Chapter 608: The Person is Found

**Chapter 608: They’ve Been Located**

The Prince of Ying’s estate was ablaze with light at this hour.

The steward hurriedly ushered Xingxing and Yu Yongliu inside upon their arrival.

Consort Wang was visibly distraught, unable to sit still; her anxiety hung thick in the air. Seeing Xingxing and Yu Yongliu, she froze for a moment: “You know too?”

Yu Yongliu, uncharacteristically frantic, asked, “Your Highness, has the princess not returned yet?”

Consort Wang shook her head, her expression grim. “Not long after the banquet ended at noon, that Zhu girl came. She and Qing An huddled together whispering in the room for a while before deciding to go into the mountains. They mentioned some supposedly miraculous Peach Blossom Shrine and wanted to pay their respects. The Zhu girl said the shrine was nearby, so I didn’t think much of it and let Qing An take two guards with her into the mountains… Who knew she’d still be missing at this hour!”

As she spoke, Consort Wang’s face grew darker, her hands knotted tightly together. “Just now, I sent people to search near the Peach Blossom Shrine. There were traces of freshly burned incense, but apart from that, there was no sign of the two girls!”

Yu Yongliu’s expression also turned grave. He took a deep breath. “Your Highness, it’s getting late. I’ll lead a search party into the mountains to find the princess. I’ll leave my sister in your care.”

Consort Wang was taken aback, her gaze softening slightly as she looked at Yu Yongliu. After a moment, she clenched her jaw and nodded firmly. “Very well, then I leave it to you!”

Xingxing knew that insisting on going into the mountains at this hour would only worry her family and add to the burden. Her little face pinched with worry. “Third Brother, bring backup. Don’t go alone. Light torches and mind your footing.”

After a pause, she added, “Third Brother, do you have the protective charm I gave you with you?”

Yu Yongliu patted his waist. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it right here. I’ll be fine.”

Xingxing nodded, saying nothing more, and stayed behind with Consort Wang to wait anxiously.

Before long, the Zhu family arrived in a rush.

Madam Zhu dropped into a deep bow the moment she entered, tears welling in her eyes as she offered words of apology.

Though Consort Wang couldn’t help resenting Zhu Yaoxu at the moment, she also knew her daughter was an adult who had made the decision to enter the mountains willingly—and with her permission. If something had truly happened, how could she blame Zhu Yaoxu alone?

Consort Wang clenched her jaw and shook her head. “Madam Zhu, please rise. Right now, as mothers, we share the same feelings. We can speak of other matters later.”

Madam Zhu froze for a second, nearly shedding tears. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Madam Zhu, over forty years old, looked older in the flickering candlelight, the lines around her eyes deepened by worry and streaks of white visible in her hair.

Xingxing stayed with the two mothers, all of them waiting anxiously as the sky outside grew darker and the full moon crept higher.

Consort Wang held herself together, but Madam Zhu’s emotions soon overwhelmed her, and she broke into quiet sobs.

Fortunately, as if blessed by heaven, a grimy guard burst in from outside and knelt on one knee to deliver the good news: “Your Highness, the princess has returned!”

Consort Wang bolted upright from her seat, her voice trembling. “Qing An is back? Is she unharmed?”

The guard hesitated slightly. “The princess has some minor injuries—a sprained foot—but otherwise, she’s fine…”

Consort Wang felt half of her heart settle, though the other half wouldn’t be at ease until she saw her daughter in person.

Madam Zhu asked frantically, “What about my daughter? Where is my Yao Xu?”

The guard quickly reassured her, “Madam, please don’t worry. The other girl’s just fine—uninjured and has returned as well.”

Madam Zhu slumped into her chair, on the verge of tears.

The guard had clearly come ahead to deliver the news. He only knew that Princess Qing An and Miss Zhu had been found at the foot of a cliff. When Yu Yongliu and his men located them, the guards escorting the princess were already attempting to climb back up the cliff on their own.

The guard who delivered the message didn’t know much else.

Fortunately, Yu Yongliu soon returned to the Ying estate with Princess Qing An and Zhu Yaoxu.

Consort Wang and Madam Zhu were too anxious to wait and stood at the estate gate. They rushed forward the moment they saw the torchlit procession.

Qing An’s injured foot made riding impossible, so she had shared a horse with Yu Yongliu.

Consort Wang cried out Qing An’s childhood name: “Ning Ning!”

Madam Zhu hurried to the front of the horse Zhu Yaoxu was riding.

Even though the guard had said Yao Xu was fine, she wouldn’t feel at ease until she saw it for herself.

When Qing An saw Consort Wang, the shock of what had happened hit her, and she started crying: “Mother…”

Hearing her cry, Consort Wang felt her heart wrench. She trembled as she whispered, “Hush now, Ning Ning, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Tell Mother where it hurts.”

Qing An sobbed, “My foot…”

Yu Yongliu swung down from the horse and gently helped Qing An dismount.

Consort Wang froze for a moment, realizing that Yu Yongliu had ridden back with Qing An—and was now carrying her.

Yu Yongliu carefully placed Qing An into the sedan chair that Consort Wang had prepared earlier. Qing An, suddenly self-conscious, couldn’t even lift her head. Yu Yongliu couldn’t help but pat her head.

Qing An perked up noticeably.

Witnessing this, Consort Wang’s eyes widened, her tears drying in surprise.

Straightening up, Yu Yongliu addressed Consort Wang: “Your Highness, the princess has an injured foot—desperate times call for desperate measures. Please forgive my boldness.”

Consort Wang glanced at the pitch-black night, where the shadowy mountains looked like lurking beasts.

A man who’d brave these dangerous mountains so late at night to find her daughter—if that’s boldness, then boldness it is.

At this moment, Consort Wang looked at Yu Yongliu almost as if he were her own son.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yaoxu sat in a daze on her horse, staring at the commotion under the bright estate lights.

Worried her daughter was in shock, Madam Zhu anxiously called out, “Yao Xu… Yao Xu? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Zhu Yaoxu finally snapped out of it and managed a smile that looked more like a grimace.

“Mother, I’m fine.”

The group entered the estate.

Servants bore the sedan chair carrying Qing An at the front, with Consort Wang and Yu Yongliu staying close by. Xingxing trailed slightly behind.

Zhu Yaoxu and Madam Zhu brought up the rear.

If possible, Madam Zhu would have taken her shaken daughter back to their own estate to rest.

But this matter involved not just her daughter, but also Qing An. They still had to answer to the Ying household.