Chapter 182: The Trilateral Exchange (Eleven)

Chapter 182: The Trilateral Exchange (Eleven)

Old General Su was unusually subdued, not as cheerful as he had been earlier.

His battle-hardened eyes occasionally glanced at the entrance of the tent and then at Xi Yi Chai Shao for a moment.

Those sharp eyes fell with concern.

Emperor Yu noticed this and offered a gentle reassurance:

"Old General, don't worry. Su Er might have encountered some rare wild creature and lost track of time.

As for Ronghua, he's probably roasting a rabbit somewhere to satisfy his hunger, completely forgetting about the Wukqu Hunting Competition..."

These two offhand remarks from Emperor Yu caused Yun Mu Rui's heart to suddenly skip a beat.

He suddenly recalled what he had seen on the cliff peak.

The scattered burnt wood and the discarded charred rabbit...

His expression changed slightly, and his eyes flickered.

Previously, Yun Mu Rui had planned to inform Emperor Yu about what he saw on the cliff peak during the night.

After all, the Trilateral Exchange was of utmost importance. If Zhu Xian and Dan Liang knew that black-clad figures appeared on Queya Mountain during the event, it would reveal how lax Yun Lang's security was...

Moreover, Yun Mu Xiao was responsible for the safety and defense of the event. If he were to mention it now, Emperor Yu would undoubtedly be furious at Yun Mu Xiao's incompetence.

If those black-clad figures were there to assassinate royalty and disrupt the exchange, the consequences would be unimaginable...

But now, Yun Mu Rui could no longer wait. According to Emperor Yu's words, he thought back to the black-clad figures and the chaos on the cliff peak, the charred rabbit, and the scattered burnt wood...

There was a high chance that Su RAO was being pursued by those black-clad figures, and Su Er just happened to encounter her, or perhaps Su RAO sought out Su Er. Now they might...

Yun Mu Rui didn't have time to think further; he had to tell Emperor Yu immediately.

Otherwise, if anything happened to Su RAO or Su Er, and Mu Mingjin happened to see him on the cliff peak...

He would be unable to explain himself.

"Father..."

Bowing slightly, Yun Mu Rui was about to share what he had seen with Emperor Yu...

When Chief Eunuch Yun approached Emperor Yu.

"Your Majesty, Prince Jiyue... Prince Jiyue is missing."

In an extremely low voice.

Chief Eunuch Yun tried to remain calm, but the beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his anxiety.

Jiyue...

Emperor Yu's expression changed instantly.

But in a moment, he regained his composure.

With a brief instruction to the Crown Prince to take over temporarily, he left with Chief Eunuch Yun for the imperial tent.

Upon entering the tent, he saw the anxious Yun Feng and walked over quickly.

"Wasn't Jiyue feeling unwell and went back to rest? How did he suddenly go missing?"

His voice urgent, his eyes serious.

Yun Feng also looked deeply worried.

"Prince couldn't sleep, so he said he would take a walk. By the time Yun Ling and I prepared his cloak, he was gone. I didn't dare tell the old Duke for fear he would worry, so I came to seek Your Majesty."

Please send someone to find him.

The Prince has vision problems and poor health; if something happens...

"Go, bring Su Da here."

Emperor Yu gave the order immediately.

Within moments, Su Da led a group into the forest of Queya Mountain.

Over half an hour had passed.

Su RAO and Su Er still hadn't returned, and Old General Su was worried. Emperor Yu sent Su Da with troops to search.

To prevent any unexpected incidents.

Su Da was tasked with finding Su RAO and Su Er.

The news of Yun JI's disappearance must not reach Zhu Xian and Dan Liang.

While Su Da searched openly, Emperor Yu secretly instructed Yun Feng to lead the royal guards to search covertly, ensuring they found Jiyue no matter what.

He also ordered Chief Eunuch Yun to fetch the Sixth Prince.

Just as Chief Eunuch Yun stepped outside the imperial tent without calling the Sixth Prince...

