An Adopted Daughter

Chu Siqing had never expected people in ancient times to pull the running-away-from-home stunt, too.

But she had thought the young prince was simply acting on impulse to resist an arranged marriage and would go home in a few days.

She had never expected the matter to blow up like this.

In the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.

Princess Shun's eyes were swollen like peach pits. Wiping away her tears, she said, "Mother, this was only a drunken joke of the prince's to begin with. Now Xi has a home he cannot return to. It breaks my heart!"

Empress Dowager Pei was speechless for a moment. She had heard something of the matter herself.

A marriage between the two families should have been a happy occasion. Who would have thought the young prince would run away from home outright to avoid marrying Miss Wen?

Seeing that the Empress Dowager remained silent, Princess Shun could only come straight to the point. "The prince refuses to take the initiative to break off the engagement. In my opinion, our side should not be the one to do so anyway, since a young lady's reputation is at stake. It is Xi who is unworthy of Miss Wen."

She paused, then asked hopefully, "Mother, could you intervene and ask the Wen family to break off the engagement?"

Madam Wen came from a branch of the Pei family, so she did have some distant ties of kinship to the Empress Dowager.

Empress Dowager Pei said awkwardly, "If I abruptly ask them to break off the engagement, wouldn't people accuse me of using my power to bully them?"

Princess Shun had already prepared a solution. Drying her tears, she said, "Mother, how about I take Miss Wen as my adopted daughter? Then she and Xi would be adoptive siblings, with her as his elder sister. When she marries in the future, I will also contribute to her dowry as a token of my affection."

Empress Dowager Pei thought it over and nodded. "That could work."

Princess Shun immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "But I must still trouble you to speak to them on my behalf, Mother."

Empress Dowager Pei agreed.

At Marquis Yongding's residence.

Madam Wen seized her husband by the ear and fumed, "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

"Ow..."

Lord Wen winced in pain and hurriedly said, "Let go, my dear! Our daughter is right here!"

Wen Minjing said, "Mother, stop blaming Father. Since Chu Yuxi was capable of running away from home, I doubt he would make a good husband. We can simply break off the engagement."

Madam Wen said angrily, "If we do, who knows what people will say about you?"

Lord Wen thought, What else would they say? That a big tigress gave birth to a little tigress?

His wife had practiced martial arts since childhood and developed formidable skills. Even he could not beat her.

He was the dignified Marquis Yongding, commander of the Nine Gates, yet whenever he did something wrong, he still had to kneel on a washboard.

Not only that, she had passed her martial arts down to their daughter. While other families' daughters played the zither and embroidered, Wen Minjing had been practicing with a whip in the courtyard since she was little.

Madam Wen said in vexation, "This is all Father's fault for arranging this marriage! And you-why didn't you try to talk him out of it?"

Lord Wen protested his innocence. "I only found out about it recently myself!"

Madam Wen thought for a moment, then sighed. "They say a melon twisted from its vine by force won't be sweet. At this point, breaking off the engagement is our only option."

But before the Wen family could do so, Empress Dowager Pei summoned Madam Wen to the palace.

After exchanging pleasantries with Madam Wen for a while, Empress Dowager Pei brought up Princess Shun's wish to adopt Wen Minjing as her daughter.

Madam Wen naturally understood that adopting her as a daughter meant the marriage would no longer go ahead.

Although she was furious at the young prince's rudeness, Madam Wen still understood the bigger picture.

The engagement would inevitably be broken off. They simply had to choose the approach that best protected her daughter's reputation.

Now that Prince Shun's Manor was willing to offer them a graceful way out, nothing could have been better.

With that in mind, Madam Wen agreed. "Your Majesty, let us do as the princess consort suggests. From now on, Minjing will be the young prince's adoptive elder sister, and the previous marriage agreement will naturally no longer stand."

Empress Dowager Pei said, "You are a sensible woman. In that case, I shall serve as witness when the princess consort takes Minjing as her adopted daughter."

Once news spread that Princess Shun was adopting Wen Minjing, the daughter of Marquis Yongding's household, the marriage between the two families naturally fell through.

