“My Lord.” A call of low voice in surprise reached them from behind.

Ye Li and Secret Guard No.3 turned around at the same time and saw Secret Guard No.2 for the first time after a long time. It was out of Ye Li's expectation since she didn't intend to meet her big brother as soon as she arrived. “Why are you here? Is big brother here too?”

Secret Guard No.2 looked tired. He said in a hoa.r.s.e voice: “I failed you, My Lord. Mr. Xu... Mr. Xu went missing.”

“What?” Ye Li was shocked. “When did it happen?”

Secret Guard No.2 answered in a small voice: “It has been half a month. Mr. Xu went missing two days before I was here.”

“It has been so long! Anyone else knows about this?” She asked with a frown.

Secret Guard No.2 answered in a low voice: “I've heard Mr. Qing Chen told his servants he would return in five days so n.o.body was worried about him at first and only found things weren't right when he didn't show up on the sixth morning. I've investigated with secret guards here in secret but haven't got any news of him yet. A few days ago, a message was sent back home. Since n.o.body knew your whereabouts, you didn't receive the message, My Lord.”

Ye Li's face turned darker. She was worried sick about Xu Qing Chen's safety. “Who was he with before he went missing?”

“Princess An Xi, the inheritress of Nan Zhao, sister of Princess Qi Xia and the next empress of Nan Zhao. She's a friend of Mr. Qing Chen. Mr. Qing Chen has been living in her manor after he was here.” Said Secret Guard No.2.

Ye Li nodded and told him: “Send me all the information of the capital as soon as possible. Besides, I want to see Princess An Xi.”

Secret Guard No.2 nodded as he answered: “I see. But... what name are you going to use to see the inheritress?” Though Nan Zhao was a small country, it wasn't easy for average people to see an inheritress.

Pondering, Ye Li said with a smile: “Chu Liu Yun, the third young lady of Chu Family of Yun Zhou, fiancée of Mr. Qing Chen!”

Secret Guard No.2 and No.3 turned pale with headache. Is the princess hurting her own reputation or Mr. Qing Chen's?

Ye Li's expression was normal and she looked at the rigid two with smiles. “What else? Finding him in the name of Princess Ding? Well, Secret Guard No.2, stay with me for the time being. Secret Guard No.3, investigate Nan Zhao and big brother in secret. Besides, if Han Ming Xi looks for me...”

Secret Guard No.3 completed her sentence: “I see. I won't let Mr. Han has any doubt.”

“Good. Don't stay too close to him, nor let him get near me. Let's go back first. Secret Guard No.2, prepare yourself. We'll go to Princess An Xi tomorrow morning.”

“Yes.”

The next morning, after reading records for the whole night, Ye Li opened the door in a good state after hearing a gentle knock on the door. Secret Guard No.3 was a bit shocked seeing the girl with smiles at the door. Having got used to the princess in men's clothes all the way here, he almost forgot she was only a girl under 20. Come to think of it, he had a deeper impression of her in the past two months away from the capital than he did the past year. Now as he looked at her again, a light yellow silk dress embroidered with green plum blossom, a simple but elegant silver b.u.t.terfly dangling ornament on her hair, a pet.i.te and fine look with her forehead covered by bangs. The silver b.u.t.terfly that swung among her hair made her more of a pretty and naughty young girl, different from that calm and elegant princess of Prince Ding's Manor. He had to admit her disguise was superb.

“Zhuo Jing?” Ye Li's brow rose. She looked at the secret guard whose mind was thousands of miles away.

Secret Guard No.3 returned to his senses and said calmly: “My Lo... Lady, you were right. Mr. Han left in the middle of the night and hasn't returned. My Lady...”

Ye Li waved her hand with a smile as she said: “You must have a tiring night. Go back to your room and have some rest. I can leave by myself.”

“As you command.”

