A Mess

Steward Su hurried over as soon as he heard the news. When he was told that the eldest young master was in the second young master's room, he changed direction and headed there. Before he even got close, he heard the second young master crying. Little Bun usually did not cry, but whenever he did, it was earth-shattering. Even his wet nurse could not soothe him.

As soon as Steward Su reached the door, he saw the eldest young master sitting in a chair with a dark expression. Although the eldest young master was usually sparing with his expressions, Steward Su could tell that he was very angry at this moment. Only then did he notice the second young master in his arms. Little Bun's crying gradually quieted down.

An Ziran handed Little Bun back to the wet nurse. The moment she took him, Little Bun wailed again. Yet when he returned to An Ziran's arms, he stopped crying. Everyone in the room fell silent at once, while the wet nurse looked embarrassed.

An Ziran was silent for a moment. "You may all leave first."

The wet nurse and the two maidservants had no choice but to leave the room.

Thanks to Little Bun's fussing, the atmosphere in the room was no longer as oppressive as before.

After a while, Steward Su cautiously asked in a low voice, "Eldest Young Master, I just heard that Miss has gone missing. What happened?"

An Ziran looked toward Xing'er, who stood to one side, not daring to make a sound.

Xing'er immediately took out a letter and handed it to him. "Miss left a letter and ran away."

An Ziran placed Little Bun in the cradle. This time, Little Bun did not cry. Only then did he take the letter. Earlier, he had not had time to ask what had happened when Yue Ju came running to find him, saying that the second young master had cried until he could barely catch his breath. No matter how they comforted him, he would not stop, and even the wet nurse could do nothing. They had no choice but to send someone for him. Yet the moment he took Little Bun into his arms, the crying stopped.

Four words were written on the envelope: "For Elder Brother's Eyes Only."

An Ziran looked at the elegant handwriting. Yet between the lines, there was a determination that did not match An Yuzhi's outward appearance. It roughly said that she did not want to marry Fu Wutian, a man she had never even met, and that she wanted to pursue her own happiness.

There were only a few short sentences and nothing else, not even a single word of apology!

Steward Su read the letter as well, and his face immediately filled with shock. He was speechless for a long while before finally finding his voice. "Eldest Young Master, how could Miss suddenly... Didn't she agree to marry into Prince Fu's Manor herself? Why did she suddenly leave? What are we supposed to do? There are only four days left. Eldest Young Master, we must quickly send people to bring Miss back."

"I'm afraid we can't bring her back," An Ziran said coldly.

Without Xing'er needing to explain, he had already guessed it. An Yuzhi had left in the morning while he was away. By now, she had likely already left the city. Unless they told Fu Wutian about this and had him send people after her, but that was clearly impossible.

Steward Su looked helplessly at the eldest young master. He did not know what to do either. "How could Miss suddenly have such thoughts? She was perfectly fine just two days ago..."

An Ziran looked at Xing'er.

Xing'er dropped to her knees with a thud. "I'm sorry, Eldest Young Master. I truly lied last time. That day, Miss heard people discussing Prince Fu at the jewelry shop. After that, she acted very strangely. Miss would not let Qiao'er and me tell anyone. I know I was wrong." Afraid of receiving severe punishment, she took the initiative to confess.

"Tell me everything that happened that day, without leaving out a single detail." An Ziran stared at her and spoke each word slowly, his expression extremely stern and cold.

It was also Xing'er's first time seeing the eldest young master angry. Just being looked at by him made her feel as though she could barely breathe. Under the pressure, she immediately recounted what had happened at the jewelry shop that day.

The jewelry shop they had visited that day was the best in Gentlemen City. Many noblewomen and unmarried young ladies liked to buy jewelry there. When a group of women gathered together, gossip naturally followed. The person they had been discussing that day was Fu Wutian, and they had talked about his appearance, his military achievements, and the like.

Although Fu Wutian was Da Ya's God of War and was spoken of in almost mythical terms, very few people had seen him. He had gone to war from a young age and returned only a handful of times. The number of people who had seen him was even smaller. Even his cousins had only seen him a few times, let alone anyone else.

As a result, rumors had run wild.

One noblewoman who supposedly had seen Fu Wutian said that he was very ugly, that half his face had been burned and disfigured in a fire. That was why he had worn a mask on the day he returned in triumph.

Another noblewoman said that Fu Wutian was a bloody and cruel man. He had killed countless people, his hands stained with endless blood. He especially liked tormenting his enemies, digging out their eyes, hearts, and intestines, making them die in the most gruesome ways.