Everyone assumed the young prince would surely return to the manor once he learned of it. Yet Chu Yuxi still failed to return, and there was no news of him at all.

Now, not only was Princess Shun anxious, but Prince Shun also grew so worried that he rushed to the palace to seek Emperor Chu Ming's help.

In the Imperial Study.

Prince Shun had two enormous dark circles beneath his eyes and looked utterly haggard. He was clearly beside himself with worry over his only son.

"Your Majesty, there has been no news of Xi for half a month now. I truly fear something has happened to him!"

Emperor Chu Ming said to the chief eunuch, Feng Zhonglin, "Summon the commander of the Nine Gates and the Prefect of the Capital."

After a moment's thought, he added, "Go to the Heavenly Derivation Pavilion and bring the Imperial Preceptor and the Holy Maiden here as well."

Feng Zhonglin acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Emperor Chu Ming then reassured Prince Shun, "I have already ordered them to deploy more men. They will surely find Yuxi."

Prince Shun, however, was not reassured.

He had gone to speak with the Prefect of the Capital just the day before yesterday. There had been no news of Yuxi whatsoever.

As for the commander of the Nine Gates, who was Lord Wen, Marquis Yongding, Prince Shun had visited his residence only yesterday, and that had yielded nothing either.

Before long, everyone had arrived.

Chu Siqing had been carried over by the Imperial Preceptor. Today was the day she entered the Heavenly Derivation Pavilion, and she had not expected to be summoned by the emperor at such a coincidental moment.

After they paid their respects, Emperor Chu Ming asked, "Wen Yuanyi, Lu Huaiying, tell me: after all these days, have you any news of the young prince?"

Wen and Lu exchanged a glance, both looking terrified.

The commander of the Nine Gates spoke first. "I have failed in my duties. I have not found the young prince's whereabouts."

The Prefect of the Capital followed close behind, forcing himself to say, "I have not uncovered anything either."

Although he had expected it, Prince Shun was still bitterly disappointed.

Emperor Chu Ming flew into a rage. "It has been half a month, and you still haven't found him! A pack of incompetents! What use do I have for you?"

After speaking, he also cast a seemingly casual glance toward the Imperial Preceptor.

Tu Qingchen: ...

Ha. You want to hear the Holy Maiden's thoughts, don't you? I knew that was why you summoned us!

Listening from the side, Chu Siqing understood what had happened.

So the young prince who had run away earlier still had not returned home. Everyone had been searching for half a month without finding any news of him.

Chu Siqing grew curious as well and could not help asking the system in her head.

[A-Tong, check whether there's any juicy gossip about the young prince.]

The system replied, [All right.]

As Chu Siqing listened to the system unfold the story, she could not help being astonished.

[What?! The moment the young prince left Prince Shun's Manor, he disguised himself as a beggar and slipped into a beggars' den? No wonder the soldiers couldn't find him!]

Prince Shun perked up, his ears immediately pricking.

He had also been present at the sacrifice to Heaven and knew something of the Holy Maiden's extraordinary abilities. But he had spent his life as carefree as an idle cloud or a wild crane and had never paid much attention to such things.

He had never expected that, at a time like this, the person who could help him find news of his son would actually be the Holy Maiden!

Upon hearing the Holy Maiden's thoughts, everyone else could not help breathing a sigh of relief.

At last, they had a lead on the young prince's whereabouts.

Still, the young prince, who had always enjoyed a reputation as an immortal-like gentleman, had actually gone so far as to disguise himself as a beggar to avoid marrying Miss Wen. Just how fierce was she?

Everyone could not help turning to Lord Wen with peculiar expressions.

Wen Yuanyi thought, You ignorant fools! What would you know of the benefits of a fierce wife?

With the young prince's safety at stake, everyone continued listening attentively.

[One day, the young prince saw someone bullying a little beggar in an alley and decided to help. He never expected it was all a trap set by kidnappers.]

[Alas, the young prince had a chivalrous heart, but his martial arts were embarrassingly feeble. The kidnappers actually caught him and took him to a brothel, where they even forced him to become a male courtesan?]

[The Green Jade Tower must have swallowed a bear's heart and a leopard's gall to dare this. They're done for!]