Yun Mu Rui arrived.

Learning that Emperor Yu wanted to see Yun Mu Xiao, he immediately entered the tent.

"Father..."

Seeing Emperor Yu fall into silence, Yun Mujing had only witnessed this once before, ten years ago when Empress Jing passed away.

Since then, he had never seen Emperor Yu so silent again.

Sitting behind the desk, his expression was stern and solemn, exuding a thick aura of silence that was easily perceptible.

There was none of the usual emperor's hidden depths; all his thoughts were laid bare to Yun Mujing’s senses.

"Father, has something happened?"

Yun Mujing kept his face composed despite his suspicions.

Emperor Yu finally looked at Yun Mujing, sighed, and rubbed his temples.

He said:

"Jiyue is missing."

Yun Mujing’s expression changed immediately.

His sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

Could it be...

Thinking back to the incident on the cliff, Yun Mujing quickly informed Emperor Yu, not wanting to delay any further.

"I saw no immediate danger, and considering the importance of the Three Kingdoms Exchange Conference, I thought to inform you later, leaving my sixth brother and Ye Ting to guard the area and secretly investigate those black-clad individuals..."

Emperor Yu glared at Yun Mujing with imperial fury.

"Why didn’t you speak up earlier?"

But in an instant, his heart sank deep again. It was too late for his anger now; the priority was to find Jiyue as soon as possible.

"Have someone watch over Zhu Xian and Danliang, especially Prince Yi and Chishao. If there are any suspicious movements..."

With Jiyue missing and Yun Mujing reporting what he saw on the cliff, Emperor Yu immediately suspected that Zhu Xian and Danliang might have done something, possibly sending people to attack Jiyue.

Given Jiyue’s reputation in Yunlang and the three kingdoms, if anything happened to him, it would be a significant loss and blow to Yunlang.

Moreover, Old Duke Yun and his wife had only one grandson, Jiyue. If something happened to him, how could they bear the pain of losing their only descendant?

"Father, I will go now. Please don’t worry. Cousin Jiyue is blessed by heaven, and with his skills, nothing will happen to him."

Offering these words of comfort, Yun Mujing strode out.

The officials had already tallied the hunting spoils from each of the three kingdoms and the trophies won through competition.

After the calculations, the winner of the martial competition was determined.

The champion of the martial competition, the first place, rightfully belonged to Prince Yi of Zhu Xian.

Second place went to the Crown Prince of Yunlang, and third place to Xiao Mubai of Danliang.

This ranking remained unchanged from five years ago, demonstrating that Zhu Xian was still the strongest, while Danliang was the weakest.

And Yunlang, as always, took second place.

For this Three Kingdoms Exchange Conference, with Jiyue excelling in literature and Su Er in martial arts, Emperor Yu was confident about winning both competitions. But now, his only wish was to find Jiyue safely.

Secret messages came into the tent, but there was no sign of Prince Jiyue. Instead, there was news that Su Da had encountered Su Er and the Seventh Prince fighting fiercely in the woods, both filled with icy rage.

In the end, it was Su Da who intervened to separate them.

Su Da stopped Su Er and urgently told him that Su RAO had not returned and that Prince Jiyue was missing.

Upon hearing this, Yun Mujing immediately stopped his actions and walked briskly to Su Da.

His icy rage dissipated.

"Su Yuxun, what do you mean by this?"

"Seventh Prince, Prince Jiyue is missing. The Emperor ordered me to search secretly. Please do not spread the word to avoid alerting Zhu Xian and Danliang, which could disrupt the Three Kingdoms Exchange Conference."

Su Da knew that Yun Mujing and Jiyue had a close relationship. Seeing Yun Mujing’s anxious reaction, he assumed it was due to concern for Jiyue. After explaining, he turned to Su Er.

He urged Su Er to control his temper and not cause more trouble with the Seventh Prince. The most urgent task was to find RAO quickly. It was getting late, and the dangers of wild beasts in the forest at night were unpredictable. If RAO encountered anything...