An Yuzhi had been frightened. When she left the jewelry shop that day, she even fell while walking down the steps. By the time she returned, her entire face had gone pale.

An Ziran lowered his eyes. "That's all?"

Xing'er nodded. "That's all. Afterward, Miss stayed in her room and rarely went out. I think Miss leaving a letter and running away may have had something to do with what those people said."

In other words, she might not have been pursuing happiness or love at all. She might simply have been afraid of marrying an ugly man?

An Ziran: "..."

Steward Su: "..."

Although Xing'er made it sound simple, An Ziran felt that it could not be that simple. An Yuzhi did not seem like a woman without a brain, but neither did it seem as though there was some hidden reason behind it.

"Eldest Young Master, Miss has gone too far." Steward Su finally could not hold back his anger. No matter the reason, Miss should not have fled from the marriage. She was to marry a prince of high status and great power, not someone from an ordinary family. This concerned the imperial family's dignity. If word got out, the first person to be held accountable would definitely be the eldest young master.

Xing'er hesitantly said, "Eldest Young Master, why don't we go look for Miss now? Perhaps she hasn't left the city yet."

"Yes, we must bring Miss back." Steward Su immediately agreed. The An Family had only one legitimate young lady. If she ran away, there was no one to replace her.

Both of them looked at An Ziran.

An Ziran pondered. "It is already too late to look for her now. Besides, Gentlemen City lies beneath the Son of Heaven's gaze. Now that the marriage between the An Family and Prince Fu's Manor is known to everyone, every move the An Family makes is being watched. Rashly sending people to search for her would be no different from announcing that Yuzhi fled from the marriage. That would be unwise."

Fu Wutian absolutely could not learn that An Yuzhi had fled from the marriage.

Even now, he could not figure out what this man was thinking. If Fu Wutian became enraged out of humiliation because of this, An Ziran could imagine the An Family's fate. Then, there would be no need to wait for An Changde to plot against them. The An Family would disappear from Anyuan County forever.

Steward Su understood the eldest young master's concerns, but what worried him even more was the An Family.

An Ziran thought for a moment. "Second Mother and Third Mother's daughters are not married yet. Perhaps one of them could take her place?"

"No, Eldest Young Master." Steward Su rejected the idea without hesitation. "The eldest young lady and second young lady were born of concubines. Their status is not fit for such an occasion. Besides, Old Prince Fu was promised by the old master that a legitimate young lady would be married over. If Prince Fu's Manor finds out that we used a concubine-born young lady as a substitute, the consequences..."

An Ziran felt a slight headache. He had only mentioned it casually.

"Eldest Young Master?" Steward Su felt bad when he saw the eldest young master in such a difficult position. The more he thought about it, the more selfish he found Miss. Even if she did not consider the An Family, she should have considered the eldest young master. They were blood siblings.

An Ziran suddenly raised his head and looked at Steward Su expectantly. "Does it have to be someone legitimate?"

Steward Su froze, then nodded.

An Ziran's gaze immediately shifted to Little Bun, who was nearly four months old. "Then... can it be a boy?"

Steward Su and Xing'er were both stunned.

Fu Wutian sat casually on the steps, unconcerned by the dirt on the ground. His eyes rested on the tree in the courtyard as though he were thinking about something. There was little expression on his handsome face until Ge Qian'an's voice sounded beside him.

"My lord, I have received some news concerning the An Family."

Fu Wutian glanced at him indifferently. "Speak."

Ge Qian'an said, "An Yuzhi has fled from the marriage."

Fu Wutian raised his head. The corner of his lips briefly curved into a faint smile before it vanished in the blink of an eye. Ge Qian'an almost thought he had imagined it, but he knew he had not. The prince had truly smiled.

Ge Qian'an continued, "This morning, someone saw the An Family's third young lady and a maidservant by her side hire a carriage and hurriedly leave the city. They carried bundles with them, so I had people inquire at the An Family. It has just been confirmed that the An Family's third young lady truly fled from the marriage." After a pause, he asked, "My lord, should we send someone to capture her and bring her back?"

Although she was only a landowner's daughter, if word of this spread, it would not reflect well on Prince Fu's Manor either.

"There is no need. Let's see what he does."

Fu Wutian suddenly stood up. He tossed out those words in an expectant tone, then turned and left.

Behind him, Ge Qian'an wore a grave expression. The prince seemed to be growing more and more interested in An Ziran. That was not a good thing!