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 course and headed there. Before he even reached it, he heard the second young master crying. Normally, Little Bun never cried, but once he did, it was earthshaking—even his wet nurse could not soothe him.

The moment Steward Su reached the doorway, he saw the eldest young master seated in a chair, his face as dark as water. The eldest young master usually showed few expressions, but Steward Su could tell that he was furious now. Only then did he notice the second young master in his arms. His crying had gradually quieted.

An Ziran handed Little Bun back to the wet nurse. The instant she took him, Little Bun let out a wail and started crying again. Yet the moment he returned to An Ziran's arms, he stopped. Everyone in the room fell silent, while the wet nurse looked thoroughly embarrassed.

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

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

After Little Bun's fuss, the atmosphere in the room was no longer as oppressive as before.

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

An Ziran looked at Xing'er, who stood to one side and did not dare make a sound.

Xing'er immediately took out a letter and handed it to him. "The young 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. He had not yet had time to ask what had happened when the maid Yue Ju came running to find him, saying that the second young master had cried until he was gasping for breath. No matter how they coaxed him, he would not stop. Even the wet nurse was helpless, so they had sent a maid to fetch 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 delicate, graceful handwriting. Yet between the lines was a determination utterly at odds with An Yuzhi's appearance. In general, she 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, nothing else—not even a single word of apology!

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

"I'm afraid we cannot 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 should have already left the city. Unless they told Fu Wutian and had him send people after her—but that was clearly impossible.

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

An Ziran looked at Xing'er.

With a thud, Xing'er dropped to her knees. "I'm sorry, Eldest Young Master. I truly lied last time. That day, the young miss heard people talking about Prince Fu at the jewelry shop. Afterward, she acted very strangely. It was the young miss who told me and Qiao'er not to tell anyone. I know I was wrong." Afraid of receiving harsh punishment, she took the initiative to admit her mistake.

"Tell me everything that happened that day, from beginning to end." An Ziran stared at her and spoke each word distinctly, his expression exceedingly 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 were about to suffocate. 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 was bound to arise, and the person they had discussed that day had been Fu Wutian. They had talked about his appearance, his military achievements, and such matters.

Although Fu Wutian was Da Ya's God of War and had been spoken of as though he were divine, very few people had seen him. He had been on the battlefield since childhood and had returned only a handful of times. Those who had met him were even fewer, including his own cousins, who had only seen him a few times, let alone anyone else.

As a result, rumors had led people astray.

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

Another noblewoman said that Fu Wutian was a bloody and cruel man. He had killed countless people, his hands stained with endless blood. He loved tormenting his enemies, digging out their eyes, hearts, and intestines, making them die in a state too horrible to behold.

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

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

Xing'er nodded. "Only that. Afterward, the young miss stayed in her room and rarely went out. I thought that the young miss leaving a letter and running away was most likely related to what those people said."

In other words, perhaps she had not run away to pursue happiness and love at all, but because she was afraid of marrying an ugly man?

An Ziran: "..."

Steward Su: "..."

Although Xing'er made it sound simple and casual, An Ziran felt that it could not be so simple. An Yuzhi did not seem like a woman without a brain, but neither did she seem to be hiding some other secret.

"Eldest Young Master, the young miss has gone too far." Steward Su finally could not help showing an angry expression. No matter the reason, the young miss should not have fled from marriage. The man she was to marry was a prince of high rank and great authority, not someone from an ordinary household. This involved the imperial family's dignity. If word got out, the first person to be held accountable would certainly be the eldest young master.

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

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

Both of them looked at An Ziran.

An Ziran pondered. "It is already too late to search for her now. Besides, Gentlemen City lies beneath the Son of Heaven's feet. The marriage between the An Family and Prince Fu's Manor is now known to everyone, and every move the An Family makes is under others' watchful eyes. Rashly sending people to look for her would be the same as broadcasting Yu Zhi's flight from marriage. That would be unwise."

An Yuzhi's flight from marriage absolutely could not be discovered by Fu Wutian.

Even now, he could not see through that man's thoughts. If Fu Wutian became enraged out of humiliation because of this, he could imagine the An Family's fate. There would be no need to wait for An Changde to plot against the An Family—the An Family would vanish forever from Anyuan County.

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

After thinking for a moment, An Ziran said, "Second Mother and Third Mother's daughters have 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 miss and second young miss were born of concubines. Their status cannot be presented in polite society. Moreover, Old Prince Fu was promised by the old master that a legitimate young miss would be married over. If Prince Fu's Manor finds out that we used a concubine-born young miss as a substitute, then the consequences..."

An Ziran had a slight headache. He had merely mentioned it in passing.

"Eldest Young Master?" Seeing how troubled the eldest young master looked made Steward Su feel bad as well. The more he thought about it, the more selfish he felt the young miss was being. Even if she did not consider the An Family, she should have thought of the eldest young master. They were blood siblings, after all.

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

Steward Su froze, then nodded.

An Ziran's gaze immediately shifted to Little Bun, who would soon be four months old. "Then... can it be a man?"

Steward Su and Xing'er were both dumbfounded.

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

"Prince, this subordinate has received news concerning the An Family."

Fu Wutian gave him an indifferent glance. "Speak."

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

Fu Wutian raised his head. The corners of his lips curved upward in a faint arc, only to vanish in the blink of an eye. Ge Qian'an almost thought it was an illusion, but he knew it was not. The prince had truly smiled.

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

Though she was merely a landlord's daughter, if this matter spread, it would not reflect well on Prince Fu's Manor either.

"There is no need. Let us see what he intends to do."

Fu Wutian suddenly rose to his feet. Tossing out those words in an expectant tone, he turned and left.

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