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"Alright, alright, I was wrong, I was wrong! Stop, stop tickling! Please, stop it already!"

"How were you wrong?"

"I shouldn’t have—haha—messed with your, haha, hair."

Hearing Lin Yuan laugh so hard that her voice was almost unrecognizable, Xia Zheng finally stopped his hands, pulled her firmly against his chest, and rested his chin on top of her head. He inhaled the light fragrance of her hair, and his mood, too, calmed down.

Lin Yuan had laughed until she was exhausted, and even the tears that had welled up at the corners of her eyes from laughter were left unbrushed, and she just lay on Xia Zheng’s chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat and counting along in her mind.

The carriage suddenly became quiet, making Lin Yi, who was outside, feel somewhat unaccustomed!

With her eyes closed, Lin Yuan was the first to break the silence.

"Do you think An Yueyue will really become the Second Prince’s Imperial Concubine?"

Xia Zheng let out a soft snort of derision, "Isn’t that obvious? Everyone in the world can see it, except for An Yueyue herself."

Indeed, even An Jie and Luomeiyan knew that Zhao Hongsheng’s interest in An Yueyue was based on the An family’s wealth, not genuine affection. Only this silly girl herself thought otherwise.

"Alas," Lin Yuan sighed helplessly, "so many young girls in this world are burdened by love, losing themselves. If An Yueyue cannot see the truth, she is bound to suffer."

Xia Zheng patted her back soothingly and consoled, "Her parents and siblings haven’t told her the truth, so why should you worry?

In my opinion, the An family is also harboring ambitions of climbing through ranks by making a gamble.

If not, why would they indulge their daughter in pursuing Zhao Hongsheng every day? "

Lin Yuan was silent, acknowledging that Xia Zheng was right.

From the An family’s shifting their brewery business to the Capital city, they clearly harbored ambitions of rising up.

If An Yueyue did become Zhao Hongsheng’s consort, even just a concubine, they would be partly royal by association one day.

Looking at the bigger picture, if Zhao Hongsheng ascended to a supreme position, then they would be the family of an Imperial Concubine. And if An Yueyue were to bear offspring who showed promise, who could say that their grandson wouldn’t become the Crown Prince?

One had to admit, the bet the An family placed was indeed large, but also risky.

After all, An family’s wealth was not very substantial.

To support a Prince in a power struggle would be minimal at best, especially compared to the Wu Family from Jiangnan, one of the wealthiest families, they were hardly worth mentioning.

Now with Zhao Hongsheng having a gold mine like the Wu Family, as well as the Drunken Immortal Tower and Drunken Immortal Residence from the Yan family, would the An family still be favored as much?

Just as An Yueyue herself admitted, in terms of intelligence, she couldn’t compare to Tang Ruyan, and in terms of beauty, she fell short of the Young Ladies in the Capital city. Her only competitive edge was her family’s modest wealth. In terms of competitive strength, she left much to be desired.

The two of them spoke sporadically, and before they knew it, the carriage came to a halt.

Xia Zheng tidied up Lin Yuan’s collar and pulled down her sleeves to cover her hands to protect her from the chill outside.

Lin Yuan lowered her gaze and smiled faintly, alighting from the carriage with Xia Zheng’s assistance.

As soon as she got down, she saw Lian Qiao running towards the house in a state of panic. If Lin Yuan didn’t know her well, she might have thought the woman before her, pale-faced, with trembling lips and weak, unsteady steps, was a stranger rather than her younger sister’s servant girl.

Lin Yuan knitted her brows and called out, "Lian Qiao!"

Lian Qiao, in a daze, suddenly heard her name being called. Her vacant eyes suddenly brightened, and she turned her head abruptly, exclaiming, "Miss, you’ve returned?!"

But when she turned her head and didn’t see Xiao Linshuang, whom she yearned for deeply, her spirit deflated again.

She staggered towards them and with a thud, kneeled down in front of Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng, trying her best to suppress the fear in her heart and the tears in her eyes, attempting to make her words as coherent as possible.

"Miss, you have finally returned. I—I’ve lost Xiao Linshuang. Miss, Young Master, you must think of something fast, I can’t find Xiao Linshuang anywhere."

Upon hearing Lian Qiao’s words, Lin Yuan felt her head go blank in an instant, and she nearly collapsed. This feeling—that she had experienced once before when Lin Dashuan had stolen Xiao Linshuang—was happening again, unexpectedly after two years.

Xia Zheng firmly supported Lin Yuan from behind and asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened? Explain everything in detail."

Lian Qiao composed herself, wiped away the tears that had unknowingly started in her eyes, and recounted everything from Xiao Linshuang’s exit through the Dog Hole to her own fruitless wait at the Hall of Salvation.

"...I waited at the entrance of the Hall of Salvation for a long time and didn’t see the young miss arrive.

I even sent the coachmen in pretending to be sick to ask around, but Lady Wang insisted that the young miss hadn’t come today.

The more I heard, the more certain I became that something was amiss, so I hurriedly searched the route again, still to no avail.

I even thought the young miss might have suddenly craved a snack, so I searched every food stall along the way but found nothing.

I asked the vendors, too, but none of them noticed the young miss.

The young miss is only seven years old and was dressed in plain clothes; she wouldn’t stand out in the crowd, which is probably why they didn’t notice her. "

Lian Qiao dared not lift her eyes to Lin Yuan, afraid that she would be unable to restrain herself from also breaking down in tears. She paused and added, "Afterwards, I went to the neighboring two streets as well, and still found no sign. I—I guess, the young miss, she...she..."

"Impossible! Yaya wouldn’t go missing!" Lin Yuan murmured incoherently. Due to having previously experienced a similar situation, her fear and worry were even greater this time. The Capital city was not like the Lin family’s homestead; just the area alone was more than twenty times larger, not to mention the crowded and chaotic population—who knows who among them might have ill intentions?

Xia Zheng pondered for a moment, then said, "Given my sister’s intelligence, she shouldn’t have been abducted.

Since she was so eager to go to the Hall of Salvation, it’s also unlikely she just went off to play.

It seems more probable that she has been forcibly held by someone.

If that’s the case, it will be easier to handle.

The Capital may be crowded and chaotic, but people are still very vigilant against abduction in the streets.

If we just follow the route she might have taken and ask around, we are bound to find some clues. "

"Really?" Lian Qiao lifted her tear-streaked face, full of hope, looking at Xia Zheng, "I—I will go look right now."

"Wait."

Before Lian Qiao could leave, Lin Yuan stopped her first.

She had regained some composure by then. Last time, when Xiao Linshuang was taken by Lin Dashuan, it was her own panic that almost cost them the best chance to save her. This time, she couldn’t afford to fall apart again.

Today’s incident was different from the previous one at the Lin family’s homestead. With the sheer number of people and the vastness of the Capital city, finding someone was truly difficult. They couldn’t let Lady Liu find out about this at all costs.