily resembling her, was that the person were also crying.
Finally realizing a sobbing voice from each side of the river, the two person raised their heads and found out that they were not alone.