Ye Li went downstairs in a good mood. In the hall, Secret Guard No.2 was waiting for her. Last night, she returned with Secret Guard No.2 and asked for another two rooms. Since her rooms were between Secret Guard No.2 and No.3's, n.o.body found she took two rooms. Now she simply had to check out with Secret Guard No.2 and leave. If Princess An Xi was interested, she would only find them arrive yesterday in the evening and stay in this inn for a night.

Leaving with Secret Guard No.2, she went directly to Princess An Xi's manor which wasn't far away from the imperial palace of Nan Zhao.

After waiting for a good while, they were invited inside by a man who returned after reporting. The buildings of Nan Zhao were of a different style from those of Great Chu but there wasn't much difference between buildings in both capitals, except that the princess's manor was way smaller than Prince Ding's Manor. It was at most as big as Ye Family's. Combining the features of Nan Zhao and Great Chu, it looked weird. Ye Li and Secret Guard No.2 were led to the main hall. As soon as they entered, they saw a tall girl with an embroidered blue dress sitting there. Her dress wasn't the usual kind with straight and narrow sleeves, instead, there were arrow-like sleeves with embroidered patterns of the imperial family of Nan Zhao around her cuffs. A silver belt around her waist outlined her attractive body, which also gave her a nimble and more valiant look. Compared to her sister Princess Qi Xia who was held as the most beautiful woman of Nan Zhao, she wasn't as pretty but her bright eyes made her stand out.

Seeing Ye Li inside, Princess An Xi wore an inquisitive look.

Ye Li frowned and lifted her chin a bit proud as she said: “Why don't you let us sit?”

Princess An Xi said as she looked at Ye Li with a frown: “Please have a seat. May I know your name, Miss?”

Ye Li answered: “I'm Chu Liu Yun. I'm here for Brother Qing Chen.”

“Brother Qing Chen?” Princess An Xi's eyes turned a bit dark as she said, shaking her head: “Sorry, I don't know anything about a Brother Qing Chen.”

“You are lying!” Ye Li glared at her and accused: “Brother Qing Chen told me he would travel in Nan Zhao and visit his friends. He said you are his friend. How could he not come here? Are you hiding him?”

Princess An Xi's handsome brows drew tightly together and asked as she looked at the girl with tears trickling in her eyes: “Who is Mr. Qing Chen to you?”

“I... I'm his fiancée. *Sobs... Brother Qing Chen told me he would go back home in three months and then he would marry me. But now...*Sobs, it has been a long time since he left without a letter back home. Aunt Xu is worried sick. *Sobs... I think he doesn't want to marry me anymore... I don't want to live if I can't find him!”

Glow left Princess An Xi's eyes. She looked at the crying girl a bit suspiciously as she said: “You are Mr. Qing Chen's fiancée? How come he never tells me about it?”

Ye Li looked up at her with grievance. “We girls in Great Chu attach immense importance to our reputations. Brother Qing Chen will never speak of me in front of a friend. Here, it's a keepsake he gave me last year. If you are indeed his friend, you must have seen it. He has been wearing this jade pendant for years which has kept him safe on his journeys.”

Princess An Xi looked at Ye Li with a complicated expression, a bit shaken. She didn't know if that jade pendant belonged to Xu Qing Chen, but she knew those old ta.s.sels on the jade pendant had the same color and patterns as the kind Xu Qing Chen usually wore, even with the same threads. “Sorry, Miss Chu, pardon me for my lack of manners. But it was a difficult journey from Great Chu to Nan Zhao, how did you manage to get here?” Princess An Xi pa.s.sed the jade pendant back to her and asked softly.

Biting her lips slightly, Ye Li looked stubbornly at Princess An Xi and said: “Brother Qing Chen hasn't come back for so long. My second sister said he didn't want me as his wife anymore. I... I must find him and ask him about it. *Sobs. If he doesn't want me, I... I'm going to kill myself!”

Standing by her side, Secret Guard No.2 applauded his master secretly for playing a girl who ran away from home for her beloved to perfection.