Wei Wuji immediately led his men to search the surrounding streets, but Xiao Man had already left the red-light district. Fortunately, her sharp eyes spotted Murong Sheng Rui, otherwise, she would have been exposed by him.
Xiao Man was still shaken, never expecting Nangong Yi to be mingling with Murong Sheng Rui. Fortunately, only one street remained to the General's Mansion. It was best to stay indoors for now to avoid prematurely revealing her identity. However, as soon as she turned the corner, she saw a figure standing in the alley. Xiao Man felt wary and her hand instinctively went to her dagger.
Just then, the person walked out from the depths of the alley. In the faint light of the ram's horn lantern he held, Xiao Man finally recognized Nangong Yi and let out a sigh of relief.
"It's the middle of the night, why aren't you home sleeping?"
"Why did you run when you saw me?" Nangong Yi's voice was filled with dejection. Ever since he got married, Xiao Man had been avoiding him, which made him unhappy.
"I didn't run when I saw you!" Xiao Man explained. She had run because she saw Murong Sheng Rui beside him. "By the way, who was that person with you?"
"Don't change the subject. Why did you run when you saw me?" Nangong Yi took a few steps forward, grabbing Xiao Man's sleeve. "Does my marriage mean I'm no longer worthy of being your friend?"
"You've misunderstood!"
"I haven't misunderstood. Ever since I got married, you've never sought me out again!"
"I didn't seek you out before you got married either."
Nangong Yi felt a pang in his heart. It was true that Xiao Man had never actively sought him out. He was always the one who eagerly looked for Xiao Man.
"Xiao Man, do you have a heart at all?" Nangong Yi asked, his voice trembling as he looked at Xiao Man. After all these years together, hadn't Xiao Man ever felt a spark for him?
"You're drunk," Xiao Man said calmly. "You should go back and rest early."
Xiao Man leaped onto the wall. "Nangong Yi, don't look too far ahead. Look at what's in front of you and cherish the person who is there."
Xiao Man entered the General's Mansion, but Nangong Yi remained standing, unmoving. Cherish the person who is there, hah, cherish the person who is there. That's all he had ever wanted to do, but no one agreed, no one gave him a chance!
The Empress Dowager forced him, his father forced him, and his fourth brother also forced him. All he wanted was one person, why was it so difficult?
"Your Highness," Zhou Kang said, with some concern.
In the past, when Xiao Man caused trouble outside, she would always climb over the wall to return home from this direction. That's why when Xiao Man saw them, they didn't chase after her but instead waited here like a hunter.
"Let's go, back to the mansion."
Nangong Yi walked away, dejected. In the past, when he was upset, a night of revelry at a pleasure house could dispel his melancholy. But now, no amount of fine wine or beautiful women could soothe the emptiness in his heart.
"Your Highness, perhaps we have indeed misunderstood..." Nangong Yi's glare made Zhou Kang swallow his words.
When Xiao Man saw them then, she immediately hid, her posture as if she had seen a ghost. It wasn't just the Prince who was heartbroken; even he felt a pang of sadness.
Du Yulan had been waiting with the lamp lit. Hearing the sound of the door opening, she quickly got up to greet him. "Your Highness, you're back."
Nangong Yi reeked of alcohol, but he tried his best to control himself. "It's so late, why aren't you resting yet?"
"I couldn't sleep when Your Highness wasn't back yet," Du Yulan said, quickly instructing the maids to prepare sobering soup and hot water.
Nangong Yi collapsed onto the bed, burying his head in the quilt. At first, nothing seemed amiss, but after a moment, Du Yulan noticed something was wrong. Nangong Yi seemed to be crying.
Du Yulan, holding the sobering soup, looked at Nangong Yi with concern. Since their marriage, she had noticed that Nangong Yi was not happy at all, and even seemed to be in pain. He always used busyness to hide his feelings, but he didn't realize that she saw it all and it hurt her deeply.
"Your Highness, have some sobering soup."
Nangong Yi rolled over and looked blankly at the person sitting on the bed. The face was familiar. He couldn't help but reach out and touch it. "What should I do with you? I tell myself that as long as you are happy, I can do anything. But I can't control my own heart, I can't help but be moved by you. Now, when I see other women, my heart doesn't stir even a ripple. What should I do?"
Du Yulan placed her hand on top of Nangong Yi's. "As long as you are happy, I can do anything."
A hint of surprise appeared in Nangong Yi's eyes. He pulled her into his embrace. The ceramic bowl fell to the ground, but no one paid it any mind. Nangong Yi flipped over and pressed her beneath him. Like a devout believer, he tentatively kissed her, his eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips, his movements gentle, as if treating a treasure.
"I love you."
Du Yulan almost choked up. "I love you too, Your Highness."
Nangong Yi's smile became even more tender. The bed curtains descended, obscuring the sudden intimacy. Du Yulan responded to Nangong Yi's passion with all her might. The two became entwined, their passion fervent.
"I love you, I love you very much," Nangong Yi murmured softly in Du Yulan's ear. Du Yulan had never felt so happy as she did at this moment. All her forbearance and sacrifice had finally paid off.
"From the first moment I saw you, I fell in love with you, Man'er."
The last two words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Du Yulan, extinguishing all her passion. Tears streamed from her eyes. Even though she knew Nangong Yi's heart belonged to another, she had thought she could win his heart back. She never imagined she had no hope from the very beginning.
Nangong Yi slept soundly, but Murong Sheng Rui spent the night sleepless. His men had searched all night but had not found the person he was looking for, as if it had all been his hallucination.
"Young Master, all the information on Prince Qi, Nangong Yi, is here." Wei Wuji had investigated Prince Qi's background thoroughly, just to appease the young Duke.
Murong Sheng Rui took the files and read them carefully from beginning to end, but he found no clues. Nangong Yi was known as a notorious rake in the capital, often frequenting pleasure houses and casinos. It was too difficult to find the person he was looking for among these records!
Wulana had said that Aman was hidden among the noble ladies of the capital. They must have overlooked something. She would definitely be on the list of people Wulana had contacted. It was likely she had used some method to deceive their eyes.
Murong Sheng Rui's gaze swept across the list. One person on it was her: "Wei Wuji."
"Your servant is here."
"Pass down an order to Qu Yang to ask the Emperor of Yusheng to arrange a matchmaking banquet. All unmarried daughters of official families must attend. I want to select a noble lady among them to be my Empress. This is the betrothal gift list from me, and I believe Emperor Yusheng will not refuse."
"Your servant obeys."
A playful glint flashed in Murong Sheng Rui's eyes. "The game of cat and mouse has begun. Aman, are you hidden well? I'm coming to find you."