Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 32 The Child is Missing!
These two are so unreliable, alright, alright, back to patrolling...

Once the person had gone far away, faint, cursing sounds echoed from the dark bridge arch, fleeting and seemingly an illusion created by the rushing river.

The rest of the journey went smoothly. Jiu Que strolled around, unaware that his whereabouts had been relayed to the highest ruler of the dynasty.

Inside the magnificent Hall of Nourishing Life, Emperor Jingtai sat on his dragon throne, silent for a long time. The Golden Armor Guard, responsible for reporting Ying Jiuque's whereabouts to His Majesty, was curious but dared not show it in the slightest. Why was His Majesty paying so much attention to Ying Jiuque? The Golden Armor Guards were always solely responsible for His Majesty's safety, especially since he was the most secretive and powerful of the Golden Armor Guards—even the princes rarely received this level of surveillance. Yet Ying Jiuque, a mere sixth-rank city patrol censor, had managed to do so. How could this not be astonishing? However, he was well aware of his position and would never say or do anything inappropriate.

Emperor Jingtai habitually toyed with a paperweight the size of a walnut. The warm, lustrous mutton-fat jade, after years of handling, had developed a captivating luster. The magnificent scene of nine dragons vying for attention was condensed onto this walnut-sized paperweight, surprisingly harmonious, a testament to the master sculptor's skill. This paperweight had been in Emperor Jingtai's possession for thirteen years. It was a top-quality mutton-fat jade presented to him the year he ascended the throne, the final work of the master sculptor Mo Yezi, a truly exquisite piece. He would unconsciously handle it in his leisure time, and those attending him knew it was one of His Majesty's most cherished possessions.

Playing with this rare item, Emperor Jingtai showed no joy whatsoever.

That child, that little girl, that child named Jiu Que, General Ying's daughter, what will her reaction be when she discovers the filth hidden beneath this prosperous age, the darkness beneath the light? What will she do? Will she think that I, as the emperor, have not done a good enough job?
Throughout his life, he had heard countless flatteries. Perhaps some were genuine, but true sincerity was incredibly difficult to discern. Emperor Jingtai needed to peel back the layers of vested interests and the imposing imperial power to barely glimpse even a fraction of genuine emotion. It wasn't impossible, but Emperor Jingtai found it exhausting.

In his fifty years of life, for the last two or three decades, he had to treat everyone who came near him with the most demanding attitude. He was an emperor, but only an emperor, not a god; he too got tired.

Now, there is someone who is completely transparent, like a handful of clear water, whose depths can be seen through at a glance. There's no need to care about outward humility and submissiveness; you can see right through her thoughts. You don't need to worry about her deceiving you, because only you hear her thoughts; even she herself is unaware of them. Just imagine, how could Emperor Jingtai not care about what she was thinking?
After all, when everyone around him might be lying, Ying Jiuque was the most sincere one!
Emperor Jingtai, lost in his thoughts, was startled by hurried footsteps. He looked down at Jiufu, who approached with a troubled expression. Although displeased, Jiufu would not interrupt him while he was deep in thought.

"What's the matter?"

Jiu Fu looked troubled. To be honest, if the Marquis of Weiyuan hadn't just been about to kneel before him, he wouldn't have disturbed His Majesty's deep thoughts.

"Your Majesty, the Earl of Weiyuan requests an audience. It seems, it seems, that his youngest son has gone missing..."

Earl of Weiyuan?
Emperor Jingtai paused, then sat bolt upright. What? Qi Zheng's youngest son?! Qi Zheng only had that one son. He had seen him a few times before; the child was handsome with rosy lips and white teeth, like a golden boy under Guanyin's seat, very blessed, and the whole family cherished him dearly. How could he be lost? Are you sure there's no mistake?
There was no time to worry about that now, so he quickly let Qi Zheng in. Qi Zheng was one of the earliest generals to follow him. He was a man nine feet tall who, in his early years, could charge in and out of the battlefield seven times without breaking a sweat. But now, he was an old man with white hair on his head.

Qi Zheng strode in. He was over forty years old and had been chopped down to his last breath without making a sound. This tough man's eyes immediately reddened when he saw Emperor Jingtai, and two lines of tears streamed down his face. His voice also carried a barely perceptible sob.

"Brother Jing, my... my precious baby is missing..." Emperor Jingtai was heartbroken. He quickly stepped down from the dragon throne and helped Qi Zheng, who was about to kneel down, his voice filled with tenderness.

"What happened? Don't panic, tell me how Bao'er got lost? Isn't he being guarded by your soldiers? Who would dare to steal him? Could he have gone to your brother's house?"

There's a difference in how these tears are shed. Qi Zheng and Emperor Jingtai had supported and protected each other on the battlefield for over a decade; they were brothers who had risked their lives for each other. Especially since Qi Zheng was taciturn from childhood, he rarely uttered a single unnecessary word, let alone cried. So, when he reddened his eyes in front of Emperor Jingtai today, Emperor Jingtai felt more pained than if he had been stabbed himself, and hurriedly comforted his old brother.

Qi Zheng roughly wiped his face and sternly beckoned the person following behind him to come over.

"Tell His Majesty everything, in detail, what exactly happened!"

The person with a deathly pale face and trembling like a leaf was none other than Yang Linyuan, the纨绔公子弟 (playboy) who had just had a dispute with Ying Jiuque!
Yang Linyuan's face was swollen like a pig's head. He was terrified and trembling as he managed to get his words out of his mouth amidst Emperor Jingtai's frowning expression.

It turned out that Yang Linyuan had left in a sorry state and hurried to Huicui Building to pick up his little niece and cousin.

Unexpectedly, I ran into my second uncle at the Huicui Tower. He was the younger brother of the Earl of Anyuan. It was quite a complicated affair. The Earl of Anyuan and the Earl of Weiyuan were indeed brothers from the same parents, but their parents later fell out, and one took the father's surname while the other took the mother's. However, the two brothers had a very good relationship. They had fought side by side when they conquered the country and were very close. Later, when Emperor Jingtai ascended the throne, he granted both brothers the title of earl. However, unlike the Earl of Anyuan, who was still serving Emperor Jingtai, the Earl of Weiyuan, Qi Zheng, retired early and wanted to live a life of leisure and wealth, enjoying his grandchildren. Five years ago, he successfully had a son with his wife and had since then stopped concerning himself with court affairs, content to be a wealthy old man.

To be honest, the two families have a pretty good relationship, otherwise Yang Linyuan wouldn't have so enthusiastically invited him to have dinner together. Besides, his second uncle's little cousin is really cute and handsome, and Yang Linyuan prefers to play with him.

None of them were strangers; they were all eating in a private room. Unexpectedly, a loud commotion erupted from the first floor of the Hui Cui Lou restaurant while they were eating. Yang Linyuan, who had no other hobbies than watching a commotion, went out to check it out for a while—not very long, actually—and found that two out-of-town businessmen were arguing over seating arrangements before returning. But when he returned to the private room, he found his cousin slumped on the table, his niece leaning back in her chair, and the maids and servants sprawled haphazardly on the floor beside them…

Yang Linyuan's expression immediately changed! Everyone else was there except for his cousin, his second uncle's only child—

gone!
(End of this chapter)