Memories flooded back vividly, and Zhao Xiyan reflected with both regret and joy.
What he regretted was that he thought he had clearly understood Qi Yue, when in fact he hardly knew her at all.
And what brought him joy was all the things she had done for him; had she not cared, how could she have gone through with them?
He had been mistaken about her all along, presumptuously acting as if he were her older brother.
He had even misunderstood that she was actually going after the National Treasure and rashly written the divorce paper.
If Qi Yue encountered any danger because of that, how could he ever forgive himself?
âZhao Xiyan, you bastard, hurry up and untie me!â
âZhao Xiyan, I despise you, you petty man!â
Qu Weiâs curses were unceasing.
The outsiders, regardless of their height or size, dared not approach and only watched from afar.
The other maids were even farther away from the front hall, ignorant of what was happening and inexplicably gossiping.
Coming back to his senses, Zhao Xiyan untied Qu Wei and said a âThank you.â
Qu Wei rubbed his arms, puzzled.
âThank you for what, am I to thank you for tying me up?â
But then he saw Zhao Xiyan silently heading towards Qi Yueâs courtyard, and Qu Wei hurriedly followed, shouting all the way.
âIâm telling you, if you have any conscience left, stop bothering my Yueyue.â
âLast time you returned to the Capital City, do you know how upset she was? She went to Longfuling specially to see you, and you, you just left without a trace.â
âHer heart is deeply wounded by you, she doesnât love you anymore.â
âHey, are you listening to me?â
âZhao Xiyan, you are not allowed to look for her anymore!â
ââ¦â
Qu Wei yelled and screamed, while Zhao Xiyan remained silent.
The two arrived at Qi Yueâs courtyard only to be blocked at the entrance by Matron Zhang.
âOur Miss has spoken, she wants you to go back where you came from.â
Qu Wei looked at Zhao Xiyan with a smug expression, the fan in his hand fluttering noisily.
âSheâs telling you to get lost, do you hear?â
Zhao Xiyan glanced at him indifferently.
âThen perhaps you can show me how itâs done first.â
Matron Zhang had a rough understanding of the dayâs events.
Seeing how striking Zhao Xiyan was, her fondness for him overflowed, and she earnestly hoped that Qi Yue would reconcile with him, getting them together.
So, she tried to persuade them patiently.
âBoth of you should go and have your meals; our Miss will be better later.â
Zhao Xiyan and Qu Wei turned back to have their meal, which inevitably led to a clash of words.
Of course, calling it a clash wasnât quite correct.
It was mainly Qu Wei ranting nonsense, angrily criticizing Zhao Xiyan in various ways.
Zhao Xiyan remained silent, only speaking up at the end.
âMy matters I will explain to Yueyue alone; theyâre none of your concern.â
At that remark, Qu Wei was about to explode in anger, but then he snickered, âHeh, just you wait, Yueyue wonât trust you anymore.â
Zhao Xiyan was noncommittal.
In his view, it didnât matter whether Qi Yue trusted him or not, she could only be his, and he would never allow her to escape.
He had thought this way when he didnât know she liked him, and now he was even more determined.
He would make Qi Yue return to his side no matter what.
Because, in his heart, he had never acknowledged that divorce paper.
After they finished eating, the sky had already dimmed, but Qi Yue still hadnât appeared.
Zhao Xiyan couldnât help feeling anxious.
According to Qu Wei, if Qi Yue really liked him, then she must be very upset about the Princessâs matter.
He needed to explain things to Qi Yue promptly.
In a rush, he arrived at Qi Yueâs courtyard, and unsurprisingly, he was stopped by Matron Zhang again.
âMatron Zhang, itâs so late, and Yueyue still hasnât come out to eat. Iâm worried about her health, please help me call out to her.â
Who doesnât like a handsome and polite man?
Old Mother Zhangâs heart bloomed with joy, but she was troubled once she remembered Qi Yueâs instructions.
âThe Young Marquis may not know, but my Miss has always enjoyed solitude. She has specifically instructed that when she is in her room, she must not be disturbed.â
Hearing this, Zhao Xiyan furrowed his brows.
