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The Emperor strode into Fengyi Palace, it was already time for the evening meal, yet he did not see the Empress in the dining room, nor was there food on the table.

He thought of the afternoon, the Empress should still be angry.

Leaving the dining room, the Emperor directly stepped into the bedchamber and did not see the Empress. His brow furrowed tightly, "Where has the Empress gone?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, the Empress has gone out," the little palace maid answered cautiously.

Gone out?

Could it be that she went to Hehuan Hall to see Taotao and Susu?

Without asking further, the Emperor turned and went straight to Hehuan Hall.

As he lifted the curtain and entered, he not only did not see the Empress, but Lady Shen was also missing. He approached the little bed with confusion, only to find it empty, Susu and Taotao were nowhere to be found.

The Emperor walked out with a sullen face and asked the little eunuch sweeping the courtyard, "Where have Lady Shen and the granddaughters of the Emperor gone?"

The little eunuch stopped his sweeping and replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, they went out with the Empress."

"Gone out?" A flicker of confusion passed through the Emperor’s eyes. In such cold weather, where could the Empress have taken Lady Shen and the others?

Xiao Jinyan had already received the letter the Empress had written to him, its contents simple and clear.

This palace is taking Lady Shen and the others to stay outside for a while, do not worry.

The letter even included a threat at the end, not to tell your father, the Emperor, or this palace will never return with Lady Shen and the others!

The letter bore a detailed address.

Even without it, Xiao Jinyan knew where the Empress had taken Lady Shen.

Xiao Jinyan took the letter to the flame of the candle before him, watching the letter be engulfed by the fire.

The Emperor searched many places without finding any trace of the Empress, and he began to panic. He hurried back to Fengyi Palace and turned it upside down, still not seeing any sign of the Empress.

It was not until he saw a red plum hairpin at the dressing table that he recognized at a glance as the birthday gift he had given her when she reached the age of adulthood.

At that time, she was wearing a red riding outfit, and the hairpin he gave her was red, matching perfectly.

When he chose the gift back then, he felt that the red hairpin suited her well, simple yet elegant.

He picked up the red plum hairpin and examined it, even though many years had passed, it still looked as good as new.

Underneath the hairpin, he found an envelope, which made him inexplicably afraid.

He hastily took the envelope, opened it, and his slender fingers pulled out the letter inside.

After reading the contents of the letter, the Emperor was completely rattled.

The Empress had run away from the palace.

The Empress had been temperamental before and sometimes too angry to bother with him, but she had never thought of leaving the palace.

He walked out with the letter, "Someone come."

Eunuch Li came running in, "Your Majesty, do you have any commands?"

The Emperor commanded coldly, "Send people out of the palace to find the Empress, she must be found."

Eunuch Li was stunned for a moment before realizing the Empress had run away from the palace.

Just as Eunuch Li was about to leave, the Emperor stopped him, "This matter must not be spread."

"This servant obeys the command," Eunuch Li bowed and left.

The Emperor also instructed the palace maids of Fengyi Palace, "The Empress is unwell and recuperating in the palace, no one is allowed to disturb her."

"We will faithfully follow the Imperial Edict," the palace maids said in unison.

Afterward, the Emperor ordered someone to call the Crown Prince to the Imperial Study Room.

When Xiao Jinyan received the news and went to the Imperial Study Room, he had already guessed what the Emperor wanted.

The moment he stepped into the Imperial Study Room, Xiao Jinyan immediately sensed that the atmosphere was off, the air around him seemed frozen, becoming very oppressive.

Xiao Jinyan stepped forward and paid his respects, "Father Emperor, have you summoned your son for any particular commands?"

The Emperor, looking at the Crown Prince’s response, guessed he probably did not know about the Empress taking Lady Shen and others and running away from the palace.

"Your mother took Lady Shen, Taotao, and Susu and ran away from the palace," he said.

Xiao Jinyan first froze for a long while, then pressed urgently, "Father Emperor, why would Mother want to run away from the palace? And why take Lady Shen and the babies with her?"

The Emperor darkly said, "I too wish to know why the Empress ran away from the palace. Is there anything we cannot talk about face to face? She runs away from the palace, is she not afraid of encountering bad people?"

The Emperor was both angry and worried. The Empress knew some Kung Fu, but it was mediocre at best, just flashy moves with no substance. If she encountered someone with high martial skills, she wouldn’t have a chance to counterattack.

Xiao Jinyan said, "Mother would not leave the palace without reason, nor would she take Lady Shen and the babies without cause. If Father Emperor does not know the reason, how can we properly bring them back?"

Hearing this, the Emperor was taken aback, and thinking about the events that occurred that afternoon, he knew the Empress was angry. He just didn’t expect her to be so enraged that she would run away without even giving him a chance to appease her.