âDoes she often do this?â
Old Mother Zhang hesitated for a moment before explaining Qi Yueâs usual behavior.
When Zhao Xiyan heard that Qi Yue would often stay in her room without coming out, and that she wouldnât even eat dinner, his eyebrows creased even tighter.
âWould you please call her for me, and tell her I have something to say to her?â
Old Mother Zhang also felt pity for Qi Yue. Now that Zhao Xiyan was here, she hurried off to call for her.
Who would have thought that, despite knocking the door to the point of almost breaking it, there was still no response from Qi Yue, which frightened her. She quickly explained the situation to Zhao Xiyan.
Zhao Xiyan had roughly guessed where Qi Yue might have gone to that mysterious place, and his heart grew even more anxious.
What place was that? How did one get there? What if Qi Yue never came backâwhere would he find her?
He couldnât care less about etiquette anymore. He rushed into the courtyard and pushed open the door to Qi Yueâs room.
Qu Wei, taking advantage of his close brother status, followed suit.
Sure enough, her figure was not in the room.
As Zhao Xiyan looked at the empty expanse of bed, he couldnât help but recall the scene from that night.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
She had suddenly appeared, her black hair spread across half of the bed, so enchanting and beautiful.
But now, where was she? Would she come back?
He just felt pangs of pain in the bottom of his heart, as though he could barely stand.
Suddenly, Old Mother Zhang cried out in alarm.
âThis is bad, the Miss must have been kidnapped!â
Qu Wei anxiously asked, âWhy do you say that?â
Old Mother Zhang pointed to an empty spot under the window and said, âThese boxes of gold that I personally had people place here earlier have also disappeared. Somebody must have taken the gold and taken the Miss as well.â
Qu Wei thought it made sense and nodded repeatedly.
âItâs possible. Wasnât there that big thief from Guyang before? Iâve heard that wherever they go, they can take anything.â
But Zhao Xiyan silently shook his head in his heart.
Kidnapped Qi Yue? Impossible.
That night he saw it clearly; with a wave of her hand, everything in the room disappeared.
This so-called big thief from Guyang must be connected to Qi Yue somehow.
At this thought, he began to worry again.
If Qi Yue suddenly appeared on the bed like she had the other night, wouldnât this scoundrel Qu Wei take advantage of her?
âLetâs go out and talk,â he said.
With that, he pushed Qu Wei out of the room.
At this time, Huang Zaiâan had also finished his work at the pharmacy and had just returned.
When he heard that Qi Yue had suddenly disappeared, he chuckled to himself.
âNo worries, no worries. You all go on with what you were doing.â
Seeing that Zhao Xiyan and the others did not believe him, he eventually had to mention the two previous disappearances of Qi Yue at the Prefecture Magistrateâs Office and the Prefectural Governorâs Office.
âRest assured, sheâs just gone off to sleep somewhere. When she has had enough sleep, she will naturally reappear.â
Qu Wei was half-convinced, but Zhao Xiyan believed it.
Now that he thought about it, when he woke up in the bathing tub, the place he saw should have been some kind of washroom.
If that was the case, then that mysterious place must have a bedroom and such.
Qi Yue must be hiding because she felt unhappy.
Now, other than waiting for her to show up on her own, he had no other choice.
A group of people waited one shichen and then another, almost until 11 PM, but still, there was no sign of Qi Yue.
Qu Wei was anxious, and Zhao Xiyan frantic; he was worried Qi Yue would never appear again.
Only Huang Zaiâan was quite pleased, having drank a pot of tea and now nodding off to sleep.
âListen to this old fellow, all of you go sleep. Come morning, youâre sure to see her,â he said.
Seeing Huang Zaiâan so certain, Zhao Xiyan and the others felt somewhat reassured, and they all dispersed.
Old Mother Zhang had already arranged for Qu Wei and Zhao Xiyanâs accommodation by the afternoon, so now they could only return to their own